After dinner that evening, He Nan came looking for He Lang.

Xue Yue was still awake, so she went to the children’s room to give the two of them a place to talk.

"Big Brother, have a seat."

He Nan walked in and sat down in a chair.

Then he looked at He Lang and said, "I called home earlier, but you guys weren’t there. Mom answered."

He Lang nodded. His mother had already told him.

He Nan continued, "I know you’ve taken on the cost of Ziqing’s dowry and brought her honor in front of the Qi family. I’m very grateful for that, Big Brother. You’re also taking care of Mom and Dad now. I know your business is doing well, but you can’t be the only one to pay for this. We don’t have much, but this is eight hundred yuan. Take it."

He Nan pulled a stack of cash from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I know it’s not much. I saw at your supermarket today that a full set of appliances costs a lot of money, so this is nowhere near enough. You can cover the rest for now, and I’ll pay you back later."

He Lang glanced at the money on the table.

"Are you trying to be a stranger, Big Brother? Ziqing is your daughter, but isn’t she also my niece?"

He Nan shook his head. "You know that’s not what I mean."

He Lang slowly reached out and patted the stack of cash. "I’ll accept this money as your contribution as her father. But don’t say anything more. Big Brother, I promised to provide Ziqing’s dowry, and I fully intend to. You just bought a house, right? This must be all of your savings. You have a wife now; you have to think about her too. What will you do if something comes up and you don’t have a single penny to your name?"

He Nan looked at He Lang, wanting to say something but holding back.

He Lang smiled. "Alright, we’re brothers. You think I don’t know you? And you know me. This is nothing to me. The main priority now is Ziqing’s engagement party and discussing their wedding."

He Nan nodded. He really didn’t have any more money to spare and wasn’t going to pretend he did.

When Xue Yue returned, she saw He Lang staring blankly at the stack of money on the table.

"Did Big Brother give you this?"

He Lang glanced at her and gave a slight, wry smile.

"Mhm. He doesn’t want me to be the only one paying for Ziqing’s dowry, but they have limited means. This is all the money they have right now."

"What?" Xue Yue looked at the money in surprise. "That won’t do. What if there’s an emergency? They can’t be left with no money."

He Lang said calmly, "He’s already given it to me, so there’s nothing more we can do about it. His daughter is getting married; it’s right for him to contribute. You can put this money away."

Xue Yue had no choice but to put it away.

「On the day of He Ziqing and Qi Mingyang’s engagement party, both families arrived at the hotel early.」

It was the first time the two families had met. He Nan was a man of few words and found the Qi family’s enthusiasm a bit overwhelming. The smile on his face grew a little stiff. Wang Hui Fang, on the other hand, chatted quite well with them.

Even though they knew Wang Hui Fang was the stepmother, no one brought it up. In fact, she left a rather good impression on them.

All the He family members in Beijing City came, totaling about ten people. The Qi family had many more relatives and friends, and with some of the couple’s classmates and teachers from school, they filled several tables.

On stage, He Ziqing wore a red cheongsam while Qi Mingyang was dressed in a black jacket. The handsome man and beautiful woman looked like a perfect match. The Qi family had hired a professional emcee, who spoke for quite a while, offering words of blessing. It was quite interesting to listen to. Next came the couple’s toast.

Xue Yue whispered to He Lang, "Things really are different now. This is all so proper. Not like back in our day, when we just got married in a daze."

Xue Yue felt her own marriage had been a bit of a blur, but back then, it was more or less the same for everyone. Some couples even got married without ever having met before, yet they still managed to stay together for a lifetime.

He Lang said to her, "Times are changing, people’s mindsets are changing, and getting married has become more complicated."

Indeed, people nowadays are much more cautious and responsible about marriage. A lifetime is long, and no one wants to live it in a confused haze.

On the way back, Mrs. He sighed with emotion. "Back when I married your father, the matchmaker just told me his family had steamed corn buns to eat at every meal, and I agreed without a second thought. I didn’t care if he was a good man or a ruffian; having food to eat was what mattered. My father wasn’t very capable back then, and our family never knew where the next meal was coming from. Going hungry was a regular occurrence. It wasn’t until I married into the He Family that I had a few full meals. Later, as there were more sisters-in-law and more children, my mother-in-law—your maternal grandmother—started rationing every meal. To make sure your father and his brothers could eat a little more, I almost never ate my fill."

Mr. He said helplessly, "Why are you telling the children all this? That was so long ago. Besides, everyone was like that back then."

Mrs. He shot him a look. "I just want to tell the children that life is sweet now, and they should cherish it."

He Nan nodded. "We know, Mom."

The engagement party was over. The next step was to set the wedding date before He Nan and his family left Beijing City.

The day after the engagement party, the Qi family came to invite them over. However, only He Nan’s family went.

In the afternoon, they returned and announced that the date was set for the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. That was just over a month away. He Nan and his wife had to get back to work, and Xiao Nian had to go back to school, so they had to leave.

He Ziqing took another day off to show them around.

「Early the next morning, He Nan and his family boarded a train and headed back.」

「Two days later, they got off the train in Black Province.」

The weather in Black Province had already turned cold this time of year.

As they left the platform, Wang Hui Fang shivered. Seeing this, He Nan quickly opened his bag, took out a jacket, and draped it over her shoulders. He then handed one to Xiao Nian.

The chill gone, Wang Hui Fang’s heart warmed, and she smiled at He Nan.

Xiao Nian, walking behind them, hunched his shoulders against the cold and put on the jacket.

They had only taken a few steps when a woman suddenly ran up, grabbed He Nan’s leg, and began to kowtow.

"Kind sir, I’m begging you, please give me something to eat! I haven’t eaten in three days."

’That voice...’

He Nan looked down in disbelief at the woman hugging his leg and repeatedly kowtowing.

Her hair was a mess, and she was filthy from head to toe. She wore a tattered, blackened cotton-padded jacket, its original color completely obscured by grime.

Xiao Nian also looked at her with confusion, thinking her voice sounded strangely familiar.

Wang Hui Fang glanced at the stunned He Nan, then turned and took out the flatbread they hadn’t finished on the train and offered it to the woman.

A pair of grimy hands shot out, snatched the flatbread, and began to devour it in huge bites.

"Guo Jinfeng?" He Nan said slowly.

Wang Hui Fang was momentarily confused, finding the name vaguely familiar. But behind her, Xiao Nian was completely frozen.

He stared blankly at the woman before him, who didn’t have a clean spot on her. ’Is this... my mom?’