“Out with the old, in with the new. We can’t move all this furniture at once, it’ll get damaged if it sits too long. We should sell it and get some cash.
Here’s the receipt. The furniture sold for two thousand four hundred and eighty. We’ll have a good life from now on.
Li Wu Wei wasn’t shy about how much money he had. It was legitimate income, and anyway, he controlled the family finances.
“Wow, the furniture is worth that much?!”
Qin Huai Ru was stunned. That was a lot of money.
“Come on, let’s buy a bike!”
Li Wu Wei only planned to buy one bike. He said it was for Qin Huai Ru’s dowry, but in reality, he was going to use it himself.
“Brother Li, what about this? What should we do?”
Qin Huai Ru pointed to the workers who were moving the furniture.
“It’s fine. We’ll come back later to lock the door. We sold all the furniture. There’s nothing left in the house.”
Li Wu Wei stored everything in the courtyard except for the furniture, all the obvious things, into his space. Now they were practically penniless, and no thief would be tempted to take anything.
Soon, he took Qin Huai Ru to buy a brand new bicycle. They stamped it with the official seal, and it was done.
He bought himself a new set of clothes and changed. Then he took Qin Huai Ru to his courtyard to freshen up. When you give, you get back.
“Huai Ru, I’ve prepared everything. Just take it and go. We’ll go to your family to propose marriage. We’ll come back tomorrow to get the marriage certificate.
Then you’ll move in with me. We’ll pick an auspicious date and have the wedding banquet.”
Li Wu Wei couldn’t wait that long. The clothes at home needed to be washed, and his job was so boring.
Once he got the marriage certificate with Qin Huai Ru, he could put his stomach illness plan into action and get Qin Huai Ru to take his job at the steel mill.
Let Qin Huai Ru take over his job at the steel mill, and he’d just lay around in the courtyard. How great.
“Okay, Brother Li, I’ll listen to you. Just don’t forget to lock the door at the other courtyard before we leave.”
Qin Huai Ru already saw herself as a member of the Li family, and of course, she was concerned about the things in the house.
“Alright!”
Li Wu Wei immediately went into the inner room and took a large bundle he had prepared and gave it to Qin Huai Ru. Then, he loaded her on the bike and set off.
Along the way, he went to the courtyard in the Liuli Factory area. The furniture was already gone. He didn’t look around and just locked the door.
With his physique, riding a bicycle with someone on it was a breeze. Once they left Beijing, he treated it as a scenic tour.
“Brother Li, you said we couldn’t move into the courtyard for a while. What’s that about?”
Qin Huai Ru was still thinking about that.
“Well, even though my grandfather’s shop closed down before the founding of the People’s Republic, it still belonged to a capitalist.
It’s just me. Even if I marry you, and we live in a three-section courtyard with dozens of rooms, people will definitely be envious.
So we have to be low-key. After a few years, when you have a child, and our family is bigger, then it will be appropriate to move in.
Li Wu Wei wasn’t bluffing. If they could move in, that would be great.
But it depended on the situation. The Lou family, for example, were living well, but what was their ending?
Qin Huai Ru agreed, “I understand. Don’t let your wealth be known to others.”
“Yes, that’s exactly it. Also, I’ve already asked the street committee to rent out our three large storefronts. We’ll have rent income every month. Our good life will really take off.
Those shops and the courtyard are something that can be passed down. You, marry me, just be obedient, and you’ll enjoy a good life.”
Li Wu Wei’s sweet talk was real. They would eat well and live well, but he was serious about not doing any work. He was determined to be a man who didn’t even need a broom.
And Qin Huai Ru’s personality was perfect for taking care of people!
“Brother Li, I will be obedient.”
Qin Huai Ru had already started thinking about it. Their family had three storefronts that brought in rent, Brother Li had a salary, and they had two thousand dollars from selling the furniture.
They could move into a three-section courtyard in a few years. This good life was unimaginable.
They were already in the suburbs. Since this road had buses, the road conditions were good. They were enjoying the scenery with a beautiful woman by their side. This was truly a good day.
Qin Huai Ru was wearing a new outfit and shoes she had bought the day before. She was conscious of her appearance. They were a handsome man and beautiful woman, and since it was winter, there wasn’t much dust on the road.
They arrived at the village where Qin Huai Ru’s family lived, and they were still looking fresh and glamorous, at the peak of their looks.
“Oh, isn’t that Huai Ru? What’s going on?”
As soon as they reached the village entrance, Qin Huai Ru was recognized by a villager working in the fields.
“Sister Da Chun, this is my fiancé, Li Wu Wei. He’s here to propose marriage today.”
Qin Huai Ru proudly introduced Li Wu Wei. This was a good man, one you couldn’t find even if you searched with a lantern.
“Wow, look at that bicycle. Huai Ru, you’ve married well.”
Sister Da Chun was incredibly envious. Since she was little, Qin Huai Ru had been pretty, and now, she’d married well.
Li Wu Wei didn’t say anything, letting Qin Huai Ru brag. The more she did, the more dependent she would be on him, and she would have to take good care of him.
When they finally reached their destination, Li Wu Wei pushed the bicycle to the front of a farmhouse and was completely dumbfounded.
There were at least thirty people in the yard, staring at him.
Qin Huai Ru quickly said, “Brother Li, they’re all my relatives.”
“Oh, okay!”
Li Wu Wei’s physical fitness was incredible. Otherwise, he might have felt a bit uneasy in this situation.
A few people quickly walked towards them from the crowd.
One of them, a woman, said with a smile, “This must be Li Wu Wei. You’re very handsome.”
Qin Huai Ru introduced them, “This is my mother, my father, and my two younger brothers. Over there are my second uncle and third uncle’s families…”
“Er, okay!”
Li Wu Wei parked the bike in the yard, instantly attracting the attention of everyone. It was such a rare thing. Even in ten years, you wouldn’t find many bicycles, even in the city, let alone in the countryside.
“Come in and rest. You must be tired from the journey!”
Qin Huai Ru’s mother welcomed him warmly. When she saw her daughter struggling to carry the bundle, she quickly asked her two sons to help.
Li Wu Wei was led to the main room. He knew how to show off. In front of everyone, he opened the bundle.
“I came in a hurry, so I only brought a few things.”
He said he only brought a few things, but he was thoughtful. In the bundle was a large piece of pork belly, the part that comes with the five-flower meat, with both fat and lean meat, and even some pure fat. In this era, it made people drool just looking at it.
This piece of meat alone weighed fifteen kilograms. There were also four bottles of good wine and a large pig’s head.
That was enough. Just those things alone cost more than thirty yuan. He got it from the bonus meat shop, but it was still money.
“This, this is too much!”
The Qin family was stunned. Who had ever brought dozens of kilograms of pork to propose marriage? It was unheard of.
Li Wu Wei didn’t hesitate. He took out a bulging red envelope and said, “Qin Huai Ru and I fell in love at first sight. We are mutually attracted. I want to marry her as my wife. This is the betrothal gift.”