As the neighbors entered the yard, one of them asked, "Sister-in-law, will your family be celebrating a joyous occasion soon?"
Knowing it was impossible to hide the news, Aunt Lin ca out carrying a tray with a plate of roasted nuts gifted by Jiang Ziyu, several cups, and a pot of tea.
She placed the tray on the balcony, and the neighbors quickly took their seats as if they were at their own ho.
Aunt Lin was used to their behavior. No matter how rude they were, they were still her potential custors, so she kept a pleasant deanor and shared the snacks.
After everyone had taken a sip of tea and grabbed a handful of roasted nuts, Aunt Lin said, "My family will indeed have a joyous occasion, but we won't be holding a celebration."
Hearing this, one of the neighbors asked in surprise, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? If there's anything we can help with, just let us know."
Aunt Lin knew their concern was half-truth, half-fake.
She smiled and sighed, "My niece just accepted a proposal from Lingyun's friend. Since her future husband needs to return to Yunnan City in a few days, we have agreed to hold the wedding banquet there."
"What about the wedding ceremony? Even if there's no banquet, there should at least be a proper ceremony," another neighbor asked.
Aunt Lin shook her head and said, "My brother-in-law is busy these days, so we will have to omit the wedding ceremony and just have a tea ceremony."
Though she said this, everyone understood the truth—Lin ifeng's father simply didn't care about his daughter's marriage. What a scumbag father!
Even if they felt sorry for Lin ifeng, they couldn't interfere in another family's affairs, so they could only sigh.
"Sister-in-law, what about the bride price and betrothal gifts?" another neighbor asked.
At this question, their eyes lit up. Everyone in the village knew that Lin ifeng had struggled to find a husband because of the high bride price.
If she were a 16-year-old girl, she might be able to fetch 50 yuan. But at 22, she would be lucky if soone was willing to pay even 10 yuan to marry her.
Aunt Lin understood their thoughts and sneered inwardly. These people were nothing more than plastic sisters. They co to find gossip and watch the show!
Even as she scolded them in her heart, she still smiled and replied modestly, "Ziyu—this man, ah—he truly likes my family's ifeng."
"When ifeng told him about the bride price, he agreed without hesitation. He even said he would prepare the betrothal gifts."
"We agreed that he would co to propose tomorrow, and he said it wouldn't be a problem at all. I don't know when he prepared everything, but it wouldn't be easy to get it all done in less than a day," she added aningfully.
The neighbors were skeptical about her words.
While Lin ifeng was sowhat attractive, she wasn't a breathtaking beauty like Lu Jueyu or a charming, lovely woman like Pan ijia.
It was hard to believe a man would fall for her at first sight. Not to ntion making all preparations in advance to marry her.
Noticing their doubt, Aunt Lin didn't bother explaining further. Instead, she smiled and said, "Tomorrow, we hope everyone can join the festivities and witness my niece's wedding."
"Sister-in-law, we will definitely co and celebrate your family's joyous day," one of the neighbors said aningfully.
Aunt Lin nodded and added, "We will prepare so wedding candies to share with everyone."
At the ntion of wedding candies, the neighbors no longer cared whether Aunt Lin was exaggerating or telling the truth. The main point was that there would be snacks. And with the Li family involved in the marriage preparation, they might even get so good ones.
After chatting for a while, the neighbors finally left. Aunt Lin knew that as soon as they walked out of her yard, news of Lin ifeng's marriage would spread throughout the entire village.
And just as she had predicted, within two hours, the entire village knew about the Lin family's joyous celebration tomorrow.
While the news spread like wildfire in Xie village and the surrounding villages, Jiang Ziyu and Li Lingyun sat across from Houzi in the black market.
"Brother Jiang, I can prepare most of the items on this list before midnight. But a watch and leather shoes might be harder to find," Houzi said with a frown.
"Brother Houzi, do you know anyone who might have these things?" Jiang Ziyu asked.
Houzi rubbed his chin, thinking for a mont before replying, "I can try asking a middleman in the next city, but the price might be higher than usual."
Jiang Ziyu nodded without hesitation and said, "Price doesn't matter."
Seeing how readily he agreed, Houzi asked curiously, "Brother Jiang, wouldn't it be easier to get these things in your hotown? Why are you in such a hurry? Are you getting married soon?"
He was only joking, but to his surprise, Jiang Ziyu nodded and said with a grin, "I'm proposing to my future wife tomorrow. That's why I need these things urgently."
Houzi was taken aback. He scratched his ear and asked, "Brother Jiang, are you serious? You only stay in Xie village for a few days. How did you get a wife so soon?"
Jiang Ziyu chuckled when he saw his disbelief and said, "Of course. Marriage isn't child's play. I will never joke about it."
Houzi fell silent for a mont before saying, "Since it's for Brother Jiang's marriage, I will give you a discount. Consider it my wedding gift to you."
Li Lingyun raised an eyebrow and asked, "Houzi, why didn't you give a wedding gift when I got married?"
"Boss Ling, you are richer than . I wouldn't know what to get you," Houzi said.
"I accept monetary gifts," Li Lingyun replied casually.
Houzi nearly choked at his shalessness. After a mont of silence, he could only utter a single word, "...Okay."
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