RYEY -Chapter 275 Engagement

Time flew by, and before anyone realized it, it was June. Li Le had graduated from high school. Holding her freshly issued diploma, she pedaled her bicycle like a streak of lightning.

“Second sister-in-law! Second sister-in-law! I graduated! I graduated from high school!”

Before she could catch her breath, Li Le ran straight into the main hall. But the moment she entered, she saw a familiar figure, and all her excitement instantly turned to shock.

“Big brother, why are you back?”

“Little sister, what’s got you so happy?”

Li Bing smiled warmly at Li Le. He marveled at how fast time had passed. When he first joined the army, his little sister had been just a tiny child. Now, in the blink of an eye, she had grown into a young woman.

“I graduated from high school today, so I’m happy! Where’s Second Sister-in-law?”

“You little rascal, you only ever talk about Second Sister-in-law. What about your elder sister-in-law?”

Hearing this, Li Le quickly turned around and finally saw the heavily pregnant Jiang Meili, slowly making her way into the hall.

“Elder sister-in-law! You’re back too. I wasn’t ignoring you.”

Jiang Meili didn’t mind. She knew that in Li Le’s heart, Cheng Qiao occupied almost all of it. It was only because Cheng Qiao treated Li Le like her own little sister.

If it were her, sorry, she simply couldn’t do it. Who would support their sister-in-law through school all the way to high school? Yet Cheng Qiao had done it.

“I’ll go find Second Sister-in-law.”

Seeing Jiang Meili remain silent, Li Le awkwardly turned to leave but was stopped by Li Bing.

“Lele, go take a shower and change your clothes. Your future father-in-law will be coming soon to present your betrothal gifts.”

“What? I’m not getting married!”

She clearly remembered what Second Sister-in-law had told her: one day, the country would reform and open up. Maybe she could even go to college. She wanted to go to college—she definitely didn’t want to marry yet.

“You’re already nineteen. Second Sister-in-law was already pregnant with Little Cheng Li when she was nineteen.”

“I’m not getting married.”

Li Le hesitated but stubbornly turned away and finally found Cheng Qiao in the kitchen. She threw herself into her arms, sobbing, which startled Cheng Qiao as she was cooking.

“What’s wrong? You were shouting earlier, and now you’re crying?”

“Second Sister-in-law, I don’t want to get married.”

“Oh, it’s about this. You don’t want to get married? You can get engaged first, and marry whenever you feel ready.”

“But… I want to go to college.”

“You can still study after getting married. Even if you have a child, you can continue your studies.”

“Really? That’s possible?”

“Of course. Remember Chen Damao and your Second Brother? They’re married. Your Second Brother even has five kids, yet he’s still studying.”

Only now did Li Le stop crying and begin to smile. Honestly, she quite liked Qin Guoqing. He seemed a bit awkward, but in fact, he was thoughtful and considerate.

“Be a good girl. Go wash your face, comb your hair, and put on a dress. A young lady your age should dress up to look nice.”

Li Le obediently went back to her room. Li Bing stood in the courtyard, feeling an unexplainable sense of loss. He had missed so much of Li Le’s growth; his little sister had already left him behind.

By the time Qin Daqiang and Qin Guoqing arrived at the Li residence, Li Le had changed into a white dress with red floral prints, bought by Cheng Qiao. The simple dress brightened the entire main hall.

“Lele, you look so beautiful…”

Qin Guoqing couldn’t take his eyes off her. It was the first time Li Le wore a dress in front of him. He hadn’t expected her to look so… indescribably charming.

“Hello, In-law.”

Qin Daqiang nearly wanted to hit his overly observant son. The future daughter-in-law was indeed beautiful, but compared to Cheng Qiao, she was slightly lacking. How could his son be so amazed?

He completely forgot that Lele held a special place in Qin Guoqing’s heart. Even if she wasn’t stunning, she was beautiful to him. Cheng Qiao was just the sister-in-law—her status was entirely different.

“Ah, In-law is here. Please, have a seat.”

Li Le’s mother immediately felt that Qin Daqiang was formidable. No wonder he could be a regiment commander. Today, he wore a white shirt, not his military uniform.

That made the meeting more low-key. Otherwise, it would attract too much attention in the village, which wasn’t good. Just this impression alone made Li Le’s mother think highly of Qin Daqiang. Her daughter would not suffer marrying into this family.

“In-law, I’m a soldier. I don’t do things indirectly. This is the betrothal gift from the Qin family for Li Le. As for when they marry, that depends entirely on Li Le.”

Seeing the 1,000 yuan on the table, Li Le’s mother’s hands trembled. Which family could afford a betrothal gift of 1,000 yuan? She definitely didn’t have that much dowry money.

“In-law, 300 yuan is the actual betrothal money. The rest is for buying the spinning-top toy. If it’s not enough, you can add it yourselves. Also, this ticket took me a lot of effort to get. Don’t lose it.”

Li Bing shook his head inwardly. “My regiment commander, you’re not delivering a betrothal gift—you’re practically coming to take my sister! There’s no festivity at all.” Yet he was surprised to see his mother nod happily.

“I… I agreed. No, I should ask my daughter.”

Li Le’s mother smiled with delight. The remaining money, after the 300 yuan betrothal, wasn’t enough for the toy. She could top it off herself; it would count as part of the dowry.

“Lele, speak up.”

Li Le’s mother playfully nudged her. Usually so fierce, now shy—what a mouse outside a tiger’s den.

“I… I…”

Seeing Li Le’s flushed face, Qin Guoqing felt reluctant. She was still young; why pressure her so? But before he could say anything, Qin Daqiang gave him a nudge.

Feeling the nudge, Qin Guoqing dared not speak. Seeing his slightly twisted expression, Li Le laughed. All her shyness vanished, and she nodded confidently.

“I agree to get engaged first. As for marriage, can we wait until I have a job?”

Qin Guoqing froze for a moment. Engagement—this was unexpected. He didn’t dare argue and awkwardly smiled. When he smiled, everyone smiled, filling the Li household with laughter.

“Auntie, can we wait until I find a job after high school to get married? I’ll earn money and add to your dowry.”

Xu Hui stepped forward. Being three years younger than Li Le, he was sixteen. Seeing Xu Hui, Qin Guoqing tensed up.

Although Xu Hui was officially Li Huan’s eldest son, they were not blood-related. What if the boy liked Li Le?

He and his niece had grown up together as childhood friends—going to school, eating, studying, and working side by side. Their bond was strong.

Qin Daqiang also sensed the potential trouble. His hand tightened and loosened repeatedly. Whose child could be so mischievous? Knowing his son liked Li Le and still causing trouble—this was quite a challenge.