RYEY – Chapter 28 Be Careful, or Someone Might Steal It

“Li Huan, what’s that you’ve got on the back of your bike?”

Zhang Yuefang’s sharp eyes instantly spotted the big bundle tied to the rear of the bicycle.

“That’s the dowry Cheng Qiao bought in the county.”

Li Huan grinned as he answered.

After that, he carried everything over to the door of the female educated youths’ dormitory, then pushed his bike to the entrance as well. With a click, he locked it.

“Cheng Qiao, here’s the key to the bike. Get the other girls to help you move the stuff inside. I can’t go into the women’s dorm.”

Cheng Qiao nodded, calling Han Chunmei and the others to help move everything in. Han Chunmei sighed softly, not knowing how to put her feelings into words.

Cheng Qiao was still as naïve and sweet as ever—squandering three hundred yuan on a dowry instead of hiding it safely. If the money ran out, who knew if that good-for-nothing Li Huan would treat her badly?

“Cheng Qiao…”

Han Chunmei wanted to say more, but since the purchases were already made, there was no returning them. With the Li family present, anything she said would only sound like she was stirring up trouble.

“What is it, Sister Chunmei?”

“That piece of pork, don’t touch it yet. Wait until I cure it into preserved meat. Then, when you marry, you can take it with you.”

As soon as she said that, both Chai Jianmin and Xu Laidi shot fierce looks at Han Chunmei. If it wasn’t turned into preserved meat, that pork could last maybe three or four days, and they still stood a chance of eating it.

Qian Longkun noticed the look in Chai Jianmin’s eyes and curled his lip in disdain. He walked straight over and handed the pork to Han Chunmei, clearly siding with her decision.

Although Zhang Yuefang felt it was a pity, she thought about how kind Cheng Qiao had been to her and quickly chimed in, saying she would help with the curing process.

The sisters Xiaoqin and Xiaoping didn’t care either way. If they craved meat, they could always go to the state-run restaurant for a plate of braised pork—no need to fight with a bride-to-be over her dowry.

Once everything was moved, Mother Li smiled and greeted Cheng Qiao. She still had to get to the fields—if she was late, the village head would dock her work points.

“Auntie, wait a second.”

Seeing Mother Li about to leave, Cheng Qiao hurriedly called out and dashed back into the dorm. When she came out again, she was holding a paper bag.

“Auntie, this is for you. Please eat it.”

“What is it? Ah—meat buns? Oh, these are too precious. You’ve still got a wound on your forehead. Keep them for yourself.”

Mother Li, upon seeing the meat buns, immediately stuffed the paper bag back into Cheng Qiao’s hands. Eating something so good herself would be such a waste.

“Auntie, take them. I’ve still got more. These meat buns are from the hospital—they’re nutritious meals, and cheaper than the ones at the state restaurant.”

Mother Li secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva but still shook her head firmly. Li Huan chuckled—now he finally understood why Cheng Qiao hadn’t eaten a bun that morning. She had wanted to save it for his mother.

“Mom, take it and eat it for breakfast. You’ll need the energy for harvesting.”

Since her son had spoken, Mother Li had no choice but to accept the meat buns and rush off. If she didn’t hurry, the village head would surely scold her. Li Huan gave Li Le a look, and Li Le nodded with a smile before following along.

“We should head to work too. If we’re late, our work points will be docked.”

Xiaoqin checked her watch anxiously.

“Let’s go, let’s go. Cheng Qiao, lock the door yourself. We’re off.”

In just a few minutes, nearly everyone in the educated youth compound had left. Cheng Qiao and Li Le exchanged a smile, then went inside hand in hand.

Only Xu Laidi and Chai Jianmin remained, glaring at each other. When Chai Jianmin saw Xu Laidi’s messy hair and swollen face, he shuddered involuntarily and quickly left.

Xu Laidi glanced toward the room where the two were, spat viciously on the ground, and left in a hurry.

“Lele, do you know how to write?”

“Second Sister-in-law, I don’t.”

“After the harvest, you should go to school.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“I have to help my mom in the fields. Otherwise, by year’s end, we won’t have enough work points and will need to buy them.”

“Don’t worry. When the time comes, I’ll help in the fields. You must go to school. At the very least, you should be able to read and keep accounts.”

“Second Sister-in-law…”

“Come, let’s make a list. I’ll write it down, and you can put things away.”

The betrothal gifts didn’t need counting—just a glance and they were all there. Still, Cheng Qiao carefully wrote them into her notebook: three feet of cotton cloth, fifty catties of rice, one bicycle…

“Second Sister-in-law, are all these your dowry?”

“Mm-hmm. Do you want to take a look? When you get married someday, you should have a set like this too.”

Li Le’s face turned bright red. What was Second Sister-in-law saying? She was just a kid, nowhere near marriage.

Cheng Qiao got to work. She first pulled out a pair of bright red thermos flasks, then a pair of glass sugar jars.

“Second Sister-in-law, what’s this? It’s so pretty.”

“Sugar jars, for storing sugar. Look—made of colored glass.”

“They’re beautiful.”

“Right? Once they’re filled with sugar, they’ll look even better. Wait, I remember I bought a pound of sugar. Where is it… let me find it.”

She rummaged in the bag for a bit before pulling out a brand-new lunch box. Opening it revealed more than half a box of white sugar.

Li Le watched as Cheng Qiao poured the sugar into the jars. Sure enough, they looked even prettier, and once the lids were on, they seemed downright festive.

“Wow, Second Sister-in-law, they’re so pretty!”

Seeing the little girl’s eyes sparkle, Cheng Qiao chuckled. Once she grew up, she’d probably think these sugar jars were too plain to bother with.

“Here, this is for you.”

“Wow, fruit candy! Thank you, Second Sister-in-law!”

Li Le beamed, delighted with the candy. She loved sweets, but her mother never bought them for her. If not for her second brother, she would’ve long forgotten what sugar tasted like.

“No need to thank me. Eat up.”

While Li Le peeled off the candy wrapper, Cheng Qiao quickly sneaked some supplies out of her hidden space: underwear, sweaters, socks, shoes, gloves, hats, scarves.

“Second Sister-in-law…”

Li Le had been about to offer her candy back, but when she suddenly saw so many things appear on the bunk, she let out a startled cry.

“What’s wrong? Go on, eat your candy.”

“Oh…”

Li Le fell silent, her heart pounding with excitement. It looked like her Second Sister-in-law had used all the compensation money from the Chen family to buy her dowry. What a good sister-in-law she was.

Cheng Qiao carefully checked her dowry list again, making sure nothing was missing. She hadn’t taken out the quilts yet—they were too big. If such a massive item suddenly appeared from a small bundle, even a fool would know something was off.

She tied the package tightly with rope and tucked it into the corner of the dormitory.

“Lele, what do you want for lunch? I’ll cook.”

“Second Sister-in-law, are you done writing? If so, I’m going to find my mom. I don’t feel good leaving her alone in the fields. Keep an eye on your dowry—don’t really let someone steal it.”