RYEY – Chapter 65 Not a Single Cent Received

“Brother Chen, congratulations on marrying your new wife today! Come, come, let’s set off some firecrackers to celebrate. Oh right, you should first take your wife to register your marriage, then come back to set off firecrackers—it won’t be too late.”

Chen Dazhu was stunned for a moment. Registering their marriage? Right, how could he forget something so important?

“Brother Li Huan, could I borrow your bicycle? Otherwise, without one, I’m afraid we won’t make it to the county office in time.”

“Borrowing a bicycle is no big deal, Brother Chen,” Li Huan replied with a smile. “But the problem is, you don’t know how to ride one, let alone carry another person. If the bicycle breaks, that’s small matter. If someone gets hurt, that’s serious.”

Li Huan grinned, handing over the introduction letter he had just gotten from the village committee—necessary for registering a marriage. “I even helped you with this. No need to thank me, I’m always glad to help.”

Chen Dazhu smiled awkwardly. Truth was, he had been eyeing Li Huan’s bicycle for so long that he completely forgot he didn’t even know how to ride one.

“Haha, Brother Dazhu is so giddy he forgot he can’t even ride a bike! Forget it then, just register tomorrow. Us country folk, as long as we share the same bed, that’s enough. Registering or not doesn’t matter.”

“Exactly, forget the certificate. Let’s go liven up the bridal chamber instead!”

Hearing this, Xu Laidi felt pleased. If they didn’t register, all the better—she’d even save herself the trouble of divorce later.

“Uncle Niu, please take them to the county to register. We can’t let people say that since Laidi has no family here, she married without even a marriage certificate.”

“That’s true. Uncle Niu, sorry to trouble you with the trip.”

Uncle Niu shot Li Huan a fierce glare. If Li Huan hadn’t secretly slipped him a pack of cigarettes, he wouldn’t have bothered joining this farce. He really couldn’t understand why this idler was so eager to stir things up.

Meanwhile, Han Chunmei and a few others saw Cheng Qiao and happily pulled her over, looking her up and down. “Qiao, looks like you’re living quite well—your face has even filled out.”

“Really? My mother-in-law and Li Huan treat me well. I’ve been happy and eating more, that’s all.”

“That’s good then. We educated youths are all alone out here. If our in-laws treat us well, life gets much easier.”

Han Chunmei nodded in agreement, then eagerly urged everyone to go see Xu Laidi’s new home. She had seen it when the beam was raised, and though it was new, it was so shabby she could hardly believe her eyes.

Cheng Qiao quickly nodded and followed the others to Chen Dazhu’s house. The first thing they saw was a courtyard with no main gate yet. Inside was nothing but emptiness, the firewood shed merely a rough shelter of bamboo and straw.

Past the courtyard was a hall, a room, and a kitchen. The hall had only a table and two benches Dazhu had made himself—nothing else.

Opening the room door, there was only a big kang bed, taking up half the space. Nothing was on it yet, waiting for the bride’s dowry bedding.

“Heavens, not even a cabinet, not even a small table. Where will they put things?”

“Just put them on the kang. It’s so big—six or seven people could sleep there!”

“True. Looks like Laidi has already set aside a place for the kids to sleep, hahaha.”

“Watch your words! You’re still an unmarried girl, you shouldn’t talk like that.”

“I was just being honest, haha.”

“Let’s go look at the kitchen.”

“No need. The kitchen only has a stove and some shabby cabinet someone must’ve picked up. Not even a clay jar.”

“There is one—look, right there!”

“That’s a water jar, silly.”

“A jar is a jar, whether for water or food. Same thing.”

Xiaofang pouted, and Xiaoqin pinched her cheek gently. “You little rascal.”

“Let’s head back. This place is even barer than our educated youth spot. I doubt they’ll even prepare a banquet today.”

“Did you give them a wedding gift?”

“No, I planned to wait for the banquet first.”

“Same here.”

“Qiao, don’t you give anything either. When you got married, they didn’t give you anything.”

Cheng Qiao only smiled. She and Li Huan hadn’t come to give money—they came to collect a debt.

After who knows how long, Uncle Niu returned with a sour face, driving the ox cart. Xu Laidi got down looking just as unhappy. She never knew Chen Dazhu could be this stingy.

Today was their marriage registration day, which meant they could use the certificate to buy sugar and other ration-free goods at the supply co-op. But Chen Dazhu said he had no money in his pocket.

Xu Laidi clutched her own pocket tightly. That fifty yuan was her bride price—there was no way she’d spend it on candy. He hadn’t even paid Uncle Niu’s four-cent cart fee, saying he’d cover it “next time.”

Cheng Qiao stepped forward, reaching into her pocket. Chen Dazhu’s eyes lit up—Qiao had said she’d give one hundred yuan as a wedding gift.

But when she pulled out an IOU instead, his face darkened. Before he could speak, Li Huan loudly pressed Laidi for repayment: “Laidi, you still owe my wife thirteen yuan and twenty cents. Now that you’re married, when will you pay it back?”

“B-brother Li Huan, it’s just that I don’t have money right now…”

“No money? Didn’t you just receive fifty yuan in bride price? And didn’t you earn wages building the riverbank, at twelve fen a day? If you don’t repay, I’ll go straight to the village head.”

“No, I’ll pay.”

Reluctantly, Laidi went into the room, closed the door, and pulled twenty yuan from a hidden pocket sewn into her underclothes. She had no choice—the bride price had been all in ten-yuan notes.

“Here. You still owe me six yuan and eighty cents.”

Cheng Qiao accepted the twenty. Li Huan quickly pulled six yuan and eighty cents from his pocket and handed it to Chen Dazhu. Dazhu stuffed the money straight into his own coat pocket.

“You…”

Laidi was furious, but now wasn’t the time to fight. She decided to wait until after the wedding to settle accounts with him.

The two of them bowed three times to the great leader’s portrait, and that was it. Not even a single piece of candy was offered.

Everyone smacked their lips in distaste. Good thing they hadn’t given any gifts, otherwise their money would’ve been like dumplings fed to a dog—gone forever.

Chen Dazhu was shocked. He had gotten married but hadn’t received a single cent in wedding gifts.

Even Chen Weidang, who normally wasn’t stingy, had given a gift when Li Huan and Cheng Qiao married. But he disliked Laidi and disapproved of this marriage, so he hadn’t even bothered attending.

Since the village head didn’t attend, others also held back. Dazhu’s beam-raising feast had been so miserly that no one had high hopes for this wedding.

If only he had put together a decent banquet, people would’ve contributed something. After all, they all lived in the same village, meeting each other day in and day out.