Section 2

Silence fell for a moment.

Chen's Father glanced at Chen's Mother and set down his chopsticks.

Chen's Mother raised her head. "A bride price? In this day and age? I'm telling you now, our family won't pay one."

Gu Jinshui and the others all turned to look at her.

Liang Ying looked down in astonishment at the little girl in Jinshui's arms, then back at the Chen family.

So everything they'd heard was true?!

The Day After They Overheard

Chen's Mother kept chattering about how a good girl shouldn't ask for a bride price, and how Gu Yinxing would live in comfort once she married into the Chen family.

She either failed to notice the Gu Family Members' faces growing darker or noticed and pretended not to.

Seeing Old Gu's family looking grim, Auntie Sun hurriedly tugged Chen's Mother's sleeve. "She's joking. How could there be no bride price? Yinxing is such a pretty girl, and she has a job. Anyone who married her would be over the moon."

That much was true.

Gu Yinxing liked dressing up. She was young and pretty, and she worked as a hospital nurse. Plenty of people had tried to introduce her to someone over the past two years.

But Gu Yinxing had high standards and was determined to marry a man with good prospects.

Chen's Mother curled her lip. "No matter how good her prospects are, can they compare with my son's? He works at the Land Bureau and has a university education. His superiors say they're going to promote him. If his boss had a daughter, my son wouldn't even give your girl a second look."

After that, there was no point discussing the marriage.

He Chunlian set down her chopsticks. "In that case, our family isn't fortunate enough for this match. Yinxing wouldn't dream of keeping your son from finding a boss's daughter. Auntie Sun, let's call the whole thing off."

Auntie Sun's eyes widened. Her mouth hung open for ages, but she couldn't think of a thing to say.

The Chen family was stunned too.

Chen's Mother had only meant to put on airs and show how sought-after her son was, to gain the upper hand over the Gu family. She hadn't expected them to be so direct and end the talks outright.

"Fine, call it off! You think my son can't find anyone else but your daughter? Let's go."

Chen's Mother stormed out, dragging her son with her. Chen's Father looked at the grim-faced Gu Family Members, at a loss for words. With a sigh, he followed.

"But... but..." Auntie Sun could have wept. If they'd settled the wedding date today, she would have received at least ten yuan as a thank-you. "Sister He, why were you so hasty? Shiwen's prospects are excellent. His monthly wages are nothing to sneeze at."

He Chunlian knew Auntie Sun meant well. She poured her a glass of wine. "We're close, Auntie Sun, so I won't lie to you. Chen Shiwen does have good prospects. But after that performance, did his family look like they came to discuss a marriage in good faith?"

Auntie Sun took a sip of wine and sighed.

"The Chen family did go too far..."

The moment Auntie Sun left, Gu Yinxing erupted.

She stamped her foot and pointed outside. "Mom, that Chen Shiwen is a complete bastard!"

"Keep your voice down!" He Chunlian went to the door and lifted the curtain. Someone at the Song family's door in the East Wing Room pulled their head back in. They had plainly been eavesdropping. She shut the door and turned around. "Shout a little louder and the Songs will have a good laugh at our expense."

Gu Yinxing pouted. She glanced at her niece, the joy gone from her face. "Then what am I supposed to do about my marriage?"

Her marriage to Chen Shiwen had been all but settled. Practically everyone at the Compound Courtyard and the hospital knew about it.

If the match fell through, people would laugh at her.

But there was no chance she'd swallow this insult and marry Chen Shiwen.

"Don't rush. I won't let you suffer for this."

He Chunlian's anger hadn't simply got the better of her. She had raised two children as a widow. Without some cunning, people would have eaten her alive long ago.

"Mom, what should we do with these four boxes of pastries the Chens brought?" Liang Ying asked, looking at the boxes tied with straw rope.

"What else? Throw them out. Looking at their stuff makes me sick," Gu Jinshui said, his face dark.

He Chunlian glared at him. "Got money to burn, do you? We bought all this food to entertain them. If we don't eat the pastries ourselves, we can give them away. Liang Ying, see what's inside."

Liang Ying agreed and opened the boxes. She said nothing, merely brought them to the table.

Gu Yinxing stepped over for a look and nearly died of anger. The four boxes held nothing but mung bean cakes and poria cakes, and one box of donkey rolls was visibly half empty.

They would have been acceptable for an ordinary visit. But for a visit to discuss a wedding date, they were a paltry gift.

"They clearly have no respect for our family!"

Gu Jinshui clenched his fists. "The Chens really think they're some kind of prize."

"Go ask around about their family tomorrow." He Chunlian fell silent for a moment. She had known the Chens were somewhat arrogant, but given Chen Shiwen's prospects, she had thought that understandable. Now that they'd behaved so shamelessly and schemed against her daughter behind her back, there was no way she could let it pass.

Gu Jinshui nodded. He knew what his mother meant.

His sister's marriage to Chen Shiwen had been nearly settled. If it fell through now, people were bound to make snide remarks. A girl's reputation mattered, and his sister had been deceived. Only proof that the Chens had tried to trick her into marriage would let her end the engagement with her reputation intact and settle the score.

That night.

On the heated bed in the East Room, Gu Yousi slept soundly beneath the covers.

Liang Ying took off her shoes and climbed into bed. Seeing Gu Jinshui still staring at their daughter, she gave him a nudge. "What are you looking at?"

"Our girl." Gu Jinshui sat up, his padded jacket draped over his shoulders. "What do you think was going on with those things we heard today?"

Liang Ying was untying her hair. Her hands paused, and she turned to him. "I thought you weren't going to ask."

"How could I not? I just didn't know how to bring it up." In the lamplight, his wife's red lips and white teeth drew him closer. "Do you think Dad sent us a message?"

Liang Ying rolled her eyes and rubbed the goose bumps on the back of her hand. "Don't say things like that at night. It's frightening."

"What's frightening about it? I'd say it was a good thing. If we hadn't heard those words, who knows how badly someone might have cheated my sister?" Gu Jinshui gritted his teeth. "I spend every day out and about. I thought I'd seen everything, but even an old hand like me nearly got taken in."

"Enough. Don't blame yourself. Yunnan is so far away, and we barely know the Chens. How could you have known?" Liang Ying patted his shoulder. She knew how loyal he was. He often teased Gu Yinxing, but anyone else who bullied her would have him to answer to.

"I'll ask around tomorrow."

Gu Jinshui spoke through gritted teeth.

At the Chen family's home.

The Chens lived in a small courtyard of their own. Years ago, the plot had been wasteland. Chen's Father and Chen's Mother had seized the chance during those turbulent times to build a three-room house there, and they had been proud of it ever since.

"Mom, couldn't you have handled the bride price more tactfully?" Chen Shiwen had come home hungry after a cold, windy walk, and his expression hadn't improved since. His younger brother, Chen Shiwu, had seen his face and gone to bed early.

Chen's Mother looked embarrassed. "Handled it tactfully? How? Our family is so much better off than theirs, yet they still have the nerve to demand a bride price. I haven't even asked how much dowry they'll give!"

Chen's Father tapped his pipe against the low table on the heated bed and packed it with fresh tobacco. "Enough. Give them something for the bride price. Your uncle is still waiting for us to pay him back. It's several hundred yuan. How can we repay him unless we sell the job?"

That set Chen's Mother seething. She couldn't bring herself to curse her own son, so she cursed the mother and child Chen Shiwen had left in the countryside instead. "It's all that greedy bitch's fault, demanding five hundred yuan from us! Our Shiwen never even registered a marriage with her!"

Chen Shiwen took off his shoes impatiently. "Mom, we've already paid her. Besides, if we hadn't, Lin Fengxian really would have come to Beijing looking for me."

"So... we really have to pay a bride price?" Chen's Mother's lips twitched, her face full of reluctance. She simply couldn't bear to part with the money. Paying Lin Fengxian and her child five hundred yuan had emptied the family's savings, and they'd had to borrow another three hundred and eighty from Chen Shiwen's uncle.

"Every family pays a bride price when a daughter marries. Besides, Yinxing has a job. Once she marries me, we can sell it and clear our debts. Borrow a little more from Uncle. I'll go smooth things over with Yinxing tomorrow," Chen Shiwen urged. "Then we'll choose a good date and settle it quickly. Otherwise, when Uncle comes to collect at the end of the year, how will we pay him back?"

"All right, then." Chen's Mother agreed reluctantly, though the thought of paying a bride price still pained her.

Before dawn the next day, bicycle bells were already ringing in the streets. Many households in the Compound Courtyard were awake, with fires being lit, children crying, and mothers-in-law quarrelling with daughters-in-law.

He Chunlian hadn't retired yet. She taught at a Chinese opera school, where the work wasn't demanding, but she was up early too.

Gu Yinxing had an early shift and had risen even earlier. Gu Jinshui and Liang Ying were up as well. Gu Yousi drank her milk. It was powdered milk, sold in packets much like soy milk powder, and it tasted sweet.

Gu Yousi was enjoying it when she heard her grandmother's voice outside.

Huang Xirong looked He Chunlian up and down. "Chunlian, I hear Yinxing is engaged. Why did the man's family leave so quickly yesterday? Did you quarrel?"

The Gu family occupied the main rooms in the rear courtyard, while the Song family lived in the East Wing Room. The two families had never got along.

At that, Huang Xirong's daughter, Song Mei, poked her head out of the house. "Auntie, couldn't you talk things over nicely? I heard Yinxing's man has good prospects."

The neighbors quietly pricked up their ears. They had all seen the Chens leave in a hurry yesterday. Only He Chunlian's famously fierce temper had stopped anyone from asking about it.

He Chunlian glanced at Song Mei and wrapped a scarf around her neck. "My, you do keep up with the news. But Song Mei, instead of always worrying about our Yinxing, why not worry about yourself? Auntie Sun told me you've met seven or eight men and still haven't found one. What's the matter?"

At the mention of that, Song Mei's face went livid. She dropped the door curtain with a slap and went back inside.

He Chunlian looked at Huang Xirong and smiled. "Your daughter's shy, isn't she? Really, Xirong, you should talk to her. Everyone wants a good match, but she ought to consider what she has to offer. I know that doesn't sound nice, but it's the truth!"

Inside, Song Mei was so furious she was ready to swear. If her sister-in-law Lin Lianhua hadn't pulled her back, she would have rushed out to argue with He Chunlian.

Lin Lianhua jerked her chin toward the courtyard. "Why get so worked up? Is that man of theirs really such a catch? Just wait. You'll get to laugh at them soon enough."

That put out the fire of Song Mei's anger.

Song Mei ground her teeth. "Let that little vixen enjoy herself for a few more days!"

The Fourth Day After They Overheard

Liang Ying had a night shift that evening, so she was free to look after the child during the day.

Once the baby was asleep, she said to Gu Jinshui, "When you ask around, don't give anything away. We don't want them hearing about it first."

"I know."

Gu Jinshui put on his padded coat. He was tall; on anyone else, the bulky coat would have made them look hunched and awkward. Not him. He stood straight, chest out and shoulders squared. His eyes held a roguish glint, but he looked full of energy.

As soon as Gu Jinshui stepped out, several of his younger companions came running up in the alley.

The shorter one spoke sweetly. "Brother Jinshui, where are we going to make money today?"

"No money-making today. I've got something to do. Shanhu and Douzi are coming with me. You go meet someone outside the city. Half is yours." Gu Jinshui took a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, pulled out two for himself, and tossed the rest to the short man.

Sun Yaozu caught the pack and broke into a broad grin. "Thanks, Brother Jinshui. What are you and Brother Shanhu going to do? Need anyone else to help?"

Shanhu lived up to his name. Tall and sturdy, he glared at Sun Yaozu. "Why all the questions? Just do what our brother tells you."

Embarrassment flickered across Sun Yaozu's face. Gu Jinshui said, "It's nothing serious. Thanks for offering. It's getting late, so you'd better set off. The round trip will take hours."

Only then did Sun Yaozu hurry away.

After he left, Gu Jinshui