428. Engagement? 【1/60】
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At dinner time, it was just Lin Nan and Chen Yao at the table.
Auntie had driven off to find Lin Nan’s mother, saying they needed to discuss the engagement; ideally, they would tie the knot in the next couple of days.
When she came back, it was supposed to be about her mother getting married, so how did it turn into her own engagement?
Lin Nan was feeling quite troubled. She considered engagement to be a completely unnecessary formality—why not just get married straight after graduation? She couldn’t fathom why Auntie was taking it so seriously.
“Why don’t we just run away?” Lin Nan suggested, looking up at Chen Yao. “We could book a train ticket for seven tonight, we’d be at the rental apartment by ten—not too late!”
“What are you afraid of?” Chen Yao asked, puzzled.
It was just an engagement, no marriage certificate and no official ceremony; he didn’t understand why Lin Nan was so hung up on it.
Lin Nan furrowed her brow and mumbled, “There will definitely be a lot of relatives at the engagement.”
“I used to be a guy six months ago, and now I’m a girl getting engaged—who knows what they’ll think of me?”
With her head hanging low, she directly flopped onto the dining table, suddenly finding the beef curry rice before her unappetizing. “The only relatives who know I’m a girl are my cousins and a few uncles; as for my grandparents, I’m sure the rest of the relatives still have no clue. Even if they did, they probably heard it from my grandpa.”
“For the engagement, we could just have a small gathering and invite the relatives who know about your situation, like your grandpa?”
“Ugh…” Lin Nan still seemed quite unwilling.
She sighed, her appetite gone after only half a serving of lunch, and she trudged off to her room.
Chen Yao hurriedly finished his food, caught up to her, and smiled, “My family will be giving a cash gift for the engagement. From what my parents dropped, it should be at least five or six hundred thousand, plus a rough apartment from the provincial city.”
Lin Nan abruptly halted, her eyes sparkling, “It’s all mine?!”
“What are you thinking?!” Chen Yao tapped her on the head with a finger. “You’ve got to provide a dowry of about the same amount; otherwise, people will talk.”
“Well, that doesn’t seem like a loss…”
Lin Nan daydreamed joyfully, “If your family gives me a few hundred thousand, then I could invest it wisely, and a few years later, I’d be a millionaire! Then I could pull out half for my dowry…”
Just the thought made her drool.
She quickly wiped the corner of her mouth with her hand, thankful that she didn’t embarrass herself.
Chen Yao looked at her speechlessly, wondering when Lin Nan would escape her money-grubbing thoughts. But it was also kind of cute.
Unable to resist, he ruffled her hair, turning it into a bird’s nest, and stopped when he was satisfied. But Lin Nan was completely unfazed, lost in her money dreams.
As Lin Nan imagined herself swimming in wealth, transforming into a millionaire, billionaire, or even a tycoon, her smile grew sweeter. She entered her bedroom, lay down on the bed, pulled up the blanket, and closed her eyes.
“Isn’t it only six o’clock? Sleeping so early?” Chen Yao asked from the bedside.
In a dreamy voice, she replied, “I’m just daydreaming, don’t rush me~”
“Well then, I’m off to play games.”
“Finish the leftover curry rice; otherwise, Auntie will scold me when she gets back.” Lin Nan quickly directed him.
“My mom wouldn’t scold you.”
“She would! Once, when I didn’t finish her cooking, she pitifully claimed I was rejecting her.” She recalled that moment, shuddering. “It was terrifying!”
Chen Yao left the bedroom helplessly and headed to the dining room.
He didn’t mind leftovers, especially since it was Lin Nan’s, but while eating, he suddenly paused, a grave expression creeping onto his face.
He realized why men usually end up horizontal after marriage; it must be from finishing off leftovers!
Chen Yao saw a glimpse of his future and turned pale.
“I’ll have to enroll in a gym after marriage, or else Lin Nan is definitely going to make fun of me…” he mumbled, rubbing his overstuffed belly. He glanced at the plate, still a third full of curry rice, and his face fell further.
Let’s not blow up my stomach.
After finishing dinner and washing a few dishes, Chen Yao returned to the bedroom, clutching his belly, only to find Lin Nan still sprawled on the bed, a faint smile gracing her lips—she was probably visualizing herself swimming in piles of cash.
“Stop daydreaming! We can’t even confirm the engagement yet. My mom said she’s negotiating with your mom. It’s been over a month without any results; who knows if they’ll wrap it up in the next couple of days?”
“Really?” Lin Nan shot up from the bed.
“I heard my mom wants to give a bit more as a cash gift, but your mom is broke and can’t afford the dowry…” Chen Yao shrugged. “It’s quite a bizarre situation.”
In other families, the more cash gifts for a daughter’s marriage, the better. But Lin Nan’s family didn’t dare ask for anything, considering Chen Yao’s family already helped with her surgery expenses.
“What are the wedding customs around here?” Lin Nan hugged her knees and leaned against the bed, asking Chen Yao, who was in front of the computer, “When I attended weddings before, I think we had to give money to each guest, and even the stingiest would hand out a pack of cigarettes.”
“And don’t they also give money during funerals?”
That’s why Lin Nan loved attending weddings and funerals so much; one time, a wealthy person from her village rented a few buses to transport everyone to a high-end hotel for a wedding, and she ended up pocketing five hundred bucks.
Usually, weddings took place at the village shrine, and the money handed out would only be fifty to a hundred bucks.
“For weddings and funerals, the entry fee is paid by households,” Chen Yao propped his chin up with one hand, looking at the computer screen, explaining to Lin Nan. “Generally, it’s about two or three hundred bucks for the entry, and the host will give a free umbrella.”
“And for some closer relatives, you have to give several thousand as a gift.”
“As for giving money at the banquet, that’s just to show off. We didn’t have that custom when we were kids; it only started after middle school, and it’s been ramping up since then.”
That did seem to make sense.
After hearing all this, Lin Nan firmly stated, “So for us, we just need to cover the entry fee and give gifts! No joining in that show-off trend!”
“That’s not not participating; that’s just being stingy.” Chen Yao rolled his eyes at her.
As their discussion dragged on, time flew by. Chen Yao started playing games while Lin Nan snuggled under the blanket, imagining the wedding years down the road.
If only it could be like those fancy online weddings, on a yacht, on an island, hmm…
But that would be too extravagant; a normal wedding at a hotel would suffice. Save some money, and hopefully, they could collect enough entrance fees to cover the banquet costs.
According to customs, the cash gifts and dowries would go to the little family, meaning to Lin Nan and Chen Yao. They could use that money to start a nice little business, which might be easier than working a job.
She dreamily pondered about her future and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
