The male supporting character was actually myself.

No wonder this family has been living a life of luxury these past few years, playing cards and mahjong without doing anything and never worrying about food or drink. Turns out they have a secret stash of money to rely on. And yet, they're so stingy they won't even spend money to find a match for their own son, who's not exactly presentable. Look at how good He Jiangchen is at handling people…

In comparison, the matchmaker felt that she could reap more benefits by making He Jiangchen's wedding beautiful!

“There are quite a few people in our village. If you really want to invite everyone in the village except your uncle’s family of three to a banquet, you’ll probably have to hold a continuous feast.”

She stood on tiptoe and peered into the courtyard, counting on her fingers for a while before slowly saying, "According to the usual banquet format in our village, eight people at a table need eight dishes."

There are about 300 people in the whole village, including children and the elderly, so we need at least 30 tables.

Have you thought this through? Thirty tables of food is no small amount! If you ask me, you might as well just host five or six tables for your close friends. Why be a sucker?

Jiang Chen thought about it and realized that marriage was one of the most important events in life.

Even though his marriage to Liao Yuzhou was just a sham, he still wanted to throw a grand wedding so she could have a beautiful and successful one. Only thirty or so tables—this was nothing!

"Auntie, please help me with the arrangements." He pointed to the wide road in front of the courtyard and said with a light smile, "As long as you can help me get everyone together, I'll set up a reception area over there, and everyone can have some wedding wine and share in the joy."

The matchmaker, clutching a new bed sheet that faintly smelled of fabric, slapped her thigh and laughed, "Alright, if you can plan it yourself and gather enough people for the banquet, I'll help you arrange it! Oh dear, you haven't sold any grain, you've clearly sold a family heirloom!"

Jiang Chen smiled but didn't respond. The other person also tactfully helped himself down the stone, saying, "Alright, let's split up and get things done quickly so we can drink your wedding wine tomorrow."

Holding a new, expensive patterned bed sheet, humming a little tune, the matchmaker went home with her hands behind her back, completely satisfied.

The little white cat hopped over and kissed its host's face, meowing, "Host, I'll keep a close eye on the matchmaker, lest she get brainwashed by the protagonist's halo and cause any more trouble. You hurry up and take the female lead to get the marriage certificate, then this happy occasion will be a success!"

Jiang Chen casually took out a bag of dried fish from the food maker, and the fluffy little ball hugged it and hopped along, following the matchmaker who walked with a brisk pace.

He glanced at the sky and realized it was past lunch break. He rummaged through his storage space and found some in-demand items like melon seeds and milk candy. He told Huang Mao and the others to take them to the village secretary.

The cicadas chirped in the afternoon, and the green willow branches of the big willow tree swayed gently in the hot breeze.

With money and gifts paving the way, the letter of introduction was stuffed into Jiang Chen's pocket in just a few minutes; the village chief looked at the scarce goods on the table, beaming and humming a few lines of opera.

Meanwhile, at Zhang Tieniu's house in Walnut Gully, Li Tiantian and Liao Yuzhou sat under the shade of a tree in the yard, helping her mother-in-law wind up a ball of yarn.

"Are you really planning to get married like this? You don't want anything?" Li Tiantian's mother-in-law looked at the pretty girl with braided hair with concern while spinning thread, and whispered a reminder: "We women are not afraid of poverty or hardship when we get married, we are just afraid of having no hope."

After I finished eating, I went to inquire about it and heard that He Jiangchen was being bullied and manipulated terribly by his uncle and aunt. He's an honest and nice kid, but it's a shame he had to be stuck with relatives like that…”

Liao Yuzhou had mixed feelings, unsure whether it was worry or something else, but his heart started pounding whenever he heard the word "marriage".

But what other options are there now?

"Just keep trying. If I end up marrying a bad person, it's all fate," she sighed and replied softly.

Li Tiantian shook the wooden cradle beside her and hesitated, "Yuzhou, do you think Wu Jiande has any other flaws besides being sleazy? Maybe he really likes you. You never know."

If he truly cares about you, maybe... he'll treat you very well?

No matter what, Wu Jiande is an organized person with a proper job. Putting aside his age and unattractive appearance, at least following him guarantees a comfortable life...

“Wu Jiande is forty-five this year, not much younger than my dad.” Liao Yuzhou twitched his lips and shook his head. “Putting aside age and appearance, a grown man sneaking up to a girl’s window at night with the intention of doing something indecent is just a hooligan. It’s not something someone who genuinely likes would do.”

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Betrothal Gifts

"Liao is right. You can't marry Wu Jiande, and you can't even associate with him."

Li Tiantian's mother-in-law nodded in agreement with her judgment, "Following Wu Jiande is definitely not an option. Can you think of any other solutions? Could you find someone to transfer you to another place?"

Liao Yuzhou shook his head, his expression somber.

"You can only get married..." Li Tiantian held her face and looked at the sleeping baby in the cradle, and sighed heavily. "If you really go with He Jiangchen, what if you get bullied by He Yongqiang's family? We live so far away, we can't help you if something happens."

But you happen to be a gentle and mild-mannered person, not at all fierce.

"If it were me, I'd fight anyone who dared to mess with me, even if it meant risking my life!"

"I...I believe He Jiangchen. He said he wouldn't let anyone bully me," Liao Yuzhou replied in a very low voice. As she uttered that name, the image of the other person's face, with its gentle smile as bright as the sun, appeared before her eyes again.

An unknown source of trust encouraged her, making her firmly believe that she had met a good man she could rely on.

Li Tiantian's mother-in-law looked at her with her head slightly lowered and a gentle smile on her wrinkled face.

Liao has taken a liking to He Jiangchen!

Hopefully, that young man will be reliable and know how to cherish and protect his wife after marriage; otherwise, the young couple, left without any support, will likely have a difficult time...

The mother and her two daughters were sitting under a big tree in the yard, working and chatting quietly. They were giving Liao Yuzhou advice on what to do if He Yongqiang's family bullied her when a familiar voice suddenly came from the yard gate, "Busy? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"He Jiangchen?!" Liao Yuzhou suddenly blushed and looked up at him, her eyes bright and full of expectation.

What came into view was a handsome prince on a white horse, with a well-proportioned figure, bright clothes, and a faint smile on his face. He parked a brand-new bicycle outside the gate and unloaded a bunch of things hanging on the handlebars and tied to the back seat.

"Hey, where did you get this hot commodity?!" Li Tiantian's eyes lit up, and she jumped up and rushed over. Looking at the gleaming, obviously brand-new bicycle, she touched it excitedly and said, "He Jiangchen, you've struck it rich!"

For Li Tiantian and Liao Yuzhou, who come from big cities, bicycles, though valuable, are not rare. But riding a bicycle across the street in this remote mountain village is as eye-catching as driving a limited-edition sports car to the market.

Liao Yuzhou lowered his head slightly, nervously tugging at the ends of his braided hair.

She really couldn't understand what the other person was doing, how they got on a bicycle and were carrying such a big bunch of stuff.

"What... what's this for?" Liao Yuzhou glanced at the items and found they were wedding candies, melon seeds, new quilt covers, bed sheets, and the like—all beautiful and valuable new items.

Jiang Chen smiled and handed over a large bag of wedding candy, saying, "I'm here to deliver the betrothal gifts. Shouldn't we hurry up and get our marriage certificate?"

Her face flushed red instantly, and she didn't even dare to lift her head, turning her body away shyly.

Li Tiantian took the wedding candy from her and said happily, "Little White Rabbit milk candy! Oh my, He Jiangchen, you're so thoughtful, you've really gone all out with this betrothal gift!"

However, we fishing boats are not the kind of people who discriminate against the poor and favor the rich. You can't win them over by pretending to be rich when you're not.

She wants to find someone down-to-earth to work hard with. Tell me honestly, how much did all this cost? Was it borrowed?

Don't let the desire to save face lead you to a famine, forcing your bride to eat meager rations and tighten her belt to pay off your debts.

"It's better to keep things simple. The two of you get a marriage certificate, have a small wedding banquet, and then you can work in the fields while she helps with the household chores. That's what real life is like."

"Don't worry, I bought all of these with my own savings. I will definitely not let her live a miserable life as soon as she enters the family."

After Jiang Chen finished unloading the things and put them in the yard, he took out a red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into Liao Yuzhou's hand, whispering, "There are twenty yuan in there. I heard from the matchmaker that it's now fashionable to put money at the bottom of the dowry chest. Put six yuan in the chest."

The rest of the time, I'll go with Tian Tian to buy some things I like.

I've prepared all the quilt covers. Ask your aunt to help find someone to make a few quilts as part of your dowry. If you need anything else, just let me know, and we can buy it on our way to the county town.

Unexpectedly, he even helped prepare her dowry. Liao Yuzhou felt nervous, excited, and a little overjoyed.

My understanding of He Jiangchen, based on what I heard from Li Tiantian and her mother-in-law, was very different from the image I had in mind. It was as if they were two completely different people, except for the fact that they shared the same name.

Li Tiantian said his family was dirt poor, and they wore clothes that were patched upon patched.

But He Jiangchen, whom I saw, was dressed in bright and fashionable clothes, showing no sign of the awkwardness one might feel from not having worn new clothes for years. If someone truly grew up in extreme poverty, they couldn't possibly have such a natural and unhurried demeanor.

Li Tiantian's mother-in-law inquired and said that He Jiangchen was honest and quiet, and had been exploited and bullied by his uncle for many years without fighting back. He didn't know how to deal with people and wasn't good at handling things.

He Jiangchen, who was sitting in the side room talking to him, was cheerful, talkative, articulate, and had a lot of ideas.

The difference between the two is simply too great.

Liao Yuzhou pondered that the rumors and what Tian Tian had seen with her own eyes must be true; He Jiangchen, whom he knew, couldn't be fake either, so there was only one possibility—he was deliberately hiding his true strength!

Thinking about it carefully, a boy who lost both his parents at the age of fourteen, in a backward mountain village with its unique way of operating, no matter how smart he was, would not be able to support a family.

Young He Jiangchen needed to leverage power, so he endured humiliation and presented himself as an easy target, a cowardly and honest man. In addition, his uncle's various exploitations left him penniless, so the villagers only felt pity for him and had no other ill intentions.

Now he is twenty-one years old and a grown man.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of a blind date to help her fake marriage, she completely shed the persona she had deliberately created and started her own business!

If that's the case, He Jiangchen's scheming and endurance are unfathomable.

It's truly remarkable that a fourteen-year-old boy could endure for so many years. But where did he get all that money?

The situation developed in a way that was beyond his expectations, and Liao Yuzhou was a little uneasy. He quickly broke out in a sweat while clutching the red envelope in his hand.

"What's wrong? Are you unwilling?" Li Tiantian's mother-in-law saw a hint of hesitation appear on her originally delighted face. Taking advantage of the moment when her daughter-in-law was teasing He Jiangchen, she walked to her side and asked softly, "We don't know what He Jiangchen is up to."

Logically, based on the information I gathered, he shouldn't be like this.

Walnut Gully is a bit far from Qilizhuang, and we don't know much about the He family's situation. However, I did hear from someone that He Jiangchen's maternal grandmother's family used to be a well-known wealthy family.

The village hasn't been so strict with it these past few years, but people still come to collect old items every now and then. Is his sudden spending spree because he's hiding something valuable at home that he's selling?

Upon hearing this, Liao Yuzhou perked up, blinked his beautiful big eyes at her, and asked in a low voice, "What kind of good stuff can sell for so much money?"

Chapter Twenty-Four: Let's Get the Marriage Certificate!

“You wouldn’t understand, would you?” Li Tiantian’s mother-in-law said with a kind smile in a low voice, “Right after the New Year, I heard that a family in Shangdaogouzi was cleaning a cellar and they dug up a hairpin or something and sold it for fifty or sixty yuan!”

I've heard quite a few stories of old items selling for good prices in recent years.

There was an old, widowed woman in the next village who kept a cat and always used an old porcelain dish to hold leftover food. A junk collector took a liking to it and gave the old woman two yuan.

If He Jiangchen's maternal grandmother's family was truly wealthy, then perhaps his mother brought some valuable gifts with her when she married into the family.

The old woman pondered that this was the only possibility.

If you're really uneasy, find an opportunity to get some information out of him. If it's true that He Jiangchen has some good stuff hidden away and is selling it to get married, then your aunt will think you've made the right choice.

At the very least, He Jiangchen is good-looking and kind-hearted; if she treats you sincerely, you'll definitely have a good life together!

Liao Yuzhou, whose thoughts coincided with his own, looked back at He Jiangchen, who was wearing a white shirt and was shining brightly in the sunlight. He took a deep breath and handed over the red envelope in his hand, "Auntie, there is twenty yuan in here."

I heard from Tiantian that the money kept at the bottom of the chest should be put in by an elder who is blessed with both sons and daughters. Could you please put it in my chest?

"For the rest, I'd like to trouble you, Auntie, to help me find someone to buy cotton and make a few quilts. I... well, I've already made up my mind, I'm going to stick with He Jiangchen!"

The other party smiled and pulled out a ten-yuan bill from the red envelope. "Okay, I'll give you six yuan as a dowry. The rest can be used to make quilts, prepare dowry chests, and so on. There will still be some left over to buy you a new set of clothes."

A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event; even if it's not a grand affair, it should at least be a joyous occasion.

Seeing her daughter-in-law still helping to count the betrothal gifts, Li Tiantian's mother-in-law pulled Liao Yuzhou closer to her and whispered, "Let me tell you something—it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death."

If you get married, be careful. If you really feel like you can't go on living like this, don't be like those foolish girls who jump into wells or rivers. You can live without a man. If He Jiangchen can't be relied on, then run away!

Especially since his family lives right next to He Yongqiang's family, and they and the matchmaker originally wanted to trick you into marrying them, and then you got together with He Jiangchen and got married, their family definitely won't let it go.

"If He Jiangchen can protect you, that's fine. But if he can't, remember, no matter what, you have to run."

"Thank you, Auntie, I'll remember." The thought of being neighbors with the He Yongqiang family, who were rumored to be terrible, made Liao Yuzhou feel a little worried.

In a remote mountain village where she had no relatives or friends, she hastily got married, and her feelings were complicated, leaving her at a loss for words.

After Jiang Chen finished counting the betrothal gifts, he took out the letter of introduction given to him by the village secretary and waved it in front of Li Tiantian. "How about it? I've shown my sincerity enough to pass the test, right?"