The male supporting character was actually myself.

Jiang Chen coldly observed the other party's reaction. It seemed that the people in the village were relatively honest, simple, and concerned about their reputation. Even the matchmaker, who tried to please both sides, was only thinking about making more money. So far, no one had tried to extort or take advantage of his wealth to make exorbitant demands.

Since it's a win-win situation for everyone, he's happy to take it easy.

Adhering to the principle of taking money to do good deeds, the village party secretary gave his eldest nephew a good talking-to before leaving, telling him to use his skills to do a good job.

The neighboring courtyard was bustling with activity, and He Gousheng and his family of three squeezed into the window of the side room, looking across the street.

"Mom, what are those stacks over there? I've never seen them before." He Yongqiang squinted and looked at them strangely. "Where did He Jiangchen get so many weird things?"

“I see that thing is square and all blue, and the workers seem to be laying the foundation for a house. Could it be the big blue bricks that people often talk about?”

"Tsk tsk! Big blue bricks are a luxury item that only people in county towns can afford to build houses! If He Jiangchen really uses them, how much money do you think he'll have?"

"At least this number!" He Gousheng opened his right hand and waved it.

He Yongqiang screamed in astonishment, "Fifty yuan?! Holy crap, that's some serious money!"

"Fifty? Are you that short-sighted?" He Gousheng rolled his eyes at him. "You calculate for yourself how much he spent on clothes, shoes, and all that other stuff in the house. Fifty isn't enough. I think at least five hundred is the minimum! Otherwise, he wouldn't be willing to spend like that."

Five hundred yuan?!

Qian Shuandi and her son were so shocked they couldn't close their mouths. After a while, she rubbed her face, feeling anxious and resentful that the money hadn't ended up in her hands.

"You cowardly good-for-nothing!" She slapped her husband on the shoulder and cursed him viciously in a low voice, "How could you be so stupid? If we had looted all the good stuff that He Jiangchen hid back then, we could have sold it now and our family would be living such a good life. Wouldn't that fairy-like educated youth be begging to marry into our family?"

Mentioning his beautiful future wife, He Yongqiang chuckled and said, "Mom, have you urged the matchmaker yet? The fortune teller said that as long as I marry her, I'll never have to worry about anything in this life. You'd better keep an eye on things!"

If all else fails... I'll just go to her place and do it, making it a fait accompli to avoid any complications.

"Tsk tsk~ My son can even speak in a fancy way now."

"A long night can lead to many unforeseen events? Go to hell! You can't learn a single good thing from me."

He Gousheng picked up his pipe, tapped it on the sole of his shoe, and sneered, "If there's affection, anything is fine. That female educated youth has never even met you. If she goes all out and accuses you of hooliganism, you'll be arrested and executed!"

He Yongqiang scratched his head and muttered, "If this really gets out, her life will be ruined. Anyone with a brain wouldn't make a scene and let people know she's been treated like a slut."

Besides, didn't the matchmaker have He Jiangchen go on the blind date in my place?

Didn't she say the female educated youth were so eager to marry that they didn't even need to think about the bride price? Anyway, once the wedding banquet is held, it'll just be a case of switching the bride and forcing the issue, so why not take advantage of it now... hehehe...

"Mom, think about it. If I succeed, we won't even need a wedding banquet. We can just get the marriage certificate, move her in, and we'll all be fine. I promise you'll have a chubby grandson in less than a year!"

“Qiangzi’s words seem to make sense.” As soon as Qian Shuandi heard that there was no need to hold a banquet, she immediately had an idea. “Anyway, we’ll get things done at night under the cover of darkness; besides, that student is always thinking about getting a marriage certificate first. If we really get the certificate, you’ll definitely be exposed.”

The matchmaker doesn't know if she can mediate, but she's already announced that the marriage is done. If you take this opportunity to sleep with her beforehand, you can save a lot of money.

At least we don't need to hold a banquet, buy her new clothes, or pay a bride price.

"This student is from a big city; she can't possibly come into the family without a dowry. Wouldn't that mean she'd be bringing her own dowry and practically throwing herself into the He family? Gousheng, this is something to be proud of! What do you think?"

He Gousheng took a couple of puffs of his cigarette in silence. "Even if it works out, we don't know where the student lives. We were all busy playing cards when we went on the blind date, so we only had the matchmaker take He Jiangchen there once. What if she doesn't know the way?"

"That's easy, I'll ask the matchmaker about it in a bit!"

After the family of three discussed it and reached an agreement, Qian Shuandi looked on with envy at the bustling activity in the opposite courtyard, and muttered, "Dad, where do you think He Jiangchen would hide so much money?"

"How would I know!" He Gousheng said irritably, "Back then, when I went to that courtyard to move things, I looked around very carefully, even glancing at the rat holes several times. There really wasn't anywhere to hide anything."

I figured He Jiangchen didn't have that kind of scheming.

It must have been his mother who did it! She hid her dowry perfectly until her death, and told her son to guard it no matter what. See how she succeeded?

Bah! We should have taken over the yard back then and made him live in the doghouse outside!

"You're just good at talking after the event. You've been relying on your son's fame all your life. You would have ruined the family long ago if you had lived on your own."

"You son of a bitch, you're the one who's wasting your life!"

Seeing that his parents were about to start fighting again, He Yongqiang hurriedly stood in the middle to break them up. "What you're saying is useless. Even if we had kicked him out to live in a doghouse back then, how would we know where the valuable treasures were hidden if he hadn't said a word?"

Don't worry, he's already put it up for sale.

The fortune teller said that He Jiangchen doesn't have more than two years to live. No matter how much trouble he causes, that courtyard will eventually belong to our family. All the money he can't spend and the treasures he hides will also be ours.

Now you should really be thinking about how to get your son into a school and bring home a goddess-like daughter-in-law who's practically throwing herself at you!

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Plans of the Four Thugs

"Achoo!" Liao Yuzhou, who was tidying up the dowry chests, suddenly sneezed.

Li Tiantian, holding the baby, couldn't help but laugh and said, "This is He Jiangchen thinking about you. I'll have to tease him properly when we have the wedding banquet and the wedding night festivities tomorrow."

"You're always making fun of me," she said coquettishly, her face slightly flushed.

The women who came to help make quilts chatted and laughed, but their work was not delayed at all, and they did a very good job.

The brand-new quilt cover was set aside, just waiting to be packed up after the quilt was finished. Tie Niu had found a horse-drawn carriage to carry the dowry, and it would be packed up and sent to Qilizhuang early tomorrow morning.

"Putting everything else aside, He Jiangchen is really willing to spend money on you. Tomorrow's banquet will definitely be a grand affair." Li Tiantian touched the bright red cheongsam through the transparent plastic packaging and said enviously, "To be able to wear something like this to your wedding, you must look so beautiful! It must have cost a lot of money, right?"

Liao Yuzhou nodded, blushing. "I told him I didn't need to buy something so expensive, but he said... weddings must have a sense of ceremony, and he insisted that I wear a ring."

Inside the exquisite ring box lay a solid, heavy gold coin, far more valuable than any ordinary gold ring.

And the Daxiahai watch on her wrist, a high-end item that cost over fifty yuan! The image of He Jiangchen accidentally touching her when he helped her put on the watch yesterday flashed through her mind, making her blush again.

His hands are so reassuring; they're broad, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles. Holding them warmly feels so comforting...

What will He Jiangchen be like tomorrow?

Given his sophisticated taste, he'll definitely be dressed impeccably and arrive on a bicycle to pick up the bride.

Liao Yuzhou closed his eyes and seemed to see a scene overflowing with happiness—a brand-new bicycle bell jingling, his handsome, sunny, and smiling sweetheart wearing a big red flower on his chest, traveling over mountains and valleys to marry him.

Being with him feels so relaxing; I don't have to worry about anything or be afraid of anything...

She was envisioning the wedding banquet tomorrow when she suddenly realized something and blushed deeply. Oh no, had she fallen for him?

No, no way?

How could I be so frivolous? We've only met twice...

Her heart was pounding wildly. Having received a conservative education since childhood, Liao Yuzhou was extremely uneasy. How could she so easily think of marrying him and having children with him?

Where did you go to show your girlish modesty?!

She was morally reprimanding herself, but her restless heart had already flown to He Jiangchen, and she would always think of his smile, his voice, and his unique faint fragrance.

These days, young women even avoid using the word "love"; newlyweds have to keep their distance when walking down the street, otherwise they'll be gossiped about for being shameless and unreserved.

But her heart was pounding with excitement, and Liao Yuzhou was tormented by a burning desire for a wedding. On one hand, she was looking forward to the wedding while blaming herself for being too casual. On the other hand, she was worried that the other party had proposed a fake marriage first, and what if she was just imagining things and the other party had never really wanted her?

The day felt very long.

She watched as new cotton quilts were made, decorated with bright red "double happiness" characters, and placed on the kang (heated brick bed) in the side room;

The newly bought bright red washbasin and thermos flask were covered with red "double happiness" characters and were scattered all over the kang (a heated brick bed).

Li Tiantian's mother-in-law felt sorry for her. She didn't even have time to invite her family to her wedding. The only person she could rely on was her own daughter-in-law, so she asked her son to help with the arrangements, intending to treat her home as Liao Yuzhou's maternal home and give her daughter a grand wedding.

Liao Yuzhou, filled with anticipation, watched as the sun seemed to remain motionless. Usually, it would set quickly, but today, even at five or six o'clock, it was still high in the sky, refusing to descend.

While she anxiously hoped that time would pass quickly, He Jiangchen's family in Qilizhuang, more than ten miles away, was still busy at work.

A sturdy and tall courtyard wall has been completed, standing between two low houses and appearing even more imposing.

The old, dilapidated, and cramped kitchen was demolished and replaced by a new kitchen and bathroom that Jiang Chen personally designed and supervised the construction of. The dry toilet in the southwest corner was demolished and filled in. Huang Mao and his gang built a flower-shaped enclosure with large blue bricks, filled it with soil, and moved in many flowers and plants.

As the sun began to set, the yard had been cleaned up, and the workers happily collected their wages and left.

"Woof woof woof!" Big Yellow wagged its tail and lay down in the new doghouse that had been specially built for it under the big tree next to the small garden, occasionally looking up warily at the gate.

"Brother Chen is really smart to raise this guard dog." Huang Mao patted the dirt off his hands and couldn't help but laugh. "Look how well it recognizes people. It barks loudly when a stranger comes in, and barks twice when someone it knows comes in."

"Apart from Brother Chen, whenever anyone tries to take something out, it immediately starts biting their trouser leg. It doesn't bite people, but it can't leave the yard with the things unless Brother Chen gives the order."

Ribs Spirit took a sip of water, looked at the two brand-new large bowls placed at the entrance of the doghouse, and muttered to himself, "Brother Chen feeds them such good food. If I were a dog, I would also be on my best to guard the door."

"By the way, didn't Brother Chen tell us to keep a close watch on the place tomorrow?" The beady-eyed man leaned closer and whispered, "I've got a great idea. We don't need to wait until tomorrow to keep an eye on that family—let's go beat He Yongqiang up right now, beat him so badly he has to go to the hospital, and that family won't be able to come back from the county town."

The other three looked at him in surprise. "Pork Ribs, how come you've suddenly become so smart?"

"Damn it, I've disliked He Yongqiang for a long time. Last time, he caught my kitten and killed it. If his mother hadn't stopped him, I would have crippled him!"

"Pah, all you do is talk. I look down on him too. He steals my sweet potatoes and poops in my big pumpkin, but I'm afraid his mother will cause trouble and extort money from me."

"He Yongqiang's family is really no good." Yellow Hair's eyes darted around and a plan came to mind. He put his arms around his brothers' shoulders and the four of them huddled together. He said in a very low voice, "A couple of days ago, his mother asked someone to propose marriage to my aunt. She wanted my cousin to marry him, but my aunt thought he was too much older than my cousin and refused. He even tried to assault my cousin."

However, since we didn't have any evidence, and my uncle was too cowardly to provoke us, he kept quiet.

I was thinking, how about we do this...

After whispering for a moment, the four of them put their hands together and said in hushed tones, "We'll share the good times and the bad. Anyone who dares to betray their brothers will have their throat rot and go to the eighteenth level of hell!"

After making the oath, Huang Mao ran into the house and told the boss, who was setting up the room, that the four of them ran off and disappeared in a flash.

Jiang Chen glanced curiously out the window. The yard was clean and tidy, and he figured they probably had nothing else to do and wanted to go home early.

A courtyard wall more than three meters high completely blocked the spying from the other side, making him feel much more at ease.

The new storyline hasn't been released yet, and I haven't found a reliable fortune teller. As long as the neighbors don't cause any trouble, I'm too lazy to bother them.

If they want to cause trouble on the actual day tomorrow, there are plenty of ways to make things difficult for them...

Jiang Chen finished decorating the east room, which would be their bridal chamber. As she came out of the room, she spotted the dirty yellow dog and whistled as she called out, "Big Yellow, come here, I'll give you a bath."

Chapter Thirty: Unforgivable!

The yellow dog came running over, its tongue lolling out and hissing.

It knew it was dirty, and its owner was dressed cleanly, so it didn't dare to rub against him. It obediently followed him to the newly built room on the west side, which still smelled damp.

Jiang Chen designed the small western hut himself, right next to the western hut where the original owner slept.

The first room is a bathroom with a separate wet and dry area; the second is a new kitchen, with large blue bricks laid on the floor and a new stove built. Later, we'll find some storage shelves, pots and pans from the space to put them in, and it will be all set.

To avoid attracting attention, he deliberately placed a large black bucket filled with water on the ceiling of the bathroom.

In reality, the actual water supply system is an item rewarded by the main system—an automatic water-dispensing showerhead. If it weren't for the fact that the water could only be controlled by pressing a switch on the showerhead, Jiang Chen would have wanted to convert the entire house into an automatic water supply system.

Now, it's only good for taking a bath, which is pretty useless.

The yellow dog, who had been a stray for years, was very dirty. Black water flowed into the sewer as he rubbed it. The dog stood there obediently, trying not to get the dirty water on its owner.