Chapter 157: Envy Him

Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Envy Him

He Rong said, "A house, a car, a shop, a watch, a sewing machine, a washing machine, jewelry, fine accessories..."

"Stop, stop, stop." Lu Zhengchuan quickly cut him off, seeing the list of items growing more and more absurd.

"What’s wrong?" He Rong stopped, puzzled.

Lu Zhengchuan stared speechlessly at his brother-in-arms. ’Seriously,’ he thought, ’if I didn’t know what he was really like, I’d think he was trying to get rid of an enemy, not woo a woman.’

"Are you sure this is how you show a woman you like her? All these things... they’re for a marriage proposal, aren’t they?"

"You and Comrade Qin don’t have that kind of relationship yet. If you suddenly give her all this, it’s no different from demanding she marry you. Of course she’s not going to agree."

"But I *do* want to marry her. If she accepted these things and agreed to marry me, that would be fantastic."

He Rong rubbed his chin. "Sigh. I guess the gifts weren’t enough. It didn’t properly show my sincerity."

Lu Zhengchuan winced. He was tempted to let his friend make a fool of himself and deliberately say nothing.

But his friend wasn’t getting any younger. If this went on, he might not even have kids by the time he was thirty. The thought was just too pitiful.

"Have you forgotten how I married Wanwan?" A smile played on Lu Zhengchuan’s lips, his good mood obvious.

"Didn’t you just go straight to her family with the betrothal gift? You gave so little, and Su Wan still married you. That’s just pure luck on your part, Old Lu." He Rong pouted. He couldn’t deny that he was genuinely envious of Lu Zhengchuan.

Sure, his wife had a bad reputation in the military at first, but who knew she had been wrongly accused?

Now, seeing his brother living such a happy life, of course he was envious.

"You’re not wrong, but have you ever considered *why* Wanwan agreed?"

"What other reason could there be? Obviously, the betrothal gift you offered was very attractive. It was one of the most generous in the village." He Rong leaned back against the train seat, his voice lazy.

Lu Zhengchuan snorted. "You’re looking down on me now, are you? Believe it or not, I can just stop giving you advice."

He Rong immediately sat bolt upright. He didn’t say anything to concede, but his actions were an obvious attempt to curry favor.

Lu Zhengchuan’s lips curled into a smug grin. It was a rare sight to see his friend so docile.

"Let me put it bluntly. If the betrothal gift I had offered back then was five hundred yuan, or even a thousand, the Su family and Wanwan would not have accepted my proposal."

"Why?" He Rong was genuinely baffled, frowning. "A betrothal gift as high as a thousand yuan? Only a fool would say no to that. There’s no way anyone in the village has ever offered that much. They’d probably roll out the red carpet to please a great catch like you, terrified you might get away."

"That’s not a surprising way to think, but it only applies if you’re dealing with a family that cares more about money than people. As long as they get the cash, they couldn’t care less what kind of life their child will have after marrying."

"So you’re saying... elders who genuinely love their children won’t actually demand a huge betrothal gift?" He Rong wasn’t stupid; he was just unversed in the subtleties of daily life. After all, what man pays attention to all the neighborhood gossip?

"Right. Before I proposed, I did my research on the Su family and Wanwan. I knew they doted on their daughter. The two hundred yuan I offered was a carefully considered amount. It wasn’t low for the village, but it wasn’t absurdly high either. It was an amount the Su family could have come up with themselves. So, in their eyes, while the amount was generous, it wasn’t so high that they felt the match was completely out of their league. It gave them a sense of security."

"If the gap in family wealth is too great, people start to worry that the two sides are mismatched."

"Old He, you come right out of the gate offering a house and a car. Any normal person would be frightened by such expensive gifts. It’s like you’re trying to buy her, or worse."

"Besides, you’re not from around here. Comrade Qin probably doesn’t know you at all, so it’s perfectly normal for her to be wary. She has a stable job, and her family runs a small business. She doesn’t need money. Why would she risk marrying a man from a seemingly wealthy family? The gap is too large. If she married you, wouldn’t she lose all say in her own life?"

"Perhaps many women would be thrilled. Marrying you means a comfortable life without any financial worries. But there will always be women who aren’t willing to make that trade."

"If she were the first type, I doubt you’d even be interested in her, Old He. Comrade Qin is clearly the second type. So everything you did before has completely backfired."

Lu Zhengchuan was nearly parched from talking so much. Seeing his friend looking thoughtful, it was clear his words had sunk in. At least he hadn’t wasted his breath.

"So, do you have any ideas on how I can fix this?" He Rong asked sheepishly, pressing his lips together.

"That, I don’t know." Lu Zhengchuan shook his head. He wasn’t a fool. Giving a few pointers was one thing, but saying more could lead to trouble. What if his friend failed to win over Comrade Qin? Then he’d get the cold shoulder too. He had no time to deal with a sulking friend.

"Old He, I can’t meddle too much in your marriage affairs. Besides, I’m a busy man. I have to prepare gifts for Wanwan and the two kids, and take care of them. I just don’t have the time."

He Rong’s face darkened. "Heh... some friend you are. Ditching your bro for your girl. Hmph. I’ll figure it out myself."

He knew perfectly well that Lu Zhengchuan just didn’t want to waste time on him. His friend’s mind was completely occupied with his wife and children.

He Rong stood up and walked over to Qin Yao. No one knew what they said to each other, but He Rong’s expression was decent afterward.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhengchuan was already writing letters, his longing to see his family palpable.

But upon returning to the Capital, he had to report to his unit first. His transfer to the Capital Military District wasn’t a bad thing. Due to the recent conflict, the Southwest Military Region had many soldiers who were injured and needed to be medically discharged, which meant they would have to recruit more troops.

His transfer would help with the restructuring there.

Meanwhile, at the Capital Military District, it was a time of transition, with people retiring and others receiving promotions.

Su Wan went to the university to complete the paperwork for her re-enrollment.

Her counselor asked her, "Comrade Su Wan, will you be able to keep up with your classes?"

"Ma’am, I’ve already submitted all my coursework to each of my professors for grading. So far, there haven’t been any issues. My research progress with Professor Wang is also going smoothly." Su Wan knew this was just a routine inquiry.

Hearing this, the counselor was visibly relieved. She nodded and said, "Good. That sets my mind at ease. You can resume your classes as usual. As for your exams, just coordinate with your professors and let me know the final arrangements."

"Thank you, ma’am."

As Su Wan came out of the office, she ran into some of her old classmates.

They were all surprised to see her.

"Su Wan, you’re... you’re back from maternity leave?" A few of them instinctively glanced at her stomach, which was already flat. She looked no different than she had before her pregnancy; thanks to six months of exercise, she had recovered wonderfully.

"I am," she replied. "Everyone, I have to go see my professors about my exams now. Let’s catch up next time."

Su Wan gave a small smile, nodded, and walked away. The classmates stared after her with mixed feelings. "I can’t believe Su Wan actually came back. I really thought she’d have to repeat the year."