Chapter 308: Don

Li Ye drove a Volga along an empty, deserted street to deliver clothes to the bride of his senior brother Peng Rui.

Peng Rui's new wife, Yuan Hongmin, was a doctor at Xieheyi Academy and a college graduate who had settled alone in Jingcheng, living in the academy's single staff dormitory.

Since Li Ye didn't know the exact address, Senior Sister Yu Xiufen and two senior brothers volunteered to accompany him, to spare him from standing in the cold corridor again.

"I'm warning you now! When I get married, you've got to give me two sets of clothes—one Huafeng brand, and one of this wedding outfit."

As soon as she got in the car, Yu Xiufen grumbled at Li Ye.

Wang Zhiyuan immediately said: "How can you say that so lightly? How much do two Huafeng brand outfits cost?"

Yu Xiufen shot back at Wang Zhiyuan: "Aren't you the one who should buy them? Did I say I wouldn't pay? Did I say you shouldn't pay?"

Li Ye quickly intervened: "No, no, no—this is my junior brother's filial gift to you both. Don't talk money with me, you're embarrassing me!"

"Exactly! Look at how stingy he is," Yu Xiufen finally let her husband off the hook, then turned to Li Ye: "Don't worry, little junior brother—I'll give you the money! He earns less than I do!"

Before Peng Rui's wedding, Li Ye had asked them how much to contribute as a gift, and everyone agreed on ten yuan each.

In 1983, giving ten yuan was already quite generous—three or two yuan were already considered substantial.

But Li Ye felt ten yuan was a bit cold for someone he knew, yet if he gave more alone, what would that do to the other senior brothers and sisters?

So he asked Peng Rui for the couple's measurements and "sponsored" the newlyweds two Huafeng brand outfits—unintentionally sparking an argument between Yu Xiufen and Wang Zhiyuan.

But Yu Xiufen only bickered with Wang Zhiyuan for a moment before her attention was captured by the two sets of clothes in the backseat.

"Li Ye, where did you buy this outfit? It looks so festive."

"Just came in from the south—they're more traditional there, unlike our side, which is so casual."

"That's true. My grandma said when she got married, she still had a red veil! Now even bowing to heaven and earth is gone. What's this outfit called?"

Yu Xiufen spotted the other set—the modified "Xiuhé dress"—and couldn't look away.

"This is a southern adaptation of traditional wedding attire, reportedly influenced by Hong Kong. After you give it to the bride, check with the hospital first—don't cause any bad impressions."

In Li Ye's mind, the most beautiful bridal attire was the grand, wide-sleeved robes of the Ming Dynasty—but they were too elaborate for 1983's social reality.

So Li Ye sketched a simplified version of the "Xiuhé dress," sent it to Fan Xiuling in Hong Kong, and had her incorporate some Ming Dynasty elements to create this "convenient" bridal outfit.

Yet this simple bridal dress stirred something deeply traditional in Yu Xiufen's heart.

Which woman doesn't want to look magnificent on her wedding day?

Western suits and wedding gowns had little chance against the old ancestral traditions.

Seeing Yu Xiufen caressing the brand-new wedding dress, Wang Zhiyuan opened his mouth again.

Normally he'd never argue with Yu Xiufen in such moments—he knew one word from him would bring ten from her—but this was the bride's wedding outfit; why were you touching it so much?

Li Ye saw Wang Zhiyuan's expression in the rearview mirror and quickly said: "Don't worry, Senior Sister—I'll give you a wedding dress too."

"When I get married and have kids, you can be the godmother—consider it the child's filial gift. Deal?"

"Hahaha~ Then I'll accept my godson's filial offering! Hahaha~"

Li Ye paused, wondering why he felt something was off.

At Xieheyi Academy, Yu Xiufen took the clothes into Yuan Hongmin's dorm while Li Ye and the two senior brothers waited outside.

Hearing the bursts of exclamations from inside the women's dorm, the three men reacted differently.

Wang Zhiyuan said: "Marriage is just a formality. Two outfits costing at least a hundred or two yuan—worn once and thrown away. What a waste."

Zou Mengcheng smiled: "Zhiyuan, let's say it bluntly—if Xiufen hadn't taken a shine to you, you'd be a lifelong bachelor. Either you stay silent for hours, or you say something that cuts right through people's hearts."

"Is Xiufen usually wasteful? She only gets married once in her life—why not indulge her this once?"

Wang Zhiyuan smoked in silence, then finally muttered: "I'd rather buy her a washing machine with that money."

A moment later, Yu Xiufen came out.

Back in the Volga, she beamed: "I've made a deal with Yuan Hongmin—she'll wear them carefully tomorrow, then give them to me for my wedding. See? We saved money."

Zou Mengcheng smiled without speaking.

Wang Zhiyuan: "."

Li Ye: "Sigh~"

Yu Xiufen poked Li Ye irritably: "Why sigh? Aren't you happy I saved you money?"

"I'm happy! Very happy!"

Li Ye shook his head and said to Wang Zhiyuan: "Brother, you've had eight lifetimes of luck landing a woman like my senior sister!"

Before Wang Zhiyuan could speak, Yu Xiufen proudly declared: "Of course! The Wang family marrying me? That's ancestral blessings burning bright."

Wang Zhiyuan: "."

But as the four of them neared Xicheng Tax Bureau, Wang Zhiyuan, who had been silent the whole ride, suddenly spoke one sentence that made Li Ye realize Wang Zhiyuan, though clueless about sentiment, had his own insight.

"Li Ye, if I took out a loan to buy a house now, wouldn't the interest be less than inflation? What if I bought two?"

Li Ye was surprised—Wang Zhiyuan's thinking was surprisingly forward-looking.

Zou Mengcheng worked in banking; in 1983, taking out loans to buy several sihe academies was a surefire, risk-free profit.

But Yu Xiufen immediately said: "Stop dreaming! Bigger opportunity means bigger risk. If you've got that kind of thought, just get promoted to professor—we'll move into the expert building!"

Li Ye thought it over, then decided not to urge them to speculate in property—lest he alter their life trajectories.

In 1983, there was no housing loan system. To secure startup capital, Wang Zhiyuan would have to use "workarounds"—and if anything went wrong, it would inevitably damage Zou Mengcheng's promotion prospects.

He didn't know what would happen to Yu Xiufen and Wang Zhiyuan, but Zou Mengcheng would one day rise to become a top-tier financial titan on the mainland.

The next day, Li Ye drove to pick up the bride and escort guests, serving the wedding faithfully all day long—so much so that Senior Brother Peng Rui gripped his hand, moved, and spoke many heartfelt words.

Then Li Ye took Yu Xiufen and Zou Mengcheng to the sihe academy in the zoo.

As their spare cash grew, Li Ye and Jin Peng accelerated their home-buying pace—even Wang Qiang bought two more.

This zoo sihe academy, in both location and quality, was better than Li Ye's current one at Zaojunmiao.

"Li Ye, are there no tenants here?"

Yu Xiufen fell in love the moment she stepped in—no noisy communal courtyard, quiet and spacious.

"Not yet. If you want it, pay me two yuan a month. If not, I'll rent it to someone else."

"No! Don't let someone else get this bargain—we'll rent it with Zou Senior Brother, five yuan each."

"Too much. Two yuan each. Not a cent more—I won't rent."

"Hey~"

In the end, they all agreed to Li Ye's terms.

Because Yu Xiufen was from Jingda's 1977 class, she was already twenty-six by lunar age in 1983—an absolute "old maid," with no time to delay.

Zou Mengcheng was much the same—he wanted to bring his mother over, and now with two households in one courtyard, it was perfect.

Today's got things to do, so fewer words. Over the next two days, I'll definitely post three chapters—Old Feng promises.