Mrs. Li wasn't highly educated, had a fierce temper, and also tended to be a bit of a nag.

The villagers used to joke about Wang Dahai and Jiang Rou, saying that when Dahai grew up, he should marry Little Rou.

Every time someone said this, Mrs. Li would respond, "If you want to marry my daughter, you must have a car and a house in the city."

Hearing such blunt questioning now, Dahai's face contorted.

Jiang Rou was both embarrassed and infuriated, stamping her foot in agitation, "Mom, what are you talking about!"

Dahai cleared his throat and said, "Mrs. Li, Jiang Rou and I are just dating; we haven't reached that stage yet."

Mrs. Li stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded, "It's good that you haven't reached that stage. You know, she's my only daughter, and I certainly hope she can marry well. I'm not saying you're not good enough, but marriage is a serious matter..."

"Think about it, don't you need a house for marriage? Don't you need a car? Don't you need a stable job?"

"Otherwise, what will you do when you have children? Baby formula costs money, doesn't it? School costs money, doesn't it? And if you accidentally get sick, that costs money too, right?"

Mrs. Li rambled on, boiling it down to one thing: if you want to marry my daughter, you must first buy a house and a car, and it must be in the city, and it must be in my daughter's name.

Dahai understood a parent's concern for their children.

But those words rang harshly in his ears.

Mrs. Li took a sip of water and added her final stipulation, "You two are dating, and I'm not against it. We're from the same village; we know each other's background. But I have one condition."

"Mrs. Li, please say it."

"I hope that you don't live together or sleep together before marriage."

"Otherwise, if you sleep with her and then don't take responsibility, and word gets back to the village, how will the villagers see my daughter? You see what I mean?"

"Mhm, I understand."

To Dahai, sleeping together was no big deal, and Mrs. Li's words wouldn't influence him.

If Jiang Rou was willing, then naturally, it would happen when love bloomed.

And if Jiang Rou didn't want to, wishing to save her first time for marriage, he wouldn't press the issue.

Right now, he genuinely hadn't decided whether he wanted to go all the way with Jiang Rou.

In fact, Jiang Rou hadn't decided whether she wanted to walk down the aisle with Dahai.

After all, dating is dating, and marriage is marriage.

They were both still young; life was just beginning.

The future was long, and nothing was certain.

Perhaps they were very much in love now, inseparable.

But as for the future, who could say?

Yet, as long as they were happy during their relationship, that was enough.

Even if they broke up later, it would still be a beautiful memory.

When it was almost four o'clock, Dahai said, "Mrs. Li, let's go out for a bite."

"No need, her cousin and his wife are coming over soon. We've made plans in advance."

"Then how about tomorrow? I'll treat you to a meal."

"Let's talk about tomorrow, tomorrow."

Dahai felt a bit awkward; he could distinctly sense that Mrs. Li was not satisfied with him.

Even though he had grown up in front of her eyes, in the same village.

But when it came to her daughter's marriage, Mrs. Li seemed to look at him with disfavor.

With nothing to offer, she felt Dahai was not good enough for her daughter.

Jiang Rou, standing by, was almost in tears from injustice, feeling that her mother was being too harsh and unfair to Dahai.

Dahai, having asked and received nothing, wasn't too bothered by it.

Standing up, he said, "Then I'll be on my way."

"I'll walk you out."

"Little Rou, pick out a piece of clothing for me," Mrs. Li called out to her.

Dahai smiled, "No need to see me off."

As soon as he had left, Jiang Rou turned and walked over, angrily saying, "Mom, why are you treating him like this!"

Mrs. Li sighed, "My girl, oh, you've really been blinded by love. This is a matter for life, not to be taken lightly. Wang Dahai is just a poor boy; he's not good enough for you. If you really marry him, you'll regret it later."

"Mom has been through it; don't you think I understand?"

"But we're still dating; we haven't reached that point yet!"

"What's the point of dating if you're not getting married? Listen to me, when you find the time, make it clear to him to stop bothering you."

"Mom!"

"Alright, alright, hurry up and pick out a dress for me. Your cousin's wife knows a lot of civil servants. Talk to her tonight and have her introduce you to a good husband."

"I don't want to!"

…

Coming downstairs, Wang Dahai was feeling quite upset.

He understood Mrs. Li, but understanding didn't mean he wasn't angry.

Even a little tact on her part would have been fine.

Far from being tactful, she didn't even let Jiang Rou see him out the door.

Feeling sullen, he received a message from Zhao Xue.

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing much."

"So you do have the time?"

"Yeah."

"Where are you? I'll come to you."

After hesitating for a bit, Wang Dahai said, "I'm in the neighborhood. Come down, I'll come to you."

A few minutes later, when he arrived at the base of the apartment building, Zhao Xue was already there waiting.

Wang Dahai casually asked, "Is your sister-in-law at home?"

"No, she's out," Zhao Xue said with a tinge of sourness, "What's the matter, just separated for a little while and you miss her already?"

"What are you talking about."

Wang Dahai said, "Let's go, I'll buy you dinner."

He hadn't accepted the five hundred yuan she transferred to him the night before.

What a joke; he wasn't actually a gigolo, how could he take her money?

"Okay, I want to eat barbecue."

Zhao Xue wrapped her arm around his affectionately and leaned in close.

She had dressed up in stockings and a short skirt especially to see Wang Dahai, with a loose T-shirt on top.

She was cute and pure, with a hint of sexiness.

"Let go, it's not good to be seen like this."

"I won't, I want to hold on."

Wang Dahai tried to pull away several times but didn't succeed, so he let her be.

But just as they walked into the neighborhood, they suddenly bumped into a familiar silhouette.

It was Jiang Rou's colleague and roommate, Zhou Qian.

Zhou Qian also saw him and couldn't help but pause for a moment.

Wang Dahai cursed inwardly, bad luck, and instinctively wanted to pull his hand away, but then he thought, since she had already seen them, what was the use of pulling away now.

So he greeted her boldly, "Hello, Miss Zhou."

Zhou Qian nodded at him and glanced at Zhao Xue, who was affectionate with him, "Hello."

Zhao Xue blinked, feeling a bit nervous as well.

Wang Dahai didn't bother to explain or introduce Zhao Xue's identity, greeted her, and then he and Zhao Xue left boldly.

Zhou Qian watched the two leave, feeling a sense of curiosity mixed with doubt about the girl's relationship with Wang Dahai.

After walking away from the neighborhood for a while, Zhao Xue finally asked, "Who is she?"

With a dark face, Wang Dahai replied, "Jiang Rou's roommate."

"Ah!" Zhao Xue went pale with fright, "Then, will she tell Jiang Rou?"

"You're asking me? Who should I ask?" Wang Dahai sighed.

"Buzz, buzz!"

The phone went off.

He looked and saw it was a call from Jiang Rou.

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