My Haughty Adorable Wife Has Arrived

After Han Dongchen finished his sentence, he gave Old Lady Han a meaningful glance, which made her feel slightly guilty. She retreated a bit and muttered something inaudible under her breath, turning her face away.

After a silence, he continued, "Older sister-in-law makes a valid point today. We shouldn't make the entire family suffer just for me to marry. Our family is large, our burdens are heavy and I'm not usually at home. Mom, I regret that my getting married has caused you trouble."

Old Lady Han, who had been fuming, softened a bit at Han Dongchen's words.

Completing his thought, he then turned his gaze towards Old Master Han and seriously said, "Dad, mom, I will pay for the 500 yuan for my bride. Xiao Wan, you will accompany me back to the military tomorrow. Now that I've started a family, I will decrease the monthly allowance to 15 yuan (5 yuan less than before), entrusting you and dad to my elder brother. I won't take anything from home, and when you grow old and fall ill I will contribute monetarily as expected, including the tuition for early summer and university. I will also prepare a dowry when our little sister gets married."

Upon hearing that her son could bring back 500 yuan, Old Lady Han was delighted, but she didn't think much about where her son got the money from. All she heard subsequently was her son implying dividing the family, and she called out hastily, "No, you can't think of dividing the family now, I'm still alive."

Elder brother Han Qiushou was staring blankly at his younger brother unable to utter a single word. His brother's suggestion was indeed good for him. The production team was about to redistribute the land according to the population. The documents were all in place. His younger brother should be aware of this, right?

Old Master Han continued to smoke vigorously, drawing one breath after another. Seeing this, Old Lady Han started getting anxious. She didn't want to split the family yet. The newlywed bride was very capable. She was helpful at home and outside. Even though Old Lady Han wanted to enjoy this bliss for a bit longer, her daughter-in-law was planning to follow the army. Therefore, while adamantly saying "no", she was staring fixedly at Old Man Han, hoping that he would refuse the proposal.

However, Old Lady Han's wish was in vain. Old Master Han smoked for a while and then sighed, "All of you have grown up and have your own families and ideas. Your younger brother is pretty capable, but he also risked his life to achieve this. You used your allowances for your own meals and sent them home. There is no money left. You have remitted quite a bit of money to the family these years. It's only right for us to help you marry a wife. As the eldest, your older brother should act generously. Go and discipline your wife well. I suppose we should just leave things as they are. The family is struggling, but we will gradually pay back the borrowed money."

Han Qiushou heard his father's words, nodded silently and said, "Dad, I understand. It has not been easy for younger brother these past years. Serving in the military is hard work. I will talk to his sister-in-law about this."

Han Dongchen glanced at his father and elder brother, feeling a sense of warmth in his heart. His father and elder brother still cared about him. Then he said, "I have some bonuses from missions on my side, and I can borrow some money from my comrades when I go back. Dad, you don't have to worry."

Old Master Han looked at his second son, took a deep puff of cigarette, sighed heavily and said, "When children grow up, they form their ideas. Well, let's do as the younger one suggests. What do you say, eldest son?"

Eldest brother Han looked at his father, then his younger brother and finally murmured, "Fine, let's do it as younger brother suggests."

After everything was settled, Han Dongchen returned to his room. The bedding was already spread out and the person on the Kang bed was already asleep, breathing evenly. He sighed inwardly, telling himself that this was for the best.

After a good night's sleep, when she woke up the next day, she remembered that she didn\'t know how the talk with Han Dongchen went. However, the person beside her was not there anymore.

She got up hurriedly, folded the blanket, freshened herself up, didn't dare to put on new clothes and rushed into the kitchen. She saw her younger sister Xia Hua cooking, didn't see the sister-in-law, and her mother-in-law didn't seem please to see her. After glaring at her once, she said, "What time is it and you are just getting up? Do you think you won't have to work 'cause you are going with the army? What are you standing there for? Why don't you feed the livestock at home? Didn't you hear them calling?"

Hearing that, Su Xiaowan was overjoyed. It was all settled, Han Dongchen did a good job. She didn't mind her mother-in-law's words, said "ok" and went to work.

The breakfast was peaceful. The elder sister-in-law also attended. Su Xiaowan didn't know how they negotiated yesterday, all she needed to know was that she could join the army.

After breakfast, she went back to her room and packed her things. She took the food prepared by her mother-in-law and set off with Han Dongchen on the ox cart. The cart was driven by elder brother Han Qiushou. Along the way, villagers warmly greeted them, also lavishing praise on Han Dongchen.

There was no way around it, his good looks on top of his military uniform made him very appealing. It was truly a mark of honor in that era. Marrying a serviceman was a source of pride.

No wonder elder sister-in-law reacted so intensely. Han Dongchen being a soldier, regardless of his good looks would already have a long list of people queuing up to bind families with him. It wouldn't even cost much. Han Dongchen's marriage must have broken many girls' hearts in the village.

Who know who fooled Old Lady Han to spend so much money on Su Xiaowan. The girl was quite lucky, but it's a pity the original master lost her mind thinking about this issue.

However, all this was unknown to Su Xiaowan. Unfazed, she accepted all the compliments and greetings with a big smile, much to the exasperation of Han Dongchen and much to the pride of elder brother Han Qiushou.

Nobody spoke during the journey. The ox cart was a bit bumpy but still better than riding a bicycle. Only that it was slow.

Su Xiaowan looked around joyfully, at the green wheat fields and the blue sky peppered with white clouds. She felt warm sunshine on her skin and breathed in the fresh air. Sitting on the ox cart, accompanied by a handsome man, she found it quite enjoyable. She was full of anticipation for the forthcoming journey and her new life.

When they reached the town, the sun was already high in the sky. They said goodbye to elder brother Han Qiushou and waited at the crossroads for half an hour. Finally, the bus to the county town appeared. The bus wasn't crowded and tickets were 1.5 yuan per person. After boarding the bus, they found a seat next to the window on the right. The window could be opened, but due to the thick dust, it remained closed.

The ride from town to county was quite long, and part of it was on a mountain road. Even though the bus was slow, the ride didn't take too long.

The main problem was the poor road conditions and certain areas were full of bumps and potholes. So, the ride wasn't steady. This would be a painful experience for others but for Su Xiaowan it was the best time to flirt.

The smell of gasoline in the bus was strong. Due to the back and forth shaking, people who weren't used to traveling in buses would get car sick. Su Xiaowan pretended to be car sick. When the bus passed a slightly larger hole and jolted violently, she took advantage of its motion and snuggled into Han Dongchen's arms, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, her head on his chest. His clothes had a faint trace of the smell of laundry soap which smelled so good.

She heard his heartbeat increase from a steady rhythm and gradually settle down after he took a deep breath. Although he tried to conceal it, Su Xiaowan noticed it and chuckled silently to herself.