Reborn: I'll Never Fail My Childhood Sweetheart Again-Chapter 167 - 85: Setting Up a Computer for Qin Shiqing—Yan Qiuwen Unexpectedly Joined
In his previous life, his girlfriend, who later became his wife, was someone he met in the Social Welfare Club. She was a good woman, not particularly beautiful, but pleasant to look at.
The most important thing was that this girl didn’t mind Hu Xu’s poor background. After marrying Lao Wu, she was frugal and plain, managed the household well, respected the elderly, and raised the children properly.
Later, the young couple bought an apartment in Ba Yu and lived a very comfortable life.
Among the six people in the dorm, Hu Xu, who came from a rural background, ironically had the happiest and most fulfilling family. Whenever the six buddies gathered, whenever he mentioned his wife, Hu Xu would always smile, tirelessly saying how lucky he was to have joined the Social Welfare Club during college, which led him to find such a good wife. He firmly believed that good deeds bring good luck, and after graduation, he and his wife would still occasionally engage in public welfare work and teach this principle to their children.
Overall, Hu Xu seemed to have built quite a wonderful family, with a virtuous wife, sensible children, and peace in the household bringing prosperity to everything.
After Su Zelin reincarnated, he planned to intervene in the lives of those classmates who had a tumultuous destiny in their previous lives. As for those like Hu Xu, who were already doing well, he naturally let things run their course, or give a little push.
Getting the nod from "Su Banxian," Hu Xu perked up.
"Haha, see? Even Third Brother said so. Hey, you guys can consider it too; the Social Welfare Club is really nice. Do some good deeds, gather for meals occasionally, and meet some nice girls. It’s perfect, and we can be companions together!"
"Lao Wu, your club sounds great."
Cai Wensheng also agreed but then shifted his tone: "But Popcorn wants to join the anime club. She asked me yesterday if I want to go with her, so I probably can’t join the Social Welfare Club."
He was getting along very well with Popcorn from the girls’ dorm 501, and they frequently studied together, so joining a club wasn’t going to separate them.
"Lao Liu, you already have a girl, so you don’t need to hang out with Lao Wu. I’m really envious of you, man. You seemed so shy when you started school, who knew you were pretending to be a fool to catch a tiger? Guess I misjudged you!"
Zeng Kaiping playfully punched Cai Wensheng.
The young guy shyly said, "Nah, Popcorn and I are just friends."
Cai Wensheng and Popcorn were the youngest in their respective dorms and also the most immature. Although they both were interested in each other, for now, it was pretty innocent, as they hadn’t even held hands yet.
"Oh come on, it’s only a matter of time. Popcorn won’t get away!"
The spirited young man was really envious and annoyed.
"I’m planning to join the Psychology Club!"
Hou Yongjin spoke up, grabbing everyone’s attention.
Lao Er was always holding a book on the art of war and really liked pondering interpersonal relationships. Psychology is very useful in social interactions, just like Su Zelin was good at understanding people, which is why he became the class monitor and gained high regard.
"As for girls, it doesn’t matter now; we have four more years in college. There will be opportunities, as long as it’s not going back to Jiujiang County to find someone local after graduation."
"Why not look for someone local?"
Zeng Kaiping asked, puzzled.
"Because of the dowry!"
Su Zelin succinctly hit the nail on the head.
Back then, the internet wasn’t very developed, so not many people knew just how terrifyingly high dowries in Jiujiang County were.
Lenders there later even created a loan specifically for it—dowry loan.
As the name suggests, this money is for paying the dowry.
Forget about all of Xia Country, nowhere else has anything like it!
Hou Yongjin was not only from Jiujiang County but also from Pan Yang.
A smaller town than Jianglan yet holds one of the highest dowry prices in the province.
"Exactly!"
Hou Yongjin was no longer surprised by Su Zelin’s extensive knowledge.
He let out a long sigh, his face filled with melancholy: "The dowries in our place are simply outrageous!"
"How outrageous?"
Everyone perked up with interest.
"Ten to eight thousand can’t be avoided, and that’s not even including the three gold items and such!"
Hou Yongjin shook his head helplessly.
Ten to eight thousand may not sound like much, but it was the year 2000, and lots of apartments back then were only a few hundred per square meter. This amount of money was enough to buy two or three apartments in a small place or most of a completed building.
With inflation later, Pan Yang’s dowries reached fifty to sixty thousand, making that figure more understandable.
"Lao Er, your dowry is even higher than ours in Min Nan!"
Cai Wensheng was shocked.
Min Nan is also known for high dowries, but even they had to step back in front of Jiujiang County.
Jiujiang County’s dowries might be second, but no province dares to claim first!
"Then what’s usually returned as dowry gifts?"
Feng Zhongliang couldn’t help asking.
"Three quilts!"
"Three times?"
"Quilts, three quilts!"
Everyone: "..."
"What’s with you guys at Jiujiang County? It’s not like you’re selling your daughters!"
Zeng Kaiping couldn’t understand: "If you collect such a high dowry, won’t your daughter suffer if her husband’s family isn’t well-off?"
The spirited young man from Guangdong Province wasn’t too concerned about dowries—just a token sum was enough, much like the laid-back nature of people there. Even billionaires would wear shorts and flip-flops in the summer.
Those old men in singlets and plastic bags, you might think they’re collecting trash, but they’re actually collecting rent from dozens of apartments, like Zeng Kaiping’s dad after the Hed demolition, which Su Zelin witnessed firsthand.
Even after becoming wealthy, the spirited young man still dressed the same, always in shorts and flip-flops, saying suits and leather shoes were uncomfortable.
Beyond dowries, "red envelopes" in Guangdong Province were just a gesture. Even with inflation later on, many places there needed a hundred at most for wedding banquets, while New Year’s money for children might be a few yuan, something people from other provinces found hard to believe, as it didn’t match the reputation of a province full of millionaires.
