The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 199 - 198: Why Don’t You Go Solo?

"Can he even afford a house in Beijing City? Look, I’m not trying to be mean, but even if he makes a few hundred a month, you can’t buy a place as small as ours for less than several thousand, or even ten thousand yuan, with today’s housing prices. You’re not planning to get married while renting, are you? If you do, everyone in the neighborhood will laugh you to death."

"A house?" Ge Meili was a little dazed.

Ge Meixia nodded. "Then what are you getting married for? Don’t you want a home of your own? Dad is already against you two. If he had a house in Beijing City, maybe he’d agree."

That evening, while the family was having dinner, Ge Meili brought up that Shitou wanted to meet them.

"What’s there to see? Doesn’t he just have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth like everyone else?"

Ge Meili’s father said dismissively, then took a bite of food and had a sip of his liquor.

Ge Meili looked at him helplessly. "Dad, I’m being serious. Shitou is a good person. Wanting to meet you is his way of being responsible toward me."

"Responsible for what? Have you two slept together already?" Mr. Ge’s words were brutally blunt.

"Dad—" Ge Meili’s face turned red as she glared at him.

Beside her, Ge Meili’s eldest sister-in-law clicked her tongue. "He can come visit, sure. But you need to tell him our conditions first. The betrothal gift must be 1,888 yuan, not a cent less. We also want the Four Big Items, forty-eight legs of furniture, and of course, a house in Beijing City. Otherwise, he can crawl back to wherever he came from."

Ge Meili was displeased. "Sister-in-law, isn’t a betrothal gift of 1,888 yuan a bit too much?"

"That’s the price for marrying someone from out of town."

Ge Meili’s second sister-in-law also chimed in with a teasing smile. "Let’s not even talk about the betrothal gift for a moment. Buying a house here isn’t something just anyone can do. Even for someone who runs their own business and earns a lot, it would still take a few years, right?"

The eldest sister-in-law snorted. "Then let him wait a few more years. Our Meili is still young, anyway."

"Haha, Sister-in-law, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten—the man is already over thirty. If you ask me, Meili, while we may not be national beauties, we’re not ugly either. Why find someone so old? It’s better to be with someone young; you’ll have more to talk about. Don’t end up regretting it when you’re old."

Mr. Ge nodded along. "That makes sense. But age is secondary. If he can really get a house in Beijing City and meet our family’s demands, then I’ll agree."

"Dad, how could Shitou possibly have that much money right now?" Ge Meili mumbled.

Sipping his liquor, Mr. Ge glanced at her. "Didn’t your mother say his boss is very rich? I heard he’s from the same place as Shitou. He can’t just stand by and do nothing, can he? Whether it’s for buying a house or paying the betrothal gift, the money will be there."

Ge Meili sat there in a daze. ’Ask Shitou to borrow money from his boss to buy a house? Would Shitou be willing?’

"Buy a house?" Shitou was stunned when he heard what Ge Meili said.

Ge Meili nodded. "That’s what my dad said."

Shitou looked at her. "The betrothal gift of over a thousand yuan, the Four Big Items, and all that... I could probably manage it if I save up. But buying a house... I don’t have that kind of money right now."

He only dared to say this because he was in Beijing City now, earning a decent amount each month. Back in the day, even the betrothal gift alone would have shocked him.

Buying a house plus the betrothal gift and everything else would easily cost over ten thousand yuan. Shitou couldn’t even fathom it.

"Why don’t you borrow some from your boss?" Ge Meili said softly.

Hearing this, Shitou paused, then shook his head. "No. The reason I’m earning so much every month isn’t because my work is truly worth this much. It’s because Third Brother He is looking out for me. If it were someone else, people would be scrambling to do this job for less than a hundred yuan. So, there’s no way I can ask him."

Shitou might not have many skills, but he had his principles. Being poor was his own business; He Lang was already doing everything he could to look out for him. As the saying goes, you help someone in a crisis, not just because they’re poor. If he borrowed money for his wedding now, he might need to borrow again the next time life got hard. Shitou couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Ge Meili got a little angry. "Then what do we do? Didn’t you say you wanted to marry me? How long will it take for you to save up all that money?"

Shitou’s brow furrowed, also worried.

Seeing his silence, Ge Meili grew even angrier.

"My family already looks down on you for being from the countryside. Now you can’t even meet this one condition. Do you still want to marry me or not? Besides, you’d be borrowing the money, not just taking it. From where I’m standing, it doesn’t seem like he values you that much anyway. Otherwise, he should have offered to help with something like this without you even asking."

After Ge Meili finished speaking, she saw Shitou looking at her with a strange expression. Her heart skipped a beat, but her words remained sharp.

"What are you looking at? Am I wrong? He’s the one who brought you here, so he should be responsible for you. If not, then just stop working for him! You could open your own clothing store. You’re familiar with the business now, right? If you went out on your own, you’d definitely earn way more than you do at his shop. Then I could quit my job, and we could open a clothing store together. What do you think?"

The more Ge Meili spoke, the more carried away she got. She thought it was a brilliant idea. That way, they’d be their own bosses. They wouldn’t have to answer to anyone, and all the money they earned would go straight into their own pockets.

By the time she finished, Shitou had lowered his head.

Ge Meili frowned and went over to pat Shitou’s chest. "Did you hear what I said? You know where he gets his inventory from, right? Didn’t you go with him a few times? What do you think of my idea?"

Shitou’s face was blank, his voice flat. "It’s not a good idea. If you want to be your own boss, I won’t stop you. But I know myself. I’m not cut out to be a boss. I can only work for Third Brother He. Working for him gives me peace of mind."

Hearing this, Ge Meili was absolutely furious. "How can you be so unambitious? Can’t you think about the long term? Are you really planning to work for him your whole life?"

"There’s nothing wrong with that."

Ge Meili stared at Shitou, but he kept his eyes lowered, saying nothing.

After a moment, Ge Meili gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I get it now. You’re angry with me. And who am I even doing all this for? Forget it. I was just talking. It’s up to you what you want to do. Since we can’t seem to agree, I’m heading back."

Ge Meili turned and started to walk away. Shitou didn’t move an inch.

Ge Meili took several steps, but when she saw that Shitou wasn’t coming after her to try and coax her, she ran off in a huff.

Leaving Shitou standing there, lost in thought for a long time.

From that day on, Ge Meili never came to the shop to see Shitou again. Shitou, in turn, became quiet and withdrawn. Everyone else in the shop could tell that something must have happened between them.

Xue Yue quietly said to He Lang, "Something’s off with Shitou. Why don’t you go ask him? Did he have a fight with his girlfriend?"

He Lang glanced at Shitou. "It’s normal for couples to fight. They’ll be fine in a few days."

It wasn’t until Aunt Ge came looking for Shitou that they found out what had happened.