Xue Yue smiled and stroked her cheek. "What’s there to thank me for? I still remember when I first came to the He Family. You were only thirteen then. The first time you saw me, you just stared and stared. Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, our Ziqing is getting married."

Remembering that time, He Ziqing smiled too. "I remember I told you back then, ’Auntie, you’re so beautiful.’"

Xue Yue smiled and nodded. "Yes."

He Nan returned five days later. As soon as they met, Wang Hui Fang told him that both He Ziqing and He Lang had called.

"They didn’t go into detail, but from what I could tell, it sounds like Ziqing and her boyfriend want to settle down."

He Nan nodded. "I’ll call Third Brother back and ask for the details."

He Nan called He Lang’s house, but it was Mrs. He who answered.

"Eldest, you’re back from your trip?"

"Yes, Mom. Hui Fang said Third Brother called me?"

"Yes. Third Brother and his wife have both gone to work, so it’s just me at home. We were calling to let you know that everything is settled for Ziqing and the Qi family’s boy. We tried calling you, but Hui Fang said you were out on a trip and she wasn’t sure when you’d be back. Since you live so far away, it’s inconvenient to travel back and forth, so we just went ahead. The two families have reached an agreement, and the engagement date is set. When do you think you’ll be able to come over?"

He Nan frowned. "It’s all settled? What did the Qi family say?"

Mrs. He had no choice but to tell He Nan everything that had happened at the Qi family’s home over the phone. "Oh, right, Third Brother said he’s taking care of the dowry—a full set of home appliances. I heard your father say that Third Brother’s supermarket sells them, but they aren’t cheap."

He Nan was silent for a moment before saying, "Okay, I understand. We’ll head over early."

Mrs. He reminded him, "Good. Remember to bring Xiao Nian with you."

"Okay."

He Nan hung up the phone and went home.

Wang Hui Fang was just placing dishes on the table. Xiao Nian was already back from school and in his room.

He Nan called out toward Xiao Nian’s room that it was time to eat.

At the dinner table, He Nan brought up their trip to Beijing City for his daughter’s engagement.

Xiao Nian’s eyes widened. "My sister is getting married already? To who?"

He Nan glanced at him. "Didn’t you meet him last time? The teacher who came to our house. Didn’t you say he seemed like a nice guy?"

Xiao Nian paused. "But it’s so sudden. I’m not ready."

He Nan couldn’t help but laugh. "It’s your sister who’s getting married. What do you need to prepare for? Besides, it’s not that sudden. Your sister is already twenty-five; it’s time she settled down. And since we’re not there with her, it’s good for her to get engaged. Someone will be there to take care of her."

Wang Hui Fang asked, "When is the engagement?"

"Next week. We’ll leave tomorrow. If we get to Beijing City early, we can help out. We also need to prepare a dowry for Ziqing."

Wang Hui Fang nodded. Xiao Nian, looking troubled, poked at his food with his chopsticks, picking at his meal distractedly.

As soon as dinner was over, he hurried back to his room. He packed his things, then sat at his desk, ready to light the lamp and study late into the night. He mumbled to pump himself up, "Come on, you have to get into a university in Beijing City next year." ’It doesn’t matter which one, as long as it’s in Beijing City. I need to be closer to my sister in the future.’

Meanwhile, in their room, He Nan came in after his shower and saw Wang Hui Fang sitting on the edge of the bed, counting money.

He Nan glanced over and asked, "What are you doing?"

Wang Hui Fang continued what she was doing. Only after she had finished counting did she say to him, "I’m counting our money. Didn’t you say we need to prepare a dowry for Ziqing? We only have a little over eight hundred yuan right now. Is that enough? If not, I can go to my mom’s house and borrow some."

They had used up all their savings to buy a house in the county town, so this money was what they had managed to save up over the past two years.

He Nan looked at Wang Hui Fang’s earnest expression and smiled. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand.

"Thank you for treating the two children so wholeheartedly. I thank you on their behalf."

Wang Hui Fang gave a soft, chiding laugh. "What’s there to thank me for? I told you when I married you that I would treat your two children as my own. I know they’re grown up now and might still hold some reservations about me, but that’s okay. I don’t expect anything in return from them. All I ask is that you treat me well."

He Nan said earnestly, "I’ll treat you well for the rest of my life."

Wang Hui Fang smiled and nodded. "I believe you."

With that, she handed him all the money. "This is all we have in the house. Take it all. I’ll head over to my parents’ place early tomorrow morning."

He Nan tightened his grip on the money. "No need. This should be about enough. My mother said my third brother is taking on the full cost of Ziqing’s dowry. He’s a good man, but as her father, I can’t contribute nothing at all."

Wang Hui Fang patted him. "I understand. Even if Third Brother has money, he and his wife earned it through hard work. Ziqing is your daughter. It’s only right for you, her father, to contribute."

He Nan nodded. "You’re right."

The next day, He Nan and his family got up early to buy tickets to Beijing City. Xiao Nian also went to school to ask for leave.

Today, Gu Yuwei stumbled back from outside as if she had suffered a terrible blow. She dove straight into the bathroom. The only sound was the RUSHING of water. Kang Youde knocked on the door from outside, but heard no response.

He kicked the bathroom door in a fit of anger, then slammed the front door on his way out.

Inside the bathroom, Gu Yuwei was crouched in a corner, staring blankly into space.

’He Ze is dead—’

The words echoed endlessly in her mind.

Earlier today, Gu Yuwei had nothing to do and, on a whim, decided to go check out a supermarket. She had heard people say that a new supermarket had opened in Beijing City that had everything you could want. You could even pick out items yourself inside and then pay for them all at once at the exit, which sounded much more interesting than the department stores in Beijing City.

She finally managed to find the place and picked out quite a few things. But when she went to check out, she was shocked to see Little Chen.

The moment Little Chen saw her, he froze as well. It took him a while to recover before he called out, "Gu Zhiqing."

Hearing those two words, Gu Yuwei knew she hadn’t mistaken him.

"You—how are you here?" Gu Yuwei was shocked to see Little Chen in Beijing City. It was so sudden.

Little Chen let out a short, mocking laugh. "And how are *you* here?"

Gu Yuwei glanced around guiltily. People were already looking at them curiously. Without even grabbing the items she had selected, Gu Yuwei headed for the exit.

The cashier shouted after her, "Hey, do you still want these items?"

Gu Yuwei didn’t answer and just walked out quickly.

After she left the supermarket and had just stopped to catch her breath, she heard Little Chen’s voice again. "He Ze is dead. Did you know?"

Gu Yuwei turned to look at Little Chen, who had followed her out, feeling dazed.

"What did you just say?"

Little Chen looked at her coldly. "I know you heard me clearly, but I can say it again. He Ze... is dead. Not that you’d feel anything, I suppose. After all, you couldn’t stand being with him, so you ran away."