That year in college, I used the money I earned from part-time jobs to buy my mother a silver bracelet. It only cost over two hundred yuan. How could a ring, such a small circle, cost so much?
"Fifty, how about it? If it's okay, I'll buy a pair."
The boss grinned, "Young lady, you're quite good at bargaining. At least let me make a bit for the craftsmanship."
"If not, then forget it."
"Yes, yes, yes. It's so late, we're about to close up. I'll give you a pair at a cheap price. What do you want to engrave?"
Jiang Jingyu squatted beside her, watching her haggle, almost amused to tears.
She actually cared about something that was only worth a little over two hundred yuan, and it turned out it wasn't even worth two hundred.
Why buy a pair of rings for 25 yuan per person?
He quietly told Tong An'an, "Don't worry, you'll get a ring when we get married. Although I didn't bring one today, I'll make it up to you when we get back. Why do you want this?"
But Tong An'an really wanted to buy it, "Let's just consider it part of the trip, buy a souvenir. Consider it a gift from me to you."
"Boss. Engrave 'Ping An An' on the man's ring. What do you want to engrave on mine?"
Jiang Jingyu was charmed by her again.
He found this wife more likable the more he looked at her.
"Then let's engrave 'Jian Kang Kang' on yours. As long as we're both safe and healthy forever."
Perhaps it was because their hands were well-shaped, anything looked good on them. The rings, costing 25 yuan each, surprisingly had a sense of elegance when worn.
Jiang Jingyu finally understood the psychology of those in love who were desperate to show it off.
He also wanted everyone to witness his happiness.
He pulled Tong An'an to a lamppost, held up her hand next to his, and was about to take out his phone.
Tong An'an asked him what he was doing.
"Taking a picture and posting it on Moments."
"Are you... officially announcing it?"
Jiang Jingyu said, "Speaking of officially announcing, I've already secretly announced you. You haven't announced me yet? How about we do it together?"
Tong An'an thought about it, and it was fine.
Since they were planning to get married anyway, it was like giving her parents a heads-up.
The two posted the same photo on their Moments.
Tong An'an's caption was "Ping An," and Jiang Jingyu's was "Jian Kang." They posted them together.
It was quite a public display of affection.
Is President Jiang crazy?
He traveled all the way to Shenzhen to accompany Tong An'an on her business trip, and now he's posting such a photo on Moments to show off their affection. Is this going to turn into a real thing?
Tong An'an's parents didn't use Moments and didn't know about the announcement, but her brother did.
The next day, as soon as the plane landed in Nan City, Tong An'an received a call from her parents.
"You're with Xiao Jiang now? You little rascal. You didn't even give us a heads-up before saying it. Do you want to drive me mad?"
"What have I told you since you were little? Girls should be reserved, reserved! What stage are you two at? Have you done that?"
"Tong An'an, I'm warning you, before you get married and before the betrothal gifts are settled, you are absolutely not allowed to do that! Otherwise, your value will drop!"
"What if he changes his mind or tries to lower the price? Mom and Dad worked hard to raise you. Girls can't demean themselves!"
Jiang Jingyu held her hand the entire time, walking beside her, and heard all of Mother Tong's nagging.
Tong An'an was terribly embarrassed, "Got it, got it, Mom. I'll come back this weekend and talk to you properly, okay? I'm busy now."
"You'll come back this weekend? That's still four days away. Who knows what you two might do in those four days! I can't wait a single day. You need to be back by the end of the workday today at the latest!"
"If you don't come back, I'll come to your company. An'an, you have to understand your mother's good intentions..."
Seeing that she was cornered by her mother, Jiang Jingyu took the phone.
"Auntie, I'm Jiang Jingyu. What you're saying is reasonable. Our affairs really shouldn't be delayed any longer. Please prepare yourselves and wait at home. We'll be right back."
Tong An'an was stunned, "Aren't you going to the company?"
"It's not a matter of a few hours. Calming down Mother's emotions is more important."
Zhang Yang was waiting for them outside the airport and drove them directly to Tong An'an's house.
On the way, Jiang Jingyu called his mother, Jiang Nan Fang, and asked her to come over quickly.
After all, this was the first time the groom's family was officially visiting after they confirmed their relationship. He wasn't familiar with the etiquette, and Tong An'an's mother was rather particular. He was afraid of offending her.
Last night, after his announcement, Jiang Nan Fang and Zhan Bei Jue were overjoyed and discussed the betrothal gift for Tong An'an and what gifts to bring when meeting the in-laws all night. They never expected it to be needed so soon.
After hanging up, Jiang Nan Fang immediately started preparing and called Zhan Bei Jue to hurry back from the company.
Within an hour, Tong An'an was at her doorstep.
Her parents sat on stools on either side of the door, their faces devoid of joy.
Especially her mother, who was very angry about her daughter's fait accompli.
Their humble family, when encountering a family like that, was easily looked down upon. If they didn't assert themselves, the groom's family would think they were eager to marry into their family and would surely look down on them in the future.
How could she not understand this?
They got out of the car, one on each side, and seeing that Jiang Jingyu brought no gifts and came empty-handed, Mother Tong became even more annoyed.
When she saw him before, he had a kind and benevolent expression. Today, he looked like an old witch.
She snorted coldly and turned to go inside.
Father Tong was also disappointed in Tong An'an.
This girl, since childhood, never listened to them on important matters. She was so willful about her marriage as well. It was infuriating.
Jiang Jingyu's family was accustomed to democracy and didn't realize that posting on Moments would cause such a big conflict. He glanced nervously at Tong An'an.
Tong An'an comforted him, "Calm down, my mom is like this. She'll nag a bit and then it'll be over. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart, don't be like her."
The two entered the house hand in hand. Tong An'an shamelessly called out to her parents and pulled Jiang Jingyu to sit opposite them.
"I'm so thirsty, is there any water? Mom, pour me a glass of water."
"Don't you have hands yourself?"
Startled, Jiang Jingyu quickly went to pour her a glass, "I'll do it, I'll do it."
Zhang Yang beat him to it, "Let me do it."
Mother Tong snorted again, "You have money for a car and a driver, but the first time you visit your mother-in-law, you don't even bring a gift. I don't know whether to say some people look down on us poor in-laws, or if they're just ill-mannered, or if my daughter is not capable and is rushing to marry into their family. Before even entering the door, she's already making us look bad."
Jiang Jingyu felt ashamed by her words. As she started to make a big deal out of it, he finally realized how many mistakes he had made.
He hurriedly tried to explain to Mother Tong, but Tong An'an spoke first.
"Mom, what are you saying? Who looks down on you? Who looks down on me? We were just on a business trip a few days ago and just returned to Nan City. And before we even left the airport, you were urging us to come back, so we rushed back. We didn't have time to prepare anything."
"Oh, you haven't even entered their door yet, and you're already defending them. I never saw you so spineless before!"