The wedding day was truly bustling. Early in the morning, Ji Xingmi got up and put on makeup for Qin Nuo, which left Qin Nuo herself stunned.
Ji Xingmi, along with Gu Jingnian, Gu Jingzhao, and Xiang Nan and a few other brothers, blocked the entrance. Chen Jianguo saw this and exclaimed that they were favoring outsiders. It took quite a bit of teasing from Ji Xingmi before they were allowed in.
When Chen Jianguo entered, he was captivated by Qin Nuo’s appearance that day. The people behind him also started to tease Chen Jianguo when they saw his reaction, causing the newlywed couple to blush uncontrollably and unable to smile for a long time.
Gu Jingnian was responsible for carrying Qin Nuo out, while Ji Xingmi arranged for people in the room to move the dowry. The "big three items" sent during the engagement were all moved back. Ji Xingmi even gifted two cotton quilts and two sets of high-quality satin four-piece bedding. Such a dowry made those watching the lively scene quite envious.
When they arrived at the old village chief's place, Auntie Chen was also startled by the dowry. Qin Nuo had no relatives, so the dowry was what she had brought to sell. The items brought now were clearly more than what she had prepared earlier, but she knew now was not the time to ask and led people to put everything into the newlyweds' new house.
The relatives on the Chen family's side, seeing this dowry, kept murmuring in hushed tones, with words of envy and jealousy. No one paid them any mind.
Ji Xingmi entered later. After seeing Qin Nuo into the room, she went out to the gift-giving area and directly presented her monetary gift.
The person recording the gifts paused after counting and looked at Ji Xingmi.
Seeing his confused expression, Ji Xingmi asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
The person shook his head and asked, "Are you sure about this amount? You didn't give too much, did you?"
"No, I wish the newlyweds everlasting love!"
The person nodded and recorded it. Others nearby witnessed this scene and thought the gift was too little or that there was trouble. They came to see, and sure enough! It was another day to be envied. The monetary gift was ninety-nine yuan. Nowadays, good relatives usually gave ten or eight yuan, which was considered generous.
But here, the gift was ninety-nine yuan. For families who were just a little bit better off, this amount alone had earned back the betrothal gifts!
Auntie Chen also received the news. However, it was not appropriate to say anything at this time. She just smiled and explained to people that this person was a good friend of Jianguo and his wife, which was why she gave so much.
The sisters-in-law of the Chen family also received the news. They could only smile, what else could they say! They had previously thought about giving the bride a hard time after she joined the family. Now, before she had even entered, their faces were already gone. Forget about the dowry, look at the monetary gift from her friend, which completely overshadowed theirs!
Ji Xingmi was unaware of these things. After eating, she left with Gu Jingnian and the others.
After the banquet at home dispersed, the old village chief and Auntie Chen took the gift registry and monetary gifts to find Chen Jianguo and his wife.
"Father, Mother" "Father, Mother"
"Ah, good! Are you full? There were so many people outside today, we didn't get to attend to you."
"Mother, I ate. My eldest sister-in-law sent me food!"
"That's good!"
After his wife finished speaking, the old village chief handed the items to Chen Jianguo and told him about Ji Xingmi's monetary gift. Gu Jingnian had also sent twenty yuan, which was not a small amount either.
Chen Jianguo glanced at Qin Nuo. Seeing Qin Nuo nod, he said to his parents, "Father, Mother, the wedding gifts have always been kept by you. Please keep them. This way, the sisters-in-law won't be unhappy."
"You didn't spend much on your wedding this time. Even if you did, it was all earned by you. It's fine for you to keep this!"
"Mother, there's a whole family to consider, and the expenses must be high. Please keep it. I'll also tell you something, Sister Xingmi didn't just send these things, she sent quite a lot more!"
"What?"
After Chen Jianguo finished speaking, Qin Nuo added, "Mother, look at these quilts and the satin four-piece bedding. They were all gifts from Xingmi for my trousseau. When she left just now, she also slipped this to us!"