After the Yuan sisters finished organizing the dowry, they discovered that Zhou Yi had only brought two quilts, a washbasin, and a thermos. Yuan Dajie couldn’t help asking if she had left something at her parents’ home.

For a high-ranking official’s daughter to marry like this was beyond Yuan Dajie’s imagination – it seemed incredibly modest.

Zhou Yi maintained her smile and thought carefully for a moment before nodding: “Yes, quite a few things are still at home, like my everyday clothes!”

Since one should wear new red clothes for the wedding, her other clothes were all old, and she thought she’d gradually move them over after the marriage, especially since her wedding date with Yuan Han had been set in a hurry.

Yuan Dajie watched her smiling face, showing no signs of embarrassment.

Was she truly naive, or just pretending?

Yuan Erjie tugged at her sister’s sleeve, also wearing a full smile: “Sister, Xiao Yi has had a long day, let’s let her rest.”

Yuan Dajie reluctantly followed her sister out.

Back in the adjacent room, Yuan Dajie flung her sleeve: “Why did you pull me away?”

Yuan Erjie’s smile disappeared: “I was afraid you’d get too anxious. The Zhou family wouldn’t just give their daughter two quilts as dowry – they probably gave her a bankbook with savings.”

This was the most logical explanation.

If it was a bankbook, the sisters shouldn’t pry – they should let their brother ask about it.

As a married couple now, Zhou Yi wouldn’t hide anything from Yuan Han.

Yuan Dajie agreed with this reasoning.

Yuan Han had just escaped from his mother’s nagging when his two sisters intercepted him. Yuan Dajie worriedly said: “Zhou Yi seemed honest before, but I didn’t expect her to be so guarded against me and your second sister right after marriage. Do we care about her dowry? We’re just looking out for you!”

Yuan Han casually reassured his sister, “Xiao Yi wouldn’t think that way. She probably didn’t even understand what you were getting at.”

Yuan Han was also quite tight on funds. The shiny new appliances and furniture in the house had nearly depleted his money.

With the new wedding clothes and banquet expenses, Yuan Han was now desperately in need of Zhou Yi’s dowry!

But Yuan Han could be patient. He didn’t mention it on their wedding night or the next day. He waited until the third day, when his sisters were preparing to return home, before showing his troubled expression.

Zhou Yi had three days of marriage leave and needed to return to work, but she lingered at home reluctantly: “Since the sisters are leaving, why don’t I take the day off to see them off?”

Yuan Han shook his head, “I appreciate your thoughtfulness, and I hate to see you working so hard, but if you don’t go to work, your father’s side… Xiao Yi, please endure it for my sake.”

Zhou Yi felt her head was about to explode.

She didn’t dare disobey her father’s orders, especially since Yuan Han’s job wasn’t yet secured.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go to work then, and you can see your sisters off.”

Yuan Han seemed to want to say something but held back.

Zhou Yi wasn’t blind, so she naturally asked what was wrong.

“When we bought the four major appliances, I didn’t have enough money, and both sisters helped contribute. They came to Beijing, we can’t let them return empty-handed, right?”

Yuan Han’s hint was so obvious that given Zhou Yi’s personality, upon hearing they owed money to Yuan Han’s sisters, she would typically offer to repay it immediately.

But poverty limits one’s choices, and Zhou Yi wasn’t as generous as Yuan Han had expected.

She felt a moment of discomfort.

Wasn’t it expected for the groom’s family to pay for these things when taking a bride?

None of her married friends seemed to have encountered such troubles.

Zhou Yi hesitated, “Why don’t you buy some local specialties for your sisters to take back first, and can we owe the money for now and pay it back later? By the way, how much did your sisters contribute?”

Yuan Han stroked her face affectionately, saying: “If we talk about repaying, my sisters definitely wouldn’t accept it. I’m just worried about them having a hard time at their in-laws’ homes, so I thought of giving them the money first, and we can save up gradually later.”

After Zhou Yi’s repeated questioning, Yuan Han finally revealed that the two sisters had given 4,000 yuan.

“That much!”

Zhou Yi paced around the room.

She simply couldn’t produce that kind of money.

Though Zhou Yi had been working for many years with a decent salary, she had no savings. Her salary had all gone to buying clothes and eating out with friends! Each month wasn’t enough for her use, and she even needed supplements from home… Who would have thought she’d be worrying about money just three days into marriage?

“What should we do? If I had known, I would have taken the money my parents offered. I was just trying to prove something to them, wanting to stand my ground!”

Zhou Yi’s words made Yuan Han’s heart sink.

What did Zhou Yi mean – she hadn’t taken money from her family?

Speaking of this, Zhou Yi was quite proud: “The day before the wedding, my mom offered me a bankbook, but seeing how cold she was towards me, I said I didn’t want the family’s money.”

She thought she could endure hardship for a couple of years, living on their combined salaries with Yuan Han. Once Yuan Han’s career took off, her parents would naturally change their attitude.

It was a rare moment of stubbornness for Zhou Yi.

Lost in newlywed bliss, she hadn’t had time to consider these practical issues. Now Zhou Yi was struck with worry: she had originally counted on both their salaries, but hadn’t expected her mother-in-law’s impulsive announcement at the wedding banquet to embarrass her father, leading him to tell Yuan Han not to work for now!

Wouldn’t that mean they’d only have her salary to live on?

Zhou Yi felt panicked.

She had never been good at enduring hardship – if she could, she wouldn’t have returned to Beijing right after getting pregnant during their attempted elopement.

While Zhou Yi was anxious, Yuan Han’s heart had completely cooled.

So Zhou Yi did come to the Yuan family with just two quilts, a washbasin, and a thermos?

If he hadn’t personally seen all those relatives at the Zhou family home and confirmed Zhou Yi was indeed their daughter, Yuan Han would have thought he’d been tricked into marriage.

Was this some kind of test from Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong?

Yuan Han could barely maintain his smile, and to keep Zhou Yi from noticing, he quickly embraced her: “It’s all my fault for making you endure hardship with me.”

Zhou Yi hadn’t yet figured out how they would live on just her monthly salary.

If she had known better, she wouldn’t have tried to prove herself and would have accepted the bankbook from her mother. At the very least, when her father offered to give her all the monetary gifts from relatives after the wedding banquet, she shouldn’t have pretended to be understanding and refused!

Now Zhou Yi couldn’t bring herself to go back on her word and ask her family for the bankbook.

After embracing for a while, Zhou Yi noticed she was running late for work and hurried off to her workplace, putting aside her melancholy.

In the rented courtyard serving as their new home, only the four immediate members of the Yuan family remained.

When Yuan Han said Zhou Yi truly had no dowry, Mother Yuan didn’t believe it:

“Is she hiding private savings, not wanting to tell you?”

Yuan Han had enough confidence to know Zhou Yi wouldn’t deceive him.

Yuan Dajie began shouting: “The Yuan family spent over ten thousand yuan just to marry such goods? Her job situation is unresolved, the dowry is pathetic – what did you marry her for? The previous one was better!”

At least they could order the previous one around as they pleased.

But Zhou Yi?

No matter how angry they were, they wouldn’t dare order her around!

Mother Yuan complained of chest pain.

Even the usually most composed Yuan Erjie frowned:

“Little brother, Zhou Yi’s family is too calculating. Can our Yuan family benefit from this connection?”

Yuan Han was now caught in a difficult situation, but thinking of Zhou Yi’s dependence on him, he temporarily suppressed his anxiety:

“You can’t rush these things. No matter how calculating they are, they only have one daughter. Once Xiao Yi has a child, seeing their grandchild will surely soften their attitude!”