Chapter 121: Preparing to Go to the Capital
To this day, everyone in the Propaganda Department had assumed Sheng Wanyan’s parents were ordinary industrial workers. No one truly knew what her brother did or what rank he held. Wanyan never showed off her connections, bullied her coworkers, or used her family’s leverage to throw her weight around the office.
No one had expected her to possess such a formidable military background. With a sitting battalion commander for a brother and an elite sister-in-law from the Capital backing her, Comrade Niu Fangli’s vicious predictions of Wanyan suffering at the hands of her in-laws were completely dismantled. Even if, against all odds, Wanyan did face mistreatment after her marriage, her brother and sister-in-law would never stand idly by and allow it. At the absolute worst, if life in the Capital became unbearable, she could easily retreat to Chengdu, take over her parents’ high-level industrial posts, and live a comfortable, glorious life as an urban worker.
Comrade Sheng Wanyan was fully insulated with elite escape routes. Meanwhile, what leverage did Niu Fangli actually possess to compare herself against the girl?
There simply was no comparison.
As the saying goes: A person must possess self-awareness, otherwise they won’t even know how they died.
Following her public dismantling, Niu Fangli spent the next two weeks biting her tongue, offering zero sarcastic remarks. Instead, she abruptly shifted tactics, desperately attempting to curry favor and please Wanyan. But Wanyan systematically rejected every overture. The dynamic between them was already hopelessly fractured, and she had zero intention of maintaining any social ties with a woman like her.
Niu Fangli was the textbook definition of an opportunist: if you were useful, she would flatter you to the heavens; the literal second you lost your utility, she wouldn’t hesitate to step on your neck. Wanyan was at the factory strictly to earn her paycheck, not to play childish social games with a toxic coworker.
Niu Fangli had spent hours agonizing over the situation after work. Realizing Wanyan was marrying into immense military power, she calculated that if she managed to ingratiate herself now, Wanyan might one day pull strings to get her own son enlisted and promoted to a junior officer rank. That was the singular reason she had spent the past fortnight kissing up to the girl, showering her with flattery and attempting to offer small gifts.
Yet Wanyan refused to appreciate the effort, maintaining an icy, impenetrable distance.
I only said a few harsh words, Niu Fangli fumed privately. Why is she being so incredibly petty and unforgiving?
On her final day at the mill, Wanyan quietly slipped Wu Jiaxiu a slip of paper bearing the mailing address of the northern military district.
“In the future, if you run into any trouble or need any specific supplies, write to me,” Wanyan told her. “I will absolutely help you if it is within my power.”
Wu Jiaxiu accepted the slip, instantly understanding the implicit contract. This winter, she would instruct her husband to visit the Sheng apartment frequently to handle all the heavy lifting and rough chores for the two elders. She would ensure the Sheng household’s entire supply of coal briquettes was chopped, stacked, and prepared long before the New Year freeze hit, allowing Wanyan to focus on her new life in the army with total peace of mind.
That afternoon, Wanyan officially submitted her resignation to the cotton mill administration. Because she hadn’t taken a single day of leave during her final month, the accounting ledger was incredibly straightforward. The moment she formally handed her desk keys over to the new clerk, the Finance Department immediately settled her final wages in cash.
Just like that, Sheng Wanyan officially transitioned from a glorious urban worker to a young woman waiting to be wed.
Returning to the apartment that evening, Wanyan handed her final envelope of wages directly to her mother. As always, Mother Sheng extracted ten yuan for Wanyan’s pocket money and tucked the rest away.
Later that night, Mother Sheng gathered the entire family in the living room and began to lay out the full inventory of Wanyan’s dowry.
“We originally agreed to allocate 1,500 yuan strictly for your private dowry,” Mother Sheng began, her tone deeply serious. “This fund is strictly off the books—do not disclose it to your in-laws. You must keep it fiercely protected; this is your ultimate safety net and absolute way out if you ever face disaster. Furthermore, we are adding the 500 yuan generated from selling your factory post to Gu Tong’s family. The total comes to exactly 2,000 yuan, and it is all secured right here in this passbook.”
She slid the small, stamped bankbook across the table. For an ordinary working-class family, 2,000 yuan was a staggering, astronomical sum; it was the absolute maximum limit of what her parents could provide.
“As for the wages you’ve contributed since you started working, we will execute the exact same protocol we used for your brother,” Mother Sheng continued. “Half of your accumulated wages remain with the household, and the other half goes directly into your pocket as cash. You contributed your wages for exactly one year. At ten yuan a month, that totals 120 yuan. Half of that is exactly 60 yuan.”
She pulled out a separate stack of cash. “Additionally, here is the 666 yuan dowry fund we formally agreed upon with your mother-in-law. Combined with your wage split, that totals 726 yuan in cold cash.”
Mother Sheng meticulously counted out the bills, placing them into Wanyan’s hands alongside a thick stack of highly coveted national grain coupons, sugar rations, and industrial cloth tickets the family had painstakingly hoarded over the years.
“Since you are marrying into the Gu family before they formally divide the estate, you must be smart,” Mother Sheng instructed. “Your mother-in-law is a highly reasonable, fair woman. During her visit, she explicitly mentioned that your two sisters-in-law maintained total control over their personal dowries and were never forced to surrender them to the communal family vault.”
She squeezed Wanyan’s hand. “Therefore, you are under no obligation to hand a single copper coin over to the household ledger after the wedding. Keep every cent of this money strictly for your own self-defense. If a civilian job quota opens up near the military base, use these funds to purchase it immediately. Having your own career is always best.”
Mother Sheng’s voice wavered slightly, a deep reluctance bleeding into her tone. Wanyan had been anchored to her side since she was a little girl. The sudden realization that she was packing her bags to leave the province entirely left an intense, physical ache in the mother’s chest.
“Mom, I don’t want the 500 yuan from selling the factory job,” Wanyan protested, trying to slide the passbook back. “You and Dad should keep it for your own retirement.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Mother Sheng scolded gently, pushing the book back. “I made it perfectly clear from the beginning: that job was purchased specifically for you, therefore the equity belongs entirely to you.”
“But won’t brother and sister-in-law feel slighted?”
“You don’t need to waste a second worrying about Wanze or Pan Yue’s opinions,” Mother Sheng waved off the concern. “The sheer volume of premium meat and grain you’ve covertly mailed to your brother’s unit over the past five months is worth far more than 500 yuan on the black market! Furthermore, if we really wanted to calculate the ledger, the pure wild ginseng slice you gifted them easily offsets this. If I truly cared about settling the accounts, I’d have to demand Wanze and Pan Yue empty their own pockets to compensate you.”
Speaking of the ginseng, Mother Sheng quickly stood up and retrieved the small, wrapped bundle from her private cabinet. She carefully unfolded the cloth, revealing the remaining medicinal slices.
“We have sixteen slices left,” Mother Sheng counted. “You take ten of these with you to the Capital, and we will keep the remaining six here at home.”
“No, absolutely not,” Wanyan refused instantly. “These are strictly for you, Dad, and the grandparents to replenish your vitality. If a medical emergency ever strikes the elders while I’m away, this root is the absolute ultimate lifeline. You must keep all of it.”
Wanyan had successfully cultivated a massive crop of premium medicinal herbs within her spatial warehouse. Having finally managed to manufacture a believable excuse to inject the life-saving ginseng into her family’s diet, how could she possibly take it back?
“Your fiancé is a frontline soldier taking on dangerous missions!” Mother Sheng argued, exasperated by her daughter’s stubbornness. “Why are you being so dense? You need to adapt and keep emergency medicine on hand!”
“Mom, Tingxiao and I are still young, and the regiment has a dedicated military hospital. Besides, the Gu family possesses immense elite status; if we ever truly require premium ginseng, they have the political connections to purchase it directly from the state pharmacies.”
Wanyan crossed her arms, deploying her ultimate threat. “Who knows, maybe I’ll stumble across another wild root in the northern mountains someday. Regardless, this was my specific, personal gift to honor my elders. If you force me to take it back, I will formally refuse to accept the 666 yuan dowry fund. Your choice.”
Mother Sheng knew her daughter’s temper perfectly; once the girl set an absolute boundary and refused to listen to persuasion, she would never yield.
“You infuriating, stubborn child…” Mother Sheng sighed, massaging her temples. She honestly didn’t know which side of the family the girl had inherited such an unyielding streak from. “Alright, alright. I surrender. I’m genuinely terrified of you sometimes.”
Defeated, Mother Sheng carefully wrapped the sixteen ginseng slices back up and locked them safely in the cabinet.
Moving on to the physical goods, Mother Sheng brought out a beautiful, brand-new wooden bridal trunk. Inside, she meticulously packed five stunning new dresses Grandma Sheng had tailored entirely by hand, two pairs of premium cloth shoes she had purchased, two sets of thick winter sweaters and trousers, and two heavily padded winter coats.
This specific trunk was a cultural staple; every respectable household prepared a dedicated bridal chest to transport a daughter’s personal trousseau into her new marriage.
“We depart for the Capital in exactly three days,” Father Sheng announced. “Your mother and I have already secured our extended leave from the factories. We need to spend the next few days sourcing high-quality regional gifts to present to your in-laws upon arrival.”
“How about we head down to the surrounding villages and collect some authentic, wild mountain products?” Father Sheng suggested. “Items like premium wild walnuts and dried mountain fungi are incredibly nutritious, and you simply cannot buy that level of authentic quality in the Capital markets.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Grandpa Sheng agreed. “Spend the next few days sourcing the best rural yields.”
“We should also put the word out to collect some fresh wild game if the hunters have any available,” Grandpa Sheng added, finalizing the strategy. “After that, we’ll hit the supply and marketing cooperative to purchase premium nutritional supplements. High-grade melon seeds and branded cakes are absolute necessities for visiting the capital.”
With the patriarch’s orders issued, Father and Mother Sheng wasted no time. The very next morning, they ventured out to the rural outskirts to tap their old village networks and quietly purchase premium wild game. Having lived and worked in Chengdu for decades, the couple maintained a highly reliable web of local connections. Securing fresh, wild prey off the books wasn’t particularly difficult; for the impoverished rural villagers, any surplus game that could be traded for hard cash or industrial coupons was an absolute godsend, and they rarely kept the best cuts for themselves.
The entire Sheng household was engulfed in a frantic, joyous whirlwind of preparation. Even Grandpa and Grandma Sheng refused to remain idle, making daily trips to the state-run cooperative to meticulously select the finest travel provisions.
