Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

”No,” Gao Qiang replied honestly, shaking his head.

”Xiao Qiang, she stayed at our house for a few days, and you two were stuck together every day. You two didn’t... you know?” Mrs. Gao couldn’t help but ask her son.

”Mom, Jiali’s not that kind of girl,” Gao Qiang said.

Mrs. Gao put a hand to her forehead, looking at her son with exasperation. ’So useless.’ They’d been dating for so long, and nothing physical had happened yet. The girl had stayed with them for days and was still untouched. ’No wonder the Qiao Family dares to demand such a high bride price. If he’d just slept with her, if he got lucky and she got pregnant with our family’s child, would the Qiao Family still dare to ask for that much?’

”You need to take the initiative with that kind of thing. Girls are always reserved,” Mrs. Gao said, giving Gao Qiang a little push.

”Mom.” Gao Qiang rubbed the back of his neck. ”Jiali’s different from them.”

”How is she different? Does she have an extra eye or an extra mouth?” Mrs. Gao asked irritably.

”Xiao Qiang, call Jiali and ask her out. Take her somewhere romantic and get the deed done. We’ll just stall the Qiao Family. Once Jiali’s pregnant, we can go to their house and lay our cards on the table,” his fourth uncle’s wife urged.

”Fourth Aunt, isn’t that a little... wrong?” Gao Qiang said, looking uncomfortable. ’This is too despicable. Would Young Master Qiao ever let me off the hook?’

”You love her and she loves you. It’s only natural for things to progress,” Mrs. Gao said. Seeing her son was still being a disappointment, she couldn’t understand his hesitation and pushed him toward the phone.

Grandma Gao was happy to see things develop this way. As long as she didn’t have to chip in for the bride price, she was fine with them contributing ideas instead.

Once Xu Jiali was pregnant, the Gao family would have the Qiao Family right where they wanted them. The very thought was deeply satisfying.

”I’m getting on in years. I don’t have the energy to deal with all this drama. You all handle it. I’m going to my room to rest.” As Grandma Gao moved to stand, Mr. Gao immediately rushed to support her.

After Grandma Gao returned to her room, the other branches of the family dispersed. Only Mrs. Gao remained, staying with Gao Qiang as he prepared to call Xu Jiali.

The fourth uncle and his wife had just reached the courtyard when they spotted Xu Jiali. They stared at each other in disbelief. ’Talk about perfect timing! Just when you’re getting sleepy, someone brings you a pillow.’

”Jiali!” his fourth uncle’s wife called out in surprise.

”Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt,” Xu Jiali greeted politely.

”Jiali, are you here to see Xiao Qiang?” her fourth uncle asked with a smile.

”Mhm.” Xu Jiali nodded. ”Is Gao Qiang home?”

”He is. Xiao Qiang’s been so worried and stressed about you two getting married that he’s lost his appetite. He’s practically on the verge of depression,” his fourth uncle’s wife said dramatically.

”Is Gao Qiang okay?” Worry was written all over Xu Jiali’s face.

”Don’t worry, we’ve all been counseling him. We’re all trying to figure out how to scrape the money together for the bride price.” His fourth uncle’s wife turned and shouted toward the door, ”Eldest Sister-in-law! Xiao Qiang! Jiali’s here!”

Gao Qiang had just picked up the phone, not yet having dialed, when he heard his fourth aunt’s voice. Both he and his mother froze. Mrs. Gao snatched the phone from his hand and urged, ”Go on, quick! Take her somewhere romantic, and make sure you seize this chance. Try your best to get her pregnant.”

Gao Qiang took a deep breath, composed himself, and walked outside.

”Jiali,” Gao Qiang called out.

Between the two of them, Xu Jiali looked even more haggard than Gao Qiang.

”Gao Qiang!” Xu Jiali threw herself into his arms. Her fourth uncle and his wife exchanged a knowing smile and discreetly took their leave. ”I missed you.”

”Jiali, I’m so sorry. I’m useless. I can’t come up with that much for the bride price...”

Xu Jiali raised a hand and pressed her fingers to his lips, shushing him. ”Don’t worry about the bride price. I’ll take care of it.”

Gao Qiang gently pulled her hand away from his lips and held it tight. ”How are you going to take care of it?” he asked, surprised.

”You don’t have to worry about that. Just leave the bride price to me,” Xu Jiali said with a sweet smile.

”Did you persuade him?” Gao Qiang asked.

Xu Jiali shook her head, pouting. ”No.”

”Then...” A thought seemed to strike Gao Qiang as he looked at her. ”That’s one million. Can you come up with one million?”

’Neither of them was in the habit of saving money; they just spent whatever their families gave them. He didn’t get much of an allowance, but she got a lot. After they started dating, the quality of his lifestyle had shot up. Xu Jiali was incredibly generous with him—no matter how expensive something was, if he wanted it, she’d buy it for him.’

”I can’t,” Xu Jiali said after a pause. ”But I can borrow it.”

”Who would lend you a million?” Gao Qiang knew that if Xu Jiali wanted to borrow money, she could definitely find a lender. It was just that a million was such a huge amount.

”I’ll borrow it from Xiao Mei,” Xu Jiali said proudly. ’Being able to borrow money is a skill, too. And she had made a huge sacrifice for it, going on a hunger strike for a whole day and night until her stomach condition flared up.’