Chapter 638 A Formal Engagement

It was clearly just a simple matter of a boy and girl dating, yet the An and Jiang families were treating it with the utmost gravity.

It was almost like an engagement between two perfectly matched families in ancient times.

For three days, An Ning and Jiang Xia hadn’t seen each other.

「Three days later.」

An Ning’s tight ringlets had transformed into something resembling over-soaked instant ramen. She had managed to wrestle her hair into a tie at the back of her head, leaving only a few slightly curled bangs.

Yin Xuemei, who had rushed back from Beijing, was combing An Ning’s hair, her large, pregnant belly prominent.

"How is it?"

An Ning, who had kept her eyes squeezed shut, cracked them open just a sliver. She stole a glance out of the corner of her eye, and a second later, they flew wide open.

"Second Sister-in-law, you’re amazing! You’ve turned trash into treasure."

Yin Xuemei set down the wooden comb, opened a jewelry box on the table, and continued to fuss over An Ning.

"Listen to you. Who talks about themselves like that?"

"Was it me? You were the one who laughed at me when you got back. You even wanted to call me ’aunty.’"

An Ning’s words made Yin Xuemei burst out laughing.

"Well, I really couldn’t help it."

Yin Xuemei tied a red beaded string at the back of An Ning’s head, the vibrant color looking quite beautiful.

A pair of small, delicate pink pearl earrings followed—not showy, not dazzling, but utterly exquisite.

"Put this color on. It’ll definitely look good."

Yin Xuemei handed a tinted lip balm to An Ning. After applying it, An Ning looked at her reflection and said with some regret, "You really have to leave professional work to the professionals. The day I confessed to Jiang Xia, this was probably the effect I was going for. I just ended up with a new title: ’aunty.’"

"PFFT—"

Yin Xuemei truly couldn’t hold back her laughter. Once An Ning finished with her lips, she pulled her up to change clothes.

"Hurry and change. Go knock Jiang Xia off his feet today."

"You haven’t seen Jiang Xia yet, have you?"

An Ning shot back. Yin Xuemei shook her head.

"Let me tell you... Jiang Xia’s hairstyle was a crime!"

The two of them bustled about in the room for a good while until Hei Dan’er came knocking.

"Come in, Hei Dan’er."

Hei Dan’er pushed the door open. When he saw An Ning in her light pink dress, he instinctively glanced behind him, his mouth moving faster than his brain. "Where’s my Grand-aunt An Ning?"

"You little brat!"

An Ning feigned raising her hand to hit him. Hei Dan’er reflexively covered his head and let out a yelp as he looked at her.

"Grand-aunt has gotten young again!"

Hei Dan’er fled, leaving An Ning and Yin Xuemei roaring with laughter.

「At nine in the morning, the Jiang family arrived.」

Jiang Xia had invited the most respected elder in the village, asked Grandma Wufu to be the matchmaker, and brought along several of the An family’s own elders and Village Chief Sun Dazhuang as witnesses, arriving at the An family home with gifts in tow.

Everyone from the An family who could make it back had naturally returned. Only An Guoping was away; since he had to work and it wasn’t a wedding, no one insisted he had to be there.

An Guoqing went out to greet the guests, with An Guoming accompanying him, guiding everyone into the courtyard and the house.

Inside, An Sancheng and Lin Cuihua sat in the seats of honor, with Uncle An and his wife seated beside them on the host’s side.

After everyone entered the house, they exchanged a round of pleasantries. Jiang Xia, despite being a main character, stood unobtrusively in the back.

Once everyone was seated, the conversation turned to the day’s main topic.

The gifts brought for the occasion were opened one by one.

First, following northern customs, were the four traditional items: cigarettes, liquor, candy, and tea. Each of the four was exquisitely prepared and of considerable value, including the candy.

The candy was handmade by Master Tang, and Jiang Xia had wrapped each piece himself in very creative packaging.

"To honor ancient tradition, Jiang Xia should have hunted a pair of wild geese. But those are hard to come by these days, so we’ve prepared a pair of white domestic geese instead. And here is our list of betrothal gifts."

Grandpa Jiang produced a quaint wooden box, which contained the betrothal gift list he had written by hand.

A house, a car, jewelry, rare medicinal herbs, and more were all detailed on the list.

"Everything on this list is a betrothal gift for An Ning. It will all be transferred into her name before the two of them get married. This is the Jiang family’s guarantee. If this brat Jiang Xia ever dares to wrong An Ning, she can take everything and leave, and I will personally beat the life out of this little punk myself."

Grandpa Jiang spoke with absolute resolution. An Sancheng accepted the box, deeply moved by how much they valued his daughter.

Marrying off a daughter was never a simple matter.

The An family lacked for nothing; all they wanted was to find someone for An Ning who would value her, cherish her, and, most importantly, love her.

After the two families completed the formal proceedings, the atmosphere lightened, and it was time to prepare for the meal.

It was at this moment that An Ning finally appeared.

Her face was as radiant as porcelain, framed by gently curled bangs. The rest of her wavy hair was tied back with a ribbon. She wore a pink dress, pearl earrings and a necklace, and a pair of simple, high-heeled sandals with chain-like straps.

An Ning looked just like an independent, fashionable woman from the 1980s who had just returned from studying abroad.

Jiang Xia was dumbstruck. He had, of course, seen An Ning in formal attire before, but it was nothing like this.

"An Ning is so pretty."

"Our Ning has always been a beauty."

"That’s true."

All the sisters-in-law and aunties in the room were showering An Ning with praise.

Most people would have been embarrassed, but not An Ning. She beamed at everyone, not the least bit shy.

More and more people filled the house. After the engagement ceremony ended, everyone dispersed, chatting in small groups, with some going to help prepare the meal.

An Ning and Jiang Xia finally found each other in the crowd, their eyes meeting.

"You’re beautiful."

"You’re handsome too."

Jiang Xia’s hair had been trimmed again, giving him a roguishly handsome look. However, his conservative attire today toned down much of that rakish charm.

The two stood in a corner, watching their families bustling about for them, and were overcome with emotion.

"Who would have thought we’d end up together?"

"Yeah, you definitely couldn’t have guessed it from our first meeting."

Jiang Xia recalled the past, saying, "Back then, I only had one feeling toward you: indignation! ’I was just thinking,’ he mused, ’how could I, Young Master Jiang, possibly lose to a girl!’"

An Ning also remembered the old days and stated frankly, "I just thought you all were really weak."

They looked at each other and smiled, marveling at the passage of time.

The An family’s courtyard was as lively as New Year’s. More than two hours later, the meal was finally served.

Uncle An, as the family representative, gave a brief speech, and then the feast began.

Jiang Xia and An Ning were finally seated together. From this day forward, they were officially engaged, their union certified by their families and bound by a marriage agreement.

After the meal, the An family began to see their guests off.

Once the guests had trickled away, Jiang Xia changed out of his suit and started to help with the cleanup.

That evening, Jiang Xia still hadn’t left, as An Sancheng was adamant about pulling him aside for drinks.

An Sancheng had abstained during the daytime banquet due to the number of guests. But now it was evening, and with no outsiders present, this round of drinks with his son-in-law was an absolute must.

And so, Jiang Xia found himself drinking alone against An Sancheng, An Guoqing, An Guoming, and An Guoping, who joined via video call.