My Dongguan Love Story

I choked on the alcohol and coughed repeatedly, tears welling in my eyes. After coughing for a while, I finally calmed down and murmured to Tang Yan's father, "Get...get married?"

Her father nodded matter-of-factly: "Yes, Tang Yan is not young anymore, and she's reached marriageable age. Girls her age in the village already have children who are old enough to run errands. Your aunt and I are very open-minded; we don't object to you two being together, and we're quite satisfied with you. We think it's time to get married after you've had enough time to talk."

Her mother chimed in, "That's right, you're not getting any younger, you should get married and have kids sooner rather than later."

Tang Yan blushed as her parents scolded her, and said in a coquettish tone, "Oh dear, Dad, Mom, you're both in such a hurry."

Although Tang Yan said that, she was secretly delighted. Her parents not only agreed to our relationship, but also hoped that we could get married as soon as possible.

To be honest, I'm not willing to marry Tang Yan right now. After all, we've only known each other for about ten days, which is far too short. Normally, we should spend several months getting to know each other and make sure we're compatible before settling on marriage.

Moreover, I've gotten into this mess with Lin Huimin, and there's also Sister Zhao. I still don't understand what's going on.

Seeing that I didn't speak, Tang Yan's father smiled and said, "Dazhuang, it's normal for you and Yan'er to have concerns since you haven't been dating for very long. But feelings can be cultivated after marriage. Look at me, your aunt and I got married after only a few meetings, and we're very loving after marriage, aren't we?"

"You don't need to worry about the bride price when you get married. We don't want any bride price from you, and we will even give Yan'er a dowry of 50,000 yuan and a house in town. Don't worry, as long as you treat Tang Yan well, we will definitely provide financial support if you want to start a business after marriage."

After saying this, Tang Yan's father looked at me expectantly. He felt he had shown enough sincerity, not only refusing a bride price but also providing a dowry. This was unprecedented in their town.

With this financial support, Tang Yan's relationship and life will be better after she marries him.

I was touched by what Tang Yan's father said; I hadn't expected him to give such a large dowry. The house in town, while not as valuable as those in Dongguan, was still worth at least 100,000 yuan.

With the addition of 50,000 yuan in cash, Tang Yan's dowry can be described as very generous.

But this isn't about money; I'm still a bit confused about my own situation. Besides, Tang Yan's personality is too impulsive; we need to spend more time together to see if we're compatible.

But Tang Yan's father had already put it this way, and if I directly refused, how could Tang Yan's parents save face? I could only say tactfully:

"Thank you for your trust, Uncle and Aunt. I want to prepare as thoroughly as possible to give Yan'er a better life. As for the wedding, I'll have to discuss it with my parents when I have time!"

Hearing what I said, Tang Yan's father nodded and said seriously, "Okay, talk to your parents about it later. Speaking of which, I think he and your Yan'er are quite suitable. Our two families are both in Sichuan, although not in the same town, but only about ten kilometers apart, so it's convenient for us to travel back and forth."

Tang Yan listened to our words, her face filled with a happy smile, her eyes looking at me affectionately, her mind filled with fantasies of a happy and fulfilling future.

Seeing Tang Yan's expectant eyes, I felt ashamed and lowered my head to prepare the rice. Just then, my phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and saw the contact name was Lin Huimin. Startled, I glanced up at Tang Yan and her parents. Seeing they weren't paying attention, I quietly hung up. At that moment, I dared not answer Lin Huimin's call.

Tang Yan looked at me with some confusion when I hung up the phone: "Dazhuang, who was that? Why didn't you answer?"

I glanced at her guiltily and laughed awkwardly, "It's an unknown number, don't bother with it, it's probably a scam call."

"Oh." Tang Yan didn't think much of it.

These days, scam calls are rampant; receiving a dozen or so a day is normal. Besides, she's currently enjoying our sweet time together, and nothing else can capture her attention.

Just then, my phone rang with a text message notification. I glanced anxiously at Tang Yan and saw her chatting with her parents, her head tilted to the side. So I quietly picked up my phone.

Thinking about how I just hung up on Lin Huimin, I guess it was a text message from her?

I opened my phone and saw that the text message was indeed from Lin Huimin. While Tang Yan wasn't paying attention, I opened the message and took a look.

"Dazhuang, why aren't you answering the phone?"

"I miss you so much. When are you coming to see me? I miss you, kisses."

As I looked at Lin Huimin's text message, a smile involuntarily crept onto my face. I typed, "I have something to do, I'll contact you later."

"Okay!" Lin Huimin said, sounding a little aggrieved.

After a brief chat with Lin Huimin, I put my phone back in my pocket. I felt a gaze on my left. I looked up and saw Lin Guilian looking at me meaningfully.

My heart skipped a beat.

Lin Guilian is sitting to my left. I hope she didn't see my conversation with Lin Huimin just now.

Lin Guilian looked at my stunned expression, a slight smile playing on her lips, her eyes holding an enigmatic glint.

Judging from her appearance, I guessed that she had seen the text message conversation I had just had with Lin Huimin.

My heart was pounding with fear.

Oh no! I was so focused on avoiding Tang Yan that I forgot Lin Guilian was sitting on my left.

For a moment, I didn't know what to do. I was really afraid that Lin Guilian would say it directly at the dinner table and have Tang Yan check my phone as evidence.

I can't even imagine what would happen if the text message were exposed on the spot.

During our conversation earlier, I roughly understood the relationship between Lin Guilian and Tang Yan. They grew up playing together in the same town. Her parents also knew Tang Yan's parents.

Tang Yan's parents came to Dongguan this time, and Lin Guilian happened to want to come to Dongguan to work, so she came with them.

I don't know if Lin Guilian and Tang Yan have a good relationship, but they grew up together after all. It's better than their relationship with me.

If she sees my text message now, she will most likely tell Tang Yan directly.

Normally, being exposed wouldn't be a big deal. But Tang Yan's parents are still alive.

Looking at Lin Guilian's meaningful smile, I felt a cold sweat break out on my back, soaking my clothes.

Tang Yan had one arm around me. Seeing the sweat on my back, she looked at me with some confusion and asked, "Dazhuang, why are you sweating so much? Are you hot?"

Logically, with the air conditioning on, she should feel quite cool, but I didn't expect to be so hot.

I smiled bitterly to myself. It wasn't that I was sweating from the heat; I was just terrified by Lin Guilian.

Just as she feared, Lin Guilian suddenly said to Tang Yan, "Tang Yan..."