The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 577 - 548 Buying, Tension, Friendship_1

Chapter 577: Chapter 548 Buying, Tension, Friendship_1

He Tiantian’s kindness, he gratefully accepted.

"No need, Tiantian, I can handle it myself. I now feel that my cultivation is progressing extremely fast, and I estimate that I’ll undergo my Tribulation today, on the second day of the second lunar month, when the dragon raises its head. Thank you for your concern, but I need to cultivate now," the Snake King said softly, suppressing the bitterness in his heart.

He didn’t want to see He Tiantian or Huo Yingjie; he wanted to be alone.

"That’s really great, Snake King, you can do it, I believe in you," He Tiantian said. "Then I’ll be leaving now, so as not to disturb your cultivation."

"Goodbye!" the Snake King nodded, his large eyes watching He Tiantian as though he wanted to memorize her face in his mind.

Seeing that the Little Spirit Snake was sensible, Lord Yingjie did not hold grudges against the trivial matters and did not make it difficult for him.

He Tiantian felt relieved as she followed Huo Yingjie away from the cave dwelling in the back mountain.

Huo Yingjie casually set up a barrier, and within it, he added another layer of the Spirit Gathering Array to aid the Snake King’s cultivation. Only the outermost layer was the barrier that isolated the outside world.

In Huashan, Cui Ying had just lain down when she felt it again.

But by the time they got to the cave, they found nothing once more.

Huo Yingjie sneered. With just this little ability, they still want to track me?

What a joke!

He Tiantian returned from the back mountain, feeling very relaxed.

On the second day of the New Year, the bride returns to her parental home.

Qi Xiaoyan came home from Taoyuan County early in the morning. Hearing that He Tiantian was getting married, she couldn’t wait to come over to congratulate her before the cool air of morning had even dissipated.

"My goodness, you’re quick in action!" Qi Xiaoyan said. "Have you prepared everything?"

"I have no choice but to be quick! You’re younger than me, and aren’t you already married?" He Tiantian said cheerfully. "When does the supply and marketing cooperative in the county open? I want to go shopping!"

"On the sixth day of the New Year!" Qi Xiaoyan said. "Which day is your wedding planned for?"

"The eighth day of the New Year!" He Tiantian said. "The time is a bit tight, so I’ll need you to work a bit harder."

"Don’t worry, just make a list of everything you need, write it all down, and then we’ll split up into groups to buy everything. It can all be solved in one day," Qi Xiaoyan said, as if it was no big deal.

Seeing Qi Xiaoyan speak so casually, He Tiantian felt slightly reassured and said, "You have experience with weddings, I’m counting on you."

"Sure thing!" Qi Xiaoyan said. "Come on, let’s figure out right now what we need to buy?"

They didn’t need to buy large items, because they couldn’t be taken away and would be useless. There was no need to buy clothes either, as He Tiantian had several boxes of new clothes. During the wedding, she couldn’t wear her prettiest ones; instead, she had to choose the most plain color to wear.

She really hoped these few years would pass quickly so that He Tiantian could wear all sorts of beautiful clothes.

In her past life, she had made a mess of her life; this time, she was determined to dedicate herself to creating her current happy and fortunate days.

She wanted the people around her to be happy, and she herself to have a splendid life.

With Qi Xiaoyan joining in, Qi Daniu helping out, as well as Zhao Dajiao and Liang Hongyu, the preparations for He Tiantian’s wedding were well organized and underway.

After the sixth day of the New Year, Niu Lili directly took He Tiantian to the supply and marketing cooperative where new varieties of items had just arrived. Each person in their group was given a shopping list, and they purchased goods by dividing the tasks according to area and category.

By noon, they had made their selections and prepared the slips of paper.

He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie went to make the payment.

They had lunch at the place where Niu Lili worked, carrying four bags of items with them.

This time they had bought thirty pounds of candy, several pounds of glutinous rice snack bars, along with some cigarettes and so forth.

He Jingyu and Wang Shuping drew on their salaries, various allowances, and food stamps, which they had saved up for over half a year, as well as the ration tickets they had managed to get from Qi Xiaoyan, Niu Lili, and contributed significantly by Huo Yingjie, to procure all these goods.

He Tiantian was not short of money, but in that era of complete planned economy, having money didn’t mean one could buy everything; one needed ration tickets.

There might be some available on the black market that required only money and no tickets, but the prices were several times higher than normal.

The high prices were not the biggest issue, but such transactions were not allowed; getting caught after a report would lead to trouble.

Although in Taoyuan County their prestige was relatively high, they had to be cautious as there were always petty people who might cause trouble.

Fortunately, everything was prepared.

Fatty Qi, a cook well-known for managing village feasts in Qijia Village, was invited, and he began preparing various items a day in advance. Familiar young women and girls from the village, along with Sister Wu and Ye Xiaofan, all came to help pick vegetables while Secretary Qi coordinated the work.

Despite the large number of people, everything was organized and systematic.

Pregnant Wang Shuping and the elderly Third Grandma Qi only needed to sit by smilingly, watching everyone busy at work.

Jiang Lifang helped to entertain the villagers who came to the house to offer their congratulations.

After a day of preparation on the seventh, they just waited for the next day.

In the evening, He Tiantian, as the bride-to-be, could only stay in her room.

Qi Xiaoyan found a moment to slip into the room and, upon seeing He Tiantian, who looked somewhat restless, said with a grin, "Are you very nervous?"

He Tiantian was about to nod but then remembered teasing Qi Xiaoyan for being needlessly nervous during her wedding.

It was her turn now, and He Tiantian realized that, no matter how familiar or in love a couple might be, both would feel nervous when it came to marriage.

"I am quite nervous," He Tiantian nodded, "I made fun of you that time, and now it is my turn. You can make fun of me now."

Qi Xiaoyan raised her eyebrows playfully and said, "Seeing as you admit your fault with such a good attitude, I won’t tease you. Sister Tiantian, I wish you a happy marriage. This is a pair of mandarin duck pillowcases I prepared for you. Although they are nothing fancy, they are still a token of my feelings."

"Thank you, I accept your kind thoughts," said He Tiantian with both gratitude and a tinge of melancholy, "In the blink of an eye, we’ve all grown up, married, and starting our own families. In the future, we’ll have children and our own busy lives."

"Even though that will be the case, our sisterhood will not fade with time and distance," Qi Xiaoyan promised. "No matter what, I will come and bother you whenever I can."

Qi Xiaoyan put on a cheeky expression.

He Tiantian laughed and said, "Fine by me. If you’re not clinging to me, I’ll cling to you."

"That’s the deal then, we are still good sisters," said Qi Xiaoyan. "In the future, even though we will have our husbands and children, we will always have a place for each other in our hearts, okay?"

"Okay!" He Tiantian nodded. This was the very essence of sisterhood.

Unlike the inseverable bond of kinship or the fiery intensity of romance, the bond between ’sisters’ nestled in the softest part of one’s heart, transcending ordinary friendship. It was like a well-aged brew that, over time, only grew smoother and more fragrant.