Everyone's been reborn, so who would bother finding a wife on their own?

Chapter 255 Because I Like It

Song Huan sat on the bed, a pile of money spread out in front of her.

Red, green, purple, hundred-yuan, ten-yuan, five-yuan bills, and a few coins rolled into the seams of the bed sheet.

He smoothed out each bill, stacked them together, and counted them.

I counted them again.

Six thousand three hundred and twelve and fifty cents.

He scratched his head; he was still far from having enough money to buy a gold bracelet.

Li Yang leaned down from the upper bunk and couldn't help but look at the bruises on his face.

"You're injured like this, and you're still counting money?"

Zhang Li sat down in the chair, threw the sunflower seed shells into the trash can, and asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Wang Gang leaned against the headboard, pushed up his glasses, and said, "Exactly, even if you're short of money, you shouldn't go and get beaten up."

Song Huan stacked the money neatly, tied it with a rubber band, and stuffed it under her pillow.

He looked at the three people staring at him and remained silent for a while.

I want to buy her a gold bracelet.

The dormitory was silent for a second.

Li Yang's voice rose eight octaves, "Are you crazy? You got beaten up like that just to buy a gold bracelet?"

Zhang Li shook his head, "Look at your outfit, it doesn't even add up to two hundred yuan. You're going to buy her a gold bracelet worth over ten thousand yuan?"

Wang Gang didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes behind his glasses was all about "You're out of your mind."

Song Huan lowered her head and remained silent.

He knew they were right.

But he just wanted to buy it.

Li Yang sighed as he looked at him.

He jumped down from the top bunk, pulled an envelope from under his pillow, took out a few bills, counted them, and placed them in front of him.

"I'll be careful with my living expenses this month."

Zhang Li also stood up, took out a few sheets from the drawer, and stacked them on top.

"It's on me."

Wang Gang got out of bed, took all the money out of his pocket, which was crumpled, and smoothed it out one by one. "That's all."

A little over a thousand yuan.

It was pieced together from various sources.

Looking at the money, Song Huan felt a lump in her throat.

"I do not want."

Li Yang glared at him. "Here you go. Remember to take a picture and show the brothers what that girl looks like that's got you so hooked. If she's ugly, you're finished!"

Song Huan quickly said, "No, no, she's very beautiful."

He held the pile of money, his eyes reddening.

Li Yang waved his hand, "Alright, alright, stop getting sentimental."

The three of them climbed back into their beds, and the fan whirred and whirred.

Song Huan put the money away, sat on the edge of the bed, and counted it again.

not enough.

He thought for a moment, picked up his phone, and left the dormitory.

At the end of the corridor, the window was open, and a cool breeze blew in.

He dialed the number that annoyed him whenever he saw it.

The phone rang a few times, then I answered it.

"Huanhuan?" Zhang Xuejuan's voice came through the microphone, surprised and a little chatty.

"Why haven't you called home in so long? Mom misses you so much. Are you eating and sleeping well at school? I saw the weather forecast says it's been quite cold in Nanjiang these past few days, so remember to wear more clothes and don't catch a cold..."

Song Huan listened and suddenly felt very annoyed.

That annoyance wasn't directed at her; it was the kind of feeling that gets annoyed just by hearing her voice.

It was as if that invisible pressure from decades ago had surged up again, making him feel suffocated.

He interrupted her, "Mom, I'm sick. Could you transfer me two thousand yuan?"

He can't lie; he stammered as he said that.

But Zhang Xuejuan didn't notice; her voice suddenly changed, becoming shrill and urgent.

"Are you sick? What's wrong? Are you alright? Have you seen a doctor?"

"I'm in the hospital right now," he said impatiently. "Transfer the money to me quickly."

"Okay, okay, I'll call your dad right now and ask him to transfer the money to you. Take good care of yourself, don't skimp on food or clothes..."

He couldn't listen anymore and hung up the phone.

The phone screen went dark, revealing his own face.

He leaned against the wall, looking at the end of the corridor.

A cool breeze was blowing in through the window.

My phone vibrated; it was a text message.

Three thousand five hundred yuan has been deposited into my bank account.

We're rich!

A smile spread across his face.

That evening, he deposited all his money into his card and went to a nearby jewelry store.

The lights in the jewelry store were very bright, making the jewelry sparkle.

The glass case was filled with necklaces, rings, and bracelets—gold, platinum, and diamond-encrusted—row after row.

Several female employees stood behind the counter, wearing matching uniforms, their hair neatly styled.

They glanced at the young man who walked in through the door.

He was wearing a faded T-shirt and wrinkled pants.

The group exchanged glances, but no one moved.

A female employee gestured with her chin toward the counter, "Take a look for yourself first."

Song Huan circled around the counter for a long time.

He stopped in front of a gold bracelet, bright yellow, with beautiful patterns engraved on it.

He thought Lin Yue would like it.

He looked up and glanced at the female employee.

She was chatting with her colleague next to her and didn't look at him.

He had no choice but to wait a while longer until she finished talking before speaking, "Hello, could you please show me this?"

The female employee walked over, glanced at him, and said in a nonchalant tone, "This costs twelve thousand."

Song Huan said softly, "Isn't it too expensive? I..."

The female employee had already turned and left. "If you don't have money, go to the silver shop next door. This place sells gold. What are you doing here if you don't have money?"

Song Huan stood there, her mouth opened slightly, but she didn't say anything.

He glanced at the gold bracelet, then at his reflection in the glass case, lowered his head, and turned to leave.

Behind me came the teasing voices of female employees and colleagues. The voices were not loud, but every word was clear.

"Dressed like that, you still come to look at gold bracelets."

"Exactly, the silver shop next door isn't expensive."

"He probably bought it for his girlfriend, what a cheapskate move."

Song Huan paused for a moment, then walked away without turning back.

After leaving the jewelry store, he stood at the door, watching the people coming and going on the street.

The streetlights were on, shining on him.

He stood there for quite a while.

Song Huan went back to her dormitory, and twenty minutes later...

He pushed open the door of the gold shop again.

Several female employees were stunned when they saw him.

He carried a wooden box, walked to the counter, placed the box on the glass case, and opened it.

Inside lay a silver bracelet, silvery-white, with fine patterns engraved on it, reflecting the light.

He looked up at the female employee and asked, "Is this silver jewelry valuable? I want to pawn it."

The female employee glanced at it, a slight smirk playing on her lips, and was about to say something.

A hand reached out from the side and picked up the silver bracelet.

A man in his fifties stood behind the counter, wearing a dark suit and with his hair neatly combed.

Several female employees quickly stood up straight, "Boss."

The man ignored them and examined the silver bracelet from all angles.

"This is worth over two thousand. The craftsmanship is excellent, and it's quite old; it's clearly a family heirloom."

He looked up at Song Huan, "Are you sure you want to sell?"

Song Huan looked at the silver bracelet, which shone brighter than anything else in the moonlight.

Grandma said, "This is for your future daughter-in-law."

He gritted his teeth.

"Sell."

He gave away all his savings.

The money in the bank card, the loose change under the pillow, and that silver bracelet.

He received a gold bracelet in return, bright yellow, which was placed in a red velvet box and tied with a ribbon.

He left the jewelry store carrying the box; it was already dark by then.

The streetlights were on, casting a dim yellow light on the road.

He started running, running across the street, across the overpass, and through the alley.

Lin Yue opened the door and saw him standing there, panting, holding a red box in his hands.

She was taken aback for a moment. "What brings you here?"

He held up the box, panting, "Here you go, the gold bracelet."

Lin Yue was stunned.

She opened the box, and inside lay a bright yellow gold bracelet, engraved with flowers; it was very beautiful.

She looked up at him. "Where did you get the money?"

He stammered, "It's... something I saved up."

Lin Yue's gaze swept across his face and then stopped.

His face was covered in bruises, his cheekbones were swollen, and his mouth was cut.

Her face darkened. "What happened to the injury on your face?"

He lowered his head. "No...it's nothing."

She reached out and pinched his chin, lifting his face to stare at the wounds.

"explain."

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

She stared at him. "You're not going to tell me, are you? Then I'm leaving now."

She turned to close the door.

He quickly grabbed her sleeve.

"I said."

Lin Yue pulled him to the sofa.

Song Huan sat down, lowered her head, and spoke little by little.

She works three jobs a day: a bubble tea shop, a restaurant, and a convenience store.

As for the injuries on his body, they were from being beaten up in the square while wearing a mascot costume. One punch cost five yuan, and twenty punches cost one hundred yuan.

I didn't have enough money at the jewelry store, and the staff laughed at me.

In the end, I pawned the silver bracelet that my grandmother had given me.

He didn't dare look up at her, afraid she would scold him.

She didn't scold him.

He waited a while, but still didn't yell.

He looked up and saw her crying.

Tears welled up in my eyes and pattered onto the back of my hand.

She didn't wipe it, she just stared at him.

He panicked, "You...you don't cry. I'm okay. Really..."

She wiped away her tears fiercely, stood up, and pulled him outside.

"Where to?"

"Go to the jewelry store."

Her hands were cold, and she held his wrist tightly.

He followed her, staggering along.

She walked ahead, her steps quick, her high heels clicking on the stone pavement with a hurried pace.

She didn't turn around, and he didn't dare to say anything.

The jewelry store was still lit up.

The female employee was still there; she paused for a moment when she saw them come in.

Lin Yue walked to the counter and slapped her hand on the glass cabinet.

"Bring me the silver bracelet he left here."

She took a wad of cash out of her bag, counted it, and placed it on the counter.

The female employee recognized Song Huan, her lips moved slightly, but she didn't say anything.

She turned and went to the back, and after a short while, she took out the silver bracelet.

Lin Yue took the silver bracelet, put it in Song Huan's hand, and turned to leave.

Song Huan followed behind, holding a gold bracelet in her arms and a silver bracelet in her hand.

The two walked down the street, one after the other, illuminated by the streetlights.

She walked ahead, her pace still so brisk.

He followed behind, not daring to speak.

She took a few steps, then suddenly stopped.

He almost bumped into her.

She turned around and looked at him, her eyes red and her nose red as well.

She held out her hand. "Give me the gold bracelet."

He quickly handed the box over.

She opened it, took out the gold bracelet, put it on her wrist, and turned it around.

Her skin was a beautiful golden yellow, which made her look lovely against her fair complexion.

She stared at the gold bracelet for several seconds without saying a word.

He looked at her and finally couldn't help but ask, "Where's your gold bracelet?"

She looked up. "Sold."

"Sold? Why?"

"Because I don't like it."

"Oh." He thought for a moment, then asked, "What about mine?"

She looked at him.

"Never sell, never."

She lowered her head, running her fingers over the bracelet. "Because I like it."