Chapter 158: Dowry Jewelry with an Imposing Aura

Du Yunniang and Du Zhi talked for a long time. Meanwhile, Du Yun guarded the doorway, feeling rather bored, and could only pass the time by checking the items in her storage grid.

For her sister's wedding, Du Yun had prepared a peach-pink dress for herself, designed in a style similar to a modern dress. The half-sleeve design allowed her to wear it comfortably during the relatively hot summer days, and it was entirely crafted by her own hands.

Thinking of this, a deep sense of accomplishment welled up inside Du Yun. Since she had no time to work on it while on the Green Field Star, she had taken the project into the starship instead. By seizing a perfect moment in time, she finally managed to finish the dress right before her sister's grand wedding and the starship's arrival at Emperor Star.

Paired with the dress was a pair of mid-heeled cloth shoes made from the same fabric. Du Yun didn't know how to make shoes, so these had been crafted for her by Du Zhi, the bride-to-be, during whatever spare moments she could find.

After checking that the dress and shoes were in perfect order, Du Yun turned her attention to reviewing the dowry gifts she had prepared for Du Zhi.

Because Du Zhi had helped her make pastries, Du Yun had not only contributed a sum of money to their grandmother to help arrange Du Zhi's dowry, but she had also given a large portion of her own share directly into Du Yunniang's hands to be passed to Du Zhi. Although Du Zhi didn't have as much liquid cash on hand as Du Yun did, it was certainly not a small amount—at least eighty or a hundred yuan, enough to rival the entire savings of a comfortable, well-to-do household.

Knowing that Du Zhi already had some cash, Du Yun decided against adding more money to her dowry. After all, having too much hard cash easily attracted unwanted attention, and the constant stream of people coming over to borrow money could be quite a headache.

Du Yun had thought of a compromise: she bought Du Zhi some gold and silver jewelry instead—a pair of pure silver bracelets, a pair of gold earrings, and a pair of gold rings.

These pieces were substantial in weight. Buying them in the county town would have easily cost a hundred yuan or so. However, Du Yun hadn't bought them directly. Instead, she had flattened gold and silver collected from the zombie world and exchanged them at a silverware shop, spending very little extra money, which made it extremely cost-effective.

In Du Yun's mind, having these gold and silver ornaments around would serve as daily adornments for her sister, and if an emergency ever arose, they could be sold for cash. Even if they weren't needed right away, Du Zhi could pass them down to her children in the future. It was far more meaningful than simply giving cash.

As Du Yun organized her things and let her thoughts wander, drowsiness gradually crept over her. By the time her mother and sister finished talking, Du Yun was already too sleepy to keep her eyes open. Too tired to speak, she crawled onto the *kang* and fell fast asleep shortly afterward.

The next morning, Du Yun was awakened by the bustling noises outside. Opening her eyes, she saw her sister sitting by the window while a woman blessed with good fortune was washing her face and combing her hair.

"Sister," Du Yun was still wearing the blue floral cotton jacket from the day before, which wasn't too inappropriate, though a night's sleep had left it somewhat creased.

"Oh, you're awake? There are sweet steamed buns here; have a bite. You're going to be my bridesmaid today, and it's going to be tiring!" Du Zhi turned her head and said gently to Du Yun.

"Okay." With sleepy eyes, Du Yun looked at Du Zhi's somewhat blurred profile bathed in the morning light. The soft, faint down on her face had completely vanished, leaving her complexion fair, delicate, and tender like a freshly peeled egg. Suddenly, she realized that her sister had grown up in an instant.

The thought that her sister was about to get married stirred a peculiar mix of emotions in Du Yun's heart—there was the joy of happiness for her sister, the apprehension of an unknown future, but above all, the lingering hesitation and bittersweet sorrow of impending separation from her sister.

After Du Yun washed up and wolfed down a steamed bun, Du Zhi's hair was fully combed and her clothes were changed.

The two long braids that Du Zhi usually wore had been styled by the fortune-bringing woman into a mirror-bright hair bun, adorned with a red flower made of silk, which made Du Zhi look even more delicate and radiant than the flower itself. On her ears, Du Zhi wore the pair of silver clove earrings that Du Song had brought back for her long ago. Because they had no money back then, the studs were pitifully small, yet they were the only pieces of jewelry Du Zhi owned that could be considered valuable.

"The bride's clothes look so nice, and the wedding banquet outside is well-prepared, so why is she wearing such shabby jewelry?" Just as Du Yun was feeling sentimental, she suddenly heard someone outside making this remark.

"Probably spent all their money just to keep up appearances, and can't even afford a proper dowry anymore." Another person spat something onto the ground with a "pfft" and twisted one corner of her mouth in a sneer.

Following the sound, Du Yun looked out and saw two middle-aged women holding handfuls of roasted melon seeds, lingering near a table to wait for the banquet to start while gossiping. The Du family's house had a very low foundation and shallow eaves, so from where the women sat, they could see Du Zhi's situation clearly.

"Sister, the auspicious hour is almost here. Let's put on the jewelry too!" Although Du Yun disliked listening to the idle chatter of village gossips, today was her sister's great wedding day, and upholding appearances was paramount. It didn't matter so much if she hadn't been here earlier, but now that she was present, it was naturally best to have the dowry jewelry put on her sister right away.

"Hmm?" Du Zhi knew nothing about any jewelry. Hearing Du Yun speak, she turned her head in bewilderment. The moment she turned around, she caught sight of the gold and silver ornaments resting on the red velvet cloth package that Du Yun had just drawn from her bodice, and her eyes widened in instant astonishment.

"Sister, this is your dowry jewelry. Since we're wearing such a beautiful dress, it naturally has to be matched with pretty ornaments, don't you think?" Du Yun smiled as she pulled her sister's hand, putting on the rings and bracelets one by one. Then, she helped her sister take off the silver clove earrings, put them away safely, and fastened the golden peony earrings in their place.

"The bride is truly blessed!" The fortune-bringing woman was deeply startled upon seeing so much gold and silver jewelry. With so many ornaments, leave aside a family like the Du household, even the wealthy families in town might not be able to produce them!

"My goodness, pinch me. Am I seeing things? The old Du family really has some tricks up their sleeve!" The women who had been gossiping outside burst into an uproar upon seeing Du Zhi's jewelry. Some were filled with envy and jealousy, while others muttered complaints about their own husbands being useless. No matter what they said, the Du family was definitely stealing the spotlight today.

"Sister, you are so beautiful!" Looking at Du Zhi's charming appearance, Du Yun offered a sincere compliment. No wonder people said a woman is at her most beautiful on her wedding day; aside from the gorgeous jewelry and dress, just looking at the almost-overflowing glow of happiness on Du Zhi's face made Du Yun feel that her sister was absolute perfection.

"You rascal!" Du Zhi looked down at the heavy rings and bracelets on her hands, feeling a sharp stinging sensation in her nose. She was not a fool; she naturally knew that whoever could produce this much money and pull off such a grand gesture could not possibly be their grandmother or mother, but rather this younger sister she had watched grow up.

"Xiaoyun, thank you!" Du Zhi's voice trembled slightly. Looking at the bright smile on Du Yun's pretty little face, a sudden wave of reluctance to part surged into her heart.

Du Zhi reached out and grabbed Du Yun's hand, tears slowly gathering in her eyes. Looking around the tiny room—the home where she had grown up for over twenty years—and gazing at the younger siblings she had raised with her own hands, Du Zhi's heart was filled with poignant sorrow at leaving.

From today onwards, she would be leaving. With a long road ahead of her, what would her future be like? Du Zhi's heart felt bitter, lost, yet laced with anticipation for tomorrow. Not knowing how to put her current feelings into words, she could only squeeze Du Yun's hand even tighter to draw some courage.

So, just like that, she was getting married.