Chapter 383: The Marriage Certificate!

Soon, Jiang Shiying emerged from the inner room, carrying an antique wooden chest.

The chest was a deep purple color and not very large, measuring only about a foot on each side.

However, Li Yi could tell at a glance that it was a sandalwood box.

And if he wasn’t mistaken, the wood used for this box was likely the most expensive variety of sandalwood—the famous small-leaf rosewood.

Instantly, he felt a tinge of curiosity about what was inside the chest.

Sandalwood is no cheap commodity; to put it simply, a small box made of this kind of rosewood would cost at least several thousand yuan these days.

And if such a precious sandalwood box was used as a container, the contents inside must certainly be of great value.

Jiang Shiying placed the box on the coffee table in front of them, then pushed it toward his wife, Ye Lingyun.

Then, in front of Li Yi and Tang Xue, Ye Lingyun opened the wooden box.

The moment the box opened, Li Yi and Tang Xue were stunned.

Inside, the box was a dazzling display of jewels and treasures—not only various gold and silver jewelry, but also numerous pearls and jade artifacts.

Wow, even someone like Li Yi, who was used to seeing grand spectacles, was awestruck by the jewelry and treasures in the box.

Even at today’s prices, this box of jewelry was worth at least 100,000 yuan.

Most importantly, there were no shops selling jewelry in those days—especially gold and silver pieces, which were practically impossible to find on the market.

Back when Li Yi had just been reborn, he didn’t have a single penny to his name and desperately needed money to marry Tang Xue.

He knew there was a general’s tomb on the back mountain containing several chests of gold, silver, and jewels.

If he had dug it up, he would certainly have gotten his hands on those treasures.

But in the end, he didn’t set his sights on that general’s tomb. Aside from the fact that he didn’t want to make money through illegal means,

more importantly, even if he did dig up the general’s tomb and get his hands on that gold and silver, it wouldn’t be easy to turn it into cash.

One misstep, and he could easily end up in serious trouble!

So since he’d been reborn into this life, he hadn’t actually seen any hard currency like gold or silver!

Yet, to his surprise, his father-in-law actually had nearly a whole trunk full of it.

Ye Lingyun took out the jewelry piece by piece from the box, filling half the coffee table.

Then, as she helped Tang Xue try them on, she said, “Xue’er, take a look and see which styles you like.”

“Mom, what are you doing?”

“I’m picking out some jewelry for you. A young lady can’t go through life without any jewelry!”

Hearing this, Li Yi immediately felt as though he were being indirectly criticized.

But there was nothing he could do about it. He had the money, but he didn’t know where to buy jewelry.

These days, most jewelry was either passed down from previous generations or obtained by sourcing gold and silver and having it custom-made.

For instance, his mother had a silver ring that Li Yi’s grandmother had had made by melting down a silver dollar.

That was precisely why, even after being married for so long, Li Yi hadn’t bought Tang Xue any jewelry.

Tang Xue was also taken aback by her mother’s extravagant gesture and immediately said, “Mom… this… this is too expensive!”

“Silly girl, I’m your mother—why are you being so formal with me?”

Then Ye Lingyun continued, “Some of these pieces of jewelry were left by your grandmother, and some were part of the dowry your maternal grandmother gave me. Although some of them look a bit old-fashioned, others are actually quite suitable for someone your age!”

“Mom, I’ve never worn jewelry before, so I don’t really know much about it!” Tang Xue said.

“It’s okay. You’ll get used to it in time…”

While the mother and daughter were busy picking out jewelry, Jiang Shiying and Li Yi started talking about the house.

“I heard from Long Cheng that you bought two courtyard houses?”

Li Yi immediately nodded and said, “Yeah, I did. They’re former employee housing units from the Beijing Steel Plant—not too far from here!”

“You’re such a stubborn one. Don’t the houses we already have at home provide enough living space for the two of you? Or are you worried that once you move into the old family home, you’ll end up being treated like a son-in-law living in his wife’s family’s house?” Jiang Shiying glared at Li Yi as she spoke.

“I’m not worried about that. The main reason I insisted on buying a place is to give Xiaoxue a place to call home in Beijing!”

Li Yi continued, “Actually, even if Xiaoxue hadn’t been recognized as family, I still planned to buy a place in Beijing. After all, I intend for Xiaoxue to attend university there!”

Hearing this, Ye Lingyun, who was standing nearby, suddenly asked, “How much did it cost?”

“Two courtyards—one large, one small—for a total of thirty-five thousand yuan!”

“That’s so expensive! That much money would be enough to buy an apartment in the city center. Why did you decide to buy old courtyard houses?” Ye Lingyun asked in confusion.

She believed that given Li Yi’s shrewd nature, he wouldn’t have failed to see the logic in this—there must be more to the story.

“Mom, buying these old courtyards isn’t just because Xiao Xue and I are used to living in single-story houses—it’s also an investment!” Li Yi explained.

“An investment?”

“Right. With more and more people flocking to Beijing, the current housing supply is far from enough to meet the public’s needs. Demolition and redevelopment in the inner city, as well as expansion in the outer city, are almost inevitable!”

Li Yi continued, “Under these circumstances, I believe these inner-city courtyard houses will inevitably become a scarce resource in the future—especially those within the Second Ring Road!”

Jiang Shiying remarked with some admiration, “You really are a shrewd businessman, with a long-term vision. Just a few days ago, the authorities decided to renovate the urban area of Beijing, and you’ve already thought of stockpiling properties!”

Ye Lingyun looked at Jiang Shiying and asked, “So does that mean Yi’s two courtyards will really turn a profit?”

“Not necessarily right now, but it should be no problem in the future!” Jiang Shiying replied.

“As long as we don’t lose money, that’s fine!”

After that, Ye Lingyun turned back to chatting with her daughter about jewelry!

Just then, Jiang Shiying suddenly remembered something else and turned to ask Li Yi, “By the way, I heard that kid from the Du family beat you up?”

Hearing this, Ye Lingyun and Tang Xue both stopped talking. Their eyes fixed on Li Yi as they waited for his explanation.

“Not exactly. That guy was trying to hit my cousin Jianhua, but he missed. The bottle flew toward Third Brother, and I blocked it!” Li Yi said.

“Did you get hurt?” Tang Xue asked urgently, looking a bit worried.

“No, but the watch we bought for our wedding got smashed!”

Tang Xue immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as you’re okay, that’s what matters. We can always buy a new watch later!”

Jiang Shiying, however, frowned and said, “The Du family has been getting a bit too cocky these past couple of years. Even a little brat thinks he can come strutting around and showing off in front of our Jiang and Ye families. Looks like we need to teach them a lesson!”

However, Li Yi shook his head and said, “Dad, please don’t get involved in this!”

“Why?”

“He’s just a man on his deathbed. There’s no need to make such a big deal out of it!”

“A man on his deathbed?”

“Yes. You don’t need to worry about this. We’ll have news in a day or two,” Li Yi said calmly.

“Alright, then I’ll wait a day or two. If nothing happens, I’ll go have a little chat with Du Er!”

Jiang Shiying knew his son-in-law’s capabilities and methods; since he’d said that, he decided to wait.

Just then, Ye Lingyun suddenly turned to her husband and said, “Shiying, I’ve spoken to Xue’er about changing her surname, and she’s agreed. Please take care of this as soon as possible!”

Hearing this, Jiang Shiying’s eyes lit up instantly, and he exclaimed excitedly, “All right, all right! I’ll take care of it tomorrow!”

Then, turning to Li Yi, he added, “You two haven’t registered your marriage yet. Once Xue’er’s name is changed, you should go get your marriage certificate!”

“I don’t mind, but if Xue’er and I get married, what about her college entrance exams?” Li Yi asked.

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll just have Xue’er take the college entrance exam in Beijing next year—it shouldn’t be a problem!” Jiang Shiying said.

“Alright!”

“Then let’s get things ready. Let’s settle this as soon as possible!”

“Alright!”

……..