Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Hu Ruoyun stayed in Mao Weiguo's study for two days. During the day, County Chief Mao was busy with his work, and at night he would drag Hu Ruoyun into discussions that he called "intellectual collisions." Sometimes, they would talk until after eleven o'clock.
Hu Ruoyun didn't mind, but Mao Na found it quite bothersome. Women are often sensitive; that evening, Zhang Xiuzhen said to her husband, "Look at this girl, she seems to care less and less about her parents. During the day, she clings to Xiao Hu, and at night, seeing you two together talking all the time makes her all huffy!"
Mao Weiguo, somewhat oblivious, replied, "Really? I have so much on my mind right now. Xiao Hu is here to help me sort things out and give me advice."
Zhang Xiuzhen poked him gently, "I'm worried that our daughter might end up like Ouyang Xiaxue and Li Shengnan, getting pregnant before marriage! She's not like those two; she's still in school..."
Mao Weiguo dismissed her concerns, saying, "Don't worry; they both know what they're doing!"
Zhang Xiuzhen was still uneasy. "In Jiangcheng, they can do as they please; out of sight, out of mind. But seeing her so close with Xiao Hu at home makes my heart uneasy..."
Mao Weiguo put an arm around her shoulder. "Come on now, if they're getting along well, shouldn't you be happy? You used to worry that Xiao Hu wasn't good enough for our daughter. Now that they're both in college, why are you unhappy about them getting along? Remember how she used to sulk whenever you mentioned Xiao Qiu?"
Seeing that Zhang Xiuzhen seemed to understand, Mao Weiguo continued, "If only Xiao Hu were of legal age; once he is, we might as well let them get their marriage certificate."
Zhang Xiuzhen nudged him playfully. "You really are open-minded!"
Mao Weiguo took the opportunity to give her a gentle pat. "As long as I see happiness on our child's face, I'm fine with anything!"
On the 26th, it was already the fifteenth day of the Lunar December, and Hu Ruoyun was preparing to return to Lao Gu. The night before, Zhang Xiuzhen worried that her daughter would want to tag along again and had prepared her in advance: "After the Second Day of the Lunar New Year, you can go to your grandmother's house. By then, you can visit. If you go now while Xiao Hu's parents are busy preparing for the New Year—cleaning the house and making dumplings—they won't have time to entertain you."
The next day, Zhang Xiuzhen busied herself preparing a pile of gifts for her future in-laws (given their position in relation to each other, many things really didn't require spending money; it was just customary). Mao Weiguo also prepared some tea and liquor.
At Lao Gu Market, after getting off the bus at Cross Street during the bustling fifteenth market day, Brother Jie and Sister Jie had just finished shopping for New Year's goods when they spotted Hu Ruoyun carrying a large bundle. They hurried over and called out to him: "Hu Ruoyun! Are you back for the holidays? Come on, let's load your things onto the bike and head home together!"
Hu Ruoyun responded without hesitation: "Brother Jie, Sister Jie! I was just figuring out how to get home!"
They piled the bags onto the bike's rear rack—Brother Jie pushed from the front while Hu Ruoyun steadied from behind—as they made their way from Cross Street towards Hu Family Village along the dirt road.
"Why did you bring so much stuff?" Sister Jie asked. "Did you bring it all back from Jiangcheng?"
Hu Ruoyun replied, "The clothes for Xiao Feng and Xiao Hu were bought in Jiangcheng; everything else was prepared by Mao Na's parents."
Sister Jie praised him: "Your father-in-law and mother-in-law are really generous... My Uncle Qihua and Aunt Qihua haven't even met them yet! And here they are sending us gifts; you're quite impressive!"
Then she added with a curious expression: "Have you heard? The old lady next door has been causing a stir again?"
Hu Ruoyun's curiosity piqued. "I don't know; what's going on?"
It turned out that ever since his Third Sister Wu Mingliang went to university in Jiangcheng (the same one mentioned earlier who attended that dubious Jingnan Academy), the Woodzi Woman had been bragging about how her Third Sister would graduate in two years and become Town Chief... As a result, matchmakers from Three Miles and Five Villages had started coming around with proposals more frequently, which delighted the Woodzi Woman.
This woman had come up with what she thought was a brilliant idea.
She summoned the seven or eight matchmakers who had come to propose for her family and told them that she wanted to hold an open recruitment for suitors. The selection would be based on two main criteria: first, they would look at photos to judge appearances, giving priority to those who were handsome; second, they would compare betrothal gifts, with those asking for less being favored.
It was already unusual for the matchmakers to gather together, but when they heard this from the Woodzi Woman, they were left dumbfounded! The Woodzi Woman believed that her child was quite good-looking and would soon become the Town Chief in a couple of years; she thought her approach was reasonable. Little did she know that after the matchmakers left, it was like throwing a meat bun to a dog—no one ever came to propose for their Third Sister again!
Hu Ruoyun couldn't believe such a thing could happen. "Sister-in-law, is this really true? I find it hard to believe what you're saying."
Brother Jie chimed in, "Don't underestimate your sister-in-law's words; it's exactly as she said. A few days ago, Ming Liang came home for the holidays, and I heard his mother caused quite a scene at home. You could hear him yelling at her over your courtyard wall, 'What are you doing? This is so embarrassing!'"
The three of them chatted as they walked until they reached the alley. Hu Ruoyun pulled out a bag of crispy candies from her bag and shoved it into Sister Jie's hands. "Sister-in-law, these are for my little nephew and niece."
Sister Jie tried to refuse, but Brother Jie insisted, "Just take it; it's a gesture from your brother."
Their father, Hu Qihua, was busy with the spring cleaning—sweeping away dust and cobwebs as part of the year-end cleanup. Their mother was in the kitchen frying oil cakes, twists of dough, and peanuts.
Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng ran out to help carry bags into the house while asking, "Brother, what's in these bags?"
Seeing their eager expressions, once inside the house, Hu Ruoyun took out the clothes she had bought for them. Xiao Hu received a military-style cotton jacket along with a "Lei Feng hat." She helped him take off his old cotton coat (to avoid getting it dirty; new clothes were only allowed to be worn during the New Year) and quickly changed him into his new jacket and hat before he dashed off to show their mother.
Xiao Feng got a half-sized red down jacket. Their father and mother each had corduroy pants, and there were four pairs of cotton shoes for the others.
After finishing her tasks, their mother looked over everything in her hands and asked, "How much did all this cost?"
Their father first glanced at Yanghe wine and then at Xifeng: "Isn't this wine from the county chief's family better than what Village gave us last year?" He picked up a box of Hongta Mountain cigarettes. "How much is this box? It's still hard!"
...
Finally, they returned to the same question: "When is Mao Na coming to our house?"
That evening, Wu Mingliang came to find Hu Ruoyun. The two of them hid in Hu Ruoyun's small room to talk. Wu Mingliang first asked about Hu Ruoyun's situation, which she answered in detail. Then she asked about him, and he looked somewhat dejected. "I shouldn't have gone to school this year. Tuition is fourteen hundred a year, plus living expenses and various other costs—it adds up to over a thousand! We're just self-taught here; if I can't pass my exams in these three years, I won't get any certification... In October I registered for three subjects: Overview of Marxist Basic Principles, Marketing, and Auditing. I didn't pass Auditing!"
Hu Ruoyun could empathize with his situation but had no comforting words for him.
It was Wu Mingliang who brought up the topic of matchmaking again: "My mom can really do anything... She says I'm going to be Town Chief in the future; now I'm afraid I won't even dare go home after graduation! My sister-in-law Second Sister doesn't even talk to her anymore..."
Who knows what kind of events are happening or have happened in other families?
Comment 0 Comment Count