Xu Lai smelled alcohol on him and pushed him away, saying, "Go take a shower right now, you smell like alcohol, it's awful."

Zhao Qingyun just smiled at her and then called out, "Xu Lai."

Xu Lai thought he was probably drunk and replied, "Yeah, what's wrong?"

He called out again, "Wife."

Xu Lai stroked his hair and hummed in response. What followed was that he would call out to Xu Lai, and Xu Lai would respond.

Zhao Qingyun smiled and said, "You're always so accommodating to my every request."

Xu Lai stood up and patted his face. "Just kidding. I'd respond if my dog ​​barked."

After taking a shower, the two sat on the sofa and counted the money. Ms. Yingqiu had given them all the money they had received as gifts that day. Xu Lai didn't know exactly how much it was, so she decided to take it out and count it.

Zhao Qingyun watched her count and asked with a smile, "How does it feel?"

Xu Lai shook her head: "Not good, there's too much."

Her relatives were all wealthy and powerful, and they were very generous. Each red envelope contained no less than two thousand yuan in cash. She counted for a long time and there were still more than a dozen red envelopes that she hadn't opened.

Zhao Qingyun took out the rest and said, "Let's stop counting. It's getting late. Let's go to sleep."

He picked Xu Lai up and took her to the bathroom to wash her hands. She struggled, saying, "Put me down."

...

A week after the wedding, Xu Lai returned to Shangxi Village, and Zhao Qingyun naturally went with her. She had been worried that her mother-in-law would have objections to this, after all, he had raised his son, and now he was going to live with his wife.

To everyone's surprise, Ms. Yingqiu said, "I have no objection at all. I think it's perfect. Anyway, he doesn't come back here often, and he's getting old. Your father and I don't expect you to support us in our old age. You just need to live your own lives well."

She is very open-minded about having children: "If you want to have children, you can have them; if you don't want to, that's fine too. The idea of ​​raising children to provide for you in old age is useless. Besides, having children is painful, so not having children saves you from all these troubles."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lai felt that she had found a good mother-in-law, and Zhao Qingyun's presence was no longer of any use.

Back home, she moved into Zhao Qingyun's room. The new house was all set up, but the housewarming party hadn't started yet, so she couldn't move in for the time being.

It's almost July now, and many fruits are ripe. A lot of tourists have come to the village, mostly to pick peaches and plums.

Xu Shen seized the business opportunity and planted several acres of watermelons. Most of them were sold, but some were still available for on-site picking.

This year, not only Aunt Hongmei and the village chief's family opened restaurants, but two more opened at the entrance of the village. Seeing so many people coming in, everyone felt like they were seeing bright red banknotes, and they were all more energetic in their work.

Aunt Hongmei's daughter-in-law, Jiang Meiling, did not go out to work after the New Year. Instead, she stayed to manage the family's orchard and vegetable garden. The family's daily income was almost the same as the wages she would earn working outside for a day.

During a meeting, Qin Huan specifically thanked Xu Lai for making the village prosperous.

This year, the village was also named a "Beautiful and Harmonious Village." With its beautiful scenery and this title, even more tourists are coming to visit.

Xu Lai has also developed fishing, where people can fish for fish and crayfish. Many city dwellers choose to come to the village on weekends, and sometimes they even stay overnight, leaving satisfied with the fresh fruits and vegetables they have picked themselves.

Some of the villagers' vacant houses have been converted into guesthouses. Xu Lai gave some suggestions, telling everyone to keep the place clean and do a good job with the interior decoration so that customers would be satisfied with the living environment.

On October 1st, National Day, she and Zhao Qingyun officially moved into their new house.

Their custom is to bring fire from the old house into the new house.

Holding a torch, Zhao Qingyun followed the others somewhat awkwardly, with his grandfather leading the way.

The sound of firecrackers was deafening. The village children, knowing that the family was celebrating a wedding, all came to join in the fun. Xu Lai took a large bag containing red envelopes.

Most families only give out bread for one or two yuan, but Zhao Qingyun and her friend put in ten yuan's worth, hoping that the children who received the red envelopes could have some extra pocket money.

There were many people here today; almost everyone they knew in the village came. Zhao Qingyun whispered to her, "I've been here for over a year, and this is the first time I've seen so many people from the village."

Xu Lai wanted to laugh a little. She felt the same way, realizing they hadn't really seen each other much before.

After the banquet, the two hired someone to clean up. Xu Lai sat on the second-floor balcony, smelling the fragrance of osmanthus wafting from the courtyard. Although she had been here many times, she still felt as if it were her first time.

Zhao Qingyun brought in a cup of tea and a stack of fruit platters. The house was quiet; Grandpa, Grandma, and Grandma had all gone back to their old house. The only sound was the cleaning lady cleaning downstairs.

Xu Lai felt it was time to add some life to the house. She wrapped her arms around Zhao Qingyun's neck and asked, "Don't you think the house is too quiet?"

Zhao Qingyun quietly sensed it for a moment and said, "It's alright, with you in front of me, I can't sense anything else."

Xu Lai was used to his occasional sweet nothings, and she said seriously, "Perhaps, maybe, we can have a child."

Zhao Qingyun was taken aback. "Did someone put pressure on you?"

Xu Lai chuckled, "Don't overthink it. I just think it's nice to have a bloodline that we share."

Zhao Qingyun: "I think about how difficult childbirth is for women, so I don't want you to bear it all alone."

Xu Lai shook her head: "Thank you for your understanding, but I just want to have a child. So, just tell me if you'll give me one or not."

The two faced off, and Zhao Qingyun, who had been holding a stern face for a long time, finally couldn't hold back anymore. He gave in, saying, "This has little to do with me. The one who will really suffer is you."

The two officially began trying to conceive after that night, but perhaps because she was too eager, they didn't get pregnant for a long time.

As the year draws to a close, preparations for the wedding here will begin.

Ms. Yingqiu arrived half a month in advance. She declined Xu Lai's offer to live in the new house and moved directly into the old house. "I'm fine living here. I can keep the old lady company. You two can live on your own."

Xu Lai had no choice but to give up, and then discussed some wedding-related matters with her.