Chapter 45 (combined)

When Yan Minghe shouted that, everyone came out of the house.

Ye Hongjuan saw that Yan Minghe was carrying a fish that weighed about a pound. It was still alive, with its gills strung on a straw rope and its tail swaying back and forth.

"Sihe, where did these fish come from?"

Yan Minghe: "My brother-in-law brought it over. He had a lot of things, so I brought the fish over first. My brother-in-law is still behind me."

Ye Hongzhen and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. It was the first time they had ever seen someone bring live fish to their father-in-law's house.

My cousin's wife said, "Perhaps this is their family rule."

My second cousin's wife said, "I think so too. Customs vary from place to place, and rules differ from place to place. Since it's been brought here, we should just accept it."

Ye Hongzhen thought it made sense, so she took the fish, thinking she would make a tofu and fish soup later.

Xiao Hua smelled the fishy smell and ran over to meowing around Ye Hongzhen, even rubbing against her, wanting to eat the fish.

Ye Hongzhen gently kicked it away, "It's no use yelling, this isn't for you to eat."

Yan Ruyi ran out of the house, "I'll go meet him."

Drinking was unavoidable today, so Song Yiping didn't drive. He also had a lot of things with him, so Fang Yuru asked Xiao Sun to drive him over.

Song Yiping got out of the car at the gate of the machine tool factory's residential compound and told Xiao Sun to go home first.

He then went to the nearby vegetable shop and bought a fish.

He was carrying a lot of things and was walking slowly, so Yan Ruyi met him at the corner.

Seeing that he was carrying two large bags, Yan Ruyi tried to take one from him, but Song Yiping refused.

Yan Ruyi then warned him, "Your older cousin and the others said they were going to get you drunk. Be careful when you drink, and don't let them actually get you drunk."

Song Yiping recalled the experience taught by Commander Zhang: once you drink your father-in-law to the point where he calls you brother, you've passed the test.

He then said to Yan Ruyi, "It doesn't matter if you get really drunk, I sober up quickly."

Yan Ruyi stamped her foot and said, "Oh dear, you're drunk and you like to talk nonsense. Have you forgotten what happened at the guesthouse last time... If my older cousin and the others hear this, they'll laugh at me."

Song Yiping was not a heavy drinker. Although he had drunk alcohol before, he had never gotten drunk.

The only time I've ever gotten drunk in my life was when Chen Feiyong organized the gathering.

He genuinely didn't know he had this problem when he was drunk.

In such cases, one should indeed be more cautious, otherwise it is easy to be perceived as frivolous and reckless.

Xiao Hua was chased out of the kitchen by Ye Hongzhen and ran out into the yard.

Yan Ruyi picked it up and solemnly introduced it to both sides, "This is Xiaohua, Xiaohua, this is Song Yiping, he is my boyfriend, and you are not allowed to bite him when he comes."

Little Flower was unhappy because she didn't get to eat the fish. She meowed, broke free from Yan Ruyi's arms, jumped down, and ran away.

Yan Ruyi said happily, "Xiao Hua didn't bite you, so you've already passed the Xiao Hua test."

Song Yiping nodded. "It's a great honor."

He was just about to say that he had brought Xiaohua a fish as a gift when he entered the yard, only to find a group of people standing there.

There are at least twenty.

From Song Chengren to Song Yiping, the Song family always had only one child.

They do have other relatives, but they are all busy with their own work and rarely get together. Even during major holidays like the Spring Festival, it is difficult for them to all gather. Usually, it's just him, his parents, and Liu's wife at home. That makes four people.

In reality, it would be difficult to get all four of them together.

He had never seen anything like this before and was completely stunned.

Yan Ruyi had warned him beforehand that there would be a lot of people today, but he didn't expect there to be so many.

Once inside the courtyard, Yan Ruyi introduced everyone to him one by one.

Song Yiping followed Yan Ruyi's lead in addressing them, his mind racing as he tried to remember who everyone was, lest he mispronounce their names and call out the wrong names, which would be incredibly embarrassing.

At least the father-in-law and mother-in-law must be convinced.

He had met Yan Guoqiang before, but this was the first time he had met Ye Hongzhen.

He presented the gift and greeted Ye Hongzhen politely, "Hello, Auntie."

Ye Hongzhen had only seen Song Yiping's photos and thought he looked quite handsome in them. But when she met him in person today, her first impression was that he didn't look good in photos; he was even more handsome in person than in the pictures.

He was already eighty percent satisfied and exclaimed "Eh!"

The older cousin and her family took the gifts.

Ye Quanyou invited him, "Commander Song, please come inside and sit down."

Song Yiping said, "Uncle, just call me Little Song."

Song Yiping immediately remembered that he was Ye Quanyou's maternal uncle. Ye Quanyou was very satisfied and invited Song Yiping into the house.

Ye Quanyou said, "Among the families, besides Sihe and Miaomiao, Ruyi is the youngest. We didn't know she had a boyfriend, so everyone wanted to come and see her. Xiao Song, please don't mind."

"Uncle, you're too kind. It's more lively with more people. I have few brothers and sisters, so it's hard for us to have a lively atmosphere even if we wanted to."

How many brothers do you have?

"I live alone."

"That's a bit too little."

His older cousin poured him a glass of water, and Song Yiping stood up, took it from him, and said, "Thank you, older cousin, I can do it myself."

Ye Quanyou's two sons are only one year apart in age. Not only are they tall, but they also look somewhat alike. Even people who know each other well sometimes mistake them for one another.

Song Yiping remembered the introduction after just one introduction, and his older cousin also developed a good impression of him. He was thinking to himself, "Maybe I should make him drink less alcohol later?"

Ye Quanyou and the others accompanied Song Yiping as they talked in the main room.

Ye Hongzhen and the others were busy in the kitchen.

Li Yan lingered nearby, hands tucked into her pockets.

My cousin's wife almost bumped into her several times.

"Xiao Yan, you don't do any work. Go to the yard or the main room. Don't just loiter around here. The kitchen is small. If you accidentally bump into someone, who will be responsible?"

Li Yancai didn't leave; she wanted to hear what they had to say.

She moved a small stool and placed it in a place where it wouldn't get in the way by the kitchen door, saying, "I'll sit here so I won't get in your way."

My second cousin's wife came in with a bunch of red chili peppers. "I originally thought that leaders in the army were all very serious and spoke in a very formal manner. I didn't expect Xiao Song to be so easygoing. He was chatting and laughing with my uncle and the others."

My older cousin said, "Our dad has a really good eye. If he thinks someone is good, then that person really is."

My cousin's wife said, "Putting everything else aside, he's really handsome and a good match for our Ruyi."

Ye Hongjuan: "What are they saying?"

Second cousin's wife said, "Didn't Er Tao want to join the army before? He didn't make it back then, and he even hid and cried. They're talking about that right now."

My cousin's wife said, "It just so happens that I have a brother-in-law who is a military officer. I asked him to give him two sets of military uniforms so that he can wear them and have some fun."

Yan Ruyi poked her head in and said, "Sister-in-law, military uniforms can't be given away casually. If it's found out, Yiping will be held responsible."

The eldest cousin's wife smiled and said to Ye Hongzhen, "Look how protective she is. The girl is all grown up and can't be kept any longer. Aunt, hurry up and prepare her dowry to send her off."

Yan Ruyi giggled and ran away.

Second cousin: "I just heard Commander Song say that he is an only child."

Ye Hongzhen, “He is an only child. His grandfather only had one son, and his father only had one son. There may be other relatives, but they are all distant.”

My cousin's wife and the others all remarked that it's good to have only one child, because you don't have to worry about trivial matters.

Having many children means having many chores. Even though they get along well with their husband's family and their own family, friction is still inevitable.

Even if parents want to treat everyone equally, conflicts are inevitable, and when they encounter someone who is particular about their children, it becomes a major issue.

Li Yan interjected, "Ruyi will be under a lot of pressure after she marries into the family."

Ye Hongjuan said, "She doesn't have to support her in-laws, nor does she have any younger siblings to take care of, so what kind of pressure could she be under?"

Li Yan said, "Have a son. Commander Song's father is an only child, and Commander Song is also an only child. Ruyi has to have a son to continue the family line. If she can't have a son with her first child, she'll definitely have to have a second or third child."

My cousin's wife said, "We've been implementing the one-child policy for several years now, and you're still having second and third children. Do you even want to keep your jobs?"

Li Yan said, "That's why I said Ruyi will be under a lot of pressure in the future. She won't be able to have a son, and she won't be able to hold her head up in front of her mother-in-law."

Both of Li Yan's cousins ​​had daughters, and Li Yan offended them both the moment she opened her mouth.

Both the eldest cousin's wife and Fang Caiyun looked unwell.

My cousin's wife snorted, "Then this baby of yours must be a son, otherwise you won't be able to hold your head up in front of my aunt."

Li Yan felt envious and jealous that Yan Ruyi had found a good partner, so she casually made a few comments to vent her frustration.

Unexpectedly, the boomerang hit her instead.

He quickly retorted, "I didn't say that Commander Song's parents necessarily favored boys over girls. I was just making a hypothetical statement. Maybe they prefer girls."

My second cousin, who has a good temper, smoothed things over by saying, "People's thinking is different now than before. Girls and boys are treated the same... Xiao Yan, go and tell Er Tao and the others to tidy up the table. It's time to serve the food."

There were too many people today, and there wasn't enough room inside, so we set up the banquet in the courtyard.

There were two tables set up in total.

There are 12 people at the table; the table is large enough to seat everyone.

One stove wasn't enough, so Zhao Cuifang brought over her own coal stove.

With both stoves lit at the same time, two tables of food and drink were quickly prepared.

When the son-in-law visited for the first time, Yan Guoqiang spared no expense, serving chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

Upon hearing from Yan Ruyi that Song Yiping loved spicy food, Yan Minghai went to a newly opened Sichuan restaurant nearby and ordered a hot pot of boiled beef, which was still steaming when it was served.

When men get together, they drink, and before long, a few of them have drunk quite a bit.

When people drink too much, they talk a lot. Ye Quanyou said to Song Yiping, "Little Song, my sister and brother-in-law only have one daughter, Ruyi. They spoil her a bit. She's never suffered since she was little. But to be fair, Ruyi hasn't developed a bad temper. In our Ye family, including the Yan family, there are no unreasonable people. She has a bit of a temper, which is unavoidable. If you think she's done something wrong, you can talk to her parents or me. We'll criticize and educate her. But there's one thing: you can't scold her, and you absolutely can't lay a hand on her. Neither the Ye family nor the Yan family has any men who lay a hand on women. If you really dare to lay a hand on her, you'll have to ask her brothers if they agree."

Not only the Ye and Yan families, but also the Liu family that Ye Hongjuan married into, all three families are tall, especially the men, who are all very tall and strong.

They all stood in front of us in a flash, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

A cowardly man, let alone taking action, would be so scared he'd kneel down.

Song Yiping was not a coward, but he would never lay a hand on a woman, especially not his wife.

Only a spineless man hits a woman.

Besides, he finally managed to win her over, and he's counting on her to spend money on him in the future, so how could he possibly scold or hit her?

However, he also realized that his uncle and the others came today to support Yan Ruyi and also to give him a warning.

She has so many people behind her; anyone who dares to bully her in the future will have to think twice.

He stood up, holding his wine glass, and said succinctly, "If I ever make Ruyi suffer any injustice in the future, just beat her up, I won't say a word."

Ye Quanyou wanted his attitude. He was the uncle, a powerful figure both in heaven and on earth.

There were some things that his sister and brother-in-law couldn't say to Song Yiping, he said.

In situations like this, the uncle plays the villain.

Ye Quanyou was also a little drunk. He picked up his wine glass and said, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you. From now on, we're all family. When two people live together, they should be more considerate of each other. It's not easy for girls to get married. They have to give birth to children and manage the household. We men should be even more understanding."

Song Yiping said sincerely, "Uncle is right. After I got married to Ruyi, she is the head of the household, and I listen to her."

Ye Quanlai was even more satisfied. Holding his wine glass, he swayed and clinked it against Song Yiping's glass. "Come on, let's have a drink, you two brothers."

Song Yiping, "..."

He didn't address his father-in-law as a brother, but he did address his maternal uncle as a brother.

His cousins ​​and the others took turns drinking with Song Yiping, and no matter how alert Song Yiping was, he still got drunk as expected.

Ye Hongzhen, "She wouldn't listen to me when I told her to drink less, she just kept getting me drunk."

The older cousin was also a bit drunk. He put his arm around Ye Hongzhen and said indistinctly, "Aunt, you don't understand. He only tells the truth when he's drunk. If he says he'll be good to Ruyi, then he really will be good to Ruyi. If he's not drunk, no one will know if he's lying. He only speaks the truth when he's drunk. This kind of person is trustworthy."

Ye Hongzhen was a little dizzy from his tongue twisters, so she slapped him away, saying, "Are you reciting tongue twisters here?"

Seeing that Song Yiping was completely drunk, he instructed Yan Minghai, who had drunk the least, "Help Yiping to his feet..."

I was going to suggest helping him to Ruyi's room to rest for a while, but then I thought that since they weren't married yet, it wouldn't be appropriate to ask him to sleep in Yan Ruyi's room, so I changed my mind and said, "Help him to Sihe's room and let him sleep for a while."

Yan Minghai helped Song Yiping into Yan Minghe's house.

Yan Ruyi wanted to take care of him herself, but she was afraid that Song Yiping would see her and say something inappropriate.

Or do something outrageous.

If my cousin's wife and the others saw this, they'd laugh themselves to death.

But Song Yiping was all alone, and she was worried, so she called Yan Minghe over and whispered to him, "Go and keep an eye on your brother Song. If he wants a drink of water, pour him a glass."

Song Yiping is now Yan Minghe's idol, and he eagerly goes to his room to look after Song Yiping.

Yan Minghai helped Song Yiping into Yan Minghe's house, and left after seeing that Song Yiping had lain down.

Song Yiping was completely dizzy and couldn't even open his eyes.

Hearing someone come in, she called out, "Ruyi."

Yan Minghe leaned closer with a look of reverence, "Brother-in-law, you can call me sister."

Song Yiping recognized the voice as Yan Minghe, but it wasn't Yan Ruyi's. He barely opened his eyes and recognized Yan Minghe.

Seeing that Song Yiping didn't reply, Yan Minghe asked again, "Brother-in-law, do you want to call my sister over?"

Song Yiping rubbed his face, trying to clear his head, and mumbled, "Yeah, I miss her."

Yan Minghe immediately ran to the door and shouted loudly to Yan Ruyi, "Sister, my brother-in-law said he misses you."

The eldest cousin's wife and the others who hadn't been drinking were cleaning up the mess when Yan Minghe shouted. The eldest cousin's wife exclaimed, "Oh my, I didn't realize that Xiao Song was good at sweet-talking people. It's only been a short time since we last met, and he's already missing Ruyi."

The older cousin and the others burst out laughing.

Yan Ruyi never imagined that even though Song Yiping couldn't see her, he could still make a fool of himself.

Her face flushed red; she didn't know whether to go or not.

Fang Caiyun smiled and nudged her, "Go and see him quickly."

Yan Ruyi ran over and glared at Yan Minghe.

Yan Minghe felt very wronged. "It was my brother-in-law who said he missed you. I didn't make it up. You can ask him if you don't believe me."

Yan Ruyi chased Yan Minghe away and went inside to find Song Yiping already asleep.

She waved her little fist at his face, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to hit him.

Song Yiping slept for two hours straight, and when he woke up, the sun was already setting.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Yan Ruyi had moved a small stool and was sitting in front of the bed, resting her chin on her hand and looking at him.

She was just a little sullen.

Song Yiping reached out and patted her head. "What's wrong? Who upset you?"

Yan Ruyi: "Who else but you?"

Song Yiping immediately sensed something was wrong.

He tends to forget things when he's drunk, and right now he can't remember anything.

Feeling a little guilty, I wondered, "Did I say something again?"

Yan Ruyi complained, "You said you missed me, but you were telling Sihe. Sihe is such a loudmouth; he shouted it out so everyone knew."

Song Yiping, "..."

You really shouldn't get drunk; it's easy to lose control when you're drunk.

She asked Yan Ruyi cautiously, "Did your aunt and uncle say anything?"

Yan Ruyi said, "I told you to be careful around you from now on."

Song Yiping felt it necessary to defend himself, "We're dating, it's normal for me to say I miss you..."

Yan Ruyi covered his mouth, "You still dare to talk."

Song Yiping kissed her palm briefly before pulling away.

Yan Ruyi quickly blushed and let go of her hand. "My mom didn't say anything. How could she say anything? But my cousin's wife and the others kept making fun of me... You've been sleeping for more than two hours. Get up and have some water."

Song Yiping stood up and asked Yan Ruyi, "Have Uncle and the others left?"

Ye Hongzhen came in just then and replied to him from the outer room, "Your eldest uncle and the others have all left. They saw you were still asleep when they left, so they didn't ask you to wake up."

Ye Hongzhen also heard Song Yiping's words. People who are in a relationship are bound to be affectionate, but she pretended not to hear them.

On his first visit to his mother-in-law's house, Song Yiping got completely drunk. Afraid of gaining a reputation for alcoholism in front of his mother-in-law, he said embarrassedly, "I drank a bit too much today. I don't usually drink."

Ye Hongzhen noticed it while they were drinking.

Her older brother and her two nephews were both in sales and were frequent guests at drinking parties. They were very skilled at toasting, and Song Yiping clearly had no experience in such occasions.

He's not the kind of person who drinks regularly; he's honest and drinks whenever offered.

“Your older cousin and his friends are really trying to get you drunk. Even people with a high alcohol tolerance can't handle this kind of pressure, let alone someone like you who doesn't usually drink.”

Ye Hongzhen now finds Song Yiping pleasing to the eye and has already begun to regard him as half a son.

"I only drank alcohol at noon and didn't eat properly. I made rice porridge and steamed vegetable buns for dinner. Come and eat when you wake up."

The Yan family doesn't have many rules. It's not a problem if the prospective son-in-law eats two or three meals at home.

Song Yiping shamelessly stayed to freeload a meal.

My uncle and aunt have all left, so it's just the Yan family for dinner.

Thinking that she had drunk a lot of alcohol at noon and hadn't eaten much, Ye Hongzhen decided to make dinner light. She cooked millet porridge, steamed two baskets of vegetable buns, and served light dishes: a plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes, a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a plate of braised beef.

Ye Hongzhen said, "These are all home-style dishes. Xiao Song, try them and see if they suit your taste."

Song Yiping took a vegetable bun, drank some porridge, and then picked up a piece of hot and sour shredded potato. "Delicious, Auntie's cooking is really good."

The cook loves to hear this. Seeing that he liked the hot and sour shredded potatoes, Ye Hongzhen moved the dish closer to him and casually asked, "Xiao Song, who usually cooks at your house?"

Song Yiping honestly replied, "My dad and mom are both quite busy, and I usually can't take care of them, so we hired someone to help out at home."

Li Yan: "Your mom can't cook either?"

Song Yiping: "I don't know much."

Dr. Fang's specialty is egg noodles. She fries an egg, pours in water, adds noodles after the water boils, and then it's ready to eat.

He ate a lot of this when he was a child.

That's why he's not picky about food; he's happy as long as he's full.

Li Yan said, "Ruyi can't cook either. It's true that birds of a feather flock together."

Fang Caiyun: "If I don't know how to cook, I just eat at the cafeteria; it's less troublesome."

Song Yiping said, "I'll learn to do it slowly after I get married."

He wouldn't dare boast that he would take care of all the housework in the future; that's unrealistic.

Sometimes he has to go on business trips or training exercises, and it's common for him to work overtime until midnight when he's busy.

However, a family needs two people to maintain it. For the sake of his future family with Yan Ruyi, he needs to learn what he needs to learn gradually.

Ye Hongzhen thought differently from them.

My daughter can't cook, and neither can my mother-in-law, so neither of them should complain about the other.

As for how the family will eat after they get married, that's not her concern. Two grown adults like them won't go hungry.

After dinner, we sat and chatted for a while.

It was completely dark by then.

Song Yiping stood up to take his leave.

Ye Hongzhen took out two red envelopes and stuffed them into Song Yiping's hands without saying a word. "These two red envelopes, one is for me and Ruyi's father, and the other is for Ruyi's uncle and aunt. They had something to do today and couldn't come, so they sent the red envelopes over in advance... It's customary for a new son-in-law to receive a red envelope on his first visit. Take them and come visit often in the future."

Song Yiping had no choice but to accept the gifts. He said goodbye to Ye Hongzhen, and Yan Ruyi saw him out. As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, Song Yiping gave the two red envelopes to Yan Ruyi.

Yan Ruyi pinched them; one was thick, and the other was thin.

Needless to say, the thicker one was given by her parents, and the thinner one was given by her uncle and aunt.

To be precise, her mother asked her aunt for it.

Yan Ruyi reminded him, "This was given to you by my mother and aunt."

Song Yiping: "What's mine is yours anyway. I don't need it, so just keep it with you."

He was telling the truth, and Yan Ruyi took it for herself without any hesitation, saying, "If you want to use it, ask me for it."

Then I asked him, "After drinking so much, are you still feeling unwell?"

"I won't feel bad anymore once I sober up."

"It's all my eldest cousin's fault. He insisted on getting you drunk, and the other cousins ​​helped him. I'm going to tell my aunt and uncle about them later."

Song Yiping smiled and said, "You feel sorry for me."

Yan Ruyi: "Who cares about you? I care about those bottles of wine."

They had already left the residential compound. A few steps further ahead was the bus stop. Song Yiping hadn't driven today and planned to take the night bus home.

When they reached a narrow alleyway by the roadside, Song Yiping suddenly pulled Yan Ruyi up, and in a flash, the two of them entered the alleyway.

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Author's Note: Little Flower: Please give me peanuts!