As the Chinese New Year approached, Zhuang Bo took a holiday and wanted to take Wei Zhu back to his hometown for a visit.

Song Xia agreed, thinking that Zhuang Bo's father shouldn't spend the New Year alone in his old age. Since they were already engaged, Zhuang Bo's relatives should also be introduced to him. Song Xia prepared many gifts for this trip.

Zhuang Bo said she was being too polite: "Auntie, this is too much! Just bring some fruit. My dad was so happy to hear that Wei Zhu was going back with me, he wouldn't care about these things."

"Yes, you brought so many things the first time you came. Today is also Wei Zhu's first time going there. How can we go empty-handed? That would be disrespectful."

"I'm the man, so it's only right that I carry things."

"There's no such thing as 'should' or 'shouldn't.' Does the woman have the right to pretend she doesn't understand etiquette? This wine is homemade; take it back for your father to try."

Zhuang Bo sighed, unsure of what to say. He knew his aunt's skills; her winemaking was impeccable. He'd heard that many customers were willing to pay high prices to buy it, but there were still purchase limits. Yet, his aunt had filled such a large jug for him.

He felt that meeting Wei Zhu again and having such an open-minded and kind mother-in-law in the future was almost like saving the galaxy, as people online say. Before, when his mother passed away from illness, the villagers said he had bad luck, but now who would dare to make such a conclusion? Which man in the village could find such a good girlfriend as Wei Zhu as he did?

"Mom, aren't you coming with us?" Wei Zhu asked hopefully. She wanted her mother to come so she could feel at ease. Although Zhuang Bo was from the countryside, he would treat her very well. Based on her previous experience video chatting with Zhuang's father, he was a hardworking and clean person, and she wouldn't be mistreated.

"Mom won't go this first time. I'll meet Zhuang Bo's father when we get married later. There's no need to rush back. I'll spend the New Year with Zhuang Bo's father. You'll settle down in the provincial capital later, and you can see Mom anytime. But you'll see Zhuang Bo's father less often, so spend as much time with him as possible when you go back."

"Okay, I understand."

Because he had a lot of stuff, Zhuang Bo rented a car. He sighed again at his lack of ability, saying that he still didn't even own a car.

Actually, he does have some savings. He's been saving money frugally for the past two years, and he's saved enough to buy a car. But if he buys a car, how will he afford the wedding, and how will he support his family in the future? Aunt Song really can't pay the entire down payment for the house!

He calculated that if they bought a car first after getting married, they would have to postpone buying a house. If they bought a house first, they would have to pay off the loan and then struggle to afford a car each year. And if they had a child after getting married...

So he looked at Wei Zhu apologetically: "I've made you marry me, and now you're suffering because of me."

He knew perfectly well that, given Wei Zhu's qualifications, she could definitely find someone better than him. Wei Zhu was about to have a government job, had a good personality, and her family could provide a substantial settlement allowance. In the matchmaking market, she would be highly sought after.

"As long as I don't feel bitter, that's fine." Wei Zhu smiled gently. "Don't say things like that again. Do we need to be so formal with each other?"

"Mm." Zhuang Bo secretly vowed that he would treat Wei Zhu well for the rest of his life. If he also passed the civil service exam, he might not be able to provide Wei Zhu with a very wealthy life. Therefore, he must be more considerate in everyday matters.

After Wei Zhu and Zhuang Bo returned to the countryside, Song Xia posted a note at the snack shop announcing that it would be closed for the holidays. She wanted to rest a few more days this year, so she gave all the employees ten days off and a generous New Year's red envelope to each of them.

"Thank you all for your hard work this year. See you next year."

The four employees were so moved they didn't know what to say. They were probably the happiest employees in the surrounding restaurants. The boss was kind and paid them well. They not only had holidays every week, but even during the long Chinese New Year holiday, their wages weren't deducted. They also had such delicious employee meals. Where could they find such a job?

Judging by the thickness of the red envelope, it must be quite a lot. Although the boss has high requirements for hygiene and safety, what do those requirements mean compared to what he gives them? I really hope the boss makes a fortune every year, and that they can continue to work for him.

Xiao Meng and Xiao Xu felt the most deeply because of this extra salary, their finances have been much more relaxed in the past two years, and their families no longer have to struggle like before.

"Boss, wishing you a prosperous New Year and see you next year!"

Song Xia waved to them, then closed the door and decided to go out for a stroll. She had been running the shop for so long, but she hadn't even had a proper chance to explore the provincial capital.

Before she knew it, she had wandered into the mall where Wei Deng worked. However, she did not go into the buffet restaurant because she did not like buffets. She always only ate until she was 80% full, and the buffet style was not suitable for her.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, the mall was filled with a festive red atmosphere. Song Xia bought a lot of decorations, as well as clothes, socks, hats, and other items for Wei Zhu, Wei Deng, and Zhuang Bo, all in the colors of the New Year celebrations.

Of course, she had quite a lot of her own too, and the end result was that she couldn't carry any more and could only wait for Wei Deng to get off work.

Wei Deng was completely uncomplaining about carrying things, unlike before when he would complain about anything he was asked to do, not to mention that some of the things he was carrying were bought for him.

"Still three days off this year?"

"Hmm, is Mom going back this year?"

When Wei Deng said he was going back, he meant going back to the county town. The house in the county town had been sold long ago, so he was going back to sweep the grave and offer incense to Wei Deng's father.

“Since your sister isn’t here this year, Mom will go with you.”

"Let's drive back then, I'll go rent a car."

Song Xia asked in surprise, "You got your driver's license?"

"Got it."

Regarding Wei Deng's driving lessons, he paid the tuition when he first started university. Song Xia had heard that it was better for boys to learn to drive early. However, Wei Deng hadn't taken his lessons seriously before, and Song Xia had almost forgotten about it.

"Then let's rent a car. Taking the train back would require transferring, which is too much trouble."

As for buying a car, Song Xia has no need for it in this life. She knows that her daughter Wei Zhu and son Wei Deng will need cars in the future, but they are not incapable of buying them themselves. Heaven knows how tiring it is to run a shop, and she can't take care of everything for them.

Thinking of what happened last year, Wei Deng frowned and said, "We won't run into that Jing Jun again this year, will we?"

Song Xia thought of the news Xiao Ling reported: Jing Jun had decided to bring his current girlfriend home this year, which meant he had completely given up on her. It was a pity about that girl; she had anonymously tried to persuade her several times, but to no avail. However, she would continue to keep an eye on her.

Marriage is acceptable, but divorce is not an option. We absolutely cannot allow our partner to suffer the same fate as Wei Zhu in her previous life.

"Even if he meets us, why would he be afraid of us? Your sister is unlikely to choose him again."

"That's right. Luckily, Mom, you made my sister quit her job. If she had stayed in that factory and let Jing Jun get his hands on her, my sister probably wouldn't have had a good life. Zhuang Bo may be poor, but he has a good future, and most importantly, he's good to my sister."

Song Xia chuckled: "It's rare to see you so concerned about your sister now."

Wei Deng scratched his head sheepishly: "I was just being immature before."