"You child, why are you so ignorant? Why did you run out with your new wife in the middle of the night? Why don't you go to bed early? What are you doing here? Can't we talk about it tomorrow morning?"

When Zhang's mother saw that her eldest grandson, who was the last person to appear, actually brought his new wife over, she couldn't help but complain and quickly pulled the new grandson's wife into the house.

Zhang Ziwen smiled disapprovingly, took off his coat and walked in. He saw the living room was crowded with people, even his grandparents were there, and he burst out laughing.

"I was wondering why no one was home. It seems you were all gathered here chatting." He looked at the three Ping An brothers and asked, "What time do we leave tomorrow?"

"Brother, you really came all the way here. You don't have to come tomorrow. We'll just drive away tomorrow morning." Ping An looked at everyone with a smile, then looked at Mao Minghui, "Cousin, if you and your eldest sister-in-law have a holiday or a business trip and come to Beijing, remember to look for us. The three of us brothers will take you shopping."

Mao Minghui and Gong Xiaoya nodded in agreement. They didn't need an invitation; they still had to greet the elders when they got there, especially since they wanted to meet the legendary uncle and his wife.

Liuyi and Wuyi had nothing to complain about these two sisters-in-law. They were not their own sisters-in-law, so after Ping'an finished speaking, they smiled and nodded repeatedly.

They were already very satisfied with being able to maintain the status quo. Especially since Mao Minghui accompanied Zhang Ziwen on his wedding night, this action represented their true love for their family.

The whole family sat and chatted for a while, and Zhang Laoer, very tactfully, chose to leave first, followed by the elders. Even Zhang's father and mother saw off their in-laws, Accountant Zhang and his wife, who were leaving.

Even Gong Xiaoya wasn't surprised by the remaining young people in the room, but Mao Minghui, who had just walked in, was shocked. She had long heard that the elders of the Zhang family were open-minded and had made special arrangements for them, the younger generation. This idea and behavior had to be said to have refreshed her understanding of her in-laws.

"Let's move to the study so as not to disturb grandma and grandpa's rest."

Everyone had no objection to Zhang Ziwen's suggestion, but Xizi's adult brothers looked at him teasingly, saying, "Little Dengke, why don't you just go back? Are you sure we won't deliberately ruin our wedding night?"

"When you go back this time, will you three come back during the summer vacation?"

Ping An had a hard time answering this question. He hadn't gone to military training this winter, and he absolutely wouldn't let himself waste his summer vacation. He wanted to experience more before he truly became an adult. As his grandfather said, only by experiencing the future firsthand could one avoid making rash decisions. This topic wasn't suitable to be discussed directly in person.

Ping An pondered for a moment and shook his head. "It's hard to say now. Our school has a lot of military activities, especially on Children's Day and May Day. They occasionally have agricultural activities, and we can't leave then."

Zhang Ziwen nodded with some regret, thinking that it would probably take another two or three years before they met again.

He was feeling sad, while Zhang Mingyou put his arm around Ping An's shoulder without a care in the world. "Fifth brother, how about I discuss something with you?"

"Go ahead." Ping'an wasn't worried about him mentioning work arrangements. It wasn't like the three of them were truly estranged. After all, they were cousins. At most, they might have resented him for not fighting for his own interests, but everyone has their own ambitions. Well, he also reminded his second uncle that they should handle matters impartially. No matter what, Zhang Mingyou still had an advantage over the others.

Just like a rural soldier who has no connections, he will most likely return to the village to become a team leader or something, or at best, a security guard in the factory's security department.

Zhang Mingyou was different. He had a county hukou and a high school diploma, so even though he couldn't get into an administrative unit like the Public Security Bureau, he could definitely find work as a clerk in a factory.

Zhang Mingyou nudged him and winked, "Come with me to get something."

Ping An left Liuyi and his brother to accompany them and followed him to the yard.

Before he could speak, Zhang Mingyou whispered in his ear, "How about we brothers do some business?"

The light from inside the house shone through the windows and door curtains onto Ping'an's face. Seeing his half-smile, Zhang Mingyou patted him and said, "What are you thinking? I think it's a waste of resources for us brothers to just go to work. You know that Northeastern specialties are popular in other provinces. You said that there are a few of us in the county town, plus my eldest brother in the provincial capital, and you guys in Beijing. Even if we don't engage in private trade, we can just transport goods from the village to the purchasing station in Beijing. With the price difference between the two places, how much profit can we make?"

Ping An, after hearing his vague words, understood the underlying meaning. Not only was his family the main force, but it was also such a hassle. If he really wanted to make this money, he would have mobilized Xizi and the others since he was five years old.

There is a saying that goes, brothers should settle accounts clearly, especially once money transactions are involved. He doesn't want to end up in a situation where he is not accepted by everyone.

As for money, according to his understanding, his family is not short of money. Even though the three brothers cry poor every day, the four elders in the family all have high salaries. Even considering his mother's quick calculations, it is impossible for the family to have no wealth.

"There are many boys in our five families. I think if I don't make some extra money, my father, second uncle, and aunt will be under a lot of pressure in the future.

My eldest brother got married, and although the betrothal money was supposed to go back to his husband's house with my eldest sister-in-law, how could my parents ask for it back? The wedding cost over 500 yuan from start to finish. Besides, my eldest sister-in-law arranged a wedding for Ziwen, and although Ziwen has earned a lot of money over the years, it still cost over 500 yuan including the betrothal money.

Zhang Mingyou finished speaking and sighed softly, "If so many of us brothers really want to marry a wife and each of us spends 500 yuan, I guess the old man's bones will be squeezed dry."

After saying this, he looked at Ping An and said, "There's one more thing you must not know. According to the rules of our Zhang family, children who haven't split up the family must hand over all their earnings to their parents. I only make a few dollars a month, how can I take advantage of my brothers in the future? Not to mention that your eldest sister is about to leave with her dowry."

Ping An narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at him inconspicuously.

"What do you think? Do you want to do it?"

"The New Year has passed, and we have to wait for the autumn harvest. Third brother, this matter cannot be rushed, and you can't make a big fat man in one bite. It's putting the cart before the horse, and the gain will not outweigh the loss."

Zhang Mingyou rolled his eyes at him in annoyance, "Speak properly, and spit out every four words."

Ping An said in a deep voice, word by word, "Go to work first."

After saying this, looking at Zhang Mingyou who was almost jumping up and down with anger, he shook his head and laughed, "The situation above has become even more pessimistic recently. No matter what you want to do, you'd better wait a little longer. Even if you don't speculate, you won't make money with small-scale activities. If it gets out of hand, even my grandfather won't be able to protect me."

"No way? Didn't that guy escape and die?"

Ping An glanced at him, refusing to answer these questions. It was truly naive to think that way. "Just go to work honestly. These days, so many people have money but no life to spend it. Being able to earn a stable salary is already a great blessing."

Don't worry about your uncle and the other elders. Do you really have no money and are you spending a lot of money on each daughter-in-law? It's not like you can't get a daughter-in-law, is it necessary? None of my dad's best friends spent so much money.

Zhang Mingyou was distracted by what he said, thinking about the first half of his sentence, and muttered casually, "Didn't they start it themselves?"

Ping An understood what he meant. It was simply that the elders had already offered a high betrothal gift, and if their daughter-in-law offered less, they would lose face. But what is face?

Can face be eaten, or can it bring real benefits?

If he were to marry a wife and even try to compare it to the amount his own mother paid as a betrothal gift, believe it or not, even his father would beat him to death. What kind of wife would he even marry?