Granny Liu turned her head and smiled, "Yunmei, perfect timing, come up and have a few bites."

Wang Yunmei quickly waved her hand, "No, I just ate. You guys eat first. I need to talk to you about something."

Granny Liu didn't stand on ceremony anymore. She put a few bites of food in her bowl, picked up the bowl, and walked out.

"Why are you eating so late today? I thought you had already finished eating!"

Wang Yunmei was still a little embarrassed, after all, it was their mealtime, and they were having a nice meal at home.

If it weren't for the good relationship between the two families, I would have really thought I was just craving their chicken!

"Xiao Wan got home, killed a chicken and cooked, so she was a little late. By the way, you just said you needed to talk to me, what is it?"

Speaking of this, Wang Yunmei first looked around before leaning close to Granny Liu and whispering, "Your Xiao Wu, Mingjiang, is twenty-two this year, isn't he? Why, haven't you thought about finding a wife yet?"

The Xu family's two youngest children were a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, which surprised the village when they were born.

"Hey, what's the rush for a boy like him? Besides, the fourth one isn't even settled yet. If he's not worried, why is he suddenly bringing this up?"

Wang Yunmei then told the truth, "Someone in town asked me to speak to your family, saying they've taken a liking to your fifth son."

The woman is from the town; her family owns a three-story house. Her mother is a teacher, and her father runs a small factory. The woman herself works at their home.

Granny Liu thought the conditions were quite good, so why did she take a liking to her own Xiao Wu? She knew very well that Xiao Wu was just a little taller and had fairer skin, but that couldn't fill her stomach.

So he directly asked his question, "Why would they approach our Xiao Wu with such good offers?"

"Well, their family has the means; they want their future children to take the woman's surname."

Sister, let me be fair: since you have many sons, it doesn't matter if they take the woman's surname, right?

"This is such a rare opportunity! They only have one child; all that inheritance will eventually go to your fifth child. You won't lose out."

Wang Yunmei genuinely thought it was a good idea. If the other party took a liking to her son, she would agree without hesitation and send him directly to their door.

Granny Liu frowned, suppressing her impatience, and replied with a smile, "I can't make the decision for Xiao Wu either. It's not like before. The children have to choose based on their own preferences. I'll ask around. I'll call and ask later."

"Okay, I'll wait for your news, hurry up!" Wang Yunmei knew that this was equivalent to becoming a live-in son-in-law, and she needed to think it over carefully.

Granny Liu looked preoccupied, which made Xu Mingwan glance at her several times.

After washing the last bowl and putting it in the cupboard, she took off her apron and sat down next to Granny Liu. "Mom, what was Aunt Wang saying to you just now? You look so worried."

Granny Liu glanced at her youngest daughter and said, "This has nothing to do with you. Go and have a few days of rest and play!"

"What's the point of playing? Everyone my age has gone out to work. The rest are either old or young. I can't play with them."

Tell me about it. I'm not going to tell anyone.

Granny Liu thought it would be good to have more people to discuss it, so she told her youngest daughter what Wang Yunmei had said.

"Do you think this is a good idea? I think our family's financial situation is just so-so. If your brother can marry a woman with good financial conditions, he will have a much easier time. At least he won't have to worry about housing."

Granny Liu and her husband Xu Hongshan had five sons and one daughter.

Xu Hongshan is hardworking and willing to work.

During the busy farming season, they farm at home; when they have free time, they weave bamboo baskets and other items to sell in town.

Sometimes, if he had too many eggs at home, he could sell them for a few yuan. He would also pickle radishes, pickled garlic, and anything else that could be sold, and carry it to town to sell.

So many people in town know him. As soon as they see him coming, they know that stingy old man Xu has arrived, because no one can take advantage of him, not even the aunties who are good at bargaining, haha!

Look, a few years ago, seeing that some people in the village were making money by selling peaches, I planted a lot of peach trees on the mountain, just waiting for them to bear fruit and sell for money!

There was a loquat tree in the backyard. Every year when it bore fruit, he would watch over it very strictly. If any children in the village looked around at the loquats, he would scold them away. In his heart, his grandchildren could not eat them casually; they had to wait until he sold them all first.

If Xu Mingwan were home at this time, she would secretly pick a few for her nephews and nieces while her father was away. She wouldn't dare pick too many, because her father would notice.

"I think we should ask the younger brother about this. It doesn't sound good to call someone a live-in son-in-law. Besides, even though our family isn't well-off, we can still build a single-story house. Look at my older brothers, they built their own houses, didn't they?"

Xu Mingwan and her younger brother are twins, and they have always been closer than her other brothers. She never wanted her younger brother to become a live-in son-in-law.

"Well, I have no objection. Living well is the most important thing. It's just that your dad definitely won't agree."

Granny Liu knew that her husband was a man who valued his reputation, and he would never do something that would make people gossip about him.

"So just leave it alone! The young man is still young! What's the rush?"

"Never mind, I'll call your brother sometime and ask him." Granny Liu thought it best to let her youngest son know for himself.

Xu Mingwan turned her head and saw the loquat tree in the backyard. She tugged at her mother's clothes and asked, "Mom, did Dad sell all the loquats this year? Are the ones on the tree still for sale?"

Granny Liu reached out and tapped her youngest daughter's forehead. "You're even more greedy than Panpan. Most of them have already been sold. The ones on the tree are for the family to eat. Pick some yourself if you want!"

"Okay." Xu Mingwan grabbed a small basket, climbed up the ridge, and stood on it to pick the fruit.

The old houses in this row are all built in a relatively low-lying area, with fields above them.

The loquat trees grow tall, so you can pick some by standing on the edge of the field.

Xu Mingwan quickly picked half a basketful before coming down, taking advantage of her father's inattention.

"Mom, all the ones on the sides are picked, the rest are inside, I can't reach them!"

“Your dad was afraid someone would pick them all, so he picked all the ones on the side a long time ago. Eat them first, and I’ll pick some for you tomorrow.”

Xu Mingwan didn't even wash it, just peeled one and stuffed it into her mouth. Mmm, the juice burst out as soon as it entered her mouth, sweet and delicious.

"Mom, how many more days can the loquats stay on the tree? I'll take some for my third sister-in-law when I leave; fruit is expensive outside."

After finishing her meal, Xu Mingwan was still thinking about Zhang Xuemei, who was pregnant, and how she probably hadn't had such delicious loquats outside.

"Yes, it's possible, but there aren't many left. If you want to take them, you'd better leave early, lest your dad sees them and gets itchy and wants to pick them to sell."