"Meili, give Dongqiang to Meihao, we need to discuss something."

"Oh!" Fang Meili guessed what it was about; it was time to discuss it.

"Mom, Dad, are you talking about finding a son-in-law to live with us?" Fang Meili asked.

What are your thoughts?

“I still want to get married.” Fang Meili bit her lip and lowered her head. “Those who are willing to come to our home are usually from families that are not as good as ours, or they are not as good as me. I don’t want to find someone worse off than me just so that my husband can come to our home.”

“Merry, you can’t think like that. Some young men are decent people. It’s just that maybe his family lives in the mountains and it’s inconvenient for him, or there are other family reasons. If he’s not a good person, we wouldn’t let you live with him.”

“I don’t want to stay here, to spend my whole life in this village,” Fang Meili added.

“This is your root, this is your home. Even if you marry into another village, you will still be in the countryside. We ordinary people and farmers still want to go to the city.”

"Yeah, I really want to go to the city."

“Girls from our rural area all marry men from rural areas, and they only want to marry men from the city, men with jobs.”

"You want someone like Mei Hao who will have a job in the future? I'm only fit to marry someone from the countryside," Fang Meili couldn't help but retort.

“Merry, what are you talking about now? The people who come to arrange marriages are all from families similar to ours. As long as the couple works hard, they will have a good life.”

"Mom, Dad, I know the situation at home. Think about it, if I take in a son-in-law and have two daughters, now you can only have two children at most, right? Even if both daughters get married and leave, it'll still be the same, right? Are you going to keep me in this situation? Or do I have to take in a son-in-law for one of my daughters in the future?"

Fang Meili's words silenced her parents.

"Don't take this kind of thing so seriously. As long as everyone can live a good life, that's all that matters. If Meixiang and I also do well in our studies and get into university and find jobs, you won't be so hung up on this."

“That would definitely be for your future, but that’s not the case right now,” Fang Meixiang’s mother sighed.

“Mother, I have an idea. After I get married, Dongqiang will still be at home. He also has the surname Fang, so I can treat him as your son,” Fang Meili said in a low voice.

Fang Meixiang's parents looked at each other. "We've thought about this. Dongqiang wants to raise Meixiang seedlings in the future. If he stays at home and also takes care of us, it will put too much pressure on him."

Fang Meixiang rocked back and forth in her chair, then suddenly realized, "Oh, you're thinking about your retirement. What's the big deal? Meihao and I will take care of you, no matter where I am."

“Merry, we know you’re quick to speak but soft-hearted. You’re not married yet, you’re inexperienced and don’t understand things. A family isn’t that simple. You’ll have to manage your own family and take care of your in-laws. It’s fine to visit occasionally, but if anything happens, the responsibility will be hard to bear.”

Fang Meili listened and put down the wobbly chair.

"I can make my own decisions about my parents."

“I know you have this intention, but there are some things you won’t know unless you’ve experienced them,” Fang Meixiang’s mother continued to persuade her.

“Mother, how about this? If this man is good in every way and he’s willing to come, then we’ll take him in,” Fang Meili thought for a moment and then said, “But why would someone with such good qualities be willing to come to our house?”

"Meihao, Meihao!" Fang Meili called Meihao over.

"Second sister, what's the matter?" Fang Meihao brought Fang Dongqiang over.

Fang Meili pulled Fang Dongqiang over, squatted down, and asked, "Dongqiang, do you like staying at Grandma's house?"

"like!"

"Then you can stay at Grandma's house from now on, okay?"

"good!"

"Mom, Dongqiang said he's here." Fang Meili said with a smile to her mother.

"What does a three-year-old know? He's here now, you're treating him well, he has food, of course he likes being here."

"Meihao, from now on, Mom and Dad will raise you together, okay?"

“Of course we’ll raise them together,” Fang Meihao replied immediately.

"You really don't want to be here?" Fang Meixiang's mother looked at Fang Meili.

"Mom, whether I want to stay here or not has nothing to do with how good I am to you in the future. I just want to have a better future."

"How else can you develop? Where do you want to develop it to?"

"I don't know. Anyway, just staying at home year after year farming, just to have enough to eat and survive, is not the life I want."

"What else can farmers do if they don't farm? Now we've started growing hybrid rice, and the yield is getting higher every year. We can sell what we can't eat. Before, we couldn't even eat enough for a whole year."

“Mom, let’s do this. If there’s someone really well-off, someone I like, and someone willing to come to our home, then we’ll take them in. If they’re better off than us but don’t want to come, Meihao and I will raise you together. We’ll raise you the way other families do, just like how two sons support their parents. Meihao, is that okay?”

“Sure,” Fang Meihao nodded again.

"You make it sound so easy now, but will your husbands and in-laws agree in the future?"

"If you don't agree, then I won't marry you. Don't your own parents care? How can you really say that you're their family whether you're born or die? Let's make that clear before you get married!" Fang Meili came to her mother and said, "Mom, don't worry. We'll take care of you when you and Dad get old."

Then she turned to Fang Dongqiang and asked, "Dongqiang, you also take care of your grandparents, right?"

Fang Dongqiang nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

“You’ve raised Dongqiang since he was little; he’s like half a son to you,” Fang Meixiang’s mother said with emotion.

Fang Meili patted Dongqiang's head and said, "If we take good care of her and train her well, I can enjoy the benefits of her in the future. If we just leave her with Fang Damiao, I don't know what kind of person she will become."

“Meihao, Dongqiang will be able to read in a few years. When you come back from your holiday, you must teach him properly.” Fang Meili said, then turned to Fang Meihao.

"Meixiang is blessed to have two sisters who can help her," Fang Meixiang's mother sighed, her tone full of relief.

Whether or not Fang Meili should find a son-in-law to live with her family is something that will be put on hold for now.

In September, Fang Mei went to university.

The men's families that the matchmaker introduced to Fang Meili were indeed not as good in terms of conditions as the ones she married into.

Fang Meixiang's parents were also caught in a dilemma.

“We’ll talk about it when we get old. It’s important that Meili lives a good life. It’s up to Meili to decide,” Fang Meixiang’s father relented first.

Fang Meixiang's mother nodded, "Alright, it's up to Meili to decide."

After Fang Meili discovered that Mei Hao had been admitted to university, the matchmaker told her that the family of her future husband was better off than the families that had been mentioned before.

Matchmakers may subtly adjust the matchmaking based on the individual's family situation.

"Merry, what do you think of this family the matchmaker mentioned?"

"Let me think about it some more. There's no rush now. Let's wait until the second half of the year is over. I'll take care of Dongqiang for another six months."

"Next year, they can take care of him themselves." Fang Meixiang's mother looked at Fang Dongqiang, who was playing on the ground.