The train that Li Chengxi was on was delayed and finally arrived at Xiangcheng Railway Station at around five in the evening.

It was already past seven in the evening when he had arranged everything, but he still couldn't resist the urge to see Lin Tao right away. He borrowed a car from Jiang Hongcai and drove for more than 40 minutes to the door of Lin's house. It was already past eight o'clock.

It was so late that most people in the village were asleep.

Li Chengxi thought Lin Tao should be asleep, so he didn't plan to knock on the door to wake her up, but he didn't regret running all the way here.

He never does anything he regrets.

He stood at the door for a while, and his ardent longing for Lin Tao in his heart eased a little.

Just when he was about to go back, the door was opened.

Then the scene just now happened.

Fortunately, it was already late and there were not many people outside, otherwise it would have been really embarrassing.

In fact, under normal circumstances, Lin Tao would have fallen asleep by this time.

But I have been thinking about Li Chengxi recently and I can't sleep. Today, I felt a little blocked in my heart. I originally planned to go out for some fresh air, but I didn't expect to see Li Chengxi.

Upon learning that Lin Tao was worried about him, Li Chengxi felt guilty and apologized to her sincerely.

Before Lin Tao asked, Li Chengxi took the initiative to explain why he was late: "Before coming to see you, I went back to Shanghai and brought my grandmother over."

Lin Tao was surprised: "Grandma is here too? Shanghai is so far away from Xiangcheng, she must be very tired after sitting on the train for such a long time."

"I was worried that her body wouldn't be able to handle it, but my grandmother insisted on coming to see us get married, so I didn't worry. When we came, we got two soft sleepers, so we slept all the way here, so it wasn't a big deal. But my grandmother is old after all, and she was tired after sitting on the train for such a long time, so she went to rest when we got to the hotel. I was thinking about you, so I hurried over to see you."

When he said the last sentence, Li Chengxi's voice unconsciously lowered a little, deep and seductive.

Lin Tao's face was a little hot: "Now that you have seen me, you should go back and take care of grandma. Grandma is old and unfamiliar with the place. It will be inconvenient without you by her side."

"Hold me for a little longer and then we'll go back." Li Chengxi opened his arms towards Lin Tao.

Although Lin Tao felt a little embarrassed, she couldn't bear to reject this man who was exhausted and wanted to see her as soon as possible.

.

She took two steps forward and walked into his arms, letting his long, strong arms embrace her completely.

The previous hug was too hasty. Only now did she feel the strong heartbeat of the man in his chest, as well as the smell of his body, which was masculine but not unpleasant, and had a faint scent of soap.

"Okay, go quickly." Lin Tao urged in a low voice.

Li Chengxi did not delay this time. He opened his arms and said, "I will come to propose marriage with my grandmother tomorrow."

"Okay." Lin Tao nodded. She had already prepared to marry him.

After watching Li Chengxi walk away, Lin Tao turned around and walked into the yard.

It was almost eight o'clock, and Lin Tao thought Lin Changhai had fallen asleep. But when she entered the yard, she found a person sitting in the dark yard, and she was shocked.

Lin Tao hesitated: "Dad? Why haven't you slept yet?"

She looked at her father and then at the outside of the yard, thinking that it was already dark, and even though there was moonlight, she shouldn't be able to see outside from this angle, right?

I felt a little uneasy again.

Her father probably didn’t see her hugging Li Chengxi just now, right?

Seeing her like this, Lin Changhai immediately guessed what she was thinking.

He coughed dryly and said, "Don't guess, Dad has seen it all. Is Xiao Li here?"

Lin Tao's heart skipped a beat: "Dad, we..."

"Don't be nervous. I'm not going to scold you. I was young once too, and I know how you young people think. At the same time, I'm quite confident in you and Xiao Li. I know you both know your limits and won't do anything you shouldn't do."

When Lin Changhai was talking, Lin Tao stood beside him and listened obediently, occasionally showing a playful expression.

"And I just heard from Xiao Li that his grandmother came along too? From Shanghai to Xiangcheng, the old lady came all the way here, it all shows how much she values ​​you. I feel relieved to leave you to such a family."

His words were full of relief, but the look he gave Lin Tao in the darkness was also full of reluctance.

"Dad..." Lin Tao felt a little sad after hearing what he said.

Lin Changhai stood up and said, "Okay, it's late, you should go to bed early. Dad will ask for leave from the factory tomorrow, let's treat grandma and the others well."

********************

It happened that everyone worked hard during the Grain in Ear Festival and completed the target ahead of schedule. To reward everyone, the brigade killed a pig.

Every household could exchange their work points for pork.

Lin Tao got up early, queued up and exchanged his work points for half a pound of pork. He felt it was not enough, so he spent money to buy half a pig's trotter.

Seeing the people around him getting jealous, he asked Mrs. Lin who was queuing with him, "Auntie Lin, what big happy event did your second son have today that he even bought pig's trotters?"

Old Lady Lin was unhappy about Lin Tao's affairs. She said, "I don't care about them. The family has been divided. I just pretend that I don't have this son."

In the past, Old Lady Lin disliked Lin Tao, but now she dislikes Lin Changhai as well.

Lin Tao knew why. The last time Lin Hui got married, there was such a big mess that the Lin family became a laughing stock in the village. At that time, Old Mrs. Lin was too embarrassed to go out.

She was so angry that she started to say that it was all Lin Tao's fault. If Lin Tao had not refused to marry Shen Guobin, how could Lin Hui have married him? And how could such a shameful thing have happened?

Lin Tao was filled with questions after hearing these words. Didn't Lin Hui want to marry Shen Guobin because she said she couldn't have children? Was marrying Shen Guobin her best choice?

Why is it my fault again?

However, Lin Tao has gotten used to her grandmother's messy behavior and just ignores it. She will also say a few words to her if she gets irritated.

Her father was even more direct. He did not sit idle during the days he was recuperating at home. He directly got bricks and cement, and built a wall between the yards of the first and second rooms, completely dividing the family.

Lin Tao started to cook pig's feet in the stove as soon as she got home.

My grandmother is old and her teeth may not be very good, so the pig's trotters must be stewed for a longer time, until the skin and meat of the pig's trotters are trembling and it is best if you can poke a hole in it with chopsticks.

Lin Tao also sprinkled a handful of soybeans in it. The soybeans were stewed with the pig's feet for a longer time. After eating, it was extra crispy, mixed with the rich meat flavor, and it melted in the mouth as soon as it entered the mouth.

Next was some scrambled eggs with tomatoes and loofah soup. The pickled sour beans from last time were ready to eat, so Lin Tao used them to make sour beans with minced meat, adding one or two dried chilies to enhance the flavor. It was slightly spicy and served as a side dish.

Li Chengxi can eat spicy food because he has lived in Sichuan for several years, and his grandmother is a native Shanghainese. Lin Tao has never been out of Hunan since she was a child, let alone eating Shanghainese food. She can only cook a few non-spicy dishes according to her own ideas, hoping that her grandmother will like them.

Aunt Fang knew that Li Chengxi and grandma were coming today, so she killed an old hen and stewed it in the morning. She also put some pine mushrooms that she had found in the mountains and made a delicious dish.

Old hen stewed with mushrooms.

I got up at five in the morning to kill the chicken, and stewed it until eight o'clock when it was packed tightly and sent it over.

Lin Tao quickly declined: "Aunt Fang, you can keep it for you and Manman. I have some vegetables here."

"Take it quickly. Don't be polite to Aunt Fang." Aunt Fang said in the tone of an elder.

"I know you must be busy today. I wanted to help you, but I was afraid that it would have a bad impact and others would say something unpleasant, so I stewed the chicken at home and brought it to you. You are about to get married, and Aunt Fang is really happy for you."

"Aunt Fang..."

"Okay, let's stop talking. Aunt Fang is gone, so go and get busy. The clothes you're wearing today are very nice, and you look elegant and graceful. Grandma Chengxi will definitely like it when she sees you."

Lin Tao felt a little sad as she watched Aunt Fang turn around and leave.

She understood that Aunt Fang truly treated her as her own daughter.

Not long after, Li Chengxi drove over with his grandmother.

The car was the same one that Jiang Hongcai had borrowed last time, but the last time it was at night, this time it was in broad daylight. Most of the villagers in Taohua Village were at home, and when they saw a small car coming to the village entrance, many people came out to watch the excitement.

After all, in their village, if anyone could afford a 28-ton truck, they would be considered very rich. Normally, you could hardly find a car.

When he saw that the person who got out of the car was Li Chengxi, he was even more shocked.

Because some people saw Lin Tao dating someone before, and some curious people went to ask Old Lady Lin who the young man was.

Old Mrs. Lin had heard from Lin Hui before that Lin Tao was dating someone, but the guy was a gigolo who couldn't even afford a movie ticket.

So whenever someone asked her about it, she would say in a very contemptuous tone that the other person was just a poor pretty boy, and that Lin Tao was really blind, as she didn't want such a good marriage that she had chosen for her, and instead insisted on marrying off such a useless guy, which was simply shameless.

But who can tell them now how a poor pretty boy can possibly afford a sedan?

Moreover, some of the gifts in the poor pretty boy's hands were things they had never seen before, but the exquisite packaging boxes didn't look cheap.

If Shen Guobin was generous and brought a lot of things when he first came to his father-in-law's house, then what was this poor pretty boy compared to him?

Everyone watching the excitement began to feel jealous, especially those who were waiting to see Lin Tao laugh. They were muttering in their hearts,

I'm afraid it's not Li Chengxi who is poor, it's them who are poor...

There was also someone who was looking for trouble and pulled Lin Chang's mother to say, "In the beginning, you didn't allow your Lin Chang to be with Lin Tao. Look at who Lin Tao is with now..."

In return, Lin Chang's mother rolled her eyes and spitted at him.

Even so, she would not let her Lin Chang be with Lin Tao, the coffin! It was other people's business if they were not in a clear mind. Anyway, she was very clear-headed. No matter how beautiful and virtuous Lin Tao was, she would not look down on her!

Coffins mean bad luck!

Don't let Fang ruin their luck!

……………………

Grandma Li was a very kind person. Seeing a lot of people watching them, she was not unhappy at all. Instead, she took the initiative to greet everyone.

It's just that everyone usually brags in front of the villagers, but when it comes to Grandma Li, no one dares to say a word.

Grandma Li didn't care and followed Li Chengxi to Lin Tao's house.

Before coming, Li Chengxi had already given grandma a brief introduction to the situation in Lin Tao's family, and grandma knew it very well.

The reason why the grandmother insisted on coming along was, firstly, that she felt that her only grandson was getting married and she had to be present; and even if it was for Li Chengxi's mother who had died early, she had to go and see it on her behalf.

The second reason is that although it is a new society now, the elderly are still from the old times and they still attach great importance to the three matchmakers and six betrothals.

She knew that Li Chengxi didn't get along with his father and stepmother, and they would definitely not come to propose marriage. If she didn't come, how could she be worthy of the girl?

So she had to come. She wanted to let Lin Tao know that she valued her granddaughter-in-law very much.

Although she had only spoken to Lin Tao once on the phone before, the relationships between people were so magical that she could understand how good some people were even if she had never met them.

Besides, the girl that her husband Cheng Xi likes must be good.

After meeting Lin Tao, Grandma Li felt even more that what she said was right. What a nice girl! She was pleasing to the eye.

Although Lin Tao said it was the first time she met Grandma Li and she was still a little shy, she was not stage-frightened. She quickly invited the old lady to come in and sit for a while, and poured a cup of tea for her and Li Chengxi respectively.

Lin Changhai also asked about Grandma Li's health and asked if she was tired after sitting in the car for such a long time.

The two families finally met, and the parents

We talked about getting married.

Grandma Li was very generous with the dowry. She wanted to make sure that everything that Lin Tao had was included, and if others didn't have anything, she would add it to the dowry.

But Lin Changhai said he didn't want a dowry. He only had this one daughter, and as long as Li Chengxi could treat Lin Tao well, it would be better than anything else.

In front of Lin Changhai, Grandma Li took out an exquisitely wrapped antique wooden box from her cloth bag. Inside was a jade bracelet with excellent water content and a lustrous look. She put it on Lin Tao's wrist.

This jade bracelet is really valuable. Lin Tao looked at Li Chengxi at a loss.

Li Chengxi reassured her with his eyes that everything was fine.

"This is our family heirloom. Originally, it was a pair. One was given to Chengxi's aunt and the other to Chengxi's mother. Later, his mother passed away, so I kept the jade bracelet. I planned to give it to Chengxi's wife when he got married in the future. Ah Tao, grandma is giving the jade bracelet to you now."

Li Chengxi also said: "Uncle Lin, I will always be good to Tao in my life."

When Li Chengxi said this, Lin Tao looked at him sideways, his face full of determination and sincerity.

She understood and believed that what he said was true.

The marriage was discussed and the pig's feet were stewed, and the four of them sat together happily and started to eat.

Grandma's teeth were pretty good, but the soft and glutinous stewed pig's trotters were just what she liked. She also praised Lin Tao's cooking skills and said that Li Chengxi was really lucky to have met Ah Tao.

He also said that it was no wonder that even though his organization and family urged him to get married, he turned a deaf ear to them, because it turned out that fate was waiting for him.

Peach and plum trees are so beautiful that people come to them without saying a word. Even their names come from the same poem.

Isn't it fate?

The second house was only allocated two rooms, which were not enough for people to live in. Moreover, Li Chengxi and Lin Tao were only engaged now, and the actual wedding would have to wait until half a month later on June 8th. It was really not appropriate for them to live in the house.

Fortunately, they had a car, so it was convenient for them to go back.

Lin Changhai and Lin Tao sent them to the village gate and watched the car drive away before they decided to go back.

Grandma Li sat in the back seat and joked to Li Chengxi, "Well, the wedding is only half a month away, don't be so reluctant."

Li Chengxi had never been joked by his grandmother like this since he grew up. He immediately withdrew his gaze in embarrassment and stopped looking at Lin Tao's back through the rearview mirror. He concentrated on driving.

As for Lin

On the way back, Chang Hai and Lin Tao were inevitably asked by the villagers about Li Chengxi's background. Lin Changhai openly told them that Li Chengxi was the commander of the naval regiment.

Old Mrs. Lin originally thought that Lin Tao was dating a poor man and that she would not be able to get any benefits from the betrothal gift, so she ignored Lin Tao's affairs for a long time.

She had just returned from her parents' home a few days ago and was embarrassed by the villagers. After learning that Lin Tao's boyfriend's family was rich, she hurried to find Lin Changhai to ask about the bride price.

Facing Mrs. Lin's questioning, Lin Changhai made it clear that he would not take a penny of the betrothal gift.

Old Mrs. Lin was so angry that she stood at the door with her hands on her hips and cursed: "You can continue to protect this unlucky person. Go and ask which family doesn't ask for a dowry when marrying off their daughter? A daughter who is married off is like water spilled on the ground. If you don't ask for more dowry when she gets married, aren't you just raising a loser for nothing? Besides, the Li family is so rich. If they really like Lin Tao, would they still feel sorry for this little dowry? I think they are just not sincere and want to get a cheap daughter-in-law for free!"

After scolding, seeing that Lin Changhai's face had turned dark and a little embarrassed, he started a conciliatory policy.

She slowed down her voice and said, "Second brother, think about it carefully. I am your mother, how can I harm you? After all, Lin Tao is married and belongs to someone else's family. We are a real family. Even though your eldest brother has separated from you, he still has you as his younger brother in his heart. You don't have a son, so won't you still have to rely on your nephew to support you in your old age? Even if you don't want the betrothal money, you can give it to your nephew, and then..."

Lin Tao pursed her lips and retorted: "Grandma, you don't have to worry about my dad's affairs, and my uncle and cousin don't have to worry about it either. I will take care of my dad in his old age."

"You just talk nicely. When you get married, you belong to someone else's family. Why would you care about your father's life or death? Your father has no son and he won't even have anyone to throw pots at when he dies. Do you want your father to be laughed at to death by the villagers? You have such evil thoughts..."

Before he even finished saying the word "poisonous", Lin Changhai had already slammed the door shut, making Old Lady Lin's nose crooked with anger.

Lin Tao sighed, thinking of what Mrs. Lin had just said, and assured Lin Changhai: "Dad, even if I get married, I will always be your daughter, and I will not ignore you."

Lin Changhai smiled and said, "Dad knows, and Dad believes you, so just don't listen to your grandma."

************************

The next step is to prepare for marriage.

Grandma Li is very

Active, I started getting busy as soon as the marriage was decided.

The Jiang family also contributed a lot to this matter. Whenever Aunt Jiang was free, she would accompany Grandma Li to buy things for the wedding, determined to make this wedding a grand and lively one.

On the other hand, the Lin family was also preparing for the wedding, and Aunt Fang was not idle either.

She originally planned to buy some cloth and cotton to make a new quilt for Lin Tao as a wedding dowry, but considering that Lin Tao couldn't take it with her, she decided to make a set of clothes instead.

Lin Manman also secretly used the money she had saved for a long time to prepare a gift for Lin Tao.

It seems that Lin Changhai has been busy with something recently. Lin Tao rarely sees him when he is at home, so she goes to Aunt Fang's house whenever she has time.

"Aunt Fang, I actually have clothes to wear, so I don't need to make so many clothes."

"No matter how much you give, it can't compare to what I've prepared for you. Aunt Fang should give you something for your wedding." Aunt Fang said with a smile.

Lin Tao supported her chin with one hand and watched Aunt Fang operating the sewing machine, but she was thinking about something else.

In fact, she has been thinking about this matter for a long time, especially in recent times, she has thought about it carefully again.

She decided to bring it up anyway.

While Lin Manman was out, Lin Tao said in a tentative tone: "Aunt Fang, I want to tell you something."

"Go ahead, I'm listening." Aunt Fang responded while cutting clothes.

"Aunt Fang, you have been very caring towards my father and me over the years, and we have become one family. Because of this incident, many people in the village still gossip about you and your father. In fact, sometimes I wonder if our two families can truly become one family?"

While Lin Tao was speaking, she paid slightly nervous attention to Aunt Fang's expression.

Aunt Fang obviously didn't expect that Lin Tao would say this. She stopped what she was doing, looked at Lin Tao and said seriously, "Tao, Aunt Fang knows what you are thinking, and I know your intentions are good, but Aunt Fang can't agree to this."

This was somewhat unexpected by Lin Tao, because Aunt Fang had indeed devoted a lot to their family over the years. It can be said that without Aunt Fang's help, their family's life would never have been so easy.

Moreover, Aunt Fang's concern for them is real.

She thought...

Aunt Fang also had the same idea.

Fortunately, Aunt Fang did not get angry because of her abruptness. Instead, she reached out and held her hand, patting her gently.

I patted my head to show that I didn't blame her.

Her face showed the expression that only a mother would have towards her own child, and her tone was gentle: "A Tao, the relationship between your father and I is not what you think. Your mother and I are good sisters. We were both married here for only a month, and our personalities were compatible, so it was easy for us to become friends. At that time, I was pregnant before your mother, and we even talked about arranging a baby marriage. Who would have known that Manman's brother had such a hard life and met a grandma like that..."

Lin Tao had a vague idea about what happened back then. It seemed that Aunt Fang's first child had a fever. Logically, it would be fine if she just fed him more water. However, her parents-in-law believed in folk remedies and said tadpoles could reduce fever, so they caught live tadpoles for the child to eat.

The child died because of this. He was only three months old at the time.

Because of this, Aunt Fang completely separated from them, and even after she gave birth to Lin Manman, she never let them take care of her for a single day.

Thinking back to the past, Aunt Fang still felt a little sad: "At that time, I really felt that I couldn't live anymore, and I really wanted to die with my child. It was your mother who stayed with me day and night, and persuaded me. Later, she fainted because she didn't get enough rest. Later, I went to the hospital for a check-up and found out that she was pregnant with you. Ah Tao, if it weren't for your mother at that time, I really would have chosen not to live."

"Later, your mother passed away. I was sad for a long time. The only thing I could do for her was to take good care of you. Aunt Fang actually knows what you are thinking. You are a good child, but Aunt Fang cannot be with your father. And have you told your father about this? Your father certainly would not think so. Your father is a good man, and he always has your mother in his heart."

When Lin Tao returned from Aunt Fang's house, she was still thinking about Aunt Fang's words.

When she got home, she found the door was opened. It must be her father who came back.

After hearing what Aunt Fang said, Lin Tao had given up the idea of ​​letting her father and Aunt Fang be together, and she didn't plan to tell her father about it.

When she walked to the door and was about to ask her father what he wanted to eat tonight, she saw through the gap in the window that her father was sitting on a chair, holding her mother's tablet in his arms, and carefully wiping the non-existent dust on it.

While wiping, he said: "Arong, our daughter is getting married soon. Our son-in-law is tall and handsome, and he is also very kind to our daughter A Tao. There is really nothing wrong with him. If you meet him, you will definitely be very satisfied. Time flies. It has been almost 20 years since you left.

But sometimes when I wake up, I feel like you have never left us. I often think of the year when you sent me a letter telling me that you were pregnant with our child. When I received the letter, I was so happy that I couldn’t help but hug the postman and turn around...Arong, Arong..."

By the end, Lin Changhai, a grown man, was already in tears.

Men don't shed tears easily, but they do when they are heartbroken.

The death of his first wife was what saddened Lin Changhai.

Lin Tao stood at the door for more than ten minutes. In the end, she didn't ask her father what he wanted to eat, but returned to her room with red eyes.

I opened the closet and found some baby clothes, tiger-head hats, tiger-head shoes...

These were prepared for her by her mother before she was born.

Although she had never seen her mother since she was born, over the years, whenever she was wronged outside, she would come back and hug these old clothes as if she was hugging her own mother.

Her father told me that when she was little, she recognized the smell of these clothes and had to hold them when she went to sleep, otherwise she would cry.

In fact, how could she ever forget her mother?

The reason why she took the initiative to match Aunt Fang and her father was not because she had no feelings for her mother.

Maybe she has seen too many men who have lost their wives and remarry. Some of them have new wives after a month or two, and some get married after a year or two. The latter are already regarded as having affection and loyalty in the eyes of outsiders.

Her father had not remarried in 20 years, and she thought he was afraid that she would be unhappy, so he never mentioned it. She was also afraid that after she got married, her father would be too lonely, and because of her relationship with Aunt Fang, she couldn't help but mention it.

But now she realized that she had underestimated the power of love and friendship.

She was overthinking the relationship between her father and Aunt Fang.

From now on, she will never mention such things again.

Three days before the wedding, Lin Tao took Li Chengxi to visit her mother's grave.

Her mother was buried on the hillside opposite their house. When she was at home, she could see it by just opening the window.

It is written on the tomb: Tomb of Lin Changhai’s wife Tao Rong.

Yes, her mother's surname was Tao, so she was called Lin Tao, because it sounds the same as Tao, and also because her mother loved to eat peaches from the peach tree at the village gate when she was pregnant.

"Mom, I brought Cheng Xi to see you." Lin Tao said while burning paper money.

Li Chengxi lit incense and promised to the grave that he would

Be good to Lin Tao all your life.

The two stayed here for a while, and Lin Tao told Li Chengxi about her childhood: "When I was little, if I was scared at night, I would open the window of my room, so I could see my mother, and I felt that she was protecting me, and I was not afraid at all."

Li Chengxi listened silently and held her slender wrist: "I will protect you in place of mom in the future."