Chapter 86
When Mr. Li saw the money, he naturally agreed to plant the fruit trees and promised that he would complete the installation for her before the end of the year.
On the way back, Zhong Miao was particularly happy.
"Are you so happy?"
"Of course, this time we made a lot of money."
Although the decoration these days is not as luxurious as the later ones, it is still a considerable expense. It is not necessarily the case that the decoration cost is the same as the purchase price of the villa. Zhong Miao thinks that this is not always the case. It mainly depends on how the decoration is done.
However, 40,000 yuan to build three villas, including a yard, is an unimaginably cheap price.
"It's okay. I can earn back this little money in no time."
"Yeah, you're the best."
"You're just good at talking nonsense, can't you be more practical?"
"I'll treat you to a meal."
"OK."
Zhong Miao doesn't care about money at all. Once all the small bungalows in her family are demolished, she can make the money back in minutes. By then, she will be Zhong Fang Duoduo Miao.
-
Qingming Festival is approaching. In order to visit the graves of Pei Ze's father and elder brother and sister-in-law, Zhong Miao and her mother-in-law have made a lot of preparations. She just passed the school exam last year during Qingming Festival, and Pei Ze was also busy, so her mother-in-law went to visit the graves by herself.
This year, my mother-in-law prepared five stir-fried dishes and divided them into two portions. My eldest brother and sister-in-law were buried together, and my father-in-law was buried on top of them.
Zhong Miao also divided his portion into two parts, each with five kinds of fruits, five of each kind, and fifteen steamed buns. The rest was white wine, water, paper money and incense.
Early in the morning, the mother-in-law took the young couple and An An up the mountain and walked towards the cemetery.
"Wife, how about I carry you on my back?"
The mountain road was difficult to walk on. Pei Ze saw that she was holding An An's hand and taking one step forward and one step back. She was not as steady as An An, so he was a little worried.
"No, I'll walk slowly."
"Then give me what you have in your hand."
"Okay." Zhong Miao handed the paper money and incense in her hand to Pei Ze. She just needed to concentrate on holding An An's hand.
"Miaomiao hasn't been up the mountain for a long time, let's walk slowly."
Zhang Weilan was carrying a small bamboo basket on her back, which was filled with vegetables and fruits. It was very heavy, and her son wanted to help her carry it but she refused. She was an old woman who worked all year round and had plenty of strength. With so many things, she couldn't let her son get tired alone.
My daughter-in-law is still a child, like a girl of seventeen or eighteen years old. How much strength can she have? It’s enough for her to take care of An An.
"Grandma, you and Pei Ze both have things with you. You can go first. Don't worry about me. I'll walk slowly on my own."
"Mom, you go up first, I'll watch them."
The old mother was carrying heavy things, so Pei Ze wanted her to go up and unload first.
"That's fine. I'll go up first." Zhang Weilan did not let her son and daughter-in-law down. It would be better for her to go up early and prepare in the morning.
After walking for a while, Zhong Miao got used to it and took a bag of steamed buns from Pei Ze. An An also clamored for something, so Pei Ze handed him a box of incense as a token of his appreciation.
There is no tombstone on my father-in-law's grave yet. My mother-in-law is thinking that after she dies, they will be buried together and the tombstone will be erected then.
When they came up, the mother-in-law had already prepared the fried dishes and fruits, and Pei Ze started to arrange the steamed buns and drinks.
Zhong Miao helped her mother-in-law pull out the weeds around the grave. After Pei Ze placed these things and lit incense, he knelt down and kowtowed.
When An An saw his father kneeling down, he knelt down too.
"An An, kowtow to grandpa." Pei Ze touched An An's little head.
An An imitated his father and kowtowed, but he didn't know what to say, so he just shouted, "Grandpa, An An is here."
After Zhong Miao finished her work, she went over and bowed with her mother-in-law. Pei Ze toasted his father, talked about what had happened in the past two years, and introduced his wife to his father.
Afterwards, we went to my brother and sister-in-law’s grave. My mother-in-law had been able to hold back her tears just now, but when she got here, she really couldn’t help it and shed tears silently.
The mother-in-law wiped her tears while placing the tributes, "Big brother, big brother's wife, we are here. Look, your brother's wife is so nice. She even came to sweep your grave."
Zhong Miao was wiping the tombstone, Pei Ze was weeding, and An An also helped. This child has become much more sensible after going to school. Needless to say, he can take the initiative to find work to do.
Zhong Miao stood in front of the tombstone and bowed.
"An An, come here and say hello to your parents."
An An knew his own background, and his family had never hidden it from him since he was a child. In the village, such things could not be concealed even if one wanted to. Moreover, Pei Ze and Zhang Weilan always felt that the sooner they told the child, the easier it would be for him to accept it.
An An knelt down and said, "Dad, Mom, I'm here. I have a dad and a mom now. You don't have to worry about me. My mom teaches me how to draw and write, plays with me, and buys me toys and beef pie. She's very kind to me."
After hearing An An's words, Zhang Weilan burst into laughter, "Big brother, big brother's wife, don't worry, with the second brother and Miaomiao around, An An will definitely have a bright future."
"Of course, brother and sister-in-law, don't worry, Zhong Miao and I treat An An as our own son."
Pei Ze felt sad when he thought of his elder brother and sister-in-law. He had just been assigned a job in the capital at that time and was unable to see them for the last time. When he came back, his elder brother and sister-in-law had turned into this grave mound.
He couldn't accept this fact at the time, but he didn't have time to indulge in sorrow. He had to take care of An An and his elderly mother, and he also had to go out to earn money and shoulder the burden of the family in place of his eldest brother.
When his brother and sister-in-law were still alive, they took care of everything at home so that he, his younger brother, could study with peace of mind and find a good job in a big city.
After his brother and sister-in-law passed away, he realized that it was not that the family did not need him, but that his eldest brother took on the responsibility of the family. His eldest brother earned money outside, and his eldest sister-in-law stayed at home to accompany her mother-in-law. It was because of this that he could go to college without any worries.
After his brother and sister-in-law met with misfortune, he was heartbroken, but he could only endure it. After all, no matter how sad he was, it could not compare to the pain of his old mother losing her son.
At that time, my father passed away, leaving my mother as a widow with a young son. The family was entirely supported by my mother and eldest brother. After great difficulty, my eldest brother got married and started a family, and he also went to college. My mother then gave birth to a young boy with white hair.
Thanks to An An, if it weren’t for An An, it would have been difficult for his mother and him to get through that difficult time.
Zhong Miao felt mixed emotions. She felt sorry for her mother-in-law, Pei Ze, and even more sorry for An An who had lost her parents since childhood. Now, this child called her "Mom."
When she first came here, she didn't care much and couldn't put herself in the role of a mother, but this child didn't treat her as an outsider at all and called her mom on the first day.
The word "Mom" carries a lot of weight, and she tried to avoid it at first.
Later, perhaps because they had been together for a long time, or because An An kept calling her "Mom," she had unknowingly treated An An as her own child.
Her mother-in-law is well-educated, not fussy, and has no airs. She loves her the most. Pei Ze is a man who values friendship. He is hardworking and family-oriented. Even if she uses the most critical eyes, she can't find any fault with him.
An An is a sensible and cute child, and I really treat her as my mother.
Although she has never been a mother, she has seen pigs run even if she has not seen pork. For An An, she can only do her best.
They are her family, a family that she will live with for a long time.
Zhong Miao changed his mind. This is how people are. It is difficult to change others, and it is not easy to change yourself either. Sometimes, change is still necessary. Don't make things difficult for yourself by being too serious, and end up in a dead end, hurting others and yourself.
Otherwise, why do people say that Zhong Miao is a clear-headed person? She never puts herself and Pei Ze in opposition. Even if they disagree and have different concepts, she just looks at him and his ideas objectively. Sometimes, she will also use this objectivity to examine herself.
It is precisely because of this objectivity that she can see the good in others and the root causes of the conflicts between them.
Since Pei Ze wants a promise, then she will give it to him. He is so good and it is worth her making changes for him and for this family.
In the future, as long as he remains unchanged, she will not leave him.
For her, Pei Ze suppressed his temper and went to do business, but Zhong Miao knew that he was not interested in this.
He was so free and easy, he turned into a kite and handed the string that controlled the direction to her personally.
He can change for her, and so can she.
After the tomb sweeping, they did not stay in the village for long and returned to their home in the city.
At night, Zhong Miao hugged Pei Ze and whispered in his ear, "Husband, husband."
"Hmm?" Pei Ze turned his head to look at her.
"You must always be nice to me from now on."
Pei Ze didn't understand why she said that, "Of course, you're my wife, who else can I treat if not you?"
"Yeah, as long as you keep treating me well, I promise not to leave you, okay?"
"Okay, do you keep your word?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
Pei Ze turned over and hugged her tightly. After a year, he finally warmed up this precious baby.
"Wife, that's great."
"Hahaha, that's right, I'm the best."
Pei Ze kissed her forehead. Indeed, she was the best baby and his treasure.
-
Li Guodong's wedding was held as early as March. It was held both in the village and in the city. It was such a lively occasion.
Zhong Miao and Pei Ze gave them a big red envelope of 500 yuan. During the wedding, the family lent them three cars. Zhong Ming and his daughter's brother-in-law also acted as drivers.
Zhong Ming personally experienced the bride-picking experience at Li Guodong's wedding. Looking at the joyous couple, he couldn't help but feel regretful. He didn't see his precious daughter getting married, nor did he see her off in person. This book-traveling experience was really unpredictable. In the blink of an eye, his daughter was already married. This became the biggest regret in his life.
Pei Ze helped out with everything at Li Guodong's wedding, which touched the newlyweds deeply.
Not long after Qingming Festival, Erwa and Li Hongmei's wedding was held. The newlyweds were both from the village, and the banquet was also held in the village. Li Hongmei's family's grand courtyard and newly built small building were covered with red stickers and red paper everywhere.
Erwa came to pick up the bride, and as expected, he was made difficult by Li Guodong. Li Guodong cherished Hongmei the most, but he didn't expect that she was stolen away by his own buddy without him knowing. The two of them were dating at the beginning, but their families didn't know about it.
Li Guodong and his parents only found out about it a few years ago.
Zhong Miao stayed in the house with Li Hongmei. "Your ideal husband has arrived. Just hold on a little longer. Your hero may not be riding on a rainbow of clouds, but he's still driving a car."
"But he was driving Uncle Zhong's car."
Zhong Ming's car is the most expensive and best in their family, while Pei Ze is still driving that old little car. Of course, he wants the best to pick up the bride.
The villagers’ worship of cars is understandable. Even in the city, whoever has a car is a good friend. When there is a happy event or an emergency, they hope that the other party can provide a car to help.
"Your family will soon be established. You two are so capable of earning so much, so things will only get better in the future."
"Yeah, that's right. I'm not jealous now. I can earn money myself."
Li Hongmei was so exhausted that she couldn't stand it any longer. "Please help me see why he hasn't come yet. I feel so uncomfortable dressed like this."
Zhong Miao stood at the window and looked at the situation below. "Your brother is really your stupid teammate. He is making things difficult for your ideal husband. He has no idea how hard it is for his sister, who is like a festive Christmas tree."
"What's a Christmas tree? Are there any trees like that in the village?"
"Pfft, a Christmas tree is a tree covered with decorations. Westerners always put one up for Christmas at the end of December every year. You look so festive with all the jewelry on you now, like a walking Christmas tree. Fortunately, you are sitting on the bed now, otherwise I would be afraid of the jingling noises."
"You, you're still laughing at me even though I'm like this. Just shout and tell my brother to let him in. I can't stand it anymore."
"Okay." Zhong Miao opened the window and shouted downstairs, "Brother-in-law, please let your brother-in-law in. Your sister is anxious."
"Pfft, Zhong Miao, we haven't even kissed yet and you're already teasing me." Li Hongmei was shy.
But Erwa, who was also dressed festively downstairs, looked up and replied cheerfully, "Okay, sister-in-law, I'll be right there."
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