On the afternoon of the 29th, Huo Haocheng picked them up and first took them to a state-run restaurant for lunch. Then he took the two women home and finally drove them back to the Ruan family home. By the time they arrived home, it was almost 4 or 5 p.m.
At this moment, apart from a few people who were still at work, everyone was waiting for them at the Ruan family home. As soon as they entered, they received a warm welcome from the old ladies.
"Grandpa, Grandma, Grandpa and Grandma on the maternal side, these two are my younger brothers, Huo Haoshen and Zheng Xuyang," Huo Haocheng introduced the two to them as soon as he led his people into the room.
"These two are my grandparents, and these two are my maternal grandparents."
"Hello, Grandpa and Grandma, hello, Grandpa and Grandma on the other side," the two greeted the elderly respectfully.
Because Ruan Ruan and Huo Haoshen were nominally siblings since childhood, and the Zheng Xuyang brothers were also the brothers and sisters Ruan Ruan wanted to recognize, they were addressed as such along with Ruan Ruan.
"Good, good, good, you two are really handsome young men! Come, come, this is a gift from your grandparents."
"This is from your grandparents, take it quickly."
The two of them never expected that they would receive red envelopes at their age. Although the envelopes were small, each one contained twelve yuan, which symbolized a smooth year ahead.
"Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma, Grandpa and Grandma on both sides," the two said as they accepted the red envelopes.
"Come and sit down, everyone. We'll discuss the specific time and destination for tomorrow after your Uncle and Aunt Ruan get off work."
"Yes, we'll have to trouble you, Uncle and Aunt, then."
After the group sat down, they inquired about their work. Upon learning that Zheng Xuyang was the deputy factory director, managing their sales and after-sales work, and that Huo Haoshen mainly handled sales, they gained a new understanding of their work abilities.
After hearing about their experiences across the country, they understood even more why Ruan Ruan insisted on having them take up positions in the factory. These two were practically born for economic gain.
Grandpa Gu even wanted to poach his niece's boyfriends and have them work for the investment promotion department in Beijing, but that was just a thought. He knew that given the current situation, he could only suppress his excitement. When that day really came, neither of them would be able to escape.
As they chatted, time passed quickly, and the people who had been working also returned home.
Gu Wencheng and his wife Zhou Lifang also came along.
"Mom and Dad, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, you're back!" Ruan Ruan stood up and greeted them as they walked in. Huo Haoshen and Zheng Xuyang behind her stood up at the same time and looked at the people who came in.
Ruan Ruan's parents and Uncle Gu had met them when Ruan Ruan and Huo Haocheng got married; they were all present as the bride's family. The only person they hadn't met was Aunt Gu, Zhou Lifang, because she needed to take care of some elderly people in Beijing at the time, so she didn't go with them.
"Uncle Ruan, Aunt Ruan, Second Uncle, Second Aunt, it's been a long time. We're so sorry to trouble you all this time." After greeting them, the two respectfully offered their seats and sat down next to Huo Haocheng and Ruan Shaohong.
"Now that you're all back, let's talk about tomorrow's arrangements," the old man said, and they couldn't refuse.
“Dad, we discussed it beforehand and were thinking of leaving for the Lu family at 8 a.m. The main reason is that Lu Zhixing called me this morning and told me that he has other work arrangements for tomorrow and wanted to see if Songhuai and the others could go earlier so he could wait at home. Songhuai, Haoshen, it's not that the Lu family is being unreasonable, it's just that it's almost the New Year, and as the mayor, he really has too many things to arrange, so we hope you can understand.”
When he received Lu Zhixing's call, he was a little surprised. Why would this person want to call him? After learning what he meant, he expressed his understanding and said that he would explain the situation to his family after he got home, so that Lu Zhixing could rest assured.
After hearing Ruan Chuanji's words, they agreed. They were all on the same side, so there was no need to distinguish who came first. Since he had something to do and had explained, they could adjust their schedule and leave earlier. Anyway, they had a few days of rest, so it wouldn't make a difference.
“We have no objections, so let’s set off early, first to the Lu family to propose marriage, and then to the He family. Xuyang, what do you think?”
Huo Songhuai was fine with either option. He had originally planned to visit one place in the morning and another in the afternoon, but this was even better. He could finish everything in one morning, saving himself the trouble of going through all that trouble. In this cold weather, he wanted to spend as little time as possible outside.
"Uncle Songhuai, Uncle Ruan, either is fine with me."
Hearing them keep asking for his opinion, Zheng Xuyang felt respected here. They really treated him like family, which moved him deeply. Moreover, he and Huo Haoshen had been together for more than half a year and were already like brothers, so there was no need for them to be ranked.
After hearing his words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that he might feel they treated him like an outsider and help Huo Haoshen in every way.
“Alright, it’s settled then. Now let’s talk about the betrothal gifts. The betrothal gifts are all prepared. You two can take a look in a bit. The gifts prepared by your families are all the same. As for what you want to prepare for your wives, that’s your own business. As for the betrothal gifts, how much are you going to give? In the capital, the usual betrothal gifts are 188 or 288. Well-off families, like those aristocratic families, give 600. So, how much do you think is appropriate?” Grandma Ruan pointed to the items on the cabinet behind the sofa, and then explained the betrothal gifts in the capital to them. As for how much to give, that was up to them.
"Grandma, we've already discussed the wedding gift money. We haven't really used our salaries for the past six months, so we'll follow the example of the wealthy families and give 600 each. As for the bicycle and watch, we've already bought the watch, and we'll buy the bicycle after we get back to Yuncheng."
"Yes, we were thinking that since our work is in Yuncheng, we won't be able to come back to Beijing anytime soon. So we're planning to build a house in Yuncheng next spring. It will be convenient for us to live there after we get married, and our elders will have a place to stay when they visit."
After hearing their plans, they both felt that it was the right thing to do. It would be so unfair for a girl to marry you and live with you in your sister-in-law's house. Although Ruan Ruan suggested that they could transfer the house to them, they still wanted to build their own.
Ruan Ruan thought about it for a moment. It was 1974. There were still three or four years left. Oh well, she decided to let them be.
"Alright, then we two matchmakers will have face to show off."
This time, when proposing marriage to the Lu family, Gu Wenzhen was invited to act as the matchmaker. However, when proposing marriage to the He family, Ruan Chuanji and Gu Wenzhen would need to participate as elders, and Zhou Lifang would need to act as the matchmaker then.
After everything was arranged and Zhang Sao had prepared the meal, Huo Haocheng took them back to the guesthouse after they finished eating. He told them to get some rest and that he would come to pick them up at 6 a.m. the next morning.
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