That morning, Xiao Yunying carried a plate of freshly made red date cakes back to her parents' home. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Xiao Yuntao and Yang Tianyun standing there.
Yang Tianyun had something wrapped in a handkerchief in his hand. When he saw someone come in, he hurriedly hid it behind his back. He only breathed a sigh of relief after he saw who had come in.
"Yun Ying is here."
Xiao Yunying deliberately asked, "What are you hiding? I'm not going to steal it, let me see."
Xiao Yuntao blushed and lowered her head without saying a word. This was only because she was her younger sister; otherwise, she would have run back into the house long ago.
Yang Tianyun took it out apologetically: "It's not that I was afraid you would snatch it, I thought the Yun Song brothers had returned."
The handkerchief contained a silver bracelet, weighing about four or five ounces. It was a very ordinary plain bracelet, but in this rural area, it was an extremely valuable item.
"This is good stuff! Brother Yang is so generous."
"Don't laugh at me, little sister. This is nothing special. It's not even as good as the jade earrings you gave to Yun Tao."
"Second Brother Yang, please don't say that. There are plenty of valuable things, but nothing compares to affection. The jewelry I gave Third Sister was a gift from a younger sister to an older sister. What you gave was from your sweetheart, and the affection is much greater than what I, as her younger sister, have given you."
Xiao Yuntao blushed upon hearing her younger sister's blunt words: "Yunying, what are you saying?"
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. You guys chat, I'm going in to check on my mother. Aunt Yang must be inside too."
Yang Tianyun asked in surprise, "How did you know my mother was here too?"
"Of course. If I hadn't come with Aunt Yang, how would Second Brother Yang have dared to enter the courtyard and speak alone with Third Sister?"
Yang Tianyun scratched his head sheepishly: "Yeah, Yunying is really smart."
"You guys continue, I'll go in and take a look."
When Xiao Yunying entered the main room, she saw her mother and Aunt Yang chatting. She greeted them and placed the red date cake on the table.
Mu Lianrong said, "I was just thinking of asking you to come over so we could discuss this together, and here you are."
Xiao Yunying asked knowingly, "What does Mother want to discuss with me?"
"Naturally, it's about your second brother Yang proposing marriage to your third sister."
Xiao Yunying dragged a stool over and sat down: "What is it for a junior like me to discuss Third Sister's marriage? Where are Father and the others?"
“Your father took your two older brothers up the mountain yesterday and they haven’t come back yet. You’re knowledgeable, so come and give your mother some advice.”
"My third sister agreed?"
"Of course I agreed. If she didn't agree, I couldn't agree either."
Xiao Yunying grabbed a few roasted peanuts and ate them, saying, "Mom must have tried to persuade me a lot, right?"
"I have tried to persuade her several times. You know about your third sister's situation. It's normal that she can't get over it for a while."
Your aunt also said that if your third sister is willing, they can get engaged first, and the wedding date can be set later so that your third sister can have some time to think. But at least the marriage should be settled first so that both sides can feel at ease.
Yun Tao could sense that Tian Yun was sincere. She wasn't completely indifferent to Tian Yun, so I told her that Tian Yun was getting on in years. If it was okay, it was okay; if it wasn't, it wasn't. I told her not to keep dragging him along.
I didn't expect your third sister to agree so readily after I mentioned it.
Xiao Yunying said, "Third Sister's personality is like Mother's; she is quite decisive. She is not as fragile as she seems. Besides, Second Brother Yang is a rare good man, and he is also devoted to Third Sister. It is expected that Third Sister would agree."
As for the wedding ceremony, just follow the proper procedures and customs, except don't follow the rules for a divorced woman remarrying; treat it as a first marriage.
Aunt Yang said, "That's what I mean. My family doesn't care that Yun Tao has been divorced once, but your mother is afraid of what the villagers will say."
Xiao Yunying laughed: "Is Mother afraid of gossip? Anyone who dares to talk nonsense in front of you, just slap them across the face."
"I'm just afraid that the Yang family will be implicated and gossiped about."
"Don't worry, Mother. With me here, no one will dare to gossip. Even if they do, it doesn't matter. We just need to live our own lives and not care what others say."
"Alright, if your Aunt Yang doesn't care, then I won't say anything more."
When Aunt Yang saw that her old friend had agreed, she slapped her thigh and said happily, "Then we'll be in-laws from now on. Let's discuss the betrothal gifts now. Feel free to make any requests you have, and we'll do our best to accommodate them."
Xiao Yunying spoke first: "Does your family have any plans to build a new house?"
"Well... Tianyun's house is a bit small. I was thinking of expanding it by two rooms next to it, but someone bought that piece of land next to it and is now building a new house. So my family can't expand from there anymore, otherwise we'll be right next to their door."
"When we get back, I'll have my husband see if we can expand from the other side. If that doesn't work, we'll have someone knock down and renovate the storage room next to Tianyun; it'll make it much more spacious. Don't worry, Yuntao won't be wronged."
"That's what I wanted to talk about." Xiao Yunying straightened her posture: "I bought that piece of land, and I also hired people to build the house. It's a spacious brick house with six rooms. I started thinking about this after my aunt talked to me about my third sister last time."
Aunt Yang's expression froze: "Yun Ying, you...you want us to split up the family?"
"Mother, don't be anxious."
Xiao Yunying first pressed down her mother's raised hand and explained, "Auntie, don't misunderstand. I didn't mean for you to separate the family. It's just that Fang Rou's two sons are growing up day by day and will eventually have to sleep in separate rooms. They will also get married in the future. After my third sister marries into the family, she will gradually have her own children. The Yang family is growing more and more, and it's troublesome to expand back and forth. So I thought I would build a few more rooms at once."
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