Chapter 92 Engagement Banquet Once people suddenly have extra money, they always think...
July 15th, Populus euphratica Hotel.
"Come on, let's move the two families closer together, the newlyweds stand in the middle, and smile..."
"Great, one more."
In front of a round wooden screen with openwork, Chen Mianmian, wearing a red cheongsam sewn by her mother, stood hand in hand with Ji Yu in the center.
Each of them wore a red ingot-shaped sachet around their neck. This was embroidered by Chen Mianmian's maternal grandmother over several days after she learned that her granddaughter was about to get engaged.
The front of the sachet features a classic image of mandarin ducks playing in the water, with two lifelike emerald green birds.
The back is embroidered with the eight characters "May you have a long and happy marriage" and is surrounded by nine red banknotes folded into the shape of fans, symbolizing a long and lasting union.
Their parents and Chen Muhe stood on either side of them.
Chen Mubai couldn't take too much leave while in the army, so he could only promise that when his sister got married, he would definitely come back to personally send her off on her wedding day.
To commemorate the occasion, Ji Yu even hired a photographer to take a family portrait.
After the group photo was taken, we took photos specifically for the two of them, mainly Chen Mian.
Chen Mian's skin was naturally fairer than most people's, and she could not get tanned even in the strongest sun. Today, she wore a well-fitting red cheongsam, which made her skin look like cream and made her look charming and beautiful. Her slender waist was so delicate that it could be encircled by one hand.
The skirt is creatively designed in the shape of a fishtail, with gold threads outlining ripples. When the sunlight shines on the skirt, it sparkles and is breathtakingly beautiful.
Ji Yu's dark gray Zhongshan suit was also made by Lin Huijun herself, with gold thread outlining subtle patterns on the cuffs and collar.
A blooming kapok flower was embroidered in red silk thread on the chest area.
After the photos were taken, the guests for the engagement banquet arrived one after another. There weren't many people, just five or six tables, and most of them were friends of Ji Yu's family.
Both families had left their hometowns to come to Xinjiang, and their relatives were not in Urumqi. It would take several days to get there by train, so they gradually lost contact.
Those who could come were Ji Yu's father's comrades and colleagues, Ji Yu's own comrades and colleagues, and Chen Mubai's comrades.
And some of the friends the women have made over the years.
As the groom's parent, Ji Feng was supposed to say a few words before the banquet started, according to custom. But when he picked up his wine glass, he hesitated for a moment and only managed to say, "Thank you all for coming to my son's engagement banquet. I'm just a rough man, so I won't say anything. Please eat and drink well, and there's plenty of wine."
Yu Xiaoyue stood up and introduced the process of Chen Mianmian and Ji Yu from meeting to falling in love to everyone, and then praised the Chen family for their good parenting skills.
The feast began, with a variety of delicious dishes being served one after another. The men started playing drinking games, while the women sat together chatting.
Yu Xiaoyue clinked glasses with her sisters, downed her glass of baijiu in one gulp, and exclaimed, "Huijun, you've really raised these three children well. Each one is more outstanding than the last, handsome and ambitious."
You said the eldest brother is an officer in the army, the second brother graduated this year and was assigned to work in the city, and the third brother became a big boss at a very young age.
Unlike me, I only have this one good-for-nothing son, and I don't even have anyone to confide in.
Aili, standing beside her, smiled and chimed in, "You'll be so lucky from now on, having such a beautiful daughter-in-law by your side."
Yu Xiaoyue laughed along, "You're right, big sister. It's a pity I wasn't lucky enough to have a daughter. I can't help but feel envious every time I see someone else's daughter."
"My son is doing well too, and Ji Yu is also very outstanding." Seeing that Yu Xiaoyue was only focused on drinking and not eating, Lin Huijun got up, picked up a lotus leaf bun, broke it open, put in a few slices of stewed pork knuckle, and handed it to her.
Lin Huijun: "It's good to have fewer children. It's quieter and less troublesome. I have endless laundry and dishes to wash. Eat something first before you drink."
After saying that, he picked up a lotus leaf bun and put one on his plate. It was a piece of the finest pork knuckle. Various spices were added to the pot, and it was stewed over a wood-fired stove for a full hour.
The broth is rich and flavorful, the meat is tender and juicy, and when sandwiched in a soft, steamed lotus leaf bun, it's incredibly delicious.
Those who know how to eat will add a bite of cold vegetable salad for an even richer flavor.
Yu Xiaoyue knew that Lin Huijun was very good at cooking, so she took a bite and found that it tasted really good.
When she tried to take a second bite, she suddenly felt nauseous. She quickly put the lotus leaf pancake back on the plate, turned around, covered her mouth with her hand, and gagged a few times.
Seeing this, Lin Huijun put down her chopsticks, gently patted her back, and called the waiter to pour her a cup of hot water.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"It's nothing, I just suddenly felt a bit nauseous. Maybe it's because it's been too hot lately and I haven't had an appetite."
Lin Huijun frowned: "You still dare to drink alcohol when your stomach is upset?"
As he spoke, he took the wine bottle from in front of her plate.
"It's alright, I'm just happy today, I'll just have some hot water and I'll be fine." Yu Xiaoyue is usually in very good health, and she doesn't take minor ailments seriously at all.
"You're not getting any younger, you should be more careful in your daily life..."
The table next to them was filled with young people. Ji Yu and Chen Mubai were having a drinking contest. They were both specially trained and could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. They even switched to bowls because they thought the cups were too small.
Chen Mian was quietly discussing with her sister about buying a television and a car.
When people suddenly have extra money, they always want to buy something. I had planned to buy a house before, but I didn't find a suitable opportunity.
I'll just put that aside for now and buy some other big-ticket items.
These days, TVs aren't cheap either. A common black and white TV costs around 400 yuan, while the new Changhong color TV, a 21-inch model, costs over 2,000 yuan, and a 25-inch model costs even more, 4,000 yuan.
Cars are even more expensive. Even a low-end pickup truck costs at least 50,000 yuan, and imported ones are unthinkable. One car could wipe out all of Chen Mian's savings.
Chen Mian asked from the bottom of her heart, "Who buys such expensive cars? Their families must be very rich."
"Many families have been wealthy merchants since the last century, and their wealth has only increased, just like the Shen family..."
Chen Muhe paused abruptly, swallowing back the words she was about to say, "But I believe our family will become richer and richer in the future, and we will be able to live in a villa and drive luxury cars."
"Of course! Our Taoyuan is only in its first year, and it's already making so much money. As long as we continue to expand and maintain our quality and reputation, buying a house and a car is just the first step," Chen Mian said with a smile, looking forward to the future.
"Speaking of which, now that you've fallen out with Professor Shen, is it still possible for me to get the experimental field qualification from him?"
The success of the flat peach made Chen Mian even more eager to learn about Professor Shen's new variety, and she was even a little impatient to get it.
Running a farm is no different from farming; both involve hard work to earn money. Only with better varieties and higher yields can you earn more money.
Especially since their livelihood depends on the weather, a single mishap can result in a complete crop failure.
Chen Muhe said awkwardly, "You have his phone number, so you can contact him if you want."
“I don’t know what’s going on between you two. If he really did something to wrong you, then I definitely won’t associate with him anymore. I still have that bottom line.” Chen Mian put her arm around her sister out of loyalty.
Chen Muhe: "You don't need to worry about me. Business is one thing, but he's very capable in scientific research."
"So what happened that made you suddenly go home alone? It'll make you feel better if you talk about it."
Chen Mian knew that her younger sister had been somewhat depressed lately and was easily distracted.
She has always been mild-mannered and quiet since childhood. When she encounters problems, she tends to keep them to herself until she can no longer bear it, at which point she will silently hide under the covers and cry.
Chen Mian, on the other hand, firmly believes that there is nothing that cannot be communicated. If there is, it must be because the conversation is not thorough enough, and she often speaks faster than she thinks.
Lin Huijun often lamented that it would be better if her two daughters could have a more balanced personality.
Under Chen Mian's repeated questioning, Chen Muhe slowly revealed the whole story.
That day, after Chen Muhe finished her experiment, organized the latest data, and washed and dried the test tubes in the laboratory, she found a key on the table when she was about to close the door and leave.
Seeing that it looked like Shen Hetong's car keys, Chen Muhe didn't think much of it and took the keys to his office.
After passing through a grove of trees, we arrived at the administration building, but Shen Hetong was not in his office.
The office door was open, and inside sat a young and beautiful woman with jet-black wavy hair, a striking red tight dress, and black sunglasses that obscured her expression.
Seeing Chen Muhe standing there in a daze, Qi Jiali took off her sunglasses with one hand and parted her red lips slightly: "Little sister, who are you looking for?"
"I'm here to deliver the keys to Professor Shen; he left them in the lab." Her face, hidden behind sunglasses, was indeed even more stunning. Chen Muhe answered blankly.
Qi Jiali looked her up and down, as if she had discovered something interesting, and the corners of her lips curled up. "Oh? You're here to see my husband? He just went out on something."
After saying that, he casually pointed to the side of the table: "Just put the key over there."
"You're quite pretty, little sister," Qi Jiali said meaningfully.
Chen Muhe's face flushed bright red instantly, both ashamed and angry, as if someone had caught her red-handed.
She slammed the keys on the table and said, "I have something to do, I'm leaving now."
Chen Muhe held her breath and ran all the way back to her dormitory from the administration building. She closed the door, slowly squatted down, hugged herself, and then sobbed.
She never expected that Shen Hetong already had a wife.
So what about their time together during that period? And who was she?
Is she a mistress who breaks up other people's families?
There's also Shen Xieyi, Shen Hetong's younger brother. Although one of them has been abroad for many years and just returned to China, while the other is still in China, they are brothers after all.
Does Shen Xieyi really not know that his brother is already married?
Thinking of the ambiguous things Shen Xieyi had said, Chen Muhe's face grew even uglier, and she picked up the wine glass in front of her and drank it all in one gulp.
"Cough cough—" She had just swallowed when she picked up the bottle again and poured herself another full glass.
Thinking that today was her sister's engagement party, Chen Muhe quietly wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
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