The two of them semi-officially got together.
Why semi-formal?
Because there is no engagement.
Xu Youqing did mention whether they should get engaged first.
However, he was rejected by Xu Xuejun.
He couldn't guarantee how things would develop in two years. If it wasn't good, if Shumei couldn't wait for him, then not getting engaged would be the last bit of freedom he prepared for Lin Shumei.
Of course, Xu Xuejun would not tell Shumei about these things, including some of her mother's words, which were all covered up.
Lin Shumei only knew that every time she went to the Xu family for dinner, the Xu family's uncles, aunts and grandmother were all very welcoming, except for Xuejun's mother, who always had a bit of awkwardness and stiffness in her enthusiasm.
Lin Shumei once asked Xu Xuejun if there was anything that she was embarrassed to talk about.
Xu Xuejun said no, his mother has just been in menopause in the past two years.
Lin Shumei said "Oh" with a slight hesitation, and then became even more curious.
"Is menopause that early? Your mom is a few years younger than mine, right? My mom doesn't even seem to have reached menopause yet..."
Xu Xuejun scratched his head and instantly regretted why he used such a word that was in his blind spot in knowledge to make excuses. God knows at what age menopause begins?
"Maybe she started early?"
Lin Shumei thought about it and nodded in agreement, "Maybe. I heard that some people start doing it in their early forties."
But she turned around and asked her mother the next time she went home, asking directly whether Aunt Xu had any opinions about her. But was she suppressed by Xu Xuejun's grandmother and father?
Chen Chunhua had nothing to say about her daughter's sometimes smart and sometimes not smart little brain. She was so sensitive, so why could she never remember some social etiquette?
"She... probably doesn't have any problem with you."
"Ah? What do you mean?" Lin Shumei was confused.
"She must have opinions about everyone, about her old lady, about Youqing, and probably about Xuejun too." Liang Shengdi peeled an orange and ate it while standing by to join in the fun.
"You haven't been in the village most of the time these past few years, so I don't know. Uncle Youqing's business is doing well, and the family's financial situation has improved, so she no longer works as a lineman in the factory. Their three children are already grown up, so there's nothing else for them to worry about.
Every day I cook and clean the house, and then take your uncle Youqing to deliver lunch in the afternoon.
Maybe she has too much free time, because she can often be seen sitting under a big tree at the entrance of the village chatting with people about everything.
Liang Shengdi recalled several times when she had either passed by or gone to listen to gossip, and said with certainty and certainty,
"She talks about her own family and other families. If she is not satisfied with any family, she will say something."
Lin Shumei: ...
Was it really because she hadn't interacted with the villagers for too long? Why didn't the aunt she remembered look like this?
“Actually, there was a little bit before.”
Chen Chunhua recalled the days when they were still in the production team. Youqing's wife envied her because she was the one who made the decisions in their family and Liang Shengdi always listened to her. But in the Xu family, her mother-in-law was in charge and had the final say on how many grains of rice they ate.
But she had never considered how much work the old lady of the Xu family did. She did all the housework, cooking, accounting, and childcare. That was how they, the young couple, could have a meal after work.
You have to know how difficult it was for Chen Chunhua and Lin Guoqing to take care of four children before Liang Shengdi was forced to work.
Youqing's wife actually knew all this in her heart, but she just couldn't help but make comparisons.
It's just that when I was young and busy working to earn work points, and later I had to go to the factory to work, I didn't gossip so much. Now that I suddenly don't have to work and I'm with my mother-in-law every day, I really can't hold it in.
This was the first time Lin Shumei knew this, and she immediately became confused. This was her future mother-in-law...
She was calculating how long she could endure if her future mother-in-law started badmouthing her. Hmm...if they started arguing, would she be considered unfilial?
Chen Chunhua didn't have these worries.
"Don't worry about that. From the looks of it, you'll probably be living in the provincial capital most of the time, so you won't be around her that often. Even if you really want to come back to live with her, don't you have Xuejun? He's your biological son, so just let him handle it."
Chen Chunhua is optimistic about Xu Xuejun because of memories from her previous life.
A person's opportunities may change due to the butterfly effect, but his temperament is generally fixed and unchanging.
In her previous life, Shumei was the one who stayed in the village. The couple lived with her parents-in-law for many years until their child was about to go to school, and then they moved out to live in a school district house.
She remembered it very clearly. At that time, the newly married Shumei came home proudly and boasted to her that the man she found was reliable. He would really help her when she needed help and would protect her even when she didn't.
Since we were able to live well back then, there will be no problems in this life.
"Don't overthink it." Chen Chunhua reached out and smoothed her hair. "And don't go to Xuejun and say bad things about his mother. He's a sensible man, so he'll naturally do the sensible thing."
Lin Shumei nodded. "Then I definitely won't say bad things about him in front of others. I'm not stupid! Besides, after we get married, we'll mainly be living with Xu Xuejun, not his mother."
"Just understand it yourself."
Lin Shumei knew what was going on, so when she went to Xu's house for dinner later, she pretended not to know and continued to smile cheerfully.
The more graceful she appeared, the more guilty Xu Xuejun felt. Whenever he heard his mother say something bad, he would retort directly. This also happened to the old lady of the Xu family and Xu Youqing, who always reminded her not to talk nonsense and not to show off in front of the Lin family and Shumei.
After doing this many times, Youqing's wife developed a conditioned reflex towards everything in the Lin family.
When facing Shumei, she reflexively forced a smile, but when outsiders mentioned the Lin family, she reflexively shut up.
Lin Shumei didn't really care what she was thinking. Who doesn't have some ulterior motive? As long as she could save face, that was all.
Anyway, just as she told her mother, she would live with Xu Xuejun in the future, not with his mother.
Life is already very busy, so if she has the spare time, she might as well squeeze in her graduate thesis, the data needed for the company's meeting next week, and the materials for meeting clients in Shanghai next month.
When you go to Shanghai, you must not forget to visit your sister, brother-in-law and the lovely Huang Yueyue.
Oh, and she also has to remember to buy a gift for her third brother and sister-in-law’s newborn nephew. Well... her second brother is getting married soon, and Xu Xuejun has already given him a gift in advance, so how can she delay any longer?
Grandma also said she wanted to go to Qiu Lake for fun and visit Lingyin Temple to worship Buddha. Mom had to take care of my sister-in-law and nephew, so she must have taken Grandma with her.
Now that she's here, she has to make a good travel plan for her grandma.
Ahhh! She's so busy! Who has so much time to think about trivial family matters?
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