After dinner, Lu Ruoling took the initiative to clean the table.

Ma Xiuzhu called her two sons and husband to the east room to chat in private.

Guan Xiulian took Yang Niannian back to the west room, leaving the three children playing in the main room.

There were two beds and two large mahogany cabinets in the west room. The space under the beds was filled with miscellaneous items, making the already small room even more crowded.

Guan Ailian said with a smile, "Niannian, the bed is ready for you. You and Shishen can sleep in this room tonight. This is the only condition in the countryside. Don't despise it."

In this day and age, being able to live in a house like this in the countryside is considered a very good family.

Yang Niannian was not picky at all. She smiled sweetly and said, "Sister-in-law, have you forgotten? I am also from the countryside, and my house is still a mud house."

"Look at my memory. It's become a joke." Guan Ailian smiled and patted her forehead. "Niannian, to be honest, you don't look like a country girl at all. I always think of you as a lady from a wealthy family in the city. I'm always worried that you despise your family's poor conditions."

Yang Niannian smiled and changed the subject, "Sister-in-law, we sleep here, so where are you going to sleep at night?"

She had noticed long ago that there were only three tiled houses here, the middle one was the main room, and only the east and west rooms were habitable.

Guan Ailian said casually, "We can just sleep on the floor in the main hall. It's hot now, and it's cool to sleep on the floor in the main hall."

"Forehead……"

Because she and Lu Shishen came back, her eldest brother's family had to sleep on the floor, which made Yang Niannian feel embarrassed. At the same time, she was also very curious. There were only two rooms for people to sleep in, and even if they didn't come back, there would not be enough rooms.

"...Where does Ruo Ling sleep at night?"

"There are two beds in my parents' room. Ruoling sleeps on one and my parents sleep on the other." Guan Ailian said in a normal tone. The countryside is a small place and it is common for the whole family to live together.

Yang Niannian was shocked. It was too inconvenient for Lu Ruoling to live in the same room with her parents at such a age.

Guan Ailian is a straightforward person who loves to chat about family matters. Plus, she thought Yang Niannian was easy to get along with, so she didn't make it a formality and started chatting with her like a family.

"You guys came back just in time. Ruoling is going to have a blind date tomorrow. The man is the nephew of our village chief. He is 25 years old this year and works in a kiln factory next to the town. He makes more than 20 yuan a month."

More than 20 yuan a month, in Yang Niannian's opinion, is not enough for her living expenses for a month. But coming from Guan Ailian's mouth, it seems like a very good income.

Alas! The living standards in the countryside are generally not high these days, and there is nothing we can do about it.

"How old is Ruoling?" Yang Niannian asked casually.

"I am 20 this year."

When Guan Ailian was happy, she spoke without restraint and said whatever came to her mind. Before she knew it, she brought up things from the past.

"Back then, my mother said that if Shi Shen still couldn't find a wife by the time he turned 28, she would let Ruoling marry him. Ruoling didn't have her own opinion, so she just went along with what my mother said. If my mother likes the guy during the blind date tomorrow, then it's almost certain that this will happen."

Yang Niannian was stunned, "Aren't Ruoling and Shishen siblings?"

Guan Ailian was stunned and stared at Yang Niannian in surprise, "You don't know?"

She thought Lu Shishen had told Yang Niannian.

Yang Niannian shook her head. "He doesn't usually like to chat about family matters."

Guan Ailian realized that she had said too much and was very embarrassed. "Niannian, take a break first. I'll go see if the children have finished their homework."

After saying that, she fled out of the room. When she reached the door, she raised her hand and slapped her mouth. She just couldn't stop talking too fast. What if Nian Nian quarreled with Shi Shen because of this?

…

In the east room.

Ma Xiuzhu sat cross-legged on the bed and looked at her youngest son with a calculating look on her face.

"You can take care of things while you're here. In the past few years, your uncles' children have gotten married and had children, and I gave a lot of money. Add to that other relatives, and it's at least 20 or 30 yuan in total. The price of wedding gifts has increased in the past two years. If you hold a banquet, you can at least get back 40 or 50 yuan."

Lu Shishen said calmly, "I can only stay for four or five days this time. I don't plan to hold a wedding banquet. I will just invite the elders to my home for a simple meal and get to know Nian Nian. I won't accept any gifts."

Lu Qingyuan looked at his brother strangely. He knew that his brother had a dull personality and didn't like noise and bustle. He thought that now that he was married, things would change, but he didn't expect that he would still be the same and he didn't even want to have a wedding.

"What did you say?" Ma Xiuzhu was furious and almost jumped off the bed. "Your father and I took out so much gift money, and you said you don't want any gifts? If you don't want any gifts, can you compensate us for the money we spent? Why did I give birth to such a stupid son like you?"

Lu Guozhi also had a lot of opinions about this. He slammed the bed, roared angrily with a red face and thick neck.

"You have no say in this matter. If you don't even hold a banquet for my son's wedding, how will I save my reputation if this gets out?"

Ma Xiuzhu became even more angry, her facial features were distorted, and she spoke in a ferocious manner.

"Back then, people said you would have great things in your future, but I think you are getting stupider and stupider. Your college-graduate wife was swapped, and you kept silent and suffered the loss. Now you don't even want to accept the gift money. So, are we inviting relatives to our house for nothing? Do you think your father and I run a bank?"

Lu Qingyuan knew his brother's temper. It was usually difficult to change a decision. Thinking that his brother had finally come back, he didn't want any unpleasantness to happen at home.

I could only bite the bullet and persuade them, "Dad, Mom, I think it's better to listen to Shi Shen's opinion on this matter. If he doesn't want to do it, forget it."

The purpose of holding a wedding is to have fun. If the people involved are not happy, what is the point of holding it?

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiuzhu flew into a rage and started to scold her eldest son, "Shut up! You don't even dare to hit your own woman. Your brother built the house with his own money. You are the most useless person in the family. How dare you say that?"

It has to be said that Ma Xiuzhu is the best at touching people's hearts. With just a few words, she scolded Lu Qingyuan, a grown man, until his eyes turned red and he was about to cry.

Ma Xiuzhu was not satisfied after scolding her eldest son. She turned around and wanted to scold her youngest son. However, when she met his cold gaze, the words that were on the tip of her tongue could not come out.

When Lu Guozhi saw his youngest son's face turn cold, his anger subsided a little. Even though he was a father, he sometimes felt wary of his youngest son.

"I won't do anything. I'll just invite the uncles and aunts to my house for dinner so they can get to know Nian Nian. If you agree to have dinner at home, Nian Nian and I will pay 50 yuan for the food. If you don't agree, we'll invite the uncles and aunts to eat at a restaurant." Lu Shishen said in a firm tone, leaving no room for negotiation.

Ma Xiuzhu was about to get angry, but when she heard the word 50 yuan, her expression changed instantly.

Lu Guozhi took a few deep breaths, knowing that his youngest son had his own ideas since he was young and was not as easy to control as his eldest son. They could not make decisions for their youngest son, but they did not want to lose face as a father.

In addition, his youngest son was willing to pay, which was considered a way out. He said with a gloomy face, "I will discuss this with your mother first. You two can leave first."