Hongxing Village.
The village chief's wife, Zhang Xiangrui, the village doctor's mother, Wang Guihua, and Liu Huan, a villager, were enjoying the cool shade under the old locust tree in the village.
Yang Shuying, carrying several large bags, walked in from the village entrance with a ruddy complexion.
Today was market day, so she went to the market early in the morning to buy things.
"Are you ladies enjoying the cool air?"
Zhang Xiangrui was picking through the soybeans when she immediately noticed the chicken feet, celery, and garlic sprouts peeking out of Yang Shuying's bag. She said, "Shuying, why did you buy so many vegetables? Is there some happy occasion at home?"
Yang Shuying said with a smile, "Yes, Qiaoyun's boyfriend is coming over today."
Wang Guihua said, "Is Qiaoyun's boyfriend your nephew? I remember you mentioned him before."
"That's right, my brother's son is a teacher in the county town."
“I remember that young man came here last year. I saw him. He was very handsome.”
"The main thing is that we know each other well. Qiaoyun is innocent and guileless. As you know, my brother and sister-in-law are honest people. I feel at ease knowing that Qiaoyun has married into the family."
"That's true. For a girl, the most important thing is to marry into a good family. By the way, where's your Jiang Xuan? I haven't seen her these past few days?"
“Xuanxuan went to the city to play. She studies hard and has never been out before. This time she did well and got into university, so Qiutang and I let her go out and have some fun.”
Liu Huan, who hadn't spoken until now, said, "It's good to go out and relax, but going out to play must cost a lot of money, right?"
"The child is happy. Isn't our whole life for our children?"
Jiang Qiaoyun called from the doorway, "Mom, you're back?"
Yang Shuying responded and said to the older women, "Sisters, you all chat, I'll go back now. Come over and visit later when you have time."
"Okay, go ahead."
Yang Shuying walked over, and Jiang Qiaoyun took some of the dishes, saying, "Mom, why are you only coming back now? The water has been boiling for a long time."
"I ran into some acquaintances at the market, which delayed me a bit. Hasn't your sister arrived yet?"
"No."
Yang Shuying frowned. "That Qiaoling, she's always running around, but today when it's her turn to help, she's nowhere to be seen. You pick some vegetables first, I'll go to the backyard to kill a chicken."
"Mom, which vegetables should we pick?"
"Pick some of what I bought."
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Jiang Qiaoling hurriedly came in, carrying a cloth bag on her back.
Jiang Qiaoling is 20 years old this year. Both sisters resemble Yang Shuying, being tall and strong.
However, Jiang Qiaoling's appearance was more like her mother's, and she was not as delicate as Jiang Qiaoyun.
"Mom, I'm here."
"Why are you so late? Didn't I tell you I'd be here first thing this morning?"
Jiang Qiaoling dropped the cloth bag and went to the kitchen. "Wenbing had diarrhea all night last night, so I went to get him some medicine first thing this morning."
"What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know, maybe I ate too much cold food. Mom, do you want steamed buns or rice later?"
"Let's steam some rice. Your dad bought a few pounds of new rice a few days ago. Look for it in the red bag in the cupboard."
Jiang Qiaoling, while serving rice, asked her younger sister, "Did Jiang Xuan really go to see that man?"
Jiang Qiaoyun said calmly, "Maybe."
"She's so brave! Isn't she afraid of running into bad people? But it's good that she's gone; you can go to school with peace of mind now."
Jiang Qiaoyun scoffed and said, "You can't judge a book by its cover. She doesn't talk much usually, but who knew she was so ruthless? This time, she not only emptied our family's savings, but also left Mom and Dad with a mountain of debt. We haven't seen any food at home these past few days."
"Never mind, you're going to university soon. I heard that graduates from the Mathematics Department of Ningzhou University are all assigned to government agencies with good salaries and benefits. You can help your parents with some of the expenses then."
Jiang Qiaoyun nodded.
"Qiaoyun, bring a basin of water over here," Yang Shuying shouted from the backyard. "I'm plucking chicken feathers."
"They're here."
*
Around noon, when the food was almost ready, Yang Hailong, dressed in a brand-new Zhongshan suit and carrying a briefcase, walked in.
"Aunt, Uncle."
"Hey." Yang Shuying quickly came out of the main house, took the bag from her nephew's hand, and patted the dust off his shoulder.
"Hailong, you just came down from the county town, didn't you?"
"Yes, Auntie, the children just finished their final exams, and I've been grading papers these past few days."
"You must be so hot. Come on in and have some water."
At this moment, Jiang Qiaoling also came out from the side room, "Brother Hailong".
"Qiaoling is here too. How is everything at home?"
"Everything is fine. Are Uncle and Aunt alright?"
"I'm fine. Let's go inside and chat."
"You go in first, I'll go get the rice."
Yang Hailong sat in a chair, sipping his tea. "Auntie, hasn't my uncle come back yet?"
"I'm back, I went to the toilet."
Where is Qiaoyun?
Yang Shuying smiled and said, "When she heard you were coming, the young lady got shy and hid in her room, too shy to come out."
Yang Hailong also gave a simple, honest smile.
As the two were chatting, Jiang Qiutang lifted the curtain and came in.
"Has Hailong arrived?"
"Hmm." Yang Hailong stood up and quickly handed Jiang Qiutang a cigarette. "Uncle, have a smoke."
Jiang Qiutang took the cigarette and sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Yang Hailong opened his briefcase, took out two bottles of liquor, two packets of candy, two packets of tea, and two small bundles of vermicelli, and placed them on the table one by one, saying, "Aunt and Uncle, this is the 'Four Waters' gift prepared by the family."
Then he took out two pieces of red cloth, "These are the fabrics for making clothes for Qiaoyun."
"Aunt and Uncle, this is the betrothal gift."
Yang Hailong then respectfully handed a red square paper package to Jiang Qiutang.
Jiang Qiutang nodded and said, "Qiaoyun is still in school and will hold the banquet after graduation. We have no other requirements, we just hope that you and Qiaoyun can live a good life together."
"Yes, I know. My parents also said that our family will pay for Qiaoyun's tuition for four years of university."
Yang Shuying's face was beaming with joy.
Qiaoyun initially looked down on Yang Hailong, always thinking he was too short. But look how kind his family is!
Jiang Qiutang asked, "How's your dad handling the school enrollment matter?"
"Uncle, don't worry, everything is taken care of. The files have been changed. Qiaoyun just needs to take the admission notice to report for duty."
"Okay, that's good."
Yang Shuying said, "Hailong, I heard that graduates from Ningzhou University are usually assigned to work in Ningzhou. You should ask your father to find a way to transfer you to a different job."
"Yes, Auntie, my dad is already paying attention to these policies, and I've been preparing for the exam to become a middle school teacher. My salary will increase then."
“Good, young people should have drive.” Yang Shuying stood up. “You and your uncle chat for a while, I’ll go see what Qiaoling is doing and why she hasn’t brought the food over yet.”
When Yang Shuying entered the kitchen, Jiang Qiaoling pulled her aside and whispered, "Mom, how much was the bride price?"
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