As Xuemei and the others entered the main hall, they felt the atmosphere was very tense. Everyone was staring at Mingwen and He Wanting.
Xuemei took Shengnan and secretly walked over to Mingwu. She patted Mingwu on the shoulder and asked, "Brother, haven't we already made it clear? Why is the atmosphere so serious?"
"How can we not be serious when discussing marriage?" Mingwu replied.
Xuemei looked around and found that Ruirui and Feifei were not there. She asked, "Have Ruirui and Feifei returned to their rooms?"
"Auntie said that these children should not get involved in these things. Tell them to go back to their rooms and read and do their homework!" Mingwu answered Mingwen and He Wenting without blinking.
When Xuemei heard this, she felt that it was consistent with Liu's mother's behavior.
…
Grandpa Liu looked at the nervous He Wanting in front of him, cleared his throat and said, "Mingwen, get He Zhiqing a chair to sit down first. He Zhiqing, don't be nervous, we just want to talk to you."
Grandma Liu also smiled and said, "My daughter, your grandfather is right. Sit down and talk! Guanghui and Shuihua, you two should stop looking so stern and stop messing around. You're scaring the little girl!"
Wang Shuihua and Liu Guanghui were immediately disappointed and rubbed their noses in embarrassment. Wang Shuihua had heard from a sister-in-law from her mother's family that there was a family in their village who married a daughter-in-law from the city. The mother-in-law was scolded by her daughter-in-law every day and dared not raise her head.
Wang Shuihua thought He Wanting was also from the city and her family was well off. She was worried that He Wanting would cause trouble after marrying in, so she specifically asked Liu Guanghui to give He Wanting a heads-up first. Unexpectedly, she was exposed by Grandma Liu right from the start.
Grandpa Liu saw that He Wanting's expression had relaxed before he continued, "He Zhiqing, it's clearly stated that you and he are in a relationship. You should be familiar with our family's situation. We, as a family, would also like to know more about your family's specific circumstances!"
Mingwen looked at He Wanting encouragingly. He Wanting took a deep breath and said, "My brother and I have our mother's surname, and we live with my uncle. My uncle is a team leader at the Hai City Steel Plant, and my aunt is an office clerk at the steel plant. My uncle and aunt have three children. The eldest is Xiaojing, and the younger ones are my two cousins. My brother went to Heilongjiang Province to serve in the army last year."
Wang Shuihua heard He Wanting didn't mention her father, and guessed that something might have happened to him, but she couldn't help asking, because she felt uneasy if she didn't ask. Wang Shuihua stammered, "He He, educated youth, there's something I can't help but ask you about. You know, it's like a blind date, and you have to find out the situation of both families, okay?"
"Auntie, it's okay, just ask." He Wenting replied.
"Why didn't I hear you mention your father just now? And where is your mother now?" Wang Shuihua asked puzzledly.
A trace of sadness flashed across He Wanting's face, and then she slowly said, "My mother has been in poor health since she gave birth to my brother. When my brother was a little over two years old, my mother found out that my father had someone else outside, and she was so angry that she died. I was only five years old at that time.
After my mother passed away, my grandparents either beat or scolded my sister and me. When my uncle learned the truth about my mother's death, he used it to threaten my father and asked for my brother and me to be taken back. My brother and I changed our surnames, and we have lived with my uncle ever since!"
He Wenting started crying as she spoke. Mingwen patted He Wenting on the shoulder and took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Wang Shuihua looked upset and said, "He Zhiqing, it's all my fault for asking you these nonsense questions. I won't listen anymore, and don't be sad!"
He Wanting paused for a moment, then choked up and said, "Auntie, I'll have to tell you these things sooner or later. Why don't I just tell you all at once today? The person my father hooked up with was the daughter of his former group leader. When my mother found out about their affair, they already had two sons, the eldest of whom was only a few months younger than me.
My grandparents also knew about it, and they got married in the army. After my uncle found out, he wanted to go to the army to report my father and that daughter, but that woman's family was powerful and we couldn't get rid of them. My uncle had to work very hard to get me and my brother back.
Last year, my shameless father came to me and begged me to go to the countryside on behalf of his second son with that woman. It turned out that his family wanted to send one of their children to the countryside to show their support for the policy from above, but they were reluctant to let his child with that woman suffer in the countryside, so they set their sights on me.
I agreed, but asked him to give my uncle's family 200 yuan and to send my younger brother, who had just graduated from junior high school, to join the army. He gave me the money, and after I personally sent my younger brother to join the army, I went to the countryside with Xiaojing!
After saying this, He Wanting started crying again. Mingwen was so anxious that he was running around, not knowing what to do.
After hearing this, the other people present also felt sad about Wanting's experience. Liu Xiu and Grandma Liu had already started wiping away tears.
Wang Shuihua wiped her eyes, stood up from the chair, pushed Mingwen away, hugged He Wanting and said, "My daughter, your father will definitely be punished by God, don't be sad. When you marry into our family, as long as you and Mingwen live a good life, our family will treat you well!"
After He Wanting calmed down, Grandpa Liu said, "He Zhiqing, there's too much gossip in the village right now. You and Mingwen should write a letter to tell your uncle and aunt as soon as possible. Once they agree, you and Mingwen can get married! It would be best if you get married before the summer harvest."
"Grandpa, I will write a letter tomorrow to tell my uncle, aunt, and my brother about Mingwen and me." He Wanting replied.
…
Two weeks later, He Wanting's uncle and aunt wrote to her, saying they had remitted fifty yuan and asked her to take the remittance slip to collect it herself. They told her to keep the fifty yuan as her dowry. They might not be able to attend He Wanting's wedding this time, but they would take a few days off at the end of the year and come together as a family.
A few days later, He Wanting's uncle and aunt sent two large packages. They contained mostly the dowry they'd prepared for her: a watch ticket, a thermos ticket, a set of army green clothes, two seven-pound quilts, and two sheets. When He Wanting opened the packages and saw the contents, she immediately hugged He Jing and burst into tears.
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