While Wei's mother and Wei Dani were gathering firewood during a lull in the activity, Wei's mother straightened up and looked at the silent Wei Dani, saying, "Dani, are you upset that we arranged for you to marry Jiang Zhen?"
Wei Dani paused in her hand as she gathered firewood, lowered her head, opened her mouth but didn't say anything, and simply sped up her gathering.
Wei's mother tentatively asked, "Do you think he's not as good as Li Jianshe?"
Wei Dani sighed, sat down on the ground, and whispered, "Grandma, it's not really anyone's fault. Li Jianshe or Jiang Zhen, they're just not on our side. I still remember how difficult it was for Auntie when she was a regular employee receiving rations after marrying into the city, and how the Qi family bullied her and didn't like us..."
Mother Wei's face changed, and she slapped her, saying, "Are you trying to die?! You can't mention the Qi family in our house. Aiguo still doesn't know about the Qi family. If I find out that you're the one who let the news slip, I'll beat you to death!"
Wei Dani rubbed her shoulder, which had been slapped by her mother, and said with a twitch in her mouth, "Anyway, I don't want to live a life where I'm inferior to others..."
Wei's mother said irritably, "Who told you to be inferior? Your aunt is living a better life than anyone else! Don't you think before you speak?"
Wei Dani's expression was still not very good. In fact, after several interactions, she could tell that the Zhao family was not as good to her aunt as they were to Aiguo. It wasn't that they were bad to Wei Shuqing, but something was just strange about them.
Considering that they had been married for over ten years without having children, a bold guess was made: the current uncle, Zhao Dahu, was infertile, otherwise it would be hard to explain. However, she dared not say this. The Zhao family had done a great favor for the Wei family, and Wei's mother, Wei Xigun, and Liu Taohua always mentioned it. In fact, she herself was grateful.
But all these things combined made her realize that it would be difficult for a rural woman to marry a city dweller, and she didn't want to live a life of compromise. Why not just marry another rural man? After all, she was young and strong, and she could live her whole life anyway.
I really can't understand why my family is so insistent on marrying into a better family this time, and we can't stop them no matter what.
Mother Wei held Wei Dani's hand and said, "Dani, family wouldn't harm you. We all know Jiang Zhen's background; he's a reliable person. I heard from Da Hu that he's already transferred the house to his own name, and his younger brother doesn't want it anymore. If you marry him, you'll have a place to live and a job—isn't that great!"
Wei Dani sighed, and just as she was about to say something, a neighbor called out, "Old Mrs. Wei, hurry back! Your daughter-in-law and grandson-in-law are here!"
Wei Dani's face flushed red instantly, burning and numb. She wished she could disappear into the ground, muttering, "No, no...it's not like that."
Mother Wei smiled and said, "Okay, okay! Thank you!" Then she was about to take Wei Dani back. Wei Dani bundled the collected firewood into a large backpack and carried it on her back. The grandmother and granddaughter then walked back.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, Wei's mother saw a man who was about 173 cm tall, fair-skinned, and slightly chubby. He had a decent appearance and a determined look in his eyes, and he seemed like a good young man.
Jiang Zhen said shyly, "Hello, Grandma!" When he saw Wei Dani carrying such a large stack of firewood, he felt very sorry for her, but with his elders present, he didn't dare to be frivolous. Wei's mother noticed and smiled, saying, "It's alright, Xiao Jiang, right? Come and sit down. Dani will come right away after she puts down the firewood."
Wei Dani put the firewood away, then slowly took a basin inside to wash her face. She only came out after her mother called her three times. Jiang Zhen looked at the girl, who had become so much darker in just two days since she returned, with a pang of sympathy in his heart.
Sitting in the courtyard with Wei's mother, he felt as if there were nails under his buttocks, making him extremely uncomfortable.
At this moment, Liu Taohua brought out a shredded roast chicken, a plate of braised pork, a cucumber salad, and stewed green beans and meat—four dishes in total. She called out, "Hurry up and eat, Mom. This braised pork was made by Xiao Jiang; he brought it back from the cafeteria. Try it. Da Ni, come and eat."
Jiang Zhen moved to the side, leaving a place for Wei Dani. During the meal, Wei's mother also learned about Jiang Zhen's family background and nodded happily, thinking to herself that Dani was a lucky girl who had fallen into a blessed place.
After dinner, Liu Taohua said, "Mom, ask Second Uncle to tell me Da Ni's age!"
Wei Dani blushed so deeply she could bleed, staring at Liu Taohua in disbelief. Wei's mother nodded and said, "Okay!"
The group bought some wine and biscuits and went to Uncle Er's house. Uncle Er was the village party secretary, and Aunt Er was the women's director. The couple thought it was a good thing and agreed without much thought. They even prepared a letter of introduction and told Jiang Zhen and Wei Dani to be good comrades-in-arms, work hard, live well, and make progress together, and come back to visit often.
The Wei family left, expressing their gratitude profusely. After returning home, Wei's mother breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You see, the wedding can be put on the agenda now."
Jiang Zhen said embarrassedly, "We're not in a rush to get married. After we get Da Ni a job, I want to prepare three major items for her!" It wasn't that he didn't want to marry Wei Da Ni, but he really didn't have much money left after getting her a job, so he still needed to save up.
Liu Taohua laughed and said, "I heard from your Uncle Zhao that you got a job for Da Ni, which must have cost a lot of money, right? We don't need the three big items; we'll just give a sewing machine and a radio as part of the dowry..."
Jiang Zhen shook his head and said, "That won't do. The rules still need to be followed..."
Mother Wei nodded and said, "As long as you're doing well, that's all that matters. Be good to our Dani..."
Wei Dani didn't say a word the whole time, and when she came to her senses, she was already in the car with Liu Taohua and Jiang Zhen heading back to Beijing.
After getting off the bus, they agreed on a place to meet. Liu Taohua went home and called Wei Xigun and Erni to come out for a meal. Jiang Zhen took Wei Dani to find Yu Xiaolong, and after completing the onboarding process, they went to a state-run restaurant near his home. They ordered six dishes: stir-fried eggs with chives, fish head stew with tofu, braised mackerel, cabbage with vermicelli, chicken stew with potatoes, and cold cold noodles.
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