Family members know their own situation. Everyone is used to living together like this. Suddenly adding another person is not suitable or comfortable. Besides, how can we make money with more people? What if someone gets jealous and reports us? Where did the money for building this house come from? It was saved up little by little. If we all live together, how can we have any chance to make money?
From the start of construction to the point where we could move in, it took more than three months. During this time, we stayed at Xiaohu's house. On the day we moved back home, we had a housewarming party, but I wouldn't dare say that now. It was just an excuse to have a meal. After seeing the guests off that night, the four of us gathered in one room to settle the accounts.
"My God, this house has reduced my savings by more than a thousand yuan. I wouldn't have dared to imagine this three years ago."
"Oh dear, I've really shown off my wealth. Today, someone even tried to subtly inquire about my situation."
"Keep a low profile these days, especially Zhang Wei. I heard you say the other day that you were thinking of buying a radio? You'd better give up on that idea as soon as possible!"
"Hehe, I was just saying."
"Everyone should keep a low profile these days. Don't go to the mountains or the communes. I've already told people that business will be suspended for a while."
"clear."
The group didn't do much business. Three years ago, Jiang Yue found a spot to artificially cultivate mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and other mountain products. After harvesting, she would sell them to the puppet, who would then sell them to other black markets. The puppet would give the four of them whatever price he could get, and Jiang Yue didn't charge any handling fees.
They also sold a few ginseng roots. Jiang Yue didn't actively seek them out; the four of them accidentally found them while hunting. However, Jiang Yue recognized them, and since they were right in front of them, they couldn't just let them go. They only harvested three ginseng roots, which was too much for the four of them to divide, so they decided to sell them and split the money among themselves.
In the following days, they indeed recruited a lot of people. The four of them all said that it was money they had saved over the years. It's reasonable for four people to save 1,000 yuan in six years. As for whether others believed it or not, that was none of their business.
After the house was built, the weather turned cold, so we quickly started pickling sauerkraut. We also stocked up on vegetables like cabbage, scallions, and potatoes in the newly built cellar. However, we didn't have any meat left. Some of the meat we had was sold to buy food for the house construction, and the rest was given to friends who came to help.
However, there were four or five chickens to be slaughtered this year. These were chickens that did not lay eggs, so they were perfect for meat. While the four of them were busy preparing supplies, Grandpa Xu came to their door.
"Xiao Jiang, I've come to ask for your help today."
"Tell me, if there's anything I can help with, I definitely will."
"Hey, my youngest son is dating someone, he's marrying the daughter of his boss. They're coming over in a few days, and we were thinking of having them stay for a meal. But I think your cooking is the best I can get, it's not presentable enough for them. So I'm asking you to help me cook a meal."
"You made a special trip for such a small matter. You could have just asked Little Stone to tell you."
"That won't do, that's so impolite."
"I've agreed to this, Uncle Xu. Just come find me when you need to cook."
After seeing Grandpa Xu off, Jiang Yue went to the brigade leader's office to get the letter. This was the second letter her family had written to her. When Jiang Yue got home, she burned it without even reading it. She had read the first letter out of curiosity, but it disgusted her. Her stepsister had gone to the countryside, and Jiang Yue was asked to send her some food from time to time, worried that she might not be able to endure the hardship.
It's mainly because Jiang Yue is bored; otherwise, she shouldn't have opened the first letter. Jiang Yue hasn't contacted them even once in the past few years, so how could they have the nerve to write a letter about this? Are they just throwing money away? I don't understand.
A few days later, Grandpa Xu's grandson, Xiao Shitou, came to see Jiang Yue. Grandpa Xu's prospective in-laws were coming today. These days, once the elders of both sides meet, the matter is basically settled. It's still unknown when it will be over. Before leaving, Jiang Yue told Yao Ling and the other two to prepare some food for themselves. Over the years, Jiang Yue had taught the three of them how to cook. Although they couldn't compare to Jiang Yue, their cooking skills were now better than most people's.
When it was time for Grandpa Xu to arrive, his prospective in-laws had not yet arrived. Grandpa Xu and Grandma Xu thanked Jiang Yue, since Jiang Yue had come to help out today. After chatting for a while, Grandpa Xu's son arrived with a group of people. You read that right, a group of people, not just the bride's parents, but also the bride's relatives.
Grandpa Xu rushed to greet them as they arrived. He then showed everyone around his home, introduced his family members, and emphasized that the three new rooms were prepared for the children. He said that if the two children got together, they would live there. After seeing the house, Jiang Yue sensed that the woman's parents were all smiles and didn't seem reluctant at all.
Although the relatives who came with her raised some questions, they were all very practical and not deliberately nitpicking. After entering the house, Jiang Yue helped Aunt Xu pour water for the guests. Since they had come to help, they couldn't just stand there and watch. With both sides having no objection to the marriage, the matter proceeded very smoothly.
The in-laws stayed for dinner, which already hinted at the marriage being confirmed. When Jiang Yue arrived, the dishes for the day had already been decided, and the meal was prepared in no time.
There were quite a few people here today, but luckily Grandpa Xu was well-prepared. After the meal, the relatives were clearly very satisfied with the food, which showed how much Grandpa Xu valued the meeting. This subtly improved their impression of him.
After dinner, the topic of engagement naturally came up. The two sides agreed on the engagement date and the wedding date. Jiang Yue didn't participate in the rest of the event. She said goodbye and went home after finishing cooking. Originally, Jiang Yue wanted to watch more, but she was just having a good time eating sunflower seeds.
But that person must have been a matchmaker, because she kept staring at her and seemed to be thinking about something every now and then. Jiang Yue was really scared, so before leaving, she told Aunt Xu not to reveal her whereabouts.
When they got home, the three of them had already eaten. They had left some food for her in case she didn't have time to eat, but Jiang Yue didn't continue eating after she had already eaten. After Jiang Yue got on the kang (a heated brick bed), the three of them gathered around, their eagerness to hear gossip was not even trying to hide. Jiang Yue satisfied their request, and after listening to Jiang Yue's story, their faces all changed to a "That's it!" expression.
"What did you think? They've already met and discussed marriage. The two have been dating for so long, they've already asked around. This is reality, not a novel. If they don't like each other from the start, why would they date?"
"Sigh, I thought there would be some kind of plot where the mother-in-law looks down on a poor guy."
"What are you thinking? This is his boss's daughter. If he didn't like him, why would he let him date his own daughter? Besides, Grandpa Xu's son is educated, ambitious, and good-looking. He's also eloquent and not a mute. Grandpa Xu's family is fine, and they don't mistreat their daughter-in-law. It's perfectly normal for them to get together, okay?"
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