"Mom, who are you going to introduce to me?" Gu Dongmei couldn't help asking about her daughter's lifelong event. In fact, in her opinion, it was useless for a girl to read so many books. It would be best for her to go to a technical secondary school like Dani did, go to work in a factory early, find a considerate and honest husband like Qianjin, have a few children, and live a stable life.
This woman is too strong and will put pressure on the man. What kind of husband can tolerate a woman like Erni who has a rather impulsive personality? Besides, Erni will be 24 after the Chinese New Year. A woman of this age will have given birth to two or three children.
Gu Dongmei has always been worried that if her daughter doesn't get married, she won't be able to find a partner in the future, and even if she does find one, it will be difficult for her to have children.
Not only Er Ni, but also San Ni and Sini are not young anymore. She takes care of Dongmei and says that it is time to find a suitable partner. It would be best to find someone who is studying in the capital. After all, the country does not stipulate that you cannot get married while attending university. She has seen many people who bring their children to university.
"I've asked someone to find it. You didn't see it when you were buying meat just now. When the people in our village saw the TV that our Xiaobao bought for his family, they all asked me if our Xiaobao had a favorite girl. Some of them even wanted to introduce their daughters and nieces to our Xiaobao."
There was some smugness in Mrs. Miao's eyes, and she boasted to her son and daughter-in-law with great joy: "Our Xiaobao is no ordinary person now, so we can't be careless about the partner. At least she has to be the daughter of a leader, have a city hukou, and have attended college. Can those people they say are worthy of our Xiaobao? What's the point of working hard? Can't our Xiaobao hire a nanny to do the work in the future?"
"Mom, don't you think the conditions are too high? She may not necessarily be interested in our Xiaobao." Jiang Dahai did not have the same rigid requirements as his mother. He felt that as long as his son was attracted to the girl and the girl's character was acceptable, the marriage would be fine. If it was really like what his mother said, even if the girl liked his son, she would probably look down on them, his parents-in-law who worked hard to make a living.
Gu Dongmei also felt a little bit uncomfortable. Is this marrying a wife or marrying an ancestor? The wife did nothing after marrying into the family, and even hired a nanny to take care of her. She couldn't afford such a wife. The old lady was too biased. She had worked like a cow and a horse for the family for so many years and didn't get a good word. Why could the granddaughter-in-law who didn't even exist get such treatment, just because her family background was not as good as others? However, she only dared to complain in her heart and didn't dare to say it out loud.
"Are you stupid? How can our Xiaobao not be worthy of those city girls? Look, there are children of Xiaobao's age who have earned a color TV for their families. You are still a father, don't you feel guilty?"
The old lady put down the bowl heavily, nodded her son's head, and showed off the TV in the main room again: "Your brother-in-law's family is quite capable, right? They only have a 14-inch TV, which is a little smaller than the one Xiaobao bought for his family. Tell me, why is our Xiaobao not worthy of those city girls?"
The old lady was almost mad at her stupid son. How could a father be like this? He didn't want to boost his son's confidence, but instead poured cold water on her from behind. She wished she could stuff this stupid son back into her stomach and give birth to him all over again.
Jiang Dahai was so angry that he lowered his head and ate noodles silently, not daring to say anything back.
"Xiaobao, listen to grandma and have a broader vision. You won't be a person who stays in the mountains in the future. It will be good for you to marry a capable daughter-in-law. What's the use of being beautiful? Can this person be beautiful forever? If this daughter-in-law is capable, you can have a easier time in the future."
Old Mrs. Miao kept telling her grandson her requirements for choosing a grandson's wife, but Jiang Yilu ignored her.
"Grandma, I'm only seventeen after the Chinese New Year. There's no rush about this. Besides, the country advocates late marriage and pregnancy, so I can wait a few more years." Jiang Yilu waited until the old lady was finally tired of talking, and then spoke slowly.
Acceptance does not mean willingness. When Jiang Yilu thought about his future marriage and the possibility of sex, he felt a little awkward and uncomfortable. He could hide for a few years, and since he was not too old, he could still use his hard work to get away with it.
"That's true. You should go out and meet more girls. You can choose a better one." The old lady nodded repeatedly. "But your sisters can't wait. If you wait a few more years, no one will want you."
"Grandma, my second sister and her friends are still studying, so why should they be so anxious to find a partner? Besides, what suitable candidates are there here? One is in J Province, and the other may stay in the capital in the future. Aren't they completely unrelated? Do you think we will have to ask them to come back if my second sister and her friends are assigned good jobs in the future?"
Jiang Yilu felt from the bottom of his heart that the people his grandmother introduced to his sisters were not very reliable. In this life, although his grandmother had nothing to say about him, her attitude towards his sisters had never changed from beginning to end. Now she was willing to let them go to school entirely because of his and grandfather's ideas. In fact, his grandmother was still very dissatisfied in her heart, and always wanted to earn back the money from their future wages or dowries.
The idea of favoring boys over girls has been deeply rooted in the old lady's mind for decades. She doesn't even value herself. How can Jiang Yilu change her and change her bad habit?
Jiang Yilu felt that the old lady was capable of marrying off her second sister for the sake of a high bride price.
"There's no rush. Your second sister is already 24 years old. Children of the same age as your second sister in our village can swim in the pond at the entrance of the village. It doesn't matter that you are a boy. Girls are old and worthless. No one wants them."
The old lady explained to her precious grandson as if she were an experienced person, and Gu Dongmei nodded beside her.
"Your grandmother is right. Your second sister is a little old. She still needs to study for another two years. When she graduates from college, she will be 26 years old. There will be no good family willing to marry her."
What Gu Dongmei said was not wrong. At least this was the situation in their area, and their concerns were not unreasonable.
"Grandma..." Jiang Yilu was helpless. His second sister and the others might not come back in the future. Life outside was different from theirs. There were a lot of unmarried people of similar age in college, and he didn't seem to be anxious.
"Okay, this is something that we elders worry about. Just study hard and earn your money peacefully, and don't worry about these little things." She stopped talking about this topic. The little grandson was good in every way, except that he paid too much attention to the affairs of Dani and the others, which made the old lady unhappy.
Jiang Yilu wanted to say something else but was interrupted by a cough coming from the yard.
"Cough, cough, cough——" Old man Jiang walked into the house with his back hunched, his hands behind his back, and a serious look on his face. The weather has been cold these days, and Old man Jiang has caught a cold. He has been coughing for a while. He just came back from the county hospital a few days ago and got some medicine, but it has not had any effect yet.
"Xiaobao is back." Seeing his grandson sitting at the dining table, Old Man Jiang finally had a smile on his stern face. On his way home, he met many villagers who said that Xiaobao bought a TV for their family. Everyone in the village envied him for his good fortune.
Old man Jiang loved face the most in his life, and he was very happy to receive the praise from the villagers. It also slightly alleviated his worries about his grandson's idle business.
"How did things go? What did you say to Dashuan?" Old Mrs. Miao urged her daughter-in-law to go to the kitchen to pour a bowl of hot water, pulled out a chair for the old man, and helped him sit down.
"What else can I do? I can't lose face and ask the chief to help me find someone. Besides, if Xiang Hong doesn't change his temper, even if I find this person, he will run away again sooner or later."
When Old Man Jiang thought of the scene he saw at Dashuan's house today, he immediately gave up the idea of helping to find that person. The other person was not in a hurry and felt from the bottom of his heart that Rong Jing would come back. He even thought that they were meddling in other people's business. Why should he waste a favor on such an ungrateful woman?
Actually, Old Man Jiang and Mo Dashuan were friends, but he had no feelings for Xiang Hong. It was just a pity for Dashuan, who had such a daughter and had to suffer in his old age.
"Xianghong is such a..." Old Mrs. Miao really didn't know what to say. Ever since Mo Xianghong took the child back to her parents' home, the gossiping old women in Qingshan Village have never stopped speculating. During this period close to the Chinese New Year, almost all the topics of conversation revolved around her.
The Mo family is no longer the same as before. Several sons are married and have children. The two younger sons have moved out, and the Mo Dashuan couple lives with their unmarried younger daughter and the eldest son's family. The eldest son's wife is a kind person. Over the years, the Mo family has been subsidizing Mo Xianghong, who married early, and she never said anything. But now Mo Xianghong is divorced and has returned to her parents' home with her son. She doesn't work every day and is just sad. Her two-year-old son has to be taken care of by others. No matter how good the eldest son's wife is, she can't stand such a sister-in-law.
In the opinion of Old Lady Miao, it was only a matter of time before a war broke out in the Mo family. This further strengthened her decision to find a reliable husband whom she knew well for Erni and the others.
It would be better if they were ignorant and followed Xiang Hong's example, finding a partner for themselves and getting pregnant, which would drag down Xiaobao's reputation.
When Mo Xianghong's incident came to light, families in the surrounding area who heard the news kept their daughters under close watch, fearing that their daughters would follow Mo Xianghong's example and do something stupid and shameful. Those villagers who had married educated youth who had gone to the countryside wanted to tie up the wives and husbands of the educated youths with chains, fearing that they would follow Rong Jing's example and run away.
It can be said that one thing that happened to Mo Xianghong touched the sensitive nerves of most people.
*******
"Xiaobao!"
Erni, Sanni and Sini returned home with their gifts and greeted Jiang Yiliu who was helping to feed the chickens in the yard. Sanni was particularly excited to see him and rushed to him with joy: "Xiaobao, guess how much the store has earned these days--"
"Shh——" Jiang Yilu pointed to the main room and asked her not to speak for the time being.
Sanni looked into the house in confusion and was shocked by the people who filled the room. They were all from Qingshan Village, many of them were experienced uncles and aunts. They brought a chair and sat in the main room, drinking water, chatting, eating melon seeds, and watching TV. The whole room was noisy, and from time to time there were children's shrill screams and noises. Jiang Yilu said he was feeding the chickens, but in fact he was just taking shelter.
Ever since he got a TV at home, he has never had peace. First of all, the TV is almost always on during the day. When the young people go to work in the fields, the old people and the children in the village come to watch TV. When it is time to cook, the old people go home and the young people who have returned from the fields come over. It is even more incredible at night. Almost everyone in the village comes to their house, and you have to rely on luck to grab a seat. The main room is so small that there are only a few chairs in the front, and the rest of the people stand in the back to watch. Sometimes Jiang Yilu wants to go out of the house to use the toilet, but he can't squeeze out.
Usually around ten o'clock in the evening, the crowd gradually disperses.
Jiang Yilu regretted buying this TV, but the old lady and the old man were different. Although they complained, their bodies honestly welcomed the villagers who came to their house to watch TV. If someone could express his envy while watching TV and praise Jiang Yilu as his filial grandson, the old man and the old woman would eat two more bowls of rice.
Such a TV has brought the old couple a second spring. These days, they are beaming with joy every day, especially old lady Miao. The first thing she does every day when she gets up is to clean the main room and wait for those who want to watch TV to come. The two old people are surrounded by the crowd like stars around the moon, chatting and bragging. Jiang Yilu and Jiang Dahai don't know what to say.
Jiang Yilu could only pray that a second family in the village would soon buy a TV to relieve his pressure. Judging from the enthusiasm of the villagers in watching TV, the second TV would not be far away.
After all, black and white TVs are not too expensive, and there are still families in the village who can afford them.
"We bought a TV at home!" Sanni said happily.
Grandpa Bai's family also bought a TV. Erni, Sanni and Sini all lived in Bai Fangqiu's house during the holidays and were used to watching TV every day. In their hearts, this TV was quite rare. Now that they suddenly saw that their hometown also had a TV, they were all stunned for a while.
"Hey, Erni and the others are back. They are all grown up now. Look, they are different after studying in the city. They are no longer the dark and skinny ones when they were little. They look fashionable and like city people."
The people watching TV in the house noticed the movement outside and pointed at Jiang Erni and her sisters and Old Lady Miao beside them and said, "Aunt Miao, you are lucky. Your grandson is promising and your granddaughter is pretty. She will definitely find a good family when the time comes."
Old Mrs. Miao covered her mouth and said with a little reserve: "It's not as good as you say. I'll be thankful if this girl can find someone to marry. Look at their age. I've been so worried these days."
"Erni and the others are college students, what do they have to worry about? My mother's family..." A group of gossiping aunts stopped watching TV and gathered together to whisper in Old Mrs. Miao's ear. Old Mrs. Miao listened carefully and looked at her granddaughters from time to time.
"Xiaobao, what's happening?" Erni looked at the situation and winked at her brother.
"You just came back, so go put your luggage in the house first." Jiang Yilu took the luggage from their hands and asked them to go back to the house first. He then talked to them in detail, letting them prepare themselves for this matter.
After squeezing into the main room with great difficulty, Erni and the others went in, closed the door, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
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