"Your brother and sister-in-law and I only found out about Zhou Yi's relationship the night before we decided to come to Yujia Village."
If it weren't for the blind date arranged for him, he would have kept it a secret from his family!
Considering Chen Hong's specific situation, we were also worried. We didn't tell Zhou Yi before coming; we came secretly to see her.
Brother, now you know that Chen Hong also went through a failed marriage.
She and Zhou Yi made a three-point agreement: she didn't want to get married within a few years. How could that be acceptable? If they didn't get a marriage certificate, then nothing was certain.
Your nephew is eager to get married, but he's like a dog trying to bite a hedgehog—he has nowhere to start!
Since we, the elders, have come to approve of Chen Hong, we should do everything we can to help Zhou Yi.
"The sooner you get married, the sooner you'll have peace of mind. You're the only older, divorced man left in the family. If you don't settle down, your brother and sister-in-law and I won't be able to die in peace!"
Uncle Zhou Yi said, "Whether you close your eyes or not, it has nothing to do with me. Don't pretend to be pitiful!"
If you're so capable, go and play the victim with Chen Hong. Besides, who asked you about this?
I'm asking how Zhou Yi got in touch with Chen Hong and started dating. Could you elaborate on that?
Zhou Yi's father glanced at his eldest brother and said, "Big brother, you seem to be getting a little too old to stop!"
What's there to say about young people dating? Don't you feel embarrassed at all?
Uncle Zhou Yi said matter-of-factly, "Zhou Yi usually acts all serious. What's wrong with me being curious about how he pursues girls?"
Besides, I think Chen Hong is a good person. Although she is usually thoughtful, meticulous, and easy to talk to, she is not perfect.
Her personality, though seemingly gentle, is actually quite sharp; she's very shrewd and knows exactly what she's doing, but she's not as easy to pursue as the average young girl.
Zhou Yi's mother covered her mouth and chuckled. Although her brother-in-law usually focused on his work and didn't care about the younger generation's trivial matters, he was the one who understood Zhou Yi the most in the entire Zhou family.
The father and son are the most like each other, with similar personalities, temperaments, and ways of doing things.
Among the younger generation in the family, the eldest brother-in-law is most interested in the I Ching. Although he pretends to be gossipy, he is actually concerned about the progress of Zhouyi's marriage.
Joking aside, Zhou Yi's parents still told them about Zhou Yi.
He recounted in detail to his elder brother how he met Chen Hong during a mission, how he pursued her, and how the two fell in love.
The couple, one narrating and the other supplementing, spoke in hushed tones. Uncle Zhou Yi listened with great interest, stroking his clean-shaven chin.
A satisfied smile spread across his face, and he nodded to himself: His second nephew does have some skills.
Identify your target and take the initiative. Prioritize your attacks and strike decisively. This guy is using all the tactics he learned in the army to woo his girlfriend.
Not only did they take down Yu Yang, but they also cleared away the obstacles around Chen Hong and won over the old village chief and Wang Erhu.
His relationship with Chen Hong progressed quite quickly, but it's currently stalled because Chen Hong lacks confidence in remarrying.
This matter really can't be rushed. As the saying goes, haste makes waste. My second brother and his wife are being too impatient.
Even when herding cattle back to their pens, you have to give them space. Forcibly driving or coaxing them can easily cause them to rebel, and in that case, it will backfire.
Uncle Zhou was confident, "You can't even mention getting a marriage certificate now, because the woman doesn't have confidence in it."
Otherwise, Zhou Yi wouldn't have specifically instructed you to keep it a secret from Chen Hong; this was also a condition for the woman to agree to date Zhou Yi.
Getting a wife can't be rushed. We need to build the woman's confidence and take it slow. Treat Chen Hong well, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water.
We've made a good start. If we get along well, Chen Hong is a kind person and she won't miss our parents' sincerity.
When you get back, you can talk to the village chief and ask him about the customs of betrothal in the countryside.
I heard from my comrades in Shandong that in their rural areas, marriage is always arranged beforehand.
Once the engagement ceremony is completed and the betrothal gifts are exchanged, the significance is comparable to obtaining a marriage certificate.
In rural areas, this kind of formality is generally accepted. Unless something particularly major happens, the engagement will not be called off or broken off, and the marriage is considered a done deal!
When that time comes, it will be easy to bring up marriage; it will be a natural and spontaneous thing.
This gave Chen Hong a buffer period and also allowed her to mentally prepare for remarriage!
Zhou Yi's mother slapped her thigh, "That's right! How come I didn't think of that?"
I heard that in Shandong, once people are engaged, they are considered official relatives.
Not only do the gifts and social obligations between the bride and groom continue as they did after marriage, but the children have also started calling their parents "Mom" and "Dad."
Aside from not getting a marriage certificate but having a wedding ceremony and living together, it's no different from being married. People here recognize the engagement ceremony!
I need to observe how the local villagers propose and get engaged, and learn from them so that I won't be impolite when it's my turn to hold a wedding.
Xiao Hao's mom loves to gossip, so I need to find opportunities to ask her questions and get some information out of her.
The old lady became excited as she spoke, as if her son's engagement was just around the corner and Chen Hong would sweetly call him Mom and Dad.
Yu Yang was whispering to Chen Hong in the cabin: "Mom, why do I feel like Grandma Zhou is talking a little strange?"
"Oh? What did Grandma Zhou say that made you feel strange?"
Yu Yang frowned: "She said you've become like one of her own kids or something. Aren't they tourists from Beijing?"
Chen Hong's heart skipped a beat: Oh no, we've been exposed! It must be that Zhou Yi's parents have discovered his weakness.
But the three old men didn't say anything to her, not even mentioning the name of the Book of Changes.
Did they think they were being kept in the dark and were just secretly inquiring about her situation?
Thinking of this, she breathed a sigh of relief. She felt at ease and had a plan. As long as the other party didn't explicitly say anything, she would play along. Who wouldn't continue to pretend to be ignorant?
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