Chapter 186 Received a reassurance
"My mom told me to exercise more before I get married..." Shen Zhuoyi's resolute face suddenly flushed with shyness.
The Mei family of three: "???" What does that mean?
Exercising? What problems does it solve?
After stammering for a while, under the increasingly oppressive gazes of the Mei family, Shen Zhuoyi suddenly closed his eyes and shouted.
"After I get married, I'll make sure Lingling gets pregnant with twin sons as soon as possible, one with my surname and one with hers. Then your Mei family will have an heir..."
After Shen Zhuoyi finished shouting, he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Opening his eyes, he saw that the three people in front of him had all turned into stone sculptures with their mouths wide open.
Let the child take the mother's surname? That's almost impossible in this day and age.
In the five thousand years of Chinese culture, people with the same surname are a symbol of a family with a common blood relationship. They are said to have the same ancestor, a lineage, and have the characteristics of continuity and inheritance, and carry the meaning of clan.
Simply put, each of our surnames is like a symbol of our family.
People born in the 1960s, 1970s, and even 1980s are very traditional in their approach to the issue of surname inheritance, and the idea that children take their father's surname is deeply ingrained.
Even if a couple has a very close relationship, it is considered very reasonable for them to simply add the wife's surname after the husband's surname when naming their child.
In later, in economically developed societies...
Even if couples born in the 1990s are very open-minded, their parents were still born in the 1960s and 70s. It's extremely rare, if not exceptional, for them to have their children take their mother's surname.
For Shen Zhuoyi to utter such words was like a bolt from the blue.
The shock left the Mei family of three trembling.
"You...you said, this is your...mother's wish?" Mr. Mei asked after a long while, his voice trembling.
Shen Zhuoyi nodded solemnly, "Yes, this is my mother's wish, and it is also my wish."
"Brother Yi—" Mei Ling cried out and threw herself into Shen Zhuoyi's arms again, bursting into tears.
Her sworn brother must have done it for her; he couldn't bear to see her caught in the middle, so he abandoned his dignity as a man just to fulfill her wishes.
Waaaaah...
She was so touched; how could her sworn brother be so kind?
Would anyone still blame her for following Shen Zhuoyi so devotedly?
Won't.
Her sworn brother deserves her wholehearted love, and she deserves to give up everything to love him!
Mei's mother also cried. She kept wiping away her tears and muttering to herself.
"Am I dreaming? Am I dreaming...?"
Mei's father tremblingly reached out and patted Shen Zhuoyi's shoulder, his eyes reddening.
"Thank you for your mother's righteousness, thank you for understanding your uncle's determination, thank you..."
"Uncle Mei, we're all family, no need to thank me," Shen Zhuoyi said with a smile.
Mei's mother came over and hugged Shen Zhuoyi, wiping away her tears.
"I'm sorry, Zhuoyi, I've never had a problem with you. You need to know that this is the only thing I've ever held dear with your uncle. I'm sorry..."
Shen Zhuoyi didn't think he had done anything extraordinary. He felt that since his wife loved him, he shouldn't make things difficult for her.
As a man, he should provide for his wife and let her live a happy and free life.
"Auntie, I have the utmost sincerity towards Lingling. What you're worried about will absolutely not happen; I will definitely protect her..."
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. Please do as you please..." Mother Mei quickly waved her hand, her face full of embarrassment.
Mr. Mei grabbed Mrs. Mei and led her out, saying, "Ahem, you can do whatever you want from now on, just pretend we were never here."
With a "bang".
The door was slammed shut, and Mr. and Mrs. Mei came and went in a whirlwind.
Mei Ling and Shen Zhuoyi were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
Mei Ling blinked. "Brother Yi, what do you think my parents meant by what they just said? Does that mean they don't care what we do anymore?"
"So, can we sneak a taste of the forbidden fruit?"
Shen Zhuoyi's face flushed red as he pushed Mei Ling away, "What are you thinking? I'm not that kind of man."
Shen Zhuoyi stormed out of the door, leaving Mei Ling speechless with grief.
Her future husband is so innocent, and the prospect of having twin sons seems so far away. How miserable her life is!
Mr. and Mrs. Mei were reassured, and the couple drove around every day, shopping for New Year's goods and visiting all the tourist attractions in Beijing.
On the day the whole family was having their New Year's Eve dinner, the eldest and second eldest brothers had just finished setting off firecrackers when Jiang Zhengyu actually walked into the house step by step, stepping on the firecracker debris.
"Big brother!" Jiang Ruzhen exclaimed in surprise.
She rushed over and hugged Jiang Zhengyu, crying and laughing at the same time. She thought her older brother had lost contact with the family and that she would never see him again.
"Little sister!"
Jiang Zhengyu patted Jiang Ruzhen's head and looked at his parents.
"Mom and Dad, I'm home."
"Hey! It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
The elderly couple were also pleasantly surprised, pulling their eldest son to sit down and examining him closely.
He's lost weight and gotten darker, but he's still got energy, and his eyes are shining again.
I don't know what he went through in Hangzhou, but as long as he made it through, he's amazing.
"How have you been lately?" Jiang's mother touched her eldest son's sunken cheeks.
Jiang Zhengyu's expression was gentle, and a happy smile appeared on his lips, as if he was thinking of something.
"Mom, I'm fine, don't worry."
“Zhengyu, will you still go back to Yangcheng in the future? Why don’t you come to work in Beijing? Our whole family is here, and we can take care of each other.”
Jiang Zhengyu shook his head, "No, the scenery in Hangzhou is very nourishing. I've decided to stay in Hangzhou for my next life."
"When you retire, come and stay with me. You can stroll around the stream and lake; the scenery is beautiful, and the people there... are very nice too."
Jiang Zhengyu spoke softly and eloquently, describing the scenery of Xihu Lake in a beautiful and detailed way.
Mr. and Mrs. Jiang were somewhat tempted. "Okay, we'll come visit you when we're not busy."
The family was reunited and enjoyed a lively New Year's Eve dinner.
When Jiang Zhengxiao heard that his older brother had returned, he brought his wife and children to join in the festivities on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Since the two-bedroom apartment was too small for Jiang's parents, Jiang Ruzhen brought everyone to the house prepared for the fourth son.
The more than 200-square-meter courtyard, the ornately decorated traditional courtyard house, and the rockery and pavilion in the small garden drew gasps of amazement from everyone.
Seeing that her parents liked it, Jiang Ruzhen wanted to get them a set as well.
The elderly couple quickly waved their hands in refusal.
"No way, we old folks still want to live a few more comfortable days. We can't afford to keep this big courtyard clean."
“Mom and Dad, I’ll hire someone to clean up for you,” Jiang Ruzhen suggested.
"Forget it, we can't get used to the capitalist lifestyle."
Seeing that the elderly couple really didn't want it, Jiang Ruzhen didn't force them.
She lagged behind, walking shoulder to shoulder with her older brother.
Suddenly, he asked, "Big brother, have you found love again?"
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