Jiang Qiao joked, "Grandpa, I've seen it. Now that you have a grandson's wife, your granddaughter has become just a stepping stone."
Excuse me, could you please keep putting some aspic on my plate? I've been smelling cooking oil all morning. I'd like something lighter.
I have some cabbage soup in the pot. If any of you want some, just say so—
Qiao Jie replied, "Girl, make me a bowl of soup later. We have similar tastes."
Jiang Qiao smiled and said, "Your bowl is right on the cupboard. Let it cool down before you drink it."
The others are all carnivores, especially Gu Zhixuan and his brother, and Yang Anxiu. These three can't even compare to the family.
Putting aside the fact that the city only had a limited supply of ration coupons, Yang Anxiu had nowhere to buy them because she didn't have any coupons at all. Even if her family could provide some food, it was just a drop in the ocean.
Moreover, to Yang Anxiu's surprise, the Gu family's living conditions were much better than she had imagined.
I thought that, while the Gu family, being a landlord family, might not be universally reviled, their situation was at least not much better.
But what I saw before me was different from what I had imagined. The house was as lively as an ordinary family's home, with people coming and going, and it seemed that no one had any complaints about them.
No wonder her uncle said that once you get through it, you have to learn to face everything calmly. It seems that her uncle was right.
Yang Anxiu became even more excited upon seeing Zuo Zhankui and Cheng Baichuan. She had met these two men before, but seeing them both here made her even more thrilled. "Grandpa Zuo, Grandpa Cheng—"
Zuo Zhankui and Cheng Baichuan were also happy to see Yang Anxiu. "Little girl, you've grown up! You've found a good husband, a perfect match for Zhixuan. How's your uncle doing?"
"I'm doing well. My uncle even asked me to give you two my regards. Are you both doing alright?"
Zuo Zhankui smiled and nodded, "Everything's fine. Tell him not to worry about us and to focus on his work."
Yang Anxiu remembered a letter that Zhao Anbang had asked her to forward. She decided to hand it over to the old man later.
"Come on, everyone, eat more. Our family is having a lively time today. Zhixuan and Anxiu came back to get engaged. We won't invite anyone else. Just us relatives and friends will be the witnesses. The marriage between the two children is settled."
He Wenqing nodded with a smile, "Great! We should have a couple more drinks. Old Wang, fill my glass. I don't usually drink, but I'm going to have a lot today—"
Previously, everyone in the family was in a low mood because of what happened with Jiang Qiao and the others.
However, the return of Gu Zhixuan and his friends dispelled the previous gloom, especially since the two of them got engaged, which made everyone happy for once.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Gu Hanting called the young couple to the next room.
“Child, Zhixuan’s mother has passed away, and his father is busy. So, this matter can only be handled by me, the grandfather. In the past, I would have definitely been able to hold a grand engagement ceremony for you. But things are different now, so the ceremony can be simple, but the ceremony cannot be skipped.”
There's a set of gold jewelry here, and all these clothes, shoes, and fabrics were prepared by Qiao'er. The money and coupons are also for you; buy yourself whatever you like, don't think it's too little."
Yang Anxiu was surprised that the old man and his family had prepared so much, and that everything was more complete than what was available in the city. Yang Anxiu was unsure whether she should accept it or not.
She glanced at Gu Zhixuan, "This—"
Gu Zhixuan understood in his heart, "Take it. It's all from the family's heart. Just remember Qiao'er's kindness. Over the years, Qiao'er has taken care of us."
Yang Anxiu smiled and accepted it, saying, "Thank you, Grandpa!"
After putting everything away, Yang Anxiu also had something to give to Zuo Zhankui, so only Gu Hanting and his grandson Gu Zhixuan remained in the room.
"Zhixuan, your mother's dowry is something your grandfather plans to give you after you get married."
Gu Zhixuan shook his head. "Grandpa, leave all of this to my sister. This set of gold is already very good."
The old man waved his hand and said, "You don't need to worry about your sister. Not to mention your second aunt's dowry, the Wen family should also give her a lot."
"Our family's things belong to whoever owns them, and that can't be wronged. What's rightfully yours, Qiao'er won't take; she doesn't need it."
Gu Zhixuan shook his head again. "Grandpa, putting aside my situation, it's not very convenient for Anxiu either. Let's keep it in your hands and take it out when the time is right."
This is what I'm thinking: we can both support ourselves, so let's leave some extra for Zhihong. My uncle and his family are gone; let's leave some savings for Zhihong."
Gu Hanting waved his hand, "You don't need to worry about this. I've kept your aunt's dowry for you, and Zhihong's share won't be less either. It's all yours, and Grandpa knows what he's doing."
Your father and I have discussed it; your mother's entire dowry will belong to you. We'll discuss the rest later.
Since the old man had already made up his mind and had also discussed it with his father and second uncle, Gu Zhixuan decided not to worry about it anymore.
Jiang Qiao pushed the door open with a smile and said, "Big brother, how is it? You're getting married soon. Do you have any ideas or requests? We'll help you make the arrangements."
Gu Zhixuan gave a wry smile. "We don't need anything. Just prepare some bedding for us. We don't need anything else. We have everything at home."
Besides, Anxiu isn't the kind of person who's vain. Let's be practical. We'll keep things simple, just like how other people do it.
Grandpa, we've discussed it and we don't plan on having a big celebration; a simple ceremony will suffice.
Gu Hanting sighed, "Alright, you young people have your own ideas. I won't worry about it. You'd better discuss it with your father-in-law and make sure you don't feel like we're neglecting his child."
Jiang Qiao took a package out of the cabinet. "Brother, this is a gift I prepared for you, for your father-in-law's family. I've left it here. Take a look later and decide who to give it to. You can discuss it with my sister-in-law."
Gu Zhixuan looked at Jiang Qiao in surprise. "What do you mean? I just got back, and you've already prepared my things for me to leave. Qiao'er, is something wrong at home?"
Jiang Qiao didn't want to hide it from Gu Zhixuan, after all, he was also a member of this family.
"Brother, I'm in a bit of trouble. I don't know what will happen next. Remember, no matter what happens, just stay in the factory. If anyone asks you to go out, ignore them. If anyone asks you anything, just say you don't know."
Gu Zhixuan frowned. "What do you mean? Tell me properly, what kind of trouble is this? Have those enemy agents come knocking on our door?"
Gu Hanting sighed and told his grandson about what had happened inside and outside the house.
"Right now, we don't know what might happen, so your sister can only tell us everything she can think of for now."
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