Auntie walked up to my second cousin in a huff, grabbed his ear, and dragged him inside. Did she not know what kind of person her own son was? He was probably just using this as an excuse to bully people. Did they really think they, as elders, didn't know that these brothers often spoke ill of Mu Jingheng behind his back? She worried that such a good nephew-in-law might be driven away by these brats; she'd be crying then.
My second cousin grimaced, grabbing my aunt's wrist as she twisted his ear, and howled, "My dear mother, my dear mother, it hurts, it hurts so much!"
The younger ones laughed heartily, showing absolutely no respect.
Grandma laughed along, took Mu Jingheng's hand and led him inside, saying, "Don't mind your cousin, he's just jealous of you. He's not getting any younger, and he still doesn't have a girlfriend. Do you think any girl would be interested in someone as unreliable as him?"
Xu Xinning felt neglected and suddenly realized that her grandmother wasn't as appealing anymore now that she had a grandson-in-law and granddaughter. Sigh! She resigned herself to pushing the stroller.
The other cousins came to help, and seeing so many things hanging on the bicycle, they were a little curious about what was inside.
Grandpa followed behind Grandma and Mu Jingheng, his hands behind his back and a pipe filled with tobacco dangling from his mouth.
The old man had sharp eyes; he had to carefully select the man for his precious granddaughter. If the man wasn't good enough, the old man felt it was best to cut ties decisively. What did it matter if they were engaged? Anyone with flaws was unacceptable.
Unlike the Xu family, the Yang family was still a large family living together in a two-story brick and tile house with a large courtyard paved with large stone slabs and pebbles.
Actually, the accommodation conditions here are not bad. It's a typical Jiangnan water town, unlike other rural areas at this time of year where the conditions are still simple, with mud walls and thatched roofs.
However, there are also poor conditions here; their houses are mostly built with stone walls and thatched roofs.
The Yang family's house had no walls; it was surrounded by houses on three sides, with only one side serving as the main gate.
These white-walled, gray-tiled houses have a watercolor painting feel to them, creating a beautiful atmosphere.
Like the Xu family, the Yang family was considered to have a very good family tradition in the area.
The main room was large. Grandpa and Grandma sat at the head of the table, and Mu Jingheng sat next to Grandma. Grandma kept chatting with him. Xu Xinning put the things she brought on the table and said to Grandpa and Grandma, "Grandma, these are the layered cakes and mooncakes that my grandma made. She asked us to bring them for you to try."
In fact, they brought not only the pastries made by Grandma Xu, but also many other things they had taken out of the space, including meat, fruit, and wine.
When Xu Xinning's grandparents saw that she had taken out so many things, they said coquettishly, "Your grandma is just being polite, giving us all of this. What are you going to eat?"
Looking at the beautifully designed mooncakes, my aunt smiled and said, "These mooncakes are really pretty."
Actually, mooncakes are all made using molds. The molds are carved by craftsmen. They are rectangular pieces of wood, carved into handles and two round holes, with beautiful patterns carved inside the holes. These molds can be used to make all kinds of food. There is a kind of local bun made with rice flour skin, filled with a filling of diced meat, diced eggs, and other diced vegetables stir-fried together. These are made using this kind of mold.
Grandma took it and examined it carefully, saying, "It is indeed beautiful. It's a pity that there are no craftsmen who can carve this kind of mold anymore. This mold of the Xu family should have been part of Grandma Nannan's dowry when she got married."
Xu Xinning smiled. "Isn't that right? Grandma Xu treasures this mold a lot. She even said that she would pass it on to Xu Xinning when she gets married."
Grandpa also glanced at the things Xu Xinning and her family had brought. It seemed that the Xu family was doing quite well now, but it was also possible that Mu Jingheng had prepared them, since this was his first visit to his maternal grandparents' home since his engagement to Xu Xinning.
Knowing that Mu Jingheng was coming, the elders had already prepared red envelopes.
There's a custom here that both the man and the woman have to give a red envelope (containing money) to each other when they first visit the other's elders' home to formally acknowledge their relationship.
Grandma Xu had told Mu Jingheng about this custom, which is why he specially prepared so many things when he came.
Seeing that her grandmother and aunts were very happy, Xu Xinning said, "Jingheng prepared all these things. It's almost Mid-Autumn Festival, and the family can have a good reunion then."
Grandma held Mu Jingheng's hand and said politely, "You're such an honest child, how did you prepare so much?"
Mu Jingheng laughed: "Grandma, I still think it's not enough. There are so many people in the family, there aren't many for each person."
Grandma: "I always told you you're honest. There are so many people in our family. If you want them to be full, there's no amount of food enough. These little brats are all reincarnated starving ghosts."
The little rascals who were reincarnated from starving ghosts: ...
Seeing that her older siblings' expressions had changed, Xu Xinning immediately changed the subject, asking, "Where's my older cousin? I haven't seen him."
Aunt replied, "Didn't your eldest cousin get engaged? He went to your future cousin's house to deliver holiday gifts."
Xu Xinning smiled and said, "I haven't even met my cousin's wife yet, what a pity."
My younger cousin chimed in quickly, "My sister-in-law isn't as pretty as my cousin Ningning, but my older brother really likes her. I even saw them kissing."
Her aunt tried to cover her mouth, but it was too late. She laughed and scolded, "Why does this child blurt out everything?"
My younger cousin protested, "I really saw them kissing! My older brother even said to my sister-in-law, 'Fangfang, you're so pretty.'"
My little cousin's imitations were so lifelike that everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.
My cousin suddenly sneezed several times at his future father-in-law's house. He rubbed his itchy nose, thinking that he probably caught a cold from being too excited about visiting his future father-in-law's house last night.
As soon as Wang Yafang saw her cousin sneeze, she immediately poured him some hot water to drink. Her cousin was so touched that he looked at Wang Yafang with a tender gaze.
Xu Xinning was thankful that there were no unruly children in her family, otherwise she would have wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.
Although Xu Laosan was a brat, at least he didn't dare to talk about Xu Xinning.
Xu Xinning mourns for her cousin!
Xu Xinning and Mu Jingheng had to leave the Yang family home after only a short time. Their maternal grandparents, uncles, and aunts tried their best to persuade them to stay, but Xu Xinning and Mu Jingheng were about to go to Kyoto and had a lot of things to prepare. The elders of the Yang family understood.
In fact, the Yang family was quite worried. They had heard about the Mu family's conditions, and they were afraid that their beloved granddaughter (niece) would be mistreated after marrying into the Mu family. What would they do with such a long journey?
The long journey was also a reason why my grandfather didn't approve, but he wouldn't easily show it. He was afraid of being scolded by his wife, since it was still unconfirmed. If his wife found out, she would definitely say that he was cursing his granddaughter.
When Mu Jingheng from Xu Xinning was about to leave, he indeed received red envelopes from the elders, and said auspicious words.
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