Xu Mingwan had been holding back all day, and it was finally time to get off work. She couldn't wait to pull Zhang Xuemei out, and whispered as they walked, "Third Sister-in-law, Lu Baichuan talked about me with his parents yesterday. They have no objections and even want us to get married soon."
Looking at her shy sister-in-law, Zhang Xuemei whispered, "Isn't this a bit too fast? You've only been together for less than a month, and you're already talking about marriage? I think you should spend more time together. Marriage is not a game."
Xu Mingwan smiled and nodded, "That's what I told him too. Let's talk for at least six months! He originally wanted to visit me in person, but I refused. It's too fast. Let's talk about it after the New Year."
"It's good that you understand. Also, you can talk, but you can't do *that*, you know?" Zhang Xuemei's words were vague, but Xu Mingwan understood immediately and nodded with a blush.
With the New Year approaching, and seeing no sign of them returning home, Granny Liu finally couldn't help but ask.
"When are we planning to go home this year? Should we buy some things in advance? We should also ask your third aunt to help us take the quilts out of the house to air them out."
Zhang Xuemei slapped her forehead and said with a smile, "Mom, look at me, I forgot to tell you that we won't be going back to the village for the Spring Festival this year, we'll be spending it here."
The shop is busy too; closing for even a day means losing several hundred dollars. We discussed it and decided we shouldn't go back.
"Not going back? How can that be? How can you not go back for the New Year!"
Granny Liu was getting anxious. Such an important event as the New Year should naturally be held at home. Besides, we still need to visit relatives during the first month of the lunar year. We can't just skip visiting our relatives, can we?
"Mom," Xu Mingwan reached out and patted her mother's hand to comfort her, "Aren't we celebrating the New Year together as a family here? Look, when we go back to the village, we have to clean and buy groceries. We only stay for a few days before coming back. Isn't that just a hassle?"
"But why do I feel so uncomfortable? Hey, old man, why aren't you saying anything?"
This isn't like my husband at all. He always grumbled about wanting to go back to the village, so why isn't he reacting now that we're not going back for the New Year?
Xu Hongshan coughed twice and said smugly, "If we don't want to go back, we don't have to. It's the same no matter where we spend the year. I think it's fine to spend the year here."
"Are you really that reasonable?" Granny Liu looked at her husband suspiciously, wondering if he was hiding something from her.
"Mom, you don't know this, but Dad's long-awaited new house has been settled. My third and fourth brothers and I have discussed it and we're going to build the house in the village as soon as spring comes. We'll build it on three plots of land together, and then build it to be four and a half stories. The first floor will be for you and Dad, the second floor will be for my third brother and sister-in-law, the third floor will be for my fourth brother, and the fourth floor will be mine."
Xu Mingjiang originally didn't want to build it, since he was going to buy a house, but his third brother's suggestion was really great. The three brothers built it together, which not only increased the area but also saved money.
"Building a new house? Do you have enough money? If not, Mom has some money here for you to use first."
Granny Liu was happy to hear that a new house was going to be built, even though she said that living in the old house was better because it was cooler.
But seeing that the neighbors nearby were either building new houses or renovating their houses, which looked much better than their old house, they felt somewhat unhappy.
But in the past, the family was poor, and she had to endure her unhappiness. Now that her sons are wealthy and preparing to build a new house, they even reserved a floor for her and her husband. She is overjoyed and willing to pay for it.
"Mom, keep that little bit of money for yourself. We have enough." Xu Minghan stopped his mother. Although they were a little short on money, they had taught a few more people how to make braised food, which brought in extra income.
"Yes, and we plan to fix the exterior first, then renovate the first floor where you and Dad live. We'll just paint the walls white and put a bed on the other floors. We don't go back to live there much anyway, so it won't cost much."
Xu Minghe was most satisfied with this arrangement. Why bother with such nice renovations if no one's going to live there? It's a waste of money.
Xu Hongshan waved his hand and said, "I don't care what you do upstairs, but you better get the first floor done properly, because I'm going to stay here permanently."
He'll soon be living in a new house, and he wants to make his old friends envious.
"Dad, that's easy. You can just go home and supervise the construction. The whole house building will be your responsibility, okay?" Xu Minghan was very confident in entrusting this matter to his father, assuring him that it wouldn't cost a penny more.
“Okay, I’ll go back in January and won’t come back. I’ll have your mom take care of the kids while I stay in the village and oversee the house construction.”
Xu Hongshan was already thinking about which people to hire to do the work. Hmm, he would definitely hire a few people he had a good relationship with.
"Hey, if only they could go back to work tomorrow, we could save a lot on labor costs for each family."
Xu Hongshan thought of his eldest and second sons again, wishing he could bring them home to work.
"Dad, don't overthink it. My older brother and the others are busy; they're overwhelmed with their work right now. Don't make things worse."
Xu Minghan quickly stopped him, saying that his older brother and his colleagues were now quite well-known, with orders booked until the end of next year, so they didn't have time to go back to their hometown to build a house.
"That's right, you old man, you're just thinking nonsense. They're bringing a team with them tomorrow, they're not going to let you work for free. Just find people in the village, find those who are hardworking and diligent, don't hire those who slack off, they'll pay by the day."
"I know, I know, how could I not know this?"
...
That night, Zhang Xuemei lay in bed and whispered, "Should we tell Dad and Mom about Xiaowan and Lu Baichuan being together?"
"Let's not talk about it yet. I don't know if it will last. But I really didn't expect Lu Baichuan to be with Xiaowan. It's amazing."
Zhang Xuemei rolled her eyes at him and said unconvinced, "What's so amazing about that? They all have the same eyes and mouths. How much better can Lu Baichuan be? He just has some money in his family. Xiaowan is pretty and can earn money on her own. What's the difference between them? If you ask me, Lu Baichuan might not even be as capable as Xiaowan!"
"Hey, hey, I only said one sentence and you're already waiting for me to say a whole bunch of things. I didn't say Xiaowan was bad, did I? It's just that we're family, we know our own situation. Our family is indeed a bit worse off than the Lu family. I'm just afraid that Xiaowan will suffer in the future."
Xu Minghan is also his own brother, and the gap between the two families is too big. He is also worried that his younger sister will be mistreated in her husband's family.
"What's the big deal? Xiaowan has her own money. She'll continue working after marriage. As long as she's not a stay-at-home mom, she's financially independent. What kind of grievances could she possibly suffer? Besides, would we, as her older brother and sister-in-law, just stand by and watch her be bullied?"
Zhang Xuemei understood one principle: whether you are a man or a woman, you lack confidence if you don't earn money, and you will be looked down upon if you live by asking for handouts for too long.
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