Chapter 362: The Thanksgiving Meal Became a Blind Date Meal

Nanning.

Ma Village.

The mother and daughter of the Gu family (He was changed to Gu because a beautiful woman with the surname He had appeared before, and adding another He would seem repetitive) came to a semi-new brick house carrying suitcases.

"dad!"

“Grandpa!”

Seeing the old man sitting at the door, the mother and daughter of the Gu family greeted him.

The old man surnamed Chen hummed, looked at Gu Caiwei and asked, "Weiwei, you've been sitting in the car for two days in a row. You must be exhausted, right?"

Gu Caiwei put down the suitcase and said with a depressed look: "Grandpa, this car ride is not only tiring, but I almost became a beggar."

The old man surnamed Chen's eyes narrowed: "Almost became a beggar? What happened?"

Gu Caiwei sighed and said, "My mother and I were in such a hurry to catch the bus that we didn't even have time to eat. We went to the dining car to eat after we got on the bus. As a result, we ordered the dishes, but when we paid the bill, we found that the money in our pockets had been stolen."

Hearing this, the old man surnamed Chen said angrily, "These thieves who only thought about getting something for nothing deserve to die. How did you solve the problem? Did you get the money back?"

Gu Caiwei shook her head and said, "How can we find it back? When we told the train attendant, he hinted that it would be difficult to get the money back. Fortunately, we met a kind uncle who treated us to two days of meals and helped us get a rickshaw when we got out of the station. Otherwise, we would have really been beggars for the next two days."

The old man surnamed Chen said, "Then you have indeed met a kind-hearted person. Where is this kind-hearted uncle from? Did you ask for his address?"

Gu Caiwei said, "That Uncle Deng is from Yulin. When we separated at the station exit, my mother had already invited him to have dinner at La Meizi Hotpot at 5pm."

The old man surnamed Chen nodded and said, "Your mother did the right thing. It is only right to treat others to a hot pot meal."

Mother Gu asked, "Dad, how is my mom's hand now? Does she need surgery?"

The old man surnamed Chen said, "Fortunately, no surgery is needed. After the manipulation, the rest will take time to recover slowly. Originally, you didn't need to be hospitalized, but your brother and sister-in-law are worried, so they still plan to let your mother stay in the hospital for a few days."

Mother Gu said, "You can stay as long as you want. There are doctors in the hospital and they can check at any time. It really makes me feel more at ease."

The old man surnamed Chen asked, "Have you had lunch?"

"Uncle Deng has already treated us to a meal in the car."

"Dad, I'm going to boil some water, take a bath, change my clothes, and then go to the hospital to see Mom."

"Well, go ahead!"

…

afternoon.

Five Mountains Square.

Deng Shirong watched the security guards training while waiting for the arrival of Gu's mother and daughter.

Seeing the boss watching, all the security personnel were in high spirits and trained very hard. The momentum made people feel safe.

Nanning is not peaceful nowadays. There are idle people in society causing trouble everywhere, and gangs collecting protection fees are beginning to form. However, since the opening of Wuyue Square, no ignorant idle people or gangs have dared to cause trouble.

The one they rely on, of course, is this group of elite veterans.

With a platoon of soldiers conducting military training every day, not everyone dares to mess with their momentum!

At 4:50, the mother and daughter of the Gu family finally arrived at Wuyue Square, and a middle-aged man came with them.

Seeing that Deng Shirong had arrived first, Gu's mother immediately greeted him, "Fellow villager, I'm so sorry, we're late!"

"I'm early!"

Deng Shirong smiled, then looked at the middle-aged man next to the Gu family mother and daughter and asked, "Who is this?"

Mother Gu introduced: "This is my brother Chen Donglai."

Chen Donglai extended his hand and said, "Hello, cousin, thank you for helping my sister and niece on the train."

Deng Shirong stretched out his hand and shook his hand, saying with a smile: "You're welcome, it's just a small favor, anyone who encounters this situation will help."

The two sides exchanged a few pleasantries before going up to the second floor to eat at the La Meizi Hotpot restaurant.

Looking at this super spacious hot pot restaurant, both the mother and daughter of the Gu family showed surprise. Wuhan has been a much more developed city than Nanning since ancient times. Naturally, there are hot pot restaurants in this era, but the hot pot restaurants they have seen in Wuhan are only a few hundred square meters in size. They have never seen such a large hot pot restaurant.

Moreover, the decoration of this hot pot restaurant is much better than those hot pot restaurants that have just emerged in Wuhan.

Especially the design of the table embedded with a gas stove is really amazing.

Mother Gu looked around and exclaimed: "I didn't expect that there is such a grand hot pot restaurant in Nanning."

After everyone sat down, the waiter brought the menu.

After some arguing, the mother and daughter of the Gu family finally agreed to order a double-flavor hotpot and a bunch of side dishes, including seven or eight meat dishes and four or five vegetarian dishes. The portions were enough for four people, and the sincerity of the treat was self-evident.

Soon, the hot pot base and various side dishes were served. Chen Donglai was surprised by the speed of serving.

When it was time to eat, the authentic Sichuan hotpot naturally amazed the mother and daughter of the Gu family.

Deng Shirong ate a piece of tripe, dipped it in the sauce, and said, "Mother Gu, actually, when we were in the car before, I had a question I really wanted to ask you, but I was afraid of talking too much, so I held back and didn't ask."

Mother Gu smiled and said, "If you have any questions, just ask. It's okay."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "I want to ask if your daughter has found a husband?"

Mother Gu was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "Not yet. My girl just graduated from college this year. How can she be married so soon?"

Deng Shirong's eyes lit up and he asked, "Mother Gu, I wonder what kind of partner your daughter wants to find?"

Mother Gu understood what he meant, and instead of answering, she asked, "My fellow villager, are you trying to set up a match for my Weiwei?"

When Gu Caiwei, who was eating mutton hot pot, heard this, her cheeks flushed. Girls of this age were still a little shy when hearing such topics.

Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Mother Gu, to be honest, my second son doesn't have a girlfriend yet. He is 25 years old this year, graduated from Peking University, and currently works in the Fuqing County Government in Fujian. I think little Gu is really good, and my kid is also quite promising. If you don't mind, we can write to each other to communicate. Even if we are not destined to be together, it would be nice to be pen pals!"

In this era, it is very popular to make pen pals and write letters to strangers to each other. This is much more reliable than online dating in later generations.

When these words were spoken, Chen Donglai, Gu's mother and Gu Caiwei were all shocked.

They are not ordinary people, so they naturally understand the weight of the four words "Peking University graduate".

Chen Donglai couldn't help but ask, "A cousin, how many years has your second son been working?"

Deng Shirong said: "It has been more than three years."

Chen Donglai said, "These Peking University graduates usually hold high positions after joining the workforce. I wonder what position your second son holds in the county government now?"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Currently he is the executive deputy county magistrate."

Chen Donglai was shocked when he heard this. He was also in the system. In the words of later generations, he was a legitimate second-generation official. His father was a vice-provincial level official before retirement. But he was already 40 years old this year, and his rank was just a regular level. If he wanted to continue to break through, he would need to wait for the right opportunity.

And this old man's second son, who is only 25 years old, is already a deputy director, only half a level lower than him, and even more awesome than the Peking University student in their district government.

Chen Donglai gave a thumbs up and said, "A cousin, your second son is really amazing!"

Gu's mother was originally a government official's daughter, and now she is marrying a husband of an extraordinary status. She is well versed in the system and naturally understands how rare it is to be a deputy director at the age of 25. Moreover, the golden signboard of Peking University is indeed shining enough.

Because, for the proposal of making pen pals, Gu's mother fully agreed with it. She praised: "My fellow villager, your proposal is very good. It is a good thing for young people to make more friends. If they can get together, I am happy to see it happen. If they are not destined to be together, then being friends is also good."

Gu Caiwei couldn't join in the conversation on this kind of topic. She just listened to the conversation of her elders while eating the delicious hotpot in silence.

Seeing that the other party also had this intention, Deng Shirong was happy and asked, "Xiao Gu, what job do you do now?"

Gu Caiwei swallowed the mutton in her mouth and replied, "Uncle Deng, I am not working. I am currently learning embroidery at home!"

Mother Gu added with a smile: "My daughter Weiwei has been interested in embroidery since elementary school. She started learning embroidery from a master in junior high school. It has been nearly ten years now. The works she uses to practice embroidery skills can be sold for a lot of money!"

Deng Shirong praised: "Embroidery is great. It is a traditional skill that can be compared with calligraphy and painting. Only people with clever hands can enter this industry. I see that Xiao Gu has an extraordinary temperament, which must be the result of learning embroidery skills."

Gu Caiwei said somewhat embarrassedly: "Uncle Deng, thank you for the compliment."

Deng Shirong has a good impression of the girl Gu Caiwei. After his rebirth in this life, his judgment of people has become more and more accurate.

After a few encounters, he can basically tell what kind of person he is. With his spatial perspective, even the best actor or actress cannot pretend in front of him.

During the past two days of getting along in the car, Deng Shirong had carefully observed this girl. Her every move showed that she was well-educated, she had a gentle personality, a great figure, and a pretty face. She gave off the feeling of a lady from an ancient family.

In short, her figure and appearance are not inferior to the eldest daughter-in-law, and her temperament is much better.

Of course, the eldest daughter-in-law has been making progress since she married into their family. She is no longer the same as she was a few years ago. I believe she will become more and more outstanding in the future.

Gu's mother was obviously also very interested in Deng Yunheng, a top student from Peking University who had already made a name for himself in the system. The two sides hit it off immediately, and this purely thank-you meal turned into a blind date dinner, except that the male protagonist was missing.

The meal took both parties about an hour and a half to finish.

When Chen Donglai wanted to pay the bill, Deng Shirong stopped him and said, "Cousin Chen, you don't have to pay. Just leave."

Chen Donglai waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Cousin Deng, this won't do. This meal is to thank you for taking care of my sister and niece in the car. If we let you treat us, we won't be able to sleep when we go back today."

Mother Gu also nodded and said, "Yes, cousin Deng, we have to treat you to this meal. You took care of us mother and daughter in the car, you have to give us a chance to repay you!"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "I've already said that it's just a small favor, and I really can't let you treat me to this meal. They won't charge you if you go to pay the bill."

Mother Gu was anxious when she heard this: "Cousin Deng, it's wrong for you to do this. We agreed to treat you to a meal in advance, you can't go back on your word!"

"It's not that I want to change my mind, it's just such a coincidence!"

Deng Shirong said with a smile on his face: "To be honest, the owner of this hot pot restaurant is my little daughter. Do you think I can accept this money from you?"

Chen Donglai and the mother and daughter of the Gu family were all stunned when they heard this: (⊙ｏ⊙) Mother Gu suddenly realized, "No wonder you looked a little strange when I asked you to have lunch at La Meizi Hotpot at noon. It turns out that this is your youngest daughter's business. What a fate."

"I asked her to come and say hello to you."

As he spoke, Deng Shirong waved to his little daughter who had been paying attention to this side. When she came over, he introduced: "This is my little daughter Deng Yunzhu. Ah Zhu, this is Uncle Chen, this is Aunt Chen, and this is Sister Gu who is the same age as you."

Deng Yunzhu immediately greeted them with a smile: "Uncle Chen, Aunt Chen, Sister Gu, hello!"

Gu's mother and the other two also greeted her one by one.

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Mother Gu praised: "Boss Deng, you are really amazing. You opened such a big hot pot restaurant at such a young age."

Gu Caiwei looked at this peer with great admiration. After all, as a woman, being able to achieve such great results at this age is indeed a remarkable thing.

Deng Yunzhu smiled modestly and said, "Aunt Chen, you are too kind. My father paved the way for me. I just followed the steps. It's nothing great."

The two sides exchanged a few words of greeting before Gu's mother and the other two said goodbye and left.

Naturally, the matter of paying the bill was not mentioned again.

After watching Gu's mother and the other two leave, Deng Yuntai, Zhang Xiuping, Deng Yunhua and Xiao Dong'er, who were watching from other locations, also gathered over.

Deng Yunzhu asked curiously, "Dad, is that Sister Gu the one you plan to find for my second brother?"

Deng Shirong smiled and nodded, "That's exactly what I meant. You guys saw it, too. What do you think?"

Deng Yunzhu observed her closely and immediately replied, "She looks pretty good, as beautiful as my eldest sister-in-law. She is quite suitable to be my second sister-in-law."

Zhang Xiuping laughed and said, "I'm not as pretty as she is. Sister Gu's behavior is very different from that of us country girls. She is obviously a city girl and has received a good education. She is indeed worthy of Yunheng."

"I have already obtained this correspondence address for Yunheng. Let's let them be pen pals first and see if there is any spark of romance."

At this point, Deng Shirong looked at his youngest daughter and said, "Ah Zhu, I asked you to take a few photos secretly before. Did you take them?"

Deng Yunzhu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have taken several photos from different angles. Once the photos are developed, it should be clear."

Deng Shirong said: "Well, send it to your second brother so that he can have a reference."

Deng Yunzhu praised: "Dad, this is a really smart idea. With the photos as a reference, if my second brother likes it, he will definitely pay attention to it."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "I hope they can succeed. Your second brother is 25 years old this year. It's time for him to get married."

…

The other side.

After Gu's mother and the other two left the hot pot restaurant, Chen Donglai couldn't help but say, "Sister, the conditions of this cousin Deng's son do seem good. It's worth considering carefully."

"He is only 25 years old and already a deputy director with real power. Such an outstanding young man is indeed rare. Although we didn't deliberately inquire about this cousin Deng's family background, the fact that his youngest daughter can open such a large hot pot restaurant in Nanning shows that his family background is not bad."

At this point, Mother Gu looked at her daughter and said, "Weiwei, you have to be more careful in your correspondence with the other party. If you have different ideas, don't force it. But if both parties can get along well, then I agree to this marriage."

Gu Caiwei hummed and said, "I understand!"

…

Time has unknowingly arrived at the twelfth lunar month.

The seventh day of the first lunar month is the auspicious day for the enthronement of the Naye Deng Clan Ancestral Hall. Not only were all the elder sisters notified, but all the brothers from the branches in various places were also notified one by one.

The enthronement ceremony in the ancestral hall is a very grand ceremony for the Bobai people. On the day of the enthronement ceremony, the clan members have to have a meal together. Today, the Naye Deng clan has more than 3,000 members, and there are about 500 married sisters. It is still unknown how many brothers from branches in various places will come to participate.

But according to conservative estimates, the number of brothers from branches across the country who come to participate in the enthronement ceremony should be no less than 1,000, and it is not impossible that the number may reach 2,000.

The main thing is that the ancestral hall of the Naye Deng family cost more than one million yuan to build. I believe that the brothers from all branches are very curious about how beautiful the ancestral hall is built in this way. Now that they have been invited to participate in the enthronement ceremony, I believe that most of the brothers from all branches are willing to come and see the world and broaden their horizons.

Therefore, on the day of the enthronement ceremony in the ancestral hall, food for at least 5,000 people must be prepared, and food for several hundred more people must be prepared for emergencies, in order to prevent too many brothers from the branch from coming and not having enough to eat. That would be a disgrace for the Deng family.

Deng Shirong had already ordered tables, chairs, bowls and chopsticks in advance the year the construction of the ancestral hall began.

In later generations, the ancestral hall or ancestral hall of the Naye Deng family would be equipped with hundreds of tables, chairs, bowls and chopsticks. With these tables and chairs, when the clan members held any happy events, they would not have to go to the school to move the students' tables and chairs.

It just so happened that when donating money to rebuild the ancestral hall, the clan members donated money enthusiastically in order to have their merits inscribed on the monument. The amount of donations directly exceeded the budget for rebuilding the ancestral hall. Deng Shirong used part of the extra money to order tables, chairs, and bowls and chopsticks.

Today, there are 500 tables and 5,000 chairs in the new ancestral hall. More than 10,000 large bowls that can be used to hold rice or dishes were purchased directly from the bowl factory. There are also several thousand pairs of chopsticks, so there is no problem in setting up 500 banquet tables.

Even if the number of people exceeds 5,000, it doesn't matter, because when the banquet starts, many tribesmen will help to cook and serve the food. They can't sit down to eat first. They have to wait until the brothers from the branch have finished eating, then clear the table and serve the food again.

If this doesn't work, the tribesmen can also move their own tables and chairs and use them. These are not a problem.

As for vegetables, there is no need to worry about vegetarian dishes. There are hundreds of households in the clan, and every household grows a variety of vegetarian vegetables. You can just pick them and use them. No one cares about these things.

Therefore, the only things that need to be prepared are meat dishes.

Among meat dishes, pork, chicken and duck are the main ones.

At least 25 pigs must be slaughtered, 500 chickens and ducks must be prepared, and an additional 100 to 200 must be prepared as backup.

There are also some other miscellaneous things that need to be prepared. These must be prepared in advance and cannot be done on the day of the enthronement, as it will be too late.

So, on the fifth day of the New Year, the tribesmen started to move.

First, build two rows of temporary stoves on both sides of the ancestral hall entrance, which can accommodate twenty or thirty large pots at the same time, and then prepare firewood.

At the same time, the ancestral hall council has also made arrangements for what everyone needs to do tomorrow and assigned tasks to avoid everyone being in a mess like headless flies.

While the Naye Deng family was making various preparations for the enthronement of the ancestral hall, clan members from various branches were also holding clan meetings and had scheduled meetings tomorrow, the sixth day of the first lunar month (they all had to go one day in advance, as they would not be able to make it in time if they went on the same day) to attend the enthronement ceremony of the Naye Deng family ancestral hall.

…

Nahua Village, Xintian Township, Bobai.

The Deng clan members are holding a clan meeting.

The clan leader Deng Changfa said, "Everyone, the Deng clan's ancestral temple will be enthroned the day after tomorrow. The brothers from the ancestral land have already come to inform us some time ago. We need to discuss today how many people we should send to participate in the enthronement ceremony, and we will set out after breakfast tomorrow."

A tribe member asked: "Chief, how many vehicles will go tomorrow? How many people can they carry?"

Deng Changfa said: "Four trucks have been confirmed, and each truck can carry 30 to 40 people if they are crowded together."

Originally, according to traffic rules, trucks were not allowed to carry passengers in their cargo beds, but the supervision in this era was not as strict as in later generations, so carrying passengers in trucks was a common practice.

"Then I'll go."

"I want to go, too."

"Count me in."

Soon, the clan members signed up enthusiastically. If it was a general ancestral hall enthronement, to be honest, they had been separated from the Naye Deng clan for hundreds of years, and their sense of belonging to the ancestral land was not as strong as before. Many clan members were unwilling to join in the fun.

However, when the ancestral temple was being rebuilt, the brothers from the ancestral land came to inform these branch brothers, and then the clan leader and several prominent members of the clan also went and donated a lot of money.

After the clan leader and the other clan members came back and talked about it, the clan members realized how amazing the reconstruction of the ancestral hall was. The budget directly exceeded one million. After hearing the news, the clan members all gasped. Every one of them was shocked.

Now that this ancestral hall, which cost millions of dollars to build, has been completed and enshrined, most of the clan members have become curious and want to see how beautiful this ancestral hall is that cost so much money to build.

Therefore, the number of people who signed up to participate in the upgrade directly exceeded the maximum number that the six trucks could carry.

Deng Changfa counted the number of people and said, "Then let's hire two more cars."

…

at the same time.

The Deng family branches in Baisha, Najiang, Shankou, Gongguan, Changle, Dadun, Lingshan, Zhangmugen, Zhutoujiao, Shanling, Qutian, Shahe, Lingjiao, Jiangning, Nalin, Dengwu in Baisha, and Beiliulicao in Hepu are also holding clan meetings to discuss going to the ancestral land to participate in the ancestral hall enthronement ceremony tomorrow.

Again, if it is an ordinary ancestral hall enthronement ceremony, it would be considered a sign of importance if the branches in various places could send ten or eight people to participate.

But now this ancestral hall cost more than one million to build. All the branch brothers who knew the news were curious and wanted to see how beautiful this ancestral hall is.

As a result, brothers from branches all over the country signed up enthusiastically. Some, such as the Deng family of Xintian, sent more than 200 clansmen, and some, like the Deng family of Xintian, sent at least 20 to 30 people. This can be said to be the closest connection between branches and the Naye ancestral land in hundreds of years.

After counting the number of people, after breakfast the next day, members of the various branch tribes got on the trucks prepared by the tribe and headed towards the Naye Deng clan.

…

(End of this chapter)