Chapter 372: Proposing Marriage

A family compound in Jingzhou.

In the study, Gu Caixiao was concentrating on painting a landscape.

At this time, Gu Caixiao was completely immersed in the artistic conception of the painting. What happened in the outside world could not disturb her. For example, she faintly heard the phone ringing, but she ignored it and continued to paint her painting, "turning a deaf ear to the outside world."

Just when Gu Caixiao wanted to finish the landscape painting in one go, her mother-in-law's voice came from the living room: "Xiaoxiao, your mother called you, come and answer the phone."

“Here it comes!”

Gu Caixiao broke away from the artistic conception of the painting, put down her pen and walked out of the study, nodded to her mother-in-law, then picked up the phone and said, "Mom."

Mother Gu's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Xiaoxiao, come back this Saturday. Someone is coming to our house to propose marriage on Sunday."

Gu Caixiao was excited when she heard this, and asked quickly, "Mom, what's going on? Which young master has taken a fancy to Weiwei?"

Mother Gu smiled and said, "The man is from Guangxi. His family is in business. He is not the son of any family."

Gu Caixiao was surprised and said, "No way, you're just doing business? Your family doesn't have any background?"

Mother Gu responded: "Well, his family has no background, but he is still very outstanding."

Gu Caixiao asked: "What does the man do for a living?"

Mother Gu said: "He is also a member of the system. He is currently the acting county magistrate of Fuqing County, Fujian Province, and will soon become the county magistrate."

Gu Caixiao asked worriedly, "Mom, how old is the man? Please don't find an old man for Weiwei!"

Mother Gu scolded with a smile: "What are you thinking? She is only two years older than Weiwei."

Gu Caixiao was shocked when she heard this and said, "No way? He's going to be the county magistrate soon, and he's only two years older than Weiwei? And his family has no background? This is too exaggerated!"

Mother Gu said with a smile: "If you don't have some ability, how can you be qualified to come to our house to propose marriage? Well, I won't say more on the phone. Remember to come back with Awei on Saturday."

Gu Caixiao said: "Okay, got it."

"Then hang up."

"Um!"

While Gu Caixiao was on the phone, her mother-in-law was listening to what was going on in the living room.

Seeing that she hung up the phone, the mother-in-law asked curiously: "Xiaoxiao, has your sister found a partner?"

Gu Caixiao nodded in shock and said, "Mom, I'm afraid you won't believe it. My sister's boyfriend is only two years older than her. His family is in business and he doesn't have any background. But he is now the acting county magistrate and will soon become the county magistrate. It's incredible."

Although Mother Lu had just heard the general idea, she was still shocked when she heard her daughter-in-law say this. Her husband was also a member of the system, and his rank was not low, otherwise her son would not be qualified to marry this daughter-in-law with a good background.

Therefore, Lu's mother was very clear about what such a young director-level cadre represented.

After being shocked, Mother Lu said with emotion: "Xiaoxiao, it seems that your sister's partner is not simple!"

Gu Caixiao nodded and said, "It's really not simple. Even if his family has a background, it's already amazing for him to become a director-level cadre at such a young age. I can't imagine how he did it without any background and yet he can become a director-level cadre with great power."

Mother Lu guessed, "Your mother called you to go back. Is it because your sister's boyfriend is coming to propose marriage?"

Gu Caixiao hummed and said, "Yes, I will go back to my parents' home with Awei on Saturday to meet my future brother-in-law."

"Then I'll prepare some fish cakes for you to take back. Your mother and sister both love to eat them."

"Thank you, Mom."

…

Nanning.

Wuyue Square luxury residence.

Xiao Dong'er said excitedly: "Grandpa, I got first place in the class in the final exam. You promised me a big reward. What is this reward?"

Deng Shirong touched her little head and praised her, "Our little Dong'er is really doing well. Wait here, and Grandpa will go to the room and bring out the reward for you."

Dongzi hurriedly tried to show his presence: "Grandpa, there are also mine."

Deng Shirong laughed and said, "Don't worry, you'll be there for me."

Having said that, he went back to the room and quickly took out two toys. These toys were none other than two spinning tops tied with ropes.

"Come on, you two siblings, one each."

Xiao Dong'er took the spinning top and asked in confusion, "Grandpa, what is this?"

Deng Shirong replied with a smile: "This is called a spinning top, it's a very fun toy!"

Dongzi held the spinning top and asked, "Grandpa, how do you play with this spinning top?"

"Come, let me show you how."

As he spoke, Deng Shirong took the spinning top from Dongzi's hand, asked the brother and sister to move aside, grabbed one end of the rope, threw the spinning top, pulled the rope, and the spinning top fell to the ground and began to spin rapidly.

"Wow!"

“This is fun!”

Seeing this, the brother and sister couldn't help but scream.

Deng Shirong held the rope and laughed, "Xiao Dong'er, Dongzi, look, this rope is used to whip this spinning top. When the spinning top spins slowly, whip it like this."

As he spoke, he took the rope and pulled it towards the spinning top, continuously accelerating it.

The brother and sister stared with amazement. Xiao Donger said eagerly, "Grandpa, let me try it too."

Deng Shirong said: "Just try it. Grab the rope, and when you throw the top up, pull the rope and the top will start to spin."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Dong'er followed his grandfather's instructions.

But she was still too young. Although she knew how to operate it, her hands-on ability was still a little lacking. She tried several times, but either she threw it with wrong force or she pulled the rope at wrong time. In short, she couldn't make the gyroscope spin successfully.

Fortunately, her learning ability was still good, and after trying more than ten times, she finally succeeded in transferring.

"Haha, it's spinning. Look, Grandpa, I'm spinning!"

"Xiao Dong'er is so amazing!"

At this time, Dongzi took the rope given to him by his grandfather, but after just a few pulls, he stopped the spinning top.

Then, he also followed his sister's example and wrapped the rope around the top, and then kept trying to make the top spin.

Unfortunately, even his sister who was two years older than him tried more than ten times before she succeeded. For him, a kindergarten kid, it was still very difficult to make the gyroscope spin. He gave up helplessly after just a few tries.

"Grandpa, this is too difficult!"

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Just play it a few more times, and you can see that my sister has successfully turned it."

At this time, Xiao Dong'er seemed to have finally gotten the hang of it. He took the rope and made the spinning top snap, having a lot of fun.

Dongzi was so envious that he took his own spinning top and tried it again and again. The result was no surprise - he still couldn't learn it.

This thing is fun only if it can spin. It's boring if it can't.

Seeing that he really couldn't play well, Deng Shirong took out a small toy and said, "Dongzi, since you can't play with the spinning top, then play with this!"

Dongzi asked: "Grandpa, what is this and how do we play with it?"

"This is called whistle pulling. It's very simple to play. Watch carefully..."

As he spoke, Deng Shirong demonstrated it to him. He pulled the ropes on both sides, loosening and tightening them, and the round object in the middle began to rotate rapidly.

Dongzi said in surprise: "This is fun, Grandpa, let me try it."

Deng Shirong smiled and gave him the little toy. This toy was really simple and easy to learn. After Dongzi got the hang of it, he figured out the skills in no time and started playing happily.

Xiao Dong'er asked with a smile: "Grandpa, if I can get first place in the class in the final exam next semester, can you give me a reward?"

Deng Shirong said without hesitation: "Here, as long as you can get first place in the exam, grandpa will definitely give you a reward."

Xiao Dong'er said happily: "That's great, next semester, I will get first place again."

…

The next day.

Deng Shirong then boarded the train to Wuhan.

The date for proposing marriage to the girl's family had been set. Since Deng Yunheng had work to do and could not leave Fuqing County for too long, he did not come back to reunite. Instead, he flew directly from Fujian to Wuhan, and the father and son would reunite in Wuhan.

Proposing marriage is the first step in concluding a marriage. It is a meeting where both families get to know each other's family situations. The things prepared are mainly gifts and red envelopes for the woman. The most common ones are four gifts for proposing marriage, six gifts for proposing marriage, and eight gifts for proposing marriage.

Gifts vary in different eras, but cigarettes, tea and alcohol are basically the same.

Deng Shirong did not prepare any expensive things. He just chose two packs of the famous Green Pearl Girl cigarettes from Bobai County.

When talking about Luzhu female cigarettes, we have to mention one person - Luzhu.

Lu Zhu's surname was Liang. She was born in Shuangjiao Mountain (located in today's Bobai County). She was a singing girl in the Western Jin Dynasty and one of the famous beauties in Chinese history. She was intelligent, beautiful and dignified. She could sing, dance and write poems. It is said that she was best at dancing the "Zhaojun Dance".

After she committed suicide by jumping off a building, Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu wrote a poem based on her life story, "Golden Valley Garden": "Prosperity fades away and becomes fragrant dust, flowing water is merciless and leaves grow in spring; at dusk, the east wind complains about the birds, and the falling flowers seem like people falling from a building."

It is precisely because Lu Zhu is one of the historical celebrities of Bobai County that we have the Lu Zhu women's cigarettes today.

The two bottles of wine chosen were Glutinous Rice Sweet produced by Bobai County Winery. This is a very distinctive local wine that is loved by both men and women.

The two boxes of tea are made from broken black tea from Bobai County, which is famous for its tender buds, mellow taste, strong aroma, uniform particles, dark color, and a bright red, clear tea soup with a slight sugar aroma after brewing.

Deng Shirong chose the black tea produced from the old tea trees with a history of more than 200 years in Shengnvling, Datian Village, Shuangfeng Township. This is the best black tea and is very suitable as a gift for future in-laws.

In addition, the famous longan meat from Bobai County is definitely indispensable.

In addition to these, there are also candies, cookies and the like, needless to say.

All of these gifts are beautifully packaged and look very high-end.

…

Two days later, Deng Shirong came to the instant noodle factory in Wuhan. He and his second son had agreed to meet here and then go to Gu's house together to propose marriage.

The factory director of the Wuhan Master Kong instant noodles factory is Deng Changjun, who is also one of the talented people in the clan.

Seeing Deng Shirong coming, Deng Changjun greeted him happily: "Jiu Gong, you are here!"

Deng Shirong smiled and nodded, then asked, "Has the production of instant noodles in the factory been going smoothly recently?"

Deng Changjun replied: "It's going smoothly. The workers are very motivated and the production capacity is fully utilized every day."

Deng Shirong said: "We must strictly control the quality. The instant noodles that leave the factory must be 100% qualified."

Deng Changjun said, "Don't worry, Jiugong. I have been strictly controlling the quality issues. From raw materials to finished products, I strive to do my best in every link."

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "That's good. Thank you for your hard work during this period."

"It's not hard. I don't know how many people in the tribe envy me for my job!"

At this point, Deng Changjun asked, "Jiu Gong, did you come here specially this time, or are you just passing by?"

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"I came to Wuhan to do some business and came to visit."

"I see. It's getting late now. I'll ask the chef to cook a few dishes and have a drink with you at noon."

"Okay, then I'll try the cooking skills of the factory's master chef."

…

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

Deng Yunheng also came to the Wuhan Master Kong instant noodles factory.

The father and son met again after more than two years, so naturally they had a lot to talk about. Although they often talked on the phone, chatting on the phone was different from chatting in person.

After chatting about family matters, Deng Yunheng said, "Dad, did you notice the address Aunt Chen gave you?"

Deng Shirong said, "I noticed that. When I saw them mother and daughter on the train before, I knew that they were not ordinary. Now my guess has been confirmed. Your future father-in-law is probably a high-ranking official in the city."

Deng Yunheng nodded and asked, "Dad, what gifts have you prepared for the marriage proposal?"

Deng Shirong talked about the gifts and then said, "It's not good to have too expensive gifts for marriage proposals, so I specifically chose the specialties of our hometown."

Deng Yunheng said: "That's all I have."

"Are you hungry? If you are, just eat something at the factory. If you are not hungry, let's go. We need to stay at the guesthouse near the family compound tonight. This way, we won't be late when we go to propose marriage tomorrow."

"I'm not hungry. I ate on the plane."

"Since you're not hungry, let's take a ride!"

"Um!"

…

at the same time.

Gu Caixiao also returned to her parents' home with her husband Lu Wei.

"Dad, Mom, Weiwei."

"Sister, brother-in-law."

"Ah Wei."

After entering the house, both sides began to greet each other.

When they sat down to drink tea, Gu Caixiao couldn't wait to ask, "Weiwei, tell me about your boyfriend. I was so curious after hearing mom's phone call."

Gu Caiwei smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "What's there to say? Didn't mom tell you everything?"

"Mom didn't tell me the details on the phone."

Gu Caixiao asked curiously, "How did you get to know him? How did he become the county magistrate when he is so young and has no family background?"

Lu Wei was also very curious. Although he chose to go into business rather than politics, he was still a second-generation official and had a certain understanding of the officialdom. He naturally understood what it meant to become a county magistrate at such a young age without any background.

Mother Gu continued with a smile, "Last year, your grandmother broke her arm. When Weiwei and I hurried back to see her, we accidentally let someone steal our money on the train. Fortunately, we met a kind person who treated us to two days of meals, so we didn't go hungry.

And this kind-hearted person was his father.

As for why he was able to become the county magistrate at such a young age, it was because he was the most outstanding graduate of Peking University. "

Gu Caixiao and Lu Wei suddenly realized what was going on. It was no wonder that he was an outstanding graduate of Peking University.

Gu Caixiao said with emotion: "So, Weiwei, you and him are really destined to be together."

Gu Caiwei smiled shyly when she heard that. It really was fate.

According to the normal development trajectory, the two of them should have no chance of meeting each other in their lifetime. However, because the grandmother broke her hand accidentally, and their money was stolen by a thief while they were on the train, a variety of coincidences led to the two of them meeting each other.

If this isn’t fate, what is? The family chatted for a while about Gu Caiwei’s partner, and then Gu’s father asked his eldest son-in-law, “Ah Wei, how is the business of the garment factory recently?”

Lu Wei replied: "It's OK at the moment, but in the past two or three years, we have been impacted by the clothing industry in Guangdong, so business is not as good as before."

Father Gu said, "You have to keep pace with the times when doing business. Guangdong is the frontier of reform and opening up, and there are many things worth learning. If your garment factory wants to grow and develop, you have to learn from their strengths and not stand still."

Lu Wei nodded and said, "Dad is right. The clothing styles of our factory are a bit out of date. I invited several fashion designers from Guangdong last month. The new clothing we produce will be designed by these designers. Let's see if the sales of clothing will improve in the future."

Father Gu nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

…

The next morning.

In a guesthouse not far from a family compound, Deng Shirong and his son got up early and dressed themselves up.

When you go to the girl's house to propose marriage, you naturally have to appear in a good spirit. You can't be casual as usual, as that would seem disrespectful to the girl.

Of course, since she was not a woman after all, the father and son did not dress up fancy. They simply combed their hair neatly, put on clean clothes, and shaved their beards, and that was it.

They went out for breakfast and rested for a while. Seeing that it was almost time, the father and son carried the gifts and walked towards a housing estate.

When they arrived at the family compound, Deng Shirong and his son immediately saw Gu Caiwei waiting at the door.

"Uncle Deng."

Gu Caiwei greeted him immediately and at the same time exchanged a glance with Deng Yunheng. Everything was said without words.

Deng Shirong greeted with a smile: "Weiwei, have you been waiting for a long time?"

Gu Caiwei shook her head and smiled, "No, I just came out too. Uncle Deng, please follow me!" After that, she took the Deng father and son to the best house in the staff compound.

After going up to the second floor, Gu Caiwei did not use the key to open the door directly, but knocked on the door.

This is also a way to notify the family so that they can be prepared to welcome them.

It was Gu's mother who opened the door. Seeing Deng Shirong and his son, she greeted them with a smile on her face, "Brother Deng, Yunheng, you are here, please come in."

Deng Yunheng smiled and handed over the gift in his hand, saying, "Aunt Chen, this is a local specialty from our hometown. I brought it for you to try."

"Thanks!"

Mother Gu took the gift and introduced: "Brother Deng, Yunheng, let me introduce you, this is Weiwei's father, and this is Weiwei's sister and brother-in-law."

The two sides greeted each other and then went to the living room to drink tea together.

In some places, when a man comes to propose marriage, the woman's side cannot prepare tea to entertain him, as this means "looking for trouble". However, when Gu's mother was in Fuqing County, she had discussed with Deng Yunheng the various taboos of proposing marriage. Both sides have no taboos about tea, so there is no need to worry about being misunderstood.

After some polite conversation, Deng Shirong got down to business. He looked at Gu's father and mother and said, "Dear relatives, I came here today to discuss the marriage between my son and Weiwei. If I said anything wrong, please forgive me!"

Although the term "relatives" is only a common expression in Bobai, it is actually used throughout the country.

After all, our country has been passed down for so many years, and most surnames have intermarriage. As long as there is intermarriage between two surnames, they are relatives, but the relationship is extremely weak. However, no matter how weak it is, it cannot change the relationship.

So, calling them relatives is actually quite appropriate.

Father Gu said, "Well, relative, you decide."

"Before we talk about marriage, let me briefly introduce our family situation."

Deng Shirong said: "I have seven children. My eldest son has started his own family. He and his wife are now running a chain of supermarkets together. The business is pretty good. My eldest daughter is also married. My eldest son-in-law is a retired soldier and is currently the deputy head of Bobai County.

My youngest daughter opened a hot pot restaurant in Nanning. You all know this relative.

The third son is studying at Tsinghua University, the fourth son opened a home appliance mall in Nanning, and the youngest son is in high school.

After listening to Deng Shirong's brief introduction, the Gu family members were filled with emotion. Except for the fact that they didn't know that their eldest son-in-law was the deputy county magistrate, they already knew everything else. It has to be said that this family is still very outstanding.

In places like rural areas, no one can compare to it.

After Deng Shirong briefly introduced his family's situation, he continued, "This is the general situation of our family. Although we are not rich, we have enough money. If Weiwei marries into our family, she will never have to worry about money.

Moreover, I consider myself an open-minded person. Weiwei can live the life she wants after marrying me, and she doesn't have to worry about an old man like me interfering with you.

In short, if Weiwei marries into our family, she will be as free as if she were in her parents' home. This is my guarantee."

These words were truly full of sincerity, and the Gu family was extremely satisfied to hear them.

At the same time, he was secretly surprised at the financial resources of the Deng family. From what Deng Shirong said, hundreds of thousands of yuan could be taken out at any time. Lu Wei, a businessman, knew best what this meant. His net worth was also over a million, but he couldn't take out hundreds of thousands of yuan at any time.

With Deng Shirong's statement, the subsequent marriage discussions went very smoothly.

…

PS: Thank you all for your rewards and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)