Chapter 139: The Lion's Mouth (Page 1/2)
At eleven o'clock in the morning, Huo Qingyan led his parents into the cotton mill. From a distance, the dilapidated tube-shaped building not far away stood out. Xiao Ya couldn't help but frown, a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Qingyan, which floor do they live on?"
"It's on the first floor, room 103."
"Xiao Ya opened her mouth in surprise, her face full of disbelief, "Oh my God! Are their whole family crowded in this one room?
"Well, Mom, don't worry. Although the space is a little small, each room in the cotton mill's tube building is a full thirty square meters.
Besides, Shanshan doesn’t usually live at home, so if we squeeze in a little, it’s still enough for us to live in.”
Huo Qingyan tried to comfort his mother and let her put aside her worries. Xiao Ya nodded silently after hearing this and said nothing more.
She knew her son had made up his mind, and as a mother, she could only choose to support him. So the three of them walked towards the family compound with heavy steps.
Before I reached the dilapidated tube-shaped building, I could hear from afar several aunties sitting together chattering about something.
"Have you heard? The Bai family is really lucky! Their eldest daughter has found a boyfriend who is the son of a high-ranking official, and he is going to propose marriage today!"
“Is this true?”
"Of course it's true! I heard it from Mrs. Li next door, it's absolutely true! That woman Deng Qiuyan went to the vegetable market to buy vegetables happily early in the morning.
I was really generous today and bought a full pound of pork, a big fat carp, and ten eggs!
"Wow, such a rich feast! It seems this marriage is almost certain.
But then again, that Bai Shanshan is pretty amazing. She just graduated from junior high school, but she managed to get into the art troupe. I really don’t know what tricks she used…
"What's the trick? It's just that he hooked up with a male classmate whose uncle is the vice-president of the art troupe."
Xiao Ya and Huo Junshan's faces turned pale instantly. She was considering just going back. Huo Qingyan's face also turned ugly. He didn't believe that Bai Shanshan was that kind of person. These people must be jealous of her.
"Dad, Mom, let's go first!"
Huo Junshan patted Huo Qingyan on the shoulder and said, "Son, there's no smoke without fire. It's not too late to regret now."
"Dad, they are making up stories out of nothing. They are just making up stories based on hearsay and deliberately talking nonsense."
"Okay, now that you've made up your mind, let's go see what's going on at their house."
As the family of three walked into the yard, carrying cigarettes, alcohol, tea, candies, and biscuits, a fat aunt suddenly asked, "Are you here to propose marriage to the Bai family?"
Huo Qingyan smiled and nodded. The fat lady suddenly called out to Room 103, "Lao Bai, your in-laws are here."
When He Miao heard the shouting, he quickly opened the door and said, "Shanshan, your boyfriend is here. Mom and Dad, please come out to greet him. I'll prepare some tea."
Deng Qiuyan and Bai Hualin walked out of the house with Bai Shanshan, smiling, and saw Huo Qingyan leading his parents towards them from a distance.
Bai Shanshan quickly stepped forward, bowed to Xiao Ya and Huo Junshan, and said, "Uncle and aunt, welcome to our home."
Xiao Ya and Huo Junshan responded with a smile and nodded slightly.
Huo Qingyan, carrying an exquisite gift, walked up to Bai Hualin and Deng Qiuyan and said hello:
"Hello, uncle and auntie. I'm Huo Qingyan, Shanshan's boyfriend. This is my father, Comrade Huo Junshan, and the lady next to me is my mother, Ms. Xiao Ya."
Bai Hualin enthusiastically extended his right hand, ready to shake hands with Huo Junshan and greet him, saying, "My dear relatives, thank you for coming all this way. Please come in and have a seat!"
(This chapter is not yet finished, please click on the next page to continue reading) Chapter 139 The Lion's Mouth (Page 2/2)
Huo Junshan politely returned the greeting and shook the other person's hand tightly, and then they walked into the house together.
As soon as he entered the door, Bai Hualin introduced his son, daughter and daughter-in-law to Huo Junshan and his wife one by one.
Xiao Ya looked around at the small, crowded room filled with the whole family. A complex emotion welled up in her heart, but her face did not show any strangeness.
A 30-square-meter room is divided into a bedroom and a living room by wooden boards. In the living room, there is a dining table, a five-drawer cabinet, a washstand, a bamboo bed by the window, and various sundries.
As for the layout of the room, there are definitely two 1.5-meter beds, separated by a wardrobe and curtains. Bai Shanshan's parents and brother and sister-in-law will sleep in the room.
Xiao Ya was still in a daze. Bai Shanshan brought a cup of jasmine tea and placed it in front of her. "Auntie, please have some tea."
Xiao Ya took the teacup and said thank you. Bai Hualin gave a cup of tea to Huo Qingyan and Huo Junshan, father and son.
Huo Junshan took the teacup with a smile, took a sip, and put it back on the table. "Comrade Bai, today I've brought my son here to propose to your daughter, Bai Shanshan."
Bai Hualin said cheerfully, "Okay, okay."
Huo Junshan got straight to the point and said, "We plan to have them get engaged first, and then get married after the first month of the lunar year when the weather is good. What do you think?"
Bai Hualin was stunned at first. Didn't his daughter say they'd get married before the Lunar New Year? Why did they have to wait until after the Lunar New Year? But getting engaged first was fine. The engagement gift and the wedding gift were separate, so it just meant the man had to spend a little more.
"Hey, my dear in-laws, how many tables will you and your husband's family be hosting for the wedding banquet, and where will it be held?"
Huo Qingyan said, "Uncle, my eldest brother didn't have a wedding banquet when he got married. I may not have a wedding banquet when I get married either. I can just invite relatives to have a meal together."
Deng Qiuyan was a little unhappy. She squeezed Bai Shanshan's hand and asked her to come out and say a few words. Bai Shanshan smiled awkwardly, "Dad, Mom, the Qingyan family has many relatives and friends. We have three or four tables for them to eat. It's the same as holding a wedding banquet without a banquet, except that we don't accept gifts."
Xiao Ya didn't expect Bai Shanshan to say that. It seemed that she still underestimated her.
Deng Qiuyan said, "How can we treat relatives and friends to several tables of food for free?"
Bai Hualin interrupted, "Your man's family won't host a wedding banquet. Let me tell you what our woman's family wants. We're going back to the countryside to host a banquet with ten tables. So your man must prepare a pig, a sheep, a pair of chickens, ducks, fish, two packs of cigarettes, four pairs of wine, four pounds of tea... The betrothal gift is eight hundred and eight hundred."
Huo Junshan smiled awkwardly, "Where is your hometown?"
"We have three ancestral houses in the countryside, in Lihua Village, Xijiao."
So are they going back to the countryside to show off that their daughter has found a son of a high-ranking official?
Huo Junshan nodded. "So your hometown is in Lihua Village. It has a beautiful environment and many pear trees."
"Every household in our area has pear trees, pigs, and sheep..."
Huo Junshan looked at Huo Qingyan and said, "Qingyan, these pigs and sheep..."
Huo Qingyan took over the topic, "I'll buy the pig and the sheep."
Deng Qiuyan was amused. She looked at Huo Qingyan as if she were looking at a moving mountain of gold. "Shanshan said you are handsome and generous, and it's true."
Xiao Ya snorted in her heart. They started asking for this and that as soon as they opened their mouths. They were really asking for too much - what a big mouth.
I don't want a pig to cost more than a hundred yuan, and a sheep to cost dozens of yuan, plus cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and gifts for Bai Shanshan's relatives, and I also have to give them New Year gifts during the Spring Festival. I don't know how much it will cost.
The Bai family has the nerve to ask for a betrothal gift of 880 yuan. Could it be that they are selling their daughter because they think their family is well-off?
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