"Weiwei, what do you think of this courtyard?" Bai Wenshan looked it over from all angles and asked, holding Ye Weiwei's hand.
Ye Weiwei nodded honestly, "It's fine."
The house is sturdy and spacious, with good ventilation in the front and back, and two large yards that are big enough for growing vegetables or doing anything else.
The villagers thought the courtyard was too far from the neighbors, located at the back of the village, but she thought it was better that way, as it was quieter.
Upon hearing that Ye Weiwei was satisfied, Bai Wenshan smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it."
Ye Weiwei: ……
Bai Wenshan tapped her little head, "This yard was bought for you, otherwise why would your uncle go all this way to buy a yard?"
Ye Weiwei felt a warmth in her heart. It must have been when her uncle saw how cramped the Huo family's living quarters were when he last visited that he had the idea of buying a house. Just like her grandfather did back then, when he saw that her father's whole family was living together and was worried that her mother would feel wronged, he gave her the courtyard house in Beijing as her dowry.
"I'm so sorry to have troubled my uncle and aunt."
Bai Wenshan waved her hand, "This is what we elders should do. There are some things we can't do too obviously now, otherwise we wouldn't let you get married so reluctantly."
"I'm not wronged, really."
Bai Wenshan patted Ye Weiwei's hand, "Our Weiwei has indeed grown up and become sensible. Your uncle said Huo Xiao is a good young man, and now that I've met him, I'm relieved. If anything happens in the future, be sure to write to us and don't keep it to yourself. Your uncle and your two cousins are still of some use."
"Okay, I understand."
Bai Wenshan chatted with Ye Weiwei for a while, and when she saw that Zhang Changnian had something to say to Ye Weiwei, she sent someone over.
Seeing that her two sons were still arguing with Huo Xiao, she adopted the demeanor of the mistress of the house and began to command her two sons.
Although the house has been repaired and is habitable, it is still missing many things.
Few of the furniture inside was intact; only a table with a broken leg was barely usable.
Fortunately, people here sleep on heated brick beds instead of beds, otherwise there would be nowhere to sleep at night.
Bai Wenshan and her family brought four quilts this time. Two new ones were for Ye Weiwei to use as part of her dowry, and the other two were old ones that they would use in the next few days.
Huo Xiao had learned some carpentry from his father when he was a child. He told Bai Wenshan that he would go home to get his tools to fix the table and also asked his father to make a few benches so that they would have a place to sit and eat.
Upon hearing that Ye Weiwei's uncle's family had arrived and bought the large courtyard behind the village, Liu Guilan immediately came over with Old Man Huo, along with their eldest son and his wife and second son, to come and help tidy up.
The group happened to run into Huo Xiao on his way home. When they heard that Huo Xiao was going to get tools to fix the table, Liu Guilan pointed to the cloth bag in Huo Xiao's hand and said, "I brought everything. Go home and bring over a few stools to use for now."
Bai Wenshan was just making a list for her two sons to buy the things they needed at the town's supply and marketing cooperative when she saw Liu Guilan's family coming over with their work tools, a large piece of fatty meat weighing over two pounds, and a big basket of fresh vegetables.
Bai Wenshan quickly asked Zhang Changnian and Ye Weiwei to come out, and the two families got to know each other properly.
Liu Guilan handed the meat to Bai Wenshan, but Bai Wenshan refused to accept it. Liu Guilan insisted, and after a long exchange of refusals, Bai Wenshan finally accepted it.
Liu Guilan instructed her son and daughter-in-law to do some work, while she pulled Bai Wenshan to sit down in the yard. "In-law, you don't need to do anything. Just let the children do all the work. You must be exhausted from traveling all this way. Go and rest."
Seeing that the Huo family members rolled up their sleeves and started working without saying a word, Bai Wenshan realized that she was too quick and nimble to help. She knew that if she insisted on helping, she would only make things worse, so she gave up the idea and sat in the courtyard talking with Liu Guilan.
She was also curious about her niece's character.
Liu Guilan was a talkative and easygoing person. She knew that Bai Wenshan's family had come over at this time because they were worried about Ye Weiwei's marriage. So, even though she knew that Bai Wenshan was testing her, she spoke frankly, and the two of them quickly hit it off.
After hearing about Huo's second son's divorce a few days ago, Bai Wenshan looked somewhat troubled, unsure of how to broach the subject. Just then, Liu Guilan smiled and said, "Little sister, I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, after Weiwei marries the third son, I'll separate the family and let the two children live on their own."
Bai Wenshan was surprised by Liu Guilan's words and immediately felt that she had been petty.
Liu Guilan noticed her unease and comforted her, saying, "Sister, you don't need to feel embarrassed. Actually, even if you hadn't brought it up, we would have done the same thing. My husband and I have been planning this for a long time. Once the children are all married, we'll let them live separately. A big tree has many branches, and while it's lively with many people, there are also many conflicts. They're always bumping into each other, and it's inevitable that things will clash. Anyway, they're just living in the same village, so if there's anything, they can just call out to each other. Why force the children to live under one roof? I'm a lazy person, and I don't have that much time to settle their disputes every day."
Bai Wenshan was truly impressed by Liu Guilan this time, and said with a smile, "Sister, you are so insightful. My father-in-law did the same thing back then. He said that although the family was separated, the hearts of the family should not be separated. As long as the family can work together in the face of important matters, it is better than those families that live together but fight over trivial matters all day long, causing chaos and scattering the family's hearts."
Liu Guilan said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, that's exactly the point. I was once someone's daughter-in-law. If I hadn't made up my mind to separate from my husband's family back then, I'd probably be worn down to a pulp by now, and it's hard to say whether I'd even be alive."
Bai Wenshan never expected that Liu Guilan had such an experience. It's true that every family has its own troubles, no wonder Liu Guilan is so open-minded.
"Just based on your personality, I'm completely at ease with Weiwei marrying Huo Xiao. Especially Huo Xiao, I liked him at first sight today; he seems like a reliable and capable man."
“Weiwei is such a capable and sensible child. I’ve never met a better child than her. My third son is so lucky to have married Weiwei.”
The two exchanged pleasantries and compliments, further strengthening their bond.
Ye Weiwei was helping Huo Xiao hold the table up so he could fix the legs when she heard her aunt and Liu Guilan talking in the yard. The two of them looked at each other and smiled.
Zhang Juncheng and Zhang Haoran, who had gone to town to buy things, happened to see this scene when they returned, and both of them rubbed their teeth together.
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