On the square kang table, there was a pot of chicken stew with mushrooms, a plate of scrambled eggs with chives, a large bowl of stewed bok choy with tofu, and a plate of salted duck eggs cut in half.
However, Gu Wei focused on the bowl of dipping vegetables placed on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed).
Zhao Dajiang and Tang Jiamei were stunned.
"You like to eat vegetarian food, don't you, kid?"
Tang Jiamei thought that since they were from out of town, they might not be used to the food, so she asked nervously, "Is it... that I didn't cook it to your liking?"
Gu Wei quickly swallowed the food in his mouth and explained with a smile, "No, I love meat the most. Aunt Zhao's cooking is also very much to my liking, especially this fried egg sauce, which is absolutely delicious. Paired with the freshly picked, crisp little green vegetables, it's so good that I haven't had time to eat anything else..."
He hadn't eaten vegetables that tasted so good in a long time; it reminded him of the taste of his family's vegetable garden when he was a child, so he couldn't stop eating.
The couple immediately burst into laughter.
"Eat as much as you want, and if you're still not full, go pick more from the field."
"Yes, other supplies might be insufficient, but this is plentiful."
After the meal, Gu Wei, who had eaten his fill, diligently helped clear the table and even wanted to sweep the floor with a broom.
However, Zhao Dajiang forcefully stopped him.
"You child, stop working and go to the west room to lie down and rest."
Gu Wei had been going through so much trouble and was constantly on edge, which made him both physically and mentally exhausted.
He could only respectfully comply.
"Okay, I'll go lie down for a while."
Upon entering the west room, Gu Wei noticed that everything—from the kang cabinet to the chests and double-door wardrobe—was new.
It's probably furniture made by a carpenter for Zhao Zhengyuan's wedding.
Gu Wei took off his shoes and got onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
He lived in a bungalow and slept on a heated kang bed when he was a child, but many years have passed since he last had the chance to sleep in one.
I think about it occasionally, and I actually miss it a little.
In a state between dreaming and waking.
Gu Wei seemed to have returned to the modern era.
Looking at the bustling city and the towering buildings all around, he thought to himself that he would probably only be able to see it in his dreams in the future.
Suddenly, a sharp sound woke him up.
The moment Gu Wei opened his eyes, he was still a little disoriented.
After a moment of realization, he remembered that he had traveled back several decades and was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the west room of the Zhao family.
He sat up and touched his sweaty forehead and temples.
The shrill voice continued: "Your Yuanzi told me the truth, the watch was swapped with someone else, it didn't cost him anything. These days people get married with 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a bicycle, a radio, and a sewing machine), we don't want a bicycle, what's wrong with just a radio?"
"What else? Even if the watch was replaced, it still cost money! Your family clearly agreed on a dowry of 600 yuan plus a watch, and now you're suddenly asking for an exorbitant amount by adding a radio. Even if my family had money, we wouldn't agree to this!"
Gu Wei could tell that Aunt Zhao's voice was trembling, probably because she was very angry, so he frowned.
Not to mention Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao, even he thought that Zhao Zhengyuan and his girlfriend were just waiting to set a wedding date.
Unexpectedly, a twist of fate occurred.
In modern times, a radio is no big deal.
But this is a bit difficult in this day and age.
Even if Gu Wei wanted to help, there was nothing he could do for the time being.
In the east room.
Several people were sitting on benches along the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Besides Zhao Dajiang and his family of three, there was also Zhao Zhengyuan's girlfriend Yao Shulan and her family of three, as well as Tian Sufang, the forest farm accountant's mother, who was also their matchmaker.
Yao's mother was thin and short, with high cheekbones and thin lips; she looked like a difficult person to get along with.
"If you don't agree, then let's postpone the marriage. Anyway, many families want to marry our daughter, and Shulan is a teacher, so she won't have trouble finding a husband!"
Her words elicited varying reactions from those present.
"Jinglong's family, there's no way an elder should act like this!"
After the matchmaker made a accusation, Zhao Dajiang immediately followed up with a question: "The two children are getting along so well, what exactly do you want by making these random decisions?"
Zhao Zhengyuan clenched his fists, extremely angry.
With her short, ear-length hair and delicate features, Yao Shulan grabbed Tang Jiamei's hand and said, "Auntie, don't listen to my mom. I'm going to get my marriage certificate with Yuanzi tomorrow."
Tang Jiamei was so angry that she couldn't speak, but her future daughter-in-law's words warmed her heart instantly. She patted the back of her hand and said, "Shulan, I know you're a good girl, but you can't do this."
Yao's mother's face turned ashen with anger: "Yao Shulan, you brat! Are you trying to drive me crazy? Who am I fighting for? Isn't it all for you!"
Yao Shulan stood up, glared at her, and shouted, "Mom, give me a break! Do you think I don't know what you're up to? You just heard that Yuanzi also has a new watch and you want to get it for my brother?"
Her scheme was exposed in an instant, and Yao's mother's face flushed red and then turned pale.
"That's not what I thought!"
The honest and unassuming father of Yao, who had always been a background figure, lowered his head in shame.
Yao Shulan sneered: "Whether you think that way or not is irrelevant. The marriage is settled, and I'm staying here tonight!"
Yao's mother burst into a tirade: "You're a teacher, and this is how you set an example for your students? Unmarried young women going to live with other people's families, have you no shame?"
"You've lost all shame, what use are you to me? If word gets out about what you've done, let's see if the Yao family can hold their heads high in public!"
The mother and daughter were arguing fiercely, each saying a sentence to the next.
Zhao Dajiang and Tang Jiamei exchanged a glance across the distance.
They also knew that Yao Shubo, the son of the Yao family, was not yet engaged.
Little did they expect that Yao's mother had this very idea behind her seemingly contradictory actions.
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