Chapter 53
When calculating the birth charts last night, Han Hong had seen the stroke order of Meng Yuxiu's name before.
However, he had always called him "Little Meng, you little brat," so when he suddenly saw the name on the banner, he was a little taken aback.
After he frowned and muttered the name "Meng Yuxiu" several times, he suddenly realized what it meant.
He immediately turned his head to look Meng Yuxiu over again.
In Han Hong's eyes, Meng Yuxiu, apart from having black hair, was just a smooth-talking, lewd young man who seduced innocent girls.
But after glancing at the banner, when he looked at Meng Yuxiu again, he realized that Meng Yuxiu was nowhere near as similar to the blond-haired boy.
He's got the height and the looks, and most importantly, Han Hong can't help but feel that Meng Yuxiu exudes a scholarly air about him.
"Brother." Han Shuo saw the burning respect for cultured people shining in his brother's eyes, and then he was dumbfounded as his brother walked over and grabbed Meng Yuxiu's hands.
"Oh my god, Xiao Meng! Xiao Xiu!" Han Hong's voice was filled with undisguised excitement. Just a moment ago he had been sternly lecturing people, but now his face was flushed with joy. "Xiao Xiu, you're actually the top scorer? And the top scorer in the city!"
"Oh dear, why didn't you tell your brother?"
Han Hong's sudden enthusiasm overwhelmed Meng Yuxiu, who was momentarily at a loss for words.
"elder brother……"
"Oh, Xiao Xiu, I don't even know what to say." Han Hong kept patting Meng Yuxiu's shoulder, as if Han Shuo had just become the top scholar in the imperial examination. "Well done! No wonder our Xiao Shuo insisted on being with you. Our Xiao Shuo has such good taste!"
"..." Han Shuo's cheek twitched violently. He tugged at Han Hong's arm, "Don't be like that, bro. Your change of expression is too fast..."
Han Hong clicked his tongue and said, "What do you mean by changing your face? I'm happy for Xiao Xiu! He'll be family with us soon, can't I be happy for him?"
Han Hong then asked Meng Yuxiu with a smile, "Right, Xiao Xiu?"
Meng Yuxiu was already concerned about Han Hong's opinion of him, so when he heard Han Hong say this, he naturally nodded repeatedly, "Yes, brother."
Han Shuo looked at the two of them, speechless.
As the procession celebrating the city's top scorer entered the village, Meng Yuxiu, the city's top scorer, was immediately surrounded by the crowd, and congratulations poured in.
Meng's parents originally intended to spend quality time with Han Shuo and his family while they waited for the tractor to arrive.
They hadn't expected such a grand spectacle, and the scene immediately became noisy. Amidst the lively sounds of gongs and drums, everyone had to shout to speak.
Meng's parents were extremely busy. They had to greet the town leaders, respond to the congratulations from the villagers who came to join in the fun, and take care of Han Shuo's family of three.
Despite his busy schedule, Meng's father took a moment to speak to Han Hong, saying, "Brother Han, I'm so sorry. I didn't expect so many people to come so suddenly. The tractor will be here soon. I'm really embarrassed."
Han Hong immediately expressed his complete understanding, "We're getting too distant, father-in-law. From now on, we're all family. Go ahead and do your work! Don't stay here with us waiting for the tractor. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
"We're family, no need for formalities!"
When the town leaders arrived and the village head urged them on, Meng's father couldn't get away, so he asked Meng Yuxiu and Meng's mother to wait with Han Shuo's family for the tractor while he went back inside to greet them.
After Meng's father left with a group of people, a tractor came chugging along from the road in the distance a short while later.
As the tractor drew closer, Meng Yuxiu took advantage of Han Hong's conversation with his mother to slowly walk to Han Shuo's side.
Han Shuo noticed that he was staring at him, looking like he had a lot to say but was mindful of the others, so he hesitated to speak.
Han Shuo couldn't help but chuckle and said, "What are you doing? You're acting like a thief again."
"You're leaving soon," Meng Yuxiu said softly, pursing his lips.
Han Shuo knew Meng Yuxiu was clingy, but he didn't expect the kid to be this clingy. However, the feeling of being remembered warmed his heart.
There were still many villagers around them chatting about Meng Yuxiu becoming the top scholar in the city, and they would occasionally cast their curious glances at them.
Han Shuo then moved slightly closer and whispered to Meng Yuxiu, "Silly dog, it's not like you've disappeared. Are you not coming to Xiaoshi Village in three days?"
"Alright, listen to me." Han Shuo winked at him. "See you in a few days."
Meng Yuxiu immediately smiled.
When the tractor arrived, Han Hong politely said goodbye to Meng's mother. He climbed onto the tractor first, while Meng Yuxiu carried Han Ting. After handing Han Ting over to Han Hong, he prepared to help Han Shuo.
Han Shuo saw that his hands were about to lift him up, so he quickly dodged.
"Damn, I'm not that incapacitated yet, don't exaggerate."
Meng Yuxiu had no choice but to put his hand down and watch Han Shuo climb onto the tractor by himself.
"Xiao Shuo." Meng's mother put the things she had been carrying onto the tractor and said to Han Shuo, "This is a can of yellow peaches that your uncle bought in town this morning. Take it home and eat it with Tingting."
Han Hong immediately picked up the can of yellow peaches and pushed it at Meng's mother, saying, "Keep it for yourselves, give it to Xiao Xiu."
“Yes, Auntie, why don’t you eat with Uncle?” Han Shuo chimed in.
Meng's mother leaned closer to Han Shuo and whispered, "Eat up. Auntie knows you don't have a good appetite right now. These canned foods are good for your appetite. If you can't eat breakfast, eat these canned foods."
Seeing this, Han Shuo felt it would be impolite to refuse, so he thanked them.
After the family was settled, the tractor started up again and drove out of Xiqiao Village, billowing black smoke.
Han Hong stayed up all night last night, and when they ate, Han Shuo noticed that he still looked exhausted.
But when he learned that Meng Yuxiu was the top scholar, he immediately became energized and even sat on the tractor with a smile.
Even with the tractor making a lot of noise, he could still talk to Han Shuo at the top of his lungs, mostly praising Meng Yuxiu.
Han Shuo couldn't help but twitch his eye and tease his brother, "Tsk, bro, you can't be that serious, can you? Didn't you used to call him a little brat?"
Han Hong laughed, "Would you be happy if I called him a bastard again now? Besides, you're going to marry him, it's not appropriate for me to call him a bastard now. And Xiao Meng is the top student in the city, he has to save face, don't you think?"
Han Shuo looked at his brother and chuckled, "Didn't you just say you wanted to break his legs?"
Han Hong laughed and waved his hand, "Let's not talk about that."
Last night, when Han Hong took Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu from their home to the village entrance to ride the tractor, they walked very fast, afraid of being seen by the villagers.
Today was different. When the tractor took them to the village entrance, Han Hong, carrying Han Ting, didn't head straight home. Instead, he leisurely walked to the liveliest spot at the village entrance and chatted with some friends from the village for a while.
"Han Hong." Seeing his family getting off the tractor early in the morning, his friend asked curiously, "Where have you been?"
Seeing his brother beaming with joy, Han Shuo sighed, but his voice was very loud, "These next few days will probably be busy."
"What are you busy with?"
"My Xiaoshuo is getting married soon."
Han Shuo, standing to the side: "..."
Everyone was intrigued upon hearing this.
"What? Xiao Shuo is getting married? Didn't Xiao Shuo just finish his college entrance exams?"
"How come it's so fast? Han Hong, you never gave us a heads-up."
"Hey, whose family did they book with? Which village?"
Han Ting wanted to go down to play with his friends, so Han Hong put him down, then took out his cigarette case and offered cigarettes to a few of his friends.
"It's in Xiqiao Village, Baishan Town."
One of my friends asked, "Which family in Xiqiao Village? I do have relatives in Xiqiao Village."
Han Shuo saw his brother smoking a cigarette, with a low-key and humble expression. "The guy surnamed Meng is next to the big tree at the entrance of the village. His parents are both teachers. Their son goes to the same school as my son, Xiao Shuo. He got the top score in the city this year. I thought he was a pretty good guy, so I agreed."
It was still early, before the sun had risen, so people living at the edge of the village would take advantage of the cool weather and come out of their stuffy houses to eat breakfast.
Rural people love a good listen to excitement. When Han Hong said that his brother-in-law was the top scorer in the city, it was probably no less than if their own village, Xiaoshi Village, had produced a top scorer in the city. After all, they would mention it when visiting relatives during festivals.
The content mostly consisted of "the youngest son of the Han family in our village, yes, the one who was particularly mischievous when he was little."
"You're so lucky, you married well!"
"Yes! She married the top student in the city, and his family is well-off!"
As soon as Han Hong said this, the older men, women, and folks at the village entrance all pulled Han Shuo aside, happy for him.
Han Hong, on the other hand, was like a kettle that had been boiled over; he couldn't stop for a while.
Han Shuo called out several times, and the boy responded with "ah" and "yeah," but he didn't even move his feet.
Han Hong returned an hour after Han Shuo and Han Ting had gone home first.
Han Shuo has set his wedding for early August, and Han Hong will be quite busy from now on. Especially since the Meng family will come to propose marriage three days later.
Han Hong rested at home for a day, and the next day he got up early to start cleaning inside and out.
Han Shuo was lying in bed when he heard clattering downstairs. A little while later, Han Hong came upstairs to call him.
"Xiao Shuo, hurry up, I need to clean upstairs. If you're still sleepy, you can come up to sleep after I finish cleaning upstairs."
"Brother." Han Shuo had just woken up and was too weak to move. He said lazily, "They won't be coming upstairs, so there's no need to rush to clean upstairs, right?"
“That won’t do,” Han Hong said. “What if someone wants to visit? We can’t let them see our house is a mess, can we? They’ll say we’re unhygienic.”
Knowing that Han Shuo's health was not as good as before, Han Hong coaxed him, "Get up quickly, I've cooked you some white porridge and fried some eggs. Eat your fill before going upstairs to sleep."
"Fine, whatever." Han Hong dawdled as he got dressed and got out of bed.
After he went downstairs, people upstairs started moving things around, making a racket like a battle.
The Meng family was even busier. Meng Yuxiu and Han Shuo were getting married in early August, and in addition to giving betrothal gifts and cleaning the house, the Meng family also had to prepare for the wedding banquet.
Meng's father got up early this morning and called Meng Yuxiu to go to town to buy wine and eggs. After buying them, the father and son each took a bicycle and transported the items home.
The eggs are for making red eggs, which are distributed to the village children during the betrothal ceremony. The wine is sent to close relatives before the wedding to inform them.
Meng's father had other things to do, so he packed a dozen bottles of wine into a bag, tied it securely to the back of his bicycle, and asked Meng Yuxiu to deliver it to his maternal grandmother, uncle, and aunt.
After having breakfast, Meng Yuxiu pulled his bicycle out of the yard.
The villagers chatting in a group under the big tree saw him and joked with him, "Xiao Xiu, are you going to deliver gifts to your relatives?"
"Xiao Xiu, we'll come to your wedding banquet!"
Meng Yuxiu gripped the handlebars of the bicycle, his ears turning red as he smiled and nodded at them before mounting the bike.
These dozens of bottles of wine were quite heavy, but Meng Yuxiu rode them very fast on the road.
Although the sun was shining a little, and the golden light was slightly warm on his fair skin, he didn't feel hot at all. He rode his bike while admiring the vibrant rice fields along the way, and even felt particularly cheerful.
There were already quite a few farmers working in the fields at this spot, including people from Xiqiao Village.
When the people of Xiqiao Village saw that it was Meng's son, they stopped what they were doing and greeted him: "Isn't this Xiao Xiu?"
Upon hearing the voice, Meng Yuxiu slowed down his bicycle and politely greeted, "Grandpa He."
"Xiao Xiu, where are you going so early in the morning?"
"Let's go to my grandma's house."
"Okay, be careful while riding your bike."
Meng Yuxiu nodded, "Okay, Grandpa He."
He then continued riding forward.
Grandpa He continued weeding with his head down, but as he was weeding, he heard someone calling him.
He looked up and saw that Meng's son had returned on his bicycle.
Everyone in Xiqiao Village knows that Meng's son is good-looking, but he doesn't talk much.
Although he would politely respond when the elders in the village greeted him, his expression remained indifferent.
However, today, Grandpa He saw the boy who was riding his bicycle on the road by the paddy field, his cheeks slightly red from the sun, unexpectedly turn back and talk to him.
"Grandpa He, my dad asked me to deliver some wine to my grandma's house." Meng Yuxiu couldn't help but smile as he said this.
Grandpa He remembered and laughed, "Oh right, you were the top scorer in the city! Look at my memory."
“No,” Meng Yuxiu said, “I’m getting married.”
Upon hearing this, Grandpa He quickly grabbed his hoe and went to the edge of the field. He exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my! Xiao Xiu is getting married?! Really? I've never heard of it!"
"Oh my! Grandpa really has to congratulate you!"
After Grandpa He finished offering his congratulations, Meng Yuxiu's eyes were already brimming with smiles.
Which company did you book with?
Meng Yuxiu: "In Xiaoshi Village, Qingshi Town, his name is Han Shuo."
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