Chapter 52
Marriage involves two families, and the rest of the conversation was between the three elders. Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu were the younger generation and didn't know anything about marriage, so they could only listen from the sidelines.
Han Shuo's morning sickness was severe during the day, but from evening until now, he hasn't had it even once. Perhaps it's because too many unexpected things happened today, and his nerves have been on edge the whole time. It's like when you're sick and feeling unwell, but then something important happens, and you suddenly feel more energetic.
However, Han Shuo was also glad that he didn't vomit in front of everyone, otherwise Meng Yuxiu would probably have been beaten up again.
Now that things have calmed down, he's exhausted after a long day. Especially when Han Hong and Meng's parents were talking about wedding etiquette and customs, it sounded like hypnosis to him, and he could barely keep his eyelids open in his chair.
However, his affair with Meng Yuxiu exploded like a bombshell in both families, forcing both sets of parents to hastily put everything on the agenda. As the main figures in this incident, it would be inappropriate for him and Meng Yuxiu to leave the scene.
But he was so sleepy he could barely stay awake.
Given the current situation, there's no way to get back to Xiaoshi Village tonight without a car. Besides the bedrooms of Meng Yuxiu's parents and Meng Yuxiu himself, there's another bedroom on the second floor of Meng Yuxiu's house. Han Shuo was thinking about whether he could sleep at Meng Yuxiu's house, but seeing that Han Hong and Meng's parents were worried about him and Meng Yuxiu, he didn't dare to ask.
So he turned his attention to Han Ting, hoping the child was sleepy and he could take the child upstairs to sleep.
However, it was only a little past nine o'clock, and given the unfamiliar environment and the presence of a courtyard, Han Ting was quite excited and was happily running around and playing by herself in the courtyard.
Having no other option, Han Shuo turned his gaze to Meng Yuxiu.
Meng Yuxiu was originally standing next to him, but Meng's father felt an urge to see him now, so he scolded him and made him stand in the middle.
Han Shuo was getting sleepy listening to the parents talk about all the formalities. Meng Yuxiu, on the other hand, was listening intently, as if he were attending his favorite class. He didn't even react when Han Shuo quietly waved to him.
Han Shuo had no choice but to make two more "beep" sounds.
Meng Yuxiu finally noticed, but he seemed to be engrossed in his interest when someone casually called out to him.
Han Shuo watched as he turned his face away for less than two seconds, then smiled at him before turning back to listen attentively to the parents' conversation.
"..." Han Shuo was speechless.
A few minutes later, he managed to get Meng Yuxiu's attention back.
When Meng Yuxiu saw Han Shuo frowning and staring at him with dead fish eyes, he suddenly realized that Han Shuo had something to say.
However, he felt that he would be scolded by his parents just for making a sound, so he widened his eyes slightly and looked at Han Shuo with questioning eyes.
Han Shuo silently closed his eyes, using his actions to tell him that he was sleepy.
Meng Yuxiu stared at him for a few seconds, then his pupils flickered, and he understood what he meant.
Meng's father was chatting with Han Hong when he suddenly heard his son's voice.
"Dad, I'm sleepy, can I go to sleep?"
Meng's father turned around and glared at his son, yelling, "Sleep? What are you doing? You still have the nerve to sleep?!"
"..." Meng Yuxiu was worried that Han Shuo would feel awkward, so he said that he was sleepy. Under normal circumstances, his parents would definitely let him take Han Shuo and Han Ting to sleep in the guest room as well.
However, this is an abnormal situation.
So Meng Yuxiu had no choice but to say, "Dad, Han Shuo is sleepy."
Upon hearing this, Meng's father paused for two seconds before hurriedly saying, "Oh, um, Xiaoxiu's mom."
Meng's mother immediately stood up and walked towards Han Shuo, smiling as she said, "Oh dear, I was so forgetful. I forgot that little Han is not feeling well. Come on, let Auntie take you upstairs to rest."
Han Shuo also quickly stood up, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Ahaha, thank you, Auntie."
"Don't say that. From now on, we're family," said Meng's mother, then looked into the courtyard. "Where's the child?"
Han Hong called out to Han Ting twice from outside the door, and Han Ting immediately ran into the house.
Mencius' mother originally planned to prepare the guest room, but in the countryside, apart from holidays, people are usually busy with farm work and few people come to visit.
The guest room was filled with all sorts of unused items, and Meng's mother couldn't tidy it up in a short time. So she told Han Shuo and Han Ting to rest in Meng Yuxiu's room tonight, since her son wouldn't be able to sleep anyway.
Downstairs, Meng's father stopped punishing him by making him stand; instead, he had Meng Yuxiu sit down at the table and listen.
When Han Shuo was downstairs, Meng Yuxiu listened intently. But when Han Shuo went upstairs to sleep, he became distracted.
But at this moment, in front of his parents and Han Hong, he couldn't be too intimate with Han Shuo.
Meng's parents and Han Hong talked until 10 o'clock. Next, they discussed matters related to the bride price and marriage proposal. It was the first time that Meng's parents and Han Hong had planned these things for their younger generation, so they had no experience. Meng's father then suggested that they invite the village secretary to their home.
Meng's father went to the kitchen to get a flashlight and prepared to go out. Meng's mother came in and asked him to stay in the house with Han's eldest son while she went out to invite the village secretary.
"Alright." Meng's father handed the flashlight to Meng's mother.
Before leaving, Meng's mother suddenly remembered something. She rummaged through the drawer and found a bottle of medicine. She handed it to Meng's father and said, "Apply some medicine to Xiao Xiu and see if he has been hit on the buttocks by the bamboo stick."
Meng's father snorted, "His ass should rot."
Mencius' mother: "Alright, why are you talking about this at a time like this?"
After giving her instructions, Mencius' mother turned on her flashlight and went out of the house.
Han Hong went to the yard to smoke, so Meng's father called his son, who was still sitting blankly in the living room, into the kitchen.
Meng Yuxiu's expression tightened for a moment, but he still walked into the kitchen with a chill running down his spine.
"dad……"
Meng's father glanced at his son's innocent and harmless face and said irritably, "Take off your pants, I'll apply the medicine for you."
"..." Meng Yuxiu looked at the medicine bottle in his father's hand and said stiffly, "Dad, I can do it myself."
"How are you going to wipe it yourself? Can't you even see your own butt?"
But Meng Yuxiu was, after all, an eighteen-year-old lad, not a three-year-old child. He said awkwardly, "Let's not, Dad. It's too embarrassing."
Mencius's father: "You know what shame is? How come you don't feel ashamed for doing something like this?"
"..." Meng Yuxiu was speechless. Under his father's repeated urging, he reluctantly took off his pants.
After applying the medicine to his son, Meng's father told him not to pull up his pants immediately, but to wait for the medicine to dry.
So Meng's father went out into the courtyard to keep Han Hong company while he smoked, while Meng Yuxiu stood alone in the kitchen, clutching his trousers and waiting for the medicine to dry.
Since evening, he had barely had a chance to speak alone with Han Shuo. He had desperately wanted to go upstairs and peek while his parents and Han Hong were talking, but being watched prevented him from getting the chance.
Now, Meng's mother went to the village to invite the village head, while Meng's father and Han Hong were in the courtyard.
Thinking of this, Meng Yuxiu quietly peeked into the courtyard, but did not see his father and Han Hong, only heard their conversation.
He looked up at the ceiling again.
The next second, he pulled up his pants, quickly walked out of the kitchen, and then slipped upstairs while the people chatting in the yard weren't paying attention.
Han Shuo and Han Ting slept in his room, as Mencius' mother mentioned when she came downstairs.
So when Meng Yuxiu went upstairs and quietly opened the door, he saw two people, one big and one small, sleeping on his small bed in the light of the hallway.
At that moment, an indescribable sense of fulfillment and warmth welled up in his heart.
At eighteen, an age when love is just beginning to blossom, you meet someone who makes your heart flutter. And at eighteen, an age when you can't control your emotions, you still manage to marry that person.
This is undoubtedly a sweet emotional impact for any naive teenager at this age.
Meng Yuxiu was no exception.
Tonight, the parents on the first floor will stay up all night discussing his marriage with Han Shuo, while Han Shuo lies on the bed filled with his scent. Although they are not married yet, he seems to have already experienced the taste of a newlywed couple.
It was a secret joy, a joy hidden deep within his heart.
Meng's father and Han Hong smoked in the courtyard, but soon returned to the house to continue their conversation.
Meng Yuxiu originally planned to go upstairs to sneak a peek at Han Shuo, and then return downstairs before they finished talking.
However, he couldn't help but go into the room and close the door a crack.
Han Shuo was half asleep when he noticed a slight noise in the room. He instinctively opened his eyes and was almost startled.
"What a joke!"
The room was dark, the only light source was the crack in the ajar door, and a dark figure was crouching in front of the bed, facing him.
Han Shuo stared intently for half a second before realizing it was Meng Yuxiu.
"Holy crap! What the hell are you doing, sneaking around like that?"
"You scared the hell out of me!"
Meng Yuxiu said, "Your brother and my parents are still talking about something."
Han Shuo was still half asleep when he remembered that he had been sleeping in Meng Yuxiu's room that night.
"What time is it?"
It's almost midnight.
"Oh." Han Shuo asked Meng Yuxiu, "When will they finish talking?"
Meng Yuxiu said he didn't know, "My dad and your brother are in the yard, and my mom went to invite the village head."
Aren't you going to sleep?
Meng Yuxiu shook his head. "My dad told me to sit and listen too. I probably won't be able to sleep tonight."
Han Shuo couldn't see Meng Yuxiu's face clearly, only the outline of Meng Yuxiu's face in the shadows, but even so, Han Shuo could still sense that he was very happy.
Even the tone of his voice seemed light and cheerful.
"You're such a weirdo, staying up all night and still so happy."
Meng Yuxiu did not answer, but Han Shuo heard him chuckle softly.
"How is it? Show me where you got hit." Han Shuo sat up in bed and asked Meng Yuxiu to turn on the light in the room.
Meng Yuxiu did not move, remaining squatting in front of the bed.
"Don't turn on the light," he said. "I sneaked up here. I'm coming downstairs soon, and I just wanted to see you."
Han Shuo couldn't help but laugh and said, "I'm really impressed by you. You're still so happy after getting beaten up?"
Meng Yuxiu didn't speak, he just nodded.
In fact, Han Shuo felt very guilty that Meng Yuxiu had been beaten twice today, since the two of them had done the mission together.
Before going to sleep, he wondered if he and Meng Yusen had switched places, could he be as brave and determined as Meng Yuxiu?
He wasn't sure.
Meng Yuxiu, however, was able to earnestly complete their short lives in this world that did not belong to them.
Han Shuo stared at his face in the darkness for a long time. After a long while, he asked in a low voice, "Why are you happy?... Because you want to have a child with me?"
Meng Yuxiu raised his eyes, but still did not speak.
Han Shuo asked softly again, "Because you want to marry me?"
Meng Yuxiu pursed his lips slightly, looked at Han Shuo, and said very softly and slowly, "Yes."
"I want to have your child..."
"I want to marry you..."
The room was so dark that he couldn't see anything inside. Yet, even in that darkness, Han Shuo could see the gleam in Meng Yuxiu's eyes.
The thoughts of a young person are pure and passionate, dedicating all the aspirations and dreams unique to that age to themselves.
Han Shuo felt a slight tremor in his heart.
He couldn't help but open his arms and sigh softly to Meng Yuxiu, "Come here."
"Let me hug you..."
Meng Yuxiu pursed his lips, his eyes full of smiles, and got up to get closer to Han Shuo's embrace.
Meng Yuxiu originally only intended to stay for a few minutes, but after a few minutes he couldn't help but prolong the time. As he dragged it out, when he closed the door and went downstairs, several pairs of eyes in the living room stared at him.
As Meng's father watched his son slowly walk downstairs with an embarrassed look on his face, he frowned and shook his head.
They told the kid to stay in the kitchen and let the medicine air dry for a while, but when he and Han Hong finished smoking a cigarette in the yard and came back, he was nowhere to be seen.
Han Hong shook his head, but there was nothing he could do now. They were already discussing the marriage, so he could only watch helplessly as the other man took advantage of him.
Han Shuo stayed at the Meng family's house for one night, and both sets of parents had already set the date for his marriage proposal, the betrothal gifts, and the wedding.
Because of the time crunch, when Meng's mother went to invite the village head last night, she also invited the village fortune teller who knew how to predict the auspicious days to her home.
So, in one night, besides dealing with the tedious details of the wedding, they also looked at the birth charts of Meng Yuxiu and Han Shuo.
And so, from the moment she learned that she had to give birth to the child to the date being set, less than twenty-four hours had passed.
When Han Shuo came downstairs, Han Hong told him that the Meng family would go to Xiaoshi Village to propose marriage in three days. Considering that he and Meng Yuxiu would be going to university later, the wedding was set for August 3rd.
Han Shuo was surprised by their efficiency and exclaimed, "So fast?"
"Quickly?" Han Hong said irritably. "Then we have to get it done before your belly gets too big, otherwise people will gossip to death if they see us."
"..."
Except for Han Shuo and Han Ting, everyone else hadn't slept all night. Meng's parents told Han Hong and his brother to have breakfast at home before returning to Xiaoshi Village.
Although it was breakfast, Mencius' mother still cooked a sumptuous yet light meal.
"Xiao Shuo, eat more." Meng's mother ladled some soup for Han Shuo. "Auntie didn't let you have a midnight snack before going to bed last night, so you must have gone to bed hungry. Here, eat more this morning."
Han Shuo hurriedly and awkwardly stood up, took the bowl, and said, "Thank you, Auntie."
"Sit down quickly."
After Han Shuo sat down, he secretly glanced at Meng Yuxiu sitting next to him.
Meng Yuxiu's fair skin was tinged with a faint bluish tinge, yet he was in excellent spirits, as if he had just woken up after sleeping for seven days and seven nights, and his eyes were bright and sparkling as he looked at Han Shuo.
However, after Meng's mother asked a question, his bright eyes suddenly brightened, and Meng Yuxiu immediately lowered his eyes, picked up his chopsticks, and ate in silence.
At the same time, Han Shuo's face immediately burned.
Mencius' mother asked Han Hong, "How many months pregnant is Xiao Shuo?"
Although they were already discussing marriage, Han Hong still couldn't help but feel awkward upon hearing this.
"It's been a month."
When Han Hong said this, even Meng's mother was so ashamed that she couldn't speak.
Meng's father felt utterly humiliated.
One month, which means this kid still had the mind to do other things right before the college entrance exam.
Seeing his son's downcast eyes and shifty gaze, Meng's father angrily grabbed his chopsticks and smacked him on the head.
Meng Yuxiu didn't have time to dodge, and could only scratch the spot where his father had hit him after he finished.
Seeing this, Han Shuo could only grit his teeth and silently mourn for him.
After breakfast, Meng's father went to town and hired a tractor to take the Han brothers back to Xiaoshi Village.
Yesterday, around 8 p.m., the three adults and one child entered the Meng family house. Today, around 7 a.m., the five adults and one child left the Meng family house.
The villagers who were eating breakfast under the tree saw them walk out and teased, "Principal Meng, Teacher Yang, what day is it? Your house is so lively."
Now that things are out in the open, there's no need for Mencius' mother to hide anything.
She walked over and said to the villagers with a smile, "My son Xiaoxiu is getting married soon. You should all come to the wedding banquet."
As soon as the words were spoken, the villagers all offered their congratulations.
The tractor that Meng's father had ordered wouldn't arrive for a while, so the two families waited at the village entrance.
Although Meng Yuxiu was about to become his brother's husband, Han Hong was still somewhat displeased to see him standing next to Han Shuo with an uncontrollable smile on his face.
He walked over and shooed Han Shuo aside.
"What's up, bro?"
"Go to the side first, I have something to say to Xiao Meng."
Han Shuo frowned and hesitated, saying, "Don't hit him again."
"..." Considering the presence of Meng's parents and villagers, he suppressed his anger and cursed, "What kind of person do you take your brother for?!"
Han Shuo hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Meng Yuxiu before leading Han Ting to the side.
Meng Yuxiu's previously relaxed nerves immediately tensed up, and he called out, "Brother..."
"Hmm." Han Hong crossed his arms and frowned as he looked at Meng Yuxiu. "I originally didn't agree with the two of you, but Xiao Shuo is willing. After you get married, you'd better change your behavior and not do anything messy again."
Meng Yuxiu nodded and said, "Brother, I know."
"After you get married, the two of you should be considerate and tolerant of each other."
Meng Yuxiu nodded repeatedly, "I will. Even if we argue, I will give in to Han Shuo."
Han Hong gave a nasal "hmm," and said, "That's more like it."
Han Hong had to worry endlessly about his younger brother, whom he had raised single-handedly, getting married, and he had countless words of advice to give him.
However, as he stood by the roadside talking incessantly, he heard a series of clanging gongs and drums in the distance.
The others at the village entrance heard it too and all went forward to see what was going on.
On the dirt road leading from the village entrance to the town, a dozen or so people walked towards the village, banging and clanging. There were even two huge, colorful lion heads in front of them.
"Wow! A giant lion!" Han Ting grabbed Han Shuo and tried to go over to join the fun.
As Han Shuo walked, he asked Meng Yuxiu, "What's going on? Did your village hire an opera troupe?"
Meng Yuxiu shook his head, not knowing.
Mencius' mother was also puzzled: "I haven't heard anything about any activities being held in the village recently?"
Hearing the commotion, everyone who was having breakfast at home came out with their bowls.
"Oh my, isn't that the town mayor?" The village head was just chatting with Meng's father when he spotted the mayor of Baishan Town in the lion dance troupe.
He hurried to meet him.
As the procession drew closer, people finally saw a bright red banner hanging from two raised bamboo poles.
"What words are written on it?" Han Hong asked Han Shuo, his eyes already narrowing.
"Warmly celebrate...Yunxi Middle School..." Han Hong read each word carefully, "...Meng Yuxiu...awarded the 1991 Ming City College Entrance Examination..."
When Han Hong read the last two words, his voice suddenly rose, almost drowning out the sound of gongs and drums.
"Top scorer?!?"
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