Lu Yuanchao's house was completed two days ahead of schedule.
It's not big; it has two main rooms, a kitchen, a shed for storing firewood, and a small courtyard, but it's not small either.
The houses are mainly made of blue bricks and tiles, which look much more impressive than mud-brick houses.
After burning the kang (heated brick bed) for two days to dry it, and airing out the house for two days, Lu Yuanchao went to Sun Maodou's house to select a house full of furniture.
After the furniture was moved home, Lu Yuanchao couldn't wait to find Jia Liqin and take her to the new house.
Jia Liqin looked at the new house and its furnishings, feeling a mix of sorrow and joy.
The good thing is that this will be her home from now on, and she will have a man who truly cares for her. The bad thing is that while her life will be better from now on, her family will still have to suffer in the cowshed.
Lu Yuanchao seemed to sense her sadness and took her hand, saying, "Don't worry, we'll avoid people from now on and bring some food to your uncle and aunt every now and then. I'll take good care of you and them too."
Tears welled up in Jia Liqin's eyes, and she threw herself into his arms, deeply moved.
The two embraced tightly, their hearts pounding, yet neither dared to make the next move, nor did they want to separate.
That evening, Lu Yuanchao went to the cowshed and formally proposed marriage to the Jia family. The Jia family was naturally delighted and agreed without hesitation.
Lu Yuanchao is such a good young man, with good character, good looks, and good at making money. Most importantly, he's good to their daughter (sister), so they have no reason to hesitate.
They might not even be able to find such conditions in Kyoto.
"Uncle and Aunt, please feel free to make any requests regarding the bride price."
The Jia family was stunned. They had built a new house for the wedding, which they thought was the groom's greatest show of sincerity. They never expected there would be a bride price.
The family looked at each other, and no one spoke for a moment.
It wasn't until the baby Lu Pingru was holding babbled twice that everyone came to their senses.
Jia Mingquan looked at her daughter, and finally waved her hand, saying, "We don't have any requirements, as long as she treats Liqin well in the future."
Lu Yuanchao quickly assured him, "Don't worry, Uncle, I will definitely treat Liqin well."
After saying this, the two young people smiled at each other. The Jia family members were very pleased to see this.
They didn't want a bride price, but Lu Yuanchao couldn't refuse. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll give 200 yuan as a bride price, and also prepare three turns and one ring (a traditional Chinese accessory). Is that acceptable to you?"
May I?
Why not?
This is absolutely amazing!
The Jia family never expected Lu Yuanchao to be so generous. Who would be so generous when getting married these days? Even in the capital, not many people could prepare all three (turns, turns, and a radio).
The Jia family members were momentarily speechless, and all turned their gazes to Jia Liqin, signaling her to make a statement.
Jia Liqin's eyes reddened. What incredible luck she had to meet such a wonderful man.
She stammered, "No need, you don't need to prepare these for me. So many things are too eye-catching. It would be troublesome if someone got jealous."
The rest of the Jia family thought it made sense and quickly said they didn't want these things.
Lu Yuanchao thought about it. Given Jia Liqin's status, if someone were to make a fuss about it, having these things would actually be bad for her, as it would be seen as her indulging in pleasure.
I have no choice but to change my mind.
"Okay, I'll buy a watch with the three turns and one sound, and I'll give the rest to Liqin as money. I'll give her 600 yuan and a watch."
"No need to pay, a watch is enough," Jia Liqin declined again.
This time, Lu Yuanchao's attitude was quite tough: "Listen to me, it's just 600 yuan and a watch."
Seeing his insistence, Jia Liqin happily agreed.
A week later, Lu Yuanchao's new home.
Lu Yuan and his brothers Yu Shaoheng, Xu Dong, Lu Jiefang, Sun Maodou, He Shenghua and others arrived at the house early. It happened to be the weekend, and Xiao Fan was also there. None of the brothers were absent.
Lu Xiaoqin and Wang Hongmei were busy in the kitchen.
Of course, there were more than just the two of them in the kitchen. Two other people were also helping out, their faces flushed. Wang Hongmei looked at one of them and then at the other, grinning from ear to ear.
I thought today was a big day for my youngest son, but it turns out it's also a good day for my second son.
Wow, this is truly a double celebration!
That's right, the two people are Jia Liqin and Zhong Zhiping.
Today is the housewarming party for Lu Yuanchao's new house, and also his wedding day with Jia Liqin. It's perfectly reasonable for Jia Liqin to be present.
Speaking of Zhong Zhiping, it really was a coincidence.
Ever since Lu Jiefang paid her medical expenses, she would come to the Changhe Brigade to repay part of the money every time she received her salary. Over time, she became more and more familiar with Lu Jiefang.
The factory had just paid out wages a couple of days ago, and she came again today, taking advantage of the weekend. She happened to run into Lu Yuan and his group who were at Lu Yuanchao's new house.
Lu Yuan had a sudden inspiration and said that they needed someone to help in the kitchen today, and wondered if the other person could help.
When Zhong's mother was critically ill, it was Lu Yuan and Gao Weishan who saved her. How could Zhong Zhiping refuse such a request?
So he readily agreed and they came to the new house together.
When I arrived and saw Lu Jiefang, I realized that it was his younger brother who was hosting a housewarming party today. I knew that everyone present was my closest relative.
She wanted to give the money to Lu Jiefang and then leave, but because she had promised Lu Yuan to help her, she had no choice but to stay.
It was clearly Lu Yuan who asked her to stay and help, but after Lu Jiefang, Lu Yuan handed the person over to him and then ignored her.
Lu Jiefang could only lead her into the kitchen himself, stammering as he introduced her to Wang Hongmei, "Um, Mother, this is Comrade Zhong, he is, he is my, my, my friend."
After saying that, I don't know why, but I felt so guilty that my face turned red.
Zhong Zhiping just wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground. She seemed to remember seeing Wang Hongmei the first time she came to Changhe Brigade and even exchanging greetings with her.
Why is this idiot giving a new introduction today?
He was just introducing himself, but he couldn't even speak properly. And to make matters worse, he was blushing.
Now it's hard for people not to misunderstand.
Sure enough, Wang Hongmei then enthusiastically pulled her aside and asked her all sorts of questions, and even made a point of observing her performance in the kitchen. She was very satisfied to find that she was skilled and efficient at her work.
Zhong Zhiping knew that she had misunderstood, and wanted to explain but couldn't find a suitable opportunity. She could only try her best to work hard or talk more with Jia Liqin and Lu Xiaoqin to ease the awkwardness.
Wang Hongmei was even more satisfied, thinking that this girl got along well with everyone and seemed to be a kind person.
After her second son broke off his engagement, she had been worried about his marriage. Now that it was settled, she, as his mother, could finally rest easy.
Wang Hongmei's mouth was practically stretched to her ears.
She said, "Xiaoping, look, Liqin and Yuanchao are already married. Jiefang is two years older than Yuanchao. When is it convenient for both sets of parents to meet and settle your marriage as soon as possible?"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..."
When Zhong Zhiping heard this, she almost choked on her own saliva.
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