"What are you yelling about!" Uncle Cheng frowned and pulled her. If his elder brother hadn't gone to invite him, he really wouldn't have wanted to come. This woman has no sense at all!
Aunt Cheng shrank back and retorted in a low voice, "Who's yelling? I just have a loud voice, so what if I can't speak?"
"you!"
Father Cheng waved his hand, "Third brother, your wife just asked a question, it's nothing. Let's have a happy holiday today, so let's not talk too much and go inside!"
As they spoke, the group entered the courtyard. Wu was carrying out dishes when Aunt Cheng rushed over, saying, "Sister-in-law, come on, let me carry them! You rest!"
Good heavens, how was this meat prepared? It looks so delicious it makes my mouth water!
Wu dodged for a moment, then stepped forward and placed the plate on the table. "Sister-in-law, you're a guest. What are guests supposed to do? Please go and sit down!"
Aunt Cheng finally managed to tear her eyes away from the plate, and said with an awkward smile, "What guest? We're family, why are you being so formal, sister-in-law!"
"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and come call for help!"
Uncle Cheng was really angry now. This woman only had eyes for food. There were a bunch of children waiting, and instead of greeting everyone when she came in, she just stared at the food. It was shameful!
Chen An took the lead and shouted, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt, Third Uncle, Third Aunt!"
The three Chen siblings also called for help. Uncle Cheng took out a dozen copper coins from his pocket and handed them over with a smile, saying, "Grandpa doesn't have anything good to give you, but these copper coins are for you to buy some snacks."
Uncle Cheng also pulled out some coins, "Here, there's also some for Third Grandfather!"
Neither of their families were wealthy, and they couldn't offer anything, but they couldn't just come over and eat for free; it wouldn't be right not to give them something in return.
Aunt Cheng was so distressed that she kept rubbing the corner of her clothes. Cheng Yue had become successful, and Cheng Yang had also become successful. What difference did it make if they lost a few copper coins?
But since the head of the household had already taken out his money, she couldn't say anything and could only feel the pain in her heart.
Aunt Cheng San also felt sorry for her, but she was a little better off than Aunt Cheng Er. Putting everything else aside, there was a whole table of meat dishes tonight, so she could just eat more and come back!
Chen Lin and the others didn't want to accept the money and kept pushing it away, but Cheng's father laughed and said, "Take it, Grandpa gave it to you, so just accept it."
The three siblings gave their father a meaningful look, and Chen An had no choice but to nod. He accepted the gift from his elders; his second and third uncles didn't have much money, and he could return the gift later.
Mr. Cheng waved his hand and said, "Alright, sit down, dinner will be served soon!"
Uncle Cheng's family is large, with more than twenty people in total. The original table wasn't enough, so Cheng Yang just put two door panels on the benches so that everyone could sit down.
The food was ready in no time. Cheng Yue had just placed the last dish on the table and hadn't even called for anyone when Aunt Cheng rushed over, grabbed her hand, and exclaimed in surprise:
"My dear niece, you've really made something of yourself! The whole village is buzzing about it! It's only been a year since I last saw you, and look at you, you've only gotten more beautiful with age, even more radiant than when you were a teenager!"
Aunt Cheng is a chatterbox, but she doesn't mean any harm. If you want to praise someone, then praise them.
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "You don't deserve such praise, Auntie. Please sit down! Uncle, Second Uncle, and Aunt, it's a festival today, please eat more."
"Okay! Good, good!"
The family had finally managed to get together, and Mr. Cheng said happily, "Let's all start eating!"
There was so much food on the table, and it was all dishes they had never seen before. For a moment, they didn't know where to start.
Aunt Cheng had a clear goal; she picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, exclaiming, "Ouch! It's burning hot! It's so delicious!"
Uncle Cheng glanced at him sideways and frowned, saying, "What age are you? You have no manners at all!"
Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a reincarnated starving ghost. With a bunch of kids watching, isn't it afraid of setting a bad example for the children?
Cheng Yue picked up a piece of meat for her third uncle, saying, "Third Uncle, you should eat too. We're all family, so just enjoy your meal."
Her third uncle only had three sons, and he treated her like his own daughter. When she was little, he often carried her on his shoulders.
Uncle Cheng's smile stretched from ear to ear, and he immediately said, "Alright, alright! I'll eat too!"
Uncle Cheng looked a little dejected, but the next moment a piece of meat appeared in his bowl. "Uncle, you should eat more meat too, don't just eat vegetables!"
"Good, good, good!" Uncle Cheng grinned, thinking how thoughtful his niece was!
As for my second and third aunts, don't worry about them; they're more steady, accurate, and ruthless than anyone else when it comes to picking up food!
Mrs. Wu and Mr. Cheng exchanged a smile. Their daughter had been lovable since she was little, and she was even more so now. Look how evenly they treated each other!
After greeting Uncle Cheng Er and Uncle Cheng San, Cheng Yue said to her cousins and nephews and nieces, "You all should also pick up some meat and eat more, don't be shy!"
The group, holding their rice bowls, smiled shyly and said, "Okay, we're eating!"
When have they ever eaten such soft white rice and such fragrant meat and vegetables?
The food tasted better and better as they ate, and for a moment everyone fell silent. The only sounds in the yard were chopsticks scraping against bowls and exclamations of delight.
As the meal drew to a close, Aunt Cheng suddenly asked, "My dear niece, isn't Xiao Lin twelve this year?"
Cheng Yue nodded, "Yes, it will be the twelfth after August."
"It's about time to arrange marriages. Do you have anyone you like?"
When Aunt Cheng asked this question, everyone present immediately sensed that something was wrong. Her expression clearly showed that she was pondering something.
Uncle Cheng said disapprovingly, "This is my niece's own business. Why are you asking about this?"
"We're all family, what's wrong with showing some concern? I was thinking that if we don't have a suitable candidate, we might as well consider our own family members and have a marriage between two close relatives!"
"My dear niece, I think Qinghe and Xiaolin are a perfect match. Qinghe is such a sensible and filial girl..."
"Shut up! If you have nothing better to do, get the hell out of here and go home!"
When Uncle Cheng saw that she was going too far, he was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table. He knew exactly what his wife was up to!
What do you mean by "marrying up relatives"? It's nothing more than him taking advantage of his niece's success.
He can tolerate most minor issues, but he can't stand it when his own family members are being schemed against!
Seeing Uncle Cheng so angry, Aunt Cheng trembled in fear, stammering, "I... I didn't mean anything by it..."
Mr. Cheng and Mrs. Wu immediately lost their tempers. They had just wanted to have a nice meal, but something unexpected happened during the meal.
Cheng Yue patted her parents' hands and said calmly, "Second Aunt, I have my own plans for Xiao Lin's marriage, so you don't need to worry about it."
We're relatives to begin with. If we get along well, there's no need for us to become even closer. But if we don't, even family members can have awkward situations.
Qinghe is the eldest granddaughter of her second uncle's family. She is indeed a good girl, but she absolutely cannot accept consanguineous marriage.
If my second aunt really wanted to strengthen family ties through marriage, that wouldn't be a problem, since it's quite normal in this era. But she clearly had ulterior motives, which is very off-putting.
No matter who it is, don't even think about messing with their family, not even relatives!
Helping them out is fine, but we absolutely cannot take advantage of them!
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