◎Engagement◎
Xu Shengjie came to Damian Village carrying two kilograms of pork belly, one kilogram of peach cakes and one kilogram of egg cakes.
Most of the villagers on the road were working in the fields, and some of them couldn't help but look at him a few more times, somewhat curious.
His marriage with Dong Jiayan was not pleasant, and he was in a good mood so he didn't make a scene. The villagers said behind his back that he was upset. But Xu Shengjie had already forgotten about it and went straight to the Liang family's house.
Song Chunhua got up early in the morning to prepare. There were vegetables at home, but the only thing missing was fresh pork. Last time she was lucky and had one pound of pork to eat, but this time she was not so lucky. The day before, she asked Liang Baojun to go to the river to catch fish. It was a big grass carp, weighing more than three pounds. She cut it into small pieces and braised it, and then cooked some potato slices and cucumber slices in it. It tasted fragrant and was a proper pickled vegetable.
I also made some sauerkraut vermicelli soup, which is just right for relieving the heat in the summer. I also fried eggplant and beans, cabbage with vinegar, and added a layer of steamed buns, which made the table full of dishes.
She prepared a rich gift, and she saw that Xu Shengjie also prepared a rich gift, which was genuine, with meat and snacks, and was very thoughtful.
Looking at the man again, he was tall, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, quite heroic, especially his clear eyes, he was indeed a soldier. She had always admired the soldiers who defended their country. Now seeing that he was dressed upright, she spat at Chen Siming in her heart.
"Comrade Xiao Xu, right? Come in and sit down." Seeing the bags of things he handed over, Song Chunhua declined a few words, "You came just like that, and you brought so many gifts. That's really thoughtful of you."
"It's my duty, Aunt Chunhua."
Seeing Xu Shengjie being welcomed in by Liang Zhigao and Liang Baojun, she turned around and carried the things into her room. The sugar and pastries had to be locked in the cabinet. The meat was fresh, and there was no serious meat at noon today. She carried the meat on a straw rope to the kitchen and called to Liang Baoying who was cooking, "Boss, cut a pound of it and cook it into braised pork. The remaining pound of salt should be salted and marinated."
A pound of meat is already enough, so you have to eat it sparingly.
"Okay." Liang Baoying worked efficiently. She turned around and took the kitchen knife to cut the meat. With one cut, she divided it almost perfectly. The springy and slippery pork belly was put aside. She rubbed salt on half of it.
Liang Baozhen had just finished cooking the fish stew and put it in a bowl when she unexpectedly saw another delicious dish. It really relieved her anxiety.
Her mother was worried last night, fearing that Xu Shengjie would have opinions about her family and feel that she had not treated her guests well because she did not use the pork. Now, let him bring the meat to treat her.
"Baozhen, you cook it. Make it delicious and add more oil." Song Chunhua wanted her daughter to show off her cooking skills in front of her aunt. She was not bragging. Baozhen was a good cook with many different styles. If she hadn't been good at studying, she would have sent her daughter to be a chef.
Nowadays, chefs are actually no worse than scholars. No matter how good your education is, it’s useless if you don’t have enough food.
It is said that the chefs in state-owned hotels are in great demand, and there are always people coming to them to act as matchmakers.
"Okay, Baoling, go to the field and pick some more peppers and onions." One of the chef's skills is to order people around.
Liang Baoling has gotten used to it. Running a few times allows her to eat more meat, so it’s worth it!
"Third Aunt, what about me? What should I do?" Mengmeng looked at Liang Baozhen eagerly. Everyone in the kitchen had something to do except her. The little girl was unhappy.
"Go with your aunt and supervise her picking peppers." Liang Baozhen wanted to rub her niece's head, but then she remembered that her hands were covered in oil smoke and she had to give up. "Go ahead, don't touch them, be careful not to burn your hands and eyes."
"Okay." Meng Meng nodded and ran out in small steps.
Liang Baozhen moved quickly and cut the pork into pieces in a short while and arranged them neatly on the plate. She also cut the chili peppers, ginger and garlic and kept them ready, cut the winter melon into pieces and washed it, prepared several spices, and finally picked up a bowl of solidified lard.
Song Chunhua looked at the lady with a painful expression as she scooped up a spoonful of lard with a spatula, and cried out in pain, "You little bitch, why did you scoop up so much?"
There was no other way. People in the village couldn't afford vegetable oil, and this bowl of pork fat was a treasure in the family. They would only put a little bit in cooking on weekdays. Liang Baozhen knew that her mother was reluctant to use the oil, and she scooped out only a small piece, thinking that the pork belly would release oil. But who knew that she would still be scolded, so she shook the spatula and shook off another half.
Only then was Song Chunhua satisfied.
A little bit of pork fat melted in the iron pot. Liang Baozhen lit a fire and looked into the pot from time to time. Pieces of pork belly with even fat and lean meat rushed into the pot. When they met the melted pork fat, a sizzling sound was made. Soon, the aroma of meat filled the air, comparable to the Chinese New Year.
Everyone was seated at the table in the main hall. Liang Baozhen took the dish bowl and put the last dish on the table. She didn't even look at Xu Shengjie. She only felt a line of sight passing over her and then moving away in an instant.
The braised pork is tender and golden in color, elastic and smooth, emitting an alluring aroma. Even the brown soup is so tempting that one almost drools.
"Come, Xiao Xu, try it. This braised pork is specially cooked by Baozhen. The girl is a good cook." Song Chunhua invited the guests to eat.
Xu Shengjie picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth. The roasted pork belly seemed to melt as soon as he chewed it, and the aroma filled his nose. Looking at the eyes of the people looking at him, he did not hesitate to praise it, "It's delicious."
Liang Baozhen's hand holding the chopsticks froze. Was this too concise?
God knows, this is a rare high evaluation for Xu Shengjie, which ordinary people cannot get.
At the dinner table, the Liang family was less reserved. When Chen Siming came to have dinner earlier, everyone was careful with their words because of his status. But veterans were different. Soldiers were the most lovable people and were close to everyone.
Liang Zhigao took a few sips of wine and started chatting with others. He asked about Xu Shengjie's military training and his participation in the battlefield. Of course, he knew a lot about it, but he didn't ask questions that he shouldn't have asked. He just listened for fun.
Xu Shengjie originally thought that he was here to be inspected by the Liang family, but he accidentally became a report on joining the army? Liang Zhigao had plundered all his years of military experience.
What man doesn't have a dream of becoming a soldier? Liang Baojun also wanted to go, but he was the only male in the family, and Song Chunhua was reluctant to let him go. Now, listening to the words of his future brother-in-law, he became very interested and didn't want to eat anymore, and focused on chatting with others.
"Comrade Xu, you have not lived in vain these years. Being able to go to the battlefield and fight the enemy makes your life worthwhile!" Liang Baojun spoke from the bottom of his heart, and the others at the table also listened with great interest.
Although Song Jianguo also looked up at the man opposite him, he didn't expect that this man had an ordinary family background, but he was very imposing. He didn't speak as eloquently as Chen Siming last time, but his words made people want to listen.
Liang Baozhen was the only one at the table, eating quietly. This was the time she listened to Xu Shengjie talk the most. He told her stories about his time in the army, with many ups and downs. She didn't look over there, but she kept listening with her ears.
"Brother-in-law, you are so awesome!" Liang Baoling became more and more excited as she listened, and she directly called him brother-in-law.
Song Jianguo looked over reflexively, not understanding why his sister-in-law suddenly praised him. When he saw that Liang Baoling was looking at Xu Shengjie, he realized what was going on and turned his head away.
The people at the table suddenly became quiet when the little girl called him brother-in-law, and no one spoke.
Liang Baozhen poked her sister under the table with her finger, thinking to herself, "She's just calling random people. What's the point of calling her brother-in-law?"
"Hahaha." Song Chunhua's laughter broke the quiet atmosphere. After the meal, she was very satisfied with Xu Shengjie. This man always answered questions, never hid anything, never said anything nice, but made people feel sincere. He was also a man who could shoulder the burden of the family. She immediately followed the words of the young lady and said, "Baoling, change your words after a while, and then let your brother-in-law pay you for changing your words."
According to the custom in the village, if someone in the family changes their words, they will be given a few candies as a fee for changing their words, just to ask for good luck.
Song Chunhua's words finally settled Xu Shengjie's plan to visit her this time.
...
After the meal, everyone went outside to do some work, only Liang Zhigao, Song Chunhua and Xu Shengjie did not leave the table. Even Liang Baozhen was "driven" out.
"Uncle, aunt, my grandma is old and in poor health. Normally, she should have come with me this time, but I was worried that her body could not withstand the hardship, so I did not let her go." Xu Shengjie first explained the situation to Liang's parents, "My parents are no longer at home, so I can make the decision myself."
Zhou Yun couldn't come, and there were no other elders above him, so Xu Shengjie came straight to the point without any ambiguity. Liang Zhigao understood what he was talking about.
"Xiao Xu." Liang Zhigao became more familiar with the person after drinking a few glasses of wine. "This blind date was arranged by you and Baozhen. Since you are both satisfied, we as parents have no objection."
Song Chunhua continued, "Just a little bit. I don't ask for anything else. I just want you to be devoted to our Baozhen after we get married. Our Baozhen is a kind-hearted child. Don't let her suffer."
Her current thoughts were simple: a good person was the most important thing. She had chosen the man carefully before marrying him, and she didn't know what kind of person she had chosen, or what he would become in the future. She could only trust her judgment this time.
Xu Shengjie recalled several encounters with Liang Baozhen, and it was as if a seed had broken through the soil and was growing in his heart. He nodded and made a solemn promise, "I will, don't worry."
...
"Baozhen, pick some vegetables for Shengjie to take back." Song Chunhua called out the lady who was waiting in the house. The matter was settled. She now treated Xu Shengjie as her own family member.
"Okay." Liang Baozhen went to the yard with a machete and a net bag. Xu Shengjie stood in the yard, watching her approach silently.
After just a few steps, Liang Baozhen finally got rid of her nervousness. Her heart started pounding and she felt strange. It seemed that the sun was too hot and her face was burning.
The two of them walked into their private plot in silence. Liang Baozhen picked four or five tomatoes, four cucumbers, and two eggplants and put them in the bag. She then prepared to pick up the machete and start picking up the pumpkins on the vine.
"Let me do it." Xu Shengjie, who was standing beside him, gestured that he would do the chopping.
"No need." Liang Baozhen skillfully chopped the vine a few times with the machete. When she saw the vine was about to break, she was about to reach out to catch it. The man next to her was even quicker and caught the pumpkin in one hand.
"Look, Baozhen and Comrade Xu are really a perfect match." Liang Baoying was cleaning the chicken coop in the yard. She secretly glanced at the other end of the private plot. The two people over there seemed to be moving in sync. She turned around and talked to her man.
Song Jianguo weighed it over and felt that this brother-in-law was not of much help to him, so he was too lazy to pay too much attention to him. He just said a perfunctory word and walked away.
Xu Shengjie said goodbye to the Liang family and left. Liang Zhigao and Song Chunhua went back to the house to discuss things and were quite satisfied with the person. They decided on the gift and dowry and prepared to look for Lai Fengxia to check their horoscopes and decide on a date for their wedding.
These past few days, that scoundrel He Dazhuang has been hanging around her yard from time to time. Song Chunhua yelled at him a few times and drove him away, but he had done nothing wrong, so she couldn't really do anything to him.
But thinking of a girl in the next door village who was ruined by a village scoundrel who peeped through the window at her bathing and was almost forced to jump into the river, she now just wanted to settle her daughter down as soon as possible.
"Boss, I will go to Fengxia tomorrow to check the date. We will grab it if we can."
"Okay, go ahead. Remember to bring two eggs." This is a thank you gift. I will give Lai Fengxia a red envelope when they get married.
The wedding was finalized, and the Liang family happily went to work in the fields, leaving only Liang Baozhen at home. Along the way, many villagers asked about it, and Song Chunhua generously talked about the marriage, which caused everyone to congratulate her.
Most people in the village still disliked the behavior of Chen Siming and Dong Jiayan, and thought it was a great joy that Liang Baozhen had found a good man again.
...
After Xu Shengjie left the Liang family, he went to Lai Fengxia's house to report the situation. As a matchmaker who tried her best to bring the two together, Lai Fengxia looked very pleased. She had been a matchmaker for many years, and there was nothing that made her happier than watching a couple go from strangers to getting married.
"Okay, go back and talk to your grandma, and prepare well and be polite. You are young and don't understand these things, so ask your grandma more."
"Okay, I understand, auntie. I'll be leaving now."
Xu Shengjie walked out of Lai's house and headed towards the village entrance, passing by the Liang family yard again. At this time, the Liang family was quiet and most people in the village had gone home to work. However, he had sharp ears and eyes, and he noticed something was wrong after walking a few steps.
There was a grove of trees on the left side of the Liang family's yard, and below it was a slope with only a narrow strip of soil, where green onions were usually planted. At this moment, a few green onions were trampled into the soil, and a person was lying on the wall, peeking into the house.
The author has something to say:
Xu Shengjie: Let me see who dares to peek at my wife? !
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