◎1st update + 2nd update + 3rd update◎
Xu Shengjie was wearing a brand new white shirt and black trousers today, and he arrived at the door of the Liang family in high spirits.
Song Chunhua went to greet him with a smile. It is said that the more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more she likes him. Xu Shengjie looked decent, so she felt more at ease and just hoped that her daughter would find a good home.
"Auntie." Xu Shengjie delivered 188 yuan of betrothal gifts and a sewing machine to the Liang family two days ago. Today he came to pick up Liang Baozhen to go to the city to get the marriage certificate and hold a wedding banquet.
"Why are you still calling me auntie?"
"It's time to call me mom!"
The villagers were making a fuss, which made Song Chunhua laugh. She came to the rescue of her son-in-law, saying, "Wait a minute, after you've offered him tea and given him money to change his words, you can call him later."
"Sheng Jie, go into the house and get Baozhen." Liang Zhigao held a smoke gun in his hand, but did not light it. He just felt more at ease having his old friend accompany him for many years.
When Baoying got married, Song Jianguo was an educated youth sent to the countryside. They still lived at home after they got married, so there was not much sadness. This time Baozhen was different. She married far away, so they would not be able to see each other every day.
Song Chunhua and Liang Zhigao didn't move forward at this moment. They just watched as everyone carried Xu Shengjie into Baozhen's room, the noise was deafening.
The house was filled with noise and was very lively, but the smile on Song Chunhua's face gradually faded and her eyes became red. She did not react until her husband poked her arm with a cigarette stick.
"It's a good day today, why are you crying?" Liang Zhigao's voice was lower than usual. Seeing his wife's red eyes, he also blinked his eyes, "Don't make a joke."
"I know." Song Chunhua sniffed and smiled, "I'm just too happy. It's just that it won't be so easy to meet the lady in the future. I just hope she can live a better life."
"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Don't worry too much."
As the two were talking, the crowd in the room suddenly retreated and came out laughing to greet today's bride and groom.
Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen came out one after another. The room was crowded and noisy. As soon as they saw each other in the crowd, they were pushed out and went straight to the main room.
Liang Baozhen dressed up carefully today. She was wearing a red dress which made her look pretty. She was as beautiful as a painting when she stood there. The man next to her was well-dressed and stood tall as a pine tree. The two of them stood side by side and were indeed a perfect match.
Liang Baozhen caught a glimpse of the white shirt of the man next to her. She couldn't even see what he looked like today, but she could smell a faint scent of soapberry.
"Offer tea to your parents and change your words."
"dad."
"Mom."
After offering tea and changing one's words, the ceremony was considered complete.
The villagers ate the fruit candies distributed by the Liang family with sweet taste in their mouths. They looked at the newlyweds and praised them highly, praising the Liang family for finding a good son-in-law.
In order not to miss the auspicious time, Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen set out immediately to get the marriage certificate.
"Sheng Jie, I'm handing Baozhen over to you, you have to treat her well." Song Chunhua didn't have anything to say at this moment, and thousands of words were not as important as this sentence.
"Mom, don't worry."
Liang Zhigao patted his son-in-law on the shoulder, nodded at him, and signaled them to set off, "Don't waste time."
"Sister, remember to come back and see us."
"Baozhen, tell us if you have anything to say. If you don't have time to come back, let someone tell us." Liang Baoying helped her mother raise her younger sister. The two sisters have a deep relationship and they feel even more reluctant to part at this moment.
Liang Baozhen was almost unable to hold back her laughter because of the noise made by her family. She did not dare to say anything for fear of showing her weakness, so she just nodded.
She turned around and saw her second brother and Xu Shengjie talking about something. They stopped talking when they saw her looking at her.
Liang Baojun was the happiest person in the Liang family. He was happy for his sister. "I have already made an agreement with my brother-in-law. Don't worry, he won't dare to bully you."
Liang Baojun is actually one year younger than Xu Shengjie, but he calls him brother-in-law with particular enthusiasm at this moment.
Liang Zhigao finally lit up his cigarette at this moment, a puff of white smoke rose up, and he watched the figures of his daughter and son-in-law gradually go away.
The excitement died down and the surroundings suddenly became quiet. Liang Baozhen and Xu Shengjie, who were waiting for the bus, were speechless for a while. There was a subtle awkwardness in the air.
Liang Baozhen glanced to the side and saw the man's Adam's apple rolling, but he never spoke.
She lowered her head and looked at the mud, silently counting the footprints in it. Xu Shengjie lowered his eyes and saw Liang Baozhen's white neck. His hands were clenched into fists at the sides of his legs, and a light sweat seeped out of his palms.
"The car has arrived." Xu Shengjie reminded, finally breaking the silence.
"Oh." Liang Baozhen raised her head and looked into the distance. An old bus was approaching slowly, bumping on the uneven road.
When she retracted her gaze, her eyes passed by the man beside her and happened to meet his dark eyes.
Xu Shengjie looked different today than he did in previous times. He had obviously been put back in order. He was full of energy, handsome and tall. Liang Baozhen blushed a little after taking one look at him. She withdrew her gaze indifferently and continued to stare at the mud ground.
The mud looks safer, huh~
When the bus finally arrived, the two got on. It was still early, the sky had just brightened, and it was quiet all around. There were not many people on the bus, and there were quite a few empty seats.
Liang Baozhen chose a seat in the middle row by the window. As soon as she sat down, she was eager to open the window because there were many things in the car that were usually carried by passengers and the smell was quite strong.
Not long after, the seat next to him suddenly sank, and Xu Shengjie also sat down.
The seats in the bus were narrow, and Xu Shengjie was tall, so even if he tried to keep his arms folded, he could not avoid bumping into Liang Baozhen as the bus swayed.
Every time the bus reached a turn, Liang Baozhen's arm would rub against his shirt, causing it to burn.
After a bumpy ride, by the time they reached the city gate, the sky was already turning pale. The two got off the car in the west of the city and had to go to the street office in Yueya Hutong near the east of the city to register for their marriage and get a marriage certificate.
You can either take the bus, which takes more than 20 minutes, or...
"Old Xu, here!" Hong Saner was standing on the side of the road riding a Phoenix bicycle. When he saw Xu Shengjie, he shouted and waved to him.
He has a bicycle at home, which he treasures very much. He can only borrow it because of his relationship with Xu Shengjie.
The two have known each other since childhood. Even though Xu Shengjie went out to serve in the army for a few years, they kept in touch. After he returned from the army, they hung out together again. Today, Xu Shengjie is getting married. If he relies on his own two legs, he won't be tired, but he still has to consider the bride.
Borrowing a bicycle is the best option.
"Wait for me for a moment." Xu Shengjie glanced at Liang Baozhen and hurriedly crossed the street to look for Hong Saner.
Liang Baozhen stood by the road and watched the two men talk for a few words and then walk over together. Guessing that the man was Xu Shengjie's friend, she also took a few steps forward to greet him.
"This is my buddy, Hong Saner." Xu Shengjie introduced them, "This is my wife, Liang Baozhen."
The word "daughter-in-law" was pronounced a little heavier.
Liang Baozhen's ears were burned when she heard the word "my wife". She didn't even look at Xu Shengjie, but just smiled and greeted Hong Saner.
"Hello, sister-in-law!" Hong Saner was a very outgoing person, always speaking sweet words. However, when he saw Liang Baozhen, he was extremely surprised. He never expected that his brother would marry such a beautiful wife.
Giving Xu Shengjie an ambiguous look, Hong Saner licked his face and looked at Liang Baozhen, "Sister-in-law, do you have any sisters in your family? It's best if they are unmarried... Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing!"
Xu Shengjie grabbed Hong Saner's neck and strangled him. He ignored his struggle and rushed to Liang Baozhen to explain, "Ignore him. This guy is sick."
Liang Baozhen smiled at Hong Saner's funny look, not feeling offended at all, "My elder sister got married a long time ago, and my younger sister is only in elementary school."
Hong Saner felt a little regretful. Alas, his wish to become Xu Shengjie's brother-in-law was shattered. What a pity!
"Then you should go and get the certificate quickly. Don't miss the auspicious time. It's just in time for the street office to open now." Hong Saner patted his 28-bar cushion and showed off. "I washed it myself yesterday. It's clean and waxed. How is it? Are you satisfied?"
Xu Shengjie took a look at the clean and tidy bicycle and nodded, "Thank you."
"That's all. I'm leaving now, sister-in-law. Goodbye."
"goodbye."
Liang Baozhen watched Hong Saner jogging back to the other side. As soon as she looked away, she saw Xu Shengjie riding on the bike and looking at her, motioning for her to get on the back seat.
Today Liang Baozhen wore the red dress she made last time. The top was a red shirt with ruffles, and the bottom was originally a pair of red trousers, which were now taken apart and sewn into a red waisted maxi skirt. The hem of the skirt fluttered, dancing in a scarlet wave.
Xu Shengjie turned his head and took a closer look at his bride. The red dress made her skin look even whiter. She stood tall and graceful in the light. Her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, except for her red lips. Suddenly, he felt that he dared not look at her anymore, so he turned his eyes away stiffly, "Let's go get the certificate first."
He rolled his Adam's apple unconsciously, and the surprise in Xu Shengjie's eyes was suppressed. He turned around, leaving only the back of his head to others. At this time, only the sound of his heartbeat was shaking in his ears.
There was suddenly weight on the back seat of the bicycle. Xu Shengjie felt someone gently grabbing the two corners of the hem of his shirt. He exerted force on his feet and set off.
Crescent Moon Alley is located in the east of the city. The two were going to the street in charge of that area to register their marriage. Liang Baozhen carried a letter of certification that had been issued in advance by the brigade in her bag. Looking at the street scenes of the capital city that was left behind, she felt it was new and fresh.
"We will go get the marriage certificate first, and then go to the department store to buy clothes for you in the afternoon. Take a look at what you want to buy. I have the coupons and money with me." Thinking of what his grandmother said that day, he casually said, "It seems that girls in the city now like to wear blouses. You can take a look."
Liang Baozhen held onto Xu Shengjie's clothes. There was some distance between them, but the weather was hot and she could still feel the heat from the air. She listened and muttered, "Do you know what city girls wear?"
The bicycle bell suddenly rang. Xu Shengjie panicked and pressed the bell with his hand. The ringing sound woke him up and he immediately defended himself, "My grandma said so."
"oh."
“I don’t usually understand this.”
"oh."
Liang Baozhen blinked, a smile appeared in the corners of her eyes, she raised her head slightly, only to see the back of the man's dark head with a whorl on it, wondering if it was a sign of bad temper.
In order to ease the embarrassment, Xu Shengjie cleared his throat, kept pedaling his bike, and continued to talk about the arrangements for a while.
"By the way, the banquet will start at noon. I have asked my cousin to come and cook. He is a chef in a state-owned hotel and has great cooking skills. My grandmother and a few aunties in the courtyard are also helping."
"What time can we go back?"
"Around nine o'clock."
"OK."
"Where are the candies, melon seeds and peanuts for the neighbors? Have you bought them all?"
"I've bought it." Xu Shengjie asked, "Do you have any opinions? Is there anything I missed?"
Liang Baozhen shook her head, thinking that the arrangement was very good and thoughtful. When she realized that Xu Shengjie was riding a bicycle and couldn't see her, she quickly replied.
"That's fine. I have no objection."
The person on the back seat was light, and Xu Shengjie used to pedal very fast, it had become a habit, but today he deliberately slowed down a bit and rode much more steadily.
After riding for more than 40 minutes, he finally arrived at a familiar place. Xu Shengjie parked his bike on the side of the road, straddled the bike with his long legs, looked at Liang Baozhen and said, "We're here."
The Hualing District Sub-district Office is in charge of five main streets nearby, with eight alleys of different sizes, and Yueya Hutong is the largest one. The Sub-district Office is located two streets away from Yueya Hutong, and it takes about 20 minutes to walk there.
Liang Baozhen found everything new today. It was the time when workers went to work, and people in blue and gray work clothes were walking around frequently, so the two people, one in red and one in white, were particularly eye-catching.
"Wait for me for a moment." After parking the car, Xu Shengjie said something to Liang Baozhen and went to the steamed bun shop on the street.
After a while, he came back with six steamed buns.
"Eat to fill your stomach." Xu Shengjie took three and gave them to Liang Baozhen.
It took about seven or eight minutes to walk from the street corner to the street office. Xu Shengjie finished three steamed buns in two minutes. He turned around and saw Liang Baozhen eating one bun after another in small bites.
"This steamed bun smells so good." The steamed buns in the steamed bun shops in the city are much softer than those in the countryside. The flour is much finer, so the taste is naturally very different.
"There's a restaurant just outside our alley that tastes better. You can try it later."
"good."
When they arrived at the street office, Liang Baozhen had just finished eating three steamed buns. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief before going into the house with Xu Shengjie.
"Comrade, would you like to register for marriage?" The clerk guessed the purpose of their visit after seeing the two good-looking people.
"Yes, thank you." Xu Shengjie handed over the two people's household registration certificates and information, watched the clerk check and ask questions one by one, then turned around and wrote on a piece of paper.
Not long after, a marriage certificate in the form of an award was issued to the two.
'Xu Shengjie and Liang Baozhen applied for marriage. After review, it was found that they met the requirements of the Chinese Marriage Law. Registration is approved and this certificate is issued. '①
Looking at the thin piece of paper, Liang Baozhen felt emotional. The two names listed together on it meant that she would spend the rest of her life with this person.
Crescent Alley is on the right side of Qingshui Street. Just turn off a main road and walk in. There are many courtyard houses inside. In the early years, they were the residences of kings and princes. After years of ups and downs, they were finally confiscated. Now they are family courtyards allocated by the street office and rented to employees in state-owned factories.
This alley is neither big nor small in Beijing. Entering from the entrance of the alley, there are eight courtyard houses symmetrically distributed on both sides, most of which are two-story and three-story.
The Xu family lived in a two-story courtyard house in the middle of the alley. The courtyard had long been torn apart and was now crowded with eleven families.
Today is a working day. All the people with formal jobs in the compound have gone out, leaving only a few aunties to help with the Xu family's wedding banquet.
Liang Baozhen had seen this courtyard house in her dream and had some impression of the carvings on the outer walls and the patterns on the screen wall.
When you actually step into this place, you feel as if you are in another world.
The two walked in from the main entrance, and just as they reached the corridor, they caught a glimpse of a flash of cold light. Before Liang Baozhen could react, Xu Shengjie grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him. Then they heard the sound of silver falling to the ground.
A silvery carbon steel kitchen knife lay at the corner of the wall, just two steps in front of Liang Baozhen and Xu Shengjie.
"Oops! Stop it! You almost hit someone!"
"That's a kitchen knife. If you chop someone with it, they'll die!"
Several aunties in the yard were talking at once, surrounding a couple who were quarreling. The scene was in chaos. Auntie Zhang noticed that it was Xu Shengjie who brought people back, so she wiped her hands on her apron and went to greet them.
Liang Baozhen had just calmed down from the shock of a kitchen knife falling from the sky, and she felt her arm was a little hot. Xu Shengjie had just grabbed her arm to protect her own safety and had not let go yet.
Xu Shengjie has big palms, and his fingertips have become knotty from years of training. Now that they are pressed against his fair and tender skin, Liang Baozhen feels a little itchy and hot.
"Xiao Xu, is this your wife?" Aunt Zhang only knew that Xu Shengjie had found a country girl, but she didn't expect her to be so pretty, just as pretty as a city girl. "Oh, she's so pretty!"
Xu Shengjie was awakened by Aunt Zhang's shout and quickly withdrew his hand. Only his fingers still retained the residual warmth and soft touch.
He never knew that human skin could be so soft. It seemed as if he could break Liang Baozhen's arm with just the slightest effort, so he could only continue to reduce the force.
"Auntie Zhang, this is Liang Baozhen, my wife." Xu Shengjie introduced Liang Baozhen in a low voice, "This is Auntie Zhang from the west wing of the courtyard. She lives close to us and hangs out with us often."
"Hello, Aunt Zhang." Liang Baozhen greeted obediently.
She looked nice and polite, and Aunt Zhang immediately developed a good impression of this young daughter-in-law. Looking at the two of them standing together, it was really comfortable to watch, "Xiao Lu, Cai Li, stop arguing. Why are you making a fuss on such a happy day?"
There was a lot of noise in the second courtyard. Liang Baozhen couldn't help but be curious and looked over. Xu Shengjie looked at her and explained, "Brother Lu and Sister Cheng have a big quarrel every three days and a small quarrel every five days."
Everyone in the hospital is used to it, but it is indeed dangerous to see kitchen knives being thrown this time.
Xu Shengjie picked up the kitchen knife and called Liang Baozhen to go in together.
The two wedding tables were set up in the courtyard of the second entrance. Two round wooden tables had been set up. The Xu family did not have enough stools, so they borrowed some from the neighbors and gathered sixteen.
The stove was set up in the ventilated area of the yard. Uncle Xu Shengjie was frying food with a spatula, while a few aunts were trying to persuade him to stop.
Zhou Yun had just put a cold dish on the table when he turned around and saw the girl next to his grandson. The pretty girl said a few words to his grandson, then looked over here and called out, "Grandma."
"Ah!" Zhou Yun looked at Liang Baozhen's clear eyes and felt very satisfied. He thought his grandson had really good taste.
It is said that you can tell what kind of person he is by looking at his eyes. Zhou Yun has met so many people in his life that he feels that there is some truth to this.
"Xiaoya, Xiaowei, come quickly and meet your sister-in-law!"
Xu Shengya and Xu Shengwei were also not idle. They were helping with housework. When they heard their grandmother's words, they jumped out quickly, thinking that Liang Baozhen would fly away at any time.
"sister in law!"
Xu Shengwei looked at his sister-in-law and shouted very loudly. His voice was loud to begin with and it became even louder due to his excitement. Xu Shengya snuggled up to her brother, with only half of her body exposed, and timidly called out "sister-in-law".
She didn't know whether her sister-in-law would like her. If her sister-in-law disliked her because she was sick, she would stay away from her.
"It's Xiaowei and Xiaoya, right?" Liang Baozhen took out the candy she had prepared in her bag and gave one to each of the two children. Xu Shengjie's brother and sister were about the same age as Liang Baoling, and she felt close to them when she saw them.
Xu Shengya seemed timid, so she waved and called him over. "I have a younger sister at home, who is about your age. You two can get to know each other someday."
Xu Shengya nodded, and seeing that her beautiful sister-in-law didn't seem to dislike her, she pursed her lips quietly.
"Congratulations! Xiao Xu finally got married."
"You won't have to run the house by yourself in the future. There will be someone who can help."
"Your name is Baozhen, right? It's a nice name and looks good, it's really good."
The neighbors in the yard came one after another to congratulate the newlyweds, only the young couple in the corner who had just quarreled and thrown kitchen knives were still making a fuss.
"Lu Yuan, stop pretending! Did you look at her just now? You were even flirting with her in front of me. Do you have any shame?" The speaker was Cheng Caili, who lived in the back house. She was a salesperson in the supply and marketing cooperative. She had a good job, a good family background, and was pretty, so she didn't suffer any bullying.
Today she came to the Xu family to help with the banquet, but she saw her husband Lu Yuan flirting with the widow Chen in the courtyard, and they immediately confronted each other. After a while, the quarrel became serious, and she even picked up a kitchen knife...
"Cheng Caili, today is someone's wedding, why are you making such a fuss? If you have anything to say, can you go home and talk about it?" Lu Yuan had a wooden face, his face turning blue and red, and he grabbed his wife and wanted to go back to the house.
Cheng Caili looked at the newlyweds not far away, wiped her eyes and walked over, and said cheerfully, "Xiao Xu, Xiao Liang, right? Congratulations on your marriage. I'm sorry for saying a few words today. I'll go back to the house first and come back to drink your wedding wine later."
Liang Baozhen looked at the neighbor who threw the kitchen knife. She had short hair, delicate features, and clear eyes. Although they had quarreled fiercely just now, she spoke sincerely now. "Thank you, sister. I'll remember it later."
"Sheng Jie, let's go back to the house first. You go about your business." Lu Yuan said hello and went home with Cheng Caili.
One of the parties involved, Widow Chen, was cracking melon seeds on the side, glancing at them with a somewhat coquettish look.
We were busy until almost noon, and the two tables of food were finally ready.
There were eleven households with a total of more than thirty people in the courtyard. Because some of them were away for work and could not come back, there were still more than ten people left, and they all sat crowded around two round tables.
"Come on, come on, let us congratulate Xiao Xu on getting married!" The old bachelor Sun Zhiqiang raised his bowl and greeted everyone.
After taking a sip of wine, Wu Fengxia, who was sitting next to him, teased him, "Sun Zhiqiang, what's the matter? Do you want to get married too?"
"Go find Aunt Zhang and she'll introduce it to you."
Sun Zhiqiang was the only bachelor in the hospital. He was over 42 and still unmarried. Everyone kept teasing him, but he didn't let them off. He took another sip of wine and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. We have to take our time."
"Are you still slow? If you're any slower, your baby will have to call you grandpa!"
“Hahahahahahahaha.”
The meal was eaten with great enthusiasm. There had not been any happy events in the compound for a long time, so taking advantage of Xu Shengjie's wedding banquet, they were able to steal half a day of leisure.
After the meal, everyone helped to clean up the dishes. Xu Shengjie gave his cousin a red envelope, thanked him, then turned around and distributed wedding candies to everyone in the courtyard, and went home with full blessings.
After dinner, Liang Baozhen was taken back home by Zhou Yun.
"You are the bride today, so have a good rest." Zhou Yun was very affectionate to his grandson-in-law and asked her to go back to the house to rest. "We usually help each other, but today we are all returning our favor. Tomorrow, you can send some chicken cakes to the aunts who are helping, and recognize them."
Liang Baozhen nodded, knowing that her grandmother was doing her a favor by letting her show herself in front of the aunties and giving her a thank-you gift to make a good impression.
Before she got married, Song Chunhua patiently taught her for a long time that she had to get along well with her husband's family. However, the Xu family had a small population and didn't have many twists and turns, so she had to get along well with her neighbors. Those who were close to each other even if they were far away could help each other.
Seeing that her grandmother treated her so attentively, Liang Baozhen felt warm in her heart and felt closer to her. The Liang family's grandfather and grandmother passed away early. They did not survive the famine in the early years. They were in their fifties. Liang Baozhen was still young at that time, a girl of a few years old. Now thinking back, her impression of her grandfather is already very vague.
Zhou Yun grabbed his grandson's wife's hand and went into his eldest grandson's room.
The Xu family lived in the east wing of the large courtyard, which was 21 square meters in total and had three rooms separated from it.
Zhou Yun had one room, Xu Shengjie had another, and Xu Shengwei and Xu Shengya slept on bunk beds.
At this moment, Xu Shengjie's originally simple and plain room was filled with joy. A big "囍" character was pasted on the window, and the originally gray sheets and quilts were changed to red.
Beside the bed were two of Liang Baozhen's wedding boxes, which Liang Baojun had carried over a few days ago.
"I didn't feel it before, but now that Sheng Jie is married, I suddenly feel that the place is a little small." Zhou Yun looked at his own house and wondered what to do if he had a great-grandson in the future. It would definitely not be big enough to accommodate him.
Liang Baozhen's room in the countryside is as big as the two rooms here, not to mention that she has a yard. But she also knows that houses in the city are very expensive and naturally cannot compare to the spaciousness in the countryside.
"That's fine too. We can change it later if we have the chance."
In the past, she would have thought it was good to have a single room in the city, as many married couples didn't have one. But she had read a book that said everything would develop very fast in the future, and people would be able to own commercial housing that was beautifully decorated, and the rich could even live in a villa...
"When Sheng Jie comes back from his work, I'll take you out for a walk." Zhou Yun took his grandson's wife's hand and sat down. There were many people and things to do just now, but now he looked at Liang Baozhen carefully and felt that the child had beautiful eyes and eyebrows.
"Your parents won't blame me for not visiting your house last time, right?" Zhou Yun had been thinking about this matter. As the only elder in Xu Shengjie's family, she should have visited him, but her health did not allow it.
The bus to the countryside would shake her apart.
"No, my mother also told you not to make this trip, so as not to tire yourself out." Liang Baozhen looked at Xu Shengjie's grandmother, whose face was kind. When the old lady smiled, her eyes became slits, and Xu Shengya followed her.
"I brought some herbs with me. I'll boil them for you to drink. They grow in the mountains. It's inconvenient to see a doctor in the village, so the barefoot doctor likes to boil them."
"That's great. The mountains are great. They are all treasures." Zhou Yun held Liang Baozhen's hand and talked for a while. He was a little envious of the Liang family, which was so big and lively.
The Xu family has always had few people, but now things are good. With the arrival of a new daughter-in-law, everything is different.
"Milk."
Xu Shengwei came back from playing outside for a while. When he entered the house, he saw no one, but heard voices talking in his brother's room.
"Milk." Xu Shengwei rushed in with a flash, his little face emitting heat. When he saw that his sister-in-law was there, he immediately stood properly and said, "Sister-in-law."
"Come here quickly." Zhou Yun wiped his grandson's forehead and felt his hands were sweaty. "Wash your face, it's all sweaty."
Seeing his grandson obediently leave, Zhou Yunfu looked at his granddaughter-in-law and said, "Xiaowei and Xiaoya have a miserable life. Their parents passed away when they were just over one year old. It's a sin to see such young children like that. Baozhen, don't worry, these two children are grandma's grandchildren, and you won't raise them all."
Some people outside said that marrying Xu Shengjie was no different from being a stepmother. Once Zhou Yun left, she would still have to raise two children.
Zhou Yun was worried that Liang Baozhen would be affected by the rumors, so he expressed his stance in advance.
It’s important to say everything in advance so as not to leave any grudges in your heart as it will be difficult to resolve them later.
"Grandma, what are you talking about? We are a family from now on. We are a family, so we should not have different opinions."
The Xu family are all sincere people. Liang Baozhen thinks that she should just live a good life from now on.
"Great!" Zhou Yun was happy. Listening to the footsteps outside, he knew it was his eldest grandson coming back.
He hurriedly asked someone to come in, and then he stood up and went out, "Sheng Jie, help Baozhen to sort out her wedding dowry, and then go to the department store to buy some clothes. Today is a good day, buy anything you like."
Zhou Yun was well educated when she was young. She was a textile factory worker. She married a factory worker and had two sons and a daughter. The eldest daughter married to a man in the next city, so they rarely saw each other. The father of the second son, Xu Shengjie, was a very filial man, but he passed away early. The family of the third son had not been in contact with his mother for a long time.
The whole family was thinking about the money in the old lady's hands. The two old people had a good living condition in those days, even though they had experienced a famine. He thought that his mother still had some savings, but she only subsidized his second brother's family, so he wanted to take it away.
No one knows whether Zhou Yun has money or not.
Xu Shengjie distributed cigarettes and candies to the people in the yard, and was then pulled aside by a few men to talk for a while before he went into the house with an arm full of water.
His originally solemn and gloomy room was now very different, especially with a woman standing in the middle of the room, bending over to open a wooden box and selecting items carefully.
The long black braid fell to her waist, framing her porcelain-white face and seeming to be glowing.
"You..." Xu Shengjie suddenly felt awkward in his own room, as if he were an outsider. He didn't know what to do for a moment. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Liang Baozhen turned around and looked at him, pointing at the small items in her wedding dowry, "Please put these away."
Liang Baozhen's dowry and clothes were placed in two large wooden boxes. The rice cabinet had been placed in the living room. The dressing mirror and some small items were still lying inside. She was packing her clothes.
It was difficult for the villagers to collect cloth coupons. Liang Baozhen had neither too many nor too few clothes. Song Chunhua loved her so much that she would rather make fewer new clothes for herself and collect money for her daughter.
Two short-sleeved jackets, a long-sleeved double-breasted jacket, two pairs of trousers, a skirt, and winter clothes, a cotton jacket and a pair of cotton trousers.
Opening Xu Shengjie's yellow wooden wardrobe, there was plenty of space left inside. Most of his clothes were military uniforms, all in olive green, while the factory clothes were all in black and blue, all folded into tofu blocks and placed neatly.
Looking at the unusually neat clothes, Liang Baozhen turned around to look at Xu Shengjie, who was placing the things he brought. She unfolded her own clothes and folded them again, and only put them in after they looked very neat.
Xu Shengjie placed the dressing mirror in the middle of the table and put away the other things one by one. When he finished, he saw the clothes in the closet that were clearly separated and of different colors.
Next to her dark clothes there was a pile of brightly colored clothes with small floral patterns.
There was an indescribable feeling in my heart, and it seemed as if the whole room had become brighter.
"Let's go to the department store." He had to follow his grandmother's orders and buy clothes for the bride.
"good."
Crescent Hutong is quite far from the department store and one has to go through the city to get there. Xu Shengjie took Liang Baozhen on the bus, which cost three cents per person.
There were many people on the bus and there were no seats left. As soon as Liang Baozhen got on the bus, she was pushed inside by the crowd. In the past, she seldom went to the city when she was living in the countryside, and she relied on her own two feet to go everywhere. Now she was squeezed here and there and had no strength to resist at all.
"Move in a little further!"
"Don't block the door!"
The uncle and aunt behind them were full of energy, and urged everyone to go inside. With so many people pushing and shoving, they could hardly stand steadily, but they did not fall down. They were just squeezed from both sides and had difficulty breathing.
Suddenly, Liang Baozhen felt someone grabbing her right elbow, and she felt a warm touch.
She was shocked. Is there a pervert in this car?
Before she could react, she was pulled away from the crowd by a force and turned into another world. There were no crowded passengers around her, and she immediately felt a lot more comfortable.
Xu Shengjie pulled the person in front of him, to a seat by the window. His broad shoulders blocked the crowd behind him, and he held the railing handle above with one hand, "Stand here, loosen up."
Having said that, he glanced at Liang Baozhen's flushed face and reached out to open the window in front of him a little.
The bus was old, and the window rollers were a bit stuck. The lady sitting in front of the window tried to open it a little, but only managed to open it a little, and even cursed. Now the young man pushed it open easily, and I felt a cool breeze blowing in, and I could breathe more easily.
"Young man, you know who you are hurting." She had sharp eyes and could tell the relationship between the two at a glance, and she joked cheerfully.
Who would have known that just one sentence would make Liang Baozhen's face, which had just cooled down, even hotter, and even Xu Shengjie's ears turned a little red.
——
After getting off the bus, you still have to walk a few hundred meters to get to the department store.
"I have all the money with me, just buy whatever you like."
"Let's take a look." Liang Baozhen also had a mission. Song Chunhua specifically told her last night that life is mutual, and asked her to remember to buy something for Xu Shengjie as well.
It's normal to spend more money when you're newly married. Good things have to go well at the beginning so that things will go smoothly all the time.
"Xu..." Liang Baozhen was about to call him Comrade Xu, but she felt something was wrong, so she cleared her throat and changed her words, "Sheng Jie, what was going on with those two people arguing in the courtyard just now?"
She was curious. If she hadn't just arrived at the Xu family and wasn't familiar with Xu Shengjie, who had just got the marriage certificate, she would have asked a long time ago.
Xu Shengjie was almost unable to react when she called him so affectionately. Seeing that Liang Baozhen was quite calm, he also accepted it calmly, "Brother Lu and Sister Cheng, they said they got married the year before last. They often quarreled, and everyone in the courtyard was used to it."
Xu Shengjie recalled that he had seen this two or three times not long after he was discharged from the army. "Brother Lu was a third-level worker at the steel factory, and Sister Cheng was a salesperson at the supply and marketing cooperative. They both had good jobs, and they were considered to be the ones who had a good life in our hospital, but they loved to make trouble."
"Is that so?" Liang Baozhen nodded, but she didn't dare to ask more questions when she remembered what Cheng Caili had said to Lu Yuan earlier.
Seeing Liang Baozhen's rare interest, Xu Shengjie told her what he knew, "There are not many female comrades with formal jobs in the hospital. Sister Cheng is the best worker there and has a lot of confidence. She has never been used to Brother Lu. Last time Brother Lu came back drunk, she didn't open the door and left him outside to sleep all night."
"Sister Cheng is so amazing?"
"Of course not. The next day, all the ladies in the courtyard tried to persuade her, but she silenced the others. She's really amazing."
Liang Baozhen thought about the gay man sleeping at the door, then turned to look at Xu Shengjie, "You won't come back drunk in the future, will you?"
She had seen someone in the village get drunk and crazy, and even several strong men couldn't stop him.
Xu Shengjie stopped and looked at Liang Baozhen's smiling almond eyes. He also smiled, "No."
He is not addicted to alcohol, and he can drink well. "If I come back drunk, I will sleep by the door."
Liang Baozhen's smile widened, and she became more familiar with the man. "That's good. You are very self-aware."
...
At this time, there aren't many people in the department store.
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