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"Alright, have dinner at my house tonight and we'll discuss it together. We need Hongmei's consent."
"Okay, but we need her consent."
Liu Maocai and Wang Hongxi both felt their teeth ache from hearing Zhang Shouyi's words; even a son-in-law who married into the family wouldn't be like this.
Zhang Shouyi was secretly delighted. This was exactly the effect he wanted. He wanted all of Zhang Hongmei's relatives and friends to know that he was obedient to Zhang Hongmei and that he played the role of the submissive wife.
"Uncle, I'd like to burn paper money for my parents-in-law so they can meet their son-in-law. When should I go? And where can I buy the paper money?"
Wang Hongxi paused for a moment. "Give me a dollar, and I'll go find some paper money for you to burn. It's not much money, and I definitely wouldn't take it for anything else, but the person burning the paper money has to pay for it."
"Hehe, village chief, I know about this custom. One yuan is too little, isn't it?"
"There are quite a few, but we can't be too blatant about it, otherwise it would only be two yuan at most."
Zhang Shouyi took out two yuan and handed it to Wang Hongxi, and another problem was solved.
"You two should go burn paper money after dinner tonight. We used to do it during the day, but you know the situation better than we do, so we'll go at night to save trouble," Liu Maocai instructed Zhang Shouyi.
"I left the paper I bought at your doorstep; it's not good to bring it inside."
Zhang Shouyi thanked the two men and then went home. At the door, he ran into Hu Aifen, who was about to leave.
"Auntie, are you looking for Hongmei? She's home, I'll open the door right away."
Hu Aifen gave Zhang Shouyi a strange look. "Yes, I'm looking for Hongmei. Aren't you worried I'll go looking for her?"
"Auntie, there's really no need to worry about this. It's not that I'm arrogant, but rather that feelings are the most delicate thing."
"Auntie, please come in. I'll go call Hongmei out." Zhang Shouyi said before entering the house. Seeing Zhang Hongmei sleeping soundly, he didn't say anything more, but cautiously came out and lowered his voice, "Auntie, Hongmei is asleep. We've spent two days and two nights on the train; she's just too tired."
"Okay, let her sleep. I'll come back later." Hu Aifen lowered her voice, then turned and left.
Zhang Shouyi saw her off at the gate and only locked the door after she had walked away.
Trying not to make a sound, she took a hot bath, which was very relaxing. After washing her own clothes, Zhang Shouyi washed his own clothes as well.
After cleaning up the bathroom, I went back to my room.
They returned to Zhang Aiguo and his wife's room. Now that they were legally married, Zhang Shouyi was no longer in a hurry. After all, Hongmei was still young, and he could wait.
He lay on his back on the kang (a heated brick bed), his head resting on his hands, his eyes gazing at the ceiling. He had already fulfilled one-third of his wish; the rest would be relatively easy.
It's not that I'm despicable, but I know that when facing a snail, I should take the initiative; otherwise, waiting might not even lead to success.
Zhang Hongmei wasn't stupid. If she ever realized what was happening, it would be the least of her worries. But he had never actually done anything to harm her; his only motivation was to be with her.
Imagining the girl's haughty demeanor, Zhang Shouyi smiled. He could coax her gently later.
One of them was sleeping, and the other was dreaming about the future, unaware of the heart-wrenching pain Liu Jingze was experiencing far away in Haishi.
Liu Aimin stormed out of his house, found Wang Hongxi, and rode his bicycle to the township.
The newly appointed township head has a good relationship with Liu Aimin; they've known each other for many years.
After explaining his purpose and receiving permission, Liu Aimin dialed the phone number his son had given him.
But it's really unfortunate. No one answers the phone. It's around 3 PM now; there shouldn't be no one answering. Even if my son isn't here, someone else should be. What's going on?
Liu Aimin was at a loss. He patiently waited another fifteen minutes and dialed again, but still no one answered.
Liu Aimin is extremely restless. He was already very anxious because of Hongmei's situation, and now he can't find his son.
"Old Liu, calm down. Jingze might have gone out. Just wait patiently for a while. It's just that it's after get off work and there's no transfer available, which is a bit of a hassle."
Nowadays, long-distance calls must be answered by an operator, so if you're off work, you really can't make long-distance calls.
Liu Aimin paced back and forth in the room. He didn't know how to tell his son about this now; he had to tell him, let him know.
I was so happy for my son when I found out he had found a girl he loved.
Only he knows his own son. He was originally a cold-hearted person, but suddenly he developed feelings for Hongmei. Watching his son fall deeper and deeper into her heart, he was genuinely happy. He had always thought he'd never had anyone who truly cared for him. He and his wife had even talked about it while lying in bed, both feeling incredibly fortunate and genuinely happy for their son.
But how did things suddenly turn out this way? Will his proud and arrogant son be able to accept it?
Another hour passed, but it felt like a year had gone by.
The call finally went through, although it wasn't my son who answered, but at least it connected.
"Hello, is Liu Jingze here?"
"Oh, you're looking for Xiao Liu? He went to the city, he should be back soon. Why don't you call again in half an hour?"
"Thank you so much. Please make sure to tell him that I am his father, and I will call back in half an hour."
My heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally at ease. Knowing where my son was, I felt relieved.
Only then did I sit down and stare at my watch, hoping that half an hour would pass quickly.
"Old Liu, did something happen at home? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"No, everything is fine at home. I'm just worried because no one answers the phone."
"Hehe, a mother always worries when her son travels a thousand miles. Now you can rest assured, right?"
"Okay, I'm relieved." Liu Aimin was absent-minded, thinking of many things to say to his son, but none of them felt right.
Deep down, Liu Aimin vaguely understood that it was too late to say anything now. But as parents, how could they not try to fight for their son? Hongmei was truly a good girl; there were many discerning people out there. He himself had thought about this issue when Hongmei went to university. At that time, he felt that his son was already very outstanding, with no problems in terms of appearance, ability, or family background.
But who would have thought that Zhang Shouyi, that monkey, would have such thoughts? To be fair, his son was superior to most people, but compared to Zhang Shouyi, he was still far inferior. He couldn't deny that.
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