Zhu Zi still couldn't persuade Han Mei to buy back the lime and cement.
I should be able to finish it tomorrow.
At dinner that evening, Cheng Guangxu volunteered, "I'll go help with the work tomorrow."
Zhu Zi's mother chimed in, "You four can do the work, and I'll assist you as a helper. Let's try to finish it all by tomorrow."
“Okay, all five of you go. Er Ya and I will stay home and cook.”
After the family had discussed it and reached an agreement, they went to rest.
Zhu Zi looked at Han Mei and asked, "Shall we go for a walk?"
"Um!"
Er Ya looked at the two of them and felt that her cousin had made great progress.
The next day, the family started working enthusiastically at six o'clock in the morning, and by nine o'clock, the roof tiles of all six houses had been inspected and replaced.
Take the large pot that was removed from the pot, put in lime blocks and water, and let it bubble and boil to make lime water.
Er Ya brought lunch by bicycle at noon. It was chive and egg pancakes again. There's a hand pump well in this yard; in this weather, it's fine to drink cold water.
By evening, all six rooms had been repainted, and Zhu Zi's father even rebuilt the stove.
Tomorrow will be the detailed carpentry work, so we won't need so many people. The old couple will do it themselves, and Zhu Zi will take Han Mei out for a day. After all, they are young, and they rarely have the chance to meet, so Zhu Zi naturally hopes to spend some time alone with his future wife.
Zhu Zi rode his bicycle and took Han Mei to Beihai Park. The two also went boating and paid a photographer to take more than ten photos.
The two didn't get home until 4 p.m.
"Grandma, tomorrow is the day of Brother Zhuzi's engagement to Han Mei. I can't go now. How about letting my aunt go instead?"
“Okay, I won’t go either. I’ll stay home with you and let your grandparents and uncles go.”
"Hehe, you should go too. You're practically an ancestor. Since you're here, it wouldn't be right for you not to go, would it?"
"Okay, then I'll go too. Your father-in-law should go as well, right?"
"Hmm, I'll ask him later. My father-in-law treats Han Mei like a junior."
"Okay, have your aunt call your uncle in a bit. The three of us will set off from here, and let the three of them go on their own."
“This is good, Grandma. Otherwise, I would have asked the car company to send a car to my uncle. Otherwise, it is too inconvenient for him to get around.”
"No need. He's not planning to go out to work now. After you give birth, they'll have to go back to Liujiatun."
"Grandma, you're so wonderful. It's great to have you here with me."
"I can't stay with you for much longer either; I have to go back by the end of the year at the latest."
"You can stay with me. Going back is just staying at home anyway. Let my uncle and his family of four go back."
"We'll talk about it later. How much of the money you gave Er Ya last time, will you give for Zhu Zi's engagement this time?"
"I'll give it to both. One hundred yuan to each person."
"Okay, that works too. I'll give according to the village custom. I'll give five yuan, and your uncles will each give five yuan."
"That's good, it saves people the trouble of repaying favors and gifts later."
Zhou Shixiong still came over to have dinner with us.
"Dad, are you going to Han Mei's place tomorrow?"
"Go, but you can't go."
“I know, could you please take two hundred yuan with me? One hundred to Zhu Zi and one hundred to Han Mei.”
"OK."
"Xingguo, Aifen and I will go tomorrow too."
"Okay. Let's go together tomorrow."
That evening, Zhang Shouyi massaged Zhang Hongmei's legs. "Wife, don't you feel wronged that we're not engaged?"
Zhang Hongmei paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Brother Zhang, did you get a shock today? I really don't have any demands for these things."
"But I feel sorry for you. We weren't engaged, and we didn't have a wedding ceremony. I feel bad for you."
"Then you should treat me even better from now on."
"That's what I should do. Honey, we still can't hold a celebration when our baby is born."
"I'd love to. I hate social engagements the most."
Zhang Shouyi moved closer to Zhang Hongmei and affectionately kissed her forehead. "How can my wife be so understanding? What should I do? I feel more and more sorry for you."
With each word Zhang Shouyi spoke, he would kiss her, his heart overflowing with love for her. It felt like it was about to burst forth.
Wang Ying and Zeng Zhongkang were also lying in bed. "Tomorrow is the day Zhu Zi and Han Mei are getting engaged. Are you going?"
"Yes, of course I'm going, honey. I'll be back at my unit in five days."
"Okay. You need to try your best to come back for a few days each month."
"Yes, I will."
Er Ya rejected Cheng Guangxu; she couldn't bring herself to be at home with outsiders present.
"Wife, how could you do this to me?"
"No, there are too many people at home. Cheng Guangxu, I have a lot to do tomorrow, let's go to sleep."
The next morning, Cheng Guangxu rode his bicycle with Zhu Zi's mother to buy meat and vegetables. Given the weather, they couldn't prepare in advance, but luckily there weren't many people, so they only needed two tables.
"Grandma, it's really not a big deal to have a table made at my house, you don't need to worry about it."
“I’m afraid Guangxu won’t agree.”
"How could that be? This place is practically our home."
"Well, that's all we can do. Just don't let our issues cause any arguments between you two."
"Grandma, don't worry. That kind of problem will definitely not happen. Chen Guangxu just likes our family."
"Then you should also be more mindful of your boundaries in the future."
"Okay. I understand."
As the mother and daughter talked, they scooped rice from the makeshift stove in the yard. This could be prepared in advance. Otherwise, they would have to stew meat and fish later, and they were worried about not having enough time.
Han Mei dressed in ordinary clothes and came to help. She was refused.
"Women, today is the day. You won't have to work on your wedding day, so you should just stay put. If you're really bored, I have books and newspapers in my study."
Er Ya persuaded Han Mei to leave. Instead, she asked Zhu Zi to help start the fire.
By 10 a.m., the meat was cooked. It was placed in a bowl, cut into strips, and ready to be steamed immediately.
Wang Xiaoshun drove, and Zhang Xingguo and the others arrived at 10:30.
Grandma Zhu breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the old lady arrive. It was the best thing that the old lady could come to attend Zhu's engagement; it was an honor for the people of Liujiatun.
Ten minutes later, Liu Changhe and his family of three arrived. Now almost all the guests had arrived.
Wang Ying and Zeng Zhongkang were the last to arrive. Wang Ying felt extremely embarrassed. She was supposed to come and help out these past few days, but for some reason, Zeng Zhongkang had been incredibly clingy, and the two of them had barely left the house.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com