"Okay, let's decide tomorrow."
"Xiao Wu, you can go to your third maternal grandmother's house tomorrow. Ping An and the others are both free tomorrow too. Don't you miss them?"
"Mom, Ping An is a senior in high school now, how can he have time to spend with me? But I'll call my great-aunt in a bit, and we'll go to their house for dinner tomorrow night, and invite Chong Yu and the others to come too."
After seeing Liu Jingze off, the family went to rest. Zhang Shouyi took a shower early and leaned against the bed, watching his wife come out of the bathroom. Her face was flushed from the shower. She was almost forty years old, but she hadn't changed much. He knew he was already very young, but his wife had changed even less.
Zhang Hongmei sat in front of the dressing table, slowly drying her hair.
Zhang Shouyi got out of bed and took over. He was shirtless, looking at the two people in the mirror.
"Wife, you are so beautiful."
Zhang Hongmei just smiled and didn't answer him.
That's how it is. Before, my wife would definitely glare at me, but since this incident, she hasn't.
That night, Zhang Shouyi kept tormenting Zhang Hongmei, saying, "Wife, please don't treat me like this. I'm scared, I'm really scared."
In the end, they did not receive a response from Zhang Hongmei.
Looking at his sleeping wife, Zhang Shouyi was overwhelmed by a sense of defeat and really didn't know what to do.
On Saturday, the children spent their days with the elderly in the courtyard's basketball court, chatting with the neighbors and playing basketball with them.
"Mr. Gu, you are so blessed. These three children are wonderful. I wish they were my own."
Gu Chuanming was so smug; he didn't even know what humility was.
Xiao Wu and the others had a fight and were all sweating. Chengzi immediately went over to wipe their sweat.
"Great-Grandpa, would you like to see another one?"
"Great, our Xiao Wu is amazing."
"Mr. Gu, how did you raise your children? I remember they were born in 1976, right? But this child..."
"Hehe, they just take after their parents. Both of them are tall, so of course their children won't be short."
More than a dozen retired elderly people chatted together, occasionally keeping an eye on the game on the field.
An elderly man, about the same age as Zhang Xingguo, who looked like a meticulous person, approached Zhang Xingguo and asked in a low voice, "Old Zhang, when are your Zhenye and the others coming back?"
"Next year? Why?"
"Zhenye and the other three are all eighteen years old, right? You've met my granddaughter before. Is there any possibility that we could become in-laws?"
Zhang Xingguo glanced at his old friend with surprise. His friend had been his political commissar for more than ten years. The two had worked together for the longest time, so they knew each other well and were familiar with each other's character.
"Yang Yongjian, you're dreaming."
"What's wrong with that? It's only natural for men to marry and women to marry when they're of age. My granddaughter is now a student at the Capital University. Although she didn't grow up around us, she's a bright child who got into university on her own back in our hometown."
Her father is a scoundrel, but my granddaughter is absolutely wonderful. Come, look at the photos now.
Yang Yongjian took out his wallet, and there really was a photo of his eldest granddaughter inside.
Zhang Xingguo glanced at her; the girl was pretty, though of course she couldn't compare to the children in his family.
“It’s pretty good, but I can’t make the decision. My daughter-in-law doesn’t agree, and no one else can make the decision.”
"It's alright. You can talk to your daughter-in-law and ask her to meet Lijun."
Old Zhang, I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but my son did something terrible. He didn't want his wife from the countryside and instead found a singer from the army.
This granddaughter was left behind by the first wife. I wanted to bring the child over, but she disagreed; she wanted to stay at home with her mother.
These are all upsetting things. I feel sorry for my granddaughter. Her mother passed away the year before last, but she still refused to study with me and stayed in her hometown. This year, she was admitted to university.
To be honest, I feel bad for this child, so I want to find her a good family to marry into. I know I'm marrying above my station, but even with your family's social standing, which family wouldn't be marrying above their station?
"Meet my granddaughter. If you like her, give her a chance. If you don't, then forget it; it just means the children aren't meant to be."
"Yang Yongjian, tell me, who have you taken a fancy to?"
“Zhenye. I’ve taken a liking to Zhenye. I’m not bragging, but my granddaughter is absolutely qualified to be the eldest daughter-in-law and sister-in-law.”
"I'll come to your house for dinner when the kids come back."
Zhang Xingguo wouldn't look at it himself, and he certainly wouldn't let Hongmei see it directly.
"Thank you, Lao Zhang."
"What are you saying? But I have a condition: don't tell the children, so they won't feel uncomfortable."
"Do I need a roughneck like you to tell me?"
After lunch, Zhang Xingguo thought about it and decided he should tell Old Gu, so he told him what Yang Yongjian had said that day.
"Alright, let's have someone investigate tomorrow. This is no small matter. Let's go take a look first, and if it's alright, we'll talk to Hongmei."
"Yes, I understand. Not just anyone can take on the role of the eldest daughter-in-law. We need to investigate this thoroughly."
Gu Chuanming called Chengzi over and told him to immediately arrange for someone to go to Yang Yongjian's hometown to investigate.
In the evening, the children all gathered together. Li Cuihua was very happy, and Chaoyang followed behind his grandmother like a little tail.
A week later, Chengzi handed the report to Gu Chuanming.
The two looked at the report and found that the child was indeed very sensible. At such a young age, she already knew how to take care of her mother, and she had a good reputation in the village.
The evaluations from elementary school, middle school, and high school were all exceptionally good. It could be said to be flawless.
Gu Chuanming frowned. "Xingguo, isn't this child too good?"
"Yes, that's right. Let's wait for Yang Yongjian's letter and go see for ourselves."
It's almost December, and the weather is getting colder. Zhang Hongmei didn't pick up the children on Friday night because the snow was too heavy, and she was worried about the dangers on the road. So she left a message for the three children, letting them stay on the mountain.
In the evening, it was just the four of them having dinner. Gu Chuanming sighed, "Without the children, I don't feel like eating."
Zhang Xingguo nodded in agreement; it felt like something was missing if the children didn't come back.
Zhang Shouyi now dares not make any big moves in front of Zhang Hongmei, and he is very careful in everything he does.
He wanted to talk to his wife about Wei Tongtong today, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it. He didn't know where to begin.
I'm afraid I might do something foolish and offend my wife again, which would be a responsibility I can't handle.
Zhang Hongmei refused Zhang Shouyi's offer and instead leaned against the headboard to read.
Zhang Shouyi watched his wife from the side, trying to mentally prepare himself for a long time, but ultimately realized that he simply didn't have the courage to speak.
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