"Hurry back. Oh, and here's two thousand yuan. Cuihua told me she got the money from you to buy the house. Grandma brought it with her this time."
"Big sister, you should use it for now. I don't need the money. You can have Brother Zhu pay me back later."
Er Ya and Zhu Zi both understood Zhang Hongmei's meaning, and Zhu Zi was very grateful. She was worried that he might have conflicts with his family over money in the future.
"Grandma, please keep this. I'll pay Hongmei back when I start working and earning money."
"That won't do."
"Big sister, do you need to be so polite with me? Besides, there's no need for me and Brother Zhu to be so distant."
"Alright, stop refusing, I should go back now."
Everyone helped Zhang Hongmei into the car and watched her leave.
"Alright, let's go back too. Let Lao Jin clean up here himself."
Finally, Cheng Guangxu, Zhu Zi, and Han Mei took a bus, while Wang Ying drove the elderly woman and Er Ya back first.
Fuzeyuan kept its gates closed from the inside, and it was unlikely to be opened unless the owner returned.
"Pillar, you've finally gotten what you wanted."
"Yes, that's right. Hanmei, shall we go take a look at the new house this afternoon?"
"Hmm, I have no objection." That was all she said.
Cheng Guangxu thought to himself, "Is he really so sparing with his words? Could it be that Zhu Zi is attracted to the girl's looks?"
Wang Ying drove for fifteen minutes to Er Ya's house.
"Grandma, what do you think of Han Mei?"
“How can this be? If this were a village life, it wouldn’t work. If she’s always silent, she won’t be able to fit in with everyone. But she’ll be following Hongmei from now on, so it’s hard to say what will happen.”
Don't worry, your uncle, aunt, and I have all discussed it and agreed that we won't get involved unless the person has character flaws.
"Hehe, Grandma is right after all."
"What's so brilliant about him? Your brother Zhu is already twenty-five. He's been in school all this time, and we've been worried but there's nothing we can do. Now that he's finally agreed to settle down, we're overjoyed."
Er Ya, is it really okay not to give this money to Hong Mei?
"Grandma, Hongmei did this for the sake of our family."
Our family hasn't separated yet, and I have many cousins. This two thousand yuan is probably all the money we have, right? It would be terrible if this caused discord within the family later.
"Yes. There's still a thousand yuan left that your parents lent me."
"Grandma, since that's the case, you shouldn't worry about it. There's Hongmei here, she won't cause us any trouble."
“I got it. I’ll take the money back and explain it to your second uncle. I’ll make it clear that Zhu Zi bought the house himself.”
"Yes, that way, there won't be any unpleasantness when we separate the family in the future."
Er Ya was quite happy. Her grandparents didn't object, and Brother Zhuzi had finally achieved his wish.
"Grandma, when are you planning to arrange the engagement for Brother Zhu and his wife?"
"I had someone choose an auspicious date before I came. They said May 20th would be good. There are three days left, that's the day we'll get engaged."
The wedding date is set for the 18th of the twelfth lunar month, when your brother Zhuzi goes home for winter vacation.
"Then let's start preparing tomorrow. Shall we get the engagement gifts ready for Han Mei?"
"Hmm, I wonder what's trending here? I'm wondering if giving 101 yuan would be appropriate? One in a hundred?"
"Take Han Mei to buy a couple more outfits, and that'll be about it for us."
"Sure, why not?"
Seeing that there was nothing more for her to do, Wang Ying said goodbye and went home, while Zeng Zhongkang was still at home.
The three of them didn't get home until lunch was ready. It turned out that Zhu Zi had taken Han Mei to the department store to buy clothes.
"Zhu Zi, why didn't you buy Han Mei a couple more things?"
"Grandma, that's all we mean. I don't usually wear these anyway." Han Mei rarely spoke so much.
"Good children. Really good children. Our family is poor, and we can't give you anything in the future. You'll have to rely on yourselves."
"It's okay, Grandma, I know."
The old lady grew even more fond of the quiet young girl. She wasn't the vain type; in the countryside, a wife should be down-to-earth and good at managing a household.
For lunch, they made vegetable pancakes with chives and eggs, and also cooked rice porridge. After the family finished eating, they walked to Zhu Zi's house.
It's really not far from Er Ya's place, only a 15-minute walk.
The house hasn't been renovated yet. But it looks like it belongs to a capable family; even the nooks and crannies are quite clean.
Zhu Zi followed Han Mei and said, "I was thinking of using my weekends to buy materials and repair the roof tiles, and I also want to paint the house myself."
"Okay, you go buy the tiles tomorrow, and the two of us can finish it tomorrow. As for painting the house, we won't be able to finish it in a day. I have to go back the day after tomorrow. Hongmei can't be left alone now, and you have to go to school too."
"Yes, I don't need you. I can manage on my own."
Zhu Zi's dad came over at this time and said, "Go buy it tomorrow. I'll tidy up the house before I leave."
"Dad, I can do it myself."
"What do you mean 'middle'? You still have to go to school. If you have time on Saturday and Sunday, spend more time with Han Mei."
Although Han Mei wasn't talkative, she was shrewd and felt more at ease after hearing her future father-in-law's words. However, thinking about her unfortunate fate, she decided that she would go up to the roof herself tomorrow.
"Er Ya!"
"Hey! Grandma. What's wrong?"
"Are you still in contact with the people at the post office?"
"We haven't been in touch much this year, what's wrong?"
"Your aunt and I just checked out the bed, and it's quite sturdy. I don't think we need to replace it. We're just thinking of taking the measurements and getting the luggage ready. Could you ask the post office to help us transport it over?"
"Okay, we can just pay for it and have it shipped over."
"There are too many, can anyone manage them?"
"Yes, you can!"
"That's fine too. We have about 100 or 200 jin of cotton stored at home. We can make a few sets of luggage and send them over."
As for other necessities, let the two of them take their time to buy them.
"Okay, I'll take care of it. If Han Mei doesn't have time, I'll go buy it."
Zhu Zi's dad looked at the furniture again; it was all usable. "Zhu Zi, Han Mei, are we buying new furniture or using the old ones?"
Zhu Zi looked at Han Mei, his expression indicating that he should listen to her.
"Uncle, the old ones are fine. I don't have any requirements."
"Okay, then I'll go buy some furniture and organize all the pieces."
The family toured all six rooms of the new house and decided to replace the tiles, rebuild the stove, and replace the pots and pans tomorrow. The cupboards looked a bit old, but the wood was still quite sturdy, so they decided to buy paint and repaint them.
Everything is arranged. Zhu Zi and Han Mei went to order the roof tiles, while Zhu Zi's father went to buy household items and paint.
Er Ya and Cheng Guangxu accompanied their grandmother and aunt back home.
They're all impatient people. By evening, everything was ready, and they could start work the next day.
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