Chapter 163
After all, he was a cadre who kept the place in order. The people who came to watch the fun were not as noisy as last time. They all looked at him curiously and whispered to each other.
Qiu Zeming went upstairs with his things and saw the person in the crowd at a glance. He was reluctant to take his eyes off him for a moment.
Fortunately, he was still rational. He hurriedly called Zhou Wanli and Yu Huifang "Uncle" and "Auntie" to greet them, and was busy introducing the elders on both sides to each other.
My uncle Ge Fengdang quickly put his things down, raised his hand in a military salute, and then shook hands with Zhou Wanli. His voice was as loud as a bell, and he smiled and said, "Hello, Comrade Zhou. I'm sorry to bother you today."
"Comrade Ge, you're too polite. It's not a bother." Zhou Wanli held out his hand, shook it, and said with a smile, "Thank you for making such a long journey for the younger generation's matter. Please come in."
Qiu Zeming's aunt Du Yunrong also smiled and shook Yu Huifang's hand, saying gently, "Comrade Huifang, when I see you, I know why Jiani was born so beautiful."
Yu Huifang was so flattered that she beamed with joy, and she praised him generously: "Comrade Du is also beautiful, just like the person in the painting." This was not a compliment. Du Yunrong was from the art troupe, so her figure and temperament were impeccable.
On the other side, Ge Fengdang strode forward, bowed slightly, and shook Jiang Xinfeng's hand as she came out to greet him. He smiled and said, "Auntie, I can't bear to ask you to come out to greet me."
Jiang Xinfeng's face was covered with wrinkles as she clapped Ge Fengdang's hand and said, "It's a family affair, so what can we do? It's been a tough journey, isn't it? Come inside and sit down and rest."
The two groups of people who were about to become relatives politely gave way to each other as they entered the house, and the people who had gathered at the door to watch the fun had not yet dispersed.
Yu Huifang grabbed a handful of candy and distributed it to everyone, then let the neighbors go with a festive smile on her face.
In the room, Jiaping and Jiaan sat obediently beside him, wiping the sweat from their faces with their little hands.
It's not that the two of them had never seen soldiers before. Their neighbor's brother was a soldier, and they had seen him when he came back to visit. But this was the first time a PLA comrade had come to their home, so they were curious and a little excited.
Someone poked them on the back. The two boys turned around and saw Brother Zeming taking out two tank models made of bullet shells from his bag. He smiled like a fox and said, "Call me brother-in-law."
The two boys didn't care about anything else and kept calling him brother-in-law, which was so sweet. Zhou Jiani couldn't help but roll her eyes, and Du Yunrong managed to hold back her twitching.
No wonder her sister said that her eldest nephew has become childish after dating a girl. He is really childish.
Yu Huifang and Jiang Xinfeng, on the other hand, couldn't help laughing.
Since both sides were willing to make friends, the talks naturally went smoothly.
The betrothal gift was the same as Zhou Jiani had mentioned before. After Uncle Zeming finished speaking, Yu Huifang smiled and said politely, "Aunt Zeming, Uncle Zeming, our family situation is all here. Old Zhou and I both work at the Second Textile Mill. Old Zhou has only one sister and no other brothers. Our family conditions aren't particularly good, but they're not too bad either. Jiani is our only daughter, and she's been cherished by our family since she was a child. When choosing a son-in-law, we first look at the person, then the family background. We don't consider family background to be of high status, but rather the family tradition. We want the parents to get along well, and for the children to not be wronged after marrying in. That's what's most important. As for the betrothal gift, the three turns and one ring, and so on, we don't ask for a penny. When they get married in the future, they will bring every penny home, and we, as parents, will do our best to provide for them..."
Yu Huifang spoke clearly, and Du Yunrong smiled softly, "Don't worry, mother-in-law. I can't guarantee anything about my sister, but when the new daughter-in-law comes home, she will love and protect her, and will never let Jiani suffer any grievances..."
Talking about 'entering the family' and 'grievances', Du Yunrong felt a little guilty, and then she mentioned that Qiu Zeming was going to leave for the army this year.
Now the engagement is settled, but they may not get married for the next three to five years. Even if they do get married, the couple will have to face the situation of living apart. They are worried that the girl's family will be unhappy and make trouble about this.
Unexpectedly, the Zhou family wasn't unhappy at all. Zhou Wanli said, "Jia Ni has just become a cadre and is fully committed to her work; Ze Ming wants to defend his country, which is also the right thing to do. The two children are both enterprising and are on the same page. As long as they don't worry, we as their parents won't worry either."
Du Yunrong felt relieved and was extremely satisfied with her nephew's marriage.
Although there wasn't much communication, it was clear from just these few sentences that the Zhou family had a good tradition and the family atmosphere was harmonious. This was not something that could be acted out on the spur of the moment.
Zhou's father and mother are straightforward and generous, neither of them is shy. The old lady in the family is also kind, and the twins are sensible and polite. Not to mention Jiani's excellence. She doesn't know how many times she has heard her sister praise her.
At his aunt's reminder, Qiu Zeming, with his ears slightly red, helped Zhou Jiani put on a new watch. Zhou Jiani also smiled, and both parents were happy to see this.
The two families became closer as they talked, and they went to a restaurant for lunch together.
When Zhou Wanli booked the banquet, he only paid a deposit. When he was about to pay the bill after the meal, he was told that Qiu Zeming had already paid the bill in advance. He immediately became anxious and said, "Zeming, how can I let you pay the bill?"
Qiu Zeming smiled and said, "Uncle, we are all family, it doesn't matter who gets married."
Yu Huifang also felt bad: "That won't do. Your aunt and uncle came all the way here, we should do our best to be good hosts..."
Du Yunrong smiled and pulled Yu Huifang: "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, but this time you have to let Ze Ming get married. This kid will be far away in the future, and there will be few opportunities for you to fulfill your filial piety. Let him show his filial piety in advance."
Yu Huifang was also very satisfied. The money was another matter. The other person's attitude made her feel comfortable.
After leaving the hotel, Qiu Zeming took his aunt and uncle to the guesthouse to rest, and the Zhou family also had to go back to prepare and pack up their things.
The two groups agreed to meet in the afternoon and separated at the intersection.
When I returned to the dormitory area and walked up the stairs, the neighbors surrounded me and asked me questions.
"That PLA couple are your son-in-law's aunt and uncle, right? Oh my, they're such high-ranking officials, they came to propose marriage in person, they really value us."
"That's right. He took the train from the capital. This shows his approval of Nini."
"You will enjoy the blessing of having a daughter from now on. When are you getting married?"
Yu Huifang didn't mention her son-in-law joining the army. Her daughter had warned her not to mention it before Qiu Zeming officially passed away, not even in front of his family. There was something fishy about it, so she smiled and said, "The two children are still young. There's no rush to get married." She added, "Zeming's aunt and uncle are good people, but the two children still have to live their own lives. Whether they live a good life or not is up to them. As for whether they enjoy happiness or not, as long as Old Zhou and I have our hands and feet and can move, we don't want to burden the children's lives. As long as they live a good life, that's enough."
Because they had other things to do, they chatted for a few minutes and then went into the house, but the discussion in the corridor was still lively.
"That watch Nini is wearing was bought by her husband. When she came up, I stood on tiptoe to take a look. It has foreign words printed on it, so it must be expensive."
“It’s not cheap, and it’s not easy to buy.”
"What can I say..."
Inside the house, Yu Huifang asked Zhou Jiani to change her clothes and said, "I'll wash them and hang them outside to dry. They'll be dry before I leave. You can wear this one tomorrow. This skirt looks nice."
Zhou Jiani had been planning to change her clothes and was thinking of secretly washing them in the washing machine. When she heard what her mother said, she quickly said, "Mom, I'll wash them myself. You guys take a break, I'll clean up." She then asked her grandmother to go and rest, "Grandma, you and Jiaping and Jiaan go take a nap. I'll call you when it's time."
Jiang Xinfeng fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan and took the twins to bed. It would be hard to rest after sitting on the train all night, so they decided to take a break first.
Originally, she hadn't planned to go. Zhou Jiani felt that her marriage would not be until a few years later, and getting engaged at this stage was a big deal, so she didn't want her grandmother to be absent.
Since I had bought a sleeper ticket, I persuaded my grandmother to go with me.
Jiang Xinfeng was actually tempted. Although she didn't have time to go around this time, she would still be able to tell others about her visit to the capital when she came back. After her granddaughter persuaded her, she nodded.
Yu Huifang couldn't rest. She rinsed the family's clothes and hung them up to dry. She then checked the suitcases again. After making sure she had packed everything she needed, she sat down and poured herself a cup of tea. She whispered to her daughter, "Zeming's aunt and uncle are both open-minded people. Look at his aunt, and then listen to what you say about Zeming's mother. You'll know the Du family's traditions are right. You will definitely not suffer any grievances when you marry into the family."
Now I am 100% satisfied with this marriage. The only thing I am worried about is that Qiu Zeming will go to the army. I am afraid that the young couple will be separated for a long time and their feelings will fade.
But my daughter seemed a little heartless. Thinking about the good times, she didn't say such a spoiling thing.
Before going out in the evening, Yu Huifang touched the washed clothes. Except for a pair of pants, most of them were dry. She folded them and put them into the suitcase. The whole family dressed neatly and went out in high spirits.
Qiu Zeming and his aunt and uncle were already waiting at the entrance of the dormitory area. When they saw them coming, they hurriedly stepped forward with a smile and supported Jiang Xinfeng.
In fact, the old lady is very agile, and people do this to show respect.
Qiu Zeming took the initiative to take charge of the gifts. Zhou Wanli loved his son-in-law, so of course he couldn't let him carry all of them. He carried a part of them, and Qiu Zeming's hands were also full.
The tram stop was not far from here, so the group took the tram to the station and boarded the train to the capital.
The Zhou family had a private room, and Qiu Zeming and his aunt and uncle shared a room.
Comrade Xiao Qiu was as diligent as a bee collecting honey. He fetched water, bought food, and played in the aisle with Jiaping and Jiaan, who were extremely excited about riding a train for the first time.
Yu Huifang, who was talking to Du Yunrong, felt sorry for her son-in-law, so she called the two boys back and slapped them on the buttocks before they behaved themselves.
It wasn’t Jiang Xinfeng’s first time riding a train, but it was his first time riding in a sleeper berth, and he had a happy face the whole time.
Zhou Jiani was worried that her grandmother was tired, so she asked her to lie down on the bed. Jiang Xinfeng asked about the time and said, "Don't worry, it's usually not time to go to bed."
Zhou Wanli and Ge Fengdang went out to smoke and chat.
It was almost nine o'clock in the evening when Qiu Zeming and the other three went back to rest, and Zhou Jia also lay down on the bed.
The sleeper berth was not bad. I didn’t sleep well in the first half of the night because of the noisy sounds, but I slept well in the second half of the night and didn’t feel very tired when I woke up in the morning.
After breakfast, the two families got together and talked for a while, then packed their luggage and got off the bus.
The Qiu family arranged a car to pick them up and originally wanted to take them directly to the compound, but Zhou Jiani had already mentioned to Qiu Zeming that they should be sent to the guesthouse first. They had to pack up and present themselves properly when they arrived.
They can't just treat others as real relatives because they are polite to them.
It was still the guesthouse where Zhou Jiani stayed when she came last time. Qiu Zeming was not asked to go with her. Firstly, the car was busy and secondly, he also had to go back to pack up.
Ge Fengdang and his wife and Qiu Zeming watched the Zhou family's car leave before getting into another car.
When they arrived at the guesthouse, Zhou Jiani took a shower with her grandmother and mother, and Zhou Wanli took the two little ones to take a shower.
After taking a shower and getting ready, the Qiu family was about to come to pick me up.
Two cars were arranged for this trip. When they arrived at the gate of the military district, Qiu Zeming could see a person standing at the gate from a distance through the car window, negotiating with the guard. His face turned slightly cold, and he ordered the driver, "Drive straight in."
Two cars entered the compound one after another. When Qiu Wen turned around, she saw Qiu Zeming's profile in the car and quickly called out, "Zeming, Zeming, stop the car. I'm your aunt—"
Seeing the car drive in without even stopping, she was so angry that she jumped up and down: "Is this kid deaf?" Then she turned around and grumbled to the guard, "This is outrageous! My nephew is engaged, why won't you let me go home?"
Then he ordered the guard in a domineering manner: "You, call my dad again, and I will talk to him personally."
The guard remained unmoved.
In the car, Yu Huifang was sitting on the left side. She heard Qiu Wen calling her, but her daughter had previously told her about some complicated situations in Qiu Zeming's family, so she didn't ask.
She didn't even have time to speak next. The car stopped and Yu Huifang became a little nervous, which was unusual for her. She straightened her skirt before getting off the car. She was also worried that her skirt would get wrinkled after sitting on the car all the way. She also looked at the twins, hoping that their little faces would not be wrinkled like little cats.
She looked at her mother-in-law again and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was still relatively calm.
Qiu Zeming had already gotten out of the car when he got down stiffly. He turned around and came to help Jiang Xinfeng: "Grandma, please go slowly."
Du Yunxin and Qiu Dongshu were already waiting downstairs. Seeing this, they strode over. Du Yunxin smiled brightly and said in a friendly tone, "Grandma, father-in-law and mother-in-law, we've been waiting for you to come."
As soon as Du Yunxin spoke in a cheerful and down-to-earth tone, Yu Huifang's heart completely dropped to her stomach.
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