After Xia Rong also started working at the garment factory, the siblings had company at work. Xia Rong sometimes needed to travel for work, but so far he hadn't been on long trips; most of his trips were within the province. Perhaps because it was almost Chinese New Year, he'd only be away for two or three days at most. One day, when Zhou Xiaohui and the siblings were leaving get off work together, Xia Liang noticed Zhou Xiaohui hesitated, so he made an excuse to leave first. Zhou Xiaohui, admiring her friend's quick wit, turned to Xia Rong and said, "Brother Xia, my parents would like to invite you over for a casual meal. When are you free?" Xia Rong, feeling the surprise had come too quickly, quickly nodded and agreed, "Anytime is fine. As long as my future in-laws want to see me, I'm available." Zhou Xiaohui blushed and lightly punched Xia Rong, saying, "Who are your in-laws?" Xia Rong laughed heartily. The two joked and laughed as they headed towards Zhou Xiaohui's house. After dropping Zhou Xiaohui off, Xia Rong hurried back to discuss with his sister what to bring when visiting his future girlfriend's home for the first time. He didn't even consider that his sister, an unmarried young woman, wouldn't know these things, but in his heart, his sister was all-powerful.
When he got home, Xia's mother put the dishes on the table as soon as she saw him return. Xia Liang smiled and asked, "What did Xiaohui tell you?" Xia Rong blushed and said, "Her parents want to meet me." Xia's mother looked puzzled and asked, "Liang, is it your colleague Zhou Xiaohui? Why do her parents want to meet your brother?" Xia Liang coughed twice, and Xia Rong, who was standing nearby, realized that he hadn't told his mother about this yet. He said shyly to his mother, "Mom, Xiaohui is my girlfriend now, and her parents want to meet me." Xia's mother was so excited that tears streamed down her face. The siblings quickly stepped forward to comfort her, "Mom, it's a good thing that my brother has a girlfriend. Why are you crying?" Xia's mother wiped away her tears and said, "Kids around your brother's age in the village are all running around. If..." "If I hadn't dragged him down, he wouldn't be only now finding a girlfriend," Xia Rong quickly said. "Mom, this has nothing to do with you. I never intended to date before. And if I hadn't met Xiaohui in the city, I would have ended up like everyone else in the village, just finding someone and drifting through life aimlessly." After comforting their mother, the siblings began discussing what to prepare for their first meeting with Xiaohui's parents. Xia's mother said, "We should bring some snacks, and it would be best to bring some fabric." Xia Liang suggested, "Xiaohui's family is simple, just her parents, brother, and sister-in-law. We can bring some cigarettes, alcohol, and tea for her father and brother, and some fabric for her mother and sister-in-law." After discussing it, Xia Rong went out to find cigarette and alcohol coupons; they wouldn't have to worry about fabric at home.
Xia's mother led Xia Liang to the work area and brought out the clothes that the women had ordered earlier. Xia Liang gave her a thumbs up and said, "Mom, you're amazing! These clothes are so beautiful! If they like them, we'll definitely get more orders in the future." Xia's mother couldn't help but smile at her daughter's praise. Xia Liang made an appointment with the women who had ordered the dresses from her to pick them up. After get off work, she rushed home to get her bag, packed the dresses, and headed straight to the county square. When she arrived, the women were also there. They found a secluded spot, checked the clothes, and found them to be perfect and very attractive. They readily paid and also ordered a few shirts. All of them had jobs, and their parents and siblings were also workers, so they didn't have to pay for their own living expenses. They were financially comfortable enough to have a few clothes made. After paying the deposit and agreeing on the styles, they all went home satisfied.
When Xia Liang got home, she gave all the money she had received to her mother. Her mother was astonished; it was the first time she had ever seen so much money. Back in the village, the family's money was always managed by Xia's grandmother, and they rarely saw more than two yuan a year. Her husband would go out to work and earn some money, which he would use to buy medicine. Seeing her daughter hand her the money, her mother hesitated to accept it. Seeing her mother's reluctance, Xia Liang said, "Mom, just take it. This is the final payment for the dresses you made and the deposit for a few shirts after the New Year." Seeing that she had earned money, Xia's mother felt happy and at ease.
Xia Rong arrived at his appointment with his future in-laws. After get off work, the three of them went straight home, picked up gifts, and Xia Rong rode his bicycle with Zhou Xiaohui to her house. When they arrived, everyone in the Zhou family was already there. Zhou's father said with a smile, "Comrade Xia, is it you? Please sit down." Xia Rong greeted everyone and said, "Uncle and Aunt, these are some gifts I prepared for you." Zhou's father was pleased and his smile widened, "Why are you being so polite? You came all this way and brought gifts." After a few more pleasantries, they finally sat down to eat. Zhou's mother asked, "Comrade Xia, where are you from?" Xia Rong put down his chopsticks and replied, "Aunt, I'm from Dahe Village in Hehua Town. I work in a garment factory now." Zhou's mother already knew that Xia Rong worked in a garment factory. Her daughter had told her on Xia Rong's first day there, and it was a lucrative job in the transportation department. That's why her expression wasn't so unpleasant today. It wasn't that she was materialistic; she just couldn't bear to see her daughter go to the countryside to farm.
After dinner, Zhou Xiaohui and her sister-in-law were washing dishes in the kitchen, while Zhou's parents and eldest son, Xia Rong, sat drinking tea. Zhou's father asked, "What do your parents say about you and Xiaohui?" Xia Rong replied, "My mother likes Xiaohui very much and is very happy to know we're dating. My father doesn't know yet, he's still in the village. I'll tell him when I go back for the New Year. My parents aren't traditional, old-fashioned types. As long as we get along, they won't have any objections. After the New Year, I'll bring my father up here, and we can all have a meal together and get to know each other." Zhou's parents were satisfied and nodded. Nodding, Xia Rong said, "Then let's meet up sometime and have a meal." He stayed at the Zhou family's house until evening, then got up to leave. After he left, Zhou's father looked at Zhou's mother and said, "Well, are you satisfied now? I told you not to rush things; you'd know what kind of person he is after meeting him first." Zhou's mother smiled somewhat awkwardly, "I'm just doing this for my daughter's own good. What if he really wants to farm in the village? Are you willing to let your daughter do the work?" She then looked at the things Xia Rong had brought. He kept the cigarettes, alcohol, and tea to give away later to save money; he gave three feet of fabric to his daughter-in-law; and he kept the rest to make clothes for his daughter.
Xia Rong finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the house. He knew his mother-in-law had been dissatisfied with him before, but he could understand. If he had a daughter in the future, he wouldn't want her to suffer either. In a good mood, he rode his bike home. Thinking about how he could bring his father up after the New Year to discuss the wedding, he felt like he was floating on air with joy.
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