Seeing everyone's envious and surprised expressions, Zhou's mother felt pleased and even more satisfied with Zhou Rong. She cleared her throat and said, "Please sit down quickly, Xiaohui, pour some tea." Zhou Xiaohui said "Okay" and ran to the kitchen to get a kettle. Today was Zhou Xiaohui's engagement day, so hot water was always on hand. Zhou's mother smiled and greeted Xia Rong's family and friends, saying, "Sit down and have some water first, I'll arrange for the meal." Xia Rong saw that there wouldn't be enough room in the house with so many people, so he said, "Auntie, let's go to the state-run restaurant. You've already worked so hard today, don't trouble yourselves further." Actually, he was also worried that there wouldn't be enough room in the house, after all, there were twenty or thirty people, and three tables wouldn't be enough. Zhou's mother thought about how much money and how many tickets it would cost to go to a restaurant with so many people, but seeing her future son-in-law's determination, she nodded and said, "Then let's go." And so, the group headed to the state-run restaurant in a grand procession.
Zhou Xiaohui's family are all from the city, and most of them have jobs. Although they don't eat at state-run restaurants often, they have been before. Xia's parents, on the other hand, are genuine rural people. They arrived at the restaurant in a bit of a hurry. Xia Liang noticed this and stood between them, linking arms with each of them. Feeling their daughter's support, the couple relaxed. After entering, Xia Rong went to the window to order. She ordered braised pork, sweet and sour spare ribs, chicken soup, and several vegetarian dishes, three of each. After sitting down at three tables, the people started whispering again. "I didn't expect Xiaohui to find such a good young man. When I first heard he was from the countryside, I wondered how Yan Hong could bear to marry her daughter off to a rural area. But this young man is no worse than those from the city." Another aunt said, "He's better than most of them, and he's willing to spend money on his partner and treats him well. Some people may have money, but they're arrogant and think they're the boss just because they paid." The others nodded in agreement.
The dishes were served in no time, and everyone began to enjoy them. As expected of the master chef of the state-run restaurant, his skills were superb. Xia Liang served his parents braised pork. The reddish-brown pieces of meat trembled on the chopsticks, looking very appetizing. It was oily but not greasy. Xia's father felt that he had wasted the previous half of his life, wondering what he had been eating. After the guests and hosts had a good time, everyone went home. Xia Rong saw his father-in-law's family off and then went home alone, feeling very excited.
Gu Yanxiao, stationed in a military unit in Heilongjiang Province, was preparing to write a letter in his dormitory when his comrade called out, "Old Gu, there's a package for you, sent from your family. Take a look and see what it is; it's so big and heavy!" He placed a large package in front of Gu Yanxiao's bed, and several other comrades crowded around, saying, "Yes, yes, hurry up and open it to see what's inside!" With everyone cheering, Gu Yanxiao, not one to be stingy, opened the package. He saw an earthenware jar; remembering Xia Liang's mention of salted duck eggs, he guessed this was it. Without opening it, he placed it on the table beside him. There were also several glass jars containing what looked like fish... Before Gu Yanxiao could even reach for the package, one of his comrades snatched the edge of the oil paper wrapping. Instantly, the others swarmed around it. The comrade who grabbed the wrapping opened it and saw it contained the beef jerky they had been craving for so long. They immediately began devouring it, finishing off a whole packet in no time. Gu Yanxiao said speechlessly, "You bunch of bastards, do you even want to eat this again?" The others replied, "Since you're already reluctant to part with it, we'll try some for you first." Seeing his comrades' shamelessness, Gu Yanxiao didn't say anything, clearly used to it. He then opened the glass jar, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. The others immediately surrounded it again. This time, Gu Yanxiao was on guard. He locked his jar in the cabinet, twirling the key triumphantly between his fingers. The others exchanged glances; after all, they were from the same battalion and had lived in the same dormitory for so long, so they had a certain understanding. They swarmed forward, pinned Gu Yanxiao to the bed, grabbed the key, opened the cabinet, took out the dried fish Gu Yanxiao had locked away, opened the lid, and immediately grabbed pieces of fish and stuffed them into their mouths. They were instantly captivated by the delicious taste. After a brief murmur, they sent a representative out and handed Gu Yanxiao a stack of meat coupons, grain coupons, and large sums of money. Gu Yanxiao looked up... Looking at the wolf in front of them, they asked in confusion, "What are you doing?" The wolf—oh, I don't mean Comrade—said, "Well, your sister-in-law's cooking is really delicious, so we brothers were thinking of pooling some money to ask her to cook some for us and send it over." Gu Yanxiao said, "That won't do. My girlfriend has to work, and I can't bear to see her work so hard." Everyone's teeth ached, so they stepped forward and tried to persuade him with all their might, but Comrade Gu, with his heart of stone, remained unmoved. Several of them took turns touching him, and Gu Yanxiao, having played hard to get, said, "I have to ask her if she agrees first. If she doesn't have time, then there's nothing I can do." Everyone nodded, "That's a must."
That day, Xia Liang was still inspecting the workshop when she saw the director standing at the workshop door beckoning to her. After Xia Liang went out, the director said to her, "Comrade Xia, the provincial garment factory has sent an invitation letter, saying they want you to be a consultant for the provincial garment factory." Xia Liang was puzzled: "Me? Are you sure?" The director also thought it might be a mistake, after all, this young girl was not yet twenty years old. Her professional skills were indeed good, but to be a consultant in the provincial capital, she would probably need some time to hone her skills. After asking about the departure time, he went back to his office. When the Xia family had dinner that evening, Xia Liang told them about going to work in the provincial capital. She thought her family would be reluctant to let her go, but to her surprise, her father said, "Really? Can you really go to work in the provincial capital?" For a rural man like Xia Dahe, going to the county town was already something to be proud of, let alone the provincial capital, which was even more prestigious than the county town. Thinking of their daughter's ability, the couple were filled with joy and had no time to be sad or reluctant to let her go. Seeing that her parents and brother supported her, Xia Liang didn't say much and started packing her luggage. If she arrived there at the beginning of next month, it would be another week. Xia Liang thought she should write a letter to Gu Yanxiao, otherwise she wouldn't receive his next letter. So she went to the post office to mail the letter. When she came back, she went straight to the processing room, thinking that she could have some clothes made after she arrived. Here, everyone knew her background, so she couldn't be too conspicuous. In the provincial capital, she wouldn't have as many acquaintances, so she could have more clothes made to change into.
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