Chapter 121 Engagement Banquet
"Miss Qiao, I may not be the best man in the world, but I'm still a good choice. If you..."
Lu Zhao paused slightly, "If you are willing to choose me, I will definitely give you a stable and prosperous life."
Lu Zhao and Qiao Mianmian bowed to each other, having said everything he needed to say, and he didn't press Qiao Mianmian for an immediate answer.
Qiao Mianmian watched Lu Zhao's retreating figure. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair. She turned around with a smile and said to the door, "Come out, everyone. He's gone. Why are you still eavesdropping?"
There was no movement behind the door.
Qiao Mianmian simply pushed open the door and saw her second brother and father sitting on the ground. She teased, "Dad, it's one thing for my second brother to do this, but why were you eavesdropping?"
"It was your mother who sent me!" Qiao Mancang immediately declined.
Qiao Jiaxing patted his trouser leg. "Fifth Sister, please stop criticizing us. Lord Lu is quite sincere. What do you think?"
Everyone else looked at Qiao Mianmian, holding their breath, waiting for an answer.
“Since he’s so sincere in proposing, let’s give him face.” Qiao Mianmian smiled and looked at her father. “Go tell my mother that I’ve accepted the marriage proposal from the Lu family, and you can start making preparations.” She was already thinking that the child she and Lu Zhao had would definitely be very beautiful.
Qiao Mancang was stunned for a moment, then ran over excitedly, "Have you thought it through?"
"I've made up my mind. Lord Lu is indeed my best choice right now. And I like his face; he's really handsome," Qiao Mianmian said. "Father, are you happy that another daughter is getting married?"
Qiao Mancang said he was happy, but felt a little empty inside. "You silly girl, how could you tell I was happy?"
"I know, if you're reluctant to let me go, I'm willing to stay with you for a few more years," Qiao Mianmian said.
"Then let's not do it. If you don't get married, your mother won't sleep every day." Qiao Mancang went to Lin Shi with a smile and told her that her daughter had agreed.
Mrs. Lin wasn't surprised. "I knew this would be the result. Your daughter is just like you; she only cares about looks!"
"Hehe, this is pretty good too," Qiao Mancang said.
Qiao Mianmian nodded in agreement, and Hu Qianqian, the eldest sister-in-law, went to the Lu family to report back.
Grandma Lu was eager to have her great-grandson, and she wanted to see Lu Zhao get married before she would return to Bianjing. Therefore, the engagement date was very close, chosen as the first day of the fifth month, and the wedding was on the twenty-sixth day of the fifth month.
Qiao Mianmian had no objection to this. Since she had already agreed, there was not much difference between getting married sooner or later.
The night before the engagement, Madam Lin went to her daughter's room and said, "I've come to discuss some things with you."
The crescent moon outside the wooden window was only a tiny bit, but fortunately it was a beautiful day, and the occasional breeze that blew in was quite refreshing.
Holding her daughter's hand, Mrs. Lin was at a loss for words.
“You are the most beloved youngest daughter in the family. In the blink of an eye, you have grown up and are about to get married.” Madam Lin tidied her daughter’s sideburns. “The family business, the food shop, owes a lot to you. I originally thought that you would marry into a family similar to ours, so that you could continue to run the food shop. But the Lu family is too big. Even if we wanted to, the Lu family would not agree.”
“Mother, Lu Zhao said that after his marriage, Old Madam Lu will set off back to Bianjing. How we live our lives is up to us.” Qiao Mianmian changed her address and stopped calling him Lord Lu.
"But……"
“I know what you’re thinking. I’ve already spoken to Lu Zhao about it.”
Qiao Mianmian interrupted her mother. She had already thought about the future of the food shop. To be honest, she wasn't that hardworking to be a chef at the food shop for her entire life. All her previous efforts were for the sake of having more relaxed days later.
But Qiao Mianmian couldn't bring herself to give up completely; lying around doing nothing every day would be too unbearable.
Qiao Mianmian looked at the wrinkles on her mother's hands and knew how hard her mother had worked over the years. "You left all the money you had for the food shop as my dowry. I know your intentions. You were thinking that I was going to marry into the Lu family and needed a larger dowry."
“Over the past two years, my second brother and his family have been learning cooking from me, and they’ve learned pretty much everything. Even without me, the restaurant would only sell a few less of our signature dishes, but it would still be able to keep going. In the future, I will have my own family, and I will definitely have to devote my time to managing it, but I also want to have my own things to do.”
Mrs. Lin looked at her daughter, waiting for her to continue.
“What I’m thinking is that I’ll come to the food stall every other day from now on and get paid the same as before. You have to have something to do in life, and Lu Zhao is never home. It’s no fun being at home by myself, so I might as well come to the food stall.”
Qiao Mianmian comes every other day, which helps keep the family business going and gives her a day off.
In fact, Qiao Mianmian had also considered using her dowry and betrothal gifts to buy another property as an investment in her family's restaurant business.
But Zheng Sanhua reminded her that while she and her siblings currently have a good relationship and don't haggle over money, as the restaurant grows and they age, the intertwined interests could negatively impact their relationship.
Lu Zhao had secretly told Qiao Mianmian that Lu Zhao's mother's dowry, plus the family property given by the old lady Lu, was enough for the young couple to live a life of luxury for several lifetimes.
Since she's not short of money, Qiao Mianmian doesn't need to get involved in the family business anymore. She'll do her part, and as for how big the restaurant will become in the future, that depends on the abilities of the other family members.
"But what about when you get pregnant and have children?" Lin asked.
“We’ll talk about that later,” Qiao Mianmian said. “At least for the next few months, I can keep going. If I quit, it will have a bigger impact on the food shop. Mother, you’re good to me, my brothers are good to me, and Grandmother even secretly gave me some money, telling me not to tell you. I don’t care about the money. I’m living a good life now, and I want you all to have a better life too.”
Within a family, there are those who are smarter and those who are more diligent. Everyone is working hard for a better life. If you are petty and calculating, you are not family.
Lin's eyes filled with tears, "My dear Mianmian, you've really grown up."
"Mother, I've grown up a long time ago." Qiao Mianmian leaned against her mother's chest.
“Then you can’t just leave your money sitting there; you have to make money work for you, you know?” Lin said.
"I know, I've thought it all out. I'll use some of the money to buy land and become a big landowner. I'll buy a couple of shops, rent them out, and just wait to collect the rent."
Qiao Mianmian said, "And our family's food shop, you should still buy the shop after you've saved up the money, so that the business can last. Once you have your own shop, you can leave the work to your brothers and rest more, don't work so hard anymore."
"How could I possibly let go? Your mother has been destined to toil her whole life." Lin couldn't stop; she felt anxious even if she let her play for just one more day.
The mother and daughter chatted for a while, and Qiao Mianmian asked her mother to stay and sleep with her, so Lin had no choice but to stay as well.
The next morning, the Lu family came to propose marriage. Lu Zhao changed into new clothes and stood out in the crowd.
Qiao Mianmian spotted Lu Zhao immediately. Since she couldn't go out today, she could only look out through the crack in the window.
Lin Xiahe came over and pulled her sister away, "Stop looking, it's not like it's the first time you've seen Lord Lu. Oh, you should start calling him brother-in-law from now on. If you keep looking, people will notice."
"So what if they found out? I'm looking at my own man, not someone else." Qiao Mianmian didn't seem to care and remained standing behind the window.
"You're shameless! You're not even married yet, and you're already saying things like that." Lin Xiahe sighed helplessly. "I'm lucky we're family; if other people heard this, what would they think?"
She thought to herself that her mother was indeed prescient; if she hadn't been asked to stay here and watch over her, her younger sister would definitely have run away.
At this moment, Lin Wangchun also arrived. She brought a plate of jujube cakes. "Grandmother was afraid you would be hungry, so she asked me to bring these to you. Mianmian, Fifth Sister's husband is really handsome. My Tao Jie can't take her eyes off him."
The little girl also liked looking at good-looking people and wasn't shy at all. She ran up to Lu Zhao and wanted to be held. But Lu Zhao didn't know how to hold a child, and after practicing for a while, he still couldn't manage it.
“That’s right. When I’m choosing a husband, the most important thing is that he’s handsome,” Qiao Mianmian said.
Lin Xiahe: "Yes, yes, your Lord Lu is the most handsome. I really didn't expect that you would marry Lord Lu."
Lin Wangchun said she had thought about it, "but I didn't dare to say it before, for fear that my mother would scold me."
The three sisters were talking inside the house, while the courtyard was bustling with activity.
Today is just the engagement ceremony; we haven't invited many guests, only family members have come.
Qiao Mianmian was confined to the house, which deprived her of much of her fun.
Meanwhile, Qingjiu was dragged by Zheng Sanhua to the backyard of the Lu family across the street.
"Sanhua, what are you doing?" Qingjiu rubbed her arm. "You're incredibly strong!"
"I do manual labor every day, of course I'm strong, just take that as a compliment." Zheng Sanhua dressed up specially today and even wore the hair accessory Qiao Mianmian gave her. "Look at me, is there anything different about me today?"
"Is there?" Qingjiu looked it up and down but couldn't see any difference.
Zheng Sanhua took a step forward. "Look carefully!"
"I looked closely and it's just the same, no change!" Qingjiu really couldn't see anything wrong. "Miss Sanhua, today is my master's big day, the banquet is about to begin, can you please tell me what you need to say?"
He had been looking forward to the banquet for days, but if he went, all the good food would be gone.
"You blockhead! Mianmian is right. When I'm with you, I can't expect you to be quick-witted!"
Zheng Sanhua pointed to her lips, "I wore lipstick and rouge today, can't you tell?"
Qingjiu leaned closer and noticed that Zheng Sanhua's lips were very red. "So that's the difference."
Is it pretty?
"Hmm, you look good whether you wear makeup or not." Qingjiu said naturally, expressing his opinion. He had always thought Zheng Sanhua was pretty, and not only Zheng Sanhua, but everyone in the alley was good-looking.
But Qingjiu's words made Zheng Sanhua misunderstand, and the usually carefree girl instantly became embarrassed. "Oh, why are you being so direct? You're so annoying. Okay, okay, I know I'm pretty. So, do you like me?"
Qingjiu: "What do you like?"
"Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?" Zheng Sanhua's eyes widened instantly. "Didn't you say before that you wouldn't get married before your master did? Now that Lord Lu is engaged, shouldn't you consider your relationship with me?"
She had been waiting for this day, and when it finally arrived, she hurriedly pulled Qingjiu aside to ask her questions.
"What do you mean, 'you and me'?" Qingjiu had forgotten about this, but he only realized now that Zheng Sanhua had somehow gotten close to his arm, and the unique fragrance of a young woman lingered in his nose, making his heart suddenly race.
“It’s just you and me, are you trying to renege on your promise?” Zheng Sanhua had just finished speaking when she heard her father calling her from the yard. She quickly covered her mouth and ran out. “Dad, I’m here. There are too many people from the Qiao family. I came to borrow a toilet.”
Zheng Ming looked towards the backyard, "Did you just...?"
"No, no, I already said I just came to borrow a toilet. Why don't you trust your own daughter? Is the feast about to begin?" Zheng Sanhua pulled her father into the Qiao family home. Smelling the aroma of the food, she couldn't help but drool.
Seeing so many people around, Zheng Ming didn't say anything more, thinking he would talk to his daughter about the green wine later.
The Qiao family has set up six tables for the banquet today. Qiao Jiaxing is the head chef, and Qiao Jiawang is the assistant chef. Now that the banquet has begun, Qiao Jiasheng and his cousins each hold a wine glass and approach Lu Zhao. They are not going to let Lu Zhao off easily today.
Without the green wine to keep him from drinking, Lu Zhao couldn't keep up. He couldn't be cunning and refuse to drink, so he drank cup after cup. It was only when Madam Lin came over and let the boys sit down to eat that Lu Zhao escaped a disaster.
In the other room, Qiao Mianmian looked at the dishes on the table, took a bite of braised pork ribs, and praised, "Second brother's cooking skills are quite good, he's almost ready to graduate."
Cao Yuan ate with Qiao Mianmian, saying, "Your second brother is still not as good as you. He's a long way from that."
She ate a few bites, then went to check on the two children on the bed. Her sister-in-law was bored, so she brought all the children in the house over to play, and they were all asleep from exhaustion.
The engagement banquet passed quickly, and Lu Zhao was carried back by Qing Jiu in the end. Fortunately, Lu Zhao lived across the hall, so Qing Jiu didn't have to exert much effort.
After seeing off the guests, Qiao Mianmian stood in the courtyard, panting heavily. "Mom, I used to find it really interesting to eat at other people's banquets, but when it's my turn, it's not so interesting anymore."
"You'll only get tired on your wedding day." Madam Lin rubbed her shoulders. She had been working hard for several days for the engagement banquet, and now her back ached. "I hope you can live across the street, but I also want you to live in the new house. It's such a dilemma."
My daughter lives across the hall, so she can know everything that happens there. But the house across the hall can't compare to the new house. If we have a spacious new house, what's the point of buying it?
Qiao Mianmian asked her mother to sit down and helped massage her shoulders. "The Lu family's new residence is just a few steps from our alley, it won't even take fifteen minutes to get there. You can have your brothers bring some food, it won't get cold."
Qiao Mianmian and Lu Zhao have agreed that she wants to live in a new house. The big house is so comfortable, and there's a garden where she can grow some fruits and vegetables, and raise some fish and shrimp in the pond for her own consumption.
"It's true what they say, daughters are beyond their mothers' control once they grow up. Oh well, I can't keep them here." Madam Lin laughed heartily.
The mother and daughter sat in the yard chatting and laughing until Cao Yuan came over to remind everyone else to wash up. Only then did they get up and go to the kitchen to get hot water to wash their faces.
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