Xie Minmin didn't care: "Since you're already in my hands, why should I be low-key? Your brother is so impressive, handsome and high-ranking. I'll go outside and show off a bit later. Don't cook dinner, I'll show you my skills and make you look at me in a new light."
Although he was old and looked like her uncle, she believed that if he could still have such fair skin after living in the border region for more than ten years, that was something else. She believed that Fanfan's cosmetics could help Zixi recover, after all, the children of the Zhu family had a good foundation and none of them were ugly.
Zhu Fanfan: ...Thank you. Because of that, she had to hurry up and finish cooking.
Zhu Zixi said, "I've already applied for family housing. We'll move there once we have a place."
Why move there?
Zhu Fanfan and Xie Minmin asked at the same time, then looked at each other before turning to Zhu Zixi.
Zhu Zixi explained, "I'm already married, how can I bring my family to Grandpa Jiu's house?"
When he was first transferred back, he could have stayed in the military dormitory. He was a civilian officer, so the accommodation rules weren't as strict. But his great-uncle said he lived alone, and Fanfan was often away on missions, so the house was quite spacious and empty, which is why he moved in.
Xie Minmin, being straightforward, said, "I only considered getting married because I could be with Fanfan. You changed your mind right after we got married. Zhu Zixi, do you want to get beaten up?"
She finally gets to take care of Fanfan from time to time, so why should she be deprived of her benefits? Although she wasn't in the military, she had been trained by Grandpa Zhu for a while, and she might not necessarily lose in a martial arts competition. Most importantly, she was certain that the men of the Zhu family would not lay a hand on their wives. For details, please refer to Grandpa Zhu.
Zhu Fanfan disagreed: "I think Grandpa just wants some excitement. Is it something Grandpa or I did that made you unhappy that you want to run away from home?"
She had a premonition that she would be going on a mission soon. She felt more at ease knowing that there were people at home. If Zixi moved away, her grandfather would feel unwell and wouldn't want to trouble others, so he would definitely bear it himself. However, if someone at home saw that he was unwell, they would carry him to the hospital.
Zhu Zixi found it amusing and poked Zhu Fanfan on the head: "What do you mean by running away from home? This place was originally assigned to Ninth Grandfather. I am not Ninth Grandfather's direct relative, so according to regulations, we cannot live together. However, our Zhu family has a clean family background, so as long as we submit an application, it will be fine. I am already married, so naturally I have to apply for a family apartment."
This compound is full of people of high rank and power. Not to mention relatives and aunts, even people who come to visit several times have to be investigated again and again. How could someone of his level live here and know so many high-ranking officials? He knew that Ninth Grandfather was paving the way for him, wanting him to gain a foothold as soon as possible and become Fanfan's support in the future, but he didn't need it. He was confident that he could have a place on his own and take good care of his only sister in the future.
His military service and rank had already met the requirements for assignment, so applying would not be difficult.
Xie Minmin objected: "No, I have to stay with Fanfan. You go live in the family dormitory, Fanfan and I will stay here."
Zhu Fanfan: ...Something feels off.
Zhu Zixi said, "We need to adjust to each other after we get married. I'm afraid you'll feel restricted if your parents are around."
He knew that his family members had good tempers and personalities, but even biological families have their disagreements. When he was stationed in the area, although most families seemed harmonious, there was still daily chaos and petty squabbles. He was already at an age and didn't want to hurt feelings over trivial matters. Moving out was the best option; distance made things better than proximity. This was the conclusion he reached after considering the situations of several families.
Xie Minmin was about to say something when Zhu Fanfan interrupted her: "Sister Minmin, aren't you going to hand out wedding candy outside? You go first, and we'll tell Grandpa when he gets back."
Zixi always listens to his grandfather. Xie Minmin understood what he meant and agreed. She took a big bag of White Rabbit candies and left. Zhu Zixi quickly chased after her; the bag of candies was still quite heavy.
Remembering Minmin's appalling cooking skills, Zhu Fanfan quickly went to the kitchen, tidied everything up, and hurriedly prepared a few main dishes, leaving some simple ones for Minmin to practice on. She didn't believe that someone who had almost blown up the kitchen a few years ago could still cook properly after not cooking for several years.
Grandpa and the Xie family came in the evening to complete the formalities. The two of them quietly submitted the application. Xie Minmin even used Xie Minglei's influence to get the marriage certificate directly. Not to mention Zhu Fanfan, even Xie Minglei was a little confused. Wasn't it just yesterday that neither of them liked the other? And today they're getting married?
Zhu Jiabao spoke first: "Let me state that I was completely unaware of this matter. If I had known, I would never have let the children do this. Our Zhu family is not ignorant of manners."
Grandma Xie smiled and said, "Why should we distinguish between you and me, or go through any procedures? As long as the child is happy, that's all that matters. My Minmin will definitely be a good daughter-in-law and a good sister-in-law. It's Minmin's good fortune to marry into your family."
Zhu Jiabao quickly said, "It's Zixi's good fortune to be able to marry Minmin. I thought he would be a bachelor for life. Minmin taking him in is a blessing for him."
Zhu Zixi, standing nearby: ...It's quite awkward, he doesn't know anyone except Grandpa Xie.
However, Zhu Zixi still said, "Minmin suffered because she married me. I will definitely make sure she lives a good life. We were too hasty in getting the marriage certificate. We will make up for the betrothal gifts, the 'three turns, one ring, seventy-two legs' (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument), and the television. I will prepare them as quickly as possible."
Xie Minglei interrupted, "What do you mean by dowry? This is a new society now, don't worry about these things. I'm just relieved that you're all doing well. The place you lived in before was quite tough, how much money could you have saved? We'll just go through the motions."
Zhu Jiabao immediately chimed in: "Minmin is such a good child, how could we possibly wrong her? She should have everything that others have. Isn't everyone's precious child at home?"
Xie Minglei also said, "Do we need to be so formal between our two families? We're relieved that the children are doing well."
Do you think they don't know what the situation is like in the border garrisons? The salaries are high, but the soldiers there basically give all the subsidies to the families of their fallen comrades. How much money can they save for themselves? The Xie family is interested in Zixi.
Zhu Jiabao agreed: "If the children are doing well, then we are doing well. But we still have to accept the bride price. We can't let others look down on Minmin. We need to shut them up. What happened back then was too unfair to Minmin. If it weren't for the policy, I would have wanted to have a big wedding! Let those gossipy women see how well our Minmin has married."
Just as the Xie family was feeling touched, a loud "bang" was heard from the kitchen, along with the sound of a pot lid flying off. The Xie family's hearts skipped a beat. Oh no, they had forgotten about Minmin, that kitchen killer.
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