239: Chapter 235: Meeting the Parents 239: Chapter 235: Meeting the Parents Liuyuan County, Wenchang Pavilion Community, near the entrance, inside a grocery store of about twenty or thirty square meters.
Chen Zhonghua and Jiang Meixian, each sitting on opposite sides of a small table within the shop.
A plate of stir-fried pork with green peppers, a plate of sautéed green beans, and a plate of pickles all laid out on the table, having been set there for quite some time.
However, the couple, Chen Zhonghua and Jiang Meixian, had not touched their chopsticks, merely sitting beside them.
“Meixian, are you sure Hai is coming back today?
You didn’t get the date wrong?”
Chen Zhonghua’s stomach was already growling with hunger.
These days, resources were scarce, and most people’s bellies lacked sustenance, leaving them easily famished.
His wife Jiang Meixian ran this little shop, while Chen Zhonghua, restless, would pull a cart around the county town, looking to earn some money.
He helped people move furniture or other bulky items, selling his labor.
Though it was tough work, by the end of the day, he would still manage to earn a few yuan!
Knowing that his son Chen Hai would return today, he had wrapped up his work early.
Doing physical labor as he did, he got hungry very quickly.
Dinner had already been prepared some time ago, but Chen Hai was yet to appear.
Chen Zhonghua, who had been seated for quite a while, was already feeling dizzy with hunger!
“Yep!
Hai called me, I remember clearly.”
“Don’t worry too much; let’s just wait a bit longer.
He should be back soon.”
“From the Capital City all the way to Liuyuan County is thousands of miles.
Hai must be exhausted when he gets back.
We can’t just offer him leftovers, right?”
Jiang Meixian gave her husband an eye roll and chuckled.
When a mother knows her son is coming home from a thousand miles away, her mood is excellent; she nearly had a flower blooming with her smile.
“Alright, since we’re sure Hai is coming back today, let’s wait a bit longer.”
Swallowing his saliva, feeling a bit frantic with hunger, Chen Zhonghua went off to the side and gulped down several ladles of cool boiled water to settle his growling stomach a bit.
“Meixian, how was business in the shop today?”
“Just average, I guess.
By my estimate, we should make about ten yuan by the end of the day.
The shop is ours, so whatever we make is pure profit.”
“That’s not bad.
I’ve been busy outside with the cart all day and earned about seven or eight yuan!”
“Seven or eight yuan is quite a bit.
If we keep up with this, we can make over five hundred in a month.
That’s much better than farming; our income is incomparably higher!”
“Having Hai encourage us to buy a house and a shop, and move to the county city, I was worried for a long time at first, afraid we’d have nothing to do and go hungry without our land.
Hai is impressive; he has far greater vision than us!”
“Of course, Hai is a university graduate.
His perspective is something we can’t match!”
…
Idle chatting is also a way to distract oneself.
Chen Zhonghua and Jiang Meixian, in the midst of their conversation, naturally turned to talk about their son Chen Hai.
Whenever they talked about Hai, their hearts filled with pride, and even the growling of their stomachs seemed to become less noticeable!
‘Creak…’ The rickshaw, known to take its time, made a somewhat grating braking sound.
At the entrance to the Wenchang Pavilion Community, the recent stop of the slow-moving rickshaw drew the attention of Chen Zhonghua and Jiang Meixian, who were in conversation.
Indeed, knowing that their son, Chen Hai, was to return today, they would poke their heads out of the shop to look outside every time a rickshaw stopped nearby.
However, they had been doing this since after three in the afternoon, and until now, their numerous peeks outside had ended in nothing but disappointment.
“Hai, Hai is back!” This time, the couple was not met with more disappointment.
As soon as they saw Chen Hai climb out of the rickshaw, Jiang Meixian, as if equipped with springs, burst up from her chair and gleefully rushed to greet him.
As for Chen Zhonghua, after straightening his clothes, he too emerged from the grocery shop.
He followed behind Jiang Meixian, appearing calm and composed, but his true feelings?
Surely, only he knew.
“Hai…” Jiang Meixian, nearly running, got to the rickshaw and managed to greet Chen Hai, but in the next moment, she was taken aback.
“Qingqing, this is my mom, and that’s my dad!”
Amidst the surprised gaping of Jiang Meixian, Chen Hai introduced Ye Qingqing with a smile.
“Auntie, Uncle, hello, my name is Ye Qingqing, and I’m Chen Hai’s girlfriend!”
Although a bit nervous inside, Ye Qingqing greeted Chen Zhonghua and Jiang Meixian with poise and grace.
“Hello, hello, come here, let me help you with your luggage!”
Reacting quickly, Jiang Meixian promptly took the suitcase from Ye Qingqing’s hands.
She couldn’t care less about Chen Hai’s backpack.
This kid, bringing home a girlfriend without telling the family in advance?
Jiang Meixian not kicking him twice was already showing restraint; she had no intention of helping Chen Hai with his luggage, no way…
“Young lady, where are you from?”
“Yuedong.”
“That’s a lovely place, not too far from our Xiangnan, right next door.
The girls there are as pretty as you…”
“Are you and my Hai classmates?
You must be exhausted from your trip from the Capital City.
That kid Hai didn’t even give us a heads-up, we barely have any dishes ready.
Please, have a seat while I go heat up the food.”
“Auntie, I studied at Tsinghua University, I’m not classmates with Chen Hai; we just happened to meet…”
Jiang Meixian’s face was glowing with warmth, seeing the new bride-to-be enter the house, she was exceptionally attentive, even sidelining her son and not bothering to check on him.
The shop was only so big.
With pots and pans going, it was already pretty crowded, and with four more people trying to find a spot to settle down, it was not easy.
Jiang Meixian rushed to warm up the dishes, naturally, Ye Qingqing followed to help.
Chen Hai and Chen Zhonghua, however, simply chose not to go in and quietly chatted outside the shop.
“My boy, well done.
Half a year in the Capital City and you’ve brought back a wife!
You truly are my son, Chen Zhonghua’s seed; you’ve matched a glimpse of my prime!”
He took out a pack of cigarettes, Chen Zhonghua lit one up for himself, bragging with a beaming face.
“Dad, what do you mean ‘brought back a wife’?
Qingqing and I are actually planning to get married in two years!”
“I brought her here to meet you so you can prepare yourself mentally.”
“Also, Qingqing’s parents hope you can make a trip to Yuedong, Yang City.
They mean to formally arrange our engagement before the official marriage.”
…
In front of Chen Zhonghua, Chen Hai roughly shared the plans for the engagement.
“An engagement?
What’s the procedure for that?”
“Around here, before the marriage, we only talk about bringing over the bride.
Hai, is this engagement similar to that?”
Chen Zhonghua asked, looking puzzled.
“Well…
I’m not too clear on that myself.
It should be roughly the same!” Chen Hai scratched the back of his head as he explained.
Customs differ from place to place when it comes to marriage matters.
Generally speaking, the more remote and small the place, the more intricate the rituals; whereas, in big cities, such ceremonial matters are much simplified and not as emphasized.
“Alright, we’ll discuss the engagement tonight, your mom and I.”
“Go to Yuedong?
Although it’s a bit far, it won’t be a big problem for your mom and me.
If they want us there, we’ll make the trip!”
“By the way, what’s the financial situation like on the girl’s side?
For the dowry, they aren’t going to try and take us for all we’re worth, are they?”
“Your mom and I have just started to get settled in the county seat, and we only have a little over ten thousand yuan left from the money you gave us.”
“I hope they won’t be making outrageous demands because if they need too much money, we really can’t afford it right away!”
As they continued to talk, Chen Zhonghua suddenly brought up this concern and immediately became anxious.
In terms of appearances, there were hardly any celebrities on TV who could outshine their new daughter-in-law, a fact he was certainly pleased about.
However, from his son Chen Hai’s girlfriend’s attire and demeanor, he was convinced that the girl did not come from a poor family.
What if she came from a wealthy and prominent household?
Could an ordinary family like theirs afford such a girl?
These thoughts inevitably worried Chen Zhonghua.
“Dad, don’t worry about the money,” Chen Hai reassured.
“Qingqing’s family background is indeed extraordinary, and even for just an engagement, we definitely can’t appear shabby in front of them.”
“When you and mom visit Yuedong and discuss mine and Qingqing’s marriage with Uncle Ye, just spend as necessary without worrying about the costs.”
“For this engagement, I’ve prepared five million yuan.
As long as the expenses are within that range, there’s absolutely no problem!”
Chen Hai said, smiling unexpectedly.
After a trip to Hao River, the money he brought back, converted into Yanhuang yuan, totaled nearly six million.
Spending five million on his engagement was indeed within what he could afford.
“What?
Hai, how much money did you say you’ve prepared…” Chen Zhonghua, upon hearing this figure, was taken aback with a start.
Worried he had misheard, he quickly asked Chen Hai to confirm.
“Dad, you heard right; I’ve prepared five million for the engagement.”
Chen Hai, unfazed by his father’s reaction, nodded affirmatively in response.
“You were studying in the Capital City, weren’t you?
Where did this money come from?”
“Hai, you’re not about to tell me you robbed a bank, are you?” Chen Zhonghua asked his son, looking him in the eye.
“Dad, rest assured, the money I have was obtained honorably.”
“I went to Hao River recently and took a spin in the casinos, that’s where I won it!”
Chen Hai explained, shrugging his shoulders with a smile.