freenovelworld Chapter 208 Auntie, please have mercy and let me in!
Chapter 208 Auntie, please have mercy and let me in!
Qiao Manman smiled but didn't say anything.
Time passed slowly, and Qiao Manman gradually became sleepy. But before she could fall into a deep sleep, her second aunt knocked on the door.
"Manman, it's time to get up and wash up."
Qiao Manman woke up with a start, raised her hand and looked at the time. Wow, it was already 7:30.
She hurriedly got up to wash and change into the red cotton-padded jacket that Xie Susu had rushed out in the past two days. She let Fu Shulan braid her hair into two pigtails and then used face cream, eyebrow pencil, and lipstick to simply decorate her face.
"Wow, sister-in-law, you're so skillful! You're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen!"
Qiao Manman laughed and said, "These are just trivial skills. When you get married, your sister-in-law will do your bridal makeup!"
"That's a deal! Sister-in-law, you must make time to attend our wedding."
Qiao Manman smiled and nodded: "Okay!"
Fu Shulan went to the kitchen and boiled a few eggs: "Here, have something to eat first. Xiao Yuan will come to pick you up around nine o'clock!"
Qiao Manman hummed in agreement and ate an egg. She sat chatting with Fu Shulan, unconsciously revealing her nervousness.
Fu Shulan held her hand: "Don't be afraid, this will happen eventually. Xiao Yuan may be cold-hearted, but he is a caring person."
From now on, one of you will manage external affairs, and the other will manage internal affairs. If you have two more children, life will be set.
As they talked, the conversation turned to their two unmarried sons: "Your two cousins are both of marriageable age, but no matter how much your second uncle and I urge them, they just say one thing: 'My older brother isn't even married yet, what's the rush for us!'"
"That's great, now I can go back and arrange their blind dates. It's just a pity they had a mission and couldn't come to your wedding."
Qiao Manman smiled and said, "My cousin is so outstanding, he will definitely be able to find a girl he likes."
As they chatted, the auspicious time arrived. Lu Yuan, accompanied by several childhood friends, rode bicycles, wearing big red flowers, looking triumphant.
Arriving at the entrance of the courtyard, I couldn't wait to rush inside.
Fu Shulan laughed and said, "No, no, I'm from your family today. You have to satisfy me before you can marry Manman."
Lu Yuan wasn't annoyed. He took out a red envelope from his shirt pocket and said, "Second Aunt, please have mercy and let me in!"
Fu Shulan took the red envelope and stood blocking the doorway, refusing to budge: "Lu Yuan, it wasn't easy for Manman to travel all this way to marry you. If you want to come in, you have to answer a few questions for me."
"Second Aunt, go ahead and ask!"
How much household allowance do you give Manman each month after you get married?
"I'll give all my allowance to my wife, and she'll give me pocket money!" Lu Yuan said loudly, his tone particularly proud.
"Hahaha, Brother Lu is afraid of his wife!" A group of people laughed, but he was neither ashamed nor annoyed.
"The second question is, how many children do you plan to have after marriage?"
"Listen to your wife. If she wants to have a child, she can; if she doesn't, she won't."
Fu Shulan smiled and said, "We still need to have an heir! The third question is, after we get married, who will do the housework?"
Lu Yuan thought to himself, he wasn't going to marry a wife to be his maid, but he couldn't say that out loud, otherwise people would criticize Qiao Manman for being lazy, greedy and cunning.
So he vaguely said, "My Manman is the most gentle and polite. I believe that with our joint efforts, our life will be very prosperous."
Everyone laughed: "Brother Lu is so cultured!"
Fu Shulan stepped aside from the doorway: "Alright, alright, I won't bother you anymore, come on in!"
Lu Yuan rushed in with a smile, and when he saw his beautifully dressed young wife, his heart fluttered once again.
"Honey, I've come to pick you up!"
Qiao Manman nodded and reached out for him to hug her.
Lu Yuan held the person in his arms and even spun them around.
Amidst the cheers and jeers of the crowd, they placed the person on the back of the bicycle and rode around the streets and alleys of Kyoto with their childhood friends.
It wasn't until almost noon that I rode my bike back to the compound.
A large crowd gathered in front of the Lu family's house to witness the ceremony. Everyone smiled and looked at Lu Yuan's new wife, congratulating Lu Qihua and Lu Jingchuan.
Just like the two weddings she attended in Yang County, Qiao Manman was pulled away to take vows as soon as she got off her bicycle.
Qiao Manman speaks standard Mandarin and recites the oath with a strong and clear voice, not at all like a country bumpkin with little knowledge.
Many families who felt the Lu family had made a mistake began to take things more seriously.
After the oath-taking ceremony, the Lu family began their banquet.
The house was filled with borrowed tables, both inside and out. The guests took their seats, holding their own bowls and chopsticks, and waited for the meal to begin.
One dish after another was served, each one a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
There was braised pork, hot and sour shredded potatoes, stir-fried cabbage, mapo tofu, wood ear mushrooms and eggs, meatball soup, and large steamed buns.
The people in the compound were well-mannered and didn't fight over the food, but the food on the table was still finished very quickly.
Even after finishing their meal, they were reluctant to leave and lingered in the living room chatting. The Lu family had a television, which they rarely turned on, but today they watched model operas all day long.
The children gathered in front of the television, watching with great interest, while the adults chatted amongst themselves in small groups.
The Lu family tried to handle the situation carefully, but there were too many people to attend to.
In the end, all we could do was take precautions and try to prevent people from going upstairs.
Of course, it's only to the best of our ability. After all, more people mean more excrement and urination.
The first-floor restroom is occupied; are we supposed to just sit there and wait? This needs to be addressed.
There was no other way but to send someone upstairs, with Lu Yuan or Aunt Zhou accompanying them.
Whether by coincidence or not, someone would shout as soon as they stepped onto the steps. In the end, they had no choice but to let the guests handle it themselves.
Fortunately, Lu Yuan had given Qiao Manman the confidential documents in advance and locked all the rooms on their wedding day to minimize the potential losses.
In the afternoon, everyone went to work, and the Lu family slumped in the living room, listless and exhausted.
Qiao Manman went into the kitchen to make tea for everyone. A fresh and elegant aroma wafted over, and everyone stared intently at the tea.
Qiao Manman put some refreshing medicine in the teapot, and after everyone drank it, they felt their minds were clear.
After a short rest, the fatigue dissipated, and everyone was full of energy.
They tidied up the mess, carried the gifts, and returned the neighbor's tables, chairs, and dishes.
When they came back and checked the nooks and crannies, they actually found something unusual.
For example, a tattered portrait brooch of Chairman Mao was hidden in the crack of the sofa, and half a torn Little Red Book was hidden behind the radiator.
These matters could be big or small, so Lu Yuan handed the things over to Qiao Manman to handle.
Lu Qihua looked serious and told everyone to go to work first: "I will investigate this matter thoroughly."
"Dad, I'd like to ask for a few more days off..."
"No, you should buy a ticket back to the military region right away. They're just waiting to find fault with us, so don't give them any leverage."
Xiao Shuang, you and Ling Xiao should keep a low profile lately. As for Jing Yao, although she doesn't share the same surname as Lu, we're in the same boat, so we have to be careful in everything we do.
"I know Uncle Lu!"
"Alright, everyone go now. Let Xiaoyuan and Manman get some rest."
I haven't been to the office for the past few days, and I have no idea how many documents have piled up to process. I'm afraid I'll have to work overtime tonight!
Sometimes I think retirement is pretty good. Drinking tea and playing with my grandchildren—this is such a wonderful life!