Not only did Zhu Minjie and Zhu Tingting go to the kitchen to see and say hello to their sister who had just returned home, they sat in the living room and interrogated Wang Zhonglai, asking about his place of origin, education, work, income, assets, etc.
I had a little expectation when I heard Wang Zhong said that the university was Fudan University, but when Wang Zhong said that he had no house or car and was just renting a house, he was not a senior executive in the company, and his income was only at an ordinary level, he suddenly became worried. No more interest.
Knowing that their eldest daughter was coming back with her boyfriend, the old couple killed the chicken early in the morning. Father Zhu even rode his motorcycle to the market early in the morning and bought his eldest daughter's favorite beef.
I made pork belly chicken, a beef hot pot, two seasonal vegetables, a local specialty, pickled sour wild onion soup, and wild bees that Zhu’s father and others went into the mountains to roast, dark-colored adult wild bees. Bees and young bees taken out of the hive are white, tender, and round, and stir-fried with chili pepper and minced garlic. If it were not Wang Zhong, but an ordinary person from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, he might not dare to eat it.
Wang Zhong drank the medicinal wine opened by Zhu Zhe's father, ate fried wild bees, and drank one glass after another with Zhu Zhe's father. As they talked, they talked about Zhu Zhe and Wang Zhong's marriage.
Zhu's father still wants his eldest daughter to get married as soon as possible. After all, Zhu Zhe's age is such that if it continues, even if she gets married in the future, she will be an advanced mother by the time she has a child. Zhu's father and Zhu Zhe Although my mother has not read many books, she knows more about the basic common sense of life than young people.
"As long as Zhu Zhe is willing, it won't be a problem to get married on the same day as Tingting!" Wang Zhong took advantage of the drunkenness and made a big statement.
As soon as Father Zhu heard this, his drunkenness faded away instantly and he was mostly sober. He looked at Wang Zhong with a serious face: "Xiao Wang, are you serious?"
"Of course it's true!" Wang Zhong said: "When we hold a banquet here in my hometown, the gifts received will be regarded as Zhu Zhe and I's filial piety to you two."
"What about the money for the banquet?" Mother Zhu asked excitedly.
"I'll pay for the banquet!" Wang Zhong said very proudly.
"What about the bride price?" Zhu Tingting asked.
"I will pay double the amount of the bride price that my second brother-in-law pays!" Wang Zhong was still proud. But as soon as these words came out, whether it was Zhu's father, Zhu's mother, or Zhu Tingting, their expressions changed instantly.
Wang Zhong misunderstood, looked at Zhu Zhe's father and said: "Uncle, aunt, I know you care about Zhu Zhe and understand that we are living a difficult life in the magic city, but you are Zhu Zhe's parents, Zhu Zhe and I are living The difficulty is difficult, but you are old and you have to have money around you. These gifts and betrothal gifts are considered as filial piety from Zhu Zhe and I..." Seeing that Wang Zhong went off track more and more, Zhu Zhe said The father's face was a little confused, but Zhu's mother forced a smile and wanted to explain: "Xiao Wang, that's what happened. Our Tingting and her boyfriend are in a free relationship. We also took into account their young age. I’m young, I don’t have much money, and I just got married and have a lot of money to spend, so I don’t care about the groom’s family asking for betrothal gifts.”
"Auntie, uncle!" Wang Zhong immediately looked touched, with tears in his eyes, and even his tone became choked with sobs: "I knew someone who could teach a sensible girl like Zhu Zhe , he must be very sensible." After saying that, Wang Zhong immediately picked up the wine bottle and poured himself a full glass. He picked up the wine glass and said to Zhu's father: "Uncle, aunt, I toast you this glass of wine!" He took a few sips of a glass of medicinal wine and swallowed it all.
In these days, it was rare for families to marry their daughters without a bride price, especially for ordinary families in remote rural areas like the Zhu family.
"Xiao Wang, please slow down, don't be anxious!" This is a whole cup of medicinal wine. Father Zhu and Wang Zhong just exchanged cups. As an old man, Father Zhu naturally knows the degree of this wine, not to mention fifty or sixty, but forty. There are definitely more.
"Uncle, it's okay!" Wang Zhong was filled with anger, his face quickly turned red, and his eyes became blurred: "I am really happy today. After so many years, except for the day Zhu Zhe agreed to be my girlfriend, I’m the happiest today!”
"Xiao Wang, your uncle and I..." Mother Zhu wanted to explain something else. But Wang Zhong didn't give her a chance at all: "Auntie, don't worry, I know how hard you and your uncle have worked so hard. If you can take care of Tingting like this and think about her future, you will definitely think about Zhu Zhe, but please don't worry. Although you are unwilling to ask for the betrothal gift, the gifts that I and the banquet received will still be given to you and your uncle."
"Auntie, you and uncle are so considerate of me, and I can't help but express it. Didn't Zhu Zhe give you and uncle a thousand yuan a month for living expenses before? After Zhu Zhe and I get married, I will add another thousand yuan every month. Zhu Zhe and I will give you a total of two thousand yuan for living expenses every month."
"Xiao Wang, I'm not..."
"Auntie, don't worry. Although a thousand yuan is a lot of money, it's not much. With my current income, I can still spend it. At worst, Zhu Zhe and I will be more frugal. Both Zhu Zhe and I are still young. , a little hardship is nothing..." As he spoke, Wang Zhong burped, and his eyes gradually became blurred.
Before he finished speaking, he almost fell down. Fortunately, Zhu's father and Zhu Zhe were able to catch him quickly with their quick eyesight and hands.
Seeing that Wang Zhong was so drunk, Mother Zhu naturally couldn't say the rest of her words. Zhu Zhe and Zhu's father hurriedly helped Wang Zhong to the guest room on the first floor to settle down temporarily. Zhu's mother gave him a new towel that had just been washed and wrung out, and Zhu Zhe kept shouting: "I'm not drunk, I can still drink." Wang Zhong wiped it, and then they returned to the dining table.
"Azhe, have you and Xiao Wang really decided to get married?" Mother Zhu asked. Zhu Zhe nodded and said, "I do have plans to get married. After all, I'm thirty-two years old. It's hard to find someone suitable."
"Yes!" Zhu's mother sighed helplessly. The eldest daughter's age was indeed a flaw.
"Actually, I think Xiao Wang is quite nice and a real person." It was Zhu's father who looked in the direction of the guest room and said something fair.
"You can tell after just one meeting?" Mother Zhu said in a somewhat unkind tone.
"I believe in Azhe's vision!" Zhu's father said.
"Dad, Mom!" Before Zhu Zhe could say anything, Zhu Minjie stopped: "You really don't want to ask for the gift, right?"
"Xiaojie, what do you mean?" Zhu Zhe frowned and looked at Zhu Minjie: "When your second sister got married, didn't you care about the groom's gift?" Zhu Tingting suddenly became unhappy: "Sister, tell me about you. Why are you dragging it on me?" Zhu Zhe said: "We are all a family, brothers and sisters who have broken bones but are still connected, so why can't we drag it on you?"
"It was free love!" Zhu Tingting became increasingly unhappy and looked at her parents and siblings with vigilance: "Besides, my parents have agreed! The wedding date has been set, is it possible that you want to go back on your word?" Zhu Zhe knew that Zhu Tingting He didn't mean to feel unhappy for himself, but looked at his parents: "Dad, Mom, you also know my conditions. No matter in terms of education or age, I am not as good as my second sister. I will find a suitable one." It’s not easy to have a boyfriend. There are a lot of young girls in the magic city who are younger and prettier than me, have higher education than me, have a higher income than me, and have better family conditions than me. Although Wang Zhong is not bad to me, he is not very I can't." Zhu's father and mother-in-law were immediately shocked, their words were rough and unreasonable, what Zhu Zhe said did make sense.
"Xiaojie, Tingting! Why are you talking to your eldest sister!" Zhu's father suddenly became serious: "Don't forget, your eldest sister provided for your studies in high school and college!"
"Dad!" Zhu Minjie was not happy either. Zhu Tingting even said: "She is the eldest sister, she is older than us, shouldn't she support us? What do you mean by this?"
"Bastard!" Zhu's father was a little angry: "What should you mean? Even if your eldest sister should support you in school, you can't help but appreciate your eldest sister! She went out to work when she was sixteen and worked as a waiter in a hotel. I have been sweeping floors and wiping tables, washing toilets, and wiping toilets. I have worked hard for so many years to earn money for you to go to school. When you two were studying, part of your monthly living expenses was also given by your eldest sister!"
"Even if she is your eldest sister, you must remember her kindness and remember her kindness."
"Dad! Are you planning to sell me to repay her kindness?" Zhu Tingting didn't hear a word.
Zhu Tingting used these words to persuade Zhu's father and mother not to ask for a betrothal gift. In fact, the gift itself is well-intentioned. It is to show the strength of the man's family and reassure the woman's parents that the woman will not endure hardship after marriage. However, for the bride price given by the man, the woman will pay back the same amount. dowry.
It’s just that as time goes by, the custom of bride price still exists, but most families selectively forget the corresponding dowry given by the woman.
Zhu's father and Zhu's mother were relatively liberal parents. They knew that they could not afford a large dowry, and because of their love for their little daughter, they simply ignored the man's request for a betrothal gift.
But the second daughter's attitude really makes one's heart, liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys ache.
"You..." Zhu's father's eyes widened, angered by Zhu Tingting's words.
"His father!" The mistress quickly grabbed Zhu's father's arm with one hand and smoothed his breath with the other. She turned and glared at Zhu Tingting: "Tingting, why are you talking to your father!"
"That's what you said. What's wrong? You have always been so partial, favoring Zhu Minjie and favoring the eldest sister! Why don't you know how to feel sorry for me? Are they all biological, am I the only one who picked them up?" Zhu Tingting also followed. As if he had been wronged, his voice became louder and louder, and his momentum became stronger and stronger. There were even tears in his eyes. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and ran upstairs and entered his room. 'Bang' There was a loud noise and the door was slammed hard.
Zhu's father's eyes widened even more. Zhu Zhe and Zhu's mother quickly helped Zhu's father sit down, and quickly poured a glass of water for Zhu's father, who had just recovered a little, to drink.
"Dad, Mom! Look at the second sister, what she said, it's like our whole family bullied her. I haven't even settled the accounts with her last time when she messed up my girlfriend, and now it's... Does she want our whole family to revolve around her?" Zhu Minjie also said angrily.
Neither Zhu's father nor his mistress knew how to answer Zhu Minjie. Zhu Zhe said: "Xiaojie, since we broke up, forget it. You are still young. Don't focus on your girlfriend and marriage. I am someone who has been here. If you can find a good job and make a career, , what kind of good woman can’t be found? If you really like your girlfriend, do something good for her to take a good look at. When the time comes, you don’t need to go find her, she will catch up on her own. I ran back to find you."
"Sister, what you said is easy, but how can a good job be so easy to find, and how can you make a career out of it!" Zhu Minjie said in a somewhat sinister tone.
"Why is it so hard to find? As long as you pay attention, you can always find it. Besides, you are our second college student with a bachelor's degree. Your eldest sister and I only have a vocational high school degree."
"Xiaojie, your eldest sister is right, you are a college student..." Zhu's mother was about to say a few words, but was ruthlessly interrupted by Zhu Minjie: "Mom, what do you know!"
"Xiaojie, if you don't want to find a job, you can take the civil service exam, the public institution exam, or the teacher exam. You are so smart and can even pass the university exam. It will definitely not be difficult for you to take the civil servant exam. If it is true, After passing the exam, are you worried about not being able to find a girlfriend?" Zhu Zhe's words immediately made Zhu's father and mistress' eyes light up: "That's right, Xiaojie, if you can't find a suitable job, we can take the civil service exam. , that is an iron rice bowl. If you pass the exam, you will become a member of the public. You can get paid by sitting in the office with the air conditioner blowing every day. You will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life, and it will not be troublesome to find a girlfriend." In Zhu's father's mind, In the eyes of people like the housewife, civil servants and public institutions, who are holding the country's jobs and receiving salaries, are holding the iron rice bowl. If they can really pass the exam, they will be better than Zhu Zhe and Wang Zhong working for others in Magic City. Those who earn tens of thousands of yuan a month are powerful and more respectable. They can even be said to have a glorious ancestor.
"Mom, Dad! What do you know? What's the benefit of an iron rice bowl? The salary is low and you sit in the office every day. There is no freedom at all..." Zhu Minjie is an adult who considers himself to be very mature and takes things seriously. Everything has its own judgment. How could Zhu Zhe and his parents be able to persuade him in just a few words?
Zhu Zhe said: "Xiaojie, you don't know this. Although the salary of the iron rice bowl is not high, the benefits are good, such as five insurances and one fund. These are all paid according to the highest standards, especially the housing provident fund." , if you buy a house, the interest rate on the loan will be much lower than normal.”
"Azhe, are you serious?" Zhu's father and mother-in-law said with surprise.
"Of course it's true!" Zhu Zhe said: "These can all be found out."
"Besides, the annual bonuses and performance bonuses of the iron rice bowl are not less than the salary! If the income is really low, why are there so many people who want to take the exam every year!" Zhu's father and mother-in-law were about to take the exam. He was interrupted loudly by the impatient Zhu Minjie.
"Okay, okay! Aren't we talking about the eldest sister's bride price? Why is it brought to my head again?"
"Xiaojie, your eldest sister is doing this for your own good!" Father Zhu said.
"Okay, okay, okay, I know the eldest sister is doing it for my own good, but everything should be prioritized. First come, first served. You should talk about the eldest sister's gift first!" Zhu Minjie put down his words and hurried upstairs to his room. Go into hiding.
Zhu's father sighed, but his mistress was helpless. Zhu Zhe frowned and said in disbelief: "Dad, Mom! Why do I feel that... the second sister and Xiaojie are like... like different people?" Zhu's father, Zhu Zhe, said The mothers looked at each other and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes. They both sighed, remembering that although the two siblings were slightly different, they were basically the same, and they really didn't know what to say.
