https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-137-With-Your-Words-Uncle-Jiu-I-m-Truly-Reassured/12849252/
Chapter 138: I'm Doomed, My Authority as a Husband Will Be Gone!
Chapter 138: I’m Doomed, My Authority as a Husband Will Be Gone!
Deng Changyuan returned home from the brick factory, had dinner, and then went to Jiu Gong’s house to wait for news.
Today, Jiu Gong had gone to Poxin Village to arrange a match for him. Although he and Ou Guohua had already developed a deeper relationship through Zhang Xiuping’s introduction, he had no way of knowing what her parents thought about it.
As it concerned his entire future, Deng Changyuan naturally had to wait at Jiu Gong’s house to get the news as soon as possible.
While waiting, Deng Changyuan couldn’t help but ask, “Aunt Ping, you know the Huas better. Do you think her parents will oppose this?”
Normally, Deng Changyuan should have called Zhang Xiuping Aunt Tai.
In Shuangwang, when addressing elders, one would either use their family ranking or a combination of a character from their name and their generation. For example, Deng Changyuan should call Deng Yuntai Uncle Tai (Deng Yuntai’s ranking) or Uncle Tai, and Zhang Xiuping should be called Aunt Tai or Aunt Tai.
However, since Deng Changyuan and Deng Yuntai had been childhood friends, he had always called Deng Yuntai Tai, and couldn’t change that even as an adult.
How to address his childhood friend’s wife was a bit of a headache. Calling her by her name was out of the question, as no junior would call an elder by their name. Calling her Auntie was incorrect in terms of generation, and calling her Aunt Tai would mean he had to call Deng Yuntai Uncle Tai, which he couldn’t bring himself to do.
So, after much thought, Deng Changyuan decided to call her Aunt Ping.
“Her parents treat her very well, especially her mother, who treats all four of her children equally, with no favoritism towards her sons.”
At this, Zhang Xiuping couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. Her parents were far worse in this regard, and even though she was the only daughter, she was less favored than her four brothers.
This was why her parents had “sold” her for a high price, planning to use the dowry to help her two younger brothers get married. If she hadn’t been lucky enough to marry into the Deng family, she would have likely never been able to hold her head high in her in-laws’ home.
“So, her parents’ criteria for finding her a husband isn’t about how wealthy he is, but whether he can truly love her and not let her suffer. If you can do that, this match is likely to go through.”
Deng Changyuan immediately puffed out his chest and said, “I guarantee I can do that.”
Zhang Xiuping smiled, “I’ll remember that. If you don’t keep your word after marrying her, I’ll have Brother Tai take care of you.”
Deng Changyuan laughed bitterly, “I wouldn’t dare. If I don’t, even Jiu Gong won’t let me off.”
Zhang Xiuping couldn’t help but chuckle, “Good to know.”
Deng Yunzhen also chimed in with a smile, “That’s right. My dad has worked so hard to help you, saying all sorts of nice things to get you a wife. If you don’t treat her well later, he won’t let you off!”
Deng Changyuan moaned, “I’m doomed. She hasn’t even married me yet, and she already has so many people backing her. If this goes through, I’m afraid I’ll lose all my authority as a husband!”
Deng Yuntai retorted, “You could always find a wife who lets you be the boss, someone who won’t argue with you.”
Deng Changyuan rubbed the back of his head and said with a grin, “Nah, I still want this one…”
Just as they were chatting, Deng Shirong rode his bicycle back.
“Dad!”
“Grandpa!”
The children and their spouses, including Changyuan, all greeted Shirong.
Shirong smiled and responded, parking his bicycle.
Yunzhen asked, “Dad, why did you come back so late?”
Shirong replied, “I went to the mountain pass, so I got back a bit later.”
Xiuping asked, “Dad, have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet!”
As he spoke, Shirong handed the large net bag to his eldest daughter, smiling. “These are oysters I bought at the mountain pass. Yunzhen, you can take them and clean them with a brush first.”
Everyone looked at the large net bag, seeing what looked like pieces of corroded stones inside.
Yuntao, curious, asked, “Dad, these things that look like stones are called oysters? What are they used for?”
Shirong didn’t laugh at his eldest son’s lack of knowledge. Despite living only a few dozen kilometers from the sea, in an era where transportation was limited and people mainly relied on walking, the people of Bangjie Village had very limited knowledge of seafood.
In his previous life, Shirong had also been unaware of oysters during this time. He had never even heard of them, let alone seen them. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Shirong first encountered oysters.
So, when his eldest son asked, Shirong explained, “Oysters are a type of shellfish. They taste quite good. I’ll grill some for you to try.”
Hearing that these stone-like things were edible seafood, everyone gathered around in curiosity, even Changyuan temporarily forgetting his concerns about his wife.
Xiuping glanced at the oysters in the net bag and then turned to her father-in-law, “Dad, you haven’t eaten yet, and you’ve been riding your bike for such a long distance. You must be hungry. I’ll heat up some dishes for you. You should eat something to fill your stomach before we grill the oysters.”
Shirong shook his head. “No need. I had lunch around two in the afternoon, and I ate quite a lot. I’m not very hungry right now. Let’s just wait until the oysters are grilled before we eat.”
“Then I’ll get you a bowl of congee to drink.”
“Alright!”
After drinking the congee his eldest daughter-in-law had prepared, Shirong instructed his eldest son to prepare some scallions and garlic, and asked Changyuan to take some charcoal out of the fire pot and light it. Meanwhile, he found some leftover wire from when they built the house and made a simple grill.
Once everything was ready, his eldest daughter had also finished cleaning the oysters.
“Yuntao, Changyuan, you two will be responsible for prying open the oysters’ hard shells. I’ll show you how it’s done.” With that, Shirong took a screwdriver, found the narrow gap in an oyster, and with a slight push, pried open the hard shell.
Xiuping looked at the exposed oyster meat and commented, “This is oyster meat? It looks so unappealing on the outside, but the meat is surprisingly white and clean.”
Shirong handed the screwdriver to his eldest son and said to his eldest daughter-in-law, “Oysters are very nutritious, but you shouldn’t eat too many at once. Once I’ve grilled them, you can try them. If you like them, I’ll buy some from the mountain pass every now and then.”
Xiuping smiled, “Dad, just a taste is enough. The mountain pass is so far away, and it takes several hours to make the round trip. It’s not worth it just for a meal.”
(End of Chapter)
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