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Chapter 30: Exclamations of Luxury!
Chapter 30: Exclamations of Luxury!
It was the 8th day of the sixth lunar month, a Saturday.
Today, Deng Changmei was visiting the Zhang family to see the family home.
After breakfast, around nine o'clock, a group including Deng Shirong, the matchmaker, set out for Changtian Village.
Everyone walked there on foot. In this era, bicycles were scarce in rural areas, and with nine people, including the matchmaker, going to see the family home, even if three people could fit on one bicycle, they would still need three bicycles. The entire production team couldn't muster up three bicycles, so they had no choice but to walk.
The journey from Naye Village to Changtian Village was quite long, and it took them about an hour and a half to arrive.
Upon reaching the Zhang family's home in Changtian Village, the group was warmly welcomed.
The Zhang family had gathered many relatives and friends. After all, seeing the family home was akin to an engagement, and it was a significant event. The male side's immediate family members wouldn't miss it, and close friends would also be present, making the number of guests quite large.
After sitting down and drinking tea for about ten minutes, Deng Shirong stood up and said to the Zhang family, who had been accompanying them, "Aibiao, could you show us around?"
This was a necessary part of the visit, and the Zhang family understood, readily agreeing. They then led the group to tour their house.
The group didn't enter the other family members' rooms; their focus was naturally on Zhang Kramei's room, the male lead.
When they entered Zhang Kramei's room, including the female lead Deng Changmei, everyone couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. The spacious room contained a four-poster bed in the center, a large wardrobe in one corner, a desk in front of the bed, and a wooden chest beside it.
In an era where a single wooden chest could "win" a bride, having a wardrobe, a desk, and a chest in a room was truly top-notch, as luxurious as spending tens of thousands of dollars to decorate a room in modern times. It was no wonder the group was amazed.
Deng Shirong chuckled and praised, "No wonder three generations of your family are carpenters; the furniture here is truly complete!"
Zhang's mother smiled and said, "For us, anything that can be made of wood is not a problem; it just takes a bit of time."
Deng Changmei's sister-in-law said enviously, "Having a carpenter in the family is great. You can make whatever furniture you want. Unlike us, we don't even have a wardrobe. That wooden chest in our room is my dowry from my parents!"
Zhang's mother glanced at her future daughter-in-law and smiled, "Once we become family, if you want any furniture, just let Kramei help you when he has free time!"
Deng's sister-in-law's eyes lit up. She had been thinking about this, and now that the mother-in-law had offered, it was as good as a promise. If she wanted any furniture, it would be easy to discuss.
Not just Deng's sister-in-law, but the other relatives who came along were also tempted. In this era, who could resist the allure of furniture?
After touring Zhang Kramei's room, the group was very satisfied.
They then went out to drink more tea before the meal was served.
The Zhang family had prepared an incredibly lavish feast. There were hard dishes like poached chicken, braised pork, and stir-fried pork, as well as meatballs and egg rolls, which were usually only served at weddings. Accompanied by bamboo shoots and other dishes, the meal was truly sumptuous.
This meal was a great success, and both sides of the family were thoroughly satisfied.
After the meal, they chatted over tea for about ten minutes before the women's side prepared to leave.
The men's side, of course, had everything ready. They handed out nine red envelopes and nine large fish, one by one, to the matchmaker and the women's side.
It was clear that a well-off family was different. The fish were nothing to speak of, each weighing around two pounds. The real highlight was the red envelopes. The seven people who accompanied Deng Changmei each received a five-yuan envelope, the matchmaker Deng Shirong received a ten-yuan envelope, and the main lady, Deng Changmei, received an eighteen-yuan envelope. Altogether, that was sixty-three yuan, a truly generous gesture.
When Deng Shirong received his red envelope, he saw the ten ten-yuan notes and ten large fish appear in his system space, and his heart filled with joy.
Previously, the fish given by the family had been mostly consumed, with only two sent to his third sister. The rest were finished during this time. Now, these new fish arrived just in time, replenishing their stock.
Additionally, he had spent a hundred yuan on a car, which had reduced his net worth from over a hundred and sixty yuan to just over sixty yuan. Now, his net worth soared again to over a hundred and seventy yuan, making him feel incredibly satisfied.
On the way back, the relatives who had come with Deng Changmei to visit the family had nothing but good things to say about the Zhang family. With the matchmaker Deng Shirong also praising them, Deng Changmei's smile never faded.
A woman's greatest wish is to marry a man who satisfies her and also gains the approval of her family and relatives. Zhang Kanguo was clearly such a man.
By the time they returned home, it was nearly three in the afternoon.
Seeing his father return with another piece of pork belly, Deng Shirong's children were already used to it.
Their family's meals had been the envy of the entire village during this period. Whenever Deng Yunsong, Deng Yunhua, and Deng Yunheng talked to their friends about their meals, they always made their friends drool with envy.
Through the spread of these stories, everyone in the village now knew that Deng Shirong's family had the best meals in the village.
Although people envied Deng Shirong's lifestyle, no one felt jealous. The main reason was that most of what his family ate were things that few others in the village could afford, such as carp, crucian carp, eels, frogs, snails, and bee larvae.
Many in the village knew that fish, if cooked with enough oil, could taste much better than many other dishes, even with average cooking skills. However, the key issue was that most families lacked enough oil, so they always tried to save it. Who would waste so much oil on fish?
As for snails, which had very little meat, it was even more absurd to use so much oil on them. No matter how good they tasted, it simply wasn't worth it.
Seeing his eldest daughter practicing her bike riding on the flat ground by the door, Deng Shirong handed the pork belly to his youngest daughter and said, "Ahzhu, take this meat back and hang it up. I'll make stir-fried pork with yellow sauce for you later."
Deng Yunzhu took the pork and said with a bright smile, "Okay, Dad!" Despite the good meals at home, they hadn't reached the point of being tired of eating meat. Seeing that they would have meat again today, she naturally felt happy.
Thank you to Fengxing Fock for the generous donation. Today, I'm taking my wife and kids back to my hometown for the holidays. I'll be using my phone to write over the next few days, so updates might be inconsistent. I wanted to give you all a heads-up in advance.
(End of Chapter)
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