Chapter 408: The Generous Gift
Chapter 408: The Generous Gift
At the old homestead, Elder Brother Li Guilin asked his wife, "What did you do? Why did Ah Lei arrange for us to stay here?"
In all matters, respect for seniority was paramount.
Tan Yu Dai, with a sullen face, replied, "What did I do? It's not just about arranging for us to stay here. They didn't even offer us a cup of tea! They're looking down on us! This isn't the first time you've felt this, is it? Remember when Zhou Chenglei got married? I, your mother, and your sister went to greet Jiang Xia, but did she pay any attention to us? Didn't you see how she completely ignored us?"
Li Guilin: "...... But Ah Lei isn't like that. Normally, he wouldn't do something like this. What did you do?"
Tan Yu Dai: "What did I do? I just asked if Jiang Xia still remembers me. If you don't believe me, ask your daughter; she heard it too! It must have been Jiang Xia who arranged for us to stay here, and Zhou Chenglei simply followed her instructions. They're a married couple; have you heard of pillow talk? I suspect Jiang Xia knew about my plan to introduce my younger sister to Zhou Chenglei."
Li Guilin: "......"
Is that so?
It was introduced, but didn't Ah Lei reject it at the time?
Is this old issue worth bringing up?
Women can be so petty!
Quibbling over insignificant matters for a lifetime!
"Forget it, don't bother with her. Go to sleep early; we have to wake up early tomorrow to catch the ride back."
After saying this, he turned around, covered himself with the blanket, and went to sleep.
But Tan Yu Dai couldn't fall asleep.
Her younger sister still had Zhou Chenglei on her mind, and she had no interest in anyone else her family suggested.
At twenty-four, she still refused to marry.
How annoying!
In the new house, Zhou Mu was in the room, organizing the return gifts for her family.
After his bath, Zhou Fu saw the floor filled with jute bags and asked, "One bag for each household?"
With the children grown, Zhou Mu's family had already divided their assets.
"Mhm."
"Which bag is for Lin's wife?"
Zhou Mu pointed to the bag with the most seaweed.
Zhou Fu rummaged through it and found a large bag of seaweed and a package of the cheapest dried fish.
Zhou Fu was satisfied, but the weight was too light, making it too obvious.
He turned to Zhou Mu and said, "How could you bring such a light gift?"
After saying this, Zhou Fu walked out.
Zhou Mu: "......"
Soon, Zhou Fu came back with two bags, placed them inside, and then lifted them to weigh them.
Mhm, not bad. Finally, a 'generous gift.'
Zhou Mu asked, "What did you put in there?"
She felt one of the bags was filled with sand.
"Seashells and sand."
Zhou Mu was speechless, "Why put sand? This is too much! What will my mother think?"
Zhou Fu explained, "Don't worry, Mom mentioned earlier that she wanted to bring some sand back to grow sprouts. I asked Lin's wife to help carry it back."
Zhou Mu: "......"
After arranging accommodations for his family, Zhou Chenglei returned to the room, where Jiang Xia was still sitting at the dressing table, counting the cash gifts received that day and balancing the accounts.
She meticulously recorded each family's gift money and items, knowing that these were favors that would need to be returned in the future.
"Go take a shower first and stop worrying about these things. Aren't you tired?" Zhou Chenglei went to the wardrobe to get some clothes.
"I will, in a moment. I'm afraid I'll wake up tomorrow and forget, so I'm recording it now." Jiang Xia put away the notebook and money, then turned to him, "When did you book the car?"
Jiang Xia already knew from Jiang Dong that the two jeeps were ordered by Zhou Chenglei. He had paid a deposit of two thousand, and after the Suigou Fair, the foreign merchants finally paid and placed additional orders for dozens of units. I used that money to book the cars."
"It was after you started riding the motorcycle to town." He was genuinely worried about her riding the motorcycle, so he decided to buy a car, and just then, Jiang Dong called to say he wanted to buy a car.
So, he ordered two.
Zhou Chenglei brought the couple's sleepwear into the bathroom and then went out.
Jiang Xia closed the drawer and stood up, "Where did the twenty thousand come from? Did you get the money from Second Elder Brother Zhang?"
Zhou Chenglei embraced her waist, pulling her close, and kissed her gently, "No, before the Suigou Fair, we had negotiations with two foreign merchants, but they hadn't paid yet. After the fair, they finally paid and even placed additional orders for dozens of units. I used that money to book the cars."
"The manufacturer originally said that the cars would be available for pickup after the New Year, in April of next year. By then, the summer solstice would also be approaching."
He planned to give it to Jiang Xia as a birthday gift.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Fuyan helped negotiate with the manufacturer to allocate two additional cars from Jing City, allowing them to receive the vehicles ahead of schedule.
It turned out that the final payment for the Suigou Fair had been made, which explained why she wasn't aware of it.
Jiang Xia glared at him, "You bought cars without discussing it with me, without asking what I like or letting me test-drive and choose one. What if I can't get used to driving it?"
Zhou Chenglei kissed her again, "If we discussed it, there wouldn't be any surprise. I know you like Jeeps, and Xia Dong also said you like them. If you can't get used to driving it, I'll teach you."
Previously, she had enjoyed riding in Zhang Rong's Jeep.
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Moreover, although Jeeps appear larger and more imposing than sedans, they offer better visibility and are easier to drive in the village due to their higher vantage point.
Jiang Xia spoke up again, "I like Jeeps, but I also like the type of sedan my dad has. Should we buy one?"
Zhou Chenglei kissed her and lifted her entire body, "We'll buy a sedan next time. Now, let's take a shower and go to bed. Tomorrow, I'll take you for a drive."
He carried her directly into the bathroom.
Having an en-suite bathroom and toilet in the room was indeed convenient.
They took a hot shower together, and after coaxing her to sleep, he waited until the bed was warm before taking a cold shower himself.
Never before had he felt the days to be so long. It would be more than a year before the child could be born, and this wait was truly torturous.
The next day, after breakfast, the maternal grandparents' family was already preparing to leave early.
Zhou Mu had prepared return gifts for each family, not only the customary items but also additional gifts such as dried fish, shrimp, oyster flakes, assorted fish fingers, and other dried seafood as return gifts for them to take home. Each family received a large jute bag.
Everyone received dried fish, but since the maternal grandparents' family lived far away, they were given a larger portion.
Jiang Xia also prepared a red envelope with 500 yuan, a set of clothes, and some health products for each of her grandparents. She placed the red envelopes directly in the pockets of the clothes to avoid the elders refusing the money if given directly.
She also prepared a large gift bag of treats for each child.
All the items were packed in jute bags, and from the outside, they appeared to be the same size.
However, Tan Yudai had a feeling that the bag for her family was different from the others.
Zhou Fu smiled and said to the maternal grandmother, "Mom, you mentioned wanting to bring back some sand to sprout beans, so I packed some for you."
The maternal grandmother smiled and said, "Okay."
Then, Zhou Fu looked at the jute bags and said, "I forgot which bag I put it in. Whoever finds it, give it to Mom!"
Zhou Mu asked her parents to stay a little longer, "Uncle, Aunt, stay a little longer. I'll send you home after the New Year."
The dialect they used to address their parents was not 'Dad' or 'Mom', nor 'Father' or 'Mother', but 'Uncle' and 'Aunt'.
The elders waved their hands, "We won't stay. It's almost the New Year, and we need to go back."
Zhou Fu didn't understand their dialect, "Dad, Mom, please stay here with peace of mind. It's cold now, and there's no work to do at home."
Jiang Xia also smiled, "Grandpa, Grandma, stay a little longer and play for a few more days. Whenever you feel like going back, Ah Lei can drive you home. It's very convenient."
Zhou Mu nodded, "Yes!"
Living far away, Zhou Mu only visited her parents once or twice a year, and she also wanted to take this opportunity to show her filial piety.
"We won't stay. There's work to do at home, and when Xia is about to give birth, we'll come back to see the baby."
The elders had already learned from Zhou Mu that Jiang Xia was expecting triplets, and they were so delighted that they couldn't sleep for half the night.
All their children and grandchildren had married and had children, established their careers, and lived together as a four-generation family. They had no more wishes and were content.
No matter how they tried to persuade them, the elders were determined to leave, so Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin drove them to the city to catch their ride home.
(End of Chapter)
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