Chapter 632: All the Elders
Chapter 632: All the Elders
Jiang Xia came out after feeding the children and heard Zhang Rui talking about how twisted Zhao Cheng Lei used to be.
She laughed, holding Elder Brother, and asked, "Were you that strict back then?"
Zhao Cheng Lei, who was patting his daughter's back, nodded. "Yeah."
Being lenient would have cost their lives and compromised national interests and security.
Zhang Rong was holding Younger Brother and feeding him water with a small spoon.
Grandma had said to give the children some water after feeding them to prevent milk from lingering in their mouths, so he did just that.
He had never been this patient with his own son when he was little.
After feeding Younger Brother some water, he smiled and said, "Your dad used to be really fierce. Everyone was afraid of him. You better be careful when you grow up!"
Younger Brother, seeing Zhang Rong talking to him, waved his hands, kicked his legs, and grinned, saying, "Ah ha!"
Zhang Rui added, "Luckily, none of the kids take after their dad. They're all as cheerful as their mom, or they wouldn't be so cute!"
Jiang Xia laughed.
Zhao Cheng Lei didn't bother to respond to the two brothers.
At that moment, Liu Weizhen's voice came from the gate, "Xia, I've found a tricycle."
Jiang Xia smiled and replied, "Come in!"
Then she turned to Zhao Cheng Lei and said, "Put the children down and help move the clothes out."
Li Qiufeng immediately stood up, "I'll carry Little Treasure."
Zhang Rui also offered, "Where are the clothes? I'll help move them."
Jiang Xia pointed to a room, "They're in the east room."
The three men went to move the clothes.
Liu Weizhen brought the tricycle driver in and was stunned to see the three men, each more handsome and dashing than the last, carrying large bundles of clothes out.
Indeed, birds of a feather flock together. Jiang Xia was beautiful, and those around her were all handsome and charming!
Jiang Xia, holding the children, said to Liu Weizhen, "Let's start with two hundred sets today. You can come back for more once you sell them. Otherwise, there won't be enough space in the dorm."
"Sure."
"My cousin wants to learn how to sell clothes. Would it be convenient to bring her along?"
Liu Weizhen immediately replied, "Of course, why not? Xia's cousin, whenever you're free, come find me. I usually go sell clothes during my free time between classes. My schedule is the same as Xia's. I have no classes tomorrow afternoon, so I plan to set up a stall on Fujing Street at one-thirty after lunch. Are you available then?"
Zhao Cheng Lei said, "Go ahead, I'll be at home tomorrow."
The contract was signed, so he and Zhang Rong didn't need to go to the factory every day. They only had to attend a meeting once or twice a week.
Li Qiufeng said, "Alright, I'll come find you tomorrow."
One-thirty was when the children usually took their afternoon nap, and they would wake up around four-thirty. She could come back by four.
Jiang Xia added, "I'll take you to see the school tomorrow."
Jiang Xia had many classes these days, including her major courses and foreign language classes.
Since she was going to the Guangzhou Trade Fair, she had discussed with her students and rescheduled her classes. She planned to finish three of the four foreign language classes for the coming week ahead of time and make up the remaining three after she returned.
Once all the clothes were loaded onto the tricycle, Zhang Rui returned to the courtyard and gave Li Qiufeng a thumbs-up with a smile. "You're getting better and better!"
For someone who was usually quiet and introverted, blushing at the sound of a word, it took a lot of courage to go out and sell clothes on the street.
Li Qiufeng was still not used to being complimented and her face turned red involuntarily.
Seeing her blush, Zhang Rui smiled.
Zhang Rong glanced at his younger brother.
After returning to the capital city yesterday, he had visited his grandparents right after landing.
Grandma said that during the National Day ceremony, this young man brought a girl with him and asked if Zhang Rui had someone he liked.
She also mentioned that the Dong family’s granddaughter and the Zeng family’s granddaughter had both been pushed forward as potential matches.
Grandma said that from a distance, the girl looked gentle and quiet, and she asked him to remind Zhang Rui to bring the girl home when he had the chance.
This way, no one would come to introduce him to other matches, disturbing the old man and her peaceful life.
In recent years, many people had approached the old man and Grandma to introduce potential matches for him, severely disrupting Grandma’s quiet life.
He, on the other hand, was well hidden in the military, far from all the noise, leaving the two elders to bear the brunt of it.
After dinner, on their way back, he asked Zhang Rui, "What do you think about your cousin?"
Zhang Rui looked ahead at the dimly lit road and honestly replied, "I like her. Being with her feels easy and comfortable."
Unlike the girls introduced to him by others, who looked at him as if he were a piece of prime meat.
They were more interested in his external conditions and family background, not him as a person.
Of course, the matches others introduced to him also came from good families, and marrying someone from a good family could be mutually beneficial.
But he didn’t need mutual benefits and found all the complications annoying.
He could work hard for what he wanted and achieve it on his own.
As for marriage, he wanted something simple and peaceful, like his grandparents—living a life of mutual support.
He didn’t want to come home exhausted from training every day and then have to deal with the complex interpersonal relationships of two families.
Like his older brother’s marriage, which was a mess.
That wasn’t what he wanted.
He wanted to marry a simple girl and live a simple life.
"Then you should formally ask Lei for her hand in marriage! If you keep this up, Lei will soon stop letting you in. I can’t always come back to Capital City to accompany you for these visits! If you wait until Minglu introduces you, you can go whenever you want, without needing me."
Zhang Rui said, "I don’t have much leave this month. You can come back next month to accompany me."
The next time he had a break, he could go to his cousin’s place to drop off some books, giving him a legitimate reason without feeling guilty.
Zhang Rong: "……"
This was even more troublesome than when he himself got married!
Zhang Rui turned to look at him again, "Do you think she would agree if I proposed now?"
Zhang Rong: "……Probably not."
Lei’s cousin was simple-minded, but her simplicity meant she wouldn’t entertain unrealistic hopes.
Zhang Rui sighed, "If only I were a few years younger."
He felt like an old ox now.
He didn’t dare to face Fourth Brother’s eyes!
Zhang Rong’s lips twitched. When this kid was ten, he used to shout every day that he wanted to grow up quickly, that he wanted to go to war, fly fighter jets, drive tanks, and operate artillery!
Now at twenty-six, he felt old!
"Second Brother, can you feel out Fourth Brother for me? I can’t bring myself to ask him."
Zhang Rui was genuinely embarrassed!
He was afraid the cousin might mind his age, and he was also worried that Second Aunt and the grandparents would think he was too old, like an old ox eating young grass, with impure intentions.
He was also afraid of Zhao Cheng Lei……
He was afraid of everything, more afraid than he was of any mission.
On missions, he was excited!
Zhang Rong knew his concerns, "What are you afraid of? Lei himself is an old ox."
Zhang Rui: "……"
Of course, he knew that, but he didn’t dare say it!
Who had a stronger punch?
"Second Brother, if Fourth Brother tells me to get lost, say this! Help me!"
He decided to wait until next month when Second Aunt returned and his cousin knew him a bit better before he expressed his feelings.
Zhang Rong: "Get lost!"
Was he stupid?
Zhang Rui: "……"
*
There’s one more chapter I couldn’t finish in time, I’ll add it tomorrow morning.(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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