Chapter 79: The Future Daughter-in-Law Comes to Inspect the Home
Chapter 79: The Future Daughter-in-Law Comes to Inspect the Home
Although the official day for the future daughter-in-law to inspect the home was set for tomorrow, all of Deng Shirong’s relatives had already gathered at his house by the afternoon today.
The reason for their early arrival was primarily due to the inconvenient transportation of the era. If they were to come tomorrow, they would only arrive in time for the meal, and as relatives, it was important to arrive early to help with the preparations.
This was especially true for Chen Dachong, Deng Yuntao’s second uncle, who was skilled in butchering pigs. He naturally rushed over first to lend a hand.
Indeed, even though Deng Shirong’s system space still had over three hundred pounds of meat, he still bought a large, fat pig from a villager to slaughter for tomorrow’s visit. The purpose was to show the utmost respect for the visiting family.
Buying pork and slaughtering a pig might weigh the same, but in the eyes of others, the significance of slaughtering a pig far outweighed simply buying meat. So, despite having plenty of meat in his system space, Deng Shirong still spent the money to buy a large pig.
This was a matter of maintaining face, and he was determined to do it right.
As mentioned earlier, in Shuangwang, there were certain dishes that were essential for any banquet, such as egg rolls, meatballs, and braised pork. These dishes required a lot of preparation time, so the pig had to be slaughtered in advance. Waiting until tomorrow would have been too late.
While the Deng family was sharpening their knives and preparing to slaughter the pig, the Zhang family’s invited relatives had also gathered.
At that moment, the relatives were curiously inquiring about the situation at the male’s home from Zhang’s parents.
Previously, when the Zhang family notified their relatives, the matter had not been fully settled, so Zhang’s parents had only sent a brief message without providing many details about the male’s family.
“Sister, brother-in-law, you have to tell me about the match you found for Xiuping! I’ve been dying of curiosity. If it weren’t for the busy schedule at home, I would have come over to ask you much earlier!” Zhang’s younger sister was genuinely curious. Her niece was very beautiful, and she knew her sister and brother-in-law had been trying to find a well-off match for her. Now that the match was almost finalized, she naturally wanted to know more about the male’s family.
It wasn’t just Zhang’s younger sister who was curious; the other relatives were equally eager to know, and they all looked expectantly at Zhang’s parents.
Hearing her younger sister bring up the topic, Zhang’s mother couldn’t hide her smile. She replied with a beaming face, “The match for Xiuping is quite good. Not only does he come from a good family, but he’s also very capable. He’s currently the head potter at their family’s brick and tile factory.”
This short statement revealed a lot of information, which left Zhang’s younger sister and the other relatives in shock.
Although the relatives weren’t well-educated, they understood the significance of the phrase “family’s brick and tile factory.” In those times, owning a factory, regardless of the type, was a big deal in rural areas.
Additionally, being the head potter was a highly respected position, making him one of the most sought-after men in the matchmaking scene.
The combination of these factors naturally left the relatives in awe.
Zhang Xiuping sat quietly to the side, listening to her mother proudly introduce her match to the relatives and hearing their exclamations of admiration. While she felt proud, she couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious. Apart from her good looks and figure, she didn’t have many standout qualities, and she wondered if she would be able to win the heart of her match.
And who knows what kind of temper her fiance might have? Will he hit her when he’s angry? What if she can’t bear a son—will he just abandon her?
All sorts of chaotic thoughts swirled in Zhang Xiuping’s mind. She was both excited and anxious about the meeting the next day, hoping to find someone who would truly care for her.
...
It was the sixteenth day of the tenth lunar month, a Sunday.
This day marked the Panwang Festival of the Yao ethnic group.
The Panwang Festival originated from an ancient song and dance gathering of the Yao people. On this day, they would gather to sing and dance, commemorating King Pan. Over time, this tradition evolved into the Panwang Festival.
Today was also the day when the bride’s family would visit Deng Shirong’s home to inspect it. Early in the morning, relatives and friends were busy preparing.
As the main man of the day, Deng Yuntao put on the new clothes his elder sister had made for him. He had also gotten a haircut from Shuangwang the day before. Although the barber’s skills were mediocre and lacked any sense of style, the fresh cut made Deng Yuntao look quite spirited.
Deng Changyuan, Deng Yuntao’s childhood friend, had also made an effort to look presentable today.
Well, it wasn’t much of an effort—just wearing clean clothes without patches.
Deng Changyuan had really taken Deng Yuntao’s words to heart. He hoped that the bride-to-be would bring her two friends along, and if he could catch the eye of one of them, it would be perfect!
Usually, the bride’s visit to the groom’s home was led by a matchmaker. However, since Deng Shirong was arranging the marriage for his own son, he couldn’t go to the bride’s home to escort her. Instead, he had the bride’s family come over on their own.
But Deng Shirong didn’t just wait at home. After directing everyone to prepare, he took his eldest daughter to Tanlian Crossroads to wait for the bride’s family.
The journey from home to Tanlian Crossroads was about ten kilometers, but Deng Shirong was on a bicycle. He and his daughter arrived at the crossroads before ten in the morning.
Tanlian Crossroads was a crucial point on the route from Longtan to Shuangwang, so they were sure to catch the bride’s family there.
While waiting, Deng Yunzhen asked, “Dad, did you mention to Sister Ping that we met and chatted at the noodle stall?”
Deng Shirong smiled, “No, I didn’t. I wanted to surprise her by bringing you out to greet her.”
Deng Yunzhen giggled, “I bet Sister Ping never dreamed that the girl she met at the noodle stall would be her future sister-in-law!”
Deng Shirong chuckled, “Your future sister-in-law is a smart woman. She might not have thought of it before, but once she sees you, she’ll probably realize why you struck up a conversation with her at the noodle stall!”
Deng Yunzhen said, “That’s understandable. After all, how often does something like that happen? I just wonder if she remembers that you were also at that noodle stall.”
Deng Shirong shook his head, “She probably doesn’t remember that at all…”
As they waited and chatted, about ten minutes passed. Deng Shirong, with his keen eyesight, spotted a group of people walking toward them. He immediately recognized Zhang Xiuping, who was leading the way.
(End of Chapter)
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