mtl008 Chapter 201 "He Yuzhu" 5
Chapter 201 "He Yuzhu" 5
At first, she thought about separating from her brother, but Wang Dahe disagreed. He was worried about his sister living alone. Although there were still uncles and elders in the village, and he was there too, these were not peaceful times. His sister wasn't ugly, and if she was not careful, someone might target her and harm her. It would be too late to regret it then.
To be honest, Wang Yan was also afraid that something might happen if she lived alone. So, after thinking it over, she still felt that she had to get married. As long as the family she married was decent, everyone could live in peace.
She had already mentioned it to a matchmaker in the neighborhood, but she wasn't planning on marrying just anyone. He Daqing was the third person the matchmaker had mentioned to her. She had rejected the first two because she felt their families were too large and their relationships too complicated.
When the matchmaker introduced He Daqing, she learned that he was a cook with a house and a job in Beiping, earning more than 50 yuan a month. His 15-year-old son also had a job, and he only had a 5-year-old daughter to take care of. Following He Daqing's instructions, the matchmaker told him the truth: he was mainly looking for a wife to take care of his daughter.
Of course, if they have other children after marriage, he will treat them equally. Although He Daqing is a bit older, she will definitely have no worries about food and clothing if she follows him. Going to Beiping to live and become a city dweller is something that all the girls in the village yearn for.
After ascertaining that He Daqing had no other faults, Wang Yan agreed to meet him. The matchmaker, seeing that she had agreed, told her to wait at home for news. Once the meeting was scheduled, the matchmaker would arrange for the two of them to meet.
Wang Yan wasn't in a hurry. She was thinking of asking her uncles and brothers to inquire about He Daqing's situation. After all, she couldn't completely listen to what the matchmaker said. He was a city person, and if she discovered any bad habits after the marriage, her family might not be able to stand up for her.
The next day, Wang Yan's uncle took her cousin to Nanluoguxiang, but they didn't go to No. 95 to inquire about the news. They were all neighbors, and no matter how good or bad their relationship with He Daqing was, what they said would not be objective or fair.
They were chatting with someone nearby when the topic turned to chefs. He Daqing was the only famous chef in the area, so they started talking about it and quickly learned a pretty good deal about He Daqing's family.
After understanding the situation, the two returned to the village and told Wang Yan about He Daqing's situation. It was pretty much the same as what the matchmaker had said, except for the fact that He Daqing had been visiting the Eight Great Hutongs a couple of years ago. But that was understandable, since he didn't have a wife at home. He hadn't gone there when his wife was alive. That was fine; he was a man who could settle down and live a good life.
After Wang Yan had a clear idea of what was going on, she waited for the matchmaker to give her a message, not knowing whether the other side would be willing to find an older rural maid.
The matchmaker went to He Daqing's sister-in-law and told her about Wang Yan's situation. When she heard it, her sister-in-law thought that this situation was better than the other candidates introduced in the past few days. Except for being from the countryside, she was suitable in every way. But being from the countryside was not a problem. Once married, she would be a city person. It was not like He Daqing could not afford to support her.
So she told the matchmaker to wait for a reply while she went to tell He Daqing that if He Daqing was willing, they could arrange for the two to meet this week on their day off. The matchmaker was naturally happy to agree.
That afternoon, the sister-in-law went to the steel rolling mill to find He Daqing and told him about Wang Yan's situation. He Daqing thought it was a good match and said he would go home and discuss it with his children. If the children had no objections, they could meet at the sister-in-law's house on the weekend.
What opinions could He Yuzhu have? He didn't need to rely on He Daqing for a living. He just didn't want He Daqing to be tricked and driven away, and then have to face all sorts of deities in this courtyard.
As for whether his wife is good or not, he doesn't care. If she's not good, he'll just raise Yushui alone. It's not like he can't afford to support her. And Yushui has no objections either.
So on their day off this week, the family dressed neatly and met with Wang Yan's family at He Daqing's home. Wang Yan came with her uncle and Wang Dahe.
After introducing themselves to each other, they learned about each other's backgrounds beforehand. The main point of the meeting was whether they liked each other's appearances. Fortunately, He Daqing was still young, and He Yuzhu had tidied him up, so he looked quite presentable.
Needless to say, Wang Yan, although her skin was a bit rough, was still quite pretty. Not only was she a young woman in her prime, but she was also ten years younger than He Daqing. So, both sides were quite satisfied with her.
Seeing that Wang Yan and He Yushui got along well, and having asked the matchmaker if the woman was also satisfied with him, He Daqing discussed the next steps with Wang Yan's uncle.
Because the house still needs some repairs, the two parties agreed to complete the necessary gift-giving ceremony, get the marriage certificate first, and then hold the wedding ceremony after the house is repaired. At that time, Wang Yan will move into the courtyard house.
He Daqing gave a bride price of 20 yuan, which was quite high at the time. The Wang family had lunch there and tasted He Daqing's cooking. The Wang family was even more satisfied with the marriage and felt that Wang Yan would be blessed in the future.
When the Wang family left in the afternoon, He Yuzhu took out two bottles of wine, two pieces of meat, and 20 jin of rice from the house. These were things he had taken out from his space during a short trip. Of course, they were all stored in his space in the past, not supplies from later generations.
Uncle Wang did not refuse, which shows that Wang Yan has gained the recognition and attention of He Daqing's family. He promised that Wang Yan would definitely treat the two children as her own, and if Wang Yan made any mistakes in the future, he would personally come to her house to teach her a lesson.
After seeing the Wang family off, He Daqing and his family of three thanked his sister-in-law and headed towards the courtyard house.
On the way, He Yuzhu said, "Dad, let's buy a bicycle. Wangjia Village isn't that close, but it's not that far either. If we buy a bicycle, you can use it to pick up your bride on your wedding day, and it will be more convenient for you to take Aunt Wang back to her parents' home later."
“That works too. I’ll probably be going to Wangjia Village often in the future, so I need to buy a bicycle.” He Daqing thought He Yuzhu’s suggestion was correct.
"And our house, our house is the main house in the middle courtyard, it's over five meters, almost six meters high. When it was built, it could have been divided into two floors, so if you and Aunt Wang have a few more children in the future, they can live there too."
"Once the house is repaired, the rainwater will stay next to yours, and I'll move into the side room. We'll also need to replace some of the furniture. We'll go to the trust store and choose some made of Phoebe zhennan or rosewood, so we can pass them down as family heirlooms," He Yuzhu added.
"You're really thinking ahead!" He Daqing glanced at He Yuzhu with a hint of annoyance, but ultimately did not object. They could choose some ordinary styles that wouldn't attract attention, since most people don't have that much knowledge.
He had agreed to go back to the courtyard to get the money and then buy a bicycle. When he was almost home, He Yuzhu put the small wooden box that he had stored in his space back in its original place. Since He Daqing was not going to run away, he would leave it for He Daqing to arrange later.