GBP Chapter 312 What are they now?
Chapter 312 What are they now?
Since arriving at my elder brother and sister-in-law's house, we've had delicious meals every day. Aunt Xiangqin and Sister Cai'er cook very well, with a variety of dishes that taste great. They often cook different dishes for everyone, and we all eat heartily and are very full.
Ever since Mother smashed the Juxianlou restaurant's signboard, their family has been eating thin porridge and vegetables every day, without a drop of oil. With so many mouths to feed, they can't even get enough to eat even if they fight over it.
Shen Qianchuan felt a little uneasy. He wondered if he was being too selfish, abandoning his parents to live a good life.
But if he doesn't leave them behind, his life is over!
Now, he has finally managed to come out with his older brother, set up a breakfast stall to earn money, and is staying at a pig's trotter shop jointly owned by his older brother, sister-in-law, and Manager Su. They never ask him for rent, which is only because Manager Su is considerate of his older brother and the others.
He should cherish this opportunity!
If we pay off the debt in the future and save up some money, we can go home to see our parents whenever we want and give them some money to spend. But we must never let them know where we live now, otherwise, knowing my mother and my youngest brother's personalities, they will definitely come over immediately.
He couldn't bear to see his parents suffer at home, but his elder brother and sister-in-law's family had finally gotten rid of their parents, and he couldn't be unkind and unjust and let them down.
Shui Sheng and Wu Yu worked hard every day for the pig's trotter shop, going to other counties to supply restaurants from dawn till dusk. Cai'er and Xiao Jiu were both homeless. Everyone needed the work at the pig's trotter shop, but even more so, they needed this cobbled-together home.
Shen Qianchuan took a deep breath, put aside his melancholy, and ate with everyone as usual.
Of all the people at the table, Xiaoyu was the youngest, and everyone liked to serve her food. Soon, the bowls in front of her were piled up like a small mountain.
Xiaoyu complained, "Oh dear, I can't finish this! Xiangqin, please stop putting food on my plate. I'm going to be stuffed soon."
Aunt Xiangqin smiled and said, "Children should eat more so they can grow up to be chubby, healthy, and good-looking. You should eat more meat, and if you can't finish the vegetables, give them to me later and I'll help you eat them."
Qingchuan hurriedly said, "Auntie, don't always rush to serve everyone food. Eat it while it's hot. Yu'er is not a little girl anymore. She can serve herself whatever she likes. Don't spoil her, or she'll become too pampered when she grows up."
He felt that a girl should be like Tang'er. In the future, she would not be mistreated when she got married and went to her husband's family. She was capable and could earn money. How could her husband's family dare not take her seriously?
In contrast, Cherrie Ying is gentle and virtuous, good in every way, but because of her soft nature, she didn't meet a good husband, and her good life was ruined.
If Shuisheng and Cai'er really get together, it would be a good thing. But if they don't, Cai'er will be lonely for the rest of her life, which makes people feel uncomfortable.
Shuisheng is getting on in years. If he doesn't get married soon, he'll probably have a hard time finding a good wife as he gets older.
Wu Yu and Lao Si are both of marriageable age. What are we going to do with all these bachelors in this big family?
Ugh!
This family is such a worry!
Today, Liu Cai'er got her period, but her brother-in-law and Shui Sheng bought meat and vegetables to improve everyone's meals. The whole family was very happy, but her sister was in postpartum confinement. With all the men in the family, only she and Aunt Xiangqin were left who knew how to cook. She couldn't let Aunt Xiangqin do all the work just because she had her period.
So, she forced herself to cook for everyone despite her weak and powerless body. But now, looking at the table full of delicious-looking food, she had no appetite at all.
Shui Sheng and Liu Cai'er sat next to each other. Whether it was a coincidence or someone deliberately arranged for them to sit together, he couldn't help but keep an eye on Liu Cai'er.
Anyway, he was certain that he liked Liu Cai'er. One of them was unmarried, and the other had a divorce certificate, so it was only natural for them to be together.
He placed a piece of meat in Liu Cai'er's bowl, and then picked up a slice of bamboo shoot with his chopsticks. "You don't look too well. Eat more meat to nourish yourself. These bamboo shoots taste good too. Eat more and don't just shovel rice on your plate."
Everyone at the table turned to look at the two of them, staring so intently that Liu Cai'er blushed and lowered her head, wishing she could disappear into the ground.
What are they now?
Everything was fine before, nothing happened in private, and things were going well in public. I don't know what got into Shui Sheng, but he actually put food on her plate in public. Isn't this just causing everyone to misunderstand?
Shui Sheng used to blush, but now he doesn't. He feels that a real man should show his feelings when he likes someone. Everyone at this table is family, so why hide it? He wants to be good to Liu Cai'er and tell everyone his feelings for her.
Even if she had been married and had children, he didn't care!
He looked at Lin Qingchuan and said, "Brother Qingchuan, I want you and your wife to be my matchmakers. I want to marry Cai'er."
After saying that, he turned to look at Liu Cai'er and said nervously, "I like you, I cherish you, and I want to marry you. If you are willing, just nod. You can decide the wedding date. I will give you all the dozens of taels of silver I have as a bride price. However... however, I can't afford a house in the county right now. I can only ask you to live with me in the pig's trotter shop for the time being. We will move out with my mother after we buy a house."
OMG!
Everyone was shocked. Recently, everyone had noticed that Shui Sheng had feelings for Liu Cai'er, but no one expected that he would say it out loud at the dinner table.
Wu Yu was the first to react. She clapped and said, "Great! Brother Shuisheng is a real man. He's reliable, capable, and responsible. Sister Cai'er is gentle and virtuous. You two are a perfect match. Sister Cai'er, please agree to him. You can't miss out on such a good man."
Shen Qianchuan chimed in, "That's right, Sister Cai'er is beautiful and virtuous. It's hard to find such a good woman. Brother Shuisheng should hurry up and marry her, have two children, and make sure they're as smart as Xiaotang. She can lead us in business, and our lives will definitely get better and better."
Xiaoyu put down her chopsticks, clapped her chubby little hands, and happily chimed in, "Oh, that's great! Uncle Shuisheng and Auntie are getting married! There's a wedding feast, and I get to eat at the feast too..."
Aunt Xiangqin was shocked that her son had made a decision in front of everyone without even asking her opinion, and had proposed to Liu Cai'er, which was also considered a marriage proposal. She was so angry that her face immediately fell.
Although Shui Sheng is a bit older, he is only in his twenties. Liu Cai'er is four or five years older than Shui Sheng. Women have to give birth and worry about household chores, so they naturally age faster. Men only have to do chores, so they age relatively slower than women.
They're both young now and look about the same age, but what if Liu Cai'er has two more children, and in ten or eight years, the difference between them grows bigger and bigger?
Even walking together in public can attract gossip!
These are not the things she finds most unacceptable. What she finds most unacceptable is that Liu Cai'er has two sons. What if those two come looking for her in the future? If Liu Cai'er is unwilling to abandon them, will Shui Sheng have to raise another man's son as well?
Those two will grow up to buy houses and get married. How much more money will Shuisheng have to spend on other people's sons?
Seeing Aunt Xiangqin's dark face, everyone guessed that she was probably unhappy about the marriage. They were quick to understand, and the jeers gradually subsided.
Liu Cai'er blushed, her mind a jumble of thoughts, unsure of what to do.
If she were a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl waiting to be married, and she met such a bold and outspoken man, her heart would definitely flutter and she might impulsively agree to marry him. But she is now in her twenties, much older than Shuisheng, and a divorced woman who has been married, had children, and was abandoned by her husband's family. How could she be worthy of a man like Shuisheng who has never been married?
So she didn't agree to Shui Sheng's request, got up and ran back to her room as if fleeing. Just as she reached out to open the door, a voice behind her brooked no refusal.
"I disagree!"
It was Aunt Xiangqin who said it.
Her face darkened with anger. "You two are not a good match. If you insist on marrying her, then don't acknowledge me as your mother anymore."
After saying that, she left in a huff!
Shuisheng was puzzled when he saw his mother publicly oppose the marriage. Liu Cai'er was so good, why would his mother disagree? So what if she had two sons? It's not like he couldn't earn money.
He originally wanted to pursue Liu Cai'er, to have a good talk with her, and to ask her how she felt. Now he could only talk to his mother first, and after calming her down, he would go to find Cai'er.
Shuisheng followed his mother to her room with a helpless expression.
Everyone at the table was stunned; they hadn't expected the meal to end so unpleasantly.
Liu Cai'er paused, then pushed the door open again, returned to her room, and sat on the edge of the bed, secretly grieving.
Actually, she liked Shuisheng. Compared to Xie Laifu, that lazy, good-for-nothing beast who beat her at the drop of a hat, Shuisheng, like her brother-in-law, was a hardworking and good man.
Since arriving at her sister and brother-in-law's house, Shuisheng has always been eager to do the cleaning of pig trotters, just like his brother-in-law. He also always helps with fetching water. His thoughtful actions have been etched into her heart.
She used to treat Shui Sheng like a younger brother, but ever since the clothesline broke and he accidentally touched her underwear, creating an awkward situation, he has always secretly watched over her and helped her with chores. Her heart gradually became uncontrollable.
Now, even if Aunt Xiangqin objects, it makes her realize her own worth; she is not good enough for Shuisheng.
Since Aunt Xiangqin publicly objected, the marriage was called off, and she didn't necessarily want to remarry.
In the courtyard, everyone looked at each other, silently put down their bowls and chopsticks, finished dinner, and began to clean up.
Lin Xiaotang whispered, "Father, Aunt Xiangqin disagreed and even contradicted her in front of everyone, which embarrassed my aunt. My aunt must be very upset. I'm going to go see her."
"Okay, you go ahead, we'll take care of things here."
Wu Yu sighed, "What a wonderful marriage proposal! Why won't they agree?"
Xiaoyu asked innocently, "Dad, aren't Uncle Shuisheng and Auntie getting married?"
Seeing that Xiaoyu was deliberately bringing up a sore spot, and that she didn't even try to be quieter, Xiao Jiu quickly changed the subject, saying, "Xiaoyu, hurry up and get ready. I'll teach you to write in a bit."
Xiao Jiu usually studies hard whenever he has time, and he is serious and focused. So he rarely teaches Xiao Yu to recognize and write characters. Xiao Yu learns to recognize and write characters from her older sister. However, Lin Xiaotang's handwriting is also very ugly, and she doesn't know as many characters as Xiao Jiu. Therefore, in Xiao Yu's mind, Xiao Jiu is the best at reading and writing.
She exclaimed with delight, "Ninth Brother, you're willing to teach me to write? That's wonderful! Let's clean this place up quickly, and you can teach me to write more beautifully."
And so, Xiaoyu happily followed Xiaojiu to practice calligraphy under the locust tree.
Aunt Xiangqin returned to the house, sat on the edge of the bed, and wiped away her tears, crying uncontrollably.
She cried and muttered to herself, “Father, it’s all my fault. I’m just a woman, and my health is so bad that I’m bedridden all year round. I’ve spent all the money in the family, and now Shuisheng can’t get married. Life has finally gotten better, and we’ve saved up enough money to get married, but Shuisheng wants to marry a divorced woman. If word gets back to the village, all the relatives and neighbors will laugh at us to death and gossip about us. I can’t bear the shame.”
Shuisheng had just followed his mother into the house when he heard what she said, and he felt very uncomfortable.
Mother is disgusted that Cai'er was married before!
He looked troubled. “Mother, Cai’er has been married before, but the Xie family is inhumane and caused Cai’er to be divorced. It’s the Xie family’s fault, not Cai’er’s. She is also a poor and weak woman with a hard life. But think about it carefully. If the Xie family hadn’t been inhumane and didn’t know how to cherish her, how could a gentle, virtuous, and sensible woman like Cai’er have ended up with me?”
Aunt Xiangqin wiped away her tears and snorted coldly, "Don't talk to your mother about these nonsense. There are plenty of good women in this world. Does marrying a good woman mean you have to marry a divorced woman?"
Yes, Cai'er is exceptionally gentle and virtuous, but no matter how gentle and virtuous she is, it cannot make up for the fact that she was married before. But being married before is not what worries me the most. What worries me the most are her two sons from her ex-husband's family.
"As our lives get better and better, if those two come looking for us, would Cai'er have the heart to ignore them? It might all be your problem in the future!"
It turned out that the mother was worried about Cai'er's two sons from her previous marriage, fearing that they would become a burden in the future.
He patiently explained, “Mother, Cai’er and I are still young. We will have our own children after we get married. Cai’er has been living with us since she left the Xie family, but she has never gone back or visited those two. This proves that she is also heartbroken. I think she definitely won’t bring those two over, so you can rest assured.”
Those two are her own flesh and blood too. It's only natural that she wants to help them out and doesn't want to leave them behind. If they're truly obedient and well-behaved, then taking them in is fine. But if they're like that beast, even if we agree, Cai'er won't take them in.”
Aunt Xiangqin sighed deeply, trying to calm the anger rising in her chest.
She gave her son a cold glance, her face full of disapproval.
"No matter what, I will not agree to you marrying Cai'er. Just give up on that idea. Tomorrow I will go and inquire with the matchmakers in this county and arrange a marriage for you. I will not care about your family background, appearance, or age, as long as you are a good match for me, I will be willing."
Upon hearing this, Shui Sheng immediately panicked. He said with a face full of dissatisfaction, "Oh, Mother, what do you mean by 'willing'? Is it me getting married or you getting married? I don't want to, so stop making trouble. I won't marry anyone but Cai'er!"