The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 10 Marriage
"Okay, I'll accept this gift. After all, this is the first time our son has given us a gift." Old Liu said happily, "You have to understand the ways of the world, but you also have to have achievements in your work."

"I see. I'm just trying to come up with a result that will really scare you guys."

"It's better not to do that." Ms. Chen hurriedly stopped him: "You have only been working for less than half a year. It's best to be down-to-earth and not do things with unrealistic ideas. Now you should read more, ask more, learn more, and lay a solid foundation before talking about achievements."

Liu Hua sat on the sofa and picked up Lao Liu's teacup: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Well, the tea tastes good today, Longjing."

"You're pretending to know. This is clearly Yuhua tea." Old Liu said disdainfully, "This is my teacup. Just pick it up and drink from it. Do you have any manners?"

"If I remember correctly, Yuhua tea is a specialty of Jinling. People in Beijing don't like to drink it."

Old Liu said proudly, "Your father has been in the army for seven or eight years, and his colleagues and comrades are all over the world. It's not difficult to get some Jinling specialties. This is your Uncle Xue, who came to Beijing from Jinling to do business and brought me two kilograms."

"Give me half a pound." Liu Hua said bluntly, "I'll take it back to improve the relationship between my colleagues."

"Sure, ask your mother to give you some later, and don't forget it when you leave."

Ms. Chen handed a cup of fresh tea to Lao Liu and said, "I'll let you show off. Your son must be thinking about you."

"It's not like a son stealing from his father. What's more, he didn't take it secretly, but asked me for it. He was quite polite." Old Liu said with a smile, "He's much better than many prodigal sons. Director Zhang in the district finally asked someone to get him a military officer's coat. He hadn't worn it twice before his son stole it to show off. In the end, I don't know who took it away. Old Zhang's belt was even broken."

Liu Hua said in surprise: "No way? A piece of clothing won't break a belt."

Lao Liu put down his teacup and said, "Is this about a piece of clothing? This kid stole things from home and went out to show off. He has a very bad influence. If Lao Zhang doesn't break this belt, I'm afraid he will do something even more outrageous in the future."

Ms. Chen sat next to her son and said, "Son, you have been in class for half a year. Do you have a girl you like?"

"Mom, I'm not even nineteen yet, isn't it a little early to talk about this?"

"It's not too early. Nowadays, people love freely. You should pay more attention to it. When you find someone, you will be 19 years old. After a year or so of dating, you can get married."

Liu Hua began to shirk his responsibility: "My job is not stable yet, and I can't provide the woman with a stable life. If I marry her hastily, it would be irresponsible to the woman and to the family."

"What kind of talk is that? Your view on marriage is very problematic." Liu's mother scolded, "Marriage is not about you marrying her, or her marrying you. It is about the two of you coming together to form a small family. This is the responsibility given to you by history and society. Only when the two of you work together can your future life be happy. One-sided efforts cannot bring a happy life."

"If you are like my dad, who reads the newspaper or listens to the radio when he gets home from work, and doesn't even help with housework when the oil bottle falls over, can you say that you have made a contribution to the family?"

"Narrow-minded, your view is quite narrow." Liu's mother shook her head: "The construction of a family is not only about the construction within the family, but also includes the position in society. Due to historical reasons, men have dominated. Although men and women are equal now, the contribution made by men to the family in society is still mainstream. Of course, in the future, it is not ruled out that with the growth of civilization, women can also make important contributions to the family in society. What I want to emphasize is that the burden your father bears for the family in society is no lighter than the burden I bear at home doing trivial things." "Very wonderful judgment." Liu Hua smiled and applauded: "As expected of working in the Women's Federation, you look at problems not only in the long term, but also in a fair way."

"That's right. Your mother's work experience over the years was not in vain."

At this time, the aroma from the kitchen wafted out, and Liu Hua asked curiously: "What delicious food are you eating today? It smells so good."

"I went to Changping two days ago," Lao Liu explained. "After finishing my business, I still had half a day to spare. We went up the mountain to shoot some rabbits and pheasants. Since you are coming back soon, I gave you a rabbit to replenish your body."

"It does smell good." Liu Hua said with a smile, "I'm drooling. But, Dad, you know what? If people only eat rabbit meat and nothing else, they will starve to death in less than a month."

"What kind of perverse theory is this? Can't eating meat stop you from talking?"

"I'm not just talking nonsense. This is based on science." Liu Hua began to talk about knowledge, rolling up his sleeves and saying, "Because rabbit meat has very low fat content, most of it is protein. When the human body consumes excessive protein, it needs energy and other nutrients to support it, but eating rabbit meat alone cannot provide energy and other nutrients. So in the long run, the more you eat, the thinner you will become, and eventually you will starve to death."

"That sounds very convincing. Do you want to eat the rabbit meat tonight?"

Liu Hua said as a matter of course: "Why not eat? I don't just eat rabbit meat, I also eat staple food and other dishes. And I don't eat rabbit every day, so I won't starve to death."

"Well, why do you bother with that? If there's meat, just eat it. How difficult is it to get some meat these days?"

The family of three had a sumptuous dinner, and I have to say that the braised rabbit meat was really delicious.

What little leftovers were taken away by Liu Hua in a lunch box. You have to know that his treatment was in no way comparable to that of his parents. The soup was full of oil.

When he returned to the compound, it was already dark. As the temperature had not dropped yet, the young and old men did not sit in the yard and chat, which was considered a little entertainment before going to bed.

The third uncle was not standing at the door at this moment. Liu Hua easily put the lunch box in his room, and then went out to chat with everyone.

Everyone was chatting excitedly. Jia Dongxu was drunk like a cat. He walked in from outside and saw that his apprentice couldn't even walk in a straight line. Yi Zhonghai looked a little unhappy and his smile disappeared immediately.

"I heard that Sister Qin is pregnant again." Sha Zhu angrily whispered in Liu Hua's ear: "Jia Dongxu is not at home to take good care of the pregnant woman. He goes out to drink cat urine every day and makes the pregnant woman take care of him. He is really a piece of shit."

(End of this chapter)