Mixed in 1980

Chapter 457 No shame

After introducing themselves and exchanging pleasantries, everyone started walking inside. Lu Yan glanced at Chen Yanyin's second brother again, feeling that he looked particularly familiar.

The front yard is right inside the main gate!

Inside, there was another gate, known as the Second Gate or the Hanging Flower Gate. Chen Fan, accompanied by his three wives, greeted the guests here, displaying impeccable manners.

Once in the living room, tea was brewed, and after exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two sides began discussing the wedding arrangements. The dowry and betrothal gifts were only briefly mentioned; the main focus was on the wedding ceremony itself.

One banquet was held in the capital, inviting the bride's relatives and friends, as well as Lu You's classmates; another banquet was held in Guilin, inviting the groom's relatives and friends.

"Potatoes, sweet potatoes, come with me."

Chen Yanyin was with two children. Potato was the older brother, who was only six years old, and Little Sweet Potato was the younger sister, who was only four years old. They were both very cute and cuddly.

I only met him once when I went to Guilin last time.

She took the two children to the room, had the nanny bring a fruit platter, and played with them for a while before taking a small box out of the drawer.

Upon opening the box, one finds a Hetian jade "Peaceful" pendant and a jadeite "Safety Buckle".

Chen Yanyin put the safety buckle around Little Sweet Potato's neck: "Little Sweet Potato, this is a gift from your aunt. Look, isn't it pretty?"

Little Sweet Potato smiled sweetly and nodded.

"So cute!"

Chen Yanyin tapped the little girl's nose, took out a "nothing to worry about" sign, and hung it around Potato's neck: "Potato, look in the mirror. Hey, it actually suits you quite well. Do you like it?"

"I like it, thank you Auntie." The little guy nodded.

"I'm glad you like them. Have some fruit first, and your aunt will take you to play later." Chen Yanyin really liked the two children; they were both very sensible and polite.

Unlike the unruly children in Lu You's family.

After playing with the two children for a while, Lu Yan came over and immediately noticed the things around their necks: "Yan Yin, don't spoil the children. The things are too expensive and not suitable for children."

As he spoke, he reached out to pick it.

Chen Yanyin quickly stopped her, saying, "Sister, it's not much money. It's just a peace charm and a safety buckle. It's a good omen."

"But this is far too expensive."

"They're all small trinkets, made from materials from our own shop. I collected them when I was a kid; back then, you could buy a piece of material for a few hundred yuan."

"You're kidding me, aren't you?" Lu Yan rolled her eyes.

He glanced outside and said, "Your yard is indeed quite large. Many villas built in Guilin are not this big."

"This is the apartment that was allocated to me. Our family lives next door. It has two courtyards, east and west, and is half again as big as this one. However, it doesn't have enough rooms, so it's currently being renovated," Chen Yanyin explained.

Lu Yan was stunned: "Isn't this big enough?"

Chen Yanyin explained, "My second brother, third brother, and younger brother all live at home. None of them want to move out. It's enough room now, but it won't be enough when we have more children."

"It's good that we all live together."

Lu Yan couldn't help but feel envious, and then sighed, "In my family, don't laugh at me, but when my parents go to the city to see their grandson and stay for a few more days, my sister-in-law has a lot of complaints. It's infuriating."

Chen Yanyin smiled and said, "I can tell you're fine. Uncle and Aunt will move to the capital later. Our house is big enough to accommodate everyone."

While they were chatting, the conversation in the living room had already ended.

The wedding is scheduled for the Chinese New Year period.

After everyone moved to the restaurant and had lunch, Chen Yanyin led them to a three-courtyard house at the entrance of the alley, where a nanny had been temporarily hired.

"Uncle, Auntie, you rest first. I'll take you all out for a stroll this evening."

When Chen Yanyin returned, Lu You's uncle said, "Little You has found a good marriage. I thought Yanyin was a good girl when she visited our home last time."

“This time when she came, her family didn’t make any strange requests. They were very polite and said things that were all for the good of the two children.”

"Indeed!" Mrs. Lu nodded.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "I never expected the marriage proposal to go so smoothly. Last time, when I went to propose to my eldest son's wife, it almost caused a huge scene."

"Mom, please don't mention it." Lu Yan pouted.

She accompanied me to the last marriage proposal, and it was incredibly irritating. The whole time she made all sorts of demands: how much dowry I wanted, how big the house should be, how much the car should cost...

Not only that, there are also various other things to consider, such as how much the "three golds" (gold, silver, and gold jewelry) should be, how much the "changing of address" fee should be, what kind of cigarettes and alcohol should be ordered, what standards should be set for the banquet... It's all more complicated than negotiating a business deal.

As for the dowry, it cannot be mentioned or asked.

In the end, there were only three cotton quilts left.

Chen Yanyin's side was completely different. The Chen family didn't make any demands, just said, "As long as the young couple is doing well, that's better than anything else." They also kept saying, "Our fourth child has a lot of little problems. He's been particularly lazy since he was little, so we'll have to be more tolerant of him in the future."

When I went to my sister-in-law's house to propose marriage, her parents said something completely different. They said our daughter couldn't do housework, couldn't cook, and wouldn't be able to live with her in-laws...

Without comparison, it's fine, but with comparison, the more I think about it, the more disgusted I feel. It's like my brother didn't marry a wife, but rather brought home an ancestor to worship.

They also had to crawl on their parents and suck their blood.

After lunch break, instead of driving, everyone walked to Beihai Park, where Chen Yanyin sang "Let Us Row Our Boats" with her two children.

Listening to the lyrics and looking at the scenery, Lu Yan suddenly realized: "So this song is about this place, and that tower across the street is the white tower in the lyrics?"

"Yes, that's right there."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan took out her phone and took many photos of her family. She selected nine of them and posted them on her WeChat Moments, along with the lyrics of the song.

Cao Ning, who was far away in Guilin, saw the post on WeChat Moments and immediately cursed: "So stingy, not even including us. How can things be good without my brother and sister-in-law?"

"After they get married, we will definitely go to the capital for a trip. We will stay at their house. Didn't Chen Yanyin say that their family lives in a big courtyard house?"

"It's necessary to stay for at least ten days to half a month."

Just as they were muttering to themselves, the group had already passed through Beihai Park and arrived at Nanluoguxiang, where they were taking everyone to experience the old city of Beijing.

Passing by Mao'er Hutong, Chen Yanyin specially led everyone to No. 46 Courtyard: "This is a large courtyard, where my family used to live."

Lu Yan was surprised. Was the Chen family really that poor before?

It felt even worse than the tenement courtyards in TV dramas. The courtyard looked quite large, but the houses were small and the people were a mixed bunch, not much better than the rural areas of Guilin.

After leaving courtyard number 46, we went to courtyard number 45.

Chen Yanyin explained, "This used to be the Beijing Dance Troupe. My three mothers used to work here, and they were neighbors with my father."

Lu Yan took many photos with her phone and posted them on her WeChat Moments from time to time. Cao Ning, who was bored, would often see these photos.

So, I would complain about it every time I watched it.

He secretly regretted not having the nerve to go along, even if he had to buy his own plane ticket. It would have been a much better deal to travel around like that.

Cao Ning also noticed that the "no worries" badges and safety amulets hanging around the necks of the two children were undoubtedly given to them by Chen Yanyin.

I saved the picture and showed it to a knowledgeable colleague. He immediately said, "This safety amulet is really beautiful. It's made of high-grade icy jade with floating flowers. The pattern is so nice, and it's so translucent."

"If it's true, it should be worth over ten thousand."

"As for the Hetian jade 'no worries' pendant, it's hard to say. Just from the picture, who knows what material it is?"

“Russian jade, Qinghai jade, Xinjiang mountain jade, or seed jade, the price difference is huge, it may be several thousand yuan or even tens of thousands of yuan.”

Both children have them, so the prices should be about the same.

Cao Ning's heart clenched after hearing this. Chen Yanyin was so generous, giving away things worth tens of thousands of yuan without hesitation. Why didn't he go?

You can get it even if you bring your child.

"After they get married, we must find an opportunity to go to the capital. Nephews and grandnephews are the same; she can't treat them differently, can she?"

"Over 100,000 yuan is three or four years' worth of my salary."

"Lu You is really lucky. He climbed up a high branch of the family tree. No, when he climbed up a high branch, it meant his whole family climbed up a high branch. I've climbed up too. This is an opportunity!"

Having secretly made up her mind, Cao Ning kept an eye on her sister-in-law's WeChat Moments every day, which only proved her idea to be correct.

The places they play, shop, and eat are all high-end. Even their trips to the zoo are different from others; they can directly interact with giant pandas and feed red pandas.

"Next time Chen Yanyin comes, we must be more enthusiastic. We can put everything else aside for now, but at the very least we must get the child a jade pendant. We can't treat her differently."

"If they don't give it to you, then squeeze her!"

Back home, she looked at her husband and said, "Call Mom later and ask when they're coming back. We'll go over there."

"What are you going for?"

"You blockhead! Chen Yanyin is so generous. She gave each of your two nephews a jade pendant worth over ten thousand yuan. Do you think Mom and Dad would leave empty-handed?" Cao Ning raised an eyebrow.

"it's not good?"

“What’s wrong with that? You’re taking less? What Chen Yanyin gave to Mom and Dad is Mom and Dad’s. If we can get it back, that’s our skill, there’s nothing shameful about it.”

P.S.: Second update! It's almost the end of the month, do you guys still have any votes left? Thanks for your support!!

(End of this chapter)