I awakened the cultivation panel.

Chapter 109 Urging Marriage (4.2K)

There's a custom in Jiangbei that every time there's a leap month, married women have to go back to their parents' home, a custom known as "sending a meal."

It is said that this custom originated from the famine years in ancient times. A leap month meant an extra month without food. It was only when married daughters brought food to their mothers that their mothers survived.

So this is a local custom about family affection.

The tradition has evolved to the point that married daughters bring gifts home, including rice, flour, cooking oil, needles, and thread.

The gift isn't the point; the point is going home to visit.

as predicted.

When Chen Wenjie came to pick up the scallions, he heard him say that Sister Xin would be coming over in a couple of days.

As for Ruoqi, she is still in her postpartum period and everyone will have to wait until she finishes her confinement before they can visit her.

Besides Sister Xin, Li Guangming's mother, who is also Chen Jingle's aunt, will also come to visit.

Compared to Chen Kexin, who frequently visits her parents' home, her sister-in-law Chen Huijuan is busiest during holidays because of her job at a restaurant, and usually has to avoid peak times.

Speaking of which, the last time I saw my aunt was around Chinese New Year.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye; time really flies.

For married women, this frequency of returning to their parents' home is actually normal; Chen Kexin's situation is rather abnormal.

……

Saturday, July 25th in the Gregorian calendar, the first day of the sixth intercalary month in the lunar calendar.

As was his routine, Chen Jingle would get up in the morning and go over to his uncle's place to see if there was anything he could help with.

Actually, there's not much to do. The chickens and ducks have already been killed and put into the pot to cook. All that's left is to prepare the vegetables.

Even a three-year-old could do this.

Chen Jingle is not a delicate person. He stays at home farming every day, so this task is a piece of cake for him.

Chen Wenjie had to go to work today, so his uncle and aunt were in charge of cooking.

Fortunately, home-style cooking doesn't require high standards for taste.

Chen Jingle didn't plan to take his uncle's job; he would simply help out and wait for dinner to be served.

However, after he helped wash the vegetables, his uncle still invited him to go with him to worship the ancestors and gods, a task usually handled by Chen Wenjie. It wasn't difficult, just required walking and took a long time, about half an hour.

He was young and strong, so there was no reason for him to let his uncle carry the load. Coming from a rural background, he was not so incapable of not knowing how to carry a load.

When they returned from the ancestral worship ceremony, Chen Kexin and her daughter Lin Yuqing had already arrived.

"Uncle~~"

Lin Yuqing saw Chen Jingle carrying a load in front of her from afar and shouted happily.

Chen Jingle smiled and waved at her.

The child was taken home by her mother a while ago, since her maternal grandparents would have some objections to her staying with them.

"All you do is call him 'elder uncle,' don't you see your maternal grandfather?"

Chen Yaowu, who was a few steps behind, felt a pang of sadness upon hearing the sound.

Lin Yuqing then greeted him with a smile, "Hello, Grandpa~~"

Chen Yaowu snorted: "Too late. You'll have to eat two big chicken drumsticks as punishment!"

Lin Yuqing immediately pouted.

Children nowadays have plenty of material things from a young age, so they don't like to eat chicken legs. The firm texture of chicken legs is a nightmare for them; they simply can't bite into them.

Upon seeing this, everyone burst into laughter.

"Where's Brother Feng?"

After putting down his load, Chen Jingle asked.

Chen Kexin shrugged: "I was sent to support the typhoon-affected areas."

Ok.

The typhoon that hit Jiangbei a few days ago didn't reach the area north of the Yangtze River, but it still had a significant impact on the landfall area.

Coastal cities are like this; every summer and autumn, typhoons inevitably cause trouble.

After he put down his load, Lin Yuqing ran over and asked for a hug.

She's such a clingy person.

……

My aunt arrives rather slowly; she always arrives after 10 o'clock.

I came alone, riding a small electric scooter.

"It's been a long time since I've seen my aunt."

Chen Jingle greeted him with a smile.

When Chen Huijuan saw him, she was taken aback at first, then exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, what are you doing here..."

"What's wrong with me?"

"It seems like things have changed quite a bit."

Chen Huijuan looked her over carefully and made sure she hadn't mistaken her for someone else.

"Is there any?"

Chen Jingle smiled and pretended to be stupid.

Chen Huijuan exclaimed in surprise, "He looks much more handsome than before!"

Upon closer inspection, the facial features haven't changed much, but the changes in skin and overall demeanor are quite significant.

The before and after comparison is almost like a completely different person.

Chen Jingle replied with a smile: "It shows that boys also need to learn to take care of their appearance."

Chen Huijuan asked with a smile, "So, have you found a girlfriend yet?"

What makes her unlikable is this: she knows there are topics people don't want to hear, but she insists on talking about them and can't control her mouth.

To put it nicely, it's a straightforward personality; to put it bluntly, it's a lack of tact.

"I'm trying," Chen Jingle said with a laugh.

Chen Huijuan teased, "It's not enough to just work hard; you have to make progress."

"Hehe. By the way, didn't Guangming come along today?" Chen Jingle changed the subject.

"He has to go to work. Yunshang is on vacation, but she found a summer job, so she doesn't get any rest either."

My aunt's family also has a younger daughter, Li Yunshang, who just got into university last year and is studying Business English in the School of Finance.

"Oh right, they take turns resting on Saturdays," Chen Jingle suddenly realized.

Chen Huijuan complained, "I also work on rotating shifts, not every Saturday and Sunday is a holiday. In this godforsaken place of Jiangbei, finding a job with weekends off is harder than climbing to heaven!"

Chen Jingle could only agree.

Because what is said is indeed true; a fifth-tier city like Jiangbei certainly cannot compare to Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

"What summer job is Yunshang doing?" Chen Kexin interjected.

My aunt replied, "She works as a teacher at a tutoring institution. We suggested she find an internship at a big company to learn something useful, but she won't go."

"..."

What else could Chen Kexin say but chuckle? She met Chen Jingle's gaze and could see the subtle emotions in his eyes.

The aunt then looked at Chen Jingle: "I heard from Guangming that you were helping him and Wenjie set up a late-night food stall?" Chen Jingle shook his head: "I didn't help them. They did it on their own, and I just provided a little help. They were able to make it work because of their own efforts."

Working at a cake shop during the day and selling fried noodles at a street stall at night, those two guys really managed to stick to such a high-intensity work schedule.

And they held on for two months straight.

All I can say is that they deserved to earn that money; at least I didn't help the wrong people.

The aunt smiled and said, "No matter what, he now has an extra source of income, which will help the family pay off their debts sooner."

Chen Jingle smiled and sighed softly. This was the fate of most rural children. Generations of them had been laborers, and he had to become a laborer himself.

Li Guangming has a long way to go before he can achieve complete economic independence and gradually improve his family's living conditions.

My aunt's family used to build a house, and they borrowed a lot of money from various sources, which is quite common in rural areas.

In their view, being able to borrow something is a skill in itself.

As long as the house can be built, that's fine. As for the debt, we can pay it off slowly. Even if someone is pressing us, we can find ways to delay it and pay it off little by little.

My aunt's family now has three people earning money, while Li Yunshang is still studying.

However, with their meager salaries, after deducting daily expenses, it would take them several years to pay off their debts.

This was after Chen Jingle helped Li Guangming set up the late-night snack stall.

If it were Chen Jingle, he wouldn't be willing to take on so much debt.

He hates overspending.

As the saying goes, you should wear a hat that matches your height; forcing your way onto a vehicle is unacceptable.

After chatting for a while, Chen Jingle glanced at the time on his phone; it was 10:30, still early.

Just then, a WeChat message notification flashed across the top of the screen.

Li Shiming sent: "At my grandma's house, so boring."

Chen Jingle thought for a moment, clicked on the message, and replied, "Delivering meals during a leap month?"

Li Shiming: "Yeah, I'm going to my grandma's house with my mom. Is it the same where you live?"

Chen Jingle: Yes. My aunt and my older sister are both here today.

Li Shiming sent me a smiling puppy emoji, which I didn't understand.

……

At this time, Li Shiming had just arrived at her maternal grandmother's house with her mother.

"Didn't Brother Yuan come along?"

Aunt Lin Cuiling warmly invited them to come in and sit down, and casually asked them questions.

Liu Qiong replied with a smile, "He has a lot of things to do, and sometimes he can't get away even on Saturdays and Sundays."

Lin Cuiling chuckled: "After all, he's a big boss, I understand."

For some reason, Liu Qiong always felt that the other person's words had a sarcastic or ambiguous meaning.

Her sister-in-law is indeed that kind of person.

Sometimes they can be quite snobbish. They only think of you when they need your help, and they always feel that it's only right for others to help them. If they don't help, they're seen as looking down on poor relatives.

How can there be such a thing in the world?

In fact, Li Yuan had helped her family quite a bit, to the point that she couldn't stand it anymore.

Actually, her brother is alright, and her nephews and nieces are also alright, but it's her sister-in-law who sometimes does things that are a bit inappropriate.

I don't know what got into him this time, but he's saying such unpleasant things.

So Liu Qiong said calmly, "He was too busy to come, but he prepared the gift himself."

The family is not short of money, and every time Li Yuan visits his wife's family, he prepares enough presentable gifts for everyone, from the elderly to the young.

He's much more generous than other people.

Lin Cuiling was a little annoyed after being rebuffed. She paused for a moment, then turned to Li Shiming and asked, "Shiming, have you found a boyfriend yet?"

Li Shiming was caught in the crossfire and could only reply with a forced smile, "No, it's still early, no rush."

She also dislikes hearing about being pressured to get married, or rather, young people who don't have partners generally dislike hearing about it.

When you're out and about, it's best not to inquire about other people's salaries, young people's relationships, or children's studies.

To avoid attracting unwanted attention.

Lin Cuiling's expression immediately became exaggerated: "I remember you're 25 or 26 this year? You're not young anymore, are you? You know, it's not easy for a woman to find someone after 25. Do you want me to introduce you to someone? I have a friend whose family is in the door and window business, and she has a son who's about your age..."

Upon hearing this, Li Shiming's expression froze.

Even Liu Qiong was a little unhappy, but she couldn't show it in front of her elderly mother.

She forced a smile and interrupted, "No need, Ah Ling. Shi Ming has her own ideas about love, and we don't need to interfere. Young people these days are different from us in the past."

Lin Cuiling didn't take it seriously: "You can't know anyone's background when you talk to them on your own. What if you get scammed? It's more reliable to be introduced by someone you know. Trust me, you won't regret it..."

The old lady sitting next to her was gentle, but she knew that her daughter-in-law was sometimes annoying, and for a reason. So she interjected, "I'm not going to die anytime soon, so why are you so concerned about Shiming's affairs? Take care of Axu and Axing first! They're not young anymore. During their holidays, they either stay in their rooms playing games all night and sleep until the next afternoon, or they go out and get drunk and have to be brought back. It's so annoying to see them."

"Mom~~"

Liu Qiong said in a reproachful tone, "Why would you say something like that out of the blue?"

Her father passed away a few years ago, and her mother seems to have aged a lot in the last two years. Although Li Yuan arranged for her to have two regular check-ups every year and she has never lacked any nutritional supplements, as people get older, their health inevitably deteriorates day by day.

The old lady shook her head: "Although I'm old, I'm not senile. When I was chatting with your aunt and the others, everyone said that there are many bachelors in the village now, and it's hard for young people to find partners. I think, in the end, it's because people are too restless. Are introductions through acquaintances always good? Not necessarily. Your ninth uncle's son was also introduced through an acquaintance, and he still got divorced in less than six months. He couldn't even get the dowry back. Things are different now than in the past."

At this point, he looked at Li Shiming and said, "It is precisely because people are so restless these days that they need to be more discerning and find someone reliable."

Li Shiming was slightly taken aback, and nodded subconsciously.

The old lady continued, "Money is something you can't take with you when you die. I might be saying this in a sarcastic way, but I think A-Yuan has earned quite a bit of money over the years, enough for us. You two only have one child, Shi-Ming, so the family business will definitely be handed over to her in the future. Whether you find a son-in-law to live with you or she marries out, you have to find someone who is good to her and good to you. Only then can you feel at ease."

"In the old days, people said that raising children was for old age security, but in the end, the key is to look at a person's conscience. Haven't you seen Ah Si's family at the end of the village? They have several sons, but none of them are willing to support them in their old age. They're lucky if they come back to visit once a month. This shows that the saying 'raising children is for old age security' is not absolutely reliable."

After the conversation, Lin Cuiling was the most embarrassed and a little unhappy. She felt that the old lady was targeting her, so she defended herself, saying, "I was just doing it for Shiming's own good. Besides, what's wrong with exchanging contact information and meeting up? My friend is very reliable."

Li Shiming felt disgusted. She now understood what people online were saying: that some relatives introduce you to certain people not because they genuinely want to help you find a partner, but because they are using you as a favor.

My aunt is in such a hurry, did she receive some benefits from someone?
Thinking of this, Li Shiming felt an urge to go straight home.

The old lady didn't reply, but turned to Li Shiming and said, "It would be best to find someone from a similar family background who is also reliable and trustworthy, but such people are very rare, because once people have money, they start to have more worries. It doesn't matter if you have less money, as long as you can make a living. I married your grandfather back then, and after all these years, haven't I still lived a good life? Contentment brings happiness."

"Okay, Grandma."

Li Shiming smiled; the old lady's open-mindedness was truly beyond her expectations.

But then she remembered the stories her mother had told her when she was little.

My maternal grandparents' family used to be quite well-off, while my maternal grandparents' family was much worse off. In today's terms, it would be like a rich and beautiful woman falling for a poor boy.

After marrying into the family, my grandmother endured many hardships, but she never complained; this was the path she had chosen herself.

As it turned out, although life was a bit mundane, the couple worked together and at least didn't go hungry. Moreover, every cloud has a silver lining, and the following decades were very peaceful. Her family, who were originally well-off, even had to rely on her for support for a period of time.

Fate is a strange thing.

Her father also said that one should not look down on or fawn over others because of temporary wealth or poverty.

No one dares to say that they will be rich and noble for life, while others are destined to be poor for life.

Thinking of this, Chen Jingle's image inevitably came to mind. She wondered what he was doing at this moment, and whether he was thinking of her too.

So he secretly took out his phone and sent a message to find out what was going on.

(End of this chapter)