Back to my 1980s

But then he thought about it again.

If the Song family had truly been providing them with regular assistance, they wouldn't have waited until so close to the engagement to inform this woman.

Thinking of this, Zhao Hua frowned slightly. In fact, he didn't know how much the bride price was. This matter had always been handled by Song's mother, and she had never mentioned the bride price to him.

Of course, even if she knew, she wouldn't say it in public. He was clearly here to cause trouble, and no matter how much she said, the woman would have something to say.

He smiled and said, "My parents are handling the bride price. I don't know the exact amount, and I don't care about it. No matter how much it is, I will definitely marry Xueping."

"You've even called her Xueping? You think you can call her Xueping?" the middle-aged woman said sternly.

To be honest, even if Zhao Hua had lived two lives, he still couldn't quite understand what this woman was thinking. The marriage certificate had already been exchanged, and the marriage was basically settled. What was wrong with calling out to Xueping?

The relatives around them realized something was wrong. Everyone had heard about what had happened in their family. This person was Song Xueping's aunt. She had married into a family on the outskirts of the county town many years ago. Later, when the city recruited workers, they chose her because her family lived close to the county town.

The whole family was recruited to the city early on, and their household registration was also resolved. Now they all have access to government-subsidized grain. However, since they started receiving government-subsidized grain, they have become somewhat disdainful of their poor relatives in the village and haven't had much contact with them for many years.

Once, when she brought her son home for Chinese New Year to show off, her son took a liking to Song Xueping at first sight. He pestered Song Xueping for a long time, and there were even rumors that he wanted to marry her.

People's ideas were quite confused at that time. Some people thought that cousins ​​on the maternal side should not marry, while others thought that cousins ​​on the maternal side should marry, which was considered to strengthen family ties. These ideas were left over from the Qing Dynasty.

However, due to the overwhelming criticism and Song Xueping's deliberate avoidance of Zhou Zhengchang, the matter was eventually dropped.

However, Zhou Zhengchang gave up the idea. Coincidentally, her husband's younger brother had damaged his head in a fight and became half-mentally impaired, making it difficult for him to find a wife in the city.

Not long after, for reasons unknown, they set their sights on Song Xueping and spread rumors that they would marry her off to her eldest nephew.

They had been unable to get engaged because of Song Zhiqiang's obstruction, but this time, they heard about the engagement from somewhere and rushed over early.

At this moment, everyone realized that she had gone a bit too far. After exchanging glances, they all looked at Song's mother. Song's mother gave a wink to the inner room, and then they went forward with laughter and led Song Xueping's aunt into the inner room.

However, since the woman was from the city, they didn't dare to go too far. They only verbally advised her to go inside and rest, but didn't dare to actually make a move.

Zhao Hua was both amused and exasperated by the scene. No wonder the mother and son dared to be so arrogant; it turned out that the villagers had always held them in some kind of awe.

He smacked his lips, lit a cigarette, and sat on the stool to the left of Song's father, watching them make a scene.

Unfortunately, just as she lit her cigarette, Song's mother slammed her hand on the table and shouted angrily, "Youngest son! You came all the way from the city today just to ruin my daughter's engagement? Don't you even respect me as your older sister?!"

The room fell silent. Seeing this, Zhao Hua quickly threw the cigarette under his feet to put it out, but the cigarette was too long and bounced after falling to the ground. He missed stepping on it and hurriedly chased after it to stomp on it again.

Song Zhiqiang, with his sharp eyes, burst into laughter after seeing Zhao Hua's actions.

Zhao Hua rolled his eyes inwardly and quickly sat up straight. No one had noticed them just now, so he was able to finish the whole cigarette. It would be impolite to smoke now that things were quiet.

Song's mother's younger sister straightened her clothes, but didn't say she was leaving. She snorted and sat down to Zhao's mother's right. Zhao Hua got goosebumps the moment he heard her snort.

After regaining control of the situation, Song's mother turned to the matchmaker and smiled, "My little sister has been spoiled by her family since she was a child. Now that she's grown up, she's still the same as when she was little. Please don't take offense, Auntie."

The matchmaker hurriedly smiled and said, "Why say such things? Her aunt is just reluctant to let her child go, afraid that the child will marry the wrong person. It's understandable that she cares about the child." What else could she say? As a matchmaker, she couldn't just say something that would ruin the marriage.

As soon as she finished speaking, Song's mother's expression finally improved. She then called out to Zhao Hua a few times and started chatting with the matchmaker. Song Zhiqiang put his arm around Zhao Hua's neck and enthusiastically told her about the interesting things that had happened while he was away.

The atmosphere inside the room became much more lively, as if the farce that had just occurred had never happened.

As they chatted, Zhao Hua began to feel something was off, as if something was missing.

While racking his brains to figure out what he was missing, he also took some time to talk to the Song family.

"Xiaoping! Come out and pour your brother Zhao a glass of water!" Song's mother suddenly turned her head and called out to the inner room.

The room fell silent for a moment. Zhao Hua's pupils dilated slightly as he realized that he had been inside for a while and still hadn't seen Song Xueping!

However, he remained expressionless, glancing at the curtain in the inner room. When Song's mother saw that there was no movement in the inner room, she called out again, and only then did the curtain move.

Song Xueping lifted the curtain and came out of the inner room. Today she wore two braids, which hung down in front of her, making her look rather rustic. If Zhao's mother were here, she would probably be very happy to see Song Xueping dressed like this, as this kind of outfit is more pleasing to elders.

However, Zhao Hua came today. Fortunately, Song Xueping herself had a good foundation, so even with such an old-fashioned outfit, her beauty was still undeniable.

She glanced at the people in the main room, lowered her head slightly when she saw Zhao Hua, took small steps to Zhao Hua, picked up a cup from the cabinet, placed it on the large table to Zhao Hua's left, and then bent down to pick up the kettle and poured water for Zhao Hua.

The room was completely silent, everyone's eyes were fixed on her as she poured water. Zhao Hua used her figure to block everyone's view and grinned at her. Song Xueping glanced at her and then rolled her eyes slightly.

Zhao Hua chuckled, mouthing without saying aloud, "You look really good today!"

Song Xueping lowered her head and mouthed, "Get lost!"

Zhao Hua clicked his tongue inwardly. The young woman was quite fierce; she probably felt embarrassed with so many people watching.

After pouring the tea, she picked it up and handed it to Zhao Hua. Zhao Hua avoided her for a moment, then took the cup from her with both hands, taking the opportunity to touch her small hand, and then pretending to drink water to cover it up.

The water temperature was just right, not too hot at all. He wanted to finish it in one gulp and then have Song Xueping pour him another cup, but unfortunately the cup was an enamel mug, which was too big, and he couldn't finish it in a short time.

After pouring him water, Song Xueping glanced at him again. Seeing that he drank it, she silently lowered her head and went back to the inner room.

The scene was harmonious for a moment, but just as Zhao Hua was happily sipping her tea, Song Xueping's aunt let out a heavy "humph".