Chapter 71: The betrothal gift and marriage certificate directly knocked the scumbag and the bitch to dust

He Wanqing looked up at the man’s profile: “Don’t worry about those in Nan City, we have enough with these. Besides, didn’t you say you’ve already prepared something? So tell your parents not to waste money on anything else.” It was a time to be frugal, lest they attract unwanted attention and end up in a bad situation. Understanding her implication, Gu Cheng’an smiled and agreed, then set down the backpack on his back.

 Noticing this, He Wanqing, remembering something, immediately ran over and brought the backpack into the house. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, she took two of the three ginseng roots from her space. But looking at the ginseng, which had grown a bit larger, and the soil still clinging to it, her heart skipped a beat, and an idea flashed through her mind. Just as she was getting a handle on it, He Mu, who had followed in, interrupted her.

With no choice, she pushed the ginseng down a bit before getting up and going to her mother, whispering the matter in her ear. Upon learning that the backpack contained ginseng, astragalus, and rehmannia, He Mu rolled her eyes and took the backpack into her room. Finally, she came out of her room with a basket of cucumbers and several other vegetables, went to He Grandma and Shen Grandma, said a few words, and then joined He Aunt and the others in the kitchen to prepare dinner. This was Gu Cheng’an’s first meal as their son-in-law, so the food had to be good. While He Mu and the others were in the kitchen preparing dinner, He Jiadong and his brothers carried Gu Cheng’an’s gifts into the house and delivered them to He Wanqing’s room.

 The people at the front door, seeing that all the gifts were gone and smoke was coming from the kitchen chimney, turned around and went home. However, their lingering glances showed that they were still envious of the gifts.

Thinking that if the gifts were this lavish, the dowry must be even more so, everyone, while envious, made the same decision: to go to the Xu family and spread the news, to make He Cao and the others feel bad. With their task in mind, to avoid being scooped, the people who should have gone home to cook dinner directly instructed their daughters-in-law and daughters to cook at home, and then split into two groups, one going to He Daniu’s house next door, and the other going to the Xu family. Inside the house, He Grandpa, looking at Gu Cheng’an standing with his granddaughter, was increasingly satisfied, his upturned lips never falling. The same went for Shen Grandpa and the others, who, thinking of the gifts and the handsome son-in-law in front of them, were overjoyed. Now, they were even happier about He Cao’s attempt to steal the man. “Cheng’an, how old are your grandparents, and your maternal grandparents?” “Right, Cheng’an, how many people are in your family, do you all live together, or are you separated?” Suddenly remembering that they hadn’t properly inquired about these two elderly people, they looked at each other and their hearts immediately rose, fearing that his family had many people and lived together, which would lead to more conflicts. Knowing what they were worried about, Gu Cheng’an smiled and told them about his family situation. His grandfather was 64 years old and had just retired and was enjoying his leisure time at home. His grandmother had passed away a few years ago. His father was the eldest son, 46 years old, and was the commander of the Southern Military Region. His mother was a military doctor, 44 years old.

 They had three brothers, he was the eldest, and there were two younger brothers, both of whom were in the army. He also had a second uncle, a third uncle, and a younger aunt. His second uncle’s family also had three boys, and they were all doctors. His third uncle worked at the Nan City Textile Factory and was the factory director. He had two boys and a girl. His younger aunt and her husband worked at the cotton spinning factory, her husband was a disabled veteran and was the deputy factory director, and his younger aunt was the director of the Women’s Federation of the factory.

They had two sons and two daughters. As for his maternal grandparents, they lived in Beijing and were not in the same place as them. His maternal grandfather was the same age as his grandfather and was also about to retire. His maternal grandmother had passed away many years ago. His mother had six siblings, and now only his mother, his eldest uncle, and his third uncle were still alive, the others had all died. Both uncles had three sons each, some were in the army, some worked in the government, and some were still in school. After briefly introducing the family members, Gu Cheng’an sat up straight and waited for them to ask further questions.

As his words ended, the room fell silent. They didn’t expect his family to be so extraordinary. A military family, and even martyrs. Compared to He Grandpa’s worries, Shen Grandpa was much simpler. His family wasn’t without sacrifices, even his disabled son was a result of the war, so there was nothing to worry about. Moreover, his son-in-law and his sons were all in the army, so they were better than some and worse than others.

 “Cheng’an, when you finish your mission, have your grandfather and your soon-to-be-retired maternal grandfather come over, we two old men will take them out to play.” As soon as Shen Grandpa finished speaking, He Grandpa, as if remembering something, also spoke, meaning the same thing, they welcomed his family to come. “Well, my grandfather also said that he had been here before, and he said that he would come back to revisit the old place when I finished my mission.” Thinking of his grandfather’s words, Gu Cheng’an pursed his lips, not saying anything. “That’s great, when you finish your mission, have him come, we’ll take him to those places to revisit the old place.” “Yes, we’ll make sure he doesn’t want to go back.”

 “Okay.” With this topic opened, the atmosphere in the room returned to its previous lively state. Unlike the main room, the kitchen was quiet, with only the sound of stir-frying in the pot and whispers of discussion. He Grandma and Shen Grandma helped to sort the vegetables while planning the dowry. On the other side, He Aunt and the others were also planning the dowry, but they had limited funds, so they couldn’t afford much. After they decided on the things, they told He Grandma, and with her nod, they officially confirmed the dowry.

Only He Mu was calculating the money at home and what they could buy, while thinking about calling her husband and son at the commune tomorrow and asking them to send money and things back. He Wanqing, who was being discussed by everyone, was currently in He Big Uncle’s kitchen with her sisters-in-law and cousins, steaming buns and steamed bread.

 While listening to their teasing, she also listened to them talk about how to deal with mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships. It wasn’t until the buns in the pot were done, and she put the buns she had just finished wrapping in the steamer, that she left the kitchen with a blushing face. She went to the well and washed the flour off her hands, then sat in the courtyard listening to her sisters-in-law discuss their future lives and aspirations.

Her ears were also listening to the scolding coming from He Daniu’s house next door. Soon, dinner was ready. A dish of chicken stewed with mushrooms, a dish of pork and radish stewed with vermicelli, a dish of three-flavored fish stewed with tofu, a dish of pot-wrapped meat, a dish of cucumber and fragrant stir-fried meat, and a dish of braised ribs. The dishes were divided into several plates, and each of the three tables was served with a plate of salted duck eggs and egg sauce.

 Finally, the buns and steamed bread were served, as well as the vegetable and egg soup, and dinner officially began. Su Benjun, who had just been called to join them for dinner, looked at the lavish spread of food, and then at the happy family, and the words he was about to say turned into congratulations. Because he was happy, He Grandpa took out his treasured wine, which he rarely drank. He only poured a small amount for each of them to taste, and then switched to sorghum liquor.