Chapter 72

After Xu Di and Zhang Chaoyang got their marriage certificate, Grandma Qian wanted to secretly find someone to calculate a good wedding date.

The current environment discouraged feudal superstition, but the customs passed down for thousands of years were still hard to resist.

It was a hope for a good future, just for peace of mind.

The next day at noon, Xu’s eldest sister-in-law came to the department store to find Xu Di.

“Sister-in-law, let me take you to lunch first. The fried sauce noodles at the state-owned restaurant nearby are delicious.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you. Let’s go eat first.”

Xu Di ordered two bowls of fried sauce noodles and a plate of braised beef.

“Xu Di, we just had meat yesterday, why are you ordering another plate of meat?”

“Sister-in-law, this is braised beef. I heard from my colleagues that it’s delicious.

I usually don’t treat myself to this. Today, let’s splurge a little.”

Xu Di had heard Meng Jiao say that the braised beef was good.

“Okay, let’s treat ourselves to a little indulgence.”

Xu’s eldest sister-in-law was only a few years older than Xu Di. With a child, she couldn’t afford to eat or wear nice things, so she focused on her husband and child.

“Sister-in-law, the noodles are here. Try this beef, it smells good.”

Xu Di brought over the noodles and a plate of braised beef, placing a bowl of noodles in front of her sister-in-law and the beef in the middle.

“Hmm, it’s really good. My colleague is a picky eater, and she said it was delicious, and it really is.”

Xu Di tasted a slice of beef. It wasn’t dry or tough, the texture was good, and there were some tendons in the meat, which was delicious.

“It’s really good. Ping’an loves to eat meat too. I feel a little uneasy eating it by myself.”

Xu’s eldest sister-in-law ate a slice of beef, always thinking about Dali and Ping’an not getting to eat it.

“Sister-in-law, don’t always think about my brother and Ping’an.

Ping’an is still young, he’ll have plenty of good food to eat later. We need to eat and drink well too, and wear some nice things!”

“You’re right, I won’t think about it anymore. We’ve both eaten.”

Xu’s eldest sister-in-law thought about it too. She couldn’t be too hard on herself.

The sisters-in-law each had a bowl of fried sauce noodles and a plate of beef, and they were full.

“Xu Di, I think my waistband is a bit tight.”

“Mine isn’t loose either. This portion was too big. Let’s walk slowly, I’m afraid I’ll get a stitch in my side.”

“Yeah, let’s go slowly, I’m afraid my belt will break.”

Xu Di almost laughed out loud. The image was too funny.

They entered the department store and went to the clothing counter. Xu Di told the saleswoman her size and asked her to find a cashmere coat for her to try on.

The saleswoman found the color and size Xu Di wanted and handed it to her.

“Try it on.”

“Okay, Sister-in-law, take a look.”

Xu Di put it on, it fit perfectly, and the style was good, not bulky at all.

“Okay, this is perfect. You can wear a thin sweater underneath.”

“Yeah, I think it fits well too. Too thin wouldn’t be good either.”

Xu’s eldest sister-in-law asked the saleswoman to write up a receipt, and she went to pay and give the fabric coupons.

The saleswoman folded the coat, put it in a paper bag, and handed it to Xu Di.

“Okay, you can take the coat. I have to go back to work.”

“Sister-in-law, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Xu’s eldest sister-in-law ran to the bus stop, she was running out of time.

Xu Di carried the paper bag back to the office. Sister Tang and the others had also finished lunch and returned.

“Xu Di, what did you buy?”

“A cashmere coat.”

“A cashmere coat, is it the new one from the front building?”

Sister Tang excitedly walked over, took the paper bag from Xu Di’s hand, and took a look.

“It really is. Xu Di, you’re really willing to spend! I’ve looked at it several times, one hundred and fifty yuan, it’s too expensive, I couldn’t bring myself to buy it.”

“My sister-in-law gave it to me as a gift.”

“A gift, Xu Di, I heard you got your certificate. Is it true?”

After Sister Tang asked, Meng Jiao and Wang Wei also looked up at Xu Di.

“It’s true. We already got our marriage certificate. I was planning to invite you all to eat wedding candy after we set the date.”

Xu Di didn’t expect Sister Tang to be so well-informed.

“Xu Di, you’re moving so fast. I didn’t even hear you dating anyone, how come you’re already married?”

“Sister Tang, it’s not that sudden. My elders introduced us before, and we’ve been corresponding.

This time he came back on vacation, and we felt we were a good match, so we got our certificate.”

Xu Di briefly explained, satisfying everyone’s curiosity.

“Xu Di, is your partner from out of town?”

Meng Jiao found it a bit unbelievable. Local girls usually wouldn’t marry out of town. Besides, Xu Di had a job.

“His family is local, but he’s in the army out of town.”

“Ah, Xu Di, you’re going to be a military wife!”

Sister Tang was quite surprised. Military wives had a tough time.

“Yeah, my partner is a soldier, so I’m a military wife now.”

Xu Di felt quite proud, and she couldn’t explain why she felt this way.

“Xu Di, are you going to follow him?”

Wang Wei knew that if you reached a certain rank, you could follow your spouse.

“I’m not following him.”

Xu Di didn’t elaborate. It was time to go back to work, and everyone didn’t want to ask too many questions.

Zhang Chaoyang was also busy. In the morning, he and a few childhood friends put together the furniture, wiped it clean, and the house was bright and spotless.

“Chaoyang, that’s enough, you can see your reflection in it. Stop wiping.”

Chen Jianguo felt like he hadn’t worked this hard even during surgery. They had wiped it several times.

“Chaoyang, you’ve changed. Who is the lucky bride that has you so smitten?

Not only did you make me get a new military uniform for the bride, but you also made me get one for your little brother-in-law. It’s truly love spreading to everyone around you.”

Hao Yunlei also teased Zhang Chaoyang. This iron tree had finally blossomed, it was truly extraordinary.

“You guys should understand. He’s grown up so much and never interacted with girls. Now, he’s gone straight to the finish line, just waiting to enter the bridal chamber.”

Song Hui winked at the other two. They had all dated, especially Hao Yunlei, who had dated more than one girl, but none of them had worked out.

“Haha…”

These three were truly childhood friends, and they could say anything to each other without holding back.

The four of them were laughing and joking together, feeling like they were back in the old days.

“Okay, it’s not easy for Chaoyang to find a girl he likes. Let’s all help him have a memorable wedding.”

“We’ll contribute money if we have it, and effort if we have it.”

“Forget it, who among us has as much money as Chaoyang. This guy only earns and doesn’t spend.”

“Yeah, I’ve been working for several years, and my salary is always spent by the end of the month. I’ve never had more than a hundred yuan in my savings.”

The few of them bantered back and forth, celebrating their good friend’s marriage in their own way.

Zhang Chaoyang looked at the newly cleaned room and his friends’ teasing, and a feeling of joy swelled in his heart, ready to burst.

When Grandma Qian came back, she saw the four young men sitting on the floor of the living room, leaning against the sofa, joking around.

“Grandmother, we’re here.”

“It’s not easy for you guys to get together. Have dinner at Grandma’s today. I’ll have Aunt Wu make you some delicious food.”

“Thank you, Grandma. We love coming here.”

They were all raised by Grandma Qian, and they grew up with Chaoyang, closer than real brothers.

In the kitchen, Aunt Wu started working.

Since Chaoyang came back, there had been no shortage of good food at home.

Grandma Qian couldn’t eat that much by herself, so she saved up a lot of coupons every month.

Many of the coupons were exchanged with others, just in case they expired.

Now it was good. Chaoyang was getting married, and there would be one more person in the house, making it more lively.

In the future, if they had two more children, the house would become even more lively.

Grandma Qian was happy just thinking about it, and she felt more energetic.