Chapter 25: Do You Think I, Song Lao Er, Am Made of Clay?

This envelope contains the bonus and injury compensation I received from the disaster area. The other envelope contains the tickets I’ve saved over the years. There are tickets for the three essentials, and I’ve already exchanged them for long-term tickets.

I also have a few dozen yuan and some tickets left, which I’ll use to buy you some snacks.

“All this for me?” She looked at the passbook and envelopes in her hand. This was all his belongings.

“Yeah, it’s all yours. Just give me some money when we get married.” Song Jingzhi said with a smile.

Tang Xiaoxiao looked at him. How come he could talk about this without blushing or getting flustered now? Where was that shy guy from before?

“That’s what I’m thinking.” He held her hand. “You write a letter home first to tell your parents about us. If they agree, I’ll write a letter to report our marriage. We’ll get married while I’m on leave. Then you’ll go with me to join the army.”

“You’ve even thought about this?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. He had thought about this on the way back from the city hospital.

If his leg hadn’t healed yet, he might have hesitated, but now he was incredibly determined. He wanted to marry her, and she was the only one for him in this life.

In the afternoon, the news of Song Jingzhi’s recovery spread throughout the village. When they were working in the fields, Wu Shen also spread the news of their engagement.

In the village, getting engaged meant that the woman had received the betrothal gift from the man. No one said a word, even if Tang Xiaoxiao stayed at the Song family all day, even if she slept at the Song family.

Song’s father was working in the fields, and many villagers congratulated him, saying that their family had found a good daughter-in-law, beautiful, kind-hearted, and from the city.

Song’s father responded with a smile, saying that he would invite everyone to the wedding.

At the end of the village, Liu Shuanggui’s house was in an uproar. When Liu Xiaomei was working, she heard the news of Song Jingzhi and Tang Xiaoxiao’s engagement. She stopped working and ran home crying.

“It’s all because of my aunt. If she hadn’t made a scene yesterday, they wouldn’t have gotten engaged so soon.”

“It’s done now, what can you do? Mom will find you a good one.” Yang Zhaodi hugged her daughter and comforted her.

Their family was the opposite of Liu Fugui’s family. Chen Fengya had five daughters before she had a son, while their family had three sons before they had Liu Xiaomei, their only daughter.

They doted on her, and everything was according to her wishes. After she set her sights on Song Jingzhi, Yang Zhaodi went to the Song family to talk about it several times, but the Song family didn’t agree. She had been waiting, and she was already twenty-one years old, but she hadn’t said anything to him.

“It’s all your fault. When he came back injured, I said I would go take care of him, but you wouldn’t let me. Otherwise, how could that vixen get him?” Liu Xiaomei blamed her parents again.

“Wasn’t that for your own good? When Song Jingzhi came back, he was lying down. Who knew if he would recover?”

“But he’s better now.” Liu Xiaomei cried loudly. “I don’t care, I’m going to marry him.”

“Why don’t you go talk to him?” Yang Zhaodi couldn’t do anything with her daughter, so she looked at her husband.

“How can I say that? They’re having their engagement dinner today, and besides, there’s what your sister-in-law did yesterday.” The two families were already enemies, how could he go and talk?

“I don’t care.” Liu Xiaomei started to throw a tantrum, and in the past, whenever she did this, her parents would agree to anything.

“Go and talk to Old Song. We’re all from the same village, we know each other well, right? Besides, Old Song is honest. If all else fails, just ruin their engagement dinner.” Yang Zhaodi said. As long as they ruined the engagement dinner, her daughter would still have a chance.

“Yes, ruin them.” Hearing Yang Zhaodi’s words, Liu Xiaomei instantly perked up and stopped crying.

Liu Shuanggui looked at his wife and daughter, he really had no choice, so he went to the field.

He saw Song’s father working there, with no one around. Liu Shuanggui went up to him.

“Weiguo, working hard.”

Song’s father responded, but didn’t pay much attention to him. Yesterday, they had received money from his elder brother, so this man must be up to no good today.

“Jingzhi is having his engagement dinner today?”

“Yeah.”

Liu Shuanggui saw that Song’s father didn’t want to talk to him, so he wanted to leave, but then he thought about his daughter and endured it.

“Weiguo, I’m telling you, you shouldn’t find an educated youth. They can’t work, and they’ll eventually go back. It’s better to find someone you know well.”

Song’s father put down his hoe and looked at Liu Shuanggui. It seemed like he was here to badmouth his daughter-in-law.

Liu Shuanggui saw that he was listening, so he thought there was hope. “That Tang Zhiqing is a shrew. Look at how fierce she was yesterday. Which man could stand her? My Xiaomei is obedient and filial…”

Before Song’s father could finish his sentence, he swung his hoe towards Liu Shuanggui’s feet.

“I’ll f*** you up. Do you think I, Song Lao Er, am made of clay? You dare badmouth my daughter-in-law, I’ll kill you.” Song’s father threw down his hoe and rushed towards him, ready to beat him up.

Liu Shuanggui naturally couldn’t stand there and be beaten. As soon as Song’s father’s hoe reached his feet, he jumped far away.

“Weiguo, I’m doing this for your own good. Listen to me…”

“I’ll beat you to death.” Song’s father chased after Liu Shuanggui in the field, attracting many people.

“What’s going on?” Many people came over, including the village head.

“Lao Er, what are you doing?” The village head knew his younger brother well. Because he was the village head, he never caused trouble, unless someone provoked him.

“He insulted my Xiaoxiao and said how good his daughter is.” Song’s father pointed at Liu Shuanggui angrily.

The villagers nearby heard Song’s father’s words and pointed at Liu Shuanggui.

“Liu Shuanggui, yesterday your sister-in-law was beaten up by Tang Zhiqing, have you lost your memory? Your Liu family and the Song family are already at odds, and you still dare to mention your Xiaomei to Jingzhi? Have some shame.”

“That’s right, I don’t know how he could even say that.”

“Liu Shuanggui, starting tomorrow, you’ll be picking manure for a month.” The village head pointed at Liu Shuanggui.

“Village head, you’re playing favorites.” Liu Shuanggui didn’t want to do this job. It was dirty and smelly, and he wouldn’t even be able to eat after doing it.

“If you think I’m playing favorites, there are so many people watching. Go ahead and report me to the commune.” After saying that, the village head pulled Song’s father away.

Song’s father turned back to Liu Shuanggui and said, “If I hear another bad word about my daughter-in-law from your Liu family, I’ll beat you every time I see you, regardless of gender.”

“Song Weiguo is really desperate.”

“If it were you, wouldn’t you beat him up?”

“I was watching his Liu Xiaomei. When I heard that Jingzhi was having his engagement dinner today, she ran back home crying. Then Liu Shuanggui and his wife ran back home too.” A village woman said.

“Their daughter has always had her eyes on Jingzhi, hasn’t she? When Jingzhi was injured, they didn’t even go to see him. Now that he’s better, they’re coming back.”

“Of course, they were afraid that Jingzhi would be bedridden for life. Now that he’s better, they’re thinking about his allowance.”

Everyone in the village knew that Song Jingzhi’s allowance was what allowed him to build his tiled roof house, so they naturally guessed that his allowance was not low.

Liu Shuanggui listened to everyone’s discussion and could only go back home dejectedly.