Chapter 15: Discussing the Marriage

Qin Xueqiong was puzzled when her daughter asked about Widow Xia. “Why did you suddenly ask about her?”

Seeing the children present, Tang Xiaorou didn’t say much, fearing they might unintentionally spread it. She shook her head. “Nothing, I was just curious.”

She put down the cloth.

“Let’s make clothes out of this fine cotton cloth to prevent it from being stolen again. As for the malted milk powder and sponge cakes, they were eaten, so I didn’t get them back, but I made them pay.”

Tang Xiaorou gave the money to Qin Xueqiong. “Mom, keep this money.”

“No, you keep it.”

Since marrying into the Tang family, Qin Xueqiong had never had any money. Seeing fifty-five yuan felt like a huge sum.

Tang Xiaorou forcefully put the money into her hand. “Mom, you should always have some money on hand for emergencies.”

Seeing her daughter’s insistence, Qin Xueqiong accepted it. Her eyes were slightly red. She hadn’t expected her daughter to be the first to give her money. “I’ll keep it well. I’ll buy the children some treats when I go to the market.”

Qin Xueqiong smiled. “I’ll ask the villagers to exchange some eggs and flour. I’ll make egg noodles later.”

“Okay.”

Tang Xiaorou smiled and told her mother to hurry back.

As Qin Xueqiong went out, Tang Rufang and Jiang Wenyan entered the main house.

“Rufang, I’ve been here several times. You don’t have to be so polite; you don’t need to clean up.” Jiang Wenyan smiled as he walked in.

Tang Rufang smiled absentmindedly, unsure if the house was clean. Her mother had slap marks on her face; what if Jiang Wenyan saw them?

Thinking of this, Tang Rufang regretted not refusing earlier. It was too late to stop him now; he had already stepped inside.

Grandpa Tang greeted Jiang Wenyan with a smile. “Wenyan, you’ve come. Have a seat.”

Grandma Tang also smiled and poured him a bowl of sweet water. “Wenyan, we don’t have much to offer. Drink some sweet water to moisten your throat.”

“Thank you, Grandma.”

Jiang Wenyan thanked her politely, then greeted Tang Jianhua and the others, finally asking, “Where’s Auntie?”

Tang Rufang didn’t know where Li Cuilan was, so Grandma Tang explained with a smile, “She’s not feeling well, so she went back to rest.”

Jiang Wenyan asked a few more concerned questions, learning that Li Cuilan wasn’t seriously ill. “I’m glad Auntie is alright.”

Seeing the polite, refined, and handsome young man, Grandma Tang was extremely pleased. Her granddaughter was indeed capable; she had won over the most popular male intellectual youth in the village. The girls in the village must be envious, and even the female intellectual youths were jealous.

“Wenyan, is there something you need?”

Grandpa Tang was also very satisfied with Jiang Wenyan. Even after everything that had happened, he still smiled at him.

“Grandpa, I’m here to discuss my marriage with Rufang.”

Hearing this, Tang Rufang’s eyes lit up. She looked at Jiang Wenyan expectantly. “Wenyan, did you receive the letter from your family?” She hadn’t been lying about having a boyfriend.

She and Jiang Wenyan were seriously dating, and their relationship had reached the point of discussing marriage, waiting only for Jiang Wenyan’s parents’ letter.

“Yes, I did.”

Jiang Wenyan nodded, smiling at Tang Rufang. “My parents have no objections to us.  They can’t come to our wedding, so I’ll take you to see them when I get leave.”

“Really? That’s great!”

Tang Rufang excitedly stood up, her face full of joy. Jiang Wenyan was an intellectual youth from Beijing. Even though he was here now, it didn’t change the fact that he was from the capital.

The Tang family members also showed happy expressions.

“Wenyan, since your parents are satisfied with Rufang, let’s finalize your marriage quickly. We’ll choose a good day and hold a wedding banquet for you.” Grandma Tang wanted to settle this quickly to avoid any unforeseen problems.

“Okay, I’ll leave it to you.” Jiang Wenyan smiled and agreed.

Seeing Jiang Wenyan’s agreement, Grandma Tang was even more satisfied with this grandson-in-law. “Alright, I’ll tell Rufang the date once I’ve chosen it.”

“Okay.”

Grandpa Tang asked, “Wenyan, where will you and Rufang live after you get married? The intellectual youth dormitory isn’t convenient, and Rufang certainly can’t live there.”

Jiang Wenyan had already considered this.

“Grandpa, after I marry Rufang, can we apply for a plot of land in the village to build a house? Then Rufang and I will have our own home.”

Hearing this, Tang Rufang turned to look at him. “Grandpa, can we mention this to the village chief?”

Grandpa Tang thought this was a good idea. “Okay, I’ll have Jianhua ask the village chief. He should approve it, but it will probably cost money.  Plus the cost of building the house, it’s quite a sum.”

Jiang Wenyan quickly said, “Grandpa, I’ve already prepared the money for the house. You don’t have to worry.”

“That’s good.” Grandpa Tang’s eyes flashed, then he said to his eldest son, “Jianhua, go to the village chief’s house later.”

Tang Jianhua quickly nodded. “Okay, I understand.”

On the other side, Qin Xueqiong returned after exchanging some vegetables. She cooked egg noodles for Tang Xiaorou and the children. She wanted to eat less, but with Tang Xiaorou watching, she couldn’t.

“Mom, we need to take care of our health to better care for the children. You’ve suffered too much these years. From now on, you need to recover.”

“Okay, Mom understands.”

Seeing her mother agree, Tang Xiaorou smiled. Then she found an opportunity to tell her about Widow Xia and Grandpa Tang.

“Wh… what…”

Qin Xueqiong was incredulous. “This… this can’t be true.”

“I heard it myself, so it must be true.”

Qin Xueqiong wouldn’t doubt her daughter. She was just shocked. “But if Tang Jianhua is Widow Xia’s son, then where is the old woman’s real son?”

“That’s what I’m wondering. I don’t want to alert them; I want to find out the truth first.”

Qin Xueqiong nodded, agreeing with her daughter.

She thought carefully, then looked at Tang Xiaorou. “In our village, whenever a child is born, we ask the midwife from the next village to deliver the baby.

But when the old woman gave birth to Tang Jianhua, it wasn’t the midwife.

We don’t know who the midwife was. We need to find out.”