Chapter 244: Worry from the Liu Family

The eight tables of dishes originally had these three wild chickens and four wild rabbits, and with the addition of these fish it would have been quite a presentable spread, but the girl's partner had also prepared thirteen jin of meat—truthfully, after so many years of preparing banquet spreads, this was still the first time she had seen so much meat.

After all, whether wild game, fish, or meat, they were all scarce goods—without some real ability, you simply couldn't get your hands on them.

Those jealous of Chuxue's family still couldn't find a reason to gossip, because the village had an unwritten rule: on the mountain, only large wild game had to be brought back to the village; these wild chickens and wild rabbits were simply a matter of each person's own skill.

Which household in the village hadn't hunted wild game on the mountain? If someone wanted their banquet spread to look better, bagging a few extra was perfectly understandable.

Liu's mother had Xia Qiu stay in the room set aside for the couple, afraid that people coming and going in the courtyard might accidentally bump into her.

Aunt Wu truly lived up to her reputation as a banquet expert—by the time it got dark, she had nearly finished preparing the ingredients, only waiting to cook them first thing tomorrow morning: "Hang all this prepared meat down the well, after all it's hot weather now."

Liu's mother answered: "Alright, we'll go take care of it in a bit."

After seeing Aunt Wu off, Fu Yan Cheng didn't linger at the Liu household either; after the meal, he drove off to the commune guesthouse.

Originally Chuxue had thought to just let her stay at home, but Liu's father and mother disagreed, and Fu Yan Cheng himself didn't want to move in before things were settled, afraid of bringing unnecessary trouble to Chuxue.

Still, he was very satisfied with Chuxue's attitude: "In a few days, once my family comes to formally propose, and our relationship is out in the open, I'll stay at home when I come by from then on."

Before Chuxue could say anything, he nimbly got in the car, smiling as he started the engine and prepared to leave, but then thought of something and stuck his head out the window again: "Once I'm done with things tomorrow, I'll practice driving with you for a bit."

Saying this, he patted the steering wheel too: "This time we'll learn to drive the jeep."

After saying that, he smiled and waved to Liu's father and mother standing not far off, and only then drove away.

The moment Chuxue stepped into the courtyard, Xia Qiu came over, her face full of worry: "Xue, what's his family's situation exactly? Will his family be willing?"

Chuxue knew her sister was worried about her: "He said in a few days he'll have his family come propose."

Seeing Liu's father and mother looking at her too, and knowing she couldn't dodge it, she continued: "He still has his grandfather above him, but his grandfather doesn't live with his parents. His parents both have jobs. He has three older brothers above him and a younger sister below him. His second brother and little sister are currently sent down to the countryside."

Liu's father wore a solemn expression: "Xue, you need to think this through clearly. With so many brothers in the family, if you marry in there, will you get bullied?"

Liu's mother chimed in at this point too: "Your father and I naturally hope you girls marry well, but if the families aren't well-matched, and you have to suffer some grievance later on, I'm afraid we won't even have the ability to stand up for you."

Chuxue knew they all meant well for her: "Yan Cheng says his parents are very open-minded, and after marriage they'll let me go with him to his army post. Besides, even if things are settled, I haven't turned eighteen yet and haven't reached the legal marriage age—marriage is still a long way off.

As for his family, won't we meet them when they come to propose? If they look down on us country folk, then we can just part ways cleanly when the time comes."

Liu's mother gave the back of her head a light smack: "Right now everyone in the village knows you're dating someone from the city. If you really do part ways, who knows what kind of rumors will be flying around by then?"

Chuxue smiled and threw her arm around Liu's mother's shoulder: "Alright, the cart will find its way past the mountain when it gets there. Your daughter here has the credentials, has the looks, has the ability—even if it really doesn't work out with him, whoever I find later will certainly be no worse. Just you two relax."