Chapter 113: Everyone Knows

Song Xiwei did not dampen the mood; she opened the cloth bag to take a look. First were the clothes for Lin Xuan and Lin Zheng. She pinched the collar, spread them out to look, and said, "These alterations are good. Your tailoring skills have returned."

This was in comparison to the past few years.

Lin Zhao: "..."

"Xuanxuan, Zhengzheng, go try them on. If anything doesn't fit, tell your grandfather and let him alter them for you." Song Xiwei handed the clothes over and said to the two sisters, Lin Xuan and Lin Zheng.

The sisters took the clothes with pleasant surprise, thanked Lin Zhao, and happily returned to their room to change.

Song Xiwei spotted the clothes her daughter had made for her: a black and white checkered shirt with a square neckline, in the loose style she liked, along with a pair of black trousers.

"Not bad. I can tell at a glance that they fit. I'll wear them when the weather gets a bit cooler."

Long-sleeved clothes; at the very least, she wouldn't be able to wear them until next month.

Chen Yu also said, "This is the first time I've seen a collar like this; it doesn't choke the neck, it's perfect for Mother. Zhaozhao is truly getting better and better at making clothes." She praised.

Song Xiwei smiled, "Zhaozhao takes after her father; she has nimble hands."

Old Lin was a man who could even learn embroidery. Zhaozhao had been brought along by her father since she was small, watching him cut and sew, influenced by what she saw and heard. Her father didn't even begrudge her the scraps of cloth, letting her play with them, so naturally, her skills were practiced into existence.

Lin Heling was currently looking at the clothes his daughter had made for him—

The top was a Chinese-style Tang suit, the fabric was silk, black with patterns, and the lining was red, very much in keeping with his modest and noble temperament. The bottom was also black trousers, the same style as Song Xiwei's.

Lin Zhao secretly rejoiced in her heart.

The details of the two outfits were almost the same; as long as they wore them out, outsiders would know her parents were a couple.

Come to think of it, her parents both had good body proportions, short waists and long legs; they looked better than others even in patched clothes, so they would certainly be even more pleasing to the eye in new clothes.

"Father, how is it? Are you satisfied?"

Lin Heling smiled, "If your mother is satisfied, then I am satisfied."

Lin Zhao was not surprised he would reply this way; she put away the clothes, folded them, and sent them to her parents' room.

Then she returned to the courtyard.

Seeing that Lin Zhao had brought back meat, snacks, sugar, and more, Song Xiwei frowned, remembering what Lin Heling had said about Zhaozhao being grown up and a mother of four children, and that she knew what she was doing, so she didn't say anything that would make the child unhappy.

Instead, she said:

"Did you leave any for Chenghuai and the four cubs? You haven't finished eating what you sent before; don't just think about your maiden home for everything."

Lin Zhao hooked Song Xiwei's arm, leaned her head on her shoulder, and said in a soft voice, "I'm not a fool; I left plenty for them. If I didn't, Gu Da Cai and Ercai would definitely go and complain to their maternal grandmother, and then their maternal grandmother and grandfather would definitely criticize me."

Song Xiwei complained on the surface, "How old are you? You're not even bothered by the heat when you're stuck so close." But her hand was waving a palm-leaf fan to provide a breeze.

"I'm just not bothered, I'm just not." Lin Zhao not only didn't pull away, but she also leaned even closer to her mother.

She even chattered on, "I like my mother, and my mother likes me, so why can't we be close? I just want to be close."

A deep smile spread in the depths of Song Xiwei's eyes.

This was her only daughter; how could she not like Zhaozhao being close?

"You say Gu Da Cai and Ercai chatter on; I think you're the one chattering, they must have learned it from you."

The corners of Lin Zhao's mouth lifted slightly; she was not ashamed but proud, "Isn't it good to be eloquent? Mute gourds can't even win an argument with others."

Lin Heling felt like he had been shot in the heart.

He wasn't a mute gourd, but he couldn't be considered eloquent either; he had lived until now without ever having an argument with anyone.

"Zhaozhao, your words just caused collateral damage."

Lin Zhao covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Father, don't worry, no one will ever look for an argument with you."

Borrowing a sentence her mother once said, as long as she looked at her father's face, an argument simply couldn't start.

Besides, she had her mother; her mother had a reputation throughout the entire commune, and the fact that she wasn't to be trifled with was spread everywhere, so no one dared to provoke the two of them.

Lin Heling was puzzled and was just about to press for an answer.

Yuan Xiang came out of the room; she had changed into her old clothes.

"Why did you change your clothes? That outfit looked so good." Song Xiwei saw Xiangxiang had turned back into that dusty-looking appearance and said uncomprehendingly, what young girl didn't love wearing pretty clothes?

Yuan Xiang smiled and said, "I have to cook in a while; that outfit was too new, I was afraid of getting it dirty."

"If it gets dirty, it gets dirty, just wash it and it'll be clean." Song Xiwei's expression softened slightly, and she added, "When your mother comes in a while, you tell her about today's meeting; I'll do the cooking with your cousin-in-law, you take a break today."

After Yuan Xiang came to stay temporarily at the Lin house, she was very diligent and did all kinds of work. Seeing that Chen Yu was pregnant and having a hard time, she took the initiative to take over the cooking.

Come to think of it, the Yuan family's life was average, and what they ate every day was the same for ten years, just to fill their stomachs, so don't even think about flavor; because of this, Yuan Xiang's cooking skills were quite average. After discovering this, Lin Heling and Song Xiwei taught her intentionally or unintentionally, and in just a few days, her cooking skills had improved by a large margin, which made Yuan Xiang even more grateful to the Lin family.

"Okay." Yuan Xiang obediently listened to her aunt's arrangements.

Just at this moment, the Lin family's gate was pushed open from the outside.

It was actually Yuan Xiang's mother, which was Song's eldest sister.

"Why is the gate still closed..." Song's eldest sister muttered, and seeing that Yuan Xiang had returned, she asked anxiously about the matchmaking, accelerating her pace in two or three steps, walking toward the pomegranate tree.

"Xiangxiang, how was the matchmaking today?" She asked as soon as she opened her mouth.

Yuan Xiang handed her mother the bowl she was drinking water from, letting her mother moisten her mouth, and only then did she say with a smile, "It's a success. Mother, I have a partner."

Hearing this confirmation, Yuan Xiang's mother's mind went blank for a moment, her eye sockets turned red instantly, and she hurriedly lowered her head as if to cover it up.

"Good, good, good thing, good thing."

Ever since her daughter was rejected in marriage, she hadn't been able to sleep all night, she was so worried.

Xiangxiang was already in her twenties; at this age in the countryside, other girls already had several children, but she hadn't been married off yet, and she didn't know what kind of person she would be able to marry in the future. Just thinking about this, she regretted it, and hated it...

Song's eldest sister's mood was understood by everyone present.

Lin Zhao said, "Eldest Aunt, my colleague Sister Fen, who is the elder sister of Xiangxiang's partner, asked me to pass a message to you."

Song's eldest sister raised her head abruptly, her voice tight, "What message?"

She was really afraid of any complications.

"Eldest Aunt, don't be nervous, it's not a bad thing." Lin Zhao comforted her first, then said, "Sister Fen revealed the bottom line to me; she said the Li family has prepared the betrothal gifts, two hundred yuan, plus a wristwatch and a sewing machine for my sister."

Hearing her finish, Chen Yu was full of shock.

Two hundred yuan, plus a watch and a sewing machine; in the countryside, this could marry several wives.

Just for her, the betrothal gifts were considered a lot, and that was only eighty-eight, plus two sets of clothes.

Should one say it's worthy of being city people?

Yuan Xiang was also stunned on the spot; this... she only just found out too.

Song's eldest sister was even more shocked; she grabbed Lin Zhao's hand, "Zhaozhao, is what you said true?"

"Of course it's true, why would I lie, it would be broken with one poke, it's meaningless." Lin Zhao said straightforwardly.

Song's eldest sister hurriedly said, "Zhaozhao, don't misunderstand, I'm not blaming you, I just... just feel... I can't believe it."

She withdrew her hand and suddenly wiped away tears, "I didn't expect it, I didn't expect that there would still be a family that would value my Xiangxiang so much."

Seeing her mother crying, Yuan Xiang couldn't control herself either and followed suit, wiping away tears.

Mother and daughter hugged each other and cried.

Lin Zhao looked at her mother for help, how to persuade them?

Song Xiwei couldn't bear to see her daughter in a difficult position and persuaded, "Why cry, this is a good thing, you should laugh. Besides, Xiangxiang is such a good girl, there will always be someone who can discover her goodness."

"Right, right, right." Lin Zhao added, "That person also said, if my sister wants to work, he will help her find a job."

As soon as these words came out, Song's eldest sister couldn't care about crying anymore, staring at her daughter with red eyes, "Xiangxiang, did that young man really say that?"

Yuan Xiang remembered the serious expression on Li Song's face when he said this, her face felt hot, but she still said, "Mm, he said it."

"Xiangxiang, if he can find a job, you go to work." Song's eldest sister said seriously, "Xiangxiang, Mother knows the difficulty of reaching out to others for money; only by earning your own money can you live a comfortable life. If there is a job opportunity, you must, must not let it go."

Yuan Xiang nodded solemnly, "I know."

Song's eldest sister knew her daughter was diligent; she stroked Yuan Xiang's hair and smiled with relief, "Talk well first, understand him more... then talk about marriage. After all, it's a lifelong matter, be cautious."

She was afraid her daughter wouldn't have a partner, and also afraid her daughter would meet a bad person.

"Mm." Yuan Xiang kept it in her heart; she wasn't as happy as Zhaozhao, but she was luckier than many girls in the village; she had a mother who considered everything for her with all her heart.

Song's eldest sister didn't stay long; after understanding the situation of her daughter's matchmaking clearly, she was about to leave.

The brigade was currently weeding and fertilizing during this period, and the tasks were also very heavy; she had come by asking for leave.

Yuan Xiang didn't stop her; she divided the things sent by the Li family into two halves, leaving half for her aunt's family and letting her mother take half back, and Song Xiwei also cut a catty of meat for her sister to take back.

Song's eldest sister couldn't refuse and had no choice but to take it back in big and small bags.

When she arrived at the brigade, the sun was still hanging high.

Seeing that both her hands were occupied, the people in the village were stunned on the spot.

After they reacted, they spoke up and asked, "Xiangxiang's mother, you've come back after seeing your daughter? Why did you bring so many things, did your sister give them to you?"

Song's eldest sister only felt proud and elated, "Some were given by my sister, and some were given by my Xiangxiang's partner."

Her own daughter had found a good partner, and she didn't want to hide it; ever since Xiangxiang was rejected in marriage, the people in the village had been speaking very harshly.

The Yuan family had heard enough of it.

The people in the village were shocked and didn't know what to say, "Your family's Xiangxiang has a partner?"

Another person said, "Introduced by her aunt?"

"Where is the man from, what does he do?"

"Xiangxiang's mother, your family's Xiangxiang is diligent, but she's not young anymore, don't tell me you found a second-marriage one?" This was someone who loved to watch a joke.

The previous ones were fine, all gossiping and watching the fun, but this last person was really annoying.

Song's eldest sister wasn't easy to bully either, and said, "I'll trouble you to worry, it's not a second marriage, it's a worker in the city!" She said the two words "worker" with sonorous force.

"Impossible!" The person who loved to watch a joke was full of disbelief in her words, "Your family's Xiangxiang has no looks, no culture, and she's already in her twenties, how could she find a worker partner! Xiangxiang's mother, don't tell me you drank too much fake wine and are dizzy in broad daylight!"

Song's eldest sister felt that her words were really ugly and frowned impatiently.

As a fellow villager, she knew this person had this kind of nature, so it wasn't easy to argue.

She only said:

"Believe it or not, it's up to you."

"That young man was introduced by my niece. Everyone has heard of my niece, right, the only high school student in ten miles and eight villages, married into the Gu family of the Harvest Brigade, and her husband is an officer in the army. My niece is a salesperson at the supply and marketing cooperative, her colleague asked Zhaozhao to help introduce a partner, Zhaozhao returned to her maiden home... and happened to know her sister had been rejected in marriage, isn't this a coincidence, she mentioned her sister to her colleague, that colleague thought it was okay, the two children met, and today they just met, my family's Xiangxiang... has a partner."

Hearing her speak with such nose and eyes, everyone had no choice but to believe it.

This was the benefit of having a niece who was a salesperson.

"Xiangxiang's mother, what does Xiangxiang's partner do?"

"I heard you say he's a worker, is that a formal worker or a temporary worker?"

"Why is the man's family willing to let him marry a country girl, didn't they say city people look down on country girls?"

With questions smashing over one by one, Song's eldest sister only felt a headache.

"We just started talking, it's not certain what will happen in the future, there are too many things and it's heavy, I'll go back first, let's chat another day."

After saying this, she left quickly.

The people left on the spot had just eaten a big melon, their desire to talk was flourishing, and they kept talking on the spot.

"Do you think what Xiangxiang's mother said is true or false, does she really have a city son-in-law? I didn't expect it."

"It should be, that niece of hers is cultured and capable, it's not strange for her to find a city partner for her sister."

Some people felt sour in their hearts, and it showed in their mouths, "Who knows if that young man has any problems, which proper city person wants to find a country girl, maybe it's a second marriage with children."

"That's true."

Song's eldest sister didn't know about these words, and even if she did, she wouldn't care; a few days ago, they had said even uglier things.

The Yuan family soon learned about this.

Yuan Xiang's two older brothers were happy for her.

"Mother, does Xiangxiang really have a city partner?" Yuan's eldest brother asked.

Song's eldest sister was in a very good mood, the sorrow on her face was gone, leaving only happiness, "Yes, your sister said the meeting went very smoothly, she was satisfied, the other party was also satisfied, and the day after tomorrow that young man is going to take her to the county to walk around."

Yuan's eldest sister-in-law said, "Mother, I heard from people in the village that this partner was introduced by Xiangxiang's cousin, what is going on?"

Last time when returning from the East Wind Brigade, Song's eldest sister was afraid of making a mistake and didn't mention that her daughter was going to have a matchmaking, so the Yuan family was very confused.

Hearing her eldest daughter-in-law ask this, she told the whole story from beginning to end.

Yuan's second brother said resentfully, "Mother, why are you only saying it now, my sister's major life event, I knew about it later than the people in the village."

"Things weren't settled yet, how could I say it!" Song's eldest sister glared at him.

Yuan's second brother muttered, "You should have mentioned it at least."

He was also very concerned about his sister's affairs.

Song's eldest sister said, "Xiangxiang is going to marry into the city, so the dowry can't be the same as before, I plan to find someone to make her a bed and a wardrobe."

Hearing this, Yuan's eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law's faces pulled down.

"Mother, isn't this inappropriate!" Yuan's second sister-in-law had a fiery temper and raised an objection on the spot, "Xiangxiang was rejected in marriage, you gave all the money that family compensated to the younger sister as a dowry, the dowry prepared for her by the family before was not light, why add more! Mother, your grandsons and granddaughters also need to marry!"

The younger sister-in-law was rejected in marriage, and her children were significantly affected.

Now the mother-in-law still wanted to thicken the younger sister-in-law's dowry, and she was very unhappy.

It wasn't that she couldn't bear to see the younger sister-in-law do well; if the Yuan family had money, she certainly wouldn't care, but the whole family relied on work points to live, and there really wasn't much money in the family, so she had to consider her own children.

Song's eldest sister said, "I won't move the money in the account, I'll use my private money."

With this, Yuan's second sister-in-law couldn't say another word of objection, but she still felt unhappy in her heart, thinking that her mother-in-law was biased toward her own daughter, and returned to her room angrily. ===== CHAPTER 114 =====