Chapter 369: Betrothal Gifts

Early the next morning, after Zhang Ping'an finished breakfast, he picked up his maternal grandparents and brought them to his Siheyuan, then subsequently picked up his paternal grandparents as well.

Both uncles were visiting old friends, so Zhang Ping'an did not disturb them.

His younger brother and Si Jie also arrived one after another; now, except for Zhong Mingzhu and the two children, the whole family was here.

"Ping'an, Uncle Zhao said the neighborhood office has finished the inventory, you can go redeem the shop at any time," Si Jie Zhang Lanhua said.

"Mm, good, I'll go over when I find the time."

Zhang Ping'an had initially thought the accounting would be finished quickly, but he hadn't expected it to take over half a year.

"Brother Ping'an, are you planning to merge the shop with the clothing factory in Xiangjiang after you redeem it?"

"No, it will be the same as before the Public-Private Partnership; Si Jie, the shop will be handed over to you from now on."

Initially, Si Jie held the majority of the shares, and now she had accumulated over twenty years of experience all at once;

plus the clothing-related books Zhang Ping'an provided regularly, he believed she would soon return to her former standard, or even develop and grow further; this shop could also be considered a bit of family property for the Zhang family.

"Good."

"Xiao'e, speaking of the clothing factory in Xiangjiang, I feel it could be moved to Pengcheng, or we could open a second factory; just the labor costs alone could save quite a lot."

Currently, the average monthly wage in Xiangjiang is at least four or five hundred yuan, while in Pengcheng, just across the sea, the average monthly wage is not even one-fifth of that; one can imagine the price difference, moving it over would mean five times the profit.

"Okay, brother-in-law, I will arrange for people to investigate as soon as possible."

"Mm."

Three days later in the morning, Zhang Ping'an drove a pickup truck carrying betrothal gifts to the Zhong Family.

"What are you doing, kid?"

Although Zhong Dingbang said this with his mouth, he was quite satisfied in his heart; regardless of anything else, Zhang Ping'an at least had the right attitude.

"Father, Mother, this is my belated betrothal gift, please don't mind it."

As Zhang Ping'an moved the items down one by one—aged liquor, Tiger Bone Wine, Tiger Penis Wine, tea cakes, chicken, duck, fish, and meat—the serious expressions of Zhong Zhennan and his brother softened.

"Zhengzhong, Zhengyang, Zhengming, Zhengguo, why are you still standing there like fools? Hurry up and help your uncle-in-law move the things inside."

"Oh, oh, okay." There were only men in the third generation of the Zhong Family, and Wanqing was the only girl.

"Daddy, look at the wind chime Grandpa made for me."

"Daddy, and my wooden gun."

"Mm, have you thanked Grandpa?"

"Yes, Daddy."

Zhang Ping'an knew Zhong Laotou doted on Zhong Mingzhu, but he hadn't expected him to personally make toys for his grandson and granddaughter.

The only ones who could receive the same treatment were the little grandson Zhong Zhengguo and his daughter Zhong Xiaoai.

"Ahem, let's all go inside first."

"Good kid, you really have a way with things," Xu Baisheng whispered in Zhang Ping'an's ear.

After Zhong Yan returned home two days ago and told the family about Zhong Mingzhu's situation, even Xu Baisheng felt it was like a dream.

"It seems their fate is truly deep; even after being separated for four or five years, they could still meet by chance in Xiangjiang. If your father hadn't insisted back then, perhaps..." Xu Qianshan was also full of emotion.

"Father, why bring that up now? Isn't the outcome good now?"

"Hehe, that's true."

Time returned to the present; at this moment in the Zhong Family's main hall, three tables were filled with people, the first time the whole family had been together in decades.

Zhong Dingbang was very happy today, not only because his daughter had returned, but because she had brought her husband and children, completing the final regret of his life.

In the end, Zhong Dingbang drank too much, and the eldest and second eldest also rarely became tipsy; in fact, Zhong Mingzhu was less like their younger sister and more like a daughter.

They were each nearly twenty years older than Zhong Mingzhu and had watched her grow up since she was small; one could tell how precious she was to the Zhong Family just from the name Mingzhu.

Now that their little sister was recovered, how could they, as her older brothers and sisters, not be happy? Even if they didn't approve of Zhang Ping'an, they would still give Zhong Mingzhu face.

Of course, they didn't think Zhang Ping'an was a bad person; on the contrary, Zhang Ping'an was very outstanding;

but given Zhang Ping'an's current situation, they were mainly afraid their little sister would suffer.

"Brother-in-law, don't let Mingzhu suffer any grievances in the future, otherwise, you know," Zhang Ping'an was sandwiched between the two brothers-in-law, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

Xu Baisheng was secretly amused on the side; he had received similar treatment back in the day, just not as exaggerated as Zhang Ping'an's.

Heaven knows what it felt like to be suppressed by one's brothers-in-law in both rank and power; even the current Xu Baisheng couldn't compare to the big shots in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, rest assured, I won't let Mingzhu suffer any grievances," Zhang Ping'an hurriedly promised from his heart.

"Mm, actually, you're fine in every way except for being a womanizer."

"..."

"Also..."

"Let me tell you..."

"If it were in the past..."

The two kept nagging in Zhang Ping'an's ear, and didn't stop until they finally passed out drunk on the table.

"Zhengguo, hurry and help your father and uncle to the room to rest."

"Alright."

Zhang Ping'an finally chatted with Mother Zhong and Zhong Yan for a long time; their words were much more pleasant to hear than those of the two brothers-in-law.

"Ping'an, thank you for being able to bring Mingzhu back."

"Mother, look at what you're saying; it's just that Mingzhu has been wronged by being with me."

"Brother Ping'an, I haven't been wronged."

"Ping'an, what happened before was Big Sister's fault, don't take it to heart."

"Big Sister, saying that makes us strangers; I have never blamed anyone, and besides, my relationship with Brother Xu is right here."

"Eh~ still calling him Brother Xu? You should change how you address him to brother-in-law." Oh right, the two of them would be brothers-in-law from now on.

"Ahem, brother-in-law."

"Hmm..."

The group chatted for a long time, and it wasn't until evening that Zhang Ping'an brought the mother and her two children back to the Siheyuan.

"Brother Ping'an, thank you for today."

"Silly, what are you saying? Isn't all this what I should do? It's just that I can't give you a proper wedding for the time being." That's right, today could also be considered a witness to their marriage.

"It's already very good; I am very satisfied."

As the two spoke, their heads were about to lean into each other.

"Mom and Dad, how about you put me and my sister down first?" Wei Xia and Wanqing covered their eyes, yet peeked at Zhang Ping'an and the others through the gaps in their fingers.

"Hee hee, I want to watch."

"......"

"Ahem, get out of the car, get out of the car."

Zhang Ping'an also felt his old face flush with embarrassment; he got out of the car, picked up his daughter, and gave her bottom a light pat.

"You aren't allowed to be naughty with your brother in the future, do you hear me?"

"Hee hee, okay."

The next day at noon, Zhang Ping'an went to Yuchufang Jiudian. At this mealtime, the first-floor lobby was almost completely full. There weren't many people in the second-floor private rooms at noon, as they were mostly occupied in the evenings.

"Zhang Shu, why haven't I seen you return to the courtyard these past few days?"

Shazhu knew that Zhang Ping'an had gone to Beijiang, but he hadn't returned to live in the Siheyuan even though he had been back for a few days.

"Ahem, I've been staying at my grandmother's place. How is it now? Are you still able to adapt?"

"How could I not? I've already gotten used to it."

Speaking of this, Shazhu also felt a bit awkward. When they first opened, he complained that there were too few people, but later it was packed every day, and he was a bit flustered at first. Fortunately, He Daqing came over to save the day, and only then did Shazhu slowly master the rhythm.

"Hmm, cultivate more talent in the kitchen; strive for us to open a new branch in two years."

Zhang Ping'an had initially planned to follow the route of a private kitchen restaurant, but there weren't many people who could afford to consume there right now.

With He Daqing, one Lu Cuisine Garden was enough. Only after the millennium, when there were more wealthy people, would it be good to start private kitchen restaurants on a large scale.

Yuchufang was considered to be between high-end and low-end, and it would also be the main tool for harvesting the catering industry in the future.