Old Mrs. Li was stunned for a moment. She looked at Guihua for a long time without saying a word. Guihua stood at the door with her hands clasped together, feeling uneasy.
"Go!" Old Mrs. Li suddenly said. Guihua opened her eyes wide and looked at Old Mrs. Li, seeming a little bit unbelievable.
"Go see Dongzi and talk to him about getting married at the end of the year. Also, I've been saving cloth coupons and other things since the end of last year. Your fourth uncle also gave me some when he came back during the Chinese New Year. When you go to Bingcheng, take the cloth coupons and industrial coupons with you, and buy some things for your wedding. The cloth and other things sold there are better looking than what we have here."
Guihua's anxiety throughout the night was almost instantly dispelled by these few short words from Old Lady Li. She immediately covered her face and squatted on the ground, crying.
Old Lady Li sighed, "You are such a smart and strong child, why are you crying? In fact, it was wrong for you to beat Dongzi and leave. I can guess what's on your mind. But don't worry, Dongzi is not a heartless person, otherwise I wouldn't dare to prepare a wedding for you. Besides, I am here to help you. What do you have to be afraid of?"
"Grandma!" Guihua wiped the tears from her face and stood up from the ground. A look of determination flashed across her face. "I'll go to Bingcheng to ask Brother Mingdong about this. If he really doesn't want to marry me, I'll be your granddaughter. I can't just eat our family's food for free for so many years. When the time comes, I'll stay single and serve you and my parents for the rest of my life."
Old Lady Li couldn't help laughing when she heard Guihua's childish words. She picked up her pipe and tapped her head gently, saying half angrily and half laughing, "What nonsense are you talking about? I have children and grandchildren. Why would I waste my life on you?"
Guihua wiped her tears and couldn't help laughing. Old Lady Li looked at her with disdain: "You've got a clown face so early in the morning. It's so shabby. Go wash your face quickly. When you're clean, we can talk about going to Ice City in detail."
Guihua smiled foolishly, took the basin to scoop water from the vat to wash her face. Old Mrs. Li shook her head, moved a bench and sat under the wall waiting for Guihua.
In the east room, Wang Sufen heard Old Lady Li and Guihua talking, and then she realized that something was wrong with Guihua. She put on her shoes, got off the kang, and sat next to Guihua on a stool. Guihua blushed all of a sudden, and called softly, "Mom!" Then she lowered her head and said nothing.
Old Lady Li rolled her eyes at Wang Sufen and said, "Why are you so ignorant? You didn't see the child. You should be embarrassed. Go and cook. I have something to say to Guihua."
Wang Sufen stood up and responded, then worriedly told Guihua: "Don't let your imagination run wild. You've called me mom for so many years, why do you suddenly act like you're not my daughter-in-law anymore?"
Guihua was amused by Wang Sufen's straightforward consolation. Wang Sufen walked back, muttering: "Children nowadays think a lot. We didn't have as many ideas as we did when we were young."
Add two ladles of water into the pot, scoop out half a bowl of cornmeal and mix it with the water to make wild vegetable porridge. Also, take out a large piece of pickles from the jar, wash it twice and cut it into shreds to prepare for the porridge in the morning.
In the yard, Old Lady Li and Guihua sat face to face. Old Lady Li said earnestly, "Grandma agrees that you can go to Bingcheng, but you can't go alone. Just wait for two days. Mingxi will have his autumn vacation these days. Wait for him to come home and let him go with you. This will save you the risk of being alone."
"It's okay, grandma." Guihua threw her braided hair behind her. "I'm already a grown-up. I'm not afraid of walking on a mountain road for a whole day. Why would I be afraid of taking a train? Besides, you let me go to elementary school, and Brother Mingdong taught me for a few years. I know all these common characters."
"Grandma knows that you are a reckless person, and you didn't just ask Mingxi to give you courage. You still need to buy things, and you can't carry them all by yourself." Seeing that everyone in the family had gotten up one after another, Grandma Li took Guihua to her room and said, "Grandma will tell you what to buy."
Back in the east room, Old Lady Li opened the box and took out the various tickets she had saved for a long time. She showed them to Guihua one by one: "Buy two pieces of blue work cloth and make a new cotton-padded jacket for you and Mingdong. Also buy a few feet of brightly colored corduroy for Zhenzhen. It's best to be red. Our Zhenzhen wears white, and it looks good on her."
Guihua responded, and Old Lady Li continued, "Leave the cotton coupons here with me. I'll go buy some on the street. They're the same everywhere, so you don't have to bring them back from so far away."
She counted out the industrial tickets one by one and gave them to Guihua: "Buy two iron-shell thermoses, preferably bright red ones, for festive occasions. Also buy two enamel pots. Oh, and buy one for Zhenzhen as well. She still drinks water from the military kettle that your grandfather sent back all day long. Even though she is too young to need one now, she will definitely be unhappy when she grows up next year. This is a good time for her to buy a pot. You also have to buy two washbasins, one for you and one for Zhenzhen. I've noticed that Zhenzhen seems unhappy about using an adult basin to wash her face these days, so I'll buy her one." As Old Lady Li spoke, Guihua found a pen and paper and wrote it down stroke by stroke.
"Let me think about anything else." Old Mrs. Li lit her pipe as usual and thought while smoking.
Wang Sufen finished cooking and came in to call the two of them: "Mom, let's eat first and then you can talk to Guihua in detail. It won't take a while. Guihua, hurry up and call your mother to eat."
Guihua smiled and got off the kang: "My mother got up at dawn and went to the backyard to paint. I'll go call her."
"Oh, my mother-in-law got up too early. I didn't even hear anything." Wang Sufen pursed her lips and said, "What a fuss! How can she let someone work so early in the morning?"
Zhenzhen woke up at this time. She lay on the kang and watched Wang Sufen patting her thighs. She couldn't help but giggle. Wang Sufen went over and patted her little butt, then picked her up and put on her clothes and pants: "Mom made some steamed egg cake for you. You love it the most, right?"
Zhenzhen's lower teeth have sprouted again this month. She nodded happily and gave Wang Sufen a sweet kiss on the face: "Give it to mommy!"
"You only know how to make your mother happy." Wang Sufen brought some warm water, washed Zhenzhen's face and hands, and then carried her to the kang table in the west room.
Liu Chunhua and Guihua came in from the door, and Wang Sufen quickly asked Liu Chunhua to sit down: "I heard from Guihua that you went to paint the kangqin early in the morning? Don't be so anxious, we wanted to keep you here for a few more days so that you can accompany Guihua. Now that she is getting married, you can talk about private matters."
Liu Chunhua smiled and said, "I can't lie down once I wake up. Tossing and turning will only make Guihua sleep poorly. It's better to go out for a walk and paint a few strokes. It's more comfortable."
Handing Liu Chunhua a piece of cake, Wang Sufen scooped Zhenzhen's egg cake into a small bowl, and fed her mouthful after mouthful when it was almost cool. Liu Chunhua looked at Zhenzhen's lively eyes, and showed some love on her face: "Dongzi's mother, your daughter is obviously a smart child, and there is intelligence in her eyes. You must educate her well, and let her go to school when she grows up, and don't delay her."
Liu Chunhua is a cautious person. After coming to Lao Li's house, he never said much about Guihua's affairs. But he actually said such words for Zhenzhen, which shows how sincere he is.
Liu Chunhua's words touched the heart of Grandma Li. She slapped her thigh and showed an excited look on her face: "No wonder they say educated people have good vision. I'm not praising my granddaughter, she is really a smart child. Although she is only eight months old, she seems to understand everything you say to her. She has been worry-free since she was a child. She never cries or makes a fuss, which makes her very lovable."
"Auntie loves her children, Zhenzhen is blessed." Liu Chunhua looked at Zhenzhen with a smile, then turned to look at Guihua: "Guihua is also blessed."
"They are all sweet children, and they deserve to be loved." Old Lady Li picked up the big bowl and sipped the wild vegetable porridge while turning it around. "In fact, I know you love Guihua, but there was nothing you could do back then. If you really didn't treat your children as human beings, I wouldn't let Guihua go back to her parents' home so often."
Putting down the bowl, Old Lady Li said to Guihua, "When I passed by your house, a family wanted to buy you and offered 30 kilograms of cornmeal. But your mother heard that the family had a stupid son and refused to agree. I happened to be visiting relatives with 20 kilograms of soybeans that day, and when I passed by your house, she fell in love with you at first sight. Your mother had heard of our family and knew that the Li family was honest, so she didn't care how much soybeans I brought and let me take you back."
Guihua put a piece of pickled vegetable into Liu Chunhua's bowl and said softly, "I remember when I came back with grandma, my mother cried and said she was sorry for me."
Wang Sufen noticed that the atmosphere was a little sad, so she quickly smiled and said, "It was really difficult back then, but now everything is fine. Guihua has grown up and is getting married, and life will get better and better in the future."
The family quickly finished their breakfast while chatting. Wang Sufen sent Mingnan and Mingbei to the mountain to collect firewood, and Liu Chunhua went back to the back room to paint. When Zhenzhen woke up in the afternoon, the whole family had returned and Liu Chunhua had finished painting the kangqin.
After hearing this, Old Lady Li quickly got off the kang and went to take a look. Mingnan and Mingbei also followed behind to watch the fun. Even Zhenzhen stretched out her little hand and pointed to the back room, muttering anxiously, "Let's go! Mom, let's go!" Old Lady Li couldn't help laughing when she saw this and said, "My little granddaughter can't be left behind anywhere. She has to get involved in all the big and small things at home."
"Or you could say she's smart. The child can see the future from a young age." Liu Chunhua then praised.
When Mrs. Li heard the words "from childhood to old age", she felt a little worried. She glanced at Mingbei and sighed helplessly: "It's over. I was hoping that Mingbei would grow smarter as he got older. Now it seems like there's no hope?"
Mingbei walked in front with a stick in his hand, knocking and poking things here and there from time to time and having a lot of fun. Old Mrs. Li was worried looking at him, and Zhenzhen couldn't help but think of a saying: Mentally retarded children are more joyful.
Mingbei was having fun, but suddenly heard Old Lady Li say that he was stupid. He immediately became unhappy: "Grandma, why do you sound like you're saying I'm stupid?"
Mingnan beside him laughed immediately: "That's not called resemblance, grandma is just saying you are stupid!"
Mingbei threw the stick on the ground and rushed towards Mingnan. Mingnan was as nimble as a monkey, dodging left and right so that Mingbei couldn't catch him. Zhenzhen couldn't help laughing when she saw her two brothers jumping up and down. Old Mrs. Li also laughed: "I thought there was only one idiot in my family, but now it seems there are two."
The family chatted and laughed as they entered the house. There were eight peony paintings of different sizes on the kang. The four long and narrow ones were hung on the cabinet doors, and the square ones were inlaid on the four small cabinets below. There was already a space reserved on the kang for inlaying glass. When the time came, they would just stick the paintings on top and then inlay the glass.
Zhenzhen poked her head out of Wang Sufen's arms to look at the paintings on the kang. She saw that each of the eight peony paintings was painted differently. The top four used strong colors, and the peonies were full and large, with a sense of wealth and good fortune. The bottom four used fine brushwork, with layers of petals and bright colors, looking lifelike.
Mrs. Li was full of praise for Liu Chunhua's paintings and pulled her to smile: "The glass paintings on the kangqin I saw on the street are not as beautiful as yours. Your paintings are so good, and they look festive at first glance."
Zhenzhen nodded in Wang Sufen's arms. Although she had never learned painting in her previous life, she had lived in that era of abundant spiritual food for more than 20 years, so she still had some basic aesthetics. In Zhenzhen's opinion, Guihua's mother could paint so well after not painting for so many years. If she were in modern times, she would definitely be a great painter.
Hearing the endless praise from everyone, Liu Chunhua felt a little embarrassed: "I haven't touched a brush for so many years, my hands are too rusty, the painting is really not satisfactory."
Wang Sufen saw Liu Chunhua's regretful expression and couldn't help but smile and said, "Mother-in-law, I am already envious of paintings like this. If you can paint better, I will definitely hide these paintings and only hang them up during festivals. I will definitely not bear to put them on the kangqin for them."
When Mrs. Li heard this, she was immediately happy: "Then you will definitely not be able to snatch it from me. I will lock it in my box and even you can't see it."
Seeing that the Li family really liked the peony she had painted, Liu Chunhua no longer worried about whether the painting was good or not. She smiled cheerfully and said, "Okay, as long as you don't mind. Let's put the painting aside and buy glass to mount it on it, so that the paper won't be stained and look bad."
Old Lady Li nodded, and sent Li Muwu to measure the size and buy glass the next morning. Li Muwu called a carpenter and the two of them worked for an hour before finally mounting the painting.
After the kangqin was ready and Liu Chunhua went home, Guihua began to think about going to Bingcheng again. Old Lady Li took her to the street to get a letter of introduction, and inquired about the time and train number to Bingcheng. As soon as Mingxi arrived home, she immediately sent Li Muwu to buy a train ticket. Before leaving, Guihua sewed the money and tickets given by Old Lady Li firmly into her clothes, for fear of losing them.
The two boarded the train and arrived in Bingcheng after a few days of bumpy ride. After getting off the train, Mingxi found the staff at the train station and asked for directions to Agricultural University. Seeing that they were from other places and not very old, the staff kindly led them to the bus stop next to the train station and told them how to take the bus and which stop to get off.
After Mingxi and Guihua thanked them, they looked curiously at the pedestrians and vehicles passing by. Guihua excitedly pulled Mingxi's sleeve and said, "No wonder they say the provincial capital is good. We don't even see a car in our hometown all year round."
As they were talking, a trolley bus came. Mingxi pulled Guihua on board, bought tickets, and the two excitedly found a window seat and sat down. Guihua sat next to the window, her eyes wide open as she watched the houses and pedestrians outside quickly falling backwards. She couldn't help but exclaimed, "Last time when Fourth Aunt came back to her hometown, she didn't like to ride in our carriage. It turns out that their trolley bus is really comfortable, and it's not bumpy at all to sit on it."
Mingxi nodded and said, "We live in a forest area, there are not many households there, even if there is a trolley bus, no one rides it. Today is Friday, and my brother doesn't have classes tomorrow, so let's go visit our fourth uncle and give him the bacon that grandma brought."
The train was moving fast. As it stopped at each station, the number of people on the train decreased. Guihua's excitement for riding the train for the first time also slowly dissipated as time went by. As the train went further and further off the track, she twisted her hands together involuntarily and asked Mingxi nervously, "Are we almost there?"
Mingxi stood up and glanced at the station name written on the carriage, then nodded: "It's the next stop."
Although she knew that the station was about to arrive, Guihua's heart still skipped a beat when she heard Mingxi confirm it. She pulled her braids and her palms were full of cold sweat.
Soon, they arrived at the Agricultural University. Mingxi got off the tram first with his luggage. He turned around and saw Guihua still on the tram, moving step by step towards the door. He immediately rushed over and pulled her down anxiously: "My dear sister, why are you so slow? The tram is still waiting to leave. If you don't get off, how will I explain to my brother if the tram takes you away?"
Guihua's lips turned pale. She smiled weakly, looking at the nearby Agricultural College and not daring to take a step. Mingxi had walked about ten meters away when she turned around and found Guihua still standing there. She had no choice but to drag her luggage over and ask her, "Sister Guihua, what's wrong with you? It's getting late. We have to find my brother quickly. If we can't find him after dark, we'll be in trouble."
"Mingxi, I'm a little scared." Guihua looked at Mingxi helplessly, her lips trembling nervously.
Mingxi scratched his head and looked at her in confusion: "Why are you afraid of coming to see my brother? What did he say about you before going to school? No, if he said anything about you, I would definitely beat him up."
When she thought of her grandmother, Guihua felt more confident. She had come all the way from Beicha to Bingcheng for Mingdong's matter. If she got scared now, it would be a waste of her trip. Guihua closed her eyes and calmed down for a while before she suddenly walked forward: "Let's go, quickly!"
Mingxi followed her in confusion, muttering, "Why are you still talking nonsense?"
Guihua walked to the door with big strides, and the doorman came out and asked, "Girl, who are you looking for?"
Guihua stroked her braids and smiled shyly: "I'm looking for Li Mingdong, a new student this year. I'm his wife."
"Li Mingdong? I know, he has good grades and the teacher always praises him." The staff member looked Guihua up and down and couldn't help but say, "So Li Mingdong has married."
As they were talking, Li Mingxi had already come over with his luggage. He wiped the sweat off his head and complained, "Sister Guihua, you're walking too fast. I can't keep up with you even though I'm carrying my luggage behind me."
The staff pointed at Mingxi and asked Guihua: "What is this?"
"Oh, this is Li Mingdong's younger brother, Li Mingxi." Guihua explained quickly. Mingxi put his luggage at his feet and took out the letter of introduction from his arms. When the staff saw that the name matched, they led the two into the school.
"You are lucky to have come. If you had come two days earlier, you might not have been able to meet him." The staff member smiled and said, "Their freshman went to work on the farm at the beginning of the month and only returned to school yesterday. I think they are still in class at this time. You can go to the bottom of the building over there and wait for him. The get out of class will be over in about ten minutes."
"Thank you, comrade." Guihua and Mingxi thanked him politely, and followed his instructions to the bottom of the teaching building. Mingxi put his luggage on the ground, sat on the steps, and looked at everything in the university campus curiously.
Guihua stopped going to school after elementary school. Her memories of the campus have long been unfamiliar to her. Looking at the students walking by with books in their arms from time to time, she couldn't help but show an envious look.
"It's great here." Mingxi couldn't help but exclaimed: "I heard that Bingcheng Industrial University is not bad. I will take some time to go and have a look this time. After I finish high school, I will also apply to a university in Bingcheng."
"Ring, ring, ring..." Soon, the bell for the end of get out of class rang. Mingxi hurriedly stood up from the steps, put the luggage on the ground on his back, looked around, and pulled Guihua to the side to wait.
The classroom doors opened one by one, and teachers and students walked out of the classrooms in an orderly manner. Some students asked questions they didn't understand next to the teachers, while others sat in groups of three or four, discussing something intensely.
Mingxi stood on tiptoe, trying to find Mingdong in the crowd. Guihua bit her lip nervously. Suddenly, a familiar figure came out of the classroom. It was Mingdong who had been away from home for two months. Mingdong was walking and talking with a book in his hand. Three or four classmates leaned over to look at him, as if listening to his explanation.
Guihua's eyes passed from Mingdong's face and fell on the face of a girl behind him. She looked at Mingdong's profile seriously with admiration in her eyes. Guihua was very familiar with that look, exactly the same as when she looked at Mingdong.
"Brother!" Mingxi looked around and finally saw Mingdong. He happily ran over with his luggage. Mingdong heard the familiar voice and subconsciously looked up. He saw Mingxi with a happy face. He couldn't help but smiled and hit him on the shoulder: "Why are you here?"
"Grandma asked me to come. Look who's here?" Mingxi turned around and pointed in the direction of Guihua.
Several classmates who had just discussed the problem with Mingdong also came over and asked, "Mingdong, your brother is here."
"Yes!" Mingdong smiled and waved to Guihua: "Guihua, come here."
Seeing Mingdong's familiar smile and the still friendly address, Guihua's cold heart slowly calmed down. She walked over, her cheeks couldn't help but blush: "Brother Mingdong."
"Are you tired since this is your first time traveling so far?" Mingdong took the small bag from Guihua's hand, turned around and said to Mingxi, "I'll put the luggage in my dormitory first, and then take you to the cafeteria for dinner."
A boy standing next to Mingdong smiled and said, "Why are you going back to the dormitory? I'll take it back for you. You should take your brothers and sisters to eat. You must be very hungry after taking such a long train ride."
The girl who had been standing behind Mingdong and watching them silently suddenly stepped forward, interrupted with a smile and asked, "You boys are so careless. Li Mingdong's brother is easy to accommodate. He can just stay in your dormitory at night. Have you ever thought about where his sister will live?"
Mingdong was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, the girl smiled and said, "What else do you want? Why don't you just live in our dormitory? Qin Mingyue happened to have asked for leave to go home, so just let her sleep in Qin Mingyue's bed."
"Thank you, Meng Shuran." Mingdong thanked him politely: "I will send Guihua over after dinner. I'll have to trouble you to come out and meet her then."
"We are all classmates, why are we being so polite?" Meng Shuran smiled sweetly: "By the way, aren't you going to the cafeteria to eat? I'm hungry too, let's go together."
It was almost time for dinner, so Mingdong didn't think much about it. He took Mingxi and Guihua to the cafeteria, found a seat for Guihua to sit down, and then took Mingxi to get food.
When Mingdong was in college, he received a monthly allowance of 35 yuan and food coupons. Although food supplies are still tight in various places nowadays, the Agricultural University has two farms of its own, which are enough for self-sufficiency, so the students eat quite well.
Mingdong and Mingxi brought over three servings of rice and dishes. Guihua shared the chopsticks between the two of them. Seeing that Meng Shuran hadn't come over yet, she quickly asked quietly, "Brother Mingdong, are you familiar with that girl?"
"We're from the same class. We've talked a few words, but she seems to be very helpful." Mingdong thought Guihua was just afraid to stay in the girls' dormitory, so he comforted her, "It's okay. There are eight girls in their dormitory, all from our class. Don't be afraid. They will take care of you."
When Guihua heard this number, she couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Are there so many girls going to college now?"
"There aren't many in our school. For example, there are only eight girls in our class, and one dormitory can accommodate them all." Mingdong said as he picked out the meat from the dish and gave it to Mingxi and Guihua.
Meng Shuran came over with a plate and a bowl of soup. He happened to see Mingdong picking up some meat for Guihua, and couldn't help but tentatively said, "Student Li Mingdong, you are so good to your sister."
Guihua eats a lot of meat at home. She originally wanted to take the meat back, but after hearing what Meng Shuran said, she generously put the meat in her mouth and smiled a little embarrassedly: "Brother Mingdong has always been very good to me."
Meng Shuran heard this and felt that Guihua was not like Li Mingdong's biological sister. She sat opposite Guihua and took a close look at her face while she was drinking soup with a spoon: a traditional oval face, big eyes, a perfect nose and mouth, not too white skin, but very energetic, especially when she looked at Mingdong with a shy look, even Meng Shuran couldn't help but feel a little itchy. Although she was a little unconvinced, Meng Shuran had to admit that Guihua looked better than most people.
Poking the rice in the plate with a spoon, Meng Shuran couldn't help but ask, "Why did you come to Bingcheng? Is there anything you need to do? My family is from Bingcheng, and I know the area well. If you need any help, just ask. Li Mingdong and I are classmates, so you don't have to be polite."
Mingdong looked up at them after hearing that, feeling somewhat strange. Guihua blushed and lowered her head without saying anything. Seeing that Guihua was silent, Mingxi told the truth: "My grandma is planning to hold a wedding for my brother and Guihua at the end of the year. Our place is small, and we don't have bright colors for fabrics, so my grandma asked Guihua to come to Bingcheng to buy some wedding items. But my grandma was worried about Guihua going out alone, so she asked me to follow her so that I could help carry things."
Although Mingdong knew about Mrs. Li's plan, he was still a little stunned when he heard about buying wedding things. Meng Shuran looked at Guihua with a pale face and tried to force out an unnatural smile: "Do you have other brothers?"
"No!" Mingxi looked at her in surprise: "This is Mingdong and I am Mingxi. Just by listening to the name, you can tell that I don't have any other brothers." After saying that, he laughed twice, pointed at Meng Shuran and said to Mingdong: "Brother, your classmate asked a really interesting question."
Mingdong ignored Mingxi, but couldn't help looking up at Guihua, who was nervously watching Mingdong's reaction. Their eyes met. Guihua blushed and smiled shyly. Mingdong suddenly panicked and didn't know what to do. He could only look away helplessly.
Mingxi didn't notice anything wrong and added cheerfully, "Mom has made the cabinet and the kangqin for you. Guihua's mom came to our house and painted eight peonies on your kangqin. They are so beautiful. Guihua, when I get married, can you ask Auntie to paint a kangqin for me?"
Guihua chuckled and wrinkled her nose mischievously, with a hint of playfulness and cuteness on her face: "Let's talk about it after you find a wife."
Since Mingdong entered junior high school, he has rarely been at home except during holidays. During that short period of time they spent together, Mingdong always had the impression that Guihua was smiling and gentle, just like a traditional woman, without any emotional fluctuations.
But Guihua's smile just now made Mingdong's self-righteousness a joke. Guihua's lively and pretty appearance instantly broke Mingdong's previous fixed image of her.
Mingdong was a little stunned when he looked at Guihua. Only then did he realize that Guihua was as energetic and vibrant as the young girls nowadays.
Seeing their actions and what Li Mingxi said, Meng Shuran suddenly lost her appetite. Fortunately, she didn't have much food, so she lowered her head and ate it in a few bites. She stood up with the plate in her hand and said listlessly, "I'm going back to the dormitory first. When Guihua wants to go to bed, you can ask someone to tell her that I'll come down to pick her up."
Mingdong thanked him. Guihua watched Meng Shuran leave and lowered her eyes gently: "Brother Mingdong, take us to see Fourth Uncle tomorrow. We have to go shopping when we have time. Grandma said we need to buy some fabrics, thermoses, washbasins, etc."
"Oh." Mingdong responded blankly, his head seemed like a mess: "Let's go see Fourth Uncle first, there's no rush to buy things, I'll take you for a good shopping later." A trace of disappointment flashed in Guihua's eyes, and she stuffed rice into her mouth mouthful by mouthful.
After dinner, Mingdong sent Guihua to the downstairs of the girls' dormitory. Another girl from the same class happened to pass by, so Mingdong quickly stopped her and asked her to help take Guihua upstairs and take care of her at night.
Watching Guihua go upstairs, Li Mingdong thought of what Guihua had just said, and suddenly he didn't know what to do. Mingxi looked at Mingdong scratching his hair from time to time, and couldn't help but bumped him with his arm: "What's wrong with you? Is your hair itchy?"
"No!" Mingdong led Mingxi to the playground, held the parallel bars with both hands, and sat up. Mingxi put his chin on the parallel bars and looked at Mingdong strangely: "Brother, what's wrong with you? You are a bit like Guihua. She was like you before we came from home, sometimes in a daze and sometimes pulling her hair."
"Mingxi, do you think I should marry Guihua?" Mingdong had been holding this question in his mind for a long time but he had never figured it out. Shouldn't modern marriages be based on love? Can arranged marriages like theirs really produce love? If he compromised with this arranged marriage, would it mean that he compromised with his feudalism? One after another, questions about love had been entangled with Mingdong since the summer, making him confused about his marriage and future family.
Hearing Mingdong's question, Mingxi looked at him incredulously: "Of course you have to marry her. Guihua is your wife. I brought her home since she was little to be your wife."
"This is an old-fashioned arranged marriage. Shouldn't young people like us who have received higher education pursue free love and marry independently?" Mingdong scratched his head, not knowing how to express his thoughts.
Mingxi was stunned for a long time, and couldn't help but reply: "But having received higher education doesn't mean you don't want a wife at home. Brother, have you fallen in love with another girl? Do you want to break off the engagement with Guihua and pursue a free marriage?"
"No!" Mingdong shook his head irritably: "I don't like other girls. I just don't understand what it means to like someone, so I don't know whether I should marry Guihua or not?"
"Why is getting married so complicated? What did you study in college? Why did your brain become so useless?" Mingxi also jumped up with the parallel bars and sat opposite Mingdong: "Did Guihua come to our house since she was a child to be your wife?"
"Yes." Mingdong felt a little distressed when he thought of Guihua taking care of the housework in and outside his home over the years.
"Did Guihua do anything wrong?" Mingxi asked.
"No, she is a good girl." Mingdong replied.
"That's it." Mingxi clapped his hands and said, "Your wife is a good girl, why don't you marry her? Just because she was brought back by your mother, not by you?"
That seemed to be correct, Mingdong nodded hesitantly.
"You have a problem with milk?" Mingxi said. Mingdong was frightened and shook his head immediately: "Don't talk nonsense, I have no problem with milk."
Mingxi rolled her eyes at him and said, "Let me tell you, our grandma is an old lady with sharp eyes. She is absolutely correct in judging people. Look at our mom and our third aunt. They all make outsiders give them a thumbs up. The one from our fourth uncle's family was picked by him. Look at what a thing that is. When he came home for the Chinese New Year last year, grandma was almost mad to death. His eyes were fixed on our cabinets. If you find someone like that yourself, you might as well just listen to grandma."
"I don't think Guihua is bad." Mingdong sighed, "I just feel unwilling to step into a marriage that I have prepared before experiencing the anxiety and sweetness of love. If it were you, would you be willing?"
Mingxi thought about it and nodded seriously, "I think it's pretty good. Sister Guihua is nice and pretty, and my family likes her. So Sister Guihua is really good. Brother, if you really don't want to marry her, forget it. I'll go home and tell grandma that I want to marry Guihua. After all, a woman three years older than you is a rich man, so I don't have to look for another one in the future. What if Guihua's mother doesn't want to help me draw the kangqin? I've always liked Peony."
Mingdong didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and kicked Mingxi off the parallel bars: "So you married Guihua just for that kangqin?"
"Not really, it's mainly because Sister Guihua is a good person, and the kangqin is a good match!"
Mingdong looked at Mingxi who was trying hard to jump on the parallel bars, and couldn't help but kick him down again. Mingxi was unhappy, glared at him and yelled: "Why do you always kick me? Didn't you say that I married Guihua?"
"You're not going to marry her!" Mingdong blurted out subconsciously. Mingxi was unhappy now: "You don't want to marry her and you don't let me marry her. Where do you want Guihua to go? Grandma said that when Guihua went back to her parents' home before, she had no place to stay and could only stay in the kitchen for a night. If no one in our family wants to marry her, how can she stay in our house?"
"It's not that I don't want to marry her." Mingdong felt his thoughts becoming more confused: "I just think that marriage should be based on love."
Mingxi felt a little dizzy after hearing all this talk about love. He also scratched his hair like Mingdong: "Then you two can just fall in love. Isn't Guihua here? Hurry up and fall in love, and then get married on the right date." Seeing Mingdong's thoughtful look, Mingxi wiped his sweat and said: "Oh my god, love is so complicated. When I get married in the future, I'll ask grandma to find me a wife. I don't want to deal with these useless things."
Mingxi's words were like a beacon of light, instantly dispelling the fog in Mingdong's heart.
Mingdong thought carefully about Mingxi's suggestion and found it very feasible. He couldn't help but grin: "If I were in love, what should I do first?" Seeing Mingxi's expression that almost fainted, Mingdong quickly made a gesture to keep quiet: "Let me think about it. Let me think about what the book says?"
"Brother, what kind of book are you reading?" Mingxi weakly grabbed Mingdong's hand and begged, "Please tell me!"
Mingdong gave him a look that said "I know you" and said with some pride: "Are you curious too? Do you want to know what love is all about? But I think you should start early, at least get into college first."
"No, I'm not curious at all!" Mingxi waved her hand: "I just want to know what kind of book it is. I will stay away from it next time I see it. What kind of crappy book is this? It drives good people crazy."
The author has something to say: A 10,000-word chapter has been dropped. Please go to Jinjiang to read the genuine version to support the author. Today is the update of the 2nd. The day after tomorrow, I will go to the clip to compete for the 1,000-word income. In order to increase the 1,000-word income, tomorrow's update will be after 12:00 midnight tonight. The little angels can read it as soon as they wake up in the morning. Muah!