NOVPUB
Chapter 152: Chapter 146 House
Li Hongjun had dinner at the western room where the old couple resided; there were thresholds in the house, and he couldn’t use a wheelchair, so he had to use his crutches laboriously to get there.
The meals at the Li Family were very ordinary, and because Li Hongjun was ill, Qiu Shuping specially had her daughter fry an egg for him. However, with many children in the eldest son’s family and Li Hongqi needing to study and use his brain, Li Hongjun ended up with just a small piece of egg in the end.
Li Hongjun wasn’t fussy about these things; that was just the way things were at home. After dinner was cleared away, he didn’t leave, planning to discuss the matter of his marriage with his father.
"Dad, I was thinking of setting the wedding date for the twelfth day of the first lunar month, what do you think?" Li Hongjun said.
"The twelfth? Isn’t that in two days? Isn’t that a bit hasty?" Li Wangcai frowned and said, his mind racing with thoughts that they should at least wait ten days or half a month to proceed in a more leisurely fashion.
"Oh, it’s not too hasty; my son is currently immobile, being married would mean someone close to take care of him," Qiu Shuping, going against her usual behavior, expressed support.
Li Hongjun glanced at Qiu Shuping, and she tried to maintain her smiling face.
She truly wasn’t trying to shirk her responsibilities; after all, her son would marry no other than Shuxin, so it was better to get it over with sooner rather than later.
Li Hongjun knew his mother’s change in attitude was due to a small incident just before.
He had been in the ox-cart all day and had no convenient opportunity to relieve himself; when everyone was done, his patience had reached its limit. Just as Xianghe came to see him about something, he asked her to fetch his mother.
And Qiu Shuping’s role when she arrived was simply to bring the chamber pot into the room for him and then wait to carry it out after he had finished using it.
"Well, that’s fine then, there isn’t much to prepare anyway, just bring the person over, and at that time have your sister and your mother prepare a table of food and drinks to entertain the bride’s family," Li Wangcai, after giving it some thought, agreed.
Getting married at that time was simple; there were no ceremonies or bridal sedans involved, and it was enough to host a banquet to entertain relatives from both sides.
With his father’s nod of approval, Li Hongjun brought up another matter. "Which room will I live in after I get married?"
He currently shared a room with his younger brother, which certainly wouldn’t do once he was married. His younger sister had secretly come to beg him not to take her room.
Li Wangcai and Qiu Shuping exchanged glances. "I was thinking of having your sister come and stay with us, and you could get married in her room," Li Wangcai said.
"It’s a bit inconvenient for Xianghe, now a grown girl, to still live with you," Li Hongjun said, lowering his eyelids.
"What can we do? Our house is only so big. Your elder brother and his family are already squeezing into one room. I can’t possibly expect you to make do with the granary," she said. Initially, that was indeed her plan, but she dropped the idea after getting scolded by the old man.
The Li Family’s main house had only five rooms, but there were also two dim and damp side rooms that were uninhabited and used as storage spaces, essentially as granaries.
"How about letting Hongqi..."
Before Li Hongjun could finish, Qiu Shuping disapproved.
"No way, don’t even think about taking your brother’s room. He’s still young, plus he needs to study. Not having his own room is inconvenient," she said.
Li Hongjun fell silent.
In fact, Li Hongqi usually studied in the county and seldom came home, staying over only one night a week, and sometimes not returning at all. Li Hongjun thought it made the most sense for him to vacate the room temporarily.
Li Wangcai also kept silent as their youngest son was the only one receiving much education in the house.
"There’s no need for Xianghe to move then, Yunfang and I will live in the granary," Li Hongjun decided after some thought. He couldn’t bear asking his sister to give up her room for his marriage, the main reason being Xianghe herself was unwilling.
"No, that’s out of question. What kind of arrangement is that? Anyway, you won’t be living there long. Your sister can make do for a couple of days," Li Wangcai disagreed. His son’s marriage could not be relegated to a granary; what would outsiders think, mocking him?
"Dad, you said it yourself, I won’t be living there long. It’s also troublesome to make Xianghe move back and forth. Let Mom and Xianghe clean up the granary in the next few days, and heat the brick bed. Staying there temporarily won’t be a problem," Li Hongjun firmly decided.
"Alright, that’s settled then. I’ll have your sister start cleaning up later. If we heat the brick bed for a couple of days, it’ll dry out any dampness in the room, making it fit to live in," Qiu Shuping eagerly agreed before the old man could object.
On Shen Yunfang’s side, after doing some tidying at home and grabbing a quick bite, she saw that it was about the time when the eldest uncle’s family should have finished their meal; she then took some items with her to visit Shen eldest uncle’s household.
This time she was going to take care of the patient, so she didn’t buy any gifts for the family. It was only because she felt it improper to arrive empty-handed to discuss matters in the evening at her uncle’s home that she took some stock out of her storage to make do.
She knocked on the front door of Shen eldest uncle’s house, carrying a bag of candy and a pack of steamed cornbread.
"Oh, Yunfang is back. Did you just get here?" Shen’s mother was quite surprised to see Shen Yunfang come in.
"Yeah, I just got home a moment ago," Shen Yunfang handed over the things she was carrying.
"My, why have you brought something for your uncle again? That’s not necessary; you shouldn’t have to bring us something every time you go out." Shen’s mother delightedly accepted the items, speaking politely.
"I came back in a hurry this time, didn’t have time to buy much, so I just brought some pastries for you and my uncle."
"Well, that’s nice enough," Shen’s mother quickly ushered her into the house.
As soon as Shen’s uncle saw Shen Yunfang, his first question was about Li Hongjun’s injury. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
"Yunfang, how is Li Hongjun’s injury?"
"He injured his leg on a mission, the rest is minor stuff. The doctor said once his leg is healed, we need to see how reconstruction goes. If it goes well, he might return to the army," Shen Yunfang explained briefly.
She didn’t say what would happen if it didn’t go well. She left that for others to think about.
"So what do you think?" Shen’s uncle was asking her if she was still planning to marry.
"Li Hongjun has come back, and in a couple of days, I guess the Li Family from Taoshu Village will come over to discuss the wedding date," Shen Yunfang made her stance clear.
No matter what, it wouldn’t affect her wedding with Li Hongjun.
"Alright, as long as you’ve thought it through," said her uncle.
The next day at noon, Li Fugui once again visited Gaijiatun.
After discussing with Shen’s uncle for a while, they settled on the wedding date and some of the details.
Now Gaijiatun just waited for the twelfth day of the first lunar month, for the Li Family from Taoshu Village to come and fetch the bride.
After Li Fugui left, Shen Yunxiu pulled her mother into her room.
"Mom, from what I just heard, will Yunfang still come back to live with us after she gets married?"
"Of course, Yunfang and her mother-in-law don’t get along. Haven’t you seen how difficult her mother-in-law is? Living with the in-laws isn’t as comfortable as staying in your own home where you can call the shots," Shen’s mother agreed with Yunfang’s decision.
"Mom, how can that be? Getting married and then coming back to live at her parents’ home – that’s not how it’s done, mom..." Shen Yunxiu voiced her dissatisfaction, shaking her mother’s arm.
Shen’s mother looked at her skeptically, "What do you mean? Where Yunfang lives after she’s married is none of your business."
"I just think, I and Chengjian don’t have a house yet, his family hasn’t sent him money, and my father won’t write a recommendation letter for him. I can’t keep renting forever," said Shen Yunxiu, pouting.
These past few months of married life had made her understand some things and had made her more self-centered and selfish.
"You better stop that. Yunfang’s marriage has nothing to do with whether you have a house. No matter what you’re thinking, don’t you dare say it in front of your father, otherwise, he might break your legs. Believe it or not," Shen’s mother hurriedly silenced her daughter.
"Mom, if she’s getting married and the room becomes available, wouldn’t it be perfect for me and Chengjian?" Shen Yunxiu, unhappy, didn’t understand why her mother wasn’t supporting her.
"There’s no ’perfect’ or not. Even if Yunfang gets married, that house is hers, not yours. Stop thinking about it," Shen’s mother firmly blocked her way, thinking of her daughter’s best interest, "Alright, you’ve eaten, so go on back to your own home."
Fang Chengjian held Shen Yunxiu’s arm as they walked toward the work team, "Mom didn’t agree?"
"Mhm, she told me to stop thinking about it; Yunfang will come back to live here after she’s married," said Shen Yunxiu gloomily. "You think she’s doing it on purpose to go against me? After getting married, she should stay with her in-laws, but instead, she comes back to her parents’ home to take up a room for what?"
"Forget it, it was never ours to begin with; even if we moved in, it wouldn’t be right," said Fang Chengjian, though his mind was searching for other solutions. "If we could go back, I definitely wouldn’t want you to suffer like this. It’s my fault for not being able to provide a good life for you, and our child will have to endure hardship with me in the future." He said this as he tenderly touched her stomach.
"Ah, if only my dad would agree to write that letter of introduction, then we could move to your place. Even if they gave me Yunfang’s room, I would happily live there," Shen Yunxiu dreamed of a possible better life.
Fang Chengjian pursed his lips and said nothing.
