Rebirth of Bayi Fishing and Hunting in the Northwest

Chapter 239: Engaged, We Are Now a Family

When Li Jianguo came to Gu's house again, he found that the yard was swept clean.

The tools for making large brooms, including the reeds, poles, wires, etc. that were originally placed in the yard have all been cleaned away.

Some old items that were originally placed in the yard were also put away.

Gu Boyuan was in the yard, shoveling the grass growing in the corner with a shovel.

The house in the Gu family's yard was the same as that of the Li family, with walls made of earth blocks, beams supported by wooden purlins and rafters, and then covered with a thick layer of reed stalks and covered with mud.

The walls were built with rammed earth instead of using earth blocks. This house is seven or eight years old, and the layer of earth on the wall has fallen off. The yard was originally filled with a lot of soil that was brought in to prevent alkali from forming, but now the corners of the wall are still beginning to seep into the earth.

"Oh, the educated people have become diligent." Li Jianguo teased Gu Boyuan, "Your place has always looked sloppy, this is the first time!"

"Haha, you just have the advantage of having a good wife." Gu Boyuan pointed to the corner, "There's also a shovel, put your things down and work together."

"Hey, you're not even an in-law yet, but you're already ordering people to do things. Are there any people like you?"

Having said that, Li Jianguo still put the meat on the rack under the shed, found a basin to put the two fish in, poured some water in it, and watched the fish swimming in it. Then he picked up the shovel and worked with Lao Gu.

Li Jianguo was much more efficient than Lao Gu in doing these tasks. Besides, Lao Gu had already cleaned up a lot, so Li Jianguo joined in and quickly cleared the grass. He also made a pile of the broken soil, garbage and grass that he had shoveled down, and threw it into the corner of the vegetable garden with a shovel.

The place is so big that it is impossible to keep it as clean as a small courtyard in the city or inland areas. There is no time for that.

"These fish are quite good-looking." Gu Boyuan put down his shovel, looked at the two fish, and smiled. "Did Xiaolong catch them last night?"

"Yes. We set the net yesterday and pulled it up this morning." Li Jianguo also stood beside the basin and said, "Whether the fish tastes good or not is not important, it just looks beautiful. Such a big carp is rare in this small lake."

"Xiaolong... Not bad, you have changed a lot."

"That's right." Li Jianguo said proudly, "He married Xiaoxia, and you, as his father-in-law, will definitely benefit from it..."

"I won't take advantage of him." Gu Boyuan's face suddenly turned red. "It's not like I can't survive. Besides, why should I take advantage of him?"

Before he finished speaking, Li Jianguo knew what he wanted to say. He took out the iron cigarette box, rolled himself a cigarette and said with a smile:
"If you dare to show your identity as a college student in the Education Bureau, Xiaolong will definitely benefit from you later. But do you want to?"

"No." Gu Boyuan shook his head. "I'll just stay here. I have food and drink, land and a house here. It's great."

Although he said yes, Gu Boyuan's expression was still quite complicated.

"As long as you think it's fine." Li Jianguo didn't say much. He knew a little about Gu Boyuan's past, but he didn't ask. For some things, if the person involved hasn't figured it out or has let it go, it's best for others not to bother.

"You just take this meat and fish?"

"It's hard to keep the meat and fish, so I'll bring them over to you first. Tomorrow is the day, bring other cigarettes, alcohol, sugar and tea. Don't worry, the gifts will be sufficient. Then we'll discuss what needs to be discussed... You should also think about it and bring up any ideas you have."

"What can I think? I don't have any idea." Gu Boyuan shook his head. "I've also seen Xiaolong in the past six months. He used to be a bit jumpy, but he has become more stable and grown up. I feel relieved to leave Xiaoxia to him."

"Yes, that's right. As for the rest..."

"I won't talk about my hometown." Seeing Li Jianguo rolling a cigarette, Gu Boyuan snatched it away, pinched off the hairpin on his head, then took out a lighter from Li Jianguo's pocket and lit it himself.

"You're wasting money by smoking!" Li Jianguo was dissatisfied. "It's like a donkey burning incense. What's the point of smoking?"

Donkey burning incense means smoking without going through the lungs, inhaling the smoke into the mouth and then exhaling directly.

"Can't I just have a little fun?" Gu Boyuan took a puff, exhaled the smoke and said, "We're going to be in-laws soon, so what's wrong with smoking your cigarette?"

"Okay, okay, now you are the landlord, you have the say." Li Jianguo didn't know that he had accidentally mentioned a joke for later generations, so he rolled another one helplessly and then reached out to Gu Boyuan:

"Give me the lighter. Xiaolong bought it for me yesterday."

"It's mine." Gu Boyuan reached out to light the cigarette for Li Jianguo, then put the lighter in his pocket. "This thing is more convenient than matches."

"Why are you so lame?" Li Jianguo laughed angrily, "How can this be something a scholar like you would do?"

"If you don't cheat now, you won't have another chance." Gu Boyuan said, "I don't want the betrothal gift. I believe Xiaolong can treat Xiaoxia well. Of course, if he doesn't treat Xiaoxia well, then don't treat me as a scholar. I can't beat the three people of the Gu family like you, but I can handle Xiaolong..."

"Don't worry about that. We adults won't get involved in trivial matters. If Xiaolong does anything to let Xiaoxia down, I will just use the big stick to deal with him without you having to do anything!" Li Jianguo was giving Gu Boyuan a guarantee.

"Okay, I believe you." Gu Boyuan nodded.

Li Jianguo has such a good popularity and prestige in the village, which he has established through his actions day by day.

"Old Gu, I think you still want some betrothal gifts. Otherwise...it's nothing between you and me, but Xiaoxia needs to be talked about. We will stay here for the rest of our lives, and Xiaoxia still has a long way to go in the future." Li Jianguo turned back to the topic.

"I remember when you married Yuemei, the Liang family didn't ask for a dowry, right?"

"No, Juan's grandfather said they would not sell their daughter. In fact, the bride price is not considered selling a daughter. It is a statement of attitude..." The tradition in the Li family's hometown is to have a bride price, but Liang Donglou considers himself a member of the older generation of revolutionaries and does not agree with it.

Juan's second aunt had actually found someone before. When the other party came to discuss the matter, she mentioned the issue of the bride price and gave it voluntarily. As a result, Liang Donglou got angry and drove the person away.

It's also quite speechless when the older generation is stubborn.

"That's right, I won't sell my daughter either..." Gu Boyuan said, holding a cigarette between his fingers, looking at the fish, "I believe Xiaoxia doesn't care about this. Normally, if it weren't for Xiaolong, Xiaoxia wouldn't be able to go to middle school. Just based on this point, I will accept Xiaolong. Besides, even if there is no betrothal gift, don't you think these people on the team haven't said anything about Xiaoxia?"

"That's right. There are many people who are jealous of her." Li Jianguo nodded. "Fame brings gossip. She is the first one to go out and teach in a middle school. According to Xiaolong, education will become more and more important in the future. Xiaoxia can get into TVU or something, then maybe she can go to the county. Who knows how many people will talk about her behind her back then."

Gu Boyuan nodded, then said fiercely:

"If I wasn't allowed to hear it, then I'll just pretend nothing happened. But if word gets to me, I'll break those people's legs!"

"Haha, we're getting engaged tomorrow, and we'll be a family now. Don't worry, Xiaolong and our family will protect Xiaoxia. You should think about the gift again, after all, it's a good idea, right?"

"Don't think about it, don't."

"What about Xiaoxia..."

"I know my daughter." Gu Boyuan said generously.

After Li Jianguo left, Gu Boyuan went back into the house and started cleaning it.

Gu Xiaoxia came back in the afternoon, and Gu Boyuan told her that he didn't want a dowry.

"Yeah, I think so too." Gu Xiaoxia said, "It is a form in itself..."

"As long as you are not afraid of what others say about you, then it's settled." Gu Boyuan nodded and said, "I believe Xiaolong will treat you well."

"Yeah." Gu Xiaoxia blushed and lowered her head.

After breakfast the next day, the Li family came to the Gu family with their belongings in tow, along with the eldest sister-in-law of the Lu family.

Except for Li Juan and Li Qiang, these two were assigned to look after the house.

Although Li Qiang expressed strong dissatisfaction and protested, it was ultimately rejected.

Not only did Li Jianguo and his friends bring other gifts, but Liang Yuemei also made two sets of clothes specifically for Gu Xiaoxia.

This matter soon spread in the village.

Wu Shufen is getting married next week, and some people actually want to see Li Long have fun.

After all, everyone in the village knows that Li Long was dumped by Wu Shufen. Now that Li Long has become successful, some people laugh at Wu Shufen for having no vision, while others laugh at Li Long for not being able to keep his girlfriend at bay.

Although the news that Li Long and Gu Xiaoxia were dating had spread throughout the village, many people had the same thoughts as Gu's eldest sister-in-law did before. They thought that how could Gu Xiaoxia, who ate commercial grain, always be interested in Li Long?

It was not until today when the Li family went to the Gu family to get engaged that the people in the village realized that the two families, or the two young people, had reached this point!

When the Li family arrived at the Gu family's house, the Gu family had already placed tea on the table.

Gu Xiaoxia followed behind Gu Boyuan, met Li Long's gaze, and then looked away. She was still very shy.

Gu's eldest sister-in-law played the role of atmosphere group throughout the whole process, talking about various things and chatting. In fact, both parties understood that the meaning had been reached and the engagement was just a formality.

Li Qingxia had seen Gu Xiaoxia before, but it was the first time for Du Chunfang. However, Li Long could see that the smile on his face did not stop when he saw Gu Xiaoxia for the first time, and it was obvious that he liked her.

Liang Yuemei handed the clothes to Gu Xiaoxia and said with a smile:
"I made it in a hurry and didn't measure the size. Try it on. If it doesn't fit, I'll make some changes."

"Okay." Gu Xiaoxia agreed with her head down.

At noon, the Gu family entertained the Li family for dinner, and at this time Li Juan came with Li Qiang. In fact, the meal was also prepared by Liang Yuemei's sister-in-law from the Lu family, and Gu Xiaoxia helped.

There was no room in the house, so the others scattered in the yard and chatted.

Li Long could see that people were passing by the gate from time to time, walking very slowly and taking a look inside, obviously wanting to see whether the marriage between the Li and Gu families was real or not.

The whole meal felt like being surrounded by people at the zoo. Although I was not used to it, since it was a happy occasion, no one cared.

Gu Xiaoxia had to go to the dormitory in the afternoon, so Li Long said he would ride his bicycle to take her there.

Gu Boyuan had no objection. In fact, the parents of both parties had already discussed at the dinner table that they would not get married in the short term, mainly because of Gu Xiaoxia's career. This was also the idea of ​​the young people on both sides.

However, what they didn't expect was that the next day, another piece of great news came.

(End of this chapter)