Era: After foreseeing the future, I changed my fate using spatial abilities.

Chapter 223 Discussion?

"Big brother, no..."

"Give all that nonsense to Ningning!"

"..."

Zhang Qi was both amused and exasperated, but he readily agreed. Since it was for his own sister, he wasn't reluctant to part with it. He was only asking because he was worried that Ningning might not accept more.

However, since his father had spoken, Zhang Qi didn't think much of it and pulled out a savings book from his pocket, forcefully stuffing it into her hand.

"The password is 987654."

"No, brother, this won't do..."

"Ningning, listen to me. Your older brother is a bachelor in his thirties. He doesn't have any money to spend."

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."

Raising his hand to block the hand that was pushing him away, Zhang Qi turned his head and looked at her, her face flushed with anxiety, and his smile became even brighter.

"We agreed on this yesterday, so take it. If you keep being polite to your older brother, I'll get angry."

A casual remark, as if the savings account contained not tens of millions of dollars, but just a single ten-dollar bill.

This is the real deal, the money I've saved up for years to get married.

Fine, I'll wait for my future sister-in-law to appear, then she can return this passbook to me, and I'll just consider it as keeping it safe for him.

With that in mind, Su Ning stopped arguing with him and reluctantly put away the passbook in her hand.

"Ah, that's right. It's only natural for an older brother to support his younger sister. Consider the extra money as an engagement gift from your older brother to Ningning."

"what?"

What... just an engagement gift?

How come she didn't know she was getting engaged?
These words stunned him so much that he felt dizzy and his vision blurred, leaving him with a rare, blank and dumbfounded expression.

"You talk too much!"

Zhang Fu raised his hand and gave him a sharp rap on the back of the head. He had been thinking of discussing the matter with Ningning after meeting the person the next day and considering it further.

Before anything was even realized, this big mouth blurted it out.

However, since the topic had been brought up, Zhang Fu thought about it and decided to have a proper discussion with her about it.

"Ningning, come here, let's go inside and talk."

"Ah, yeah, okay."

Still feeling dizzy, Su Ning subconsciously followed him into the main room.

When Hu Yingtao and Xiao Qiu finished watching Jin Hua and Wu Meng's mother and daughter come out of the room, she excitedly joins the conversation, but she is still in a daze.

"Ningning, don't blame your godparents for being so controlling. It's just that a girl's reputation is too important."

We know you don't care what outsiders say or think, but we can't bear to see you suffer even the slightest criticism.

Nowadays, the old-fashioned system of arranged marriages by parents and matchmakers is no longer in vogue; the couple only meets for the first time on their wedding night.

Nowadays, everyone talks about freedom in love and freedom in marriage.

After confirming their relationship, the parents of both sides meet. If there are no problems, they should discuss the engagement and then choose an auspicious day to get married.

This is basically the process.

Ningning's situation is special; none of her elders are around, and she is all alone in Hunan.

Now that you've started dating and your partner's elders are around, if you don't finalize things, the longer you drag it out, the more the girl will suffer, whether the relationship succeeds or fails.

"Godfather and godmother, I know you're doing this for my own good..."

But how can I tell them that I have no plans to get married?
Does that mean she wants to be a scoundrel who only dates but never gets married?

Su Ning clenched his fists, a hint of embarrassment on his face and a trace of distress in his eyes.

Standing to the side, holding Xiao Qiu, Zhang Qi looked down at her and saw her expression clearly. He couldn't help but wonder: Why does it feel like... his sister doesn't want to take responsibility?

With a smirk, Zhang Qi shook his head, dismissing the strange thoughts in his mind. Who would want to date someone their whole life without getting married?

If you're talking about a scumbag who wants to have multiple relationships, that's one possibility, but how could Ningning possibly be that kind of person?

Perhaps the young woman is shy, or perhaps the two have only just started dating and haven't really thought things through.

“Ningning, if you haven’t thought it through, let us investigate first. If he passes our test and we can trust him, then we can discuss the engagement later.”

"..." Basically, once you're in a relationship, you can't avoid the topic of engagement and marriage, right?

With a helpless smile, Su Ning could only nod and agree.

If they knew about this, no one would be happier than Yanbei.

Thinking back on the past two months since we started dating, the unspoken understanding between us...

The person who looked at her seemed to illuminate all the stars and seas in his eyes. She quietly covered her chest, which was pounding faster than usual: if it was him, deep down she didn't feel much aversion.

Well then, let nature take its course.

She shouldn't condemn Yanbei entirely because of someone like Xu Zixin.

This is not fair to him.

"Auntie!"

"Ok?"

The little guy, who had somehow gotten off Zhang Qi and was now clinging to her leg, was blinking his big eyes and shaking her with great effort.

He pulled her out of his thoughts, scooped her up in his arms, and placed her on his lap. He tapped her pert little nose with his fingertip and smiled indulgently, "What's wrong, Xiao Qiu?"

"Auntie, Grandma said you'll be free tomorrow and will take Xiaoqiu out to play, right?"

"Yes, Auntie is taking Xiaoqiu to the countryside tomorrow. There are so many more places there..."

……

The next day, the family got up early and had breakfast. Zhang Fu and his wife packed and organized all the things they needed to bring back to the team, while Zhang Qi acted as the laborer, accompanying Su Ning to the post office to mail the things.

When the two returned, the house had already been tidied up.

After saying hello to the two grandmothers next door and leaving some good words for Zhang Ze, the group set off for the bus station in a grand procession.

This is where the convenience of having a telephone installed in the team became apparent.

As soon as they arrived in Yong County, Su Jianqun was already waiting at the crossroads with his oxcart.

"Thank you for your hard work, buddy!"

"Hey, what's so hard about this? I'm practically growing mushrooms from staying home all day. It's so nice to be able to come out and wander around!"

Su Jianqun grinned and made funny faces, looking like a silly boy who hadn't grown up yet, which made everyone laugh.

After giving them a brief introduction and exchanging a few polite greetings, Su Jianqun carefully drove the oxcart back home.

Unlike the city where the first snow arrived late, several high-altitude teams around Yong County have already experienced numerous heavy snowfalls, resulting in icy mountain roads and making them even more difficult to traverse than before.

"The temperature is different inside and outside the mountains, and even at the foot of the mountain! There's so much snow!"

Hu Yingtao pulled Xiao Qiu's thick cotton-padded coat tighter around her, then pulled her scarf up to cover her mouth and nose. After finishing her tasks, she hugged the little girl tightly in her arms again.

It's rare to see snow in Shanghai during winter; sometimes it's as rare as several years without a single snowfall.

Suddenly seeing the snow-covered landscape and the still verdant mountains hidden among it, a sense of wonder and joy welled up in my heart.

"It's alright now, but in a few more days, around mid-December, there will probably be several more blizzards, and then the mountain will be closed."

"The mountain will be closed? How long will it be closed?"

"It's hard to say, it depends on how heavy the snowfall is. Last year, the mountain was closed for more than half a month."

Everyone sighed a couple of times, but didn't think much of it. After all, there were still more than ten days until the middle of the twelfth lunar month he mentioned, and no one expected to be so unlucky as to encounter a blizzard blocking the mountain ahead of schedule.

……

It took one or two times longer than usual for the oxcart to slowly drive into the procession and finally come to a steady stop at the Su family's ancestral home.

After helping to move the things from the oxcart into the yard, Su Jianqun sniffed and was about to drive the ox back to the cowshed so he could go home and warm his body, which was almost frozen stiff, when he saw Su Ning running towards him with something in his hand.

"Wait a minute, buddy!"

"What's wrong, Ningning?"

"Take these candies back to Nizi and the others to sweeten their mouths. Also, tell my grandparents that I'll be bringing my godparents over later."

"Okay, I'll pass on the message, but this candy..."

Su Jianqun swallowed hard, not because he wasn't craving it anymore, but because his grandfather had spoken.

He said he did some small favors for Ningning, and that he still dared to stuff all sorts of expensive things into his pocket, so he was given a good meal of bamboo shoots and pork!
"what happened?"

"You'll beat me!"

"Pfft~"

Thinking of Su Qingshan, that lovable old man, Su Ning's eyes crinkled with laughter. But when she noticed the pain in her brother's face, which was almost squashed together, she couldn't help but laugh even more heartily.

"Hey, buddy, why don't you hide it well and secretly share it with everyone? Don't worry, if you don't tell and I don't tell either, grandpa won't know."

In the end, Su Jianqun couldn't resist the temptation of the candy...

Ah, no, that's not right either. According to him, it should be that for the sake of his older siblings' happiness, even if he were to be discovered, it would be worth sacrificing himself. He drove away with an expression of heroic sacrifice.

That sight amused her greatly, until two shouts rang out one after the other, interrupting her laughter.

"Ningning!" "Su Ning!"