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Chapter 69 This Marriage Can't Be Done
Looking at the light on his grandmother's face, Xie Hushan had only one thought in his mind:
Spoiling the food...

He knew his grandmother's character very well. Freedom of love and freedom of marriage were useless in front of her.

My grandmother was indeed very good to her relatives, but she was also very lenient. She arranged all the marriages for her younger sister, two sons, and one daughter.

Since she even has to take care of her own sister's marriage, you can see how overbearing this old lady is when it comes to certain matters that she thinks are important.

Her views on her eldest grandson's marriage can be summed up in one sentence:

I don't care what my grandson feels, I only care what I feel.

Of course, she has the confidence to be so domineering. The confidence comes from the fact that no matter whether the marriages she arranges for her relatives are based on love or not, the other party’s character and family background must be impeccable, and their married life will be stable and harmonious.

Grandma stared at Old Lady Meng and said happily:
"Like him? I thought he would not be happy. Hu Saner is pretending to be cool. Isn't he just kidding me?"

"Hey, I think so too. Listen to me and I'll teach you." Old Mrs. Meng crossed her legs on the kang and sat on the table opposite her, telling her what happened after she and Xie Hushan left:
"The mother was a little angry at the time. She said that even if she gave me a sewing machine, she couldn't marry her daughter to a scoundrel. She said that I was an unreliable matchmaker and that I was cheating people by trying to match them up with anyone. She wanted to take the girl away after that."

Before he could continue, Xie Hushan and the aunt's faces changed.

"Grandma, are you going to give your sewing machine as a betrothal gift?" Xie Hushan approached his grandmother and asked in a low voice.

My grandmother had a hand-cranked sewing machine made in Britain. When she bought that sewing machine, my great-grandfather Xie Qimao was still in her belly and had not yet been born. My grandmother relied on this sewing machine to do some tailoring work and supported the family in the old society.

When the Japanese devils came to raid the area, my grandmother would hide in the tunnel with her sewing machine. Now and then, she would occasionally take it out to mend clothes for Xie Hushan and Xie Yuxiu.

When a family gets married, they never give a sewing machine as a betrothal gift to the bride's family, because in the countryside, this thing is a big item that you cannot buy even if you have money and you need connections to buy it.

Although the supply and marketing cooperative writes Yan brand sewing machines on the price tag, priced at 153 yuan each, they are often out of stock on the shelves.

Because the supply and marketing cooperatives were incompetent and could not get quotas, they were occasionally allocated one or two units, but the commune leaders were informed in advance and the products were quickly sold out without even having to be put on the shelves.

There are more than 2,800 people in Zhongping Village, but no more than 20 households have sewing machines. Most of them use connections to buy second-hand sewing machines at high prices. The so-called high price means that it is higher than the price of a new machine.

Otherwise, in this era, it might be even more difficult for rural people in Bingyang County to buy a brand new sewing machine than to win a lottery in Yanjing in the previous life.

First, the commune must allocate it to the brigade, the brigade will allocate it to the production team, the production team will organize a lottery, and then you have to be extremely lucky to draw the quota ticket with the tax and commune seals, then you will be eligible to buy it.

Once you are qualified, you can wait patiently until a sewing machine appears on the shelves of the supply and marketing cooperative. There are no other people with quota tickets ahead of you, and no people with connections cutting in line. You can also take out the full payment and the quota ticket before you can buy the sewing machine home.

"I'm old and my eyesight is blurry. There's no point in keeping it." Grandma said to her grandson lightly, and then continued to smile at Old Lady Meng and said, "Go on."

The aunt poured a bowl of water for Old Lady Meng and tried several times to ask about her mother-in-law while she was drinking water, but she held back.

She was not coveting her mother-in-law's sewing machine. Her husband's colleague in the county town helped her find a quota for it last year, and the family bought it with their savings. She was worried that her second son and his wife would be angry when they knew about it.

The second son is her mother-in-law's biological son and grandson. No matter how close Xie Hushan is, he is still from the fourth room.

Old Lady Meng took a sip of water and said, "I quickly explained to the mother and daughter that the boy was very humorous and was just joking with his grandmother. He wasn't really a big shot."

"The girl next to me asked me, 'Second wife, I just heard the old lady scolding her grandson, but I didn't catch her grandson's name.' When I heard it, I wondered why she was still hiding it at this time. I said his name was Xie Husan'er, and you can ask anyone in Zhongping Brigade about him. Everyone knows him. He is definitely not a cool guy, but a good guy."

"Yes, yes, yes, go ahead and ask, it's my duty, who made this little bastard make a fool of himself, I have to ask more because I am worried." Grandma nodded repeatedly. Old Mrs. Meng burst into laughter: "I thought so too, but who knew that the girl was so happy after hearing it, and whispered something to her mother, and her mother was also happy after hearing it, and then her face became much better, and she told me that it was useless for her to agree, the man was acting so arrogant, so he must not be willing, or else forget it, it's not fate."

"When I heard that, I knew the other party must have heard of Hu San's name, so I thought there was a chance. She immediately said that the man's grandmother made all the decisions, and that the family listened to his grandmother. The girl's mother was happy and said that it was fine, and that she was quite satisfied with the match, and that the boy was pretty cool. Before she left, she told me to come back and ask the man if he was willing. If he was willing, they could set a date to sit down for a blind date. If he wasn't willing, that was fine too."

"Yes, of course I would. I fell in love with this girl at first sight." Grandma looked quite anxious, expressing her thoughts after seeing her:

"She's pretty and steady. Don't be fooled by her thinness. Her hands show that she's used to sewing. As long as the other conditions are the same as I told you, this girl will be a good match for Hu San."

Xie Hushan grimaced as he listened nearby. Although he was concentrating on playing the role of Wu Lao Er at the time and didn't look closely, he did glance at the girl when she turned around. His general impression seemed to be that she was a skinny, small, and obviously underdeveloped yellow-haired girl. Otherwise, why would he say that she looked like a kitten that had been hungry for three days.

Is it worth it for a grandmother to use a sewing machine to offer a betrothal gift to a girl like her?

Besides, grandma only looked at him a few more times than I did. How could she tell that the other person was handsome, calm, and good at needlework?

Didn’t you say your eyes were blurry? How did you see that?

Old Lady Meng turned her head to look at Xie Hushan and asked with a smile: "If Hu San is willing, I will just keep talking to him?"

Grandma looked at Xie Hushan without saying anything. Xie Hushan immediately nodded obediently and said to Old Lady Meng with a smile: "I do, I do. I liked her at first sight."

He knew that if he dared to say no at this time, grandma would definitely keep her word and move back to his uncle's yard.

Not giving him a good face was the secondary issue. Xie Hushan was worried that his grandmother was old and would get angry with him because of this matter and ruin her health. She hadn't even had the chance to enjoy the blessing of having a grandson like him.

"Okay, if you're willing, I'll tell you about the woman's situation." Old Lady Meng looked at Xie Hushan and said with some emotion:
"Hu San'er, your grandma was really willing to spend a lot of money to find a wife for you, but she was also very picky. After she told me the conditions, I spent more than three months looking for someone who met your grandma's requirements. I ask myself, when I was looking for a wife for my grandson Ma San'er, I didn't put as much effort as your grandma did."

"Why are you saying all this? Let's talk about serious matters. I know you've put in a lot of effort. After the marriage is successful, you won't be short of a thank-you gift." Grandma said calmly.

"The girl's family is from the Yakou Brigade of Lingguanying Commune on the other side of the West Mountain. Her surname is Jin, her name is Jinfeng, and her nickname is Taozi, which meets your grandmother's requirements. The girl is the eldest daughter in the family. She is good at housework and needlework. She is willing to endure hardships and is pretty. She is a 17-year-old girl who works as a sideline in the production team. She runs a needlework stall by herself and earns work points by mending clothes for the people who break stones in the West Mountain, sewing soles and repairing uppers. By the way, she also takes care of her younger brothers and sisters." Old Lady Meng talked to Xie Hushan about the girl's situation:
"The father's name is Jin Mancang, and the mother's name is Li Qiaozhi. They are both honest people. You can ask around. Although they are poor, they are definitely not an unreliable family..."

"Wait a minute, mistress, what's her father's name?" Xie Hushan asked.

"Gold is full."

Xie Hushan's face was beaming with joy until his grandmother noticed him, then he quickly straightened his face:

"Grandma, well, I don't think this marriage will be successful in the end, so let's just forget about it..."

"How do you know it won't work out in the end?" The grandmother looked at her grandson unhappily. The eldest grandson, who was usually the most filial, seemed like a different person today. He was not sensible at all and only said things he didn't want to hear. Even though the other party had agreed, he still said the marriage couldn't be successful.

Xie Hushan lowered his head and whispered:
"How could I not know? I beat up her father and tied him up."

Except for the old man who didn't hear clearly, the rest of the grandmother, old lady Meng, and the aunt in the room were all confused. They turned their heads to look at Xie Hushan, and Daxiu curled her lips beside him:

"Good fellow, you're still worried that I'll bully my sister-in-law. No matter how powerful I am, can I be as powerful as you? You haven't even started the blind date yet, and you're already beating up your father-in-law!"

(End of this chapter)