Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 688 Wait for me, tell them not to start the banquet yet.

Previously, it was always Miss Yuan who wanted to join in the fun, but he never expected that Liu Ruyan would also have this hobby. This sudden change of pace really made him a little uncomfortable.

At nine o'clock in the morning, downstairs in the residential area, Liu Ruyan was being pulled by her mother.

"Put this scarf on, and take this plush electric hand warmer too. It's cold in the countryside, and meals are served in makeshift sheds, so don't get cold."

"I told his dad to go back to his hometown to pack up and heat up the kang (a traditional heated brick bed). You two can stay there until the wedding starts. If you don't get to eat in the first round, just stay in the car. Got it?" Mom said, holding Liu Ruyan's hand.

There's nothing I can do. I never planned to go back to my hometown to give this gift, since they're not really relatives. One person from my family could have gone. But since my future daughter-in-law wants to go, then it's a different story.

"I know, Auntie, don't worry!" Liu Ruyan said sweetly.

Hearing this, Lin Mo, who was freezing in the car and warming it up, rolled his eyes at the two of them and said, "Mom, that's enough. We're just going for a short trip and will be back this afternoon."

His plan with Liu Ruyan was to have dinner at home tonight and then go back to Jiangning with his cousin Su He.

After all, tomorrow is Monday, time to go to work, and the New Year holiday will be over. Otherwise, I might have to ask for leave tomorrow.

"What are you yelling for? Is the car even warm yet?" Zhou Min glared at him and said.

Lin Mo:
"It's hot! It's really hot!"

Although it's a Maybach, the interior is still like an icebox in winter.

Hearing this, Zhou Min, Liu Ruyan's mother, patted her and said, "It's hot! Why didn't you say so earlier? You made us freeze here. Hurry up and get in the car, Ruyan. Auntie will be waiting for you to come back this afternoon!"

"Okay, Auntie, you should go back too, it's cold outside!" Liu Ruyan said with a smile from the passenger seat.

Before his mother could reply, Lin Mo shifted into reverse, turned around on the spot, and then sped out of the residential area.

What a joke! If you keep talking, the daylily will get cold.

"Hey~ you brat, drive slower!" Zhou Min shouted from behind, afraid that her future daughter-in-law would bump into something.

Inside the car, Liu Ruyan was sitting in the passenger seat, playfully punching Lin Mo in the waist.

"Ahhh~~ Auntie is too enthusiastic, what should I do? This is the first time I've eaten breakfast in bed. Why did you go out this morning? If you hadn't gone out, Auntie wouldn't be like this." As she spoke, Liu Ruyan pressed her forehead against his shoulder and gave him a series of blows with both hands below.

Fortunately, the force wasn't strong; it was more like a coquettish act. If it were Miss Yuan, she could have knocked his gall bladder out.

After all, Miss Yuan had made the Sichuan girl ruminate more than once.

"Hey, you're being a bit hypocritical, aren't you? Let me put it this way, ever since I started elementary school, I haven't had the privilege of eating in bed. You're all grown up now, and you can still enjoy it, so you should be grateful."

"Don't worry, with how much my mom loves you, she won't think you're spoiled or lazy. Even if you eat in bed, poop in bed, or fart and popcorn in bed, she'll still praise you as top-notch!" Lin Mo laughed.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan looked up immediately, her attack becoming noticeably stronger: "Get lost! You're the one who's lying in bed, you're the one who's farting and popping popcorn, you're so annoying~~"

After giving him a beating, Liu Ruyan put her hands back into the hand warmer. It was a white, plush, circular hand warmer that could hold both hands and was rechargeable, which was very convenient.

Most importantly, she's very good-looking and a good match for Liu Ruyan. Well, since we're going to a banquet in the countryside, we naturally have to be prepared.

In the countryside, even though there aren't many flies or anything like that during winter, it's really cold when people eat at feasts. Better-off families might have a shed with a stove inside, while those with worse conditions just eat outdoors. You might not eat much, but you can freeze half to death.

"By the way, how come you're just like Sister Yuan, enjoying watching the excitement so much?" Lin Mo asked as he drove.

It's just a wedding. Liu Ruyan has probably attended quite a few over the years. Besides, the weddings she attended were probably the grand kind. He didn't believe that this kind of rural wedding could attract Liu Ruyan, especially since she said that she had lived in the countryside when she was a child.

"Bullshit, do you think I'm as free as Yuanyuan? I just wanted to find something to do and get some fresh air. At home, my aunt's enthusiasm is putting a lot of pressure on me," Liu Ruyan said helplessly.

Just as Lin Mo thought, she wasn't actually interested in the rural feast; she just wanted to get away and find some peace and quiet.

After all, since she came back yesterday, she may not have done any work, but she's actually been on edge.

Besides, Lin Mo's house wasn't as big as hers, so there wasn't a place for her to go out for a stroll. Now that she finally had a reason, she naturally had to seize it.

When she got up in the morning, Lin Mo's mother wanted to help her fold the quilt, but Liu Ruyan refused. This made Lin Mo's mother think that the two of them hadn't done anything good last night, which made Liu Ruyan's face burn with embarrassment.

"That's true. It's good to get out and about. I haven't attended a wedding in a long time. Maybe I can even go see my cousin's blind date this afternoon," Lin Mo said with a smile.

Soon, the two drove to Qinghe Village. Liu Ruyan had been here before and almost became sworn brothers with his father. She didn't expect that when she came back, her seniority would automatically be lowered.

From a distance, Lin Mo could see smoke rising from the chimney of his old home, and parked in front of the door was none other than his mother's Passat.

"Dad, Dad? We're here!" After parking the car, the two got out, and Lin Mo called out as soon as he entered the door.

Soon, we saw Comrade Lin come out of the house with a rag in his hand. There were still water stains in the yard, which looked like they were caused by a hasty cleaning.

"You're here, Ruyan! Come inside and relax. I didn't know you two were coming, otherwise I would have started a fire already!" Old Lin said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruyan quickly replied, "No need to trouble you, Uncle. I just heard there was a wedding here and came to see what was going on!"

As they spoke, the three entered the east room. The facilities inside were quite old. Although there were signs that the whole room had been cleaned, it was clear at a glance that no one had lived there for a long time. In short, it was devoid of human presence.

Houses are amazing things; you can tell at a glance whether someone lives there or not. Old houses that have been uninhabited for years will have a cold and damp feeling, even in summer.

"Ruyan, quickly take off your shoes and get on the kang (heated brick bed), it's warmer there," Comrade Lao Lin urged.

At this moment, there was a set of bedding that looked brand new on the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), which his father had clearly gotten from elsewhere.

Upon seeing this, Lin Mo immediately took off his shoes and went to sit on the kang (heated brick bed). Although a fire had been lit, the room was still very cold.

But the next second, his father pulled him down: "What are you doing on the kang? Hurry up and go start the fire!" Lin Mo:
Finally, Liu Ruyan was ushered onto the kang (heated brick bed), while Lin Mo was pulled to the outer room by Old Lin. The father and son took turns tending the fire and doing chores, and only returned to the house half an hour later.

"Dad, you're amazing! You cleaned so quickly all by yourself!" Lin Mo put his hand under Liu Ruyan's bottom so she could sit on it and warm it up, and laughed.

Upon hearing this, Comrade Lin said proudly, "Hey, this is my hometown. It's easy for me to call two people over to help. If I were to do it myself, I couldn't finish so much work in such a short time."

"Oh, I thought you cleaned it yourself. By the way, is my second uncle's granddaughter getting married today?" Lin Mo asked.

In their area, normally when a daughter gets married, if the groom's family is also local, the wedding is held in one day. If the groom's family is from another place, the wedding is held at the groom's family first, and then at the bride's family.

After all, the daughter married and moved to another place, and some relatives and friends couldn't easily attend. So, the money given as gifts should be returned!

Hearing this, Old Lin shook his head: "Your sister Juan married that boy from the Li family at the head of our village, the one named Li Hao. You two used to play together when you were kids, don't you remember?"

Lin Mo: ? ? ?
"Really? I don't remember. Wait, she married someone from the same village?"

He lived here for a while when he was a child. At that time, his grandparents were still alive, so he came back more often. After the elderly passed away, his family rarely went back to their hometown.

Even his second maternal uncle's daughter, Juan, he can't remember what she looks like now; he only knows that she is seven or eight years older than him.

"You've forgotten because of the years. Back then, you used to follow those older kids around, but they wouldn't play with you, and you'd come back crying."

As for marrying someone from the same village, I heard it was Aunt Wang from the south end of our village who arranged it. Anyway, it's a done deal, and we know each other well, right? Comrade Lin shook his head and laughed.

Although it's not uncommon for women to marry into the same village, it's relatively rare. Even marrying into neighboring villages or the same township is still quite common.

"Know her inside and out? Why didn't you do that earlier? My sister Juan is already thirty years old this year, right?" Lin Mo asked.

He's already 22 this year (by Chinese reckoning), and will be 23 after the New Year. His partner is so much older than him, it's really time for them to get married.

"Of course, it's exactly thirty. I'm thinking of getting married before the new year. Your sister Juan has been working outside for the past few years, so maybe she hasn't met the right person yet."

"That's why the family helped us get together. At least we know each other well from the same village. After they get married, they'll go back to Jiangning to work. I heard they bought a house there," Old Lin said.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo took a deep breath. What did he mean by not meeting the right person? It was probably just a choice made out of necessity.

Although he hasn't been back to his hometown much in recent years, I heard his mother say a couple of years ago that his sister Juan had dated quite a few men, and she was even engaged to her last boyfriend, but for some reason they broke off the engagement.

Some people say that her ex-boyfriend, Sister Juan, didn't break up with her cleanly, so he came looking for her, and her current boyfriend found out.

Some say she had accumulated a lot of online loans, and her fiancé broke off the engagement after finding out, but the exact reason is uncertain.

Nevertheless, there were some rumors circulating in the village, which is quite normal in rural areas.

To his surprise, the next news he heard about her was that she had married someone from the same village.

Firstly, since there has been a broken engagement, most people would be more cautious and more likely to marry someone from a distant place. Secondly, his sister Juan has high aspirations; she originally wanted to go to a big city and didn't want to stay in this small county town of Nancheng. Anyway, after getting into university, she rarely came back. Unexpectedly, she ended up marrying someone from the same village.

"Then why not hold the wedding in the city? It's all in the same place, so it would be more convenient," Liu Ruyan asked.

Upon hearing this, Comrade Lin laughed and said, "Hey, it's about saving money! For an ordinary family, the dowry and down payment for a house are not a small amount. Every little bit helps!"

'Buzz~~Buzz~~'

Just then, Lin Mo's phone rang.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a video call from Miss Yuan. Seeing this, Lin Mo immediately hung up.

"Who is it?" Liu Ruyan asked.

Lin Mo: "Sister Yuan, I have a bad feeling about this!"

As he spoke, he sent a message back to Miss Yuan.

Lin Mo: [What's wrong, Sister Yuan?!]

Yuan Meng: [I've arrived in Nancheng! Come and greet me quickly!]

Lin Mo:
"Sister Yuan is here, what should we do?"

"Just make do with it?" Liu Ruyan said with a helpless smile, spreading her hands.

Comrade Lin: "Who's here?"

"It's that girl who came to our house with my classmate last month," Lin Mo said.

Upon hearing this, Old Lin couldn't help but laugh and said, "That little girl, she's come to play with you. Why don't you go and pick her up?"

Both he and Lin Mo's mother were quite fond of Miss Yuan; that little thing was so uniquely shaped.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo didn't reply directly, but instead replied on his phone: 【Sister Yuan, I'm not home!】

Miss Yuan: [I don't believe you. Turn on your real-time location and I'll believe you!]

Lin Mo:
Damn, she's quite clever; Miss Yuan uses all her cunning on her own people.

Seeing this, he had no other choice but to send a location: "[Sister Yuan, I'm not in the city, I'm at my hometown in the countryside. A relative is getting married there.]"

Yuan Meng: [A wedding? A big feast in the countryside? Wait for me, I have to join in the fun! Tell them not to start the feast yet, I'll be there soon!]

Lin Mo:
(End of this chapter)