1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 135 Making a Cheongsam: The Bride Must Look Gorgeous
"Xi Yu's cousin can be arranged for a deputy store manager position."

Gu Bin, being meticulous, said, "Have her act as your informant, so she can keep you informed of the situation here and detect any unusual activity promptly."

"Okay, let's do it this way."

Wang Fan's eyes lit up: "I also think she's quite clever and trustworthy."

"She is ambitious and wants to start her own company."

Gu Bin glanced at him and smiled meaningfully: "Before accumulating enough capital, they won't have any disloyal intentions. But once they've grown strong enough, that's a different story. Not only will they turn against you, but they might even poach the people who actually do the work."

"Ah."

Wang Fan was embarrassed and lost face: "She has big ambitions. She wants to start her own company. Does she think doing business is child's play? Without strong capital and connections, with her limited abilities, she'll be ripped off."

"Sister Yan is here."

Li Liang couldn't stand his complaints: "You dare to look down on a woman right in front of her?"

"Hey, you guys keep talking, don't get me confused."

Li Yan is a shrewd person. She decisively distanced herself from the situation. After the other staff members of the production team packed up their equipment, she also took the opportunity to say goodbye and got into the car with the rest of the group, leaving Wangfu Pond.

-

No. 1 Xigengdao Street.

Since the well in Wu Meng's courtyard was identified by experts as one of the new Seventy-Two Bright Springs, the neighborhood committee has taken notice and, taking advantage of the old city renovation project, had a fence built around the spring and lotus flowers planted.

Lin Xiyu followed Wu Meng into the courtyard and immediately saw the lush, glossy lotus leaves, which exuded vitality under the early autumn sun.

"So beautiful! Did you grow these lotus flowers?"

"No, it was planted by the neighborhood committee."

Wu Meng looked a little smug: "These days, a lot of people come to my house to fetch water. They all say that the feng shui of this courtyard is good and that the water has a spirit. As a result, more people are asking my mother to make clothes for them."

"Is it just that the spring water has a spirit?"

Lin Xiyu laughed and playfully scolded, "No credit for the production team? They even filmed a special episode at your house to promote your mom."

"Hahaha."

Wu Meng burst into laughter: "Your expression is exactly the same as when Sister Yan came to my house to change clothes just now, and the words you said were almost the same too."

"Cough cough."

Lin Xiyu blushed and said to herself, "That means great minds think alike. My opinion is the same as Sister Yan's."

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

Wu Meng smiled and chimed in, "I sincerely thank you all. When you make the clothes later, I'll ask my mom to give you a discount, okay?"

"That's pretty much it."

Lin Xiyu was satisfied and nodded proudly.

"Xi Yu is here? Come in quickly."

Hearing the laughter outside, Wu Meng's mother lifted the curtain and waved to her.

"Hello Auntie."

Lin Xiyu and Wu Meng are good friends and often visit each other. They feel right at home in Lin Xiyu's house and are not at all reserved.

"Your Uncle Wu caught some river shrimp from the ditch in Nanshan. Auntie has fried them and brought them over for you to try."

When Wu Ma saw the pretty and lovely girl, she was filled with affection. She lowered the curtain and brought back a plate of fried river shrimp from the kitchen.

"Wow, it smells so good."

Lin Xiyu sniffed the aroma with delight: "I'm so happy to be able to eat such delicious food every time I come here. Thank you, Auntie."

"No need to thank me."

Aunt Wu gave each of the two children a pair of chopsticks: "Auntie hasn't thanked you yet. In the three years that Wu Meng has been in high school, it's fortunate that you helped her. Otherwise, this silly girl would have been bullied to death."

"Mom, why are you bringing this up again?"

Wu Meng choked, and the fried shrimp she was eating suddenly didn't taste good anymore.

"What did I say? You're just glaring at me."

Aunt Wu's face darkened, and she scolded with displeasure, "I'm only doing this for your own good. I want Xiyu to pay more attention so she can help you more in the future."

"Don't worry, Auntie, I will."

Lin Xiyu, feeling obligated to help, fawned, "Mengmeng and I are good friends, who else would I help if not her?"

"Is the fried shrimp delicious?"

Aunt Wu was satisfied, and her smile became even more kind and gentle.

"good to eat."

Lin Xiyu smiled and agreed.

"It's delicious, eat more."

Aunt Wu snatched the chopsticks from her daughter's hand and personally picked up a fried shrimp for her.

River shrimp are only a third the size of an adult's finger. They are coated in batter, sprinkled with salt, and fried until crispy and crunchy. They are incredibly delicious and leave a lingering fragrance in your mouth.

Lin Xiyu chewed with relish, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Mom, who is your real daughter?"

Wu Meng looked at the chopsticks that had been taken away and felt speechless.

"You've eaten quite a lot of the river shrimp your dad fried."

Aunt Wu said matter-of-factly, "Xi Yu rarely comes here, what's wrong with letting her have something to eat?"

"She's getting engaged soon."

Wu Meng couldn't argue with her mother, so she used her trump card: "If you let her eat now, it's not good for her, it's bad for her. If she gets fat, she won't look good in clothes."

Lin Xiyu: "."

One bite of the crispy and tender river shrimp, and the flavor vanished instantly.

"Is Xiyu getting engaged?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Ma's eyes lit up, filled with delight.

"Um"

Lin Xiyu's ears turned red, tinged with a blush.

"And Old Master Gu's grandson?"

Aunt Wu asked tentatively, "Is it the one who came to our house last time, the one named Gu Bin?"

"Ah."

Lin Xiyu nodded shyly.

"That's really nice."

Aunt Wu was genuinely happy for her: "Xi Yu is truly blessed to be able to marry Old Master Gu's grandson. Every young woman in this area is eyeing her with envy, all wanting to climb the social ladder and transform from a sparrow into a phoenix."

"Cough cough."

Upon hearing the word "climbing the tree," Lin Xiyu suddenly saw a figure flash before her eyes for some reason.

Thinking of Gu Bin's mother, she still hasn't given up.

Her heart felt heavy, as if a large stone was pressing down on it, making her feel very uncomfortable.

"Mom, what are you saying now?"

Seeing that her expression was off, Wu Meng looked displeased and said, "What do you mean by 'from sparrow to phoenix'? If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. Everything was fine until you said that, and now even the fried shrimp doesn't taste good anymore."

“I didn’t mention Xi Yu.”

Aunt Wu glared at her, displeased: "I'm talking about the neighbors in our neighborhood."

"Xi Yu came here this time to have a cheongsam made."

Wu Meng didn't want to argue with her mother, so she used this as an excuse to lighten the mood: "This is your specialty. Whether you can make the bride shine at the engagement banquet depends on you."

"Making cheongsams is great."

Upon hearing about making clothes, Aunt Wu immediately perked up: "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Did you give me a chance to speak?

Wu Meng complained with a bitter face, "As soon as you got home, you were all over Xi Yu and didn't even look at me properly."

"You use your mouth to speak, not your eyes."

Aunt Wu teased her with a laugh, "You won't talk if I don't look at you?"

"It was my fault, okay?"

Wu Meng was speechless at her mother's rudeness: "Stop making fun of me, hurry up and take Xi Yu's measurements, Gu Bin and Li Liang are still waiting outside."

What are you doing standing outside?

Aunt Wu's eyes lit up, and she smiled broadly: "It's so hot, it's so nice to come in. There's a fan inside, it'll be cool."

"Xi Yu wants to try on clothes."

Wu Meng shared her insights with him: "Why let the men in? If the engagement dress is shown to people in advance, it won't be novel. We need to keep it a secret from him and make a dazzling appearance on the day so that he will be amazed."

"Makes sense."

Lin Xiyu laughed and chimed in, "No wonder she's already engaged. It's no wonder she captivated Li Liang on their engagement day; so that's the secret." "You figured it out?"

Wu Meng raised an eyebrow, smugly saying, "This is my personal experience; I don't usually tell it to just anyone."

"This girl"

Aunt Wu laughed and scolded, "Ever since you got engaged, you've become more and more shameless."

"hey-hey."

Wu Meng didn't care at all about her mother's teasing and covered her mouth, laughing foolishly.

"This is because Li Liang raised it well."

Lin Xiyu has her own insights: "It is said that love is like flower dew, which is most nourishing. Whether a woman is happy or not, you don't need to look at anything else, just look at whether she likes to laugh. A woman who likes to laugh must be loved by someone, otherwise she wouldn't laugh so happily."

“Listen to her, listen to her, how well Xi Yu speaks.”

These words really struck a chord with Wu Ma. She was extremely satisfied with her son-in-law, Li Liang, and was genuinely happy to hear outsiders praise her son-in-law for treating her daughter well.

"Xi Yu is so good at talking, she made you so happy with her compliments."

Wu Meng imitated Wang Fan's funny manner, speaking in a trembling voice: "Aren't you going to hurry up and do something to show your appreciation, give them a discount?"

"What kind of discount?"

Aunt Wu waved her hand generously: "Consider the cheongsam a gift from Aunt Zhao, it's free."

"what?"

Lin Xiyu hurriedly declined, saying, "Making a cheongsam is too expensive, no way!"

"What's wrong with that?"

Aunt Wu pretended to be unhappy: "Why are you being so polite with your Aunt Zhao? You're practically someone Aunt Zhao watched grow up, you're no different from her own daughter. Consider this cheongsam Aunt Zhao's engagement gift to you. As long as you can wear it and look beautiful at your engagement, Aunt Zhao will be satisfied."

"This gift is too valuable."

A look of emotion flashed in Lin Xiyu's eyes. Just as she was about to decline, Wu Meng interrupted her.

"If my mom gives it to you, just accept it. She's incredibly stingy and doesn't give away her money easily. It's only because of you that she's willing to give away these clothes."

"Cough cough."

Lin Xiyu was amused by her comment about being stingy, and the tears that were about to burst forth from her heart disappeared in an instant.

"What nonsense are you spouting, kid?"

Wu's mother laughed in exasperation: "How can you talk back to your own mother like that? It's all your father's fault for spoiling you like this, you're never serious all the time."

"That's what my dad called a miser."

Wu Meng accidentally let it slip.

"Hey, you two, are you trying to drive me crazy?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Ma exploded like a firecracker.

"Ah."

While cooking at the hotel, Mr. Wu suddenly sneezed.

-

"Auntie, Mengmeng was just kidding."

Lin Xiyu was both amused and exasperated: "Please don't take this seriously."

"No."

Wu Ma wouldn't let it go, and picked up a feather duster: "I have to make her explain herself today. What are those two gossiping about behind my back all day long? Do they think I'm just a stingy miser?"

"Help! My mom's going to hit me!"

Wu Meng wasn't about to wait to be beaten; she howled and ran out of the house.

"What's going on? Why are you making a scene again?"

Hearing the commotion at the courtyard gate, Li Liang strode in with his long legs.

Wu Meng hid behind Li Liang, pouting as she complained, "My mom is biased. She says Xi Yu is her own daughter, but she only loves her and not me."

"That's it?"

Li Liang didn't believe it.

"besides."

Wu Meng glanced away somewhat guiltily: "My dad said my mom is too stingy, she's too tight-fisted with money, and his pockets are so empty he doesn't even have enough money to buy a cigarette."

Li Liang astutely grasped the key point: "How would your mother know what your father said?"

"Cough cough."

Wu Meng coughed awkwardly twice: "I just muttered something quietly, I didn't expect my mom to have such good hearing, she actually heard me."

Li Liang: "."

I'm speechless about my daughter who's such a disappointment to her father.

-

For the sake of her son-in-law, Wu Ma, unusually, held back her anger and didn't chase after him around the yard with a feather duster.

Wu Meng was secretly pleased to have escaped unscathed.

What can I say about you?

Seeing her laughing so carefree, Li Liang sighed helplessly: "Your mother's bickering only brings your father into the picture. He's in big trouble now; he'll suffer a lot when he gets home."

"will not."

Wu Meng said with certainty: "Don't be fooled by how loud my mom's wailing. She's all bark and no bite. My dad has been complaining about her being too controlling for a long time. If she really cared, she would have argued with him countless times already."

"Is your mom really that strict?"

Li Liang spoke up for his father-in-law.

He didn't even have enough money to buy a cigarette; it was truly a miserable situation.

"I'm not just making this up."

Wu Meng raised her hand and swore: "It really was my dad who told me this when he was drunk?"

Can you trust someone who's drunk?

Li Liang blinked, indicating his doubt.

Why can't we believe it?

Wu Meng said confidently, "Isn't it said that people speak the truth when they're drunk? Anyway, I didn't make it up."

"I do not believe."

Li Liang smiled slyly: "Unless you get him drunk again and let me hear it with my own ears."

Wu Meng: "."

He tricked her into getting her father-in-law drunk.

He's really daring!

-

Unable to refuse Wu Ma's earnest invitation, Lin Xiyu finally agreed to accept the engagement gift she received.

Choosing the fabric, color, and style took a lot of time.

Once everything was settled, the clock struck noon.

"Your grandma and the others should have already eaten by now."

Gu Bin glanced at his watch and estimated the time: "Don't go back, come home with me."

"Back to where?"

Lin Xiyu didn't hear clearly and asked again.

"My home."

Gu Bin pointed in the direction of Wangfuchi West Street: "My family eats late. My grandma always waits for my grandpa to come back from exercising at Jiefang Pavilion before she cooks."

"what?"

Lin Xiyu panicked and instinctively wanted to refuse: "It's so sudden, I wasn't prepared at all."

"What's there to prepare, just a simple home-cooked meal?"

"At least buy some gifts for our first meeting, right?"

"You went to my grandfather's house, but you didn't bring a gift."

"That's different."

"What's the difference?"

"Anyway, it's just different."

Lin Xiyu broke out in a cold sweat from nervousness.

You wouldn't be.

Gu Bin noticed her inner turmoil and tentatively asked, "Are you still worried that Grandpa and Grandma will stop us from being together?"