I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake. Yu Li's cheeks flushed instantly. She lowered her head and remained silent for a long time before nodding slightly.

Mr. Yu turned his gaze to He Yuzhu and asked earnestly, "Yuzhu, I'm asking you, have you taken a liking to my daughter, Yu Li? Are you willing to marry her?"

He Yuzhu was taken aback at first, then nodded excitedly, his words filled with undisguised excitement: "Uncle, um... well, Taishan... no, father-in-law! I'm willing, I'm willing from the bottom of my heart!"

Seeing He Yuzhu's excited expression, Mr. Yu couldn't help but laugh and said gently, "You rascal, next time just nod, no need to be so nervous."

The group looked at each other, still bewildered by the sudden conversation, staring blankly at the scene before them.

Just then, Yu's father looked at Yu Li with a serious expression and said in a deep voice, "Kneel down."

She was suddenly stunned, her eyes darting frantically over her father and mother, her face turning pale instantly. In all her life, her father had never spoken to her so seriously.

Seeing the determination in her father's eyes, she bit her lip, forced back the tears welling up in her eyes, and slowly knelt down.

"Not kneeling to me," Father Yu said in a deep voice, "but kneeling to the pillar, his maternal uncle, and his master."

Yu Li stiffened, her face paled, and she hesitated before turning around and kneeling down in front of He Yuzhu and the other two.

"Lili, your father didn't have much education, so I'll just say a few practical words."

Yu's father's voice softened, "You're more sensible and have a better temperament than Haitang, but you must remember to internalize the principle of 'a woman obeys her husband after marriage.' Once you're married, you must act like a proper married woman. I can also see that Zhuzi is honest and simple-minded. You can't be so naive in the future, understand? Also, always remember this: don't listen to or look at what others say or do, especially those idle gossipy women. Keep your head down and live your life well; that's true well-being, understand?"

Yu Li finally couldn't hold back her tears, which fell to the ground with a "plop plop" sound. She nodded gently.

"And another thing," Father Yu continued, "when Zhu Zi's parents aren't around, you have to be as respectful to his maternal uncle and Master Wu as you are to me and your mother. If I hear you causing trouble at your husband's house, don't blame me for taking the family rules to Old He's house to beat you."

Zhou Weiguo was completely bewildered. Was this custom common when marrying off daughters in the 1950s and 60s?

Wu Yousheng nodded with a satisfied look, while Yu's mother covered her mouth and wiped away tears. Only he and Tian Zao looked at each other, their minds full of questions.

"Brother, it's not that serious."

Zhou Weiguo quickly stepped forward to help Yu Li up, saying, "The child is perfectly fine, why do you need to kneel down to speak? Yu Li, please get up."

Yu Li looked at her father, and seeing him nod, she slowly stood up, supporting herself on her knees, and secretly wiped away her tears.

"Brother Yu, let's talk about the dates for the two kids' weddings?" Zhou Weiguo quickly changed the subject.

"If your husband's family has no objections, let the two children get their marriage certificate tomorrow."

Yu's father simply said, "Let's get the wedding done as soon as possible, lest things get complicated."

"Isn't that simple? This weekend is a perfect time!" Yu's mother couldn't help but interject, "We can just have a meal together and have some fun!"

"What do you know, you woman?" Her father glared at her sharply, his voice stern. "Who are you to decide what matters to your husband's family? You have no manners!"

Mother Yu's face flushed instantly. She lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes, tears welling up in her eyes. She quickly apologized to Zhou Weiguo, "Father-in-law, I'm so sorry. I was just hoping the two of you would get married soon."

"Sister-in-law, don't take it to heart, it's nothing."

Zhou Weiguo smiled and waved his hand, "But I'm afraid it won't work this weekend."

Mr. Yu immediately looked at Mrs. Yu, his tone smug: "See? Her husband's family has rules; they won't let you make arrangements as you please."

"Brother Yu, you've misunderstood."

Zhou Weiguo quickly explained, "Tian Zao and I are having our wedding banquet this weekend, and we've already booked the table at home."

Before anyone could react, He Yuzhu suddenly slapped his thigh: "Uncle! Count me in! It would be great if we did it together, both families could have a lively meal, and it would save us the hassle of giving money!"

"Okay, okay!"

Tian Zao's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly, "My uncle is getting married, and my nephew is getting married too, how lively!"

Zhou Weiguo was taken aback: "Isn't it a bit against custom for an uncle to get married on the same day as his nephew?"

"What's wrong with the rules?"

Tian Zao blinked. "If all else fails, Zhu Zi can hold the banquet in the courtyard, and we can have ours in the adjacent courtyard. It won't cause any problems!"

Zhou Weiguo's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea!" He quickly looked at Wu Yousheng and said, "Brother, is this the right thing to do? I really don't know anything about this."

Wu Yousheng chuckled, scratching his head and thinking for a long time: "In all my life, I've never heard of a rule against doing things this way. As long as both families are happy, let's make it as lively as possible!"

Zhou Weiguo then looked at Yu's father, who nodded hurriedly: "Brother Zhou, you can make the arrangements. Our Yu family has no objections! It's also a blessing for our Lili to be able to celebrate with you all."

...........................

On the other side, an older woman and Qin Huairu stood pleadingly in front of the deaf old woman in the backyard.

An older woman pleaded, "Grandma, I beg you! Please think of a way to save Lao Yi... If Lao Yi is really convicted, how am I supposed to live?"

The deaf old woman's face darkened as she looked at the middle-aged woman and said, "Cuilan, it's not that I don't want to help. I've told Xiaoyi many times not to mess with Zhou Weiguo; that kid is incredibly wicked. But why wouldn't Xiaoyi listen to my advice? Now look what's happened! He even dared to organize people to cause trouble at someone's house. If we don't teach him a lesson, who will we teach a lesson to?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman felt a chill in her heart, her legs went weak, and she knelt down on the ground: "Grandma, I beg you! Please, for the sake of how many years Lao Yi and I have taken care of you, lend him a hand! All of this is my fault; I couldn't give Lao Yi a son or daughter, otherwise he wouldn't be in this state today."

Seeing this, the deaf old woman shook her head helplessly: "Alas, let's do our best and leave the rest to fate. Cuilan, go and call a cart to take me out."

Seeing that neither the older woman nor the deaf old lady mentioned Jia Dongxu, Qin Huairu hurriedly knelt down as well: "Grandma, Auntie, Huairu begs you both to help me! If Dongxu really can't get out, Banggeng and I won't be able to survive!"

Looking at the pitiful Qin Huairu, the older woman looked at the deaf old woman with some pity.

The deaf old woman glanced at Qin Huairu, frowned, and said, "Huairu, I do have some connections in certain places, but those connections are barely enough to save Xiaoyi, let alone your Dongxu. Never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. I'll go ask around first."

Qin Huairu wanted to say a few more words, but in the end she lowered her head and didn't speak again.

Two or three hours later, the deaf old woman and the middle-aged woman returned to the back room with grim expressions.

P.S.: Please urge me to update more and give me good reviews. Thank you!