Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Chapter 126 Urging Marriage Through a Grand Feast in the Countryside (Part 2)

The man who came was Liu Benshan, a carpenter from the village. Unlike the old man Qian, a carpenter was actually more sought after everywhere.

Bamboo products are generally a bit more expensive, but that's not always the case.

In addition, carpenter Liu Benshan did business in Shanqian Village, while Old Master Qian did more business in the town.

In addition, Liu Benshan also runs a coffin business, providing coffins for almost all the elderly people in the village after they die.

This is why he had a good relationship with the Taoist priest Zhang Sheng. However, the carpenter ultimately did not switch to the funeral industry; he only provided coffins.

Zhou Rui looked at the person outside the door, and information about this person came to mind. He was a little younger than Zhou Shiwei, only about forty years old. The second brother he mentioned must be Liu Shouxin.

Liu Shouxin had a good relationship with Zhou Rui, but he hadn't returned home for some time.

And now I'm hearing news that they're getting married? That makes sense. Judging by the timing, it seems like they were preparing to get married around this time in my previous life.

However, in the previous life, due to the death of Zhou Yong'an of the Zhou family, the funeral and wedding coincided, which was a major taboo. Therefore, the other party did not hold the banquet immediately, but postponed it for some time.

It seems that, thanks to the old man's good health, his family's wedding banquet was held as scheduled.

There weren't many people of Zhou Rui's generation in the village who were close to him, but Liu Shouxin was one of them. The two grew up together. Liu was very lively and active, but he didn't blindly follow Zhou Rui's lead. Instead, he had his own set of behavioral logic.

Zhou Rui still remembers that in his previous life, after he started his own business, he helped this childhood friend out, but the other party refused the high-paying job he offered and chose to start from the bottom and work his way up.

In addition, this childhood friend seems to have always been lucky, purely in the sense of being lucky.

At this moment, Zhou Shiwei also came over. When he saw that it was Liu Benshan, he said very politely, "Thank you for making this trip, Liu the carpenter. I will come to help first thing tomorrow morning."

In rural areas, it is necessary to ask neighbors for help when holding a banquet. This help is not paid, but only considered as a favor, because every family has weddings and funerals.

It's all about you helping me and me helping you. Usually, the women in the family do the small, miscellaneous tasks, while the men do the heavy work.

At the same time, Liu Benshan and the Zhou family were among the few families in the village with a good relationship, so Zhou Shiwei gave them a lot of face.

Liu Benshan received a definite answer, and his smile widened even more.

"Haha, it's such an honor for our family to have you here, Brother Zhou. It's settled then, I'll be waiting for you at home tomorrow."

After Liu Benshan finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Rui again. When he first saw Zhou Rui, he was about to speak after making the invitation, but Zhou Shiwei interrupted him, and now he finally had a chance to speak again.

"And Zhou Rui, speaking of which, my Shouxin has been missing you a lot. He's heard that he's been very envious of what you've been doing lately, especially contracting the tea plantation. He said he wants to learn from you, but he has some things to do out today, so I'm the one who's notifying him."

Liu Benshan was an honest and kind man, living up to his name. He was one of the good families in the village, which is why his family and the Zhou family had always had a good relationship.

After hearing this, Zhou Rui had a question in his mind. Logically speaking, when inviting guests like this, the person should come in person or show up. Why is he not at home even though it's the day before the wedding?

Despite his doubts, Zhou Rui politely replied, "It's all just rumors circulating in the village. I'm just an ordinary farmer who got lucky and got a bargain."

Zhou Rui first made a polite and modest remark, then changed the subject and said something else: "I'll be coming with my dad tomorrow, um, the whole family will be coming, haha, anyway, the autumn harvest has only just begun, so my family isn't very busy."

Zhou Shiwei nodded in agreement.

Looking at the Zhou family, where Zhou Rui seemed to have become half the voice of the family, Liu Benshan was puzzled. This was unlike any other family.

However, he didn't say anything, but thanked the Zhou family father and son again, and he was sincerely grateful.

Because the autumn harvest has begun, not every household has as many people as the Zhou family. Most families only have one strong laborer, and the others either have young children or have already separated from their original households.

So for his family's banquet tomorrow, if we're going to help out, each household will probably only send one person at most, or even none at all. In the past, when things weren't so busy, each household would usually send one or two people to help out.

This can be considered one of the advantages of getting married late. Although Zhou Shiwei is the oldest of his generation, none of the next generation has gotten married yet.

Liu Benshan left because he still had to notify other families. There's a saying that goes, "Funerals come uninvited, weddings don't come without invitation." Liu Benshan understood this principle well, so he would personally go to each family to invite them.

The Zhou father and son returned home and told everyone what had happened. The younger generation cheered with joy, but the two elders had a different tone. Grandfather Zhou Yong'an spoke first: "Grandson, did you see that? Liu Shouxin, the boy you grew up with, is getting married. When are you going to find me a granddaughter-in-law? I think that girl from the Zhao family is quite nice..."

'

He had barely finished speaking when Meng Dan added, "Yes, my dear grandson, although Liu Shouxin is a little older than you, he's only a year older. Besides, you're almost twenty, which used to be called the age of coming of age. We, the old couple, are still hoping to hold our great-grandson."

Although Meng Dan's words contained a hint of humor, they still carried a serious tone.

Immediately afterward, Zeng Jiamei, the mother, joined in the fun: "Yes, son, you're almost twenty years old, or even twenty by the traditional Chinese age reckoning. It's time to find a wife so that I, your mother, can be a grandmother for once."

The elders in the family were all talking at once, and Zhou Rui was having a hard time keeping up. Fortunately, Zhou Shiwei didn't join in and just watched them from the sidelines.

When Zhou Rui looked to his father for help, seemingly unable to cope, Zhou Shiwei's next words almost made him fall over, chair and all.

"Son, actually... well... I think your grandfather is right, that girl from the Zhao family—"

'

"Stop! Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, we can't just follow the rules. Our family's goal of becoming wealthy hasn't been achieved yet; we still need to work harder!"

Zhou Rui really couldn't find a way to deal with this pressure to get married, so he just blurted out something, but to his surprise, Zhou Shijie also had something to say after hearing that.

"Nephew, actually, I think it's good to have the goal of being wealthy, but there's something else. Other people's children are already fathers at this age. Take your Uncle Liu's family, for example. He had a child before he was even twenty."

"So, being rich and starting a family aren't mutually exclusive. I have no choice. You know, your cousin, who is also my eldest son, has become a wild man and never comes home. Zhou Xing is still young, and I want to be an elder for once."

Zhou Shijie said a lot, and Zhou Rui glanced at him sideways. But as he said, Zhou Rui was not young in the village and it was indeed time for him to get married.

Zhou Rui took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled before saying, "Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, I'll try my best, but even if it's fast, I need to find the right person..."

"Speaking of which, Zhou Shiwei couldn't help but say something fair: "Indeed, Qingya is a very talented girl, but she's a little too young, and she's aiming for higher positions. I'm just afraid she might change her mind later..."

""

Zhou Shiwei's concerns were valid. Although he could see that Zhao Qingya was indeed interested in his son, he wondered if she would change her mind in a few years.

Ultimately, the Zhou family could not reach a consensus on Zhou Rui's marriage. The grandparents' intentions were clear: the Zhou family should either find a girl from another family or discuss it with the Zhao family as soon as possible.

However, his parents had a different opinion; they were more inclined to side with Zhou Rui's ideas and respected his thoughts.

Zhou Rui also revealed his true thoughts at this time.

He admitted that all he wanted was for his family to be happy and healthy.

Then we can earn more money to build a house or two, so that the three of us won't have to squeeze into one room anymore, and even my cousin won't have her own room.

Zhou Rui was aware of the old man's thoughts, but some things really couldn't be rushed, and he didn't want to compromise.

Ultimately, Zhou Rui's marriage was put on hold again, as no one could convince anyone else.

Holding a large banquet is something everyone in the village looks forward to and enjoys. Although it requires contributing some money, it's a lively occasion for every household to gather together and chat.

However, in the past, Zhou Ming would have been the happiest, as he loved such lively events. But now, he was somewhat uninterested.

He was still somewhat resentful; the sadness he had felt before was just something he had hidden away, not something he had already processed.

This is just the dredging up of this deeply buried sadness.

Zhou Rui watched all this helplessly. No one could help his younger brother; only his brother could figure it out himself.

Of course, once Zhou Ming understands the meaning of parting, he will likely become stronger, which is a way to end the pain quickly rather than prolong it.

Otherwise, we'll have to wait until Grandpa...

Zhou Rui remembered that after his grandfather passed away and his father became disabled in his previous life, Zhou Ming isolated himself for a whole year, and his temper was not as lively as it was at the beginning.

Zhou Rui shook his head slightly, deciding to stop thinking about it.

What Zhou Rui found fortunate was that Zhou Yun saw that his best friend Ming-gege seemed very sad, so he spent the whole day trying to make Zhou Ming laugh in his childish voice.

Zhou Ming didn't put on a sour face for his cousin; he tried his best to calm himself down while playing with Zhou Yun.

It's still early, around eight o'clock. The whole family is listening to the radio. Now the Zhou family no longer cares about battery wear and tear, and even Zhou Yong'an, who is usually very frugal, has loosened his grip.

It was almost nine o'clock when everyone finished listening to the radio. Since there was nothing important and they needed to help Liu Benshan's family the next day, everyone washed up and went to bed early.

The next morning, Zhou Rui got up early; it was just getting light outside.

He got dressed and left the room.

Because he had a good rest last night, he didn't sleep in much. He looked at the clock outside and it was only a little past seven.

Zhou Ming didn't wake him up today either.

Moreover, only my mother and second aunt were at home, because my father and second uncle had already left earlier.

They needed to start the boiler and move tables and benches, so they had to arrive earlier.

At this time, Grandpa and Grandma also got up, but Grandpa didn't like to join in the fun, so he didn't plan to go in the morning.

Grandma Meng Dan was very excited, but she didn't plan to go with Zhou Rui and his group because Zhou Yun was still asleep and she needed to take care of him. She would take him to join the fun after he woke up.

So Zeng Jiamei cooked two potatoes and eggs for Zhou Yong'an for breakfast, and then the four of them set off in a grand procession.

My younger cousins ​​hadn't left yet. Since their home wasn't too far from the village primary school, they had some breakfast with Zhou Yong'an and were packing their metal lunchboxes to get ready to go out.

Although they live not far apart, it's not that they don't want to go home for lunch, but rather that they usually prefer to get out of school earlier in the afternoon, as they only have two hours of rest time at noon.

Wasting more than an hour going back and forth is obviously not worth it; it's better to stay at school.

All the able-bodied men in the Zhou family went to help, as a way of supporting the Liu family, since the two families have always had a good relationship.

Moreover, given the current negative public opinion surrounding the Zhou family, Zhou Rui found it quite remarkable that the Liu family could maintain a close relationship with him under these circumstances.

Moreover, the Zhou family's attitude towards dealing with other families is that if you treat me with respect, I will repay you with even greater respect; if you mistreat me even slightly, I will always remember it and will definitely seek revenge when I grow up.

It's not that they're stingy, but both Zhou Rui and Zhou Shiwei know the saying, "A person lives for their pride."

Of course, Zhou Yong'an's attitude was more conciliatory.

The group of four walked into the village for about twenty minutes before arriving at their destination.

Zhou Ming didn't throw a tantrum or refuse to come. Although he hadn't returned to his previous lively and cheerful self, he was better than yesterday.

He is very sensible.

The four arrived at the Liu family's house, where the banquet was being held. Their house was located in the north of the village. It was still dark, but there were already many people busy at work.

Red lanterns were hung high, and they were either slaughtering pigs or lighting fires to heat up the stoves. The Liu family had built a small bungalow next to their own house.

Paper-cuts, window decorations, and red double happiness symbols are pasted on the windows. A table is placed in the middle, but no one is sitting in the seat yet.

Since this is a place to hang gifts, and the people who have come here are here to help, it is not needed for the time being.

There were already some candies, peanuts, and melon seeds on the table. Even though people's lives are not very affluent now, they still attach great importance to this most important moment in their lives.

Getting married, having children, starting a family, building a career, and buying a house are obsessions in the minds of most Chinese people.

Amidst the bustling and vibrant scene, Zhou Rui spotted his father, who was helping to press down the pig. Not far away, steam was rising from the pot of water.

A pig must be slaughtered to prepare a feast; otherwise, it would be a waste to buy meat for the feast.