Reborn in a small mountain village in 1991

Chapter 113 The Eldest Sister Who Gets Taunted

Xu Chunsheng quickly waved his hand to stop his anxious mother, explaining with a smile, "Mom, what are you thinking?"

"There's no need to rush. Teacher Tang only invited my sister and me to meet her parents. It's not time for an engagement yet."

Upon hearing this, Xu's mother instantly understood her daughter's thoughts, realizing she had been too anxious, and readily agreed, "Okay, okay!"

After school in the afternoon, Tang Changping led his younger sister back to the Xu family home and specially invited Xu Chunhua and Xu Chunsheng, the two siblings, to come to his home for dinner on the weekend.

Ostensibly, it was an invitation for the siblings to have dinner, but the real intention, which everyone understood, was to formally introduce Tang's parents to Xu Chunhua.

Xu Chunhua is usually decisive and efficient in her work and straightforward and generous in her dealings with others. She is not shy at all, but when she meets Tang Changping, she will feel hot and embarrassed.

Although Xu Chunsheng had told her about going to the Tang family's house for dinner on the weekend after he returned, she still felt embarrassed when Tang Changping stood under the persimmon tree and told her about it.

"Chunhua, Zhou Tian and Chunsheng, come to my house for dinner. I'm serious, you have to believe me, I'll definitely treat you well."

Tang Changping eagerly expressed his feelings to Xu Chunhua.

"Yes, I'll take it."

Xu Chunhua readily agreed, but she dared not look at Tang Changping, her cheeks burning.

"Come in and sit for a while, I'll go cook."

After saying that, she ignored Tang Changping and went back to her room. Her usually straightforward personality was now tinged with a girlish shyness.

Xu's mother was cooking in the kitchen when she saw her daughter come in. She asked, "Why did you come in? Why don't you go outside and chat for a while? I can eat as soon as the food is done."

When Tang Changping came to visit, Xu's mother was very courteous and prepared a lavish meal.

I used half of the chicken that my daughter had prepared in the afternoon to make a soup, and the other half to make spicy chicken.

"Okay, I'll start the fire."

Xu Chunhua sat in front of the stove, watching the flames in the firebox. Her fingertips unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, her cheeks flushed red in the firelight. After suppressing the restlessness in her heart, she asked her mother, "Mom, what should I do? What should I be careful about?"

As Mrs. Xu was stirring the vegetables in the pan, she slowed down upon hearing her daughter's words. Looking at her unusually reserved daughter sitting there, a smile appeared in her eyes: "You're diligent and have a good temperament, so I'm not worried about that."

"But when you go to someone's house, greet them when you enter, be polite at the table, and observe their parents' attitude and how they interact. How their parents get along is likely how you will behave in the future."

"Also, if you have any questions or anything you want to say, don't hold back. Don't be afraid of offending people. We don't have to beg anyone. No matter what, you are still your parents' daughter. We just hope that whatever decisions our daughter makes are made willingly."

Xu's mother scooped the vegetables out of the pot, paused for a moment, and then continued, "Also, when you go to other people's homes, don't act so diligent."

These days, when a girl comes to live with her parents, they all expect her to be hardworking and observant. But Xu's mother didn't say that.

Xu Chunhua was stunned, somewhat puzzled: "Everyone says that when you visit someone's home, you should help out more so that the elders will like you."

"Sis, you've misunderstood that."

When Xu Chunsheng entered the room, he overheard his older sister's words. He walked behind her, put his hand on her shoulder, and explained, "That makes sense, but we're not going to be someone's maid. It's fine to lend a hand by picking vegetables and washing dishes, but if we're busy running around doing everything as soon as we enter the room, I won't allow it."

Xu's mother slapped Xu Chunsheng on the head: "What are you saying?"

She turned to her daughter and explained, "Tang Changping is a teacher, and his father is a retired factory worker. They are both respectable people. We've never met his mother, but we've met his father many times. Although he's serious, he's easy to get along with."

"Just behave as usual. Don't think that our family is inferior to theirs. Doing so makes you look petty and makes you lose your backbone."

Chicken soup simmered over a wood fire is the most nourishing. Golden, translucent fat floats on the surface, the chicken meat is tender and falls off the bone, and the aroma wafts far and wide through the cracks in the door.

Xu Chunsheng helped bring the stir-fried chicken giblets with green peppers to the table, and the eldest sister and youngest sister had already set out bowls and chopsticks and added rice.

Although this wasn't Tang Changping's first time eating at the Xu family's house, he had gradually transformed from his initial awkwardness to his current composure.

On the contrary, Xu Chunhua seemed a little flustered during dinner tonight.

Xu Chunsheng, however, had a very good appetite. He had been thinking about this for so long, and now it was almost time to put his mind at ease. He ate his meal with great peace of mind.

Halfway through the meal, the hunger in our stomachs was satisfied, and the atmosphere at the table became even more lively.

Xu Chunsheng had already become familiar with Tang Changping. He picked up a piece of chicken and put it into Tang Changping's bowl, deliberately teasing, "Teacher Tang, this chicken was specially killed by my sister today. You have a lot of influence. As soon as you said you wanted to come over this afternoon, my sister turned around and killed a chicken to have some meat. Thanks to you, I was able to drink this chicken soup today."

After he finished speaking, the air on the table seemed to slow down a bit.

Xu Chunhua paused in her chopsticks, her cheeks burning under the light. She glanced at Xu Chunsheng and said, "You're all talk. There's so much food, isn't it enough to shut you up? You still have time to talk."

Xu Chunsheng was not affected at all. Instead, he turned to look at Tang Changping, who was sitting upright. Tang Changping was teased by Xu Chunsheng in public, but he was not angry. He just kept his lips pursed, his fingertips holding the chopsticks turned white, and his palms were slightly red, just like when he first came to the Xu family for dinner.

Seeing this, Mr. Xu said gently, "Teacher Tang, my little sister is so lucky to have you taking care of her at school. You've also helped our family a lot on a regular basis."

Tang Changping quickly put down his chopsticks, swallowed what was in his mouth, and said politely, "Uncle, this is what I should do. Besides, my little sister is very well-behaved and has never caused me any trouble."

"That's not how it works. If you hadn't taken such good care of your younger sister at school, she would have been so mischievous."

"And as parents, we also hope that our child can meet someone with good character."

Xu's mother smiled and ladled a spoonful of chicken soup for Tang Changping.

There was a moment of silence on the table, then Tang Changping responded softly, "Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely treat Chunhua well."

Tang Changping was bad with words; whether speaking to Xu Chunhua or her parents, he could only repeat the same phrase over and over again: "I will be good to her."

Despite his simple words, everyone at the table could see how serious he was.

"Teacher Tang, are you going to be my brother-in-law?"

Xu Yaomei's crisp voice broke the silence on the table, and the main room fell silent instantly.

Xu Chunsheng buried his head in his rice and shoveled it down, laughing so hard his shoulders shrugged, but in his heart he was thinking about how he would reward his youngest sister properly in the future.

The eldest sister, Xu Chunhua, was naturally burning with embarrassment, but she pretended to be calm and tapped Xu Yaomei on the head: "Children should talk less and eat more so they can grow tall."

Xu Yaomei giggled, "Sister's shy! So sister can be shy too!"

Xu Chunsheng and his parents exchanged glances, both seeing smiles in each other's eyes. They stopped teasing the two young people and went back to eating and drinking their soup.

Xu Chunhua then picked up her rice bowl and went into the bedroom.

Tang Changping wanted to go too, but hesitated.

Xu Chunsheng kicked him and gestured at him with his lips.

Tang Changping immediately understood and got up to chase after her, calling out, "Chunhua!"

"What are you doing here?"

The older sister was very puzzled. In her memory, Tang Changping was very timid. He had come to her house several times, but he never dared to enter her room casually.

"I'll come in and keep you company."

I don't want you to face this awkward situation alone.

Tang Changping walked up to Xu Chunhua and spoke from the bottom of his heart.

Xu Chunhua looked up at the man standing in front of her like a child who had made a mistake: "You used to be quite good at talking, huh?"

.

"I don't know what 'can' and 'can't' mean; I'm just speaking from the heart."

Tang Changping replied.

"Xu Yaomei!"

"Don't think I, as your older sister, won't dare to discipline you!"

"Get in here!"

Xu Chunhua glanced at Xu Yaomei and noticed her peeking through the crack in the door. She immediately stood up and shouted a few times.

Tang Changping shuddered in fright.

Xu Yaomei obediently slipped in through the crack in the door.

"My second brother sent me to peek."

"Sister, don't be angry."

After saying that, Xu Yaomei slunk away.

"It's Xu Chunsheng again!"

The eldest sister's eyebrows shot up.

Tang Changping smiled at this moment: "Don't blame Chunsheng, he's just concerned about you, his older sister."

Xu Chunsheng had confided in Tang Changping, saying that he was worried that the ill-intentioned Qian Junwei would continue to have designs on his older sister.

Therefore, Tang Changping can understand Xu Chunsheng.

The eldest sister sneered, "You really dote on him, even more than I do as his older sister. No wonder he'd love for you to be his brother-in-law."

The eldest sister blushed again and lowered her head as she spoke.

Whether I can become his brother-in-law depends on whether his sister agrees or not.

Tang Changping stared intently at his eldest sister and smiled slightly.

"I don't want to talk to you anymore!"

"Second brother, my sister said she doesn't want to talk to Teacher Tang anymore!"

After leaving the room, Xu Yaomei did not leave, but remained in front of Xu Chunsheng.

Xu Chunsheng nodded after hearing this: "Very good."

"Why is it good?"

"Because what the eldest sister said should be interpreted in reverse. If she doesn't want to talk to someone, it means she wants that person to talk more."

Upon hearing Xu Chunsheng's words, Xu Yaomei came running back again, saying, "Teacher Tang, please say more; my sister actually loves to hear it!"

"good!"

Tang Changping agreed.

The eldest sister was about to get up to scold Xu Yaomei, but she held back when she heard Tang Changping's shout. Instead, she sat back down and waited for Tang Changping to speak.

Tang Changping knew he should say more at this moment, but he just couldn't utter a single word.

"Let's go out to eat!"

In the end, it was the eldest sister, Xu Chunhua, who let him go, and the two walked out one after the other.

"good!"

After seeing Tang Changping off, the eldest sister tidied up her younger siblings one by one.

Xu Chunsheng was the first to suffer.

The older sister reached out and pinched his arm: "I told you earlier that you talk the most, always stirring up trouble. You just wait, when you get married, I'll show you all your dirty secrets."

Xu Chunsheng wasn't afraid at all, and even grinned, "It's still early, it's still early. You won't even remember it by then. After all, pregnancy makes you stupid for three years."

The eldest sister was both embarrassed and annoyed by what he said, and too lazy to pay attention to Xu Chunsheng. She turned to Xu Yaomei, who was watching the commotion from the side, and said, "You're also a gossip. Don't talk nonsense to people outside, or I won't buy you candy."

The young girl shrank back, and reluctantly agreed, saying, "I was wrong," without uttering the words, "I'll do it again next time."

Mr. and Mrs. Xu sat on bamboo chairs, watching their children play and laugh. The soft light shone on each of them, making them feel warm and comforting.

The weekend is here in the blink of an eye.

In 1992, every household in the town was very frugal. When it came to their daughter meeting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Xu would instruct Xu Chunsheng to buy some food that could be stored for a long time, and they would also prepare some dried goods from their own home.

As for the wine mentioned earlier, it was from his own family, while the cigarettes and tea were because Xu Chunsheng was considered half an apprentice of Tang Yongnian. With this relationship, it wasn't too abrupt to prepare cigarettes, wine, tea, and sugar.

Xu Chunsheng changed into a clean long-sleeved sweater and put on a light jacket over it.

Xu Chunhua simply tied her long hair into two braids, changed into a floral light jacket, and looked gentle and energetic.

"Have you two siblings finished packing? Everything's in the truck bed, okay?"

Xu's mother called out to the two of them from the courtyard.

"Coming," Xu Chunsheng called out, passing the small round mirror on the wall and fixing his hair in front of it.

Xu Chunhua got into the car and looked at Xu Chunsheng, who was being vain: "Let's go, don't keep them from having dinner."

When Xu Chunsheng drove his sister to the Xu family's building, Tang Changping was already waiting downstairs.

He was wearing a long-sleeved polyester shirt with a knitted vest over it. His glasses were gleaming in the sunlight, and he stood there with a gentle and refined air.

Seeing the two stop their car, he took two steps forward and asked, "You've arrived! Were you cold on the way?"

Tang Changping's gaze swept over Xu Chunsheng and landed on Xu Chunhua's hands. Seeing that her hands were not red from the cold, he was relieved.

Xu Chunhua shook her head: "It's not cold, the car has curtains, so it's not cold."

Xu Chunsheng patted Tang Changping on the shoulder twice: "Teacher Tang, why don't you ask me if I'm cold?"

"Chunsheng, are you cold?"

"Ouch, it's so cold."

Xu Chunsheng rubbed his arms up and down a couple of times, then called out, "Teacher Tang, come help me carry some things."

After carrying their belongings upstairs, the group saw the Tang family's open door and could faintly hear the sounds of a television and cooking coming from inside.

Tang Changping turned to the side, gesturing for the two to go inside first: "My mom has been busy in the kitchen all morning. She's not as good at cooking as you, so don't complain later."

Xu Chunhua paused again as she stepped inside, and said softly, "Auntie went to all the trouble to prepare this all morning, how could it not be good? I just cook something casually at home and eat a little bit myself."

She assumed Tang Changping was just being polite, unaware that Zhang Xiulan's cooking skills were genuinely mediocre.

Xu Chunsheng, who was standing to the side, felt a bit of a headache. He had eaten Tang's mother's cooking before. He took a deep breath, clenched the bag in his hand, and gave his sister a heads-up: "My sister's cooking skills are indeed excellent, but Auntie's cooking is also very special. I haven't had it in a long time. I'll have a good taste of it today."

Before the group even entered the house, Tang Yongnian, who was sitting upright on the sofa, stood up, walked to the door, and cleared his throat: "You're here. Why did you bring so much stuff? Come in and sit down."

After saying that, he asked Xu Chunsheng, "How's the fermented rice going?"

After receiving Xu Chunsheng's affirmative answer, Tang Yongnian continued, "You have the talent and the patience. With your current skills, there's no problem."