Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

As the two were talking, a head peeked out from outside the courtyard wall.

Aunt Yin peered over the wall. "Old Sheng's family. I just saw two cases of liquor on the table, was that Moutai?"

As soon as Mrs. Sheng stepped into the yard, she heard this and her face crinkled with laughter.

"Absolutely. I told Xiao Liu beforehand not to let them buy such expensive things, but the in-laws insisted on bringing them home, saying that it would be more impressive for us to keep this wine for entertaining guests."

Aunt Yin added sourly:

"Oh my, your Ruzhi is really blessed."

Chen Zui couldn't sit still inside, so he pulled Shi Xinyi outside. "Godmother, you two chat here. I'll take Xinyi for a walk outside the alley and have a smoke."

Song Xianglan waved her hand and let them go.

He pulled Shi Xinyi by her sleeve as they left the house. "Don't walk so fast. We're not familiar with this area."

"What's there to be familiar with?" Chen Zui pulled a handful of chocolates he'd brought from home from his pocket and called out to a boy standing by the roadside. "Do you know where Sheng Ruzhi works?"

"Yes, I know her. It's the post office in our town; my mom works there too."

"Go, make a trip." Chen Zui stuffed all the candy into the boy's pocket. "Go to the post office and call Sheng Ruzhi back. Tell her that her boyfriend's family has brought a color TV and a refrigerator to propose marriage. Tell her to take leave and come back right away."

The boy, clutching the candy in his pocket, vanished in a flash.

Inside the post office.

Sheng Ruzhi was looking down at the remittance slip.

A little head peeked out from behind the counter, "Aunt Sheng Ruzhi, Aunt Ruzhi."

The director came out and said, "Doggy, what are you yelling about?"

"Uncle Director, I'm looking for Aunt Sheng Ruzhi. Her in-laws have come to propose marriage, bringing a color TV and a refrigerator. The whole yard is full of nice things. I've come to call her home." Gouzi shouted at the top of his lungs, as if afraid no one would hear him.

"Her boyfriend's family is very rich. They drove a van to propose. They even gave me chocolates."

Several colleagues from the post office immediately gathered around.

The director smiled. "Xiao Sheng, your fiancé's parents have come to propose? That's wonderful news! Go home right away. Consider today a day off, and bring us some wedding candy tomorrow."

"Xiao Sheng has only been working here for a few days, and he's already getting married."

"We have quite a few bachelors in our postal system, so they're going to be disappointed."

Sheng Ruzhi's face flushed bright red.

She grabbed the bag, her heart pounding.

Didn't you say Aunt Song was coming over? Why are you bringing home appliances to my door?

"Thank you, Director. I'll head back now."

Around noon.

After finishing his business, Liu Yukun rushed to the Sheng family's courtyard.

Upon entering and seeing Song Xianglan, Liu Yukun's eyes welled up with tears, and he rushed inside. "Godmother, what brings you here?"

"You're a young man living at someone else's house, of course I have to come and propose marriage. We also need to consider Zhizhi's reputation." Song Xianglan pulled him around and looked him over. "You've been running around these past few months, you've gotten tanned and stronger."

Chen Zui and Shi Xinyi happened to be strolling back.

Liu Yukun walked over and punched Chen Zui on the shoulder. "Thanks, brother. We owe you a lot for today's situation. Here's what I'll pay you."

"Don't be so formal, we're like family." Chen Zui pointed outside. "I don't feel right if I don't spend some money. I'm just buying some appliances and cigarettes and alcohol."

Liu Yukun: ...The spendthrift young master is indeed extraordinary.

The two walked to a corner of the courtyard.

Liu Yukun handed Chen Zui a cigarette. "Is everything settled in Haishi? Has the Fu family caused any more trouble?"

Chen struck a match and lit a cigarette.

He chuckled.

"Fu Qingnian was cheated out of hundreds of thousands of yuan and a house by us. Your friend Gu Qingping also cheated his brother, and their family went bankrupt and had nowhere to live."

The Fu family has done many despicable things. Those people from the casino ransacked their house and even occupied it. A whole family of wicked people; evil people will be punished by evil people themselves.

Chen Zui exhaled a smoke ring.

"But Old Man Li and his gang from the antique market are looking for me all over the place. Xin Yi and I plan to fly back to Manila tomorrow. I need to lay low for a while. I'll have my brother-in-law take over things here."

Liu Yukun nodded:

"It's good to lay low for a while."

"People who collect antiques have a very keen sense of smell, and they can be ruthless in their dealings."

The two remained silent for a while.

Chen Zui sighed, "This trip back to China has made me realize that all of your sworn brothers are now married with families. Only Zhou Fang is still single, which I feel sorry for him."

Liu Yukun: "He used to be completely devoted to An Xiyang. What a pity..."

"I hope he and Cong Ying have a happy ending."

Liu Yukun turned to look at Sheng Ruzhi, who was just entering the courtyard, and his eyes softened. "Luckily, I shamelessly managed to win Ruzhi back this time. If I had missed her in this life, I probably would have lived like a lonely ghost."

Sheng Ruzhi was stunned when she saw the appliances filling the yard and the gifts on the table.

Liu Yukun walked over quickly and took her hand.

The two exchanged a glance, said nothing, yet understood each other perfectly.

"Wow, this is really impressive."

A group of people suddenly rushed in through the courtyard gate.

The eldest uncle and aunt of the Sheng family, as well as two uncles and aunts, all came.

"We heard that Ruzhi's fiancé's family came to propose marriage, so we rushed over to lend a hand." Auntie's eyes lit up as she stared at the Moutai liquor and color TV in the main room, reluctant to leave.

Mrs. Sheng was pleased, but she remained polite:

"Oh dear, it's such a hot day, why did I wake you all? Please, have a seat."

In the kitchen.

Zhuo Yun looked out the window at the huge group of relatives, and his face immediately fell.

"Sister, look at these people. They don't usually hang out, but as soon as they hear there's Moutai and good food, they all flock here like cats smelling fish. Today when I went grocery shopping, I inexplicably bought a few extra pounds of river shrimp and a few ribbonfish, and also a basket of crabs."

Zhuo Xia ladled the cooked braised pork into a plate.

"Should I cook dinner and go back first? I'm not a member of the Sheng family, why am I getting involved in this mess?"

"That won't do." Zhuo Yun grabbed her arm. "You cooked all these dishes. How can you finish your work and not eat? You eat here and then leave. Let them squeeze in if they want."

Not long after.

Two large round tables were set up in the main room.

Mr. Sheng opened two bottles of Moutai.

Song Xianglan was invited to sit at the head table. Liu Yukun sat next to her. Chen Zui and Shi Xinyi were next to her. Opposite them sat Mr. Sheng, Mr. Sheng's eldest uncle, and two other uncles.

The other table was full of women.

The dishes were served one by one.

Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, steamed ribbonfish, braised pork belly, braised pork knuckle, poached chicken, river shrimp with scallion oil, large crab, candied lotus root... It's as plentiful as Chinese New Year.

"Mom, don't stay in the kitchen. Come and sit down to eat." Zhuo Yun pushed Sheng's mother to Sheng's father's table.

Mrs. Sheng declined, saying, "I still need to make some soup..."

"I'll just watch the soup. You're my mother-in-law today, how can you not be sitting at the table?"

Song Xianglan also said, "Mother-in-law, come and talk to me."

Mother Sheng then sat down next to Song Xianglan.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere became lively.

The eldest uncle, his face flushed, toasted Song Xianglan, saying, "Sister Song, Yu Kun is an honest boy. We, the Sheng family, have complete peace of mind entrusting Ruzhi to him."

Song Xianglan smiled and clinked her teacup against Song Xianglan's.

"Brother Sheng, you're too kind. I've come to discuss the marriage of our two children. Yu Kun has suffered a lot since he was young, and it's his good fortune that the Sheng family has accepted him."

"The wedding arrangements need to be discussed by both families, including how and where to hold it," Mr. Sheng said, putting down his wine glass.

"I mean, let's do it here." Song Xianglan looked around. "There's no need to go back to our hometown and go through all that trouble. We can finish here and then have a meal with our friends and colleagues in Haishi. We'll mainly follow your local customs."

Several elders of the Sheng family nodded in agreement.

This is giving the Sheng family a lot of face.

Mrs. Sheng put down her chopsticks and cleared her throat.

"Sister Song, since we've come this far, I'll be frank too." Looking at Liu Yukun, Mrs. Sheng said, "I've inquired about Yukun's family situation. We don't care about their wealth, and we don't want any dowry."

She paused, her tone becoming serious:

"I have only one request. They have to buy a house here when they get married. Even an old bungalow will do. I only have one daughter, and I can't bear to see her suffer with Yukun in their hometown."

Aunt muttered to herself from the side:

"Buying a house isn't cheap these days..."

"If Yu-kun doesn't have enough money to buy a house," Mrs. Sheng said, her gaze falling on Liu Yu-kun's face. "We, the woman, will contribute 800 yuan to support them in buying a house. The property deed will be in both their names."