The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

When Yang Dalin returned home that evening, he found the house bustling with activity, filled with people who had come to see Sha Zhu's new wife.

No one expected that Sha Zhu would find a wife so quickly, and they got their marriage certificate that very day.

However, getting the marriage certificate at this point doesn't mean they can live together immediately; they need to hold a wedding banquet or a ceremony.

However, there's no time today.

So Qi Yulan brought the Mi sisters to her home.

Let the two of them stay at your house for one night, and hold a wedding banquet or ceremony in the yard tomorrow, then you can bring the new bride home.

When Yang Dalin returned home, he found two girls, one older and one younger.

The older one looks a bit like the actress surnamed Mao, and after looking at her clothes, I realized she's Sha Zhu's girlfriend, wearing a set of Yan Hua's clothes.

One can't help but feel envious: "Damn it, Sha Zhu has struck gold."

With a little care, she could really look great.

Then I heard that the two of them had already gotten their marriage certificates, were having their wedding tomorrow, and were staying at Qi's house tonight.

This made Yang Dalin feel a little envious again.

"Damn it, I'm so lucky. I'm only sixteen, and I'll be seventeen after the New Year. I still have several years before I can get married."

When will this miserable life of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) end?

Sha Zhu is really lucky. Damn, he truly deserves to be called the chosen one of this world. No, we need to make things a little more difficult for Sha Zhu.

Yang Dalin first greeted the sisters, and then gave the little girl Mili some food.

Yang Dalin really likes this little girl.

The little girl was four or five years old, a time when she should be having fun, and she was probably wearing Qi Xiaoning's old clothes.

The hat, gloves, and shoes are new.

The clothes were old, but clean and tidy.

The little girl was very happy after being amused by Yang Dalin.

Then Yang Dalin put his arm around Sha Zhu's shoulder and led him to his room: "Brother Zhu, come here, let me tell you something."

When Sha Zhu heard that Yang Dalin wanted to talk to him, he followed Yang Dalin to Yang Dalin's room.

Everyone was crowded in the living room to see the new bride, but no one was in Yang Dalin's room.

Seeing that Yang Dalin had closed the door, Sha Zhu asked, "What's up, brother? Just let me know."

Yang Dalin certainly wouldn't reveal his purpose right away.

Yang Dalin spoke first: "Brother Zhu, are you going to hold a banquet tomorrow?"

Sha Zhu said, "I want to display it, but the quality of the items is far too low."

I didn't expect things to go so smoothly; we hadn't even prepared anything yet.

Hey bro, can you get me something?"

Even though Yang Dalin had plenty of ingredients in his space and could get them, he didn't want to agree to his request.

Besides, is this the time to eat and drink to our hearts' content?

In these special times, if the neighbors find out that Yang Dalin got his hands on meat, what would happen?

What should we do if everyone comes to Yang Dalin to help us buy meat?

Yang Dalin told Shazhu, "Brother Zhu, I can think of a way to get one or two jin, but if you're going to hold a wedding banquet here, every household in the courtyard will have to invite one person."

There are already twenty-odd people. If we add some colleagues and such, it will be more than thirty.

If we assume eight people per table, you'll need at least four tables.

This isn't just vegetables, it also includes meat. Do you use that much oil when you stir-fry?

The guests have brought gifts. If you don't expect them to eat well, at least make sure they're full. Do you have that much food?

If each person gets two steamed buns, that's sixteen per table, and four tables would need at least sixty or seventy steamed buns. Can you really come up with that much refined grain?

Even if you take it out, you're essentially exchanging these precious grains for money that's worth less than the grain itself.

Wouldn't you be losing out big time?

You should know the current black market prices for grain, and you also know the price of a pound of meat.

Sha Zhu naturally understood these principles, and after receiving the marriage certificate in the afternoon, he was already worrying about these things.

A few years ago, when he was the head of the He family, he gave a lot of gifts to his neighbors. Now that he's getting married, he wants to collect all the gifts he's given over the years.

But what was the price of grain back then, and what is it now?

Back then, giving 50 cents or a dollar as a gift was considered a lot; now, if you give 50 cents or a dollar to attend a banquet, you can't even buy two ounces of meat.

Holding a banquet at this time would be a huge loss.

Upon hearing Yang Dalin's analysis, Sha Zhu quickly asked, "Yes, I can figure out these accounts, but I don't know what to do. Dalin, you're quick-witted."

Give your brother some advice.

Yang Dalin stroked his chin and pondered for a moment: "I've got it."

So, Brother Zhu, these are special times, and the higher-ups are advocating simplicity, frugality, and conservation.

You can discuss it with your sister-in-law and then tell everyone that there isn't enough time.

We didn't prepare the ingredients properly, and we didn't have enough food to treat everyone to a meal.

Therefore, the banquet will be postponed for now. We'll gather the necessary items and hold the banquet once the situation improves.

We won't accept monetary gifts tomorrow, just some wedding candy. We'll collect the money when we host the next dinner party.

You can also wait until you have children, when they are a month old or three years old, and then have a banquet together as a belated celebration.

If you go back and talk to Yi Zhonghai about it, he will understand.

Sha Zhu thought the idea was good, but he felt a little embarrassed.

Seeing him hesitate, Yang Dalin asked, "What's wrong? Feeling a little embarrassed?"

Sha Zhu nodded sheepishly.

Yang Dalin patted him on the shoulder and explained, "Brother Zhu, is saving face more important or having a full stomach?"

And didn't you see how thin your sister-in-law is? You should use these things to help her get some nutrition.

And let me tell you, it's not good for a woman to get pregnant when she's too weak.

You have to believe me, make up for the missed one or three months with your sister-in-law.

Otherwise, things might end up being completely ruined.

Yang Dalin lowered his voice when he spoke the rest of the sentence.

Sha Zhu immediately panicked upon hearing this: "Really? Where did you hear that?"

How come you know everything at such a young age?

Yang Dalin explained in a serious tone: "Brother Zhu, do you need to listen to others to explain this?"

Have you ever seen sickly wheat or sorghum seedlings? Aren't they less resistant to natural disasters? Don't they sometimes collapse before the autumn harvest?

Or, if the ewe is sickly, many of her lambs will die young.

People, crops, and animals are the same. My sister-in-law fled famine for so long. She looks fine, but she must be weak.

You need to let him rest and recover for a while.

If you're healthy, you can help with work and have children; otherwise, if you're sickly, it's dangerous.

If you don't believe me, why don't you find a reliable traditional Chinese medicine doctor and have him take a look?

Isn't the traditional Chinese medicine clinic run by that young man surnamed Yang at the entrance of Dongmianhua Hutong quite famous?

Take your sister-in-law with you tomorrow and ask the gynecologist there to take a look.

I'll prescribe some tonics for my sister-in-law.

Listen to what the doctor has to say; do you recommend you have children sooner rather than later?

I heard that the traditional Chinese medicine clinic in Dongmianhua Hutong was also opened by a young man surnamed Yang.

Although that young man surnamed Yang is young, his medical skills are quite impressive.

That clinic also has several skilled doctors who are stationed there regularly; it has a very good reputation.

Sha Zhu still believes this.

Sha Zhu still thought Yang Dalin was right. They had already waited for twenty-five years, so what difference would a month or three months make? They could take care of their wife's health before having sex.

Yang Dalin saw that Sha Zhu had been fooled and was now crippled.

They returned to the living room with Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu didn't know that because he believed Yang Dalin's words, he married a wife, but they didn't consummate their marriage for three months. During those three months, Sha Zhu suffered terribly, and he often got pimples on his face afterward, all because he was holding it in.