Siheyuan: He Yuzhu since 1958

Xu Xiaoling replied, "I guess so! Zhang Guowei from the factory's technical department."

Xu Damao said, "I know this kid. He's very ambitious. But he's also miserable. When the wind blew, he was tricked and sent to work on a farm for a few years. His newly married wife divorced him and ran away with someone else, leaving his old mother behind."

Xu Xiaoling said: "He was my middle school classmate. If it weren't for my father who insisted on finding a live-in son-in-law, I would have married him a long time ago."

After hearing what Xu Xiaoling said, Xu Damao's hatred for Jia Dongxu came to the fore again. After a while, Xu Damao calmed down and said, "Xiaoling, you stay here first. It won't be too late to move out after you have confirmed your relationship with Zhang Guowei."

"Hey!" Xu Xiaoling responded. Ma Fengxia said, "Xiaoling, you haven't eaten yet, right?! I'll cook a few more dishes, and you and your brother can have a good drink."

"Sister-in-law, don't bother!" Xu Xiaoling wanted to hold Ma Fengxia back. Ma Fengxia said, "It's okay!"

After Ma Fengxia left, Xu Xiaoling said, "Brother, you are so lucky to have found such a good wife."

Xu Damao said, "Xiaoling, you are half right. Your brother's greatest blessing is to have such a well-behaved, smart and beautiful daughter."

Xu Lianxi said shyly: "Dad, how can I be that good?!"

Xu Damao said firmly: "If Dad says you are good, then you are good!"

There was no conversation that night. The next morning, He Yuzhu put on a brand new Zhongshan suit and a pair of polished leather shoes. After loading a wooden box onto the back seat of his bicycle and fixing it, He Yuzhu pushed his bicycle out. Liu Haizhong saw He Yuzhu and asked, "He Yuzhu, where are you going?!"

He Yuzhu replied: "Go to my girlfriend's house to propose marriage."

"What?! He Yuzhu, you are getting married?!" Liu Haizhong looked at He Yuzhu in surprise and asked. He Yuzhu glanced at Liu Haizhong and said, "I am single now, it is normal to get married?! Uncle, do you also want to marry another wife?!"

Liu Haizhong immediately jumped up and said, "He Yuzhu! What nonsense are you talking about?!"

He Yuzhu said, "There's always a rumor out there that 'getting promoted, getting rich, but losing your wife'. Since getting promoted and getting rich is not your thing, then the only thing you can get is a losing wife."

Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth and asked, "He Yuzhu, what do you mean by this?!"

He Yuzhu said, "What it means, you can figure it out yourself." After that, He Yuzhu hummed a cheerful tune and pushed his bicycle out of the gate of the central courtyard.

Liu Haizhong looked at He Yuzhu's back and wanted to cut him into pieces. But he couldn't beat him, so he could only hold his anger in his heart.

Half an hour later, He Yuzhu appeared at the door of Fan Changming's house on a bicycle. Fan Changming heard the noise and walked out of the living room. Seeing the things on the bicycle, he asked, "Zhuzi, what's in the box?!"

He Yuzhu replied: "It's a betrothal gift to the Lou family."

"Dowry?!" Fan Changming was stunned and asked, "What are these things?!"

He Yuzhu replied: "Some gold bars and jewelry and a pair of plum bottles."

Fan Changming hesitated for a few seconds and said, "These things are pretty good. Come on, take me to the Lou family!"

"Hey!" He Yuzhu responded and took Fan Changming out.

Fan Changming's home was not far from the Lou family's small western-style building. After about ten minutes, He Yuzhu took Fan Changming to the door of the Lou family. He Yuzhu pressed the doorbell. Not long after, a middle-aged man opened the door and greeted with a smile: "Mr. He?! The master, the lady and the young lady are waiting for you inside!"

"Hey!" He Yuzhu responded and he and Fan Changming pushed their bicycles into the door.

When He Yuzhu parked his bicycle, Lou Xiaoe ran out of the small western-style building, patted He Yuzhu and asked, "Why are you here just now?!"

He Yuzhu said, "Today is Monday. I asked for leave from work and came here." Then he asked, "Who was the person who opened the door just now?!"

Lou Xiao'e replied, "Uncle Afu's eldest son. Uncle Afu knew we were back and was afraid that no one would serve us, so he asked his eldest son to come." Then Lou Xiao'e called Fan Changming, "Master!" and then took He Yuzhu and Fan Changming into the small Western-style building.

"Uncle! Auntie!" After He Yuzhu went in, he called Lou Zhenhua and his wife.

"Zhu Zi is here!" Lou Zhenhua greeted him, looked at Fan Changming, smiled and bowed, "Master Fan, I'm sorry to have asked you to run all the way here today!"

Fan Changming responded, "Mr. Lou, He Yuzhu is my apprentice. As the saying goes, a master and an apprentice are like father and son. In addition, his father is not around, so it is only right for me, as his master, to propose marriage."

He Yuzhu put the box in front of Lou Zhenhua and said, "Uncle, this is my betrothal gift. I know Xiao'e is the apple of your eye. I also know that you are not short of money, so I don't know how much betrothal gift to give. After much hesitation, I offer one hundred and one large yellow croakers, which means one in a hundred. In addition, I offer a set of imperial green jadeite jewelry and a pair of plum bottles from the official kiln of Qing Dynasty Qianlong period." After that, He Yuzhu opened the box and the box containing the jewelry.

Although Fan Changming knew what kind of betrothal gift He Yuzhu would give, and he was prepared for it, he was dumbfounded when he saw the gift. He knew He Yuzhu was rich, but he didn't expect He Yuzhu to be so rich.

Lou Zhenhua was not attracted by the gold and plum vase in the box, but the set of imperial green jade jewelry in the box caught his attention. Lou Zhenhua took the box out of the box, picked up the necklace, looked at it again and again, and muttered: "Finally, it's all complete!"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, and unconsciously exchanged glances with Lou Xiaoe. Lou Xiaoe shook her head at He Yuzhu. Tan Lingya then walked to Lou Zhenhua's side and asked, "What's the matter?!"

Lou Zhenhua looked at He Yuzhu and asked, "Zhuzi, where did you get the things in this box?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "I collected them from the Pigeon Market when the wind started." Then he asked, "Uncle, what's the matter? Is there something wrong with the things in this box?!"

"No problem! No problem!" Lou Zhenhua laughed and said, "It seems that this is really God's will. Xiaoya, go and get the brocade box!"

Tan Lingya had already reacted by now, and had already left the living room without Lou Zhenhua telling her a second time. Not long after, Tan Lingya came downstairs with the brocade box.

Lou Zhenhua put the box on the coffee table, took out the jewelry inside one by one, and asked: "Zhu Zi, what else do you think is missing from this set of jewelry?!"

He Yuzhu stared at the jewelry on the coffee table for a while and said instinctively: "Bracelet?!"

"That's right!" Lou Zhenhua took the brocade box from his wife's hand. He opened the brocade box and took out an imperial green jade bracelet from it. He said, "This set of jewelry was originally a family heirloom of our Lou family. In an accident that year, my grandmother left the jade bracelet to save my grandfather, and gave the other jewelry and this box to other people. I didn't expect that after so many years, this box and the things inside would come back again."

With the jewelry incident, Fan Changming and Lou Zhenhua were able to discuss the marriage of He Yuzhu and Lou Xiaoe very smoothly. The two families agreed that He Yuzhu and Lou Xiaoe would get married on May 1st and set up a banquet at the Sijiucheng Hotel. In early August, He Yuzhu and Lou Xiaoe returned to Gangcheng to hold another wedding banquet.