The courtyard: the atmosphere of human life

Darong's father has been working on construction sites all year round, and his injuries recovered quite quickly. After being discharged from the orthopedic hospital, he only stayed at home for half a month and then went back to the project.

Although one of his arms was in a sling, with his presence at the construction site directing the work, this phase of the project was completed smoothly on schedule.

As the twelfth lunar month is approaching, Darong's mother has already started preparing for the New Year gifts and has to arrange time for visiting relatives.

"My sister-in-law is at home!"

Darong's mother was on vacation today. She had just finished lunch and was cleaning the kitchen at home when Mrs. Zhong and Mr. Zhong, along with their spouses, came to visit Darong's house with Zhong Yunxing and a lot of New Year gifts.

"We're at home, come in and sit down." Darong's mother took off her apron and welcomed Zhong Yunxing's family with a smile.

"DaRong is working the day shift today, so she should be home soon." Darong's mother glanced at the clock on the table and estimated that Darong should be home soon.

"Don't bother, sister-in-law. You're not thirsty." Mother Zhong said politely while motioning Zhong Yunxing to take the cup of water from Darong's mother.

As soon as he entered the door, Mr. Zhong sat on the sofa with his head down. He was an honest man who was a little dull. He was unsure of the big and small matters at home on weekdays. Everything at home and outside was almost entirely up to Mom Zhong.

After a while of polite greetings, Mrs. Zhong finally got to the point.

"Sister-in-law, you see, the two children have been together for such a long time. I think Da Rong is very fond of her. She is sensible and polite. My family has decided that she is a good daughter-in-law and is thinking of arranging this marriage for the two children."

"Xiao Zhong is indeed a good kid."

After saying this ambiguous sentence, Darong's mother stood up, took out some peanuts and melon seeds from the cupboard, and started to carry out the tea tray.

Mother Zhong looked at Mother Darong and understood that she had not yet thought of how to respond. After all, her visit was sudden, so this was normal.

"Look, what I said was so abrupt. This matter of marriage has to wait until he and his uncle are at home to discuss it. I am a straightforward person and I can't hold back on things." After saying this, Mother Zhong started to giggle.

Darong's mother also responded with a chuckle. She really couldn't agree directly. Although she also accepted Zhong Yunxing in her heart, it was Darong's lifelong matter after all, so she had to wait for Darong's father to come back to discuss it.

"Sister-in-law, this is what happened. I heard from Daxing that Sirong and you both have a day off on Sunday, so I thought I'd ask his uncle if he could take a day off. I'd like to invite you to my house for dinner and sit down to discuss the two children."

After hearing what Mother Zhong said, Darong's mother readily agreed. Darong's father had already finished his work schedule, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to take a day off. Besides, although Darong was young, Zhong Yunxing was already older, so she could understand Mother Zhong's anxiety.

"Mom, I'm back." As Darong pushed the bike to the door, she saw Zhong Yunxing's bicycle parked at home.

"Hello, uncle and aunt."

After entering the house, Darong greeted Zhong Yunxing's parents politely. At that time, she didn't know that the purpose of Zhong Yunxing's family's visit was to propose marriage. She just thought it was an ordinary visit to give gifts at the end of the year.

"Hey, Darong is off work."

When Mother Zhong saw Darong coming back, she immediately smiled like a flower. She was indeed very satisfied with Darong. She was polite in her words and deeds, and could manage both home and outside.

"Well, the person who took over was late, so I waited a little longer and finally got home."

Darong put down her schoolbag, took the tea tray from Darong's mother, and brought the freshly packed melon seeds and peanuts to Zhong Yunxing's parents.

"I have just discussed it with your mother. I will invite your whole family to my house on Thursday to discuss your relationship with Daxing."

"What's going on with us?" Darong didn't react for a moment.

"Hahaha... of course it's about marriage, silly child." Mother Zhong laughed heartily again when she heard that. She did not notice the change in Darong's emotions at that moment.

"When did we say we were going to get married?"

As soon as Darong said this, the atmosphere instantly became awkward. Mother Zhong had not yet retracted the smile on her face, and Zhong Yunxing also pursed his lips and looked at Darong with complicated eyes.

"This child, isn't this what he is talking about? Don't be too upset, old sister-in-law, this child is still too young." Darong's mother quickly took over the conversation and tried to smooth things over.

Although Darong stopped talking, she was still unhappy. Things like marriage should have been discussed between Zhong Yunxing and herself first, so why did his parents come directly to propose marriage?

But she was not wrong to be angry. It was the 80s, and even if proposing was not popular at that time, girls' opinions should have been fully respected. Zhong Yunxing should at least have discussed it with Darong before his parents came to visit.

After seeing off Zhong Yunxing and his family, Darong sat at home in a depressed mood. Although she had been with Zhong Yunxing for a while and didn't think there was anything wrong with him, she had never considered getting married.

Darong always lacks passion and enthusiasm for Zhong Yunxing, and their relationship seems to be just for the purpose of "getting married".

"What kind of words did you say in front of someone's parents?"

There was also some displeasure in Darong's mother's tone. To Darong's mother, Darong's words just now were impolite.

"To be honest, we have never talked about getting married, and I have no plans to marry him yet." Although Darong's voice was soft, her tone was very firm.

"You don't plan to marry her? If you don't plan to marry, have you been using her child as entertainment for the past year? If you don't plan to marry, why did you let her child take care of you all night when your father was in the hospital?"

When Darong's mother heard Darong's answer, she suddenly got angry. In her mind, the purpose of two people dating is to get married and live together.

If you feel it is not suitable, you should not be with the other person from the beginning. Since you are with the other person, you should not tease the other person's feelings. You should not break up without a legitimate reason.

Whether it is a boy or a girl, they should treat their feelings with a clear conscience and sincerity.

"Mom, whether or not to get married should be a matter between the two of us. He didn't even discuss it with me, and he just brought his parents to our house to propose marriage. This is not a proposal, this is forced marriage..."

"Your fart is odorless. If you had known better, would the child have misunderstood that you were willing to marry him? You must let him know that you are willing, so that he would dare to come to your house."

Darong hadn't finished her words when she was interrupted abruptly by her mother again. This is the value system that Darong's mother has always instilled in her children: a fly never bites an egg without a crack.

In fact, regarding this matter itself, Darong's mother's point of view is not wrong. Both boys and girls should be responsible for their own feelings, and Darong is not wrong to be picky. Zhong Yunxing should indeed seek Darong's opinion before proposing marriage.

So in the final analysis, the only one who was wrong was Zhong Yunxing.