country bumpkin

The sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month was an auspicious day. On this day, Su Ze and Tian Yanyan got engaged.

They went to the largest hotel in City B for their engagement banquet. It was still that same luxurious and high-end hotel.

The private rooms that Su Ze booked were the same as the ones Lin Junhui had booked: "Reunion and Happiness" and "Good Health and Happiness".

Tian Yanyan's family was thrilled to see the grandly decorated and luxuriously furnished hotel.

They were all from the countryside and had never seen anything like this before. Back in their village, when a family had an engaged daughter, the engagement banquet was simply a matter of setting up a few tables at home.

If you're particular, hire a chef to cook; if you're not, it's already good enough if your family can prepare sixteen dishes.

I never expected them to come and stay at such a grand hotel in the city today. Even if they don't eat at such a luxurious hotel, just looking around would be enough to satisfy them.

Thinking this, Tian Yanyan's parents' eyes welled up with tears of joy. They had worked so hard to raise their daughter, and now that she had finally found a man with excellent qualities, they were proud of themselves.

Tian Yanyan's parents were gentle and modest people. They were honest and hardworking farmers in the village.

There are no sons in the family, only two daughters, so their parents, elder brother and sister-in-law, younger brother and sister-in-law all put pressure on them to make a living.

She had suffered countless grievances and scorn in the village. Now that her daughter has found such a wonderful partner, she can finally hold her head high.

Tian Yanyan is the eldest child in her family, with a younger sister who is in high school this year and has excellent grades.

Tian Yanyan's family's hopes are all on her younger sister. Once her sister gets into university, they can finally hold their heads high in the village.

Their eldest uncle and aunt, as well as their third uncle and aunt, all looked down on them. Now, their younger sister has a very good chance of getting into university. She has also found a boyfriend from the city, which has shocked everyone who looked down on them.

Looking at the magnificent hotel, the relatives, friends and family members who came all looked cautious.

Tian Yanyan felt both happy and relieved. This time, she had really given her uncle and third uncle a good slap in the face.

I remember when my eldest brother from my uncle's family got married in the village, he held a banquet with eight tables and showed off a lot.

The cost of Tian Yanyan's engagement banquet, which only has two tables, is equivalent to the cost of their eight-table banquet.

Her parents were all smiles, happy and looking several years younger.

After everyone was seated, Su Ze stood up to give a speech.

He first welcomed all the relatives and friends, then looked at Tian Yanyan with deep affection and said that he would definitely treat her well.

After he finished speaking, everyone applauded and cheered.

Then the dishes began to be served, one after another exquisite dishes were brought to the table, emitting an enticing aroma.

Tian Yanyan's relatives nodded and praised the food as they tasted it. Her uncle and aunt were so engrossed in eating that they didn't even have time to speak.

None of her husband's older brother and sister-in-law came. They felt that if they didn't come to support her, Tian Yanyan would lose face, and her in-laws would look down on her family.

Tian Yanyan's parents were well aware of these ulterior motives, but there was nothing they could do. If the other party didn't want to save face, they could only let them be. It would be best if they just stopped trying to curry favor with them in the future.

Uncle and Aunt were filled with jealousy. They never imagined that this brat was so capable, managing to date a rich city man on her own.

After a few rounds of drinks, Tian Yanyan's father stood up and said with some emotion, "Thank you, Su Ze. Although our Tian family is not very capable, Yanyan will definitely manage the household well in the future. Our two families should support each other."

Su Ze quickly responded that it was definitely true. Then he handed the large red envelope containing the betrothal money to Tian Yanyan.

Tian Yanyan didn't open it immediately; she didn't want to lose face and have her mother-in-law's family look down on them.

Su Ze didn't tell her how much the bride price was. But everyone could tell from the bulging red envelope that the bride price was quite substantial.

They haven't bought the "three major items" yet, saying they'll buy them to decorate their new home when they get married. Both families agree.

At this moment, Su Ze's mother took out an exquisite box containing an engagement gift for Tian Yanyan: a gold necklace with a small jade pendant hanging from it.

Upon seeing this generous gift, another gasp of amazement rippled through the crowd. Tian Yanyan shyly accepted it and wore it around her neck.

As the engagement ceremony drew to a close, everyone, having eaten and drunk their fill, got up to leave.

Tian Yanyan, holding Su Ze's hand, saw off her relatives and friends, her heart filled with anticipation for a bright future.

Su Ze rented two tractors, which were covered with bright red carpets, making them very festive.

The driver took Tian Yanyan's family home, but she stayed behind. That evening, she planned to go out for dinner with Su Ze and his friends.

On the other side, with the help of the village chief, Song Ke invited several families in the village with whom he had good relationships to come over.

There's no need to rent a car anymore; my brother-in-law, Xiao Zhe, helped me borrow a large bus from an old friend.

They brought Bai Linlin's family along and held an engagement banquet in the village. Although they didn't go to a fancy hotel in the city, the food was still quite good.

Aunt Du couldn't stop smiling. She never expected that her son would not only earn money to support the family, but also find such a good daughter-in-law.

She wakes up laughing in her dreams every night. Now her son's marriage is settled, and he'll be married into the family after the New Year.

My goddaughter is five months pregnant and should be giving birth after the New Year. The thought of having a little grandson makes me so happy.

The village was bustling with activity as the engagement banquet was held, and Bai Linlin's parents and brother all came.

Because my uncle's family lives in another city and didn't have time to come, only a few close neighbors, including Uncle Li, the old village chief, and the clan chief, attended the engagement banquet.

Song Ke gave the betrothal money to Bai Linlin, who accepted it shyly and then handed the money to her mother, Chen Hong.

Chen Hong touched the red envelope; it contained at least 2000 yuan. Song Ke had also paid for her father's medical expenses last time, so she was even more satisfied with her son-in-law.

Chen Hong and Bai Bing didn't ask for the "three big items" (a set of three essential items for a child), because they knew how difficult it was for a widow to raise a child alone.

Besides, Bai Bing has spent a lot of money in the hospital, all paid for by his son-in-law. He can't keep dragging his daughter down; people should know how to be grateful and content.

Song Ke then raised his glass and toasted each of the elders. He made some promises, vowing to treat Linlin well for the rest of his life, to never leave her and to stay with her until old age.

Bai Binbin, the older brother, smiled with a slight moisture in his eyes. He took the wine glass from Song Kejing, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "I'll drink a few more glasses at the wedding later. One glass now is enough to show my appreciation."

Song Ke didn't force it and said with a smile, "Alright, then you'd better drink until you drop, big brother!"

The two families chatted and laughed, not noticing how quickly time passed. By the time they had finished eating and drinking, it was already 4 p.m.

Song Ke then found a donkey cart in the village to take Bai Linlin's family, the old village chief, Uncle Li, and several good neighbors back to their village.

Bai Linlin stayed behind; she needed to return to the clothing factory dormitory later, as she had to go to work tomorrow.

And just like that, two more colleagues from the same dormitory got engaged today.