Chapter 50: As Long as She Hasn’t Mentioned Her In-Laws, You’re a Safe Daughter-in-Law!

Chapter 50: As Long as She Hasn't Mentioned Her In-Laws, You're a Safe Daughter-in-Law!

When Deng Shirong and his daughters returned home, it was already past one in the afternoon.

This time, when they went to Dragon Lake Market, they used up all the cloth coupons they had saved over the years. They bought back dozens of feet of fabric, enough to make a new set of clothes for everyone in the family.

After returning home, Deng Shirong immediately took out his hookah to light a cigarette. Deng Yunzhu saw the bicycle parked at the door and asked, "Dad, do you still need the bicycle?"

Deng Shirong stuffed tobacco into his pipe and replied, "No, you can ride it if you want, but be careful."

It had been almost two months since they bought the bicycle. Except for the eldest son, who already knew how to ride, and the younger Deng Yunhua and Deng Yunheng, all the other children in the family had learned to ride it.

"Got it!" Deng Yunzhu responded, then rode the bicycle toward the tile factory in a cross-body riding posture.

The so-called cross-body riding meant inserting her feet through the triangular hole under the front horizontal bar and riding the bike in a slightly awkward posture. This method was mainly for people who weren't tall enough. After all, the 28-inch bicycle wasn't the small, delicate ladies' bicycle of later generations. It was quite difficult to ride normally if you weren't tall enough.

The tile factory wasn't far from home, and Deng Yunzhu rode her bicycle there in about three minutes.

Ever since her father and brother Yungui had contracted the tile factory, and her eldest brother had started working there, Deng Yunzhu had often come to the factory to play. After all, there wasn't much entertainment in those days, and playing in the mud was quite fun when she had nothing else to do.

Because she came often, most of the workers at the tile factory knew her and would greet her when they saw her.

Soon, Deng Yunzhu ran to the workshop where her eldest brother was working. Before she even entered, she shouted, "Brother, I have a big secret to tell you. Do you want to know?"

Deng Yuntai didn't stop what he was doing and said without looking up, "I don't want to know."

Deng Yunzhu was taken aback. She hadn't expected her eldest brother to respond like that. She couldn't help but emphasize, "Brother, this big secret is related to you. Are you sure you don't want to know?"

Deng Yuntai glanced up at her. "I don't want to know."

Deng Yunzhu was a little annoyed. She said angrily, "Brother, this is about your lifelong event. Don't you really want to know?"

Deng Yuntai had just been teasing her, but now she had dropped a bombshell. He stopped what he was doing, looked at her, and said, "Ah Zhu, don't talk nonsense in front of me, or I'll punish you. I don't even know my lifelong affairs. How do you know?"

Deng Yunzhu smiled proudly. "Hehe, no matter how I know it, I just know."

Deng Yuntai raised a finger. "I'll give you ten cents. Stop talking nonsense and tell me now!"

"Brother, you're so generous. Deal."

Deng Yunzhu first praised him, then said, "This is what happened. Today, Dad, my sister, and I went to Dragon Lake Market. While we were eating noodles at a noodle stall, we met a very beautiful sister. Dad fell in love with her at first sight and thought she'd be a perfect sister-in-law, so he asked my sister to talk to her…"

Deng Yuntai was stunned. He hadn't expected his father and sister to find a girl for him while they were at Dragon Lake. From the way his younger sister praised her, maybe this girl they met by chance was really beautiful?

"Ah Zhu, what did Dad say?"

Deng Yunzhu answered every question. "Dad's plan is to take some time in the next couple of days to go to New Dock Village and find out what kind of reputation this Sister Xiuping has in the village. The most important thing is to ask whether she's already engaged."

Now that the matter was clear, Deng Yuntai clapped his hands, took out a dime from his pocket, and handed it to his little sister. "Here, this is for you. Go back now. I have to keep working!"

Deng Yunzhu happily put the money in her pocket and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll go back first. I hope you can marry a beautiful girl. After all, Sister Xiuping is really pretty. If she becomes my sister-in-law, I'll be so proud."

Deng Yuntai laughed and shooed his little sister away, then went back to making his large vat.

But unlike before, his heart was stirred by his little sister's words.

…

Night.

After dinner, while sitting by the door, Deng Yuntai couldn't help but ask, "Dad, I heard from my younger sister that when you went to Dragon Lake Market today, you met a very beautiful girl?"

Deng Shirong smiled. "There's nothing certain about the fate of a couple yet. I was planning to find out more before telling you. But since Ah Zhu has already told you, it's better for you to be mentally prepared. The girl is really beautiful. If she hasn't mentioned her in-laws yet, I plan to personally help you find a partner."

Deng Yuntai felt a flutter in his heart. Most men (except those like Cao Zei) are naturally drawn to young, pretty girls. Now that his younger sister and father both praised her beauty, the girl must be stunning. It was impossible for him not to feel some anticipation.

"Dad, I'm plain-looking. If she's really that pretty, she probably wouldn't like me!"

Deng Shirong said confidently, "From ancient times to the present, marriage isn't based on appearance. As long as she hasn't mentioned her in-laws, you're a safe daughter-in-law!"

Deng Shirong wasn't just saying this. If the other family was well-off, then whether his eldest son could marry her would depend on fate. But based on his observation today, the other family was clearly not well-off, so he was confident he could arrange this marriage for his eldest son.

After all, in the Bobai area, whether now or in the future, there's a preference for sons over daughters. Although his eldest son wasn't handsome, given their family's circumstances, he believed no rural family would refuse to become their relatives.

Hearing his father's confident words, Deng Yuntai regained his confidence. After all, he was a master maker of large vats and tiles, earning over 200 yuan a month. In the countryside of this era, few could match him. Plus, his father was one of the owners of the tile factory, and their family was building the first large blue-brick house in the village.

With such good conditions, even if he were plain-looking or even missing limbs, he would still be a desirable match for any girl in the area.

Thinking of this, Deng Yuntai couldn't help but chuckle. "Dad, you're right. Appearance isn't the basis of marriage. With our family's current conditions, there's no girl we can't marry. I'll wait for your good news!"

Deng Shirong nodded. "Well, tomorrow I'll arrange for Changwang to go to Double Prosperity Market to meet her. The day after, I'll take some time to go to New Dock Village. Whether you can marry this beautiful girl depends on whether you have the luck for it!"

(End of this chapter)