Chapter 109: Returning to the Parents' Home

Chapter 109: Returning to the Parents' Home

After finishing the meal and taking a short rest, Zhang Xiuping followed her parents back home.

Generally, when a bride returns to her parents' home after the wedding, she stays there for three days before being sent back by her relatives.

For Deng Yuntai, who had just experienced the joys of marriage, these three days felt like an eternity. He was reluctant to let her go and kept walking with them even after they had left the village.

Seeing this, Zhang's mother felt completely reassured. Her daughter had married into a family where she was well-fed and well-housed. Her father-in-law was reasonable, and her son-in-law was clearly devoted to her. Zhang Xiuping was truly fortunate to have married into the Deng family.

Deng Yuntai wasn't the only one who felt reluctant to part. Zhang Xiuping felt the same way. After experiencing the most intimate moments with her husband, she found herself clinging to him more than ever. However, she remained rational. Seeing her husband continuing to walk with them, she finally said, "Brother Tai, you can stop here. Go back now."

Zhang's mother also smiled and said, "Yes, Yuntai, don't send us any further. Go back quickly."

Deng Yuntai stopped walking and nodded. "Alright, I won't see you off any further. It's still early. If you're tired, take a break. There's no need to rush."

After exchanging a few more polite words, Deng Yuntai stood there and watched as Zhang's mother and her group walked away.

…

More than three hours later, Zhang's mother and her group returned to New Dock Village.

When the villagers saw Zhang Xiuping returning, they greeted her warmly.

No matter the era, most people tend to admire the successful and wealthy. When you're poor, few are willing to associate with you. But when you become prosperous, many are eager to befriend you.

As a famous actor once said: "After becoming famous, you'll find yourself surrounded by good people."

Zhang Xiuping had always been considered the village beauty of New Dock Village, but in this day and age, beauty alone couldn't guarantee a good life. With her family's poor background, she was just an ordinary villager and wasn't treated differently by others.

But now, things had changed. Everyone in the village knew that Zhang Xiuping had married into a wealthy family, so her status in their eyes had naturally risen.

Even her parents and brothers now held a much higher standing in the village.

…

Zhang Zhenfa had five siblings in total. Aside from his two married sisters, he had two younger brothers: the fourth, Zhang Zhenfei, and the seventh, Zhang Zhenyu.

At this time, Aunt Zhang Si and Aunt Zhang Qi were busy cooking in the kitchen, while the three Zhang brothers sat at the door smoking and chatting.

After a while, Zhang Zhenfei said, "Brother, I heard that in your in-laws' tile factory, even the lowest-paid mud carriers make 45 yuan a month, and mud tramplers make 60 yuan a month. Is that true?"

Zhang Zhenfa exhaled a puff of smoke and smiled. "Of course it's true. But the highest-paid are the big vat masters. My son-in-law easily earns over 200 yuan a month, which is better than many stable jobs."

Zhang Zhenfei said, "Brother, your Shouguo and Shoumin don't have much to do now. You could ask Xiuping to talk to her husband and see if they can be arranged to work in the tile factory. Even as mud carriers, they could earn 45 yuan a month, which is several hundred yuan a year. That's better than anything else they could do."

Zhang Zhenyu agreed, "Fourth brother is right. If Shouguo and Shoumin can get jobs in the tile factory, they could earn nearly a thousand yuan a year. If they become mud shovelers, they could earn even more. This is really the best opportunity."

After hearing his brothers' suggestions, Zhang Zhenfa sighed regretfully. "Ah, I understand what you're saying. It's my fault for not thinking long-term. When my in-laws came to discuss Xiuping's marriage, I shouldn't have asked for such a high price. If I hadn't, I could have asked them to arrange jobs for Shouguo and Shoumin in the tile factory. Now, how can I have the face to ask Xiuping to bring this up with her in-laws or husband?"

Zhang Zhenfei said, "Brother, you didn't think it through at the time, but there was no other way. I'm sure your in-laws will understand."

Zhang Zhenyu thought for a moment and said, "We can put this matter on hold for now. Xiuping has just married into the Deng family. If we make demands right away, it might make people uncomfortable. We should at least wait until Xiuping has established herself firmly in the Deng family, preferably after she gives birth to a son. That would be more appropriate."

Zhang Zhenfa set his pipe aside and nodded. "Old Seventh is right. If we want to make any requests, we should wait until Xiuping gives birth to a son for the Deng family."

Zhang Zhenfei added, "That's a good idea, but the tile factory isn't always hiring. We should still mention it to Xiuping in advance and ask her to keep an eye out for opportunities."

Zhang Zhenfa hummed in agreement. "When Xiuping comes back, I'll talk to her about this."

…

When Zhang Xiuping returned to her parents' home with her relatives, guests also arrived at Deng Yunjin's house.

The guest was none other than Zhang Kangmei's Aunt Man (younger aunt).

Zhang Kangmei and Deng Changmei had already obtained their marriage certificate, but their wedding was scheduled for November 27th of the lunar calendar, which was the day after New Year's Day in 1981. In the eyes of the villagers, they weren't yet considered a real couple.

Tomorrow was the Winter Solstice Festival. According to local wedding customs, if a couple had registered but not yet held their wedding, the groom's family had to send someone to invite the bride to celebrate the festival. While the bride might not actually go, the gesture was necessary.

Deng Yunjin's family was aware of this rule, so they prepared a table of food to entertain Aunt Zhang.

After dinner, Deng Changmei naturally declined Aunt Zhang's invitation.

Aunt Zhang understood this and left satisfied after completing her task.

…

Since there was no electricity in the village, most households closed their doors after dark, and few people wandered outside.

At this time, Zhang Zhenfa's family also closed their door, and everyone sat in the hall chatting.

Zhang Zhenfa recalled the conversation he had with his brothers earlier and asked, "Xiuping, your father-in-law and his partner run a tile factory. Are they still short of workers?"

"There's definitely no shortage. The wages at the tile factory are so high that even the hardest jobs, like mud carrying, have plenty of people eager to do them. How could there be a shortage?"

At this point, the clever Zhang Xiuping guessed what her father was thinking and asked bluntly, "Dad, do you want me to get my eldest brother and second brother jobs in the tile factory?"

(End of this chapter)