Chapter 138: It’s Over. I’m Afraid I Won’t Be Able to Maintain My Position as a Husband Anymore!

Chapter 138: It's Over. I'm Afraid I Won't Be Able to Maintain My Position as a Husband Anymore!

After returning home from the tile factory and finishing dinner, Deng Changyuan headed to Uncle Jiu's house to wait for news.

Today, Uncle Jiu had gone to New Dock Village to propose marriage on his behalf. Although Deng Changyuan and Ou Guohua had already established a connection through Zhang Xiuping's introduction, he couldn't predict how her parents would react to the proposal.

Since this concerned his lifelong happiness, Deng Changyuan naturally wanted to stay at Uncle Jiu's house to be the first to hear the outcome.

While waiting, Deng Changyuan couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Ping, you know Ahua's family situation better. Do you think her parents will object to this?"

According to proper etiquette, Deng Changyuan should have addressed Zhang Xiuping as "Aunt Ah Tai."

In Double Prosperity territory, when addressing elders, one typically uses the elder's family ranking or a character from their name combined with their generation. For example, Deng Changyuan should address Deng Yuntai as "Uncle" (based on his ranking) or "Uncle Ah Tai," and Zhang Xiuping as "Aunt" or "Aunt Ah Tai."

However, since Deng Changyuan and Deng Yuntai had been close friends since childhood, Deng Changyuan had always called Deng Yuntai "Ah Tai," a habit he couldn't break even as an adult.

While addressing a childhood friend wasn't a big issue, figuring out how to address his friend's wife was more complicated.

Calling her by name was out of the question—it would be disrespectful. Calling her "sister-in-law" didn't align with their generational relationship, and "Aunt Ah Tai" felt awkward since it would require him to address Deng Yuntai as "Uncle Ah Tai" instead of "Ah Tai."

After much deliberation, Deng Changyuan settled on calling her "Aunt Ping."

"Ahua's parents treat her very well, especially her mother. She treats all four siblings equally and doesn't favor the sons over the daughter," Zhang Xiuping explained.

As she spoke, Zhang Xiuping couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. Her own parents hadn't been as fair. Even though she was their only daughter, she hadn't received the same level of care as her four brothers.

This was also why her parents had "sold" her at a high price, intending to use the bride price to help her younger brothers marry. If she hadn't been fortunate enough to marry into the Deng family, her life in her husband's household might have been far more difficult.

"So, her parents' main concern isn't finding someone wealthy, but someone who will truly love her and ensure she isn't mistreated. If you can do that, this marriage should work out," Zhang Xiuping concluded.

Deng Changyuan immediately patted his chest. "I guarantee I can do that."

Zhang Xiuping smiled. "I'll hold you to that. If Ahua marries you and you don't keep your word, I'll have Brother Tai deal with you."

Deng Changyuan chuckled nervously. "How could I dare? If I fail, even Uncle Jiu wouldn't forgive me."

Zhang Xiuping laughed. "Good. It's best you understand that."

Deng Yunzhen chimed in, "Exactly. My dad went to so much trouble to help you find a wife. If you don't treat her well, it'd be strange if he didn't hold you accountable."

Deng Changyuan groaned dramatically. "It's over. She hasn't even married me yet, and she already has so many backers. If this keeps up, I'm afraid I won't be able to maintain my position as a husband!"

Deng Yuntai teased, "You could always find a younger wife who'll let you be the boss and never question you."

Deng Changyuan scratched his head and grinned. "Forget it. I'll stick with this one."

As they chatted, Deng Shirong returned on his bicycle.

"Dad!"

"Uncle Jiu!"

The sons, daughters-in-law, and Deng Changyuan all greeted him.

Deng Shirong smiled and parked his bicycle.

Deng Yunzhen asked, "Dad, why are you back so late?"

Deng Shirong replied, "I went to the mountain pass, so it took a while."

Zhang Xiuping asked, "Dad, have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

Deng Shirong handed a large net bag to his eldest daughter. "These are oysters I bought at the mountain pass. Zhen, clean them with a brush first."

Everyone looked at the net bag, which was filled with what appeared to be corroded stones.

Deng Yuntai asked curiously, "Dad, these stone-like things are called oysters? What are they used for?"

Deng Shirong didn't laugh at his son's ignorance. Although they lived only a few dozen kilometers from the sea, in an era when transportation was limited and most people traveled on foot, the villagers in Help And Correct Brigade had little exposure to seafood.

In his previous life, Deng Shirong hadn't known what oysters were either. He hadn't even heard of them until the 1990s, when he saw them for the first time.

So, he patiently explained, "Oysters are a type of shellfish. They're delicious. I'll grill them for you to try later."

Hearing that these stone-like objects were edible seafood, everyone gathered around to take a closer look. Even Deng Changyuan temporarily set aside his concerns about his marriage.

Zhang Xiuping examined the oysters and said, "Dad, it's so late, and you've ridden such a long way. You must be hungry. Let me heat up some food for you. You can eat first, and then grill the oysters."

Deng Shirong shook his head. "No, I had a late lunch around 2 p.m. and I'm still full. I'll wait until the oysters are ready."

"Then let me get you a bowl of rice soup."

"Alright."

After drinking the soup his daughter-in-law prepared, Deng Shirong instructed his eldest son to prepare chopped green onions and minced garlic. He asked Deng Changyuan to fetch some charcoal and light it, while he fashioned a simple grill using leftover wire from building the house.

Once everything was ready, his eldest daughter finished cleaning the oysters.

"Yuntai, Yuan, you two are in charge of prying open the oyster shells. I'll show you how." Deng Shirong took a screwdriver, found the narrow gap in an oyster, and pried it open with a twist.

Zhang Xiuping looked at the exposed oyster meat and said, "So this is oyster meat? It looks so ugly, but the meat inside is surprisingly white."

Deng Shirong handed the screwdriver to his eldest son and said to his daughter-in-law, "Oysters are very nutritious, but you shouldn't eat too many at once. I'll grill them, and you can try them. If you like them, I'll buy more from the mountain pass from time to time."

Zhang Xiuping smiled. "Dad, just trying them is enough. The mountain pass is so far away, and it takes hours to get there and back. It's not necessary to go out of your way for this."

(End of Chapter)