After entering the room and taking their seats, the Liang family was still a bit unaccustomed, but what needed to be discussed had to be discussed. Father Liang and the others began to negotiate the matters related to the wedding.
"Sizhe is a boy of upright character and exceptional at his work; our family has nothing to pick on. Xiaojing is not young anymore. Her mother and I are thinking of setting the wedding date in June. A ceremony will be held over in Jingdu, and another one must be held on our side."
People always mocked Liang Jing for being an old maid. Father Liang and Mother Liang had been holding their breath, just waiting for the day their daughter got married to shut everyone's mouths.
Their only requirement was to buy a new house so the young couple would have their own home. Sizhe acted quickly; without even needing help from his family, he bought a house himself. The location was not far from the hospital, taking Liang Jing only ten minutes to get there by bicycle.
Sizhe gave his savings to Liang Jing, letting her choose the furniture she liked. He then added items like a refrigerator, a color TV, and a sofa. The Liang parents went to see the new house once and were extremely satisfied.
Lin Han took the initiative to offer a bride price according to local customs, but the Liang parents rejected it. They firmly refused, not even agreeing if the money was strictly for the young couple.
"The young couple got together on their own, so we don't follow those old traditions. Besides, Sizhe paid for the house, renovations, furniture, and appliances. If we asked for a bride price on top of that, it would mean our family is too greedy."
Nan Sheng didn't want to keep at a stalemate over the bride price, so she brought up the matter of buying them a house in Jingdu.
"His father and I bought Sizhe a house in Jingdu. Since you insist on not accepting the bride price, when the young couple returns to Jingdu for the wedding, the house will be transferred to both their names. It can be considered a guarantee from us parents for the young couple."
Times were progressing, and the most objective manifestation was that housing prices kept rising. With the Lin family being so thoughtful, what else could the Liang parents say?
They could only say that these wealthy, yet polite and courteous in-laws were simply too easy to get along with. Of course, it would be even better if the accompanying security personnel could stay a bit further away; they were a little intimidated.
Lin Han and his wife were busy with work. After discussing the marriage and having a meal with their in-laws, they prepared to take a plane back to Jingdu. When they left, the young couple, Sizhe and Liang Jing, both went to see them off.
Nan Sheng reminded Sizhe, "Marriage is a major event. Before returning to Jingdu for the wedding, take Xiaojing back to your hometown. Kowtow to your mother and tell her the good news. While you're at it, pick up your grandpa and grandma. If we go back to invite them, we might not have the face to get them to come."
According to old customs, Sizhe should hold a wedding in the village, but the military district couldn't be skipped either. Furthermore, Nan Sheng and the others didn't have time to return to their hometown, so they figured having the young couple go back to hand out some wedding candies would suffice.
After the two left on the plane, Liang Jing tentatively asked, "What did Auntie mean when she told you to go back to your hometown to kowtow to your mother..."
Sizhe had no intention of hiding it. Besides, he didn't find it hard to talk about. "My biological mother passed away from an illness when my sister and I were still young. At that time, Dad was a soldier in the Rongcheng Military District. With no one at home to take care of us siblings, he married Mom."
Liang Jing was in disbelief. Although she felt her future mother-in-law was excessively young, she had never considered this possibility because their family got along so harmoniously. Moreover, during casual chats, she always felt that Sizhe cared more about Auntie. How could he not be her biological son?
"I remember you saying there were only you two siblings at home. Auntie didn't have any more children after marrying over?"
"Yeah, Dad and us siblings actually really wanted Mom to have another little brother or sister, but her way of thinking is unique, and she didn't want to. That's how my mom is; if she doesn't want to do something, no one can persuade her otherwise."
Liang Jing conjured up a whole dramatic play in her mind, feeling that Nan Sheng was incredibly great. She assumed Nan Sheng must have been afraid that Sizhe and his sister would be unhappy if she had her own child.
"Auntie is such a good person. She must be especially gentle with you and your sister, right? Plus, she used to work in a research institute as a scientist. If I wasn't marrying you, I would never get to meet someone so amazing!"
Liang Jing also began to blindly worship Nan Sheng...
Thinking back to the times he got beaten as a child, Sizhe now only found it funny. Sometimes, he even missed the Nan Sheng who took a stick to his third uncle's house to seek justice for him.
"You're overthinking it. Mom used to have a terrible temper. If she was unhappy, she would even hit people. Not to mention me and Qiqi, even Grandpa, Grandma, Uncles, and Aunts were scared to death of her."
Liang Jing was dumbfounded, finding it hard to imagine that the Auntie who now looked so educated and cultured would actually fight with people!
"You're joking, right? If you were beaten often, how could your relationship be so good?"
"I'm not joking. Back then, Mom became a stepmother right after marrying into the Lin family. She had never raised children and didn't know how to get along with us. Later, after a few months of adjusting, things got better. But you need to be mentally prepared; if she really loses her temper, our whole family has to tuck our tails between our legs."
As the wedding date approached, Sizhe and Liang Jing took leave and first visited Nan Mingli's house. They stayed for one night before taking a bus back to their hometown to visit Bai Xiu's grave.
After they finalized the wedding date, Lin Guozheng and Fan Shuting received the news. They were very satisfied upon seeing Liang Jing. The old couple, who were usually unwilling to travel far, immediately declared that they would personally go to Jingdu to attend the wedding.
Sizhe also invited Eldest Brother Lin's family and Third Brother Lin's family to go to Jingdu together. Eldest Brother Lin and Zhou Wei were definitely going, and Sizhong and his wife would not be absent either.
Third Brother Lin, however, did not want to bring Sun Qian, and Siyu had just given birth, so he decided to go to Jingdu alone.
The wedding was held in the family courtyard, and the scene was exceptionally lively. Even people from the Rongcheng Military District came.
After the wedding, Sizhe immediately took his wife to change the name on the property certificate. Then, they non-stop proceeded to his in-laws' place for the second ceremony. On the Lin family's side, since Lin Guozheng and Fan Shuting had finally made the rare trip, they were in no rush to go home.
Lin Han wanted to provide for their retirement, but was refused once again. Qiqi then took everyone around for sightseeing and to eat local delicacies.
Lin Guozheng and Fan Shuting were very satisfied. Having visited the capital and Tiananmen Square in this lifetime, they felt they hadn't lived in vain and wouldn't long to go anywhere else in the future.
After they left, Nan Jingyu told Zhong Yanyan not to always feel sad about Mingli not being by their side in the future. Weren't the two of them also relying on their daughter and son-in-law for their old age?
Zhong Yanyan thought about it, and it made perfect sense. In the past, people always said to raise sons for old age, but now it seemed that wasn't necessarily true. Whether a child was filial had nothing to do with whether they were a boy or a girl.
"Alright, I won't mention it ever again. When we pass away in the future, let's not be buried back in our hometown either. I want to be closer to the children."
"Okay, I'll listen to you. It's the same wherever we are buried!"