Siheyuan: Sizhu starts blindly and takes a new path

Sha Zhu counted the days on his fingers and finally it was the 5th. Sha Zhu woke up at o'clock in the morning. The day before, he went to the bathhouse to take a good bath, put on a clean white shirt, a blue Zhongshan suit, blue pants, black three-jointed leather shoes, combed his hair into a : ratio with water, and went out.

The third uncle who was in charge of opening and closing the courtyard gate saw Sha Zhu's look and whispered to the third aunt: "Sha Zhu is doing this so early in the morning. Is there something big going to happen?"

"Who cares? If there's something important, we'll know about it first. Besides, it has nothing to do with us."

"You don't understand. Maybe some people will be anxious and we may be able to take advantage of them." The third uncle pretended to be profound.

“Who’s going to be in a hurry?”

"Some people from the Central Court. Haven't you noticed that recently, Shazhu goes out early every Sunday and comes back with a silly smile on his face? He must be dating a girl. You said today is not Sunday, and he leaves so early and is dressed so neatly. He is definitely not going to work. What do you think he is going to do?" The third uncle explained proudly to his wife.

"You said Sha Zhu is dating someone?" The third aunt was a little confused, but she seemed to have thought of something and patted the third uncle, "Why are you so happy? Sha Zhu is getting married, but your eldest son Jie Cheng hasn't received any news from the matchmaker You yet."

"Yes, I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. The school has been grading these days, and I've been so busy preparing for the grading that I forgot about it. I'll go find Matchmaker You right now."

The third uncle was determined not to find Aunt You, because Sha Zhu's proposal required the participation of Aunt You, the matchmaker, throughout the process.

Sha Zhu first went to Aunt You's house, picked up Aunt You and took a car to the master's house. On the way, Sha Zhu thought about buying a bicycle. This thing is not very useful for his work, so he has never thought about it. But if he has a bicycle today, wouldn't it be convenient to pick up Aunt You? And then go to Yu's house, wouldn't it be face-saving? Sha Zhu decided to buy a bicycle as soon as possible.

Arriving at Master Sun's house, he looked at the two packs of Red Peony cigarettes, two bottles of Wuliangye, two cans of West Lake Longjing, and two packs of White Rabbit candy that his master had prepared. These things were not only expensive, but also hard to get now. For these four marriage proposal gifts, it would be great for an ordinary family to get Daqianmen cigarettes, Gaomo tea leaves, and fruit candy. Master Sun had spent a lot of money, and Sha Zhu choked up a little.

"What are you doing? Your dad is not here. If I don't prepare something for you, he will definitely complain to me if he finds out." Master Sun patted Sha Zhu's head. "On such a happy day, please don't let me piss."

Master's words made Sha Zhu laugh awkwardly. He thought of He Daqing in Baoding and didn't know what to do. Should he inform him about the marriage? Will he come back? Forget it, let's not talk about him.

Aunt You was watching the gift prepared by Master Sun and was full of praise, "Zhu Zi, your master and his wife are so good to you. You should be more filial to them in the future."

"I hope this bastard won't make me angry." Master Sun said unhappily.

"Zhu Zi is fine. When have I ever made you angry? Please speak nicely on this happy day." The master's wife defended her disciple.

Sha Zhu looked at Master Sun with a smile and handed him fifty yuan.

Master Sun's face fell, "What are you doing? Are you looking down on me and your master's wife? I can't afford the gifts for you to marry me?"

"No, I won't pay for the engagement gift if you prepare it. This is your duty as a master. I give you this money so that you can pay for the betrothal gift to the Yu family. You can't pay this amount, it's too much and it's not right." Sha Zhu explained.

"Zhu Zi, your master and I will pay for the betrothal gift. We have prepared it long ago." The master's wife took out a red paper envelope from her pocket. "You are young and need money for many things. Your master and I don't have much to spend. Besides, your master earns more than you. Just accept it. This is what we should pay. We are so happy."

"Master's wife..." No words can describe Sha Zhu's feelings at this moment. People who are good to you will prepare everything for you in advance, while those who take advantage of you will only talk about it and then ask you to take out something for them.

Aunt You saw that the scene was so touching that it might make people cry, so she quickly interrupted: "Okay, we have everything ready, let's go when the time is right."

We came to the courtyard where the Yu family lived, which was also a two-entry courtyard.

Master Sun was in front, and Sha Zhu was following with gifts in his hand. Under the guidance of Aunt You, they arrived at the east wing of the second courtyard. An enthusiastic young neighbor came over to tell Aunt You the news when he saw her. Chinese people never get tired of getting involved in other people's happy events such as marriages and childbirths. Not only can they share in the joy, but they can also get some money as a gift if they meet a generous person. Young people especially like this.

When Master Sun and Sha Zhu arrived at the door, Yu's parents were already waiting outside. Aunt You briefly introduced the two parties, saying that this was the man's elders and this was the woman's parents.

Yu's father let them in. Like most families, Yu Li's main hall had an eight-person table, and everyone sat down as host and guest. While Yu Li was pouring water, Sha Zhu took a look at the furnishings of the Yu family. On the wall opposite the main hall was a portrait of the teacher, and below the portrait was a dark-colored table with a golden clock on it. The table and the clock were spotless, and must have been wiped in the morning. There was a corner cabinet on the left side of the table, and the contents of the basket on it were covered with cloth so that they could not be seen. It seemed that the Yu family showed due respect for Sha Zhu and his friends' arrival.

The room on the left of the main hall belongs to Yu's father and mother, and the room on the right belongs to her two sisters. Yu Haitang should be away from home for school today, so I didn't see her in person. I don't know if it was the same as in my dream. I feel a little regretful.

Yu Li poured tea for everyone. Everyone took a sip. Aunt You spoke first: "He Yuzhu and Yu Li have known each other for about a month after I introduced them. They know each other to a certain extent. The elders of both sides should have learned about each other's personal and family situation, as well as character and conduct from their children or other channels. They are also satisfied with each other. The children have also made clear their intentions. Now it depends on your elders' opinions."

Master Sun said, "Zhuzi's father lives in another place all year round. I used to burn incense with his father, and later I accepted Zhuzi as my apprentice. Once a teacher, always a father. Today I came to propose marriage to your Yu family on behalf of Zhuzi." He motioned to Sha Zhu to put the gift on the table, "I hope the He family and the Yu family can form a good relationship and have a long-lasting marriage."

Father Yu glanced at the gifts on the table and felt happy: the things are just four gifts, but all gifts are different. There are four gifts prepared for you as a trick, and there are also four gifts prepared for you carefully. The quality is the clearest expression of whether the author values ​​his daughter or not, and it is also the last chance to observe the other person's character. The He family values ​​their daughter very much.

Father Yu nodded: "His mother and I have already agreed to their relationship. Yu Li keeps talking about Yu Zhu at home, and I am also very satisfied with Yu Zhu. Today, our elders will get together to decide on their marriage."

So Aunt You took out two White Rabbit wedding candies, peeled them, fed them to Father and Mother Yu, and asked, "Is it sweet?"