The Fat Wife of the 1980s Awakens

She thought for a moment, patted Xie's mother's hand, and comforted her, "Mom, don't let your imagination run wild. It's normal for Lao Feng to have some savings working in the county. Besides, isn't he doing this out of his sincerity to Chunyan?"

After hearing this, Xie's mother felt relieved and was quite satisfied with Feng Dongling's generosity. This was undoubtedly the best proof of Feng Dongling's deep affection for Xie Chunyan.

However, in a flash, Xie's mother frowned again, with mixed feelings in her heart: "He is too generous. How can he be willing to spend so much of the money he saved with great difficulty? He and Chunyan are about to start a family, so they have to save some money to live on. What will he do in the future if he spends so lavishly?"

"Then you can take out the money and return it to them as a dowry," Xu Xiufang suggested softly, with a hint of tenderness and understanding in her tone.

Upon hearing this, Xie's mother frowned slightly, and then a glimmer of enlightenment flashed in her eyes. After thinking carefully, she realized that indeed, for Xie Chunyan now, her only wish was for her daughter to be happy and healthy. As for material rewards, they were no longer what she pursued.

"It's not appropriate to return all of it. How about returning half of it, fifty yuan? As for the 'three turns and one ring' that symbolizes respectability, leave it to Chunyan as a beginning of a new life. Take it with you. Second brother's family, what do you think of this arrangement?"

Xie's mother's words were filled with deep love and consideration for her daughter.

"As long as mom thinks it's okay," Xu Xiufang responded meekly, her eyes revealing respect and support for her elders' decision.

She knew very well that in such family affairs, Xie's mother's opinion was crucial.

Mother Xie began to calculate carefully again: "As for the dowry, your father and I have not been well off these years, but Chunyan is a filial child. She has given us more than 170 yuan over the years. We haven't touched a penny. We want to use the extra 70 yuan to buy her some decent dowry. The remaining 100 yuan will be regarded as our blessing and returned to her intact."

Xu Xiufang nodded silently. She was not good at these complicated etiquettes. Since Xie's mother had considered it carefully, she naturally had no objection.

Thus, the arrangements regarding the dowry were settled, and a warm and determined atmosphere filled the air.

As for Xie Chunyan's dowry, in addition to the careful preparations by her parents, her brothers also had their own ideas.

Xu Xiufang not only gave her an exquisite thermos, but also specially customized a sturdy and durable wardrobe. Every detail revealed her love and blessing for her sister.

Qin Yunli, the eldest wife, was short of money, but she still took the initiative to sew a pair of auspicious shoes for Feng Dongling and Xie Chunyan. Every stitch and every thread was filled with good wishes for the newlyweds.

As for the third room, they remained silent as usual. No one expected them to say anything, and it seemed that this had become a fact that everyone tacitly accepted.

When Feng Dongling sent people to bring the betrothal gifts in a grand manner, the whole small village was shocked. When people heard that the betrothal gifts of the Xie family were the popular "three big items plus a bell" at that time, envious eyes and jealous whispers were intertwined, forming a complex social picture.

Those sour comments reached Xie's mother's ears at some point. Instead of getting angry, she curled up a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

Father Xie looked at his wife's sudden smile, his face full of confusion: "Are you possessed by evil spirits?"

There was a hint of joking and confusion in his tone.

"You are the one who is possessed!"

Mother Xie pretended to be angry, but she couldn't hide her smile. "Don't you think it's particularly satisfying to see them being so jealous but unable to do anything about us?"

She deliberately imitated Xu Xiufang's tone and expression, glancing at Xie's father with a cunning light in her eyes.

Father Xie was so amused that he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The wife in front of him seemed to no longer be the impulsive and simple-minded woman, but a wise person who knew how to appreciate the fun of life.

Father Xie thought for a moment, then asked with concern, "Are you getting along well with the second brother's family recently? Why do I feel like you rarely mention their faults recently?"

"You wish we were bad?"

Mother Xie's eyes widened, her tone full of disbelief.

Of course she understood her husband's thoughts. He didn't want family discord at all. He was obviously worried that he was holding his anger and that it might explode one day and affect family harmony.

"Oops, you misunderstood."

Father Xie quickly explained, "I just want to know if the second brother's family has done anything to make you unhappy recently. If so, don't hold it in, speak it out. It's not good for your health to hold it in your heart."

"The second son's family is fine," Xie's mother replied unhappily, and then changed the subject, "If you really want to ask me what I'm dissatisfied with, you might as well ask me directly what I'm dissatisfied with you!"

There was a hint of teasing and intimacy in her tone.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Xie could only shake his head helplessly, but his heart was filled with warmth.

After being married for decades, the tacit understanding and tolerance between each other have long surpassed words.

After some discussion, the whole family decided to prepare several wedding banquets for Xie Chunyan's wedding and invite Xie's relatives and friends to witness this joy together.

Although the dishes are not luxurious, they are full of the taste of home.

Xu Xiufang asked Xie Yi to go to the county town to purchase two fat pig heads and a set of fresh pig offal. After returning, the family of four worked together. Father Li and Mother Xie were responsible for cleaning, while Xu Xiufang and Xie Yi used their respective cooking skills to braise the ingredients until they were fragrant.

Xie's mother also specially slaughtered a local chicken from her own family and slow-cooked it with potatoes. The rest of the dishes were various fresh vegetables and fruits. Each dish embodied the family's love and blessings.

Xie Chunyan watched this scene, especially the fact that Xie Yi and Xu Xiufang were busy preparing for her wedding, both generously donating money and doing it themselves, and she felt indescribably moved.

With the blessings of her relatives and friends, she entered the marriage hall full of love and hope.

And since October of that year, life seemed to have taken a turn for the better.

The policy of teachers returning to the city was like a spring breeze, and wave after wave of quotas were released. Many people couldn't wait to pack their bags and bid farewell to those difficult years with relief and longing.

Cheng Panhua's name appeared on the list of lucky people.

After experiencing the ridiculous incident with Zhou Qifeng and the incident in which Zhou Qifeng and Gu Tingting teamed up to call the police, she chose to quit in despair.

Later, when she learned that Zhou Qifeng had suffered a setback in the market and even became disabled, she couldn't help but secretly feel lucky that she did not continue to be entangled with him.

Since then, she has been more low-key in the village, trying to avoid causing unnecessary trouble.

During those days when she was ostracized and suffered a lot, she had fantasized about marrying a man in the village to escape from this endless sea of ​​suffering.

Although she was not popular in the village, there were many men here who could not marry because of poverty.

When Cheng Panhua expressed her desire to start a family, many people rushed to show their affection to her, which to some extent alleviated her isolation in the village.