"Dr. Du, thank you for the medicine you prescribed for me," Xu Nianhua gratefully looked at Dr. Du, who charged very little, probably cheaper than other clinics.
Dr. Du Chang smiled as he spoke, then told Xu Nianhua, as long as the wound didn’t inflame again, to remove the gauze in three days, and her arm should be fine.
Just as Xu Nianhua and her brother Xu Nian’an had left, Du Chang sat in front of Pei Yicheng, looked at the chicken in the corner, and couldn’t help but laugh—from a slight chuckle at first to a louder laugh later, he said, "Yicheng, that’s not how you pursue a girl, who gives a chicken as a gift?"
Pei Yicheng pursed his lips, correcting him, "I wasn’t pursuing her."
"Not pursuing her and yet you want to give her a chicken to nourish her body?" Du Chang knew Pei Yicheng gave the gift because he had commented on how thin she was and she had overheard, but Du Chang felt this version of his grandson, unlike his usual cold self, was much better.
Pei Yicheng pinched the bridge of his nose, he wasn’t one to talk too much.
In August, even though the start of autumn had passed, the sun still blazed, seemingly intent on melting everyone.
Taking advantage of the hot summer not yet over, Xu Nianhua and her brother planned to sell more Mung Bean Jelly, to make a bit more money and feel more secure.
Fortunately, the Mung Bean Jelly they sold was not only well-made but also served in generous portions with brown sugar water, which was ample and sweet, making their stall quite popular even though there were many others selling Mung Bean Jelly in the town.
Another busy day went by, and after several days of waiting, the soybean sprouts finally came out, and Xu Nianhua breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed her previous hard work wasn’t in vain.
"Mom, let’s have stir-fried bean sprouts tonight," Xu Nianhua said happily, ready to prepare them in large quantities as long as they tasted good.
Well, they still had to wait for Dad to make the bean sprout buckets.
Busy days always pass quickly.
On the tenth day of August, the brick factory paid their wages, and with thirty yuan in hand, Xu Nianji felt thrilled and excited.
"Xu Nianji, you’re not short of this bit of wage, why are you so happy?"
"Exactly, soon you’ll be Yue Hongliang’s brother-in-law, aren’t you short of money?"
"What are you talking about?"
Just as Xu Nianji was thinking about going home that evening to hand the money to his parents and also make sure they let Nian’an and Nianhua continue their schooling, he heard his coworkers’ words and, completely baffled, said, "What brother-in-law? My sister is still a student."
In Xu Nianji’s heart, his little sister was still very young, far too young to be married.
"That’s not right, aren’t you all already engaged? Haven’t you received the betrothal gifts?" One coworker looked skeptically at Xu Nianji, who had just happened to see Yue Hongliang rushing the driver to deliver the betrothal gifts.
"Impossible, how could I not know about such a big event as my sister getting married?" Xu Nianji instantly denied.
Just then, Yue Hongliang arrived at the factory, planning to visit the Xu family with Xu Nianji. He had only seen from a distance before and wanted to have a closer look at his prospective bride, but hearing Xu Nianji’s emphatic denial, Yue Hongliang’s face darkened and he said, "Xu Nianji, perhaps you are unaware of the news in the brick factory, but your family has already received the betrothal gifts, and soon, you will be my brother-in-law."