I'm back in 1990

Chapter 381: Wait a while

Latest plot update: Click to follow.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Shanxi Province, Zeng Lijuan was complaining to Lao Huang at a military guesthouse.

"Tell me, what kind of thing did Erhe do? He didn't even inform his two brothers beforehand about such a big event as getting married."

Old Huang glared at Zeng Lijuan with annoyance: "He didn't even inform the two of us in advance, and you expect him to inform Dahai and Xiaochuan? This is the good son you raised."

Zeng Lijuan was somewhat speechless with anger upon hearing this: "It's true that I gave birth to her, but whose child is it?"

Old Huang immediately lost his temper.

Huang Erhe and Fan Yingrong decided to get married on April 9th. For some reason, they didn't tell Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan about it until April 6th, so that they could immediately go to Shanxi Province to attend their wedding on the 9th.

When Zeng Lijuan asked if Huang Dahai and Huang Xiaochuan had been notified, Huang Erhe said, "Please tell them for me. There should still be time."

If they hadn't been far away, Old Huang would have grabbed a rolling pin and given that kid a good beating; it was just too outrageous.

Huang Dahai definitely won't be able to make it back in time. Even if he wasn't on a mission, the fact that he had to ask for leave at the last minute just to attend his brother's wedding is putting his superiors in a difficult position. You have to know that in the military, leave is applied for in advance and then arranged in a queue. Asking for leave at the last minute is only approved if a family member is seriously ill or has passed away.

I was thinking of informing Huang Xiaochuan, but he ended up going to a meeting in Guangzhou with his mentor.

Since their eldest grandson Mianmian was still young, Jiang Rong took him back to her parents' home. The elderly couple first took a car to Pengcheng, then flew from Pengcheng to Shanxi Province. After getting off the plane, they changed to a bus, and it took them a day and a half of this to reach the city where Huang Erhe lived.

After all, it was their son's wedding, so the elderly couple swallowed their anger and decided not to hold it against him since it was his wedding. They thought that as long as their son could settle down and start a family, it would be a relief.

After completing the check-in procedures, Huang Erhe arrived at his room in high spirits.

"Mom and Dad, you must be tired from your journey!"

Old Huang forcefully suppressed his temper and asked with a stern face, "Where's your wife?"

Huang Erhe seemed not to notice Lao Huang's expression and smiled as he poured water for Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan.

"Mom and Dad, have some water first. I've already called, Yingrong will be here soon."

Zeng Lijuan couldn't hold back any longer. Before her daughter-in-law arrived, she asked Huang Erhe, "What's going on with you? Such a big event as a wedding, and you didn't even discuss it with us beforehand. You just notified me and your father directly, and the date was chosen so soon. What's the reason for this?"

Huang Erhe said somewhat awkwardly, "Mom, it's mainly because Yingrong is pregnant, and her parents are getting anxious and urging us to hurry up and hold the wedding."

"What's the rush? We've already got the marriage certificate, what are we afraid of? We can hold the wedding a few days later!" Zeng Lijuan still felt that this decision was somewhat disrespectful to her family.

However, upon hearing that his second daughter-in-law was pregnant, the old man's sallow face softened.

"Yingrong's parents were worried that if Yingrong's belly became too big, it wouldn't look good for the wedding. They couldn't possibly wait until after she gave birth to get married, could they? So they set a date for us. The timing is a bit tight, but it's okay. It's a new era and a new society! Let's not be so concerned about these formalities."

Just as Lao Huang was about to lose his temper, Fan Yingrong walked in.

"Mom and Dad, you're here?"

When you meet your daughter-in-law, you have to greet her with a smile no matter what!

Zeng Lijuan immediately grabbed Fan Yingrong's hand and made her sit down.

"Look at you, you're pregnant, so stop running around."

Upon hearing this, Lao Huang became a little annoyed. His wife really didn't know how to speak properly. Even if she was pregnant, there should still be a proper hierarchy, right?

For her grandson's sake, Zeng Lijuan immediately took out the things she had brought from her bag. You should know that the old couple had been on tenterhooks all the way here, since there were highwaymen and bandits in Shanxi Province at that time. Fortunately, they arrived safely.

"Yingrong! Since you're getting married to Erhe, according to our local customs, I've prepared some things for you both. Consider it a betrothal gift from your father and me." He said, handing a package to Fan Yingrong.

Because Zeng Lijuan had already bought gold jewelry for Fan Yingrong when she was with Huang Erhe in Qingjiang, she brought two small gold bars, each weighing 100 grams, and 100,000 yuan as a betrothal gift for the wedding.

Zeng Lijuan originally wanted to give more money, but Lao Huang rejected it.

Old Huang's point was that there's a long road ahead, and if the couple knows what's good for them, then he might as well give them more financial support; if they still don't understand social etiquette, then he should just fulfill his responsibilities as a parent.

So I brought these with me.

Even so, when Fan Yingrong opened the package, her eyes were overwhelmed by what she saw: a bundle of 100-yuan bills, ten bundles in total, from the mint, with a certificate of authenticity on top, bearing the amount of 100,000 yuan.

Fan Yingrong also saw two gold bars. It is well known that both men and women are powerless against gold, and women are even more enthusiastic about it. Fan Yingrong immediately grabbed the gold bars, but thankfully, she did not forget to thank her parents-in-law.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad!"

When Mr. and Mrs. Huang arrived, as was customary, Fan Yingrong's parents, being her in-laws, were to host a banquet that evening. So, Mr. Huang and Zeng Lijuan, accompanied by Huang Erhe, went to the banquet with gifts.

Fan Yingrong's father, Fan Kaizhou, is a deputy director of the local civil affairs bureau, and her mother, Du Lin, works in the women's federation, where she is also a minor official.

When the two families met, Zeng Lijuan greeted the in-laws warmly.

Fan Kaizhou greeted them, "My dear in-laws, please come in!"

Du Lin quickly added, "Yes, yes, please come in, in-laws."

Upon entering the banquet hall, Mr. and Mrs. Huang met the entire Fan family, who had set up nine tables, with no outsiders present.

The Huang couple couldn't help but marvel at how many people lived in this family.

Logically speaking, since Lao Huang is an in-law and has come from afar, he should have been seated in the seat of honor. However, he was not seated in the seat of honor, but in the second seat. The seat of honor was reserved for Fan Kaizhou's elder brother, Fan Kaihui.

This made Lao Huang a little unhappy. He comforted himself, thinking that perhaps the local customs were different from those in Qingjiang, and besides, he should go along with the host's wishes.

What followed was a dazzling array of introductions. To be honest, Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan didn't remember many people, only a few immediate family members. No one can remember a hundred or so people at once! Besides, Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan are both over fifty and their memories are still declining.

However, through the introduction, Mr. and Mrs. Huang learned that Fan Kaihui, who was sitting in the main seat, was the director of the provincial government, and the highest-ranking official in the family.

Even so, Lao Huang still felt that the seating arrangement was unreasonable. After all, he was her in-law and had come from afar. He should sit in the seat of honor, regardless of his position. If he were in a higher position than her uncle, Lao Huang was sure he would have been invited to sit in the seat of honor.

Old Huang couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

There was a bit of an unpleasantness during the meal. Someone from the family, half-jokingly, said, "I think it would be better if Yingrong's child took our Fan family name after it was born. That way, the whole family could take care of each other in the future."

Upon hearing this, Lao Huang's face darkened immediately, and Zeng Lijuan's expression also turned unpleasant.

Du Lin saw this and quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Don't listen to her aunt's nonsense, she's had too much to drink."

Too much to drink? That woman was clearly drinking a beverage, wasn't she? But Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan couldn't say that, so they could only laugh it off.

After a while, someone else started complaining: "Isn't Erhe a family of three brothers? Why aren't his older and younger brothers here?"

Upon hearing this, Old Huang's anger flared up. The wedding was announced only three days in advance, and he and his wife had barely managed to rush over. Their eldest son lived so far away on the island, and even putting aside the difficulty of getting leave, they didn't have enough time to get there in time!

Furthermore, I haven't heard of my second brother getting married, and as the younger brother, I'm obligated to attend. He's already been a good younger brother, giving his mother so much money, isn't it just so she can subsidize her two older brothers? Otherwise, what's the point of giving her millions? Does she expect the old couple to indulge in lavish meals and pleasures every day?

At this moment, Huang Erhe quickly stood up and explained: "It's not that my brother and younger brother don't want to come, it's just that the dates are too tight. My older brother is guarding a reef in the South China Sea and definitely can't come. My younger brother went to Guangzhou for a meeting with his teacher and we can't contact him for a while."

Back at the guesthouse that evening, Lao Huang gave Zeng Lijuan a special heads-up: "Don't buy the house in Shanghai yet. Wait until the baby is born, has a name, and is registered. It's not too late to buy it then. Anyway, once the house is bought, we can transfer the household registration anytime."

The couple had originally planned to tell their second son and his wife about this before they came, but now it seems best to wait for the time being.