Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Sleep with You

Meng Wei, dressed in a new coat and new shoes, spun around twice in front of Mrs. Meng, saying happily,

"Mom, what do you think? Does it look good? I’m planning to wear this when I go to Hong Kong to meet He Ming’s parents."

Mrs. Meng looked at her, then at the dazzling array of clothes, hats, shoes, and bags on the bed, hesitating to speak.

"Xiao Wei, is this He Ming fellow reliable? You’ve only known him for a month. Why are you in such a hurry to get married? You should spend more time together and get to know what kind of person he really is."

Meng Wei was on cloud nine, and her mother’s words were like a splash of cold water. She was instantly displeased. "Mom, what’s with you? When I didn’t have a boyfriend, you nagged me every day. Now that I’ve finally found someone I really connect with, you’re trying to stop me from getting married. What exactly do you want me to do?"

Mrs. Meng pleaded earnestly, "Xiao Wei, of course your father and I want you to settle down soon. But we know nothing about this He Ming’s background. You’ll be in a new and unfamiliar place with him in Hong Kong. If he bullies you, there’s nothing we can do to help."

"Mom, you’re overthinking it. He’s friends with Zhu Xiao’s cousin, and Zhu Xiao would never set me up with someone bad. We haven’t been dating for long, but you’ve seen with your own eyes how well he’s treated me these past few days. If I let him go, I’ll never find anyone better in my entire life."

Thinking about how generous He Ming had been to her daughter, and then about her daughter’s age, Mrs. Meng’s resolve began to waver.

"Then how about this? After the New Year, I’ll go to Hong Kong with you to meet his parents."

Meng Wei hesitated.

She had brought up the idea of their parents meeting with He Ming, but he had told her his family wouldn’t approve of him marrying a woman from the mainland. They had even arranged a fiancée for him in Hong Kong, someone from a family of equal social standing.

He Ming’s exact words were, "I won’t accept my elders’ arrangements. Our relationship is between the two of us. You’re the only woman I want to marry in this life, otherwise I’d rather never marry at all."

She hadn’t told her parents any of this.

Her parents weren’t very fond of He Ming to begin with. If they knew his family was against their relationship, they would definitely do everything they could to stop her from going to Hong Kong with him.

"Mom, let me talk it over with He Ming first."

Mrs. Meng was a little dissatisfied. "What is there to talk about? You’re about to get married. If He Ming is truly sincere, he should be the one to bring his family here to meet us and discuss your wedding."

It had to be said, Mrs. Meng had a clear head on her shoulders.

But Meng Wei was so swept up in He Ming’s sweet talk that she couldn’t hear a word of it.

...

After lunch, Lu Cheng went back to his room to assemble the new bed he had bought.

Jiang Moli was in the living room, helping An Hui and Ma Hongmei make steamed pork belly.

In Rongcheng, steamed pork belly was an essential classic dish for New Year celebrations, weddings, funerals, and everything in between.

Lu Deyao liked savory pork belly, while Lu Tingting and the other nieces and nephews preferred the sweet kind. So, Ma Hongmei simply made two large bowls of each.

Before long, Lu Cheng called to her from the bedroom doorway, "Moli, come here for a second."

Jiang Moli went into the bedroom and found that the new bed was already assembled. Even the sheets and duvet cover were spread out perfectly, without a single wrinkle.

"Do you want to try out the new bed?"

Hearing Lu Cheng’s question, Jiang Moli glanced out the window. "Now? In broad daylight? Isn’t that a little... inappropriate?"

Lu Cheng flicked her on the forehead. "I was asking if you wanted to test how comfortable the bed is. Where did your mind go?"

Then, feeling bad, he gently rubbed her forehead with his thick, warm palm.

Jiang Moli looked at him and said, "I’m not that interested in trying out the bed. Trying out *you*, on the other hand..."

Lu Cheng lifted his wrist to check his watch and said with a straight face, "There’s no time now. You’ll have to be patient and wait until tonight."

As he spoke, he reached out and pinched her delicate chin, saying dotingly, "Why are you like a greedy little cat, hmm?"

Jiang Moli said righteously, "If I ever stopped being greedy for you, you’d be the one who’s unhappy."

Lu Cheng was left speechless and amused. "..."

’I just love it when my wife is this naughty,’ he thought.

After getting everything in order, the two of them picked up their New Year’s goods and headed back to her family’s home.

Jiang Dahai was waiting early at the entrance of the family housing complex, his face, reddened by the cold wind, heavy with worry.

He hadn’t slept well all night. His mind was consumed with the news that his son was dating someone. He’d been tempted to run over to the Lu family’s place and demand the details from his daughter and son-in-law.

The moment Jiang Moli and Lu Cheng arrived, he skipped the pleasantries.

"Moli, Xiao Lu, do you know this young woman, Tang Xiaoyue?"

Lu Cheng explained the family situation of the siblings, Tang Xiaoyue and Tang Yuan, to Jiang Dahai.

The Tang siblings were both from Yun Province. Their mother died young, and their father remarried. As the saying goes, a new mom means a new dad. The siblings had a very hard time at home and basically grew up relying on each other, so they were extremely close.

As a father himself, Jiang Dahai felt a pang of sympathy upon learning about Tang Xiaoyue’s past.

"Xiao Peng said he and Xiao Tang are dating. Moli, Xiao Lu, did you two know about this?"

Back at home, Jiang Moli called Xiao Peng over.

"Did Xiao Yue even agree to date you? And you’re already telling everyone she’s your girlfriend?"

Jiang Peng was indignant. "She agreed to make me underwear! If she didn’t like me, why would she make me underwear to wear? She’s not making underwear for anyone else, is she?"

Jiang Moli was speechless.

In this era, relationships between men and women were quite conservative. It was already considered improper for an unmarried woman to make clothes or socks for a man.

For Tang Xiaoyue to agree to make underwear for Jiang Peng, it was clear she had those kinds of feelings for him.

Jiang Moli sized up her younger brother.

After half a year in the army, he had grown taller and slimmed down. He’d lost some of his goofy awkwardness and had turned into a sharp young man.

She asked, "Do you like Xiao Yue?"

Jiang Peng scratched his head. "She’s making me underwear, so of course I have to marry her."

Jiang Moli was amused. "So you’ll marry anyone who makes you underwear? What if another woman makes you underwear in the future? Are you going to marry her too?"

Jiang Peng’s eyes lit up. "Is that an option?"

Jiang Moli kicked him in the leg. "I see Xiao Yue as a little sister. If you dare let her down, I’ll break all three of your legs, you better believe it!"

Jiang Peng silently clutched his crotch. "I was just kidding! Sis, don’t be so fierce. Besides, I’m the only son in this family. Do you want Dad’s family line to end?"

Jiang Moli gave him a smirk. "Dad’s only forty. Would it be that hard for him to find another wife and have a few more sons?"

Jiang Dahai: "..."

’Oh, thanks a lot!’ he thought.

Once he was sure his son had really found a girlfriend, and a good one at that, Jiang Dahai was overjoyed.

After Jiang Moli and Lu Cheng had dinner and left, he took out his account book and started calculating the cost of a wedding for his son.

’A house is a must. Even a sparrow knows to build a nest before courting a mate.’

’If you can’t even provide a roof over her head, you shouldn’t be wasting a good girl’s time.’

The standard betrothal gifts, the bride price, plus the cost of the wedding banquet... all told, it would come to around fifteen hundred yuan.

Thankfully, his son was still young, so he had time to save up. The only real headache was the housing situation.

He was currently living in his son-in-law’s house. He couldn’t very well have his son use his son-in-law’s house to get married. That would be completely outrageous.

But he had just been transferred to the Agriculture Bureau. It would probably be difficult to get an allocation for housing within the next three to five years.

’Sigh... what a worry.’

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