Dating
As the eldest son of the Gu family, Gu Yao was not satisfied with his younger siblings’ partners. He simply felt that they were all being far too reckless and absurd. In his eyes, out of the six Gu siblings, only the second brother was reliable. The rest were all unreliable.
They were all making a mess of something as important as marriage.
The fifth son, Gu Sheng, had started things off badly. Out of nowhere, he had married the Zhan family’s daughter. The two of them were clearly like fire and water, yet somehow they had forced themselves to make the marriage work. Absurd.
By acting first and reporting later, he had set a bad example for the third brother. The third brother had then randomly found someone to marry. He saw that she was pretty, so he married her. After marriage, they really were like fire and water, arguing every day until the couple completely fell apart and divorced.
The second brother, on the other hand, had done everything properly. He had gotten together with a quiet, gentle bookstore girl, which reassured Eldest Brother Gu the most. In the old-fashioned Eldest Brother Gu’s eyes, the second brother’s wife was the true model of a good wife and a capable helpmate.
As for Zhan Aiping… she was far too unreliable. That girl had been unreliable ever since she was little.
You could tell a person’s future from the age of three. Zhan Aiping and Gu Sheng… Eldest Brother Gu had watched both that boy and that girl grow up. He felt that the two of them absolutely should not have ended up together. So what if they were glued to each other right now? Once they grew older, they would return to being the same two children who used to fight and compete with each other.
The fifth brother had a fierce and unyielding personality. He would not be able to stand having a woman above him. If he had married a gentle and good-tempered wife, that would have been fine. But now it was Zhan Aiping of all people. If the two of them started fighting… the ones who would suffer would be the children.
…
Never mind the fifth brother. Now the sixth was being even more ridiculous. The sixth wanted to take Zhan Aiping’s younger brother as her partner.
“Nonsense. This is complete nonsense.”
Eldest Brother Gu felt that, aside from himself and the second brother, everyone else was making a mess of marriage and choosing partners.
“Neither the fifth nor the sixth has any sense of propriety.”
Qin Ying could not help saying, “You’re not reliable either!”
As their mother, Qin Ying felt that it was the eldest who had started everything off badly. The girl he had brought home back then had a family background that was far too complicated. Her personality was also strange. She never spoke plainly and was always beating around the bush.
She was very good at putting on an act in front of the eldest, but in front of outsiders, the things she said were really irritating. Just listening to her made one’s ears uncomfortable.
That girl was always saying that she did not want to climb up to their family’s level, while at the same time making veiled, sarcastic remarks, saying things like, “Your family is this and that, our family is this and that…” In the end, Qin Ying simply could not stand her anymore.
Forget it. Those were all old matters from years ago.
Qin Ying said, “Right now, only the fifth and second have partners. You two don’t. Your younger sister now has a partner too, so don’t go blindly interfering.”
Gu Ze’an and Qin Ying had already reached a state of “accepting their fate.” Their children’s marriages were all unreliable. Rather than having them end up like the third son, randomly marrying someone and then divorcing, it was better to find someone familiar and dependable.
The couple actually felt that Gu Xiangyi and Zhan Mingzhao were quite well matched. He was just a little dark-skinned, but as a mother-in-law looking at a son-in-law, the more Qin Ying looked at him, the more satisfied she became. Leaving everything else aside, at least Zhan Mingzhao had been honest and obedient ever since he was little.
Especially compared with his mischievous and troublesome older sister, he was truly far too well-behaved. He was also quite good-looking.
Outside, it would be very difficult to find such a clean-background, upright, good-looking son-in-law whose family they knew so well.
They did not ask for their daughter to marry someone extraordinary. Thinking about it now, finding someone this honest and dependable was already very good.
Besides, the two of them would also have his sister and brother-in-law looking after them.
The more Qin Ying and her husband thought about it, the more they felt this was a good marriage that would bring the families even closer.
However, while the couple thought it was good, their three sons refused to agree.
The eldest son’s opinion was, “We can’t let the two of them be together. Little Brother Zhan won’t do. Let her come to my place next year. I’ll introduce her to a good cadre.”
The eldest hoped his younger sister would marry a government cadre with good prospects and live a bright, respectable life.
The third son’s opinion was, “…She can marry anyone, just not into the Zhan family. A brother and sister marrying another brother and sister — what kind of thing would that sound like if word got out?”
The fourth son’s opinion was, “Marriage can’t be treated recklessly. Don’t let our little sister end up like Third Brother.”
Third Brother Gu: “????!!”
Qin Ying washed her hands clean. “The opinions of you older brothers are not important. What matters is our opinion as parents—”
Eldest Brother Gu: “The eldest brother is like a father.”
Third Brother Gu: “Seconded.”
Fourth Brother Gu: “Democratic system.”
Qin Ying: “…”
Qin Ying no longer wanted to bother with her three bachelor sons. Whether they got married or not no longer mattered. As long as her youngest daughter got married, then out of six children, at least three would have partners. As for the other three, they could do whatever they liked.
Qin Ying was getting older. She did not want to fuss anymore, nor did she want to change to another son-in-law. Having a son-in-law she had watched grow up from childhood was quite good.
She hoped these three troublesome sons would not blindly meddle.
Especially the eldest. Now that he was older, his stubborn and outdated thinking made him seem even more like an old cadre than his father.
“Is someone knocking at the door?” Qin Ying heard a knock, and her eyes lit up. Could it be that the children had come back early?
Eldest Brother Gu gave the third brother a look. Third Brother Gu cursed inwardly, but he instinctively stood up and went to open the door.
“I’m not your secretary. Don’t order me around next time.”
Eldest Brother Gu said, “If you don’t open the door, who else will?”
Fourth Brother Gu silently said nothing and acted like an invisible person.
Third Brother Gu glanced at Fourth Brother Gu. The words that had originally reached his throat were swallowed back down.
The third brother touched his thick head of hair.
When the people outside saw Third Brother Gu, they revealed a friendly smile.
“Third Brother, hello. I’m here to see Xiangyi.”
Standing outside were a young woman and a young man. The woman was Zhou Yi, Gu Xiangyi’s childhood playmate, and the man beside her was her partner.
“What a coincidence. I heard Xiangyi also brought her partner home?”
Third Brother Gu raised an eyebrow. “Who did you hear that from?”
Zhou Yi said, “Uncle Gu told me. Has Xiangyi come back?”
Third Brother Gu said, “Not yet. Come in and sit first.”
The smile on Zhou Yi’s face was bright. She held the arm of the man beside her, her expression happy and sweet.
She wished that everyone around her knew she had found herself a fair-skinned, refined partner. She had brought her partner, Li Hong, back with her, and everyone had praised him… As for Gu Xiangyi, apparently her partner was actually Zhan Mingzhao.
It was truly laughable!
They had all grown up in the same compound. Who did not know who? Those two were just a silly younger brother and silly younger sister. Zhan Mingzhao had even gone to film movies, but he had somehow gotten so tanned. He was just a skinny, dark boy, nothing more than an ordinary arts soldier.
Her partner was different. He was an engineer.
Li Hong wore the same gentle smile on his face. Recently, this young couple had been going out every day to show off, and it had already become natural to them. However, when the two of them stepped into the Gu family home, the smiles on their faces could no longer be maintained.
Eldest Brother Gu was sitting on the sofa. Fourth Brother Gu was sitting on the sofa. The third brother also went over and sat on the sofa, then invited the two of them to sit down.
Zhou Yi could still barely maintain the smile on her face, but Li Hong’s smile became extremely forced. Eldest Brother Gu’s presence was too imposing. At one glance, he looked like a high-ranking leader. As for Fourth Brother Gu, he looked even more like a high-ranking leader.
Li Hong unconsciously became a little cautious.
With three elder brothers sitting together and staring at him, Li Hong became terribly nervous. When he drank tea, both of his hands trembled, and he almost dropped the cup.
Zhou Yi: “…”
Li Hong’s behaviour made Zhou Yi feel extremely embarrassed.
When they left the Gu family home, Zhou Yi said to him with disdain, “You really can’t hold your own in public.”
Li Hong said, “Who knew her family had so many elder brothers? They’re scary.”
There were not even any women or children around. Were they sitting there holding a meeting?
Zhou Yi: “…”
In the past, she had secretly thought that Gu Xiangyi probably would not be able to marry. With so many brothers-in-law above her, what ordinary man would dare marry her?
Zhou Yi had wanted to show off her own partner in front of Gu Xiangyi, but the attempt had failed from the very start.
After Zhou Yi and Li Hong left the Gu family home, the three Gu brothers began discussing them.
Third Brother Gu: “That man is really petty and timid.”
Fourth Brother Gu: “Too cowardly.”
Eldest Brother Gu: “I think he’s quite good. Little Sister is suited to someone with that kind of personality.”
…
Qin Ying: “…”
Listening to their discussion, Qin Ying felt that it had already been very difficult for Gu Xiangyi to find a partner like Zhan Mingzhao.
Zhan Aiping and the others got off the train. This time, they did not let Qin Ying and the others come pick them up, nor had they told them in advance, because there were too many people on this trip… If several older brothers came to pick them up, they might scare Little Brother and Little Sister to death.
At this point, Zhan Mingzhao had already resigned himself to the situation. He smiled as warmly as a spring breeze, attracting frequent glances from the girls at the train station.
“When I see your three older brothers, I’ll just treat them as the uncles and aunties from the village.”
He had a very Ah Q-like spirit.
After all, he had seen plenty of village uncles and aunties.
Gu Xiangyi adjusted her hat and could not help saying, “You look really good when you smile!”
Zhan Mingzhao said, “I’d look even better with a flower held between my teeth!”
Gu Xiangyi said, “When we get home, play the harmonica for me.”
…
Zhan Aiping covered her forehead with one hand. Holding her own Guobaorou, she moved a little farther to the side. Comrade Little Zhan also could not understand how his own younger brother had turned into a peacock spreading its feathers everywhere.
She said to Gu Sheng, “Let’s stay away from them.”
Gu Sheng wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “They’re dating… Wife, we can date too.”
Little Tangyuan hugged her father’s neck. “Then what about me?”
Guobaorou said seriously, “I’m your real older brother. I can’t date you.”
Little Tangyuan looked at her brother. “Why can’t we date?”
Zhan Aiping said, “Because Yuanyuan has to date someone she likes in the future, and that person can’t be family.”
The large group hurried to the Gu family home. As soon as they entered the compound, they attracted quite a bit of attention. This was especially true of Zhan Mingzhao. Many older men and women on the road could not help fixing their eyes on him.
“Young man, where are you from? Do you have a partner?”
“Young fellow, you’re really handsome and delicate-looking. Do you have a partner?”
…
Zhan Mingzhao and Gu Xiangyi were surrounded by uncles and aunties. Zhan Aiping and her husband, along with the children, wanted to hurry back to the Gu family home. It was still too cold outside. Zhan Aiping was afraid of the cold and wanted to stay indoors.
The couple brought the children to the entrance of the Gu family home. Standing at the doorway was a man — one of Gu Sheng’s older brothers.
Zhan Aiping said, “Eldest Brother Gu, are you standing outside waiting for us?”
Zhan Aiping had not expected the eldest Gu brother to be standing at the door waiting for them. She had not seen him for many years. This man, now older, truly had more and more of a leader’s air about him.
“Youyou, Yuanyuan, come, call him Eldest Uncle!”
Guobaorou and Little Tangyuan were very obedient and honestly called out, “Eldest Uncle!”
They took the initiative to step forward and hug Eldest Uncle’s legs. Before they came out, their little uncle had instructed the two of them that they had to cling properly to Eldest Uncle and help put in a good word for him.
Little Tangyuan took the initiative to act spoiled. She opened her arms. “Eldest Uncle, hug!”
Guobaorou was not willing to be outdone either. “Eldest Uncle, I want a hug too!”
The children’s unusually enthusiastic behaviour instantly stunned the man. He looked at Gu Sheng and said,
“Fifth Brother, say something.”
Gu Sheng said, “Brother, say what?”
Fourth Brother Gu: “First say which brother of yours I am.”
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