bookbashuk Chapter 426 Warm Wedding
Chapter 426 Warm Wedding
Initially, the Luo family only wanted to bury Shen Sangu's ashes casually in the wasteland of Luo Changhai's hometown.
The Shen family firmly disagreed and forced the Luo family to pay for a plot of land in a public cemetery.
This will make it easier for family members to visit and pay respects in the future.
After all, Aunt Shen had worked hard for the Luo family her whole life, and in the end, she couldn't not even have a decent burial plot.
Grandma stood before Shen Sangu's tombstone, looking at her daughter's gentle smile in the photo, her eyes reddening, her voice choked with emotion: "The first time I met Luo Changhai, I told you, he's not someone you can entrust your life to."
"But the more I objected, the more you insisted on being with him. Now... now you understand, right?"
"You used to think I favored your second sister because she was in poor health and I treated her better. You held a grudge and never believed me again, always thinking I was lying to you..."
Grandma paused, tears streaming down her face. "But you don't know, your second sister's illness is all because of you!"
"Of course, if she hadn't gone down into the river to save you and ended up falling in herself, she wouldn't have been holding onto the log for so long."
"But she repeatedly told me not to tell you, afraid that you would feel guilty and never have peace of mind for the rest of your life."
She took a deep breath, her voice filled with regret and helplessness: "If I had told you the truth sooner, wouldn't you have thought I was biased? Wouldn't you have avoided falling headlong into the Luo family's fire pit and ending up like this?"
Grandpa gently patted Grandma's back and softly comforted her, "Sister Muyun, you did nothing wrong. Dragons have nine sons, each different, and everyone has their own destiny. You can't be blamed for this."
Grandma looked up at the sky, tears blurring her vision. After a long while, she softly responded, "Mmm..."
After the start of the school year, Shen Li took Huanhuan back to Pengcheng.
Before we knew it, it was the Spring Festival of 1997, and my grandparents and their whole family came to the manor to celebrate the New Year.
Thinking that it would be more lively with more people, Shen Li also invited Lu Nan and his wife, as well as Shen's parents. The two families gathered together, making it more than twice as lively as in previous years.
Nuannuan has arrived too.
She is twenty-three years old this year, the prime of her youth.
My older brother is serving in the military and can only come over during the Lunar New Year. However, air travel is convenient these days, so there's not much to worry about regarding the journey. Lu Sheng has also returned to his unit. Fortunately, there are no urgent missions this year, so he can also come back for the Lunar New Year reunion.
That year, almost the entire family was together, making it the most lively Spring Festival in recent years.
Normally, there are only a few of them in the manor, and living in the castle is enough for them.
With a large family this time, Shen Li had the neighboring townhouses cleaned up in advance for her grandparents to stay in. Her parents and Lu Nan's family of four were also arranged to stay there, which was both convenient and quiet.
The Shen and Lu families alone have six children, with Nuannuan being the eldest.
Previously, the manor's kitchen was managed by only four people. Now that there are more people, four more helpers have been temporarily added. Although it is busy, it also has a lively atmosphere.
With more people in the family, mealtimes are much more lively.
The long tables in the restaurant are always fully occupied.
At first, the family was curious as to why Ming Xiangyang was also at the manor.
Later, people heard that the manor was built by Shen Li and Ming Xiangyang together, with each owning half of the property rights. In addition, Ming Xiangyang was the godfather of several children, so people stopped being curious.
Shen Li knew in her heart that people might actually understand her relationship with Ming Xiangyang.
Adults just know to see through things but not say anything.
As long as the family is harmonious and everyone is well, some things don't need to be said too explicitly.
Winters in Shenzhen are exceptionally comfortable; it's not cold at all, and it's suitable to wear either long or short sleeves on weekdays.
There's hunting in the mountains behind the manor, and a sizable horse ranch, so even living in the mountains, you won't feel bored at all.
During the Spring Festival, Shen Li spent every day in a very pleasant manner.
Most of the time, he would have afternoon tea and chat with Lu Nan, Lu's mother, and Shen's mother.
Grandpa and Grandma, on the other hand, didn't like joining in the fun. Their favorite place was the vegetable garden on the estate—it was much bigger than the one at their home in Beijing, and the vegetables grew lush and green. It was a ready-made garden where they could harvest fresh ingredients without having to worry about taking care of it.
Back in Beijing, my second uncle was mainly in charge of the vegetable garden, and my grandfather would occasionally go and plant some vegetables he liked to eat. Now that we're here, the two of them spend every day in the vegetable garden, enjoying it immensely.
The eldest uncle, the second uncle, and Shen's father always gathered together.
They either drink tea and chat, or play chess for leisure.
Both of Shen's fathers learned chess later in life, and they often pestered Shen's father to play chess. Although they often lost, they still enjoyed it.
That afternoon during tea, Shen's mother looked at Shen Li with a hint of worry in her voice: "Li, when you have time, ask Nuannuan if she has made any friends. I asked her, and she said no."
"But her family has arranged blind dates for her, and she's turned them all down, always saying there's no rush. Nuannuan is closest to you, can you ask her for me what's going on?"
Shen Li put down her coffee cup, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile, "Mom, it's obvious you have someone you like!"
Shen's mother's eyes lit up, her face full of surprise: "Are you sure?"
I haven't seen Nuannuan go anywhere else usually.
How could someone have a crush on someone without even saying anything?
She's already 23 years old. If she really has someone she likes, her elders should at least introduce her to him!
Shen Li shook her head and said with a smile, "I'm not sure, just guessing. But at her age, if she doesn't want to go on blind dates but says she's not in a hurry, she probably already has someone in her heart."
Shen's mother rolled her eyes at her, her tone tinged with helplessness: "I'm being serious! Nuannuan is a girl, and her father, a grown man, doesn't understand girls' feelings at all."
"I asked her, but she wouldn't say anything. Please ask her properly for me, so she doesn't suffer any injustice."
"Okay, okay, I'll talk to her tonight, alright?" Shen Li replied with a smile.
In the afternoon, Nuannuan and her younger siblings went horseback riding at the horse farm.
As someone who transmigrated from the future, she didn't have much of an obsession with her elders pressuring her to get married.
However, most of the people around her now are from the 1960s and 1970s, and their views on marriage and love are completely different from those of later generations. She also wanted to help them understand the situation.
After all, some people around us were happy while others were unhappy, unlike in later generations, where eight or nine out of ten marriages are filled with conflict and exhaustion.
Most relationships in later generations were ruined by unequal contributions—male chauvinism prevailed, men were unwilling to take on family responsibilities, and only cared about their own enjoyment;
Women may seem to shout slogans of feminism, but they are unwilling to prove themselves with their own strength, and only complain and demand.
Over time, relationships between men and women have deteriorated, and fewer and fewer people are able to have a stable and harmonious relationship.
Shen Li knew that no matter the era, the core of a long-lasting and harmonious relationship was "complementarity".
Whether it's a couple, family, or friends, long-term one-sided giving will inevitably lead to problems sooner or later.
Unless you're incredibly lucky and meet someone who's willing to tolerate you for a lifetime, how many people are that fortunate?