"Cough, cough, the two little ones are so cute."
"It's not that we don't like children, I've already retired and can help take care of them."
"It's her brother who spent the money, running around."
Lou Xiaohui squeezed out a smile at Chen Yang's words.
She wasn't foolish and could tell the underlying meaning of Chen Yang's words. Chen Yang was willing to spend this money because he hoped she would treat Chen Juan well in the future and not put on any airs of a mother-in-law.
As long as money could solve a problem, it wasn't a problem.
In her previous life, although her brother-in-law had always doted on her elder sister, he couldn't change his parents' views. His resistance was merely to not go abroad and not let his parents bring the children.
This was the greatest effort he could make to protect his wife and prevent her from being treated differently.
In his previous life, Chen Yang himself was helped by his elder sister and brother-in-law to go abroad, and he had no ability to help his sister avoid grievances.
By the time he started making a fortune and could help his sister, her brother-in-law's parents had already passed away, and discussing these matters then would have been meaningless.
But in this life, he had to make his brother-in-law's parents put themselves in the right position from the start.
His elder sister marrying into the Li family was not a climb, nor was there any need for her to suffer grievances.
"It would be best if Uncle and Aunt can help take care of the children. If you're busy, my parents can also help. My mother is also retired and can help my sister and brother-in-law with the children. My two children have always been taken care of by their maternal grandparents."
"From now on, we're one family. If anything comes up, we'll communicate well, and there's no need to be polite."
Chen Yang smiled. As long as his goal was achieved, he didn't necessarily have to embarrass anyone or become arrogant just because he had money. After all, they were his brother-in-law's parents.
"For the sake of the relationship, regardless of anything else, the way your brother-in-law treats your elder sister is impeccable."
"In-laws, our son's words may be blunt, but they are reasonable. From now on, we are all one family."
"You've traveled a long way, please be seated. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and our new extended family will have a reunion together."
Chen Liming and Qin Lifen were happy that their son had resolved the differences between the two families so quickly. They quickly invited Li Zhengyang and Lou Xiaohui to be seated.
At this moment, Shen Xue also brought dishes. The whole family sat together joyfully.
Of course, the two little ones were the happiest. Their grandparents were busy entertaining guests, while their paternal aunt and uncle each held one, feeding them delicious food. They were fed more frequently than their parents.
This time, Chen Liming and Li Zhengyang, the two elders, both got drunk.
Chen Yang and Li Zhengpeng wisely chose to drink less, especially Li Zhengpeng, whose embarrassing incident of almost pledging brotherhood with his father-in-law the previous day was still fresh in his mind.
If this happened again today, it would be like taking an oath of brotherhood in the peach garden with his own father and father-in-law, and he would be laughed at for the rest of his life.
After eating and drinking their fill, Li Zhengpeng and Lou Xiaohui helped the drunken Li Zhengyang to the guesthouse that had been arranged beforehand. Qin Lifen and Shen Xue were busy clearing the dishes.
Chen Juan looked at her second brother and felt, at this moment, that her brother had truly grown up.
He was no longer the little boy who needed her protection; he was now a man who could protect her.
"Yangyang, thank you."
Chen Juan didn't say many words of thanks, only "thank you."
But she knew clearly that without her brother, her parents-in-law would not have thought so highly of her. In the future, there would inevitably be minor conflicts and she might suffer grievances.
But now, all of that had ceased to exist. Looking at how affectionately her mother-in-law was that day, even her own mother wasn't so saccharine.
"Sister, we're family, no need for thanks."
Chen Yang silently added in his heart, if you really want to thank me, considering the previous life and this one, I owe my sister and brother-in-law even more.
"Sister, hurry up and wash up and rest. Don't be polite to your own brother. Tomorrow is your and brother-in-law's big wedding day, so you need to be well-rested and marry out as the most beautiful bride."
Shen Xue also teased while clearing the dishes from the table.
After clearing the dishes, Qin Lifen also pulled Chen Juan aside to talk about wedding preparations.
Since her brother-in-law's family was not from here, the wedding venue had to be borrowed from the Jinling University's teachers' canteen. Weddings in those days were not as complicated as in later times.
It simply involved inviting relatives and friends to gather for a meal. At most, the groom would take his friends to the bride's home on bicycles to pick her up, which would be considered grand.
In those days, a bicycle was a symbol of status.
That night, Chen Juan couldn't sleep well. Similarly, Li Zhengpeng was very nervous.
The canteen venue didn't require much tidying. Coupled with the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, they had decorated it with some red cloth and arranged a few tables the day before.
It might seem too simple now, but in that era, being able to treat everyone to a banquet was considered top-notch.
Li Zhengyang and Lou Xiaohui, the couple, also enthusiastically helped the canteen staff prepare the banquet. Chen Juan did not choose to buy a wedding dress, as that fashion had not yet become popular.
It wasn't until the Reform and Opening Up in the 1980s that wedding dresses gradually became more common in Chinese weddings.
She wore a simple blue work uniform with a white Dacron shirt underneath and small leather shoes. Compared to her usual attire, this entire outfit was newly made.
Li Zhengpeng's attire was similar, except he had a custom-made suit, wore a shirt and tie, and his hair was slicked back with hair wax, shining brightly.
Li Zhengpeng rode a bicycle decorated with a large red flower, followed by eight colleagues. Nine bicycles symbolized eternal love. Such a wedding procession was considered quite luxurious in the 1970s.
When the ringing of bicycle bells echoed in the family compound of the Jinling Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, adults and children alike rushed out to join the excitement.
After stopping his bicycle, Li Zhengpeng carried a large basket of White Rabbit milk candies and red dates, peanuts, and melon seeds, distributing them to everyone he met.
Chen Yang had rushed to the supply and marketing cooperative early in the morning to buy these items. It was a wedding, and giving the neighbors a small treat would prevent them from just watching the fun.
The red dates, peanuts, and melon seeds also symbolized abundant offspring and early birth of sons.
"Getting married, getting married!"
"Bride, ride in the car, smiling, have children..."
A group of children, having received White Rabbit milk candies, happily surrounded Chen Yang's house and sang songs.
Amidst the cheers, Li Zhengpeng nervously carried Chen Juan out of her father's door.
Chen Liming and Qin Lifen watched their son-in-law come to pick up their daughter. Even though their elder daughter's husband had visited many times, the elderly couple couldn't help but shed tears.
This time was different. Their daughter was getting married. After passing through this threshold, she would become someone else's wife.
How could they not feel heartbroken after raising their daughter for over twenty years?
The toddler and Chen Hao, looking at their crying grandparents, were very confused.
Their paternal aunt and uncle came in and out of the house every day, so why were their grandparents crying so sadly?
"Little Aunt, what is marriage? Why are Grandpa and Grandma crying so sadly?"
The toddler tugged at Li Yu, whose eyes were also red. The little girl was feeling a bit sentimental, but seeing the confused look on Na Wa Zi and Chen Hao's faces, Li Yu pouted.
"Haven't you seen your parents get married? Your maternal grandparents must have cried then too."
Hearing her words, the toddler tried hard to recall, but she really couldn't remember what her mommy and daddy's wedding was like. Did her maternal grandparents cry too?