Chapter 134: With a Wife Like This, What More Could a Husband Ask For!
Noon.
Deng Changfu's home.
In the dimly lit room, Guan Yongying, who had just finished lunch, sat in front of the sewing machine, making clothes.
This brand-new sewing machine was one of the gifts her parents had requested when she got married.
For women of this era, sewing was a necessary skill, and Guan Yongying was no exception. Now more than five months pregnant, her belly was quite noticeable. With little else to do, she decided to make some clothes for her unborn child.
When engrossed in work, time flies. It wasn't until her sister-in-law called her for lunch that she realized how much time had passed.
Though her back ached from sitting for so long, Guan Yongying felt a sense of accomplishment as she looked at the small clothes she had made.
During lunch, she noticed that her bowl contained a poached egg, while everyone else ate vegetables and pickles.
This had been the case for a while now.
To marry her, her husband's family had incurred a debt of several hundred yuan. Later, when they followed Uncle Jiu to grow Cinnamon Flavor lychees, they borrowed even more from the credit union.
With the lychee seedlings just planted, the earliest harvest would be next year. Burdened by debt, the family had to tighten their belts.
However, since her pregnancy, no matter how frugal the family was, they never skimped on her meals. While she couldn't have meat or eggs at every meal, she was given either an egg or a few pieces of pork daily—a luxury in their current situation.
At first, Guan Yongying felt guilty and asked her mother-in-law not to prepare extra dishes for her. But her mother-in-law simply smiled and said, "You're not eating alone; the baby in your belly needs nourishment too."
Guan Yongying wasn't a child and knew how fortunate she was to have such a mother-in-law.
Her parents-in-law treated her well, her husband doted on her, and her sister-in-law and brother-in-law respected her deeply. Life in her husband's family made her understand what true happiness was.
That night, before bed, Guan Yongying took out the dowry money her parents had given her. She kept thirty yuan for emergencies and handed the rest to her husband, saying, "Brother Fu, our family is going through a tough time, and Mom has to prepare extra dishes for me every day. Take this money to her tomorrow and ask her to make extra dishes for you all from time to time. Otherwise, working from morning till night every day, your bodies won't be able to handle it."
In the dim light, Deng Changfu stared at the stack of money his wife handed him, deeply moved. He held her hand and said, "Yongying, you're so kind. I don't know what good deeds I did in my past life to deserve you. I'll tell Mom about your kindness tomorrow. But you should keep the money. Mom still has some savings, and the money we borrowed from the credit union hasn't been fully spent yet."
Guan Yongying shook her head. "I'm part of this family too. Whether Mom has money or not, I want to contribute. Give this money to her tomorrow. When our family's financial situation improves, won't you give me money if you have it?"
Deng Changfu immediately replied, "Of course! From now on, every penny I earn will go to you for safekeeping."
"That's settled then!"
Guan Yongying smiled, stuffed the money back into his pocket, and said, "Alright, stop being so sentimental. I'm tired from sewing today. I'm going to sleep."
Deng Changfu held the stack of money, watching his wife lie down to sleep. He couldn't calm down for a long time.
Though not well-educated, he racked his brain and finally remembered a saying: With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for!
The next day, Deng Changfu found an opportunity to give the money to his mother, repeating his wife's words. Finally, he said, "Mom, this is Yongying's gift. Keep it for now. When the lychees are harvested next year, find a chance to return it to her."
Changfu's mother looked at the money in her hand and sighed. "Ah Fu, you've truly married a good wife. Uncle Jiu's judgment of character is impeccable."
Deng Changfu nodded. "Yes, Uncle Jiu is a great matchmaker!"
Changfu's mother didn't refuse her daughter-in-law's kindness. She took the money and said, "Alright, I'll keep it for now. When the lychees are harvested next year, I'll find a way to return it to Yongying. And you, don't be so frugal next time."
Deng Changfu replied, "Mom, you handle the arrangements."
Originally, Deng Shirong had planned to build a water embankment at home after completing the construction of Lychee Mountain, then demolish the old house, level the ground, and decide whether to lay a cement floor.
But as the saying goes, plans can't keep up with changes. With his eldest daughter-in-law now pregnant, it wasn't the right time to start construction.
Since there was no rush, Deng Shirong decided to put the project on hold until the pregnancy was more stable.
With nothing pressing to do, Deng Shirong walked over to Deng Yuncai's house.
After the Chinese New Year, Deng Yungui's family had been the first to start building a house. Deng Yuncai had also taken Deng Shirong's advice and planned to build three large blue-brick tile houses. The foundation had been laid recently, and the walls had started going up in the past few days. Deng Shirong wanted to check the progress and see how long it would take to complete the house.
In less than three minutes, Deng Shirong arrived at Deng Yuncai's house and saw that about two-thirds of the wall had been built.
"Uncle Jiu!"
"Uncle Jiu!"
Everyone working greeted him as he approached.
Deng Shirong nodded and said to Deng Yuncai, who was working on the wall, "Looks like the wall will be finished tomorrow!"
Deng Yuncai smiled. "Yes, it should be done tomorrow!" He then climbed down from the wooden scaffolding.
Deng Shirong asked, "Yuncai, your house is almost done. Have you hired someone to make furniture?"
Deng Yuncai shook his head with a bitter smile. "Uncle Jiu, my family can't afford furniture right now. At most, I can make a bunk bed for Yuan. We'll buy other furniture slowly when we have more money in the future."
Deng Shirong didn't press the issue and said, "Your house will be finished soon. If you don't mind, I'll take some time to visit the girl's family and act as a matchmaker for Yuan."
Deng Yuncai quickly replied, "Of course, I don't mind. Where is this girl from, Uncle Jiu?"
Deng Shirong said, "I'll let you know after I get some feedback from her parents."
Deng Yuncai nodded. "With you, Uncle Jiu, helping Yuan, I'm at ease."
Deng Shirong smiled. "Alright, it's settled. I'll take care of it in a couple of days and try to get a good result."
(End of Chapter)