Chapter 30: It's So Luxurious!
On the eighth day of the sixth lunar month, Saturday, Deng Changmei went to Zhang Kangmei's house for the house visit.
After breakfast, around nine o'clock, a group including the matchmaker Deng Shirong set out for the Zhang family in Longfield Village.
They walked the entire way. In those days, bicycles were rare in the countryside. Even if three people could ride on one bicycle, they would need three bicycles to accommodate the nine people in their group.
The entire production team didn't have three bicycles, so they had to walk to ensure everyone arrived together.
The journey from Thatchfield Village to Longfield Village was long, taking almost an hour and a half.
When they arrived at the Zhang family's home, they were warmly received.
Many relatives and friends had also come to the Zhang family. After all, the house visit was equivalent to an engagement, a significant event. The groom's parents' close relatives and good friends were all present.
After sitting down and drinking tea for over ten minutes, Deng Shirong stood up and said to the Zhang family, "Cousin, please show us around."
This was an essential part of the house visit, and the Zhang family readily agreed, taking the bride's group to tour their home.
The bride's group wouldn't enter the rooms of other family members, so their focus was on the groom's room, Zhang Kangmei's.
When they entered Zhang Kangmei's room, everyone, including the bride Deng Changmei, couldn't help but exclaim. The room was spacious, with a bunk bed in the center, a large wardrobe, a table in front of the bed, and a wooden box beside it.
In this era, when a single wooden box could "trick" three daughters-in-law into marriage, this room's furnishings were incredibly luxurious. It was no less impressive than spending tens of thousands to decorate a room in the future.
Deng Shirong smiled and praised, "As expected of three generations of carpenters. The furniture in this house is truly complete."
Zhang's mother smiled proudly. "It's not hard for our family to make furniture. It just takes some time."
Deng Changmei's sister-in-law said enviously, "It's good to have a carpenter in the family. You can make any furniture you want. Unlike our family, we don't even have a wardrobe in our room. The only box we have is the dowry I brought from my parents' home."
Zhang's mother glanced at Deng Changmei, the future daughter-in-law, and said, "After we become relatives, if you want any furniture, just let Kangmei make it for you in his spare time."
Deng Changmei's sister-in-law's eyes lit up. She had been thinking about this, and now that the groom's mother had offered, it was a promise. If she wanted furniture in the future, it could be arranged.
Not only Deng Changmei's sister-in-law, but the other relatives who had come with her were also tempted. In this era, who could resist the allure of furniture?
After touring Zhang Kangmei's room, the bride's group was very satisfied.
Next, they had tea, followed by dinner.
The meal prepared by the Zhang family was lavish. There were hearty dishes like boiled chicken, braised pork, and stir-fried pork, as well as delicacies like meatballs and egg rolls, usually seen only at weddings. Paired with bamboo shoots and other dishes, it was a feast.
The relatives from both sides were extremely satisfied.
After the meal, they drank tea and chatted for over ten minutes before the bride's group prepared to leave.
The groom's family had prepared gifts: nine red envelopes with nine kinds of spices, given to the matchmaker and the bride's group.
The Zhang family's generosity was evident. The seven people accompanying Deng Changmei each received a five-yuan red envelope, the matchmaker Deng Shirong received ten yuan, and the bride Deng Changmei received eighteen yuan. The total was sixty-three yuan, a significant amount.
After receiving the red envelope, Deng Shirong was pleased to see ten additional Great Unity notes and five-flavor snacks in his system space.
Previously, Deng Changfu and Guan Yongying's house visit had yielded five-flavor snacks. Except for two given to the third sister, the rest had been consumed. Now, this new batch of five-flavor snacks was a timely addition.
Moreover, he had spent a hundred yuan on the bicycle, reducing his wealth from over 160 yuan to just over 60 yuan. Today, his wealth had surged again, reaching over 170 yuan. This was excellent.
On the way back, all the relatives who had accompanied Deng Changmei praised the Zhang family. With the matchmaker Deng Shirong also speaking highly of them, Deng Changmei had a constant smile on her face.
A woman's greatest wish was to marry a man who satisfied her and her family, and Zhang Kangmei was clearly such a man.
When they returned home, it was almost three in the afternoon.
Seeing their father return with another piece of pork belly, Deng Shirong's children had grown accustomed to it.
The food in their household during this period was the best in the village. Whenever Deng Yunsong, Deng Yunhua, and Deng Yunheng talked about it with their friends, their friends would drool with envy.
Through their friends' chatter, almost everyone in the village now knew that Deng Shirong's family ate the best food.
Though many envied Deng Shirong's lifestyle, few were jealous. Most of the food Deng Shirong's family ate were things few in the village consumed, like carp, crucian carp, eel, frog, snail, and bee pupae.
In fact, many in the village knew that using more oil to cook fish would make it taste better, even with average cooking skills. But the problem was that most households didn't have enough oil and tried to conserve it. Who would be willing to use so much oil to cook fish?
As for snails, which had little meat, it was even more ridiculous. No matter how good they tasted, it wasn't worth using so much oil.
Seeing his eldest daughter learning to ride a bicycle outside, Deng Shirong handed the pork belly to his youngest daughter and said, "Azhu, take this meat back and hang it up. I'll make fried pork for you later."
Deng Yunzhu took the meat and smiled. "Got it, Dad!" Though the food at home had been good recently, they weren't tired of eating meat. Naturally, she was happy to see more meat on the menu.