The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 18 Godfather

"What's your name, girl? Come and eat some grapes!" Zhang Shufang said, sitting on the sofa and beckoning to Sun Fangfang.

Sun Fangfang wasn't nervous at all, nor was she polite. She came out of the west room and plopped down on the sofa. "Auntie, my name is Sun Fangfang, and I'm Qingqing's best friend..." She picked up a grape and started eating.

"Oh! Is that young man outside your husband? Quickly call him in to eat some grapes," Zhang Shufang said.

"Just ignore him. He just likes to play around with cats and dogs. Let him play outside!" Sun Fangfang said.

"You like dogs? Our silly dog ​​just had a litter of nine puppies last month. If you like any, you can pick one before you leave," Zhang Shufang said.

"Wow! One Tibetan Mastiff comes out of nine dogs, so we'd better pick one carefully." Zhang Yang walked in from outside at some point. After hearing Zhang Shufang's words, he immediately ran outside again, which made the big yellow dog start barking wildly again.

"Look at his awful behavior," Sun Fangfang said with a smile, scolding her husband.

"It's good that he likes to play; it makes the house lively. But your uncle is different. He's like a silent gourd. Ever since Mingming went to school, the house has become lifeless," Zhang Shufang said.

"Uncle is so steady and reliable; that's what makes him a pillar of the family!" Sun Fangfang complimented.

"Hehehe, you're such a lovely child!" Zhang Shufang's eyes narrowed with laughter.

While talking to Sun Fangfang, Zhang Shufang couldn't neglect her daughter-in-law. She gently patted Wei Qingqing's hand. She could tell that her daughter-in-law was indeed quite shy. The two weren't familiar with each other yet, so there were things she couldn't say directly. But she couldn't ignore her either. She used a roundabout tactic, first having a good talk with her best friend, letting her listen and get to know her mother-in-law from the side, and then steer the conversation towards her so she wouldn't feel shy anymore.

"Auntie, I don't know why, but I feel a special connection with you!" Sun Fangfang said, her face beaming as she ate a grape.

"Really? I felt that way too! When I first saw you, I thought you were my daughter in a past life!" Zhang Shufang said.

"How about I recognize you as my godmother? I've always wanted to have a godmother, to have two mothers who love me, wouldn't that be wonderful!" Sun Fangfang said, spitting out a grape skin.

"We're an only child, but I've always wanted a daughter. If you're willing, you can be my daughter from now on."

"Mom!" Sun Fangfang immediately seized the opportunity, stood up from the sofa, knelt down in front of Zhang Shufang with a thud, and kowtowed several times.

"This guy's such a show-off!" Wei Qingqing thought with a headache.

"Oh, oh, oh! Good, good, good!" Zhang Shufang laughed and quickly got up and went into her room.

"What's going on? Why won't you let me get up?" Sun Fangfang asked, puzzled.

Before long, Zhang Shufang came out of the house, holding two pairs of bracelets in her hands. One pair was fiery red jade, and the other was emerald green. She pulled Sun Fangfang up from the ground and put the pair of jade bracelets on Sun Fangfang's wrists. "These bracelets were given to me by my mother when I got married. They were meant to be passed down to daughters, not daughters-in-law. Now I'm giving these bracelets to you."

"Mom! This..." Sun Fangfang was knowledgeable and could tell at a glance that the pair of jade-red bracelets were worth at least 10 yuan.

"Don't say anything. Mom just likes you. If you acknowledge me as your mother, don't say things that people don't like to hear! When you have a daughter in the future, when she gets married, you can pass these bracelets on to her, and our family's bracelets will be passed down." Zhang Shufang said.

"Mom! I accept it!" Sun Fangfang was truly moved. Rural people are so simple and honest. Although they got along well, she had never seen such an expensive gift given on their first meeting. Her original intention was to take advantage of the opportunity to recognize each other as godparents to bring the two sides closer and create an opportunity for her good friend to get to know her mother-in-law. After all, it's not like ancient times anymore. In ancient times, godparents were not recognized randomly. Once recognized, they were no different from biological relatives, and even had closer inheritance rights than biological nephews.

"Qingqing," Zhang Shufang said, holding the pair of green jade bracelets. She walked up to Wei Qingqing, took her wrists, and put the bracelets on her wrists. "These bracelets were given to me by my mother-in-law when I entered the Yang family. From now on, you will be a daughter-in-law of the Yang family, and these bracelets are yours."

"This..." Wei Qingqing was a little embarrassed. She had seen jade jewelry in the jewelry store and knew that these two pairs of bracelets were not small items. Especially the pair of jade bracelets, which were not only green but also very transparent. If they were sold to a jewelry store, they would definitely be worth no less than one million.

"Hurry up and accept it! If you dare not accept it, Yang Ming might dump you!" Sun Fangfang threatened from the side.

"Ugh! He'd never want to part with her!" Wei Qingqing rolled her eyes at Sun Fangfang, then took Zhang Shufang's hand and said obediently, "Thank you, Mom!"

"Since she's already calling me 'Mom,' there's no need for thanks." Zhang Shufang was even happier. By accepting the bracelets, she had essentially secured this daughter-in-law, and the relationship was unlikely to fall apart. Even if it did, she would still have to return such valuable items as jade bracelets.

Today, she not only has a daughter-in-law, but also a bunch of girls. She really has a special fondness for Sun Fangfang, and it's not an act.

To be honest, she didn't feel bad about selling these two pairs of bracelets. Both pairs were "family heirlooms." In rural tradition, no matter how much they were worth, they absolutely could not be sold, otherwise it would be like cutting off the family line, which was considered very unlucky. Of course, if you don't care about having offspring or don't believe in superstitions, it's okay to sell them for money.

At this moment, Yang Ming and his group returned, and the once spacious courtyard became crowded again. The third sister-in-law led a group of young women and wives, carrying large and small bags, and walked in from outside. Behind them were several teenagers, who carried several cases of beer in pairs.

"Auntie, the groceries are back. We're going to the kitchen to get them ready..."

Immediately afterward, a group of old women, some carrying chickens, some holding geese, and others carrying several large carp, also came in. Once inside the courtyard, they went straight to the kitchen. The Yang family in Yangjia Village was a large clan, and everyone usually stayed close by. There were also some respected elders in the family who kept things in order. Even if they had some quarrels, they wouldn't cause any major escalation, and the whole family was quite harmonious.

"Qingqing! Do you want to hide in the west room? These old women have no sense of propriety when they joke around," Zhang Shufang asked.

"No need, with Mom here, I'm not afraid!" Wei Qingqing said.

"Okay!" Zhang Shufang nodded happily. "Qingqing, Fangfang, Mom will take you two outside to meet some people!"

The courtyard was full of the Yang family members, who gathered in small groups, laughing and talking loudly. This was no longer just to welcome Yang Ming; everyone always took this opportunity to get together as a large family and have a good time.

Yang Ming and his father, Yang Zhengfang, chatted with several elders. Everyone asked Yang Ming how his life in the city was going. Rural people are always curious about and even envious of city life, unaware that many city dwellers also yearn for rural life. Zhang Yang, on the other hand, was surrounded by a group of young men, pointing and talking animatedly about the big yellow dog. The dog, feeling stared at by so many people, probably thought they were going to steal its puppies and had already hidden in its kennel, watching the group like thieves.

It was already getting dark. Zhang Shufang turned on the light in the courtyard, then came out of the house with her daughter-in-law and goddaughter: "Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. Let me introduce two people to you..."

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to her, even the women busy in the kitchen peeked out. With so many eyes on her, Wei Qingqing's face turned red again. Sun Fangfang, however, didn't care. She had seen this kind of scene many times during company department meetings.

Zhang Shufang took Wei Qingqing's hand and said, "This girl is Mingming's girlfriend, named Wei Qingqing." She then took Sun Fangfang's hand with her other hand and said, "This girl is my goddaughter, named Sun Fangfang."

Holding one child in each hand, they walked down the platform and pulled them in front of Yang Zheng: "My dears, this person is your father..."

"Dad!" Wei Qingqing and Sun Fangfang called out together.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Yang Zhengfang never expected that he would have a daughter-in-law and a goddaughter so soon. Thinking that his son had just been whispering with his mother at the village entrance, he was probably talking about this. "I'm your father, why didn't you tell me?" He glared at his son angrily, but the boy didn't even notice him. He was busy flirting with his wife. When he heard the two women calling him, he panicked and nodded awkwardly.

"This is Mingming's second grandfather, quickly greet him... This is Mingming's third grandfather... This is Mingming's eldest uncle... This is Mingming's second uncle... This is Mingming's third uncle... This is Mingming's paternal uncle..." Zhang Shufang introduced them one after another.

Yang Ming's grandfather had many brothers. Excluding those who died young, there were eight brothers in total. He was the eldest and belonged to the eldest branch of the family. His father, Yang Zhengfang, was the fourth son in the eldest branch. If ranked in the entire clan, he would be ranked twelfth. Therefore, some people called him Fourth Uncle, while others called him Twelfth Uncle.

After Zhang Shufang's introduction, everyone gained a deep understanding of the two beautiful girls... They were so beautiful.

Before they knew it, Zhang Shufang and her two companions had been surrounded by a group of older women, young girls, and newlyweds. They kept glancing at Wei Qingqing, looking her up and down, and some even asked her questions indirectly with smiles. With Zhang Shufang holding her hand, Wei Qingqing seemed to have gained boundless courage and strength, and she answered everyone's questions very appropriately.

"Mom! I'm your son-in-law! My name is Zhang Yang!" Zhang Yang appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Zhang Shufang's hand, and said excitedly.

"Yes, yes, I know you're my son-in-law. I'll have your dad introduce you to everyone later," Zhang Shufang said.

"You're making a fool of yourself! This is a bunch of women! Go over to Yang Ming's group!" Sun Fangfang whispered through gritted teeth as she leaned close to Zhang Yang's ear.

"When did I make a fool of myself? I'm just recognizing my family! So you won't forget me." Zhang Yang muttered under his breath, before Yang Ming pulled him over.

"Is this our dad?" Zhang Yang asked Yang Ming, looking at Yang Zhengfang.

"Hmm!" Yang Ming had a fairly good understanding of Zhang Yang; this guy was thick-skinned and could chat with anyone. Yang Ming quickly introduced him, "Dad, this is Sun Fangfang's husband, your goddaughter's husband, his name is Zhang Yang!"

"Dad! I'm going to kowtow to you!" Zhang Yang roared and was about to kneel down and kowtow.

"No need, no need, what era are we living in? Kowtowing is no longer acceptable..." Yang Zhengfang quickly stopped Zhang Yang...

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