Chapter 16 Rules
Wang Deming stretched lazily, twisted his neck left and right, moved his wrists, looked at the novel that he had already written a thin layer of, his heart filled with joy, and carefully placed the manuscript on the shelf of the desk.

After getting up, he first observed the calligraphy and paintings that had been placed on the camphor wood cabinet, and gently touched the edge with his fingers. After being exposed to the sun in the house for an afternoon, the calligraphy and paintings were no longer damp. After Wang Deming carefully rolled them up again, he opened the camphor wood cabinet and put them inside.

There are also some books, calligraphy and paintings in the cabinet that were collected or bought from second-hand bookstores. Wang Deming mixed the calligraphy and paintings in his hands with the original ones. In this way, if you don't look through them deliberately or if you don't know much about them, you won't find Wang Deming's collection.

Of course, even if the old calligraphy and paintings that Wang Deming has kept in the camphor wood cabinet now, when the prices of antiques soar in the new century, it is estimated that they can be sold for a lot of money, definitely hundreds of thousands or even millions.

After packing everything, Wang Deming carefully checked his clothes before leaving the house.

The children were no longer playing in the yard, probably taken out for a walk by Wang Kui. Wang Deming first went to the kitchen in the south room to say hello to his sister, and then went to Yard 82.

In the main hall of the north house of Courtyard 82, Uncle Chang was squinting his eyes and shaking his head while listening to a record, "Dingjun Mountain" by Tan Xinpei.

Taking advantage of the transition, Wang Deming spoke at the right time: "Uncle Chang, where is Grandma Ma? I'll go say hello."

"What else can you do? Smoking with the girl in the east wing?"

Wang Deming thought about it and suggested to Old Man Chang with a wry smile: "Uncle Chang, you should quit smoking opium as soon as possible! Our new government is a real man of its words. It is not like before liberation when they just shouted slogans and said people who smoked opium would be shot at, but they also sold it privately."

"Look at the market now, you can hardly see it anymore."

Old Man Chang didn't even raise his eyelids: "What else can I say? You didn't listen to me."

"Okay, just listen carefully. I'm going to the east wing to say hello to Grandma Ma."

Wang Deming knocked on the door of the east wing. After receiving a response, he opened the door and an indescribable smell rushed into his nose.

"Grandma Ma, Sister Chang," Wang Deming greeted with a smile, "Where did you two go to play cards today?"

On the kang in the north room of the east wing, Grandma Ma (wife of Old Man Chang) and Sister Chang (eldest sister-in-law) were both wearing long traditional cheongsams with slanting collars. The old lady was wearing dark blue, while Sister Chang was wearing royal blue. They were both wearing white long cloth socks. They were lying together on the mahogany couch on the kang (similar to a long chair, with a backrest, but a longer bench), with footstools under their feet.

A copper cigarette tray was placed between the two people's footstools, and in the tray was a brightly polished copper cigarette lamp with the wick lit.

The two of them faced each other, each holding an old pipe with a copper tobacco bubble in the pipe, and in the other hand holding a very thin copper tobacco pick and constantly picking at the tobacco bubble.
Grandma Ma was from the Bordered Yellow Banner. When she saw Wang Deming coming in, she didn't stand up. She continued to smoke in a daze and replied lazily: "Deming, you're here!"

"Wait for me to take a couple of puffs before I get up. Today we went to the restaurant next door, oh, it should be called Zhang's now. I played cards all day and I'm tired. I'll take a couple of puffs to get myself in shape."

"Deming." Sister Chang also greeted Wang Deming lazily.

Wang Deming had a bright smile on his face and said sweetly, "Please don't stand up, that would ruin my luck, wouldn't it?"

"I just heard you come back and came to say hello."

"Well," Grandma Ma was very satisfied with Wang Deming's attitude. The boy was good-looking and knew the rules, but it was a pity that he was too young. She smiled and said, "Deming, you are too obedient to the rules."

"If it were you, I'd say you must have come from a Northeast Banner family. These rules and manners are natural to you."

"It's a pity that our fate as mother and daughter is a little shallow. If I had saved you, wouldn't we have become mother and daughter?"

"Or maybe, when you're a little older, wouldn't you and Yourong (Chang's eldest sister) be able to become a couple?"

"Grandma (the name for mothers among the Bannermen), what are you talking about?" Chang Yourong's face was unnaturally red, her eyes were blurred, and she complained: "I came back as a widow, which means that the children of my husband's family were not raised. Otherwise, the eldest would be as old as Deming."

Wang Deming just laughed and didn't respond.

"Isn't that what I said?" Grandma Ma raised her eyelids slightly and asked Wang Deming about his return home this time: "You were away for quite a long time this time. How is your mother-in-law's health?"

Wang Deming did not sit along the kang, but stood by the door, with a straight figure and a slight nod: "Thank you for your concern, my mother is in good health. She is busy in the countryside every day. In addition to feeding chickens and pigs at home, she also works in the fields with the mutual aid group during the day."

"I have specially discussed with my mother this time to build a three-room house in the countryside. I have already found someone to start the construction. When the house is built, my mother will be able to live more comfortably in the countryside."

Grandma Ma put the pipe on the shelf and nodded in appreciation: "Deming, you are a filial son."

"Is the money enough? If not, ask your brother-in-law to give you some?"

"I have enough money!" Wang Deming smiled. This kind of polite words is fine, but it can't be taken seriously. Even if he really wants to borrow money from his brother-in-law, he should ask through his sister. Besides, is all the money in your mouth? Where is there any extra money in the family?
How come the government hasn't found out where you bought it from?
"I've made some money in the city over the past two years, and today I went with Master Chang and Master Rong to book two rooms in Nanluoguxiang." "You want to move out?" Grandma Ma sat up straight in surprise, with a hint of uneasiness in her surprise: "You live well here, why do you want to move out?"

"Did your brother-in-law at home make you angry?"

"I'll teach him a lesson when he comes back! Where can I find such a good brother-in-law?"

Why is Grandma Ma so kind to Wang Deming? Although they are related to each other, he is just a foster brother of her daughter-in-law, not her biological nephew or nephew.
The reason is that in the past two years, Wang Deming has slowly taken over all the food in the family, and from time to time he would order takeout from some restaurants, and there has never been a shortage of seasonal fruits and snacks; in addition, Wang Deming's tailoring skills are now well-known, and when he makes new clothes for the season, in addition to his sister and nephews, he never forgets her and Chang Yourong.

If Wang Deming moves away, will these still exist in the future?
The money from selling the house and antiques was squandered by the three of them on smoking.
If I just rely on my daughter-in-law Yan Baozhen to take work from Yin Changrong, I'll be lucky to have enough food to eat.
Chang Yourong also put down her pipe in surprise and turned to look at Wang Deming.

"No, no." Wang Deming smiled and shook his hand, saying sincerely, "My brother-in-law is very good to me. I just think that if I don't continue to study, I should buy a house so that I can have a place to socialize with friends in the future."

"Besides, now that I'm working, I can set up my own household. I can't always live with my brother-in-law, can I?"

"Deming, that's right." Grandma Ma simply stopped smoking and got off the smoking couch. She sat cross-legged on the kang and waved to Wang Deming. After he sat on the edge of the kang, she held his hand and persuaded him earnestly: "Deming, you will definitely be a promising person in the future."

"I didn't have to delay my studies, and I was able to start a business and make money at the same time."

"But you are alone after all. When you go to work, it will be very inconvenient for you to eat or do laundry."

"Besides, you only have your sister and brother-in-law as your close relatives. We have already treated you as a family member. We live happily together, so why should we go out and live alone?"

"This..." Wang Deming's expression was very tangled, "Grandma Ma, you are right, but after all, I have a job, and I don't want others to know that I am still living in my brother-in-law's house."

"It won't sound good to talk about marriage after this."

Grandma Ma's eyes lit up: "Deming, I almost forgot that you are almost getting married. This is easy! Sister Yourong and I know many ladies from wealthy families. They are beautiful, well-educated, and just like the girl from the Zhang family next door."

Wang Deming refused with a bitter smile: "No, I dare not marry a lady from a rich family. This is not a good match. Not to mention that I have only bought two rooms, and I don't even have a private house. Who would like such a shabby woman? Even if she likes me, she won't despise my poor conditions. But after we get married, will I serve her or will she serve me?"

"Wouldn't it be better if you marry two more?" Grandma Ma didn't want Wang Deming to move out, so she even said something like marrying more.
"As for being shabby or something, we have our own house and yard!"

"When you get married, why don't you let your sister and brother-in-law move to Yard 82 and live with us?" After saying that, Grandma Ma looked at Wang Deming expectantly and held his hand tightly.

Seeing Wang Deming frowning and still not making up his mind, Grandma Ma called out to her eldest daughter again: "Yourong, when the time comes, you and Step Eighth Grandma will move to the north room and live with us, and the east wing will be vacated for Youguang and his wife."

"Ah okay."

It was hard to refuse such a kind offer. Wang Deming could only show gratitude and agreed with difficulty: "Then, Grandma Ma, I will continue to bother you, then?"

Grandma Ma let out a long sigh of relief and said with a hint of blame: "What a disturbance, kid! We really don't want to let you move away."

Only then did Wang Deming show a genuine smile on his face: "I can't bear to leave you and Sister Yourong."

"You mean Sister Rong?"

"Ah, yes."

After receiving the reply, Wang Deming smiled more sincerely and made a promise: "Grandma Ma, I will use those two rooms to entertain friends. I will live here the rest of the time. We will live together."

"That's right"

That's right, that's right. People's hearts are hard to predict. It's not easy to receive gratitude from others. Finally, I got some useful information from these two.
At this time, sister Yan Baozhen came into the house with two nephews and invited mother-in-law and elder sister-in-law to dinner.

Yan Baozhen knelt down and bowed: "Grandma, sister, please have dinner."

The two nephews even knelt down and kowtowed: "Madam (the name for grandmother in the Banner people), Auntie (the name for aunt in the Banner people), Renchun and Yichun, I kowtow to you both and greet you! Please have your meal."

What's going on? Didn't Old Man Chang say that all these lousy rules were abolished?
At this time, Qin Huairu and her brother had returned to Changping County. They found a meat shop. Qin Huairu bought some cooked food, ordered two bowls of hot soup, and ate dinner with the steamed buns she brought with her.

"Xiao Ru, we've come all this way, why don't you tell me? Why are you so tight-lipped?"

(End of this chapter)