Life went on as usual. When Wen Liangliang almost forgot where to put the marriage certificate, Old Lady Zhou called and said that Zhou Bocan's grandmother wanted to see her. Coincidentally, a relative who was in the real estate business came to visit and asked if she could get a discount for buying a house.
Wen Liangliang did not agree immediately, but Old Lady Zhou had already sent the location to her. Wen Liangliang looked down at Tang Tang's daughter, Xiang Xiang, and her heart trembled.
She and Senior Sister Liao lived in Tang Tang's apartment. Tang Tang did not charge her rent on purpose, hoping that she could help take care of the children on weekends. Wen Liangliang also sighed. She had a pair of twin daughters, but her mother-in-law did not take care of them on weekends. She and her husband each took care of one daughter. Sometimes, Tang Tang had appointments with clients on weekends to discuss the business of a group business. It was really inconvenient, so she hoped that Wen Liangliang could help.
It was not difficult to take care of an eight-month-old baby. After Xiang Xiang finished drinking milk, she crawled around on the ground. Whatever Wen Liangliang threw at her would arouse her interest, and she would crawl to catch it. She was also very bold. Before she learned how to walk, she liked to hold the wall with one hand and take a few steps weakly. Her feet were not close to the ground, and her body was crooked. Wen Liangliang's heart was beating fast, and she was afraid that something would happen. If something happened to her, she would not be able to explain it to her mother.
She did not let go for a moment and chased after Xiang Xiang, holding her chubby little hand tightly.
But it did not mean that she had the confidence to take Xiang Xiang out on the street. She covered her head and packed up her things. She stuffed a dozen of milk powder, towels, diapers, thermos bottles, milk bottles, and wet wipes. Half an hour later, she pushed a cart of "goods" like a hawker and went out to the famous Beijing Road Commercial Street in G City.
When she was studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in G City, she often came to Beijing Road for shopping. Although she had not been here for five years, she was still familiar with the place with a vague impression. Beijing Road used to be G City's most prosperous city center. Now, it had become the best preserved historical and cultural district. On the two-thousand-meter-long street, there were densely packed western-style arcades. The merchants had painted their outer walls in various trendy styles, especially suitable for young people to wander around. Most of them were scattered with trendy snack shops. There were also many department stores, and there was no lack of famous brand stores. It was truly a business district.
Therefore, Wen Liangliang was puzzled. Why did Old Lady Zhou ask to meet at the City God's Temple on Beijing Road? There were no high-end residential areas here.
She pushed the BB cart to the entrance of the Temple of Shing Wong and sent her a message according to her instructions. Not long after, an old Taoist in a brown robe suddenly approached. Wen Liangliang tilted her head and asked in disbelief, "Are you Old Lady Zhou's …"
The old Taoist nodded calmly and brought her into the depths of the City God Temple. They walked from the side of the hall where Lord Shing Wong was worshiping. After a few steps, they saw a row of brownish-red fences. There was a sign on it that said, "Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter." The old Taoist flipped the sign over and unlocked the lock of the fences. He took a few steps back and made way for them. Wen Liangliang thanked him as she pushed the BB cart in.
As they walked along the small path, it suddenly became spacious. There was another world inside. It was an antique courtyard house. It had the same architectural style as the house where Lord Shing Wong was worshiping, but it seemed to have been renovated. The gray tiles on the eaves were as bright as new, and the brownish-red wooden beams were covered with new paint. The entire courtyard house was sparkling under the sun.
The old Taoist brought her into the side room. They went around the small hall and entered from the left. They passed through a long corridor and stopped in front of the room at the end.
The door opened with a creak, and a familiar voice could be heard.
The old man, whose back was facing the door, said to the person lying on the bed, "Mom, this isn't popular in this era. Don't scare the girl. She didn't take a single cent and helped our child block the calamity. It can be seen that her character isn't bad. How could she accept … surrogacy! "
There was a window in the corridor, and a cool breeze blew in. Wen Liangliang felt a chill in her heart. The old Taoist who brought her in stood in front of the door and called out, "First Madam … Old Madam …", but she didn't get a reply.
A deep and hoarse old man's voice trembled as he said, "Money can make the devil push the millstone. This is an iron principle that has been around for thousands of years. You don't understand it. Yuan said that the woman will have the blessings of having children. Using our old saying, giving birth to a child is as easy as taking a shit. Which woman wouldn't want to be able to enjoy glory, splendor, wealth and rank so easily? You can mention it to her, and we can slowly talk about the conditions … "
Wen Liangliang guessed that it was the person on the bed who was talking. The voice sounded old and stuttered occasionally, but it had a dignified aura that couldn't be ignored.
Another cool breeze blew. Old Lady Zhou glanced back and hurriedly covered Grandma Zhou's mouth, interrupting the conversation just now.
The old Taoist then entered the room, helped the sickly old woman on the bed to the wheelchair, and pushed her out of the room. He complained, "Zuo Shugong has been waiting in the hall for a long time. Why hasn't he asked Old Madam out yet?"
When the old woman was pushed to the door, Wen Liangliang finally saw her clearly. She had white hair, was skinny, and hunched back. Her blood vessels and blue veins popped out. Although the wrinkles on her face were deep, her eyes were bright and bright. She kept looking at her, which made her feel terrified. This should be Zhou Bocan's grandmother.
Old Lady Zhou intimately hugged Wen Liangliang's shoulder and gave her a thumbs up. Then she whispered in Wen Liangliang's ear, "Borrow the baby and stroller. Your acting skills and professionalism are even better than my daughter-in-law!" She also took on the task of pushing the stroller.
They came to the room in the middle. A man in his fifties or sixties who looked similar to Zhou Bocan was greeting a fat, white-haired old man. Old Lady Zhou mentioned that Zhou Bocan's father didn't work in the temple, but worked in the embassy and often flew abroad. So, this man in front of them was most likely Zhou Bocan's uncle, the youngest son of Grandma Zhou.
When the white-haired old man saw Grandma Zhou enter the door, he quickly stood up and greeted her respectfully. He went straight to the point, "Old Lady, do you want to buy a house?"
Old Lady Zhou pointed at Wen Liangliang and told him everything about how the old Taoist told Zhou Bocan's fortune. "Now, our Zhou Family owes this lady a favor, so we would like to ask you to help us find a suitable property. The lady doesn't want our money, so we can only ask you to give us a 50% discount, open the internal green channel, and settle this matter quickly. "
Zuo Shugong was the head of the family. He knew that Grandma Zhou valued the eldest son and grandson, and regarded Zhou Bocan as her heart. On the night of Zhou Bocan's wedding banquet, it was decided that the Shing Wong Temple would only be inherited by Zhou Bocan's eldest son. No matter what Old Lady Zhou said, he only did things according to Grandma Zhou's mood.
Grandma Zhou changed her hand and held her chin. She stared at Wen Liangliang sharply, "Lady, you're a smart person. Let's not beat around the bush. If you help Can give birth to a son, not only will you get a house, but you'll also get a lot of alimony, and your child will have this Shing Wong Temple. The mother's status will depend on the son, and the chickens and dogs will ascend to heaven. It's something you can't earn even if you work for a few lifetimes. "
These words made Old Lady Zhou tremble with fear. It was not easy to find a suitable woman to pass the calamity. She read Western books, had modern ideas, and had integrity. How could she accept such outdated ideas? If she was scared away, where could she find another suitable one?
Old Lady Zhou said, "Mom, the couple has a plan. Ning Ning will be pregnant next year. Moreover, there's a precondition for Can to agree to the fake marriage. He said that the fake marriage will be held secretly, and it can't be put in public, which will affect his relationship with Ning Ning. If we have a fake marriage and a surrogacy, he will hate us if Ning Ning divorces him. "
"That Ning Ning is not serious at all. She's as thin as a monkey. Can she give birth?" Grandma Zhou scolded.
"Mom, you can't make things difficult for Miss Wen. She has a husband in Australia, and her child is only a few months old. She brought the child to G City to settle down, and her husband from Australia will follow soon. We can't destroy her happy family." Old Lady Zhou made up a story.
Everyone listened attentively.
Grandma Zhou was still not convinced. She stared at Wen Liangliang and asked, "Are you willing?"
Before getting the marriage certificate, Wen Liangliang had learned that Zhou Bocan and his wife loved each other very much. There were two reasons why she agreed to the fake marriage with Old Lady Zhou. First, she really needed the qualification to buy a house. If she could take a shortcut without spending money, why not? Anyway, she had nothing to lose. Second, she couldn't bear to see her former one-night stand die young. If getting the marriage certificate could solve the problem, she was not in a hurry to get married. She would just treat it as a good deed.
Everyone should not interfere with each other's goals. This was her request. Zhou Bocan would never know that he was ruined by his one-night stand, and she was determined not to break up his family. In half a year, this matter would slowly disappear in the air like smoke, as if it had never appeared.
"I'm not willing." She said very decisively.
Zuo Shugong understood. Before he left, he told Old Lady Zhou that he would definitely help her find a good house.
Everything that needed to be discussed had been discussed. Wen Liangliang was supposed to leave, but Old Lady Zhou insisted on asking her to stay for dinner. "I'll feel bad if I don't treat you to a meal after coming all the way here. I won't be able to sleep well tonight. Today is the first day of the New Year. There will be a blessing ceremony at the Temple of Shing Wong. Tonight, we'll have a big pot of rice. There will be a lot of dishes, and there will be a chef. I guarantee that you'll enjoy it! "
Wen Liangliang was full of expectations, but she soon regretted it.
The so-called chef was Old Lady Zhou. The former chef was the wife of the current manager of the Temple of Shing Wong, Uncle Zhou Bocan. She was also Zhou Bocan's aunt. She passed away last month due to illness. They couldn't find a good chef in a short time, so they could only find Old Lady Zhou to replace her.
Including the Daoist priest and the Zhou Family's relatives, there were a total of more than forty people. Old Lady Zhou started to organize the ingredients in the morning and started to cook after lunch. Now, she was very busy, and the kitchen was in a mess.
Wen Liangliang passed by, and out of courtesy, she asked if there was anything she could help with.
Old Lady Zhou immediately grabbed her and let her help. She let the young Daoist look after Xiang Xiang.
Although Wen Liangliang knew how to cook, she had never cooked Cantonese food before. She didn't know what seasoning to add. What was even weirder was that the huge kitchen didn't burn gas or natural gas, but firewood!
Old Lady Zhou explained, "Chopping firewood can train one's mind and improve one's cultivation. These firewood were chopped by the young Daoist priest, and the wood is expensive!"
Simply put, it was hard to spend money.
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