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Valentin's mother immediately broke into a smile, and Old Russian set down his wine glass, pulling out a cigarette to light up. "You’re not kidding me, are you?"
"Really," Valentin replied with a grin. "In just over ten days, we'll be having our reunion dinner. I plan to bring Vika over for you two to meet. Plus, I’ll take her along for a meal. She lives near Watzke in Klein Village, and I have a new car to pick her up. It’ll be good for her family’s reputation too, don’t you think?"
"That sounds good," Gennady nodded. "But you two are still quite young; I can't shake the feeling that it’s a bit unreliable."
"Are you going to live at home after getting married, or move out?" Ivanov asked curiously.
Lao San scratched his head. "I guess I’ll have to move out. Our family is just too small; if I get married, I’m afraid there won’t be enough space at home."
"You can stay at home if you want," Gennady said as he stubbed out his cigarette. "Makarov told us old-timers that if the youngest son is willing to work on the farm, he’ll get a permanent spot once he turns of age. Your second sister is dating someone in Saint Petersburg, so she probably won’t be coming back."
"With only you left at home, when you’re older, my spot will go to you. By then, your mother and I can help take care of your kids. After the New Year, we can expand our house."
"We can move the storage shed behind and build a new row of wooden huts. Your second sister’s room and the guest room can be modified for your brother’s kids as bedrooms. This way, it’ll be easier for your mother and me to look after them."
"That sounds good!" Valentin was thrilled and happily dug into his meal. "Sister-in-law, do you know Vika?"
Nadia tilted her head in thought before shaking it. "I haven’t heard that name; she’s probably from far away."
The family enjoyed their meal with laughter and chatter. In stark contrast was Valery's family. Lafu sighed at the dining table. "It’s all Alexei’s fault; he should have taken care of her father too, but he refuses. What are we going to do now?"
Valery took a swig of his drink. "What did he say?"
"If he wants to marry Natasha, fine, but first he has to support her father and give him one hundred thousand rubles for drinking money every month. If there are any gambling debts, he has to pay those off too."
"Is he doing this on purpose?" Valery's eldest son and son-in-law were immediately alarmed; wasn’t this just taking advantage of the younger brother?
"Younger brother," his sister chimed in, "I’ll introduce you to a girl from the city who is guaranteed to be prettier than Natasha."
Lafu's older sister muttered gloomily, "What kind of conditions does our family have? I wouldn’t even look at them."
"It’s not like you’re going to live with them; keep your comments to yourself."
Her husband nudged her with his leg and served their daughter a piece of beef, which was from the ranch's prized cattle—a rare treat. Valery thought for a moment, downed his drink, and stared at the sullen Old Son. "Have you made up your mind? Is it really this girl?"
"Yes! I took one look at her and knew she was the one. She's much better than the partners Zhukov and Valentin have. Her personality is quite similar to Sister Lana's; otherwise, she wouldn't be working herself to the bone every day, even putting herself in debt for her father. A girl like that would make for a good life."
Hearing his younger brother say this, Valery's eldest son glanced at his father, tracing the edge of his fork along his neck. The others continued eating in silence. Valery had faced pressure from creditors after his business failed in the big city, but those who came to collect were also the ones who had lost money alongside him.
Desperate, he borrowed a sum from a notorious loan shark and, after settling his debts, took his two sons—still quite young at the time—and lay low for a few days. They waited for an opportunity to take out the leader of their troubles before packing up and returning to village life.
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