novellhall Chapter 196 When will the wedding take place?
Chapter 196 When will the wedding take place?
Zhuang Qingxiang was making cotton-padded clothes at home when she saw Niu Jianzhong bring Village Chief Qian and the others in. She was stunned for a moment, then stood up to greet them.
"Comrade Zhuang, Village Chief Qian and the others need to see you..." Niu Jianzhong said awkwardly, "Factory Director Lu asked me to bring them over."
Zhuang Qingxiang frowned, then smiled again: "Thank you for your trouble, Section Chief Niu."
"No trouble at all, I'll be going now. Director Lu will be back in a bit."
As soon as Niu Jianzhong left, Zhuang Qingxiang's face turned cold, and she stared coldly at the three people behind Village Chief Qian.
Her stepfather Qian Dayou, her half-brother Qian Haoqing, and her mother-in-law Li Shufen who kicked her out of the house.
When the three of them arrived at this time, Zhuang Qingxiang knew with her toes that it couldn't be anything good.
Sure enough, before the old village chief could speak, Li Shufen impatiently shouted, "Zhuang Qingxiang, you're my daughter-in-law, and now you're running off with another man? Don't you even respect me?!"
"Li Shufen!" Village Chief Qian roared, unusually addressing Li Shufen by her full name. "What are you saying? If she were your daughter-in-law, why was she kicked out? I remember everything you did, and everyone in the village remembers too. How dare you say such a thing?"
"Village chief, why are you favoring her? We Qians are family. She's an outsider; she's incredibly lucky to have married my son, and now she's even caused his death. Shouldn't I kick her out? Now she wants to run away with another man and take my grandchildren. How can that be allowed? I absolutely refuse!"
"Aunt Li, what you're saying is really unpleasant to hear," Qian Haoqing couldn't help but say. "Back then, you said that Yueyue and Chenglin weren't your family, called them bastards, and kicked my sister and her two children out without giving them a single penny."
Qian Dayou nodded in agreement: "Exactly!"
They also knew that Li Shufen's purpose in coming was simply to seek some benefits, just like them.
Even if there are benefits, there are only so many. If she takes them all, they will get less. How can that be acceptable?
"Alright, all of you shut up!" Village Chief Qian roared irritably.
After the three people shut up, he asked kindly, "Qingxiang, there are rumors that you're going to the provincial capital with Factory Director Lu. Is that true?"
Zhuang Qingxiang pursed her lips and nodded.
Village Chief Qian nervously continued to ask, "Then, what about Cheng Lin...?"
"Cheng Lin and Yue Yue will naturally come with me."
Zhuang Qingxiang glanced at Li Shufen and said softly, "No one else wants either of them except me."
"Yes! I want them! Who says no one wants them!" Li Shufen said eagerly, her face beaming with smiles. "Qingxiang, Chenglin is my grandson, and Yueyue is my granddaughter, of course we want them! But you know our family's situation, feeding two more mouths is not easy. You are their mother, even if you become successful with Director Lu, you can't forget your two children, right? From now on, you can send some money back every month, and I will definitely raise these two children well."
Qian Haoqing panicked upon hearing this and quickly said, "Sister, you can't listen to her. Don't you know what kind of person she is? If you hand the two children over to her, they'll be thrown into the mountains to be fed to wolves sooner or later! Sister, I'm your own brother, and Cheng Lin is my own nephew. I'll help you raise Cheng Lin, and I'll definitely raise him to be plump and healthy."
Zhuang Qingxiang listened, looking at them with a half-smile.
When Qian Dayou saw the two of them speak, he coughed lightly and said, "Qingxiang, what is your status in following Director Lu? Let me tell you, you can't just go with him like this. The betrothal gifts and such haven't been formally discussed yet. What kind of relationship is this? I'm telling you, you should tell him to quickly find a matchmaker to propose marriage to your family. That way, it will be proper."
"Dayou, you've finally said something worthwhile." Village Chief Qian nodded in satisfaction.
These three people insisted on coming along, and since they were all involved with Zhuang Qingxiang, they couldn't leave without them. After all, she was leaving soon, and they needed to make things clear.
As a result, neither Li Shufen nor Qian Haoqing's words were pleasant to hear, only Qian Dayou said something sensible.
"Qingxiang, your father is right. Regarding this matter... hasn't Director Lu given us a definite answer? Shouldn't you two go through with your wedding arrangements first?"
Zhuang Qingxiang frowned slightly, feeling that the old village chief was paying too much attention to her and Lu Congyue's relationship; the expectation in his eyes was undisguised, which was strange...
Qian Dayou felt even more pleased after being praised by the old village chief.
"Qingxiang, we've already compensated you for the conflicts you had with your family before. We're all family, so we shouldn't hold grudges. Now that you have a powerful backer like Director Lu, you're sure to have a bright future. You can't forget your younger siblings."
"You raised your three younger brothers single-handedly, and they're all grown up now. But our family isn't capable, so the three of them can only make a living by farming. You know how hard their lives are. So... do you think we could get three job openings while Director Lu is still here?"
Qian Dayou asked tentatively, glancing at Zhuang Qingxiang's expression as he spoke. Seeing her face darken, he quickly changed his mind, "Three is a bit too much... two is fine too, um... one! Just one is enough! Haoqing is your own brother, you can't just abandon him, can you?"
"Also, we can discuss the bride price. If one hundred is not enough, how about eighty-eight? That number is auspicious."
No sooner had Qian Dayou finished speaking than Li Shufen jumped up and shouted, "You still want a bride price? She hasn't gone back to her parents' home, so she's still my daughter-in-law. If she wants to remarry, she needs my approval to get married in my family. The bride price should be given to me!"
"Pah!" Qian Dayou spat. "Have you no shame? Go ask around, which family's remarried daughter gives her dowry to her former mother-in-law?"
"Daughter? Have you forgotten that you don't acknowledge this daughter at all? And Qian Haoqing, how dare you call her 'sister'? When she came to your house, you didn't even open the door." Li Shufen spat back.
Seeing that a quarrel was about to break out, Village Chief Qian's face turned pale with anger: "Both of you shut up, stop arguing, Qingxiang hasn't said anything yet."
"I have nothing to say," Zhuang Qingxiang said expressionlessly. "I can't do any of what you're talking about. As for my husband's family and my own family, I don't recognize them. Yueyue and Chenglin are my children. I would rather starve to death than abandon them. They will definitely stay with me."
Li Shufen and Qian Haoqing immediately became anxious and argued that she had no say in the matter. The children all had the surname Qian and were from their Dongya Village. They couldn't let an outsider like her take them away.
Just as they were arguing fiercely, Lu Congyue hurriedly returned.
"What's all this noise about?" he shouted as he entered the room, his brow furrowed. "Is this a place for you to throw a tantrum?!"
The two of them immediately shut their mouths.
Qian Dayou secretly rejoiced that he hadn't gotten involved. Now, he felt apprehensive whenever he saw Lu Congyue, thinking about the money Lu had taken from him—his entire fortune!