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Back to the 80s: A Marriage of Convenience
Zhao Jin could clearly sense that Grandma Qi was furious.
Considering the elderly woman's health, Zhao Jin didn't think twice and stepped forward to support Grandma Qi, helping her back into the house.
Cheng Fangfang wanted to call out to Grandma Qi. Without Grandma Qi here, how would she argue and reason with Qi Zheng's Family?
In Cheng Fangfang's eyes, Grandma Qi had always been her shield against trouble.
No matter what good things Grandma Qi said, it didn't matter to her; she was sure that Grandma Qi would endure it.
However, after being nearly scolded by Grandma Qi just moments ago, Cheng Fangfang felt a bit of cowardice and guilt creeping in.
She couldn't shake the feeling that if Grandma Qi stayed any longer, she would be scolded even more harshly.
Thus, seeing Grandma Qi being helped away, Cheng Fangfang quietly sighed in relief.
At the same time, Cheng Fangfang shifted her focus to Zhou Ju: “Sister-in-law, you…”
Without Grandma Qi, it was time to turn her attention to Zhou Ju. Confident that she knew enough about Zhou Ju, Cheng Fangfang felt quite assured in this matter.
“Whatever it is, just talk to Qi Zheng. Don't come to me; I can't make decisions,” Zhou Ju waved her hand, cutting off Cheng Fangfang before turning and heading into the kitchen.
Zhou Ju was very self-aware. When it came to verbal skills, she knew she couldn't outmatch Cheng Fangfang. So, it was better to leave it to Qi Zheng to handle!
With Qi Zheng around, Zhou Ju believed that at least it wouldn't be like every time she was pressured by Cheng Fangfang when dealing with Grandma Qi.
When only Qi Zheng and Cheng Fangfang were left standing in the yard, Cheng Fangfang instinctively glanced in the direction Zhou Ju had left.
No matter what, she didn't want to face Qi Zheng! Although Qi Zheng was younger, her presence was something Cheng Fangfang couldn't handle.
Qi Zheng didn't take the initiative to speak. After standing still for a minute and seeing that Cheng Fangfang had no intention of saying anything either, she turned and walked toward the place where furniture was usually made, picking up a piece of wood to start working.
Cheng Fangfang opened her mouth but then closed it again.
No, she needed to think it over and organize her words before slowly talking to Qi Zheng.
When Zhao Jin returned to the yard after dropping off Grandma Qi, she saw a quiet and silent scene where neither party was interfering with the other.
Seeing that Cheng Fangfang had calmed down, Zhao Jin planned to go back inside to continue making clothes.
However, Cheng Fangfang did not give Zhao Jin that opportunity.
Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju had left quickly, and she hadn't had time to stop them. Qi Zheng was also someone difficult to provoke; she couldn't confront her. So, she decided to take it out on Zhao Jin instead. With this thought in mind, Cheng Fangfang directly blocked Zhao Jin's path: "Jin, shouldn't you be doing something? Helping your maternal family brother earn money from the in-law family, don't you feel embarrassed? Even if you keep taking from your maternal family, you can't do this! Do you really see yourself as part of our Qi family? Isn't that a bit unreasonable?"
As Cheng Fangfang spoke these words, she deliberately lowered her voice. From time to time, she glanced toward where the Zhao brothers were.
Since Qi Zheng had resumed her work, Zhao Zhenqi and Zhao Zhenan ignored Cheng Fangfang's presence and continued their tasks.
At this moment, the scene is quite reminiscent of Qi Zheng going to Zhao Jin's Family to deliver the Bride Price. At that time, the three brothers of Qi Zheng also witnessed Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui looking for trouble, much like the Zhao Brothers are now witnessing Cheng Fangfang's shameless behavior.
The feelings of the three brothers of Qi Zheng back then were similar to those of the Zhao Brothers now.
Who doesn't have a few annoying relatives? The Zhao Family has Zhao Fourth Aunt and Chen Cui, while the Qi Family has Aunt Qi and Cheng Fangfang. In a way, they can be considered kindred spirits.
The Zhao Brothers did not look over this way, so they did not notice that Cheng Fangfang had once again stopped Zhao Jin. This development truly relieved Cheng Fangfang and gave her more confidence.
Zhao Jin, however, did not expect that Cheng Fangfang would have the audacity to stand here and accuse her of being unqualified to be a daughter-in-law of the Qi Family. With wide eyes in disbelief, Zhao Jin exclaimed, "Where does Second Aunt get such a big face? Doesn't Second Aunt ever look in the mirror? Comparing Second Aunt's actions over the years with mine, who is truly the more qualified daughter-in-law of the Qi Family? Doesn't Second Aunt know in her heart?"
Cheng Fangfang was clearly choked by Zhao Jin's words.
Looking incredulously at Zhao Jin, who dared to retort her, Cheng Fangfang seriously contemplated whether she should just slap her and teach her how to behave properly.
However, Cheng Fangfang did not dare to do so. She had not forgotten that the Zhao Brothers were still in the courtyard. If she dared to lay a hand on Zhao Jin, she feared that she would be the next one to be hit.
The current situation was clearly more unfavorable for her. Cheng Fangfang gritted her teeth and momentarily did not know what to do.
In the end, Cheng Fangfang gained nothing and left in a huff.
Today, she misjudged the timing and chose an inappropriate moment. Next time when the Zhao Brothers are not around, she will see how to properly teach Zhao Jin a lesson.
The turmoil brought by Cheng Fangfang left Qi Family feeling frustrated and irritated. After Cheng Fangfang's departure, it dissipated once again.
Because there were no longer any expectations, whatever Cheng Fangfang did or said didn’t seem that important anymore.
However, the matter of Cheng Fangfang and Qi Erzhu wanting to take advantage of others still left a mark in the hearts of Qi Zheng's Family. Without needing to say much, everyone was united in their resolve not to let Cheng Fangfang and Qi Erzhu act recklessly.
Originally, after returning, Cheng Fangfang was indeed prepared to plan things out carefully. After all, haste makes waste!
However, with the return of Qi Juanjuan at the end of the month, Cheng Fangfang's mood immediately soured.
Especially after hearing that Qi Juanjuan and Zhao Jin had gone to school to see Qi Yuehong and Qi Rui, bringing along all kinds of meat and vegetables, as well as giving them five dollars each for living expenses, and even canned food that their family rarely could afford… “Oh great! Are they trying to play poor with me? They can afford canned food now but still dare to say they have no money and want your dad to work for them for free? Not a chance! How thick-skinned can they be!” Cheng Fangfang cursed while heading out, determined to confront Qi Zheng's Family about this.
This time, Qi Erzhu was also seething with anger, silently following behind Cheng Fangfang.
He knew about the last time Cheng Fangfang went to Qi Zheng's Family. He thought that with Cheng Fangfang taking the lead, everything would go smoothly without any unexpected issues.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Fangfang returned empty-handed. Moreover, it was said that Cheng Fangfang had been blocked by the people from Qi Zheng's Family?
For a moment, Qi Erzhu couldn't believe what Cheng Fangfang was saying.
What a joke! What kind of temper did his mother have? What kind of personality did his older brother's wife have? Each one more honest than the last, how could they possibly team up to block Cheng Fangfang? It would be more believable if Cheng Fangfang single-handedly blocked the entire Qi Zheng family!
However, Cheng Fangfang indeed returned filled with frustration. And the matter of helping out at Qi Zheng's Family hadn’t been resolved either?
No matter how he thought about it, it felt unbelievable, but Qi Erzhu could only hold back for now.
Qi Feng's legs needed treatment, and it was impossible to do so without spending money. Qi Erzhu was well aware of this, which is why he had kept his distance early in the morning.
Now, being dragged into this matter by Qi Zheng's Family, Qi Erzhu felt both dissatisfied and somewhat guilty.
If he were to share the burden of Qi Feng, Qi Erzhu would never agree to it and absolutely would not do it.
So, just as Cheng Fangfang suggested, he decided to endure for now and think of other ways later.
However, it wasn't until Qi Juanjuan returned from school that Qi Erzhu finally realized he had been deceived!
If the person deceiving him had been Cheng Fangfang, Qi Erzhu might have been able to tolerate it. But the fact that it was his most trusted older brother's family? That was unacceptable.
Feeling deeply betrayed, Qi Erzhu angrily headed straight for Qi Zheng's Family.
This time, he intended to reason with his brother's family properly.
Since their parents were involved, Qi Tingting and Qi Juanjuan exchanged glances and immediately went together to Qi Zheng's Family without hesitation.
They were also eager to see for themselves just how wealthy Uncle's family had become.
It was infuriating that Uncle's family enjoyed benefits while neglecting their nieces!
At Qi Zheng's Family, Qi Yuehong and Qi Rui had also returned.
Thinking about how hard the two children had worked at school, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju prepared a particularly lavish lunch.
At this moment, Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang's family arrived.
"Wow, look at the food at Sister-in-law's place, it really makes my mouth water, I'm so envious! Hurry up, Sister-in-law, bring us some bowls and chopsticks so we can all eat together!" Seeing the delicious food on the table, Cheng Fangfang unceremoniously sat down and reached for the dishes.
Zhao Jin had never seen someone so shameless. Even Zhao Fourth Aunt Chen Cui couldn't reach this level.
At the very least, Chen Cui cared about her reputation and dignity.
Frowning, Zhao Jin quickly blocked Cheng Fangfang's hand with his chopsticks: "Second Aunt, could you please wash your hands first? How can others eat if you just grab food with your hands like that?"
"Tsk tsk, we're all from farm families; who is more precious than whom? You think my hands are dirty? I think your plates aren't clean either!" After being hit by Zhao Jin's chopsticks, Cheng Fangfang instantly got angry and retorted sarcastically.
What's the big deal about using hands to grab food? It's really pretentious and overly particular.
"If you think the plates are dirty, then don't eat; who cares?" With one thing leading to another, Grandma Qi was no longer as gentle and kind as before when faced with Cheng Fangfang.
After all, she had already exchanged words with Cheng Fangfang last time; this time Grandma Qi was even more natural and skilled in her response.
Grandma Qi's words were unexpected for Qi Erzhu. However, Grandma Qi's intervention did change Qi Erzhu's perspective.
No wonder Cheng Fangfang didn't gain any advantage last time; he didn't expect even his mother to become so tough with her words.
This shouldn't be happening! His mother had never quarreled with the villagers in their hometown; how could she suddenly become so harsh in her old age?
Someone must have taught her!
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Qi Erzhu's gaze settled on Zhao Jin.
If there were to be any changes in her elder brother's family recently, it could only be due to the new daughter-in-law, Zhao Jin, leading them astray. Qi Erzhu felt uncomfortable and even began actively searching for the root cause. Cheng Fangfang, who had already experienced this once, adapted well and immediately retorted, "Mother, what you're saying is not right. No matter what, I am also a daughter-in-law of the Qi Family. Can’t I even have a meal at your place? I don’t see that my brother’s sister-in-law is such a stingy person! If this gets out, it would be so embarrassing!"
Cheng Fangfang said this while her hand reached for the plate again.
What kind of joke was this? The meat dishes were right in front of her; if she didn’t eat them, it would be a waste! She wouldn’t neglect her own stomach!
Once again, Cheng Fangfang's hand was stopped. This time, it was not Zhao Jin who stopped her but Grandma Qi.
"Cheng Fangfang, get out!" Grandma Qi pointed outside with a dark face, showing no mercy to Cheng Fangfang.
Did they not want such a daughter-in-law in the Qi Family? "Mother, isn’t this a bit too much? I’m just eating a piece of meat from your house; do you want to chase me away with a knife? My daughters Tingting and Juanjuan are both hungry! Your own granddaughters come to your house, and you don’t even want to take care of a meal?" Cheng Fangfang didn’t mind being scolded by Grandma Qi; what she cared about was whether she could get this meal into her mouth.
Faced with Grandma Qi's anger, Cheng Fangfang pulled her two daughters out as shields.
"We have guests at home today and won’t keep you for dinner." Since it was lunchtime, Zhao Zhenqi and his brother would definitely stay at the Qi Family for a meal. Grandma Qi's reasoning was quite legitimate and indisputable. "It’s because we have guests that our family should stay for this meal! Otherwise, next time we come over, we’ll have to trouble Sister-in-law to cook another meal, right? It’s so tiring to be busy back and forth!" Cheng Fangfang was no fool. She knew very well that with the Zhao Brothers present, the dishes on the dining table were likely to be this abundant.
Next time they came over themselves, Zhou Ju might just serve them a pot of cabbage to send off their family of four!
Therefore, Cheng Fangfang was determined to stay and have this meal.
At the same time, Qi Tingting and Qi Juanjuan also sat down on either side of Cheng Fangfang, unwilling to be outdone.
Like Cheng Fangfang, the two sisters, Qi Tingting, could not move away from the table once they saw meat.
The saying "like mother, like daughter" is not without reason.
Faced with the thick-skinned Qi Ershu family, Qi Zheng's Family was truly at a loss for words.
At that moment, Zhao Jin suddenly stood up and quickly walked toward the door.
Noticing that Zhao Jin's expression was off, Qi Zheng immediately got up to follow. Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju also hurriedly looked over.
Then, everyone present heard Zhao Jin retching outside.
Qi Yuehong immediately poured a glass of warm water and took it out to Zhao Jin.
The faces of Qi Ershu's family darkened completely.
What does this mean? Is Zhao Jin saying that their family of four is too disgusting?
One shouldn't go too far! Just as Cheng Fangfang was about to slam the table in anger, she heard Qi Ze rudely urging them to leave: "If Second Uncle and Second Aunt have nothing else, you should take Tingting and Juanjuan back! My Sister-in-law is unwell." "What does it matter if she's unwell? It's not like we caused it! Qi Ze, how can you be so disrespectful? Who allowed you to speak like that to your elders? And you're asking your Second Uncle to leave? This is your own Second Uncle!" Faced with Qi Ze's blatant disdain, Cheng Fangfang immediately retorted defiantly.
“Second Brother!” The voice that spoke was no longer Qi Ze, but Qi Dayong. Of course, when Qi Dayong said “Second Brother,” he was not referring to Qi Ze, but to Qi Erzhu.
Without even glancing at Cheng Fangfang, Qi Dayong fixed his gaze on Qi Erzhu: “Take your wife and daughter back to your own home.”
Qi Dayong rarely displayed such assertiveness. However, even honest people have their limits. When pushed too hard, the anger of an honest person can be even more frightening.
Qi Erzhu grew up with Qi Dayong and always thought of this older brother as someone easy to bully. Yet when Qi Dayong put on a serious face, Qi Erzhu instantly became speechless.
Cheng Fangfang did not realize the seriousness of the situation. Still believing she had control over the situation, she pouted and was about to retort to Qi Dayong, only to be pulled by Qi Erzhu on the arm.
Turning around in confusion, Cheng Fangfang asked with a puzzled expression, “What’s wrong?”
“Let’s go home,” Qi Erzhu said in a low voice, but his tone was extremely firm.
“I’m not going.” Suddenly being told to leave by Qi Erzhu, Cheng Fangfang naturally refused. She hadn’t even finished her meal; why should she leave?
“I said, let’s go!” Qi Erzhu tugged at Cheng Fangfang’s arm forcefully, his face dark with anger.
Caught off guard, Cheng Fangfang stumbled and nearly fell from her chair.
Irritated and wanting to shake off Qi Erzhu’s hand but unable to do so, Cheng Fangfang became displeased and shouted directly at Qi Erzhu: “If you want to go, you go by yourself; I’m not going!”
“Cheng Fangfang, are you looking for a fight?” Qi Erzhu also cared about his pride. With so many people watching, it would be too embarrassing if he couldn’t even take his own wife home.
Thus, Qi Erzhu’s attitude was unprecedentedly tough, and his voice grew louder.
Since Cheng Fangfang married Qi Erzhu, Qi Erzhu has always listened to her in everything. So even though she often feels that Qi Erzhu is not very ambitious and doesn't earn much money, Cheng Fangfang has held back her frustrations.
Her life is just enough to get by, but more than sufficient compared to others. Looking at Sister-in-law Zhou Ju's life after marrying into the Qi Family, and then comparing it to her own, Cheng Fangfang still feels quite satisfied.
Today is the first time Qi Erzhu has shown her a dark face, and it was in front of his older brother and the whole family...
Glancing at Zhao Zhenqi and Zhao Zhenan, who were also sitting at the dining table, Cheng Fangfang suddenly felt that she had embarrassed herself in front of the Zhao Family. In an instant, her anger erupted, and her expression turned ugly: "Qi Erzhu, who are you yelling at?"
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