Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Back to the Eighties: A Beloved Marriage
Cheng Fangfang did not know that Qi Juanjuan had already been kicked out by Grandma Qi and had gone to Zhao Lei's house instead of returning home. Since she hadn’t seen Qi Juanjuan's figure come back, she assumed that Qi Juanjuan was performing well in front of Grandma Qi, which lifted Cheng Fangfang's spirits considerably.
“Mom, why haven’t I seen Juanjuan?” It was rare for Qi Tingting to return home, but not seeing Qi Juanjuan surprised her.
Ever since Tao Tao got married, Qi Tingting had been spending less and less time at home, often staying overnight in the county.
According to her arrangement with Cheng Fangfang, she had good friends in the county and didn’t want to walk back to Willow Leaf Village, so she simply stayed over at her friend's place.
Cheng Fangfang had always been very confident about Qi Tingting. Their family’s Qi Tingting was so good and so beautiful; what was strange about having a few good friends? Not at all!
Therefore, Cheng Fangfang never asked where Qi Tingting spent the night or interfered much with her freedom.
If it were Qi Juanjuan, Cheng Fangfang would be more vigilant. But with Qi Tingting, Cheng Fangfang felt completely at ease.
Both of her daughters were beautiful. However, when it came to brains, Tingting was smarter and wouldn’t be taken advantage of outside. Unlike Juanjuan, who couldn’t even figure out who Zhao Lei liked, wasting all those years of careful teaching.
Cheng Fangfang clearly forgot that Qi Tingting’s intelligence wasn’t that high either; otherwise, she wouldn’t have repeatedly embarrassed herself over the Tao Tao incident.
In her eyes, both of her daughters were the best no matter what. Even if Qi Juanjuan had some flaws due to not being smart enough, she was still much better than other girls.
Hearing Qi Tingting ask about Qi Juanjuan, Cheng Fangfang couldn’t help but smile proudly: “Your sister has accomplished something big today; we’re all waiting to enjoy the blessings!”
“Hmm?” It wasn’t that Qi Tingting didn’t believe Cheng Fangfang’s words; it was just that she didn’t have much trust in Qi Juanjuan either.
What could Qi Juanjuan possibly accomplish? Qi Tingting couldn’t help but show a doubtful expression: “Mom, are you sure?”
“What’s there to be unsure about? Let me tell you the truth: your sister is currently trying hard to please your grandma at your Uncle’s house! You know that your Uncle’s family is no longer what it used to be; things have changed. Once your sister wins over your grandma, won’t we all enjoy the good life together?” Cheng Fangfang became more excited as she spoke, her face glowing with joy as if she could hardly contain herself from jumping up.
Finally, Qi Juanjuan can be of some use. Over the years, her two daughters have always found Tingting more likable, while Juanjuan has seemed rather dull in comparison.
However, starting from today, Cheng Fangfang feels that she needs to look at Qi Juanjuan in a new light.
Cheng Fangfang was laughing happily and freely, but the next moment, Qi Tingting's words fell like a bucket of cold water, splashing heavily on Cheng Fangfang's head: "But when I just came back and passed by Uncle's house, I didn't see Juanjuan there!"
Cheng Fangfang's smile froze instantly, and her tone became particularly stiff: "Are you sure?"
The same question from Cheng Fangfang sounded much more frightening than Qi Tingting's earlier inquiry.
After all, Qi Tingting had just been asking innocently. At this moment, Cheng Fangfang was genuinely brewing doubts and anger.
To be honest, Cheng Fangfang did not doubt that Qi Tingting would lie. There was no need for Qi Tingting to deceive her about this matter.
So, Qi Juanjuan really wasn't at the Qi Zheng Family?
Where could Qi Juanjuan have gone? She hadn't been seen all morning; surely she wasn't just in the bathroom?
This reasoning flashed through Cheng Fangfang's mind but was immediately dismissed.
It was too ridiculous and unbelievable! Cheng Fangfang considered herself neither a fool nor an idiot; she couldn't possibly act foolishly at such a time or miss the truth of the matter. "I'm sure! Uncle's front door is open, Grandma and Aunt are outside coaxing Guo Guo and Dou Dou. Sun Qiuer seems to be cooking in the kitchen; I didn't see Zhao Jin around—she's probably hiding inside making clothes..." Qi Tingting had not just glanced casually but had stared intently for quite a while.
Of course, Qi Tingting wasn't there to greet anyone from the Qi Family. She was just hoping to see if Tao Tao had come over to visit.
If Tao Tao had been there, she would definitely have gone in to take a look. But since she didn't find any sign of Tao Tao, Qi Tingting naturally turned around without entering.
Because she was looking for Tao Tao, Qi Tingting had observed carefully and clearly. Therefore, she was quite confident in her answer and emphasized her tone: "Juanjuan wouldn't have gotten into some trouble and is too scared to come back, right?"
Get up, Qi Juanjuan's courage is indeed not as great as Tingting's. If Tingting makes a mistake, she never feels afraid or terrified. Even when facing Cheng Fangfang's stern expression, she remains unfazed.
But Qi Juanjuan is different. She is still very afraid of Cheng Fangfang. Sometimes when she makes a mistake, she doesn't dare to admit it and just hides away, praying that Cheng Fangfang won't find out.
Given that Qi Juanjuan has a history of hiding, Tingting immediately made this guess. And this guess quickly gained Cheng Fangfang's approval.
"That little brat! Always causing trouble! Just wait until she comes back; I'll deal with her!" Cheng Fangfang was so angry that she couldn't even eat. She slammed the table and cursed with a fierce expression.
It was such a waste of her happiness for so long, enjoying herself at home like an idiot, almost losing all her dignity.
And what happened? That little brat Qi Juanjuan repaid her like this? It's truly infuriating!
Tingting immediately fell silent. She lowered her head and continued to eat happily.
In their family, it had always been her receiving praise. Qi Juanjuan only enjoyed the benefits of being with her. How could it possibly turn into her enjoying Qi Juanjuan's benefits? Who was her mother insulting?
Of course, Cheng Fangfang could not know about Tingting's thoughts regarding Qi Juanjuan. She would never expect that Tingting was deliberately giving Qi Juanjuan a hard time, waiting for her return to be scolded and punished.
At this moment, all Cheng Fangfang could think about was how to properly deal with Qi Juanjuan later.
Qi Juanjuan's mood was also not very good at the moment. It was worse than being scolded and beaten by Cheng Fangfang at home.
If she had known that seeking out Zhao Lei would lead to this result, she would have preferred not to look for him and just go home directly.
Unfortunately, there are no "if only" scenarios in this world. Whether Qi Juanjuan wanted it or not, she came to find Zhao Lei, and that was the reality she had to face.
Zhao Lei did not expect that Qi Juanjuan would come to find him. Or rather, he did not anticipate that her visit was about him asking his grandmother to propose to Qi Yuehong.
Originally, because he had failed to successfully propose, Zhao Lei was already feeling quite irritated. Especially after his grandmother returned and mentioned the Qi Zheng's Family, it was nothing but stern faces and curses.
Zhao Lei has already realized that the relationship between him and Qi Yuehong is going to be a long and uncertain wait.
Under such circumstances, how could Zhao Lei feel good?
But just at this moment, Qi Juanjuan came over. The reason was to question him about the truth of his proposal to Qi Yuehong.
Indeed, it was a questioning. It was really ridiculous; did Qi Juanjuan think she was someone important to him? What right did she have to come to his house and question him?
Little did he know that Qi Juanjuan's mother had brought up the matter of marrying Qi Juanjuan to him in front of Grandma Qi and others.
He thought it was perfectly fine for his grandmother to propose marriage; how could Qi Zheng's Family possibly refuse? It turned out that the unexpected element was Qi Juanjuan!
Just thinking that if it weren't for Qi Juanjuan's sudden appearance, his marriage with Qi Yuehong might have been settled by now made Zhao Lei extremely furious with Qi Juanjuan.
Now seeing that Qi Juanjuan actually dared to appear in front of him, Zhao Lei's anger had already reached its peak. A not-so-friendly "What do you want?" was enough to express his disgust and resentment towards Qi Juanjuan at this moment.
However, Qi Juanjuan did not realize that Zhao Lei's anger was directed at her. She thought Zhao Lei was angry at Grandma Zhao's presumptuousness, so she stubbornly started arguing with Zhao Lei.
After just a few exchanges, Qi Juanjuan began to cry.
Zhao Lei had never been this fierce with her before. In the past, Zhao Lei only bullied Qi Yuehong and never her. But today, Zhao Lei was so rude to her while repeatedly claiming he liked Qi Yuehong?
Impossible! How could that be? The person Zhao Lei liked was clearly her, not Qi Yuehong!
Zhao Lei must have been brainwashed by Grandma Zhao. Otherwise, Grandma Zhao must have coerced Zhao Lei into this.
Standing in front of Zhao Lei while sobbing, Qi Juanjuan didn't know what else to say when she was abruptly interrupted by Zhao Lei.
"Qi Juanjuan, I warn you not to ruin my plans. I am determined to marry Qi Yuehong; if you dare to interfere again, just watch me make it so you can't even leave your house!" Zhao Lei's threat seemed not very fierce. However, the underlying meaning still hurt Qi Juanjuan deeply.
It seems that Zhao Lei really doesn't like her. That's why he doesn't treat her like a girl and uses threats to intimidate the boys against her. She...
Cannot accept this reality at all. Qi Juanjuan stood there crying, shaking her head repeatedly, unwilling to leave.
Zhao Lei's temper was already not very good, and at this moment, Qi Juanjuan's reaction made him even more irritable. Without thinking, he shouted at Qi Juanjuan, "Why are you crying? You ruined my engagement, and I haven't cried yet! Do you still have the face to come to me and cry? Don't think that just because you're Qi Yuehong's cousin, I'll go easy on you. You haven't been nice to Qi Yuehong either; you've bullied her for so many years at school. Do you really think I would let you off because of Qi Yuehong? Dream on!" Zhao Lei was straightforward, piling one sentence on top of another, completely ignoring how hard Qi Juanjuan was crying.
He had to admit that Zhao Lei was speaking his true feelings at that moment.
He genuinely believed that marrying Qi Yuehong was a natural thing. Although he didn't do well in school and didn't get into high school, he was good-looking, tall, and came from a decent family. With such conditions, how could he not marry Qi Yuehong?
He and Qi Yuehong had been classmates for so many years! No matter what, there was a foundation of feelings there.
No matter how Zhao Lei thought about it, he felt it was a matter of course. Therefore, he never worried about the possibility of his grandmother coming back empty-handed from this incident.
However, in reality, the Qi Family's rejection not only struck his grandmother but also left him with an emotional scar.
Qi Juanjuan still dared to come find him; he wanted to go to the county high school to ask Qi Yuehong for clarification!
But compared to Qi Juanjuan, Zhao Lei was a little clearer-headed.
It was obvious that Qi Yuehong wasn't home and had no idea that he had gone to the Qi Family to propose. If he rashly went to school to find Qi Yuehong, it would only backfire. Who knows? Maybe Qi Yuehong would have been willing to marry him but would get angry and unwilling now.
With such concerns in mind, Zhao Lei stayed home honestly without taking any action.
At this moment, he was more focused on how to approach Grandma Qi and others. Then he would break through the defenses of the Qi Family's heart and ultimately fulfill his wish of marrying Qi Yuehong.
As for Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju, they were elders; Zhao Lei couldn't just go flatter them or try to connect with them. It was both because he wasn't familiar with them and because Zhao Lei couldn't bring himself to do it.
After thinking it over, Zhao Lei's mind went through several rounds, and the final choice, unsurprisingly, was still the only one left: Zhao Jin.
When Zhao Jin was mentioned, Zhao Lei's mood didn't improve much; he felt even less relaxed and happy.
He should have let his sister marry into the Qi Family from the start. Why did they have to make such a fuss? In the end, it just benefited Zhao Jin.
Now, when he needed help and support, he would have to go find Zhao Jin and say nice things. Wasn't this just asking for trouble and unnecessary effort?
He thought about how if Zhao Ying'er were the one marrying Qi Zheng at this moment, she wouldn't need him to say a word; she could immediately bring Qi Yuehong home. But with Zhao Jin, he would still have to put in a lot of effort...
Zhao Lei couldn't help but curse out loud.
Which idiot from the Qi Family decided that Zhao Jin should marry in her place? What was wrong with the Qi Family? Look at how well they are living now; can anyone from Willow Leaf Village compare?
And that Wu Family was nothing but a rooster that wouldn't lay eggs. What good were their conditions? Did his sister gain even a little benefit? Did their Zhao Family get any advantage?
It was all a waste of effort! Just thinking about it made him irritated and angry!
Zhao Lei's frustration and anger were lost on Zhao Jin, who he was complaining about. Even Qi Juanjuan, standing in front of him, felt a bit confused about how to respond.
She genuinely liked Zhao Lei and thought he felt the same way about her. But in reality, Zhao Lei had no feelings for her...
Grinding her teeth, Qi Juanjuan reluctantly tried to think further but truly didn't want to admit that she was just being overly sentimental.
At that moment, Chen Cui came out to call Zhao Lei home for dinner and noticed Qi Juanjuan's presence.
Compared to Grandma Zhao, Chen Cui was somewhat satisfied with Qi Juanjuan.
After all, she was better than Qi Yuehong, right? What was so great about Qi Yuehong? She dared to put on airs and negotiate with their family, really thinking she was some coveted prize?
As for the Qi Zheng Family, Chen Cui indeed had her eyes on it. However, she was not as eager as Grandma Zhao to make a move on Qi Juanjuan, especially not at the expense of her precious son.
In Chen Cui's eyes, Qi Yuehong was completely unworthy of their Zhao Lei. She was determined to take advantage of the Qi Family's resources, but there was no rush for her at the moment.
Chen Cui planned to wait until Zhao Ying'er gave birth and returned to the Zhao Family before properly calculating her strategy against the Qi Zheng Family.
Chen Cui understood the priorities in this matter very clearly. Naturally, she was unwilling to let Zhao Lei wade into this murky water.
Of course, Chen Cui's dislike for Qi Yuehong did not mean she liked Qi Juanjuan wholeheartedly either.
However, Chen Cui could see that Qi Juanjuan cared much more about Zhao Lei and held him in higher regard.
Someone like Qi Yuehong, who thought too highly of herself just because she was in high school and looked down on their Zhao Lei, would definitely be a disaster if brought into their family. It would create chaos and prevent them from living a peaceful life. But if it were someone like Qi Juanjuan, who was easier to manage, the situation would be entirely different. Chen Cui was confident that she could handle Qi Juanjuan and keep her in check.
Comment 0 Comment Count