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Back to the 80s: A Marriage of Convenience
Upon hearing that Zhao Guoqiang would not be coming back, Grandfather Zhao felt a sense of urgency and wanted to seize this opportunity. Otherwise, who knows where he would find Zhao Guoqiang in the future!
"Have you decided when you will move? I can have your fourth brother come over to help you with the move," Grandfather Zhao suggested. His intention was not merely to assist Zhao Guoqiang's family with moving.
In fact, Grandfather Zhao wanted Zhao Guofu to go to the city early to familiarize himself with the area. This way, many things would be easier to manage in the future.
"No need. We can handle it ourselves; we have enough manpower," Zhao Guoqiang replied. It was clear that Grandfather Zhao's intentions were not hidden from him. Just from Zhao Guoqiang alone, he immediately guessed what was going on. He shook his head and said.
"How can you do it yourself? Moving is a big deal and also a joyous occasion. Let your fourth brother come and help you," Grandfather Zhao insisted, adopting a serious tone as if he were making decisions for Zhao Guoqiang.
Without Grandma Zhao's shouting, Grandfather Zhao's voice was equally annoying.
Zhao Jin pouted, too lazy to deal with both Grandfather and Grandma Zhao. She waited until Zhao Zhenqi and the others had moved most of their things before waving goodbye to Zhao Guoqiang and Xu Mei and turning to leave.
As long as she, the one in charge, was not present, no matter how much Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao schemed, it would ultimately be useless.
She looked forward to seeing Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao end up empty-handed. That would surely be satisfying.
Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao were so preoccupied that they did not notice Zhao Jin leaving. By the time they realized they wanted to stop her, she had already gotten into the car waiting outside and left without looking back.
As a result, Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao felt somewhat regretful. Turning around to argue with Zhao Guoqiang's family again, they were stunned to find they had missed the best opportunity and had nothing left to say.
Zhao Guoqiang and the others naturally did not want to pay attention to Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao. Seeing that the two had fallen silent, they were glad for the peace.
As for the plans that Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao had in mind, even though they understood them clearly, they had no intention of letting them succeed.
Moving to City was something they could never bring Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao along with them, no matter what. They were determined to eliminate any actions that could cause trouble for Zhao Jin.
On the other side, Zhao Jin was venting to Qi Zheng about the shamelessness of Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao.
Even though they were his own grandfather and grandmother, Zhao Jin felt no affection for them and couldn't muster any feelings of fondness.
Qi Zheng naturally stood on Zhao Jin's side. He frowned at Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao, expressing his strong dislike.
As a result, the topic of filial piety was completely drowned out by Zhao Jin's complaints.
Throughout the conversation, Zhao Jin did not mention it, and Qi Zheng said nothing more.
Meanwhile, Qi Erzhu's family surely had their own thoughts on the matter.
However, compared to Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao, Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang lacked the confidence to confront the Qi Zheng Family.
They used to be so proud, but now they were filled with regret.
If they had known that the Qi Zheng Family would eventually reach this point, they would have been willing to go through any hardship just to help treat Qi Feng's leg back then.
After all, being able to move to City was a true blessing compared to just contributing some medical expenses for Qi Feng. In comparison, Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang would definitely lean towards the latter.
However, after Qi Tingting was caught, Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang had kept a low profile for quite some time. Now, they rarely went out and seldom caused any trouble.
Thus, even upon hearing that the Qi Zheng Family was moving away, all they could do was feel envy and resentment without any other options.
While Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang managed to hold back their emotions, Qi Juanjuan was unwilling to accept it.
"Mom, Dad, are you just going to sit here and do nothing?" Qi Juanjuan looked at Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang in disbelief, thinking they would surely do something.
"What can we do?" Cheng Fangfang shot a glare at Qi Juanjuan. The blow from Qi Tingting being caught had indeed hit her hard. She had even changed from her usual proud and rude demeanor to one of dejection. "What else can we do? Of course, we have to leave Willow Leaf Village with Uncle's family! The city is definitely a thousand times better than Willow Leaf Village. Don't you feel embarrassed living in the village right now? Don't you feel like you can't hold your head up?"
Completely unexpected was Cheng Fangfang's lack of spirit, which made Qi Juanjuan stomp her foot and shout, "As long as we leave Willow Leaf Village, who will recognize us anymore? All the gossip that follows us will naturally disperse. It's such a simple truth, and you still don't understand? Do I need to teach you?"
Her words seemed to awaken them from a dream; Qi Juanjuan was indeed having some effect at that moment.
Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang certainly didn't need Qi Juanjuan to teach them. They just hadn't thought it through clearly before. Once they realized the situation, they were not ones to be trifled with.
So next, without needing Qi Juanjuan to instruct them on what to do, they immediately took action.
Compared to Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao charging into Zhao Jin's family in a ruckus, Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang were much more humble.
Or perhaps they were simply going to plead with Qi Zheng's family to take them along when they moved. "Mom, you know our family's situation right now; we really can't stay in Willow Leaf Village any longer. Every day is an endless torment for the three of us. As soon as we step outside, we are sure to face the pointing fingers of fellow villagers. We truly can't go on living like this." With his head down in front of Grandma Qi, Qi Erzhu was putting on quite the pitiful act.
What he said was true; Grandma Qi surely understood that too. And if he was begging Grandma Qi in such a lowly manner, it would be truly unreasonable for her not to agree! "Who can you blame? You didn't raise your daughter properly, allowing her to do such hurtful things. How can you still stand here feeling sorry for yourselves? Have you no conscience to think about how painful and torturous life is for the Tao family right now? Qi Erzhu, you can't be so heartless. If you continue like this, you'll eventually fall flat on your face and face retribution."
Grandma Qi had long given up any expectations for her son. The reason she was bothering to talk so much with Qi Erzhu now wasn't out of pity for his family's plight but rather out of genuine guilt towards the Tao family. That’s why she felt compelled to give him this serious lesson before leaving Willow Leaf Village.
As for whether Qi Erzhu would take it to heart or be willing to change, Grandma Qi could not concern herself with that or influence it.
Of course, Qi Erzhu was not going to listen to any of this.
To him, their family had already been through a lot and had learned the necessary lessons. No matter how big this matter was, it should be put behind them.
Didn’t they do right by Qi Tingting? They didn’t even make an effort to bring her back, did they? They didn’t even go for the most basic visit; didn’t that already show their attitude?
Now they were just short of publicly announcing that they no longer recognized Qi Tingting as their daughter and that they wanted to sever ties with her completely. They had gone this far; wasn’t that enough?
The villagers were unwilling to let them off the hook. Even his own mother joined in with the fellow villagers, wishing for him to have no good days ahead.
Qi Erzhu held a grudge against Grandma Qi and was extremely dissatisfied with her words and actions.
In Qi Erzhu's heart, Grandma Qi had always been biased. She favored Qi Dayong, favored Qi Feng, and even favored Qi Xue, who was already married, but she never showed any favoritism toward him, her son.
That’s right; he had lived quite well a few years ago, enjoying a relatively carefree life without worrying about food and clothing. But that was only in the past, not now or in the future.
Moreover, the comfortable life he once had was not given to him by Grandma Qi but was something he fought hard to achieve on his own.
If he hadn’t been willing to work hard and farm diligently, how could he have afforded to support his wife and two daughters? Was he supposed to rely on Grandma Qi?
If that were the case, their family of four would have starved long ago.
To this day, Qi Erzhu no longer wanted to recall how difficult life had been for Qi Zheng's Family back then while he watched coldly from the sidelines.
It was all in the past; what was the point of bringing it up again? Now wasn’t Qi Zheng's Family living better than anyone else? They could even move as a whole family to the city, something he could only dream of.
No matter how Qi Erzhu thought about it, Grandma Qi had no intention of compromising with him. As for Qi Zheng and others, they certainly wouldn’t care about Qi Erzhu’s feelings.
The two families were never close to begin with. With the incident caused by Qi Tingting in between them, their interactions became even more distant.
As for Qi Erzhu's current plans, it still comes down to this: if only I had known today, why did I act that way back then?
If Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang had taken a bit of responsibility and set a good example to properly educate Qi Tingting, how could Qi Tingting have possibly gone out to harm others and herself?
Regarding Qian Yue, no matter how much time has passed, Zhao Jin has always held a grudge and is determined not to forgive Qi Tingting.
Due to Grandma Qi's lack of cooperation, Qi Erzhu's plans ultimately fell through.
In the end, the only ones who moved away from Willow Leaf Village were Qi Zheng's family and Zhao Guoqiang's family.
Before moving to the city, Zhao Jin and Qi Zheng had already visited all the nearby schools and arranged for the transfer of Zhao Yaozong's three children in advance.
Now that everyone has moved here together, the first thing to do is undoubtedly to send the three children to their new school.
To be honest, just having moved to the city, Grandma Qi and the other elders are quite unaccustomed.
Fortunately, the house chosen by Zhao Jin and Qi Zheng has a courtyard on the first floor. Overall, it is quite spacious.
If it were other city dwellers, they would definitely plant some flowers and plants in the courtyard. However, for Grandma Qi and her group, it directly turned into a vegetable garden.
In their eyes, growing vegetables is far more practical than growing flowers. Having their own vegetable patch means they can eat with peace of mind—how great is that?
Zhao Jin and Qi Zheng naturally would not refuse the elders' decision. On the contrary, they were quite happy to see the elders finding something to do for themselves.
Because of this move, their land back in Willow Leaf Village was given to close relatives to cultivate. They feared that even if they returned to Willow Leaf Village in the future, there would be no land left to farm.
Now that they have these vegetable patches, it somewhat comforts the elders' feelings. For this reason, Zhao Jin is very optimistic and fully supportive.
Thus, the decision to plant vegetables in the courtyard was finalized.
Since it was a specially chosen area, it was not far from the Furniture Store and Clothing Store. Therefore, Qi Feng was also asked to move out of the Furniture Store and into a new apartment on the second floor of the area.
Qi Feng did not expect that Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin had specifically bought him a house.
At first, he refused and directly turned down Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin's kind offer. Later, Qi Dayong came to have a serious talk with him, mentioning that this was the intention of Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin to honor him as their elder. He also brought up Grandma Qi's hopes and expectations for Qi Feng to start a family in the future. He even mentioned that Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju had started looking for a match for Qi Feng back when they were in Willow Leaf Village.
Marriage? This had long ceased to be part of Qi Feng's life plan. Who would have thought that after such a long time, it would once again be brought up by the elders in his family?
Instinctively, Qi Feng shook his head in refusal.
However, this matter was not something Qi Feng could simply refuse if he wanted to.
Since Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju were genuinely concerned, they naturally had some good candidates in mind. They were just waiting for the right moment to introduce Qi Feng to someone.
Qi Feng had no intention of meeting those candidates. He was quite firm on this point. Even when Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju repeatedly mentioned it and tried to persuade him, it was of no use.
"Grandma, Mom, I think this matter shouldn't be rushed; you shouldn't pressure Uncle," Zhao Jin said, realizing for the first time that Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju had such thoughts.
During this time, she had been busy buying a house with Qi Zheng and handling moving matters, completely overlooking that such a thing was happening at home.
Did they want to find a wife for Qi Feng? Zhao Jin certainly understood and supported Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju's original intention.
But it seemed inappropriate to bring it up so suddenly. Moreover, since they hadn't even discussed it with Qi Feng yet, their anxiousness was undoubtedly futile.
Moreover, when it comes to finding a partner for Qi Feng, Zhao Jin actually looks down on the candidates chosen by Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju.
It's not that Zhao Jin has become arrogant now that he has money and looks down on the villagers of Willow Leaf Village. Rather, in Zhao Jin's view, Qi Feng has excellent qualities in all aspects, so why should he marry a widow or someone of that sort?
Even if it's an unmarried aunt from the maternal family, as long as they are compatible and get along well, it shouldn't be a problem.
"What? An unmarried woman? But your uncle's age..." Grandma Qi truly did not expect Zhao Jin to have such thoughts and hurriedly reminded her about Qi Feng's age.
"What does my uncle's age have to do with it? He didn't marry before because of an accident. It's not that he isn't good enough; why can't he marry a young woman?" Zhao Jin had no discriminatory thoughts; he simply felt that Qi Feng's selection range could be broader.
"Then... what if the girl looks down on him..." Of course, Grandma Qi would love to find someone better. But upon considering the girl's attitude, she felt it wasn't very reliable.
"If she looks down on him, then we won't marry her! My uncle is already this old; what is there to be afraid of? Since he is going to get married, he should marry the best and someone he likes." Compared to Grandma Qi's worries, Zhao Jin was indeed calm. At the same time, Zhao Jin seriously added, "Grandma, I don't mean that my uncle must marry a young woman. What I mean is that when we are screening potential partners, we shouldn't only focus on those who have been married before. We can also consider those who haven't been married yet. In fact, we can start by looking at those unmarried girls."
Zhao Jin's earnestness made Grandma Qi hesitate a bit. However, Zhou Ju was convinced by Zhao Jin's words. "Mother, I think Jin is right. We don't necessarily have to find an unmarried young woman for my uncle. We are just looking around; if we find someone suitable, what's wrong with that? Besides, my uncle isn't lacking in anything; it's just those young women that our family can afford!"
That's how people's thinking works. Previously, Zhou Ju didn't dare to think in this direction and naturally agreed with Grandma Qi's decision.
But now that Zhou Ju had this thought, she immediately stood firmly on Zhao Jin's side.
Just like Zhao Jin said, they didn't have to insist on marrying a young woman; they were just considering it—what's wrong with that?
Of course, it's fine. After Zhou Ju switched sides, Qi Dayong nodded along and approved of Zhao Jin's approach.
Even Zhao Guoqiang and Xu Mei agreed without hesitation after hearing about this matter, feeling that Qi Feng could completely marry a young woman.
At this point, Grandma Qi gritted her teeth and nodded.
Isn't it just marrying a young woman? As long as Qi Feng likes her, their family will do their best to help him bring her home. They will treat her well in the future, hoping that the girl is willing to live a good life with Qi Feng.
Qi Yuehong returned to City during the winter break of her senior year.
Unintentionally hearing that they were looking for a partner for Qi Feng, Qi Yuehong hesitated for a moment but still pulled Zhao Jin aside and whispered, "Sister-in-law, does it have to be an unmarried young woman? Is a divorced one not acceptable?"
"Eh?" Caught off guard by Qi Yuehong's question, Zhao Jin was momentarily stunned.
However, Zhao Jin's reaction was always quick. She immediately understood that Qi Yuehong's question was specific and quickly asked what was going on.
Since it was Zhao Jin, Qi Yuehong didn't hold back and told her the truth directly.
The person mentioned by Qi Yuehong surprised Zhao Jin; it was actually her Clothing Store employee, Hu Qiao'er.
It was entirely unexpected. Previously, when Qi Yuehong didn't return to Willow Leaf Village during the break but came to City to help at the Clothing Store, she had coincidentally encountered Hu Qiao'er's ex-husband causing trouble in the store.
Hu Qiao'er was just a weak woman, while her ex-husband had a bad temper. He started to get violent and shouted about smashing the store. The scene was indeed frightening.
At the most critical moment, Qi Feng appeared just in time and easily dealt with the troublesome ex-husband, even giving him a good beating.
It was then that Qi Yuehong learned that this wasn't the first time such an incident had occurred. Each time that ex-husband caused trouble, it was her uncle who showed up just in time to help resolve the issue.
Originally, Hu Qiao'er wanted to tell Zhao Jin about this incident truthfully but was stopped by Qi Feng.
Qi Feng said he would handle it and would talk to Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin.
Hu Qiao'er originally felt embarrassed, thinking she should be the one to apologize. However, Qi Feng's attitude was very decisive and firm, and Hu Qiao'er was suppressed.
Qi Yuehong had always thought that Zhao Jin was aware of this matter. Therefore, she never mentioned it to Zhao Jin.
As for the relationship between Hu Qiao'er and Qi Feng, although neither of them made it clear or broke the ice, Qi Yuehong believed there was indeed something going on.
According to Qi Yuehong, if given enough time and opportunity for Qi Feng and Hu Qiao'er to interact and develop their relationship, anything is possible.
Hu Qiao'er's ex-husband caused a scene at the Clothing Store, which Zhao Jin had indeed heard about. However, she only learned about it from Qi Zheng, thought it was just a minor incident, and didn't pay much attention after hearing it once.
But Zhao Jin did not expect that this was not just a one-time occurrence, and that Qi Feng and Hu Qiao'er had developed feelings for each other as a result.
However, upon reflection, it wasn't something difficult to understand. If Qi Feng and Hu Qiao'er really had a connection, Zhao Jin would not reject or oppose it. But this matter still depended on the wishes of Qi Feng and Hu Qiao'er. If they truly had the fate to be together, Zhao Jin would certainly not oppose it and would sincerely wish them well.
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