“Preposterous!”
First, she agreed to marry, and now she didn’t want to?
The wedding banquet date was already set by the Fan family. Fan Zhen Chuan’s mother had been planning to invite Xia Xiao Lan to their home in the next few days to meet the bride’s parents and discuss the bride’s price. These days, wedding ceremonies required the “Four Major Items,” and Auntie Li could provide them all. The Fan family had a color TV, a refrigerator, not to mention a radio, and they could buy a quartz watch for the bride.
With divorced parents, should they invite her biological father to the wedding banquet?
They also needed to discuss when to bring Xia Xiao Lan’s divorced mother to He Dong after the marriage. Auntie Li didn’t want anyone putting on airs as a mother-in-law in front of Fan Zhen Chuan – better to wait until Xia Xiao Lan had a child before bringing her mother over. One by one, item by item, Auntie Li had considered everything, even arranging which dishes would be served at the wedding banquet.
Now Liu Fang came saying her niece didn’t want to marry – Auntie Li couldn’t maintain her composure.
Liu Fang was particularly embarrassed, “She had a boyfriend before, right? When he heard Xiao Lan was getting married, he came from out of town…”
Auntie Li fingered her jade bracelet.
“That’s no reason for your niece to change her mind at the last minute. I’ve already arranged the banquet menu with the chef, and all the He Dong County officials know Zhen Chuan is getting married. My previous daughter-in-law has been gone for years, and it’s time for Zhen Chuan to remarry… Now you say she won’t marry – where does that leave the Fan family’s face?”
Auntie Li knew Liu Fang had been the messenger for this marriage all along. The fact that Xia Xiao Lan’s mother hadn’t asked to meet the in-laws and future son-in-law was problematic. However, whether Xia Xiao Lan was willing to marry or not didn’t matter much to Auntie Li – she just wanted to use her to make Fan Zhen Chuan settle down and stop fooling around with distant relatives. What was there to be dissatisfied about in marrying Fan Zhen Chuan? The whole family would rise to prosperity.
Liu Fang had mentioned this before, and now she came forward – it couldn’t be as simple as just the previous boyfriend showing up.
Liu Fang couldn’t keep the lid on anymore and wanted the Fan family’s help.
Auntie Li understood this in her heart. She didn’t think it was a big deal, but she wouldn’t spare some words to teach Liu Fang a lesson.
Liu Fang played along cautiously, feeling wronged:
“The other party’s attitude is very aggressive. My husband and I don’t count as proper elders in their eyes – our words don’t carry weight.”
Auntie Li looked at her suspiciously: “So arrogant?”
Even dragons from across the river had to behave themselves in He Dong County. Someone who didn’t even qualify as a dragon wanting to challenge the local snake – they must be mentally ill, truly asking for trouble.
Auntie Li was unhappy and her attitude became impatient:
“Fine, I’ll tell Zhen Chuan to handle it. The wedding will proceed as planned. Tomorrow I want to see Xiao Lan – bring your second sister too. We’re going to be in-laws, might as well discuss what we need to prepare for Xiao Lan. I won’t mistreat her – whatever the Fan family can provide, I’ll give her. Let her have a grand wedding to Zhen Chuan!”
If Xia Xiao Lan were willing to marry Fan Zhen Chuan, that would be perfect – with the Fan family’s attitude, how could the Liang family not benefit? Unfortunately, Xia Xiao Lan was foolish and ungrateful. Even if she changed her mind now and agreed to marry Fan Zhen Chuan, Liu Fang worried the little white-eyed wolf might turn against the Liang family! The marriage couldn’t proceed, but it couldn’t be traced back to the Liang family.
After Liu Fang left, Auntie Li told Fan Zhen Chuan everything.
Far from being angry, Fan Zhen Chuan became more interested.
He preferred women snatched from others’ hands. Facing his methods, men were powerless – watching their helpless appearance gave Fan Zhen Chuan a peculiar excitement. Things worth having were things others wanted, and stolen goods tasted better. Fan Zhen Chuan wanted to meet Xia Xiao Lan’s previous boyfriend.
Watching him hold Xia Xiao Lan in his arms while the other man’s face filled with humiliation and anger, unable to resist – that would be interesting.
Auntie Li wanted to meet her future daughter-in-law. Liu Fang had ill intentions, waiting for Zhou Cheng to embarrass himself in front of Fan Zhen Chuan.
She was just passing the message when she provocatively called Shang Du. Xia Xiao Lan had just returned home and found the call amusing.
“Auntie, I see you haven’t learned your lesson from last time. Are you still stirring up trouble? If you want to meet, fine – tell the Fan family to come to Shang Du!”
Xia Xiao Lan would be crazy to go to He Dong – that was Fan Zhen Chuan’s stronghold. While Li Dong Liang and Ge Jian could each fight several men, it would be stupid to actively go to Fan family territory. Afraid of Liu Fang causing trouble on both sides, she made things clear: “If you don’t pass on the message, I’ll call Fan Zhen Chuan myself. You know my mouth – I dare to say anything, and then…”
Liu Fang wanted to tear Xia Xiao Lan to pieces – was this a niece? More like a debt collector!
Trying to be a good matchmaker had left her stuck in the middle.
Liang Bing An heard this and laughed, “So let’s pass the message to the Fan family – meeting in Shang Du City, does she think someone there will stand up for her?”
Liang Bing An didn’t know where Xia Xiao Lan got her confidence.
Shang Du was the provincial capital with many important people – what did that have to do with a country girl? Unless she’d found some powerful patron through her beauty. Liang Bing An was just waiting to watch the show. He taught Liu Fang what to say, and when Liu Fang passed the message, Auntie Li was indeed very angry.
Her previous fondness for Xia Xiao Lan completely vanished. If it weren’t for Fan Zhen Chuan’s unwillingness to let go, Auntie Li would choose another daughter-in-law.
As Xia Xiao Lan said, even without Zhou Cheng, Fan Zhen Chuan wasn’t that unbearable – she still wouldn’t agree to this marriage. Neither Liang Bing An, Liu Fang, nor anyone in the Fan family showed any respect for Xia Xiao Lan. Even in arranged marriages, it wasn’t right for the groom’s side to not show up and expect the bride to come alone.
Even though Auntie Li claimed to like Xia Xiao Lan, her “liking” was hollow – she just thought Xia Xiao Lan was pretty and could make Fan Zhen Chuan settle down.
Once her wishes were defied and she felt displeased, that so-called liking completely vanished.
Xia Xiao Lan arranged to meet at the City Committee Guest House. This wasn’t through Zhou Cheng’s connections – Hu Yong Cai’s help was enough. As the Guest House’s procurement officer, arranging a private room wasn’t difficult for Hu Yong Cai.
Fan Zhen Chuan found it interesting – meeting at the City Committee Guest House, did they think he wouldn’t dare go?
“Then it’s settled.”
Xia Xiao Lan set up the meeting without having time to discuss it with Zhou Cheng. She had only seen Zhou Cheng briefly at noon, and after eleven at night, while she was still reviewing, Zhou Cheng came to the Yu family home.
“Things are almost settled. Wait for the good news.”
Seeing his lips were chapped, Xia Xiao Lan quickly poured him a cup of her wolfberry tea.
Zhou Cheng gulped it down, his whole body relaxing.
“Where are Li Dong Liang and the others staying tonight?”