Chapter 539: Kicked in the Head by a Donkey
Chapter 539: Chapter 520: Kicked in the Head by a Donkey
Aunt Qiao left Lin Shuying’s place still feeling like she was in a dream. How could something this good happen? The Dong family had really lucked out this time.
Aunt Qiao went back and told Wang Qiu and Dong Liang about the Zheng Family’s situation. Her tone was exaggerated; what was an eight-out-of-ten good situation with the Zheng Family became a perfect ten in her retelling. Her face was filled with an unstoppable envy, wishing such good fortune had fallen upon her instead.
Listening to Aunt Qiao and seeing the slightly sour expression on her face, Wang Qiu was having trouble processing it all.
‘From what Aunt Qiao is saying, the girl’s family is very rich. They live in a big house and aren’t asking for anything. They don’t need us to prepare a marital home, furniture, or appliances—none of the major items. We only have to prepare some dried fruits and bedding.’ It all made her head spin. ‘Is this really how you get a daughter-in-law? Even marrying off your own daughter isn’t this simple, is it? Are they trying to recruit a live-in son-in-law? But Aunt Qiao didn’t mention that, so it’s probably not the case.’
Aunt Qiao also said the girl was quite pretty and had no faults. The fact that her son was interested meant the girl must be genuinely wonderful. ‘So what are they after?’
Wang Qiu couldn’t figure it out.
“Auntie, did you tell them about our family’s situation?”
Wang Qiu asked, afraid the girl’s family didn’t know the full story.
“I told them! Of course I did! They said they know everything. They said they believe Liangzi’s father was a good man and that it hasn’t been easy for you and Liangzi all these years. They don’t care what other people say. They believe in you, and they believe you can all build a good life together. And if this works out, they want to have a good relationship with you as in-laws.”
Since Aunt Qiao was the matchmaker, of course she would have said something.
Wang Qiu fell silent. ‘If they know our situation, why are they still willing to let her marry into our family? Based on what Aunt Qiao said, a girl like that could find any family she wanted. Why marry our Liangzi?’
‘Yes, our Liangzi is a good man—the best, in her heart. But she was also well aware of her family’s circumstances. Didn’t that girl who used to be with Liangzi end up looking down on their family? When she’d asked people to play matchmaker, he had been a tough case. It only got easier last year when Liangzi got a job at the textile factory and became a worker. But even then, the potential matches were all from very average families. A family with conditions like this one was something she’d never even dared to dream of.’
‘What could they possibly want from our family? We have nothing. What is there to want?!’
‘Liangzi only makes a few dozen yuan a month. And according to him, the girl runs a knitting shop and earns quite a lot. She wouldn’t care about Liangzi’s meager salary at all.’
‘Could it be that the girl genuinely likes Liangzi, and that’s why her family had no choice but to agree to the marriage? But with our family’s situation, would her family really respect us? If Liangzi marries this Xinghua, will her family give him a hard time?’
‘We don’t have many relatives on our side, not many people to support us. A lot of people distanced themselves after what happened with Liangzi’s dad. If Xinghua’s family has a lot of relatives, and the young couple has any conflicts in the future, wouldn’t Liangzi be the one to suffer?’
‘What if the girl has a bad temper? If she marries into our family, won’t they always be fighting? If they’re always fighting, can they have a good life?’
‘If the girl doesn’t do any chores, I can serve them, that’s fine. But I’ll get old one day, won’t I? If they have a child, how could I possibly take care of everyone? I can’t expect Liangzi to do it, can I?’
‘Marrying a rich young lady… Liangzi probably won’t be able to hold his head high. People will gossip, saying we only agreed to the marriage because we’re after her family’s things. There will definitely be a lot of nasty talk.’
‘I just want my son to marry someone on our level, someone who can live a peaceful life with him.’
‘But someone like this… can our family even afford to marry her?’
Wang Qiu hesitated. She looked at Dong Liang.
Dong Liang had guessed that Xinghua’s family was well-off, but he hadn’t expected them to be *this* well-off. Such a big house, living so comfortably, with everything they could possibly want… ‘Could she really endure a hard life with me?’
‘Yes, he liked Xinghua, and he could tell she liked him too, otherwise she wouldn’t have agreed. But if Xinghua married him, with his family living like this… could she get used to it? Could she stand it?’
‘When two people are in love, everything seems fine. But what if they fight? Would Xinghua resent him? Would she blame him for not being able to give her a better life?’
‘He believed he could always be good to Xinghua, giving her everything within his power. But he didn’t know if that would be enough to meet her expectations. If it wasn’t, if that day ever came, what would happen to him?’
Dong Liang looked at his mother. In Wang Qiu’s eyes, he saw the very same worries.
“Mom, Xinghua is a good person. If she looked down on our family, she never would have agreed.”
Dong Liang didn’t want Wang Qiu to oppose his relationship with Xinghua.
“Liangzi, I know what you mean, but with our family’s circumstances, if a girl like that marries in, I’m afraid we can’t support her. We should just find someone simple and down-to-earth.”
Wang Qiu was genuinely worried. In her heart, she was starting to disapprove of this marriage.
“Are you out of your—no, I mean, has your brain gone haywire? Other people can only dream of such good fortune, and you’re turning it down? Are you crazy? Her family has everything! When she marries in, she’s sure to bring a huge dowry. Won’t that all belong to the Dong family then? You’ll finally be able to live a good life, so why are you trying to push it away? If only my son were as capable as Liangzi. If this were me, I’d be laughing in my sleep.”
Aunt Qiao thought Wang Qiu had lost her mind. She’d almost said Wang Qiu must have been kicked in the head by a donkey.
“That’s not how it works. When we look for a wife for him, we want someone who is single-minded about building a life together, someone suitable. We’re not after the woman’s family for anything. If the gap between us is too big, we won’t be able to make it work.”
Wang Qiu didn’t agree with Aunt Qiao’s point of view. They had never thought about taking advantage of anyone.
“What kind of life doesn’t require money? Can you live a good life without money? This girl has the looks, and she’ll have the dowry. And you’re getting picky? What is there to be picky about? Since ancient times, there have been plenty of rich young ladies who fall for poor young men. Did they not live well? Besides, Liangzi is no slouch either! He’s tall and handsome. If it were someone else, she might not even give them the time of day. And from what I saw, her family doesn’t seem unreasonable at all. They were very easy to talk to, didn’t make things difficult in the slightest. The girl doesn’t seem unreasonable either. She even poured me water and brought me snacks. She’s hardworking and very nice. What more could you ask for?”
Although Aunt Qiao was envious, she still tried to persuade Wang Qiu.
“Mom, Xinghua is just like Auntie said. She doesn’t have a temper, she’s easy to get along with, and she’s hardworking. She’s an amazing knitter. How about I bring her over to meet you next time?”
Although Dong Liang had many thoughts racing through his mind, he felt that Xinghua wasn’t that kind of person. ‘Once we’re married, as long as I treat her well and work hard, I believe we can build a good life together. I won’t let her suffer. If she’s ever unhappy about anything, I’ll just spend more time with her. I won’t fight with her.’
Wang Qiu was still hesitant. ‘Before, people looked down on us. Now, the girl’s family is too well-off, and that scares me too. What on earth am I supposed to do?’
——————
My child and I both have colds. I finally managed to get her to sleep. My head feels like mush, so only one update today. I’ll make up for it in a couple of days.