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Back to the 80s: A Marriage of Convenience
Everyone has their bottom line. The behavior of Grandma Zhao truly made the relatives and friends in the surroundings unable to tolerate it.
Some who could no longer hold back stepped forward. They did not take sides, but at least it was necessary to mediate.
Once the first person stood up, more followed suit.
It was only after being pulled apart that Grandma Zhao realized that those who came to mediate were actually helping Zhao Guoqiang's family, both openly and secretly!
The resentment continued, and Grandma Zhao's dissatisfaction and anger visibly rose.
However, no matter how furious or irritated Grandma Zhao was, Zhao Guoqiang's family managed to leave smoothly with the help of their relatives and friends.
In this situation, Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui's plan to extort a large sum from Zhao Guoqiang's family completely fell through; there was no possibility left.
As for Zhao Guoqing and He Yun, Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui did not have the courage to actually demand money from them.
They couldn't just storm over and demand that since Zhao Ying'er got married, the couple should give more as a wedding gift because what they had given was insufficient.
If that were the case, Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui would lose face from Willow Leaf Village all the way to the county.
Whether Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui wanted to or not, Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu would absolutely not allow it.
Thus, the wedding gifts that Zhao Ying'er received remained as they were. There was no way to change it or alter it.
For this wedding banquet and today's wedding wine, the Zhao Guoqiang family had no involvement, so naturally, they would not be attending in the evening.
At this point, the relationship between the Zhao Guoqiang family and the Zhao Guofu family was completely laid bare before all their relatives and friends.
The Zhao Guoqiang family was indifferent. They had always held this attitude and did not wish to have any further entanglements with the Zhao Guofu family.
On the contrary, everyone in the Zhao Guofu family was suppressing their anger. However, due to everyone's gaze fixed on them, they indeed did not take the initiative to approach the Zhao Guoqiang family in the short term.
Thus, Zhao Ying'er still managed to marry into the Wu Family as she wished. However, her dowry was naturally not as much as Zhao Jin's.
Moreover, since Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui were both holding back their anger, their preparations were not very sincere. By the end, even Zhao Ying'er felt that her marriage was quite desolate and particularly unvalued.
Well, very well! Are they all waiting to see her make a fool of herself? Just wait and see! She would not be laughed at forever!
The commotion caused by Zhao Ying'er's marriage was significant; although Zhao Jin did not participate personally, she heard about it afterward.
Zhao Jin could only feel utterly speechless toward Grandma Zhao and the Zhao Fourth Uncle's family.
With such thick skin, how could they still consider themselves relatives? Her parents handled it well by simply cutting ties and no longer being relatives!
Of course, Zhao Jin also knew very well that her parents could absolutely achieve this and would no longer interact with the Zhao Fourth Uncle's family. However, it was uncertain whether the Zhao Fourth Uncle's family would do the same.
Sigh, when it comes to shamelessness, Chen Cui could rival several people.
Putting aside the troubles of the Zhao Guofu family, Zhao Jin's busy schedule continued. She was highly motivated and full of fighting spirit, determined to give it her all.
With great motivation, Zhao Jin's sewing skills became increasingly proficient. From initially being clumsy, she gradually evolved into a skilled artisan.
As one beautiful garment after another was completed, a fiery passion ignited within Zhao Jin, and her entire face radiated with a bright glow.
Finally, all the fabric in Zhao Jin's hands had been transformed into clothing, but Qi Zheng's batch of furniture was still not fully finished.
After some thought, Zhao Jin decided not to waste Qi Zheng's time and sought out two of her sisters-in-law from her maternal family to accompany her to the county.
Upon arriving in the county, Zhao Jin skillfully made her way to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, where she found the manager, Lan Sister, and presented the clothes she had brought for her to see.
Lan Sister had high expectations for Zhao Jin's garments, and Zhao Jin did not disappoint her.
"Not bad, very good. However, I can only pay you half of the money upfront; the rest will be settled once the clothes are sold," Lan Sister stated. The last time was an exception; she had done it as a favor to foster better cooperation with Zhao Jin in the future. This time, however, Lan Sister insisted on following the rules.
"Alright, I will follow your lead!" Zhao Jin nodded enthusiastically, trusting Lan Sister completely.
"Please wait a moment; I will write you an IOU." Since they were going by the rules, Lan Sister would not take advantage of Zhao Jin. She used official paper from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to draft the IOU, signed her name, and even affixed the official seal of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
"Thank you, Lan Sister; I appreciate your help." Being polite never hurt anyone, and in front of Lan Sister, Zhao Jin didn't mind saying a few flattering words.
Lan Sister happened to enjoy when others showed her courtesy. She was principled and disliked when people were overly casual with her. Otherwise, Tao Tao, the grandson of the president of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, wouldn't have found it so difficult to establish a good relationship with her.
At this moment, Lan Sister admired and recognized Zhao Jin.
Gently patting Zhao Jin on the shoulder with a warm tone, Lan Sister earnestly advised her: "Keep pushing forward; don't give up. You will succeed; I believe in you."
"Thank you, Lan Sister." Zhao Jin almost couldn't hold back her tears of gratitude. With her eyes glistening, she smiled at Lan Sister and suddenly took two steps back, bowing deeply.
Lan Sister did not expect Zhao Jin to bow to her. However, such a grand gesture only stirred deeper emotions within Lan Sister.
When Zhao Jin was about to leave, Lan Sister even took the initiative to remind her, "There are still quite a few items left in the storeroom that Tao Tao prepared for you earlier. I can't give you all the money, but I can sell them to you at cost."
Originally, Lan Sister didn't have to offer this convenience to Zhao Jin. But she had a good impression of Zhao Jin and was willing to extend this favor.
Zhao Jin was momentarily taken aback. Once she realized what was happening, she quickly waved her hands at Lan Sister, saying, "Thank you, Lan Sister. However, I really don't want to trouble you. I can buy them elsewhere..."
"Buying elsewhere won't be free? If I give them to you, just take them. Why spend money unnecessarily? Do you really think your family is in such good condition or something?" Lan Sister's words were blunt and sharp. To an ordinary person, they would sound harsh and even provoke anger.
However, Zhao Jin did not feel insulted. She sensed the subtle care and kindness behind Lan Sister's words.
Knowing that Lan Sister wasn't intentionally mocking her, Zhao Jin immediately smiled and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you, I'll shamelessly accept it."
In fact, after finishing her sentence, Lan Sister felt a bit uneasy herself. Afraid of hurting Zhao Jin's pride, she was thinking about how to rephrase her words when she heard Zhao Jin respond like this.
In that moment, Lan Sister inexplicably felt that she could be friends with Zhao Jin.
With a positive impression of Zhao Jin, Lan Sister subconsciously reassessed their relationship. At the same time, she became more relaxed in their conversation: "There’s no need for formality between friends. If friends are like this with each other, what kind of friendship is that?"
Zhao Jin did not expect that in Lan Sister's heart, she had already become a friend.
With this understanding, Zhao Jin also became less reserved and smiled as she followed Lan Sister toward the storeroom.
Knowing that Zhao Jin had important matters to attend to, Sun Chun'er and Qian Minmin did not follow along but instead went to buy something on their own.
By coincidence, just a few steps out, Sun Chun'er and Qian Minmin ran into Tao Tao.
Along the way, without needing Sun Chun'er and Qian Minmin to say anything, Tao Tao accompanied them the entire time. As a result, no matter what they bought, they undoubtedly received a discount, and they couldn't help but express their gratitude to Tao Tao.
"Don't be polite with me, Sisters-in-law. Brother Qi is my brother, so you two Sisters-in-law are also my Sisters-in-law. It's nothing," Tao Tao said, scratching the back of his head and smiling brightly.
"Alright then, we won't be polite anymore," Qian Minmin replied, clearly aware that this favor should be credited to Qi Zheng, and she smiled at Tao Tao.
Zhao Jin happened to be looking for Tao Tao and saw her two Sisters-in-law standing with him. She immediately understood what was going on. However, Zhao Jin didn't need to be polite with Tao Tao either; she just needed to go home and inform Qi Zheng about this favor.
"Sister-in-law!" Seeing Zhao Jin, Tao Tao was undoubtedly very enthusiastic and quickly approached her. "How did it go? Did you reach an agreement with Lan Sister?"
"Yes, we reached an agreement. But Tao Tao, I need to ask you for a favor," Zhao Jin said. She hadn't expected Lan Sister to have so much fabric for her. Since she didn't bring Qi Zheng with her to the county, she could only trouble Tao Tao to help transport it back.
"Sure! What do you need? Just let me know," Tao Tao immediately replied without asking what it was about, showing how sincere he was towards Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin.
Zhao Jin didn't delay and directly informed Tao Tao about what she had just agreed upon with Lan Sister.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Tao Tao broke into a big smile and exclaimed at Zhao Jin, "Sister-in-law, you're amazing! You even managed to deal with Lan Sister; I can't help but want to recognize you as my boss. But for now, I can't do that; my boss is Brother Qi; I can't just change..."
Zhao Jin wanted to tell Tao Tao that she really had no intention of being his boss, honestly speaking.
However, at the moment, Zhao Jin didn't plan to waste time talking nonsense with Tao Tao and directly brought up the issue of borrowing a vehicle. "Sister-in-law, don't worry about this. I'll go check with the warehouse shortly; we can get the fabric that Lan Sister and you ordered back home anytime." After patting his chest in assurance, Tao Tao then asked, "Sister-in-law, do you have other things to do in the county? If you're in a hurry to go back now, I can take both you and the fabric back to Willow Leaf Village right away. If you still have things to finish up, that's fine too; no rush. Just give me a specific time, and I'll arrange everything and wait here for you."
"No, I actually have some matters to attend to," Zhao Jin admitted openly in front of Tao Tao. "I need to go to the county middle school to deliver some groceries for Yuehong and Qi Rui and also give them some living expenses. Those siblings are too sensible; when I gave them money at the beginning of the school year, they hardly took any. I'm just worried they might be too hard on themselves at school and live too tightly."
"Alright then, Sister-in-law, just go ahead." Tao Tao slapped his forehead again and called out to Zhao Jin, "Wait a moment, Sister-in-law, I almost forgot. I still have a few cans over there; let me bring some for the younger siblings."
Zhao Jin had heard about Tao Tao's relationship with Qi Zheng. Previously, when Tao Tao came to the house to help move furniture, and with Qi Zheng currently collaborating with Uncle Tao... it was clear that Tao Tao was not an outsider.
Therefore, Zhao Jin didn't stand on ceremony with Tao Tao. She nodded and stood still, waiting.
Tao Tao returned quickly, and before long, he brought the cans he had prepared for Zhao Jin.
Zhao Jin sincerely thanked him and then arranged a meeting time with Sun Chun'er and Qian Minmin before heading to County Junior High School.
Zhao Jin had also attended junior high school here, so finding Qi Yuehong and Qi Rui was second nature. It didn't take long for her to register at the school gate and follow the guard's directions to find Qi Yuehong's classroom.
She arrived at just the right time; it was recess, and the hallways of the teaching building were filled with running children, lively and full of energy.
At that moment, Qi Yuehong's class was particularly lively.
“Qi Yuehong, why aren't you eating the bread I bought for you?” A voice shouted at Qi Yuehong, which sounded quite familiar to Zhao Jin.
“Exactly! Qi Yuehong, what's wrong with you? Zhao Lei is being kind-hearted and offering you a bread because he feels sorry for you, and you refuse it? Do you look down on Zhao Lei?” In the next moment, another girl chimed in, confirming Zhao Jin's suspicion.
Hearing this girl's voice, Zhao Jin furrowed her brows and leaned in to look inside the classroom.
Sure enough, it was another acquaintance.
However, this familiar face was not from the Zhao Family, but rather from the Qi Family.
Because Qi Zheng's family is not very close to Qi Ershu's family, Zhao Jin is not familiar with the two daughters of Qi Ershu's household.
If it weren't for coming to school today, Zhao Jin wouldn't even know that Qi Ershu's second daughter, Qi Juanjuan, is in the same class as Qi Yuehong.
And then there's Zhao Lei. How did this good-for-nothing kid set his sights on Yuehong? Moreover, he's causing trouble at school; his audacity is quite remarkable!
Zhao Lei's audacity isn't as great as Zhao Jin thinks. However, after losing face in front of Qi Zheng, he naturally focused all his efforts on getting back at Qi Yuehong.
Qi Yuehong ignored Zhao Lei and Qi Juanjuan's provocations. No matter how much these two mocked and ridiculed her, she didn't respond a single word. She simply kept her head down, diligently working on her practice problems, completely disregarding the noise and commotion around her.
Unlike Zhao Lei and Qi Juanjuan, Qi Yuehong is one of the top students in the class. Her academic performance is well-known, and her personality is particularly quiet; she has always been a model student in the eyes of the teachers. However, such a student may not necessarily be liked by every classmate. Those who perform well academically might feel envious due to the teachers' praise for Qi Yuehong. As for those who perform poorly, it's even less likely. In their eyes, Qi Yuehong is not in the same circle as them, so they don't consider her one of their own.
Qi Yuehong does have a few good friends in class. However, under the pressure exerted by Zhao Lei, who is defined as a "delinquent," very few classmates dare to step forward to support Qi Yuehong at this moment.
Qi Yuehong also doesn't expect other classmates to stand up for her. Whether it's Zhao Lei or Qi Juanjuan, as long as she ignores these two, they will naturally find it uninteresting and give up.
After all, she isn't unfamiliar with these two; Qi Yuehong has a certain understanding of Zhao Lei and Qi Juanjuan.
However, this time, Qi Yuehong's perception might be mistaken.
Due to his connection with Qi Zheng, Zhao Lei has taken a grudge against Qi Yuehong. He doesn't dare to cause trouble for Qi Zheng directly, so he can only pick on the soft target that is Qi Yuehong.
As for Qi Juanjuan, she has started to feel envious because of the recent changes in Qi Yuehong.
In Qi Juanjuan's fixed mindset, Qi Yuehong is only slightly better than her in terms of academic performance; in every other aspect, she falls short. Her family background is not as good, her clothing and appearance are inferior, and even her daily living expenses are several levels below Qi Juanjuan's.
The scene that brings Qi Juanjuan the most satisfaction and joy is when she enjoys a feast of meat and fish while Qi Yuehong has to hide aside, gnawing on steamed buns and pickles.
In Qi Juanjuan's eyes, Qi Yuehong deserves to be overshadowed by her, living a miserable and pitiful life.
However, after such a long time, this situation began to change at the start of this semester.
First of all, Qi Yuehong surprisingly brought new items from home: a new basin, a new thermos, and a new quilt!
These items were things that Qi Juanjuan also owned. But now that they are in the third year of middle school, how could two-year-old items compare to brand new ones?
Jealously glaring at Qi Yuehong, Qi Juanjuan was just short of pointing at her nose and accusing her of stealing these things.
Yet, deep down, Qi Juanjuan knew very well that Qi Yuehong did not steal them. Qi Yuehong is not that kind of person and would never do such a thing.
As for where these new items came from, Qi Juanjuan could easily guess; they must have been brought by Qi Yuehong's new sister-in-law.
Who in Willow Leaf Village doesn't know that Qi Zheng married a "Golden Bodhisattva"? There were chickens, ducks, and cows as dowries, as well as bedding and even a sewing machine!
Qi Juanjuan had seen it with her own eyes; she couldn't find any way to slander Qi Yuehong without feeling ridiculous herself.
During this period since school started, Qi Juanjuan had been holding back, waiting for the opportunity to give Qi Yuehong a hard time.
Until today, when Zhao Lei targeted Qi Yuehong, Qi Juanjuan pounced like a wild cat sensing blood.
Because they were holding their breath, Zhao Lei and Qi Juanjuan were determined to target Qi Yuehong and would not let go.
Seeing that Qi Yuehong was unwilling to engage with them, Zhao Lei angrily reached out to snatch Qi Yuehong's practice book.
Qi Juanjuan clenched her fists, excitedly watching the scene, just waiting to see Qi Yuehong bullied to the point of tears.
Qi Yuehong did not expect Zhao Lei to suddenly reach out, and instinctively protected her practice book by pulling it back.
At the same time, Zhao Jin could no longer stand by and shouted into the classroom, "Zhao Lei, how dare you!"
The noisy classroom fell silent immediately at Zhao Jin's shout. Everyone turned their heads to look at Zhao Jin.
In the hushed atmosphere, Zhao Jin slowly walked into the classroom.
"Zhao..." Zhao Lei never expected that Zhao Jin would actually appear at school. And judging by the current situation, how long had Zhao Jin been there? Had she seen everything?
"Sister-in-law!" Qi Yuehong, who was usually quiet and soft-spoken, couldn't help but raise her voice in surprise.
"I'm here to bring you and Rui some food." Placing the bag in front of Qi Yuehong's desk, Zhao Jin smiled gently at her, her tone particularly warm.
However, when she turned to look at Zhao Lei, her expression immediately changed: "Zhao Lei, what's wrong with you? How can you bully your classmates at school? Yuehong is your sister! Is this how you behave?"
Faced with Zhao Jin's reprimand, Zhao Lei felt embarrassed. Especially with so many classmates watching in the classroom, he became even more displeased.
"This is my business; it's none of your concern!" With a hint of resentment, Zhao Lei shouted back rudely. "I would like to ignore your business, but you keep coming in front of me! What? You can bully my Yuehong but I can't say anything back? I'm still your cousin! Is this how you show respect for your elder sister? Does your teacher know about this?" Since they were at school, Zhao Jin naturally intended to call a teacher to handle the conflict.
Zhao Lei was not afraid of his grandparents, nor was he afraid of his parents, but when it came to teachers... it was undeniable that he still had a bit of fear. Therefore, upon hearing that Zhao Jin was going to call the teacher, Zhao Lei instinctively shut his mouth. He looked at Zhao Jin with a sullen expression, clearly displeased.
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