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Back to the 80s: A Marriage of Convenience
Whether Qi Zheng cares or not is clearly not the most critical issue at the moment. Compared to Qi Zheng's feelings, what Chen Cui needs to focus on more is Zhao Ying'er's current mood.
“Mom!” At this point, how could her mother still not understand the situation? Zhao Ying'er couldn't hold back any longer and ran over to grab Chen Cui's arm, angrily pointing at the pile of Bride Price by the door.
“Hmm? What’s wrong…” Chen Cui finally saw the Bride Price brought by Wu Feng, and the smile on her face instantly vanished, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Wha… what does this mean? Only two bags of rice, a basket of eggs, and a jar of oil? This, this…
Swallowing hard, Chen Cui quickly shifted her gaze to Wu Feng's face: “Feng, is it that the Bride Price is too much for you to carry alone? Should we borrow a vehicle from our family to help you take it back?”
Chen Cui's “is it” was asked with a guilty conscience. Normal people know very well that even if they can't carry it all, it wouldn't be possible to ask the bride's family to lend a vehicle. Isn't Qi Zheng's family poor enough? Didn't they still manage to borrow a tractor from someone in the village?
It's not like they are forcing the groom's family to buy a tractor; surely Wu Feng's family has decent enough relationships to borrow a vehicle?
Moreover, even if they couldn't borrow one, Wu Feng's family has relatives. With each person lending a hand, how could they not manage to deliver it?
And Wu Feng indeed did not let Chen Cui's guilt go unaddressed. In response to Chen Cui's question, he opened his mouth in silence and coldly uttered two words: “No.”
At this moment, it was Chen Cui who felt incredibly awkward.
However, facing the gaze of everyone around them, Chen Cui couldn't even curse. After pausing for a moment, she had no choice but to force out a smile and stammered, “N-no, it's not…”
“Mom! Look!” Zhao Ying'er also felt embarrassed. But no matter how embarrassing it was, she had to fight for what she deserved.
Why should Zhao Jin marry into the Qi Family and receive such a large Bride Price? She was marrying Wu Feng but only received this little Bride Price? Could it be that Wu Family is poorer than Qi Family?
Wasn't Wu Family supposed to promise at least two major items for the Bride Price, including a bicycle and a sewing machine?
Even when Zhao Jin got married, Uncle's family gifted her a sewing machine.
It was her turn, and the Bride Price from the Wu Family was just a bit of rice and oil? Plus a basket of eggs—who would want that?
Zhao Ying'er was furious, her face turning pale with anger, almost unable to hold back from confronting Wu Feng right there.
Fortunately, she still retained a shred of rationality, knowing that if she started a big fight with Wu Feng now, the marriage would be completely ruined, and she would become the biggest joke in Willow Leaf Village. So, no matter how angry she was, Zhao Ying'er held it in.
However, just because Zhao Ying'er held back didn't mean she couldn't find support. For example, Chen Cui.
Chen Cui could sense Zhao Ying'er's anger at that moment and understood her thoughts and feelings. But she felt helpless, clearly at a loss.
If possible, Chen Cui wouldn't mind having a big argument with Wu Feng, forcing him to go back to the Wu Family to prepare more Bride Price.
But in reality, could Chen Cui do that? No.
Zhao Ying'er was going to marry Wu Feng. Their family would still need to interact with the Wu Family in the future. If they had a loud argument now, Zhao Ying'er’s life in the Wu Family would not be easy.
Of course, if Zhao Ying'er decided not to marry Wu Feng, Chen Cui wouldn't mind directly driving him away with a broom.
So the question arose: Would Zhao Ying'er marry or not?
"Wu Family's son, are you joking with our family?" Chen Cui had many concerns, but Grandma Zhao was not so polite. She immediately glared at Wu Feng with a stern face.
Wu Feng remained silent, not even looking at Grandma Zhao but instead scanning the room until his gaze landed on Zhao Jin.
Originally, he wanted to marry Zhao Jin and had specifically asked Chen Cui for help. Who would have thought that Chen Cui had ulterior motives? Not only did she not help but also forced Zhao Jin to marry into the Qi Family instead of Zhao Ying'er.
What one cannot obtain is often seen as the best. For Wu Feng, marrying Zhao Jin was not an absolute necessity. Otherwise, when he first learned that Zhao Jin was going to marry Qi Zheng, he would have approached her long ago instead of waiting until now.
However, as time passed and after confirming his engagement with Zhao Ying'er, Wu Feng suddenly changed his mindset.
In that instant, Wu Feng clearly realized that he no longer had any chance with Zhao Jin. From then on, the woman in his life would be Zhao Ying'er, not Zhao Jin.
Wu Feng is an incredibly proud person. His self-esteem does not allow him to admit defeat or bow down to others.
Initially, he looked down on competing with Qi Zheng. In his eyes, Qi Zheng could never compare to him in any aspect. If he were to truly argue with Qi Zheng, it would undoubtedly lower his own status and identity.
After all, he is a high school student! What about Qi Zheng? Although he got into high school, he couldn't finish it. His family is so poor that they are on the verge of starvation...
These were Wu Feng's genuine thoughts and feelings at the beginning. He disdainfully chose not to compete with Qi Zheng, which also led him to give up on Zhao Jin, allowing her to marry into the Qi Family.
At that time, Wu Feng even sighed inwardly about Zhao Jin's unfortunate fate. Not being able to marry him or come to the Wu Family was simply because Zhao Jin lacked fortune.
However, when he finally realized that the woman who would accompany him for the rest of his life was not Zhao Jin, Wu Feng inexplicably felt quite unhappy.
Compared to Zhao Jin, what was Zhao Ying'er worth?
The more Wu Feng thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. He was unwilling to admit that his previous inaction had led to the current situation. Naturally, he directed his anger towards Zhao Ying'er.
If it weren't for Zhao Ying'er forcibly pushing the marriage with the Qi Family onto Zhao Jin, how could Zhao Jin possibly marry Qi Zheng? If Zhao Jin hadn't married Qi Zheng, how could he be forced to marry Zhao Ying'er?
Thinking this way, Wu Feng grew increasingly resentful of Zhao Ying'er. It even escalated to the point where she became an "enemy" in his eyes.
On the contrary, there is no doubt that now in Wu Feng's mind, Zhao Jin is an unattainable beauty, a flawless existence like a white moonlight.
After confirming that Chen Cui and Zhao Ying'er had maliciously plotted against him, how could Wu Feng still have any goodwill towards this family? Especially towards Zhao Ying'er, he didn't even want to look at her.
If it weren't for Chen Cui insisting on having her family visit theirs, and if the visitor wasn't his own aunt, Wu Feng would have long since kicked anyone who dared to propose this marriage out the door.
Deep down, Wu Feng did not want to marry Zhao Jin at all.
However, his aunt repeatedly assured his parents about how wonderful Zhao Ying'er was, far better than Zhao Jin. Eventually, his parents were swayed, and as a result, he had no choice but to stand here.
Today's bride price was prepared by his mother. Wu Feng had no thoughts about it and did not raise any objections.
Good or bad, it is all something that Zhao Ying'er brought upon herself. Whether it is more or less, if Zhao Ying'er's family has any objections, they should take it up with her parents, not him.
For Wu Feng, if he hadn't just heard Zhao Ying'er shouting that Zhao Jin had returned to her Maternal Family and would be coming over soon, he would have already turned around and left.
After all, the Bride Price has already been delivered, and the wedding date has been set. When the day comes, he will come to take Zhao Ying'er back, and that will be the end of it.
As for staying at Zhao Ying'er's house for a meal...
Did he not see that he specifically chose to come after lunch to deliver the Bride Price? He arrived right after lunch, with plenty of time before dinner at Willow Leaf Village, giving him ample reasons and excuses to leave.
The only reason he stayed was that he wanted to catch a glimpse of the girl hidden in his heart. It was as if at this very moment, the girl he loved was standing not far away, but aside from quietly watching her, he had no other way to approach her.
Before seeing her, Wu Feng could still deceive himself into thinking that he didn't like Zhao Jin that much and didn't necessarily want to marry her.
After all, he had heard about the Bride Price being sent to Zhao Jin's Family back then.
But at that time, aside from his anger towards Chen Cui for deceiving him, he had no intention of competing for Zhao Jin in her family. He couldn't bring himself to do that and didn't want to lose face.
What was Qi Zheng? How could he compare? If Zhao Jin couldn't marry him, it was because she didn't have that good fortune; it was a huge loss for her.
From the moment he learned that Zhao Jin was going to marry Qi Zheng, until she actually married into the Qi Family, Wu Feng held onto this thought and belief. Even when faced with questions from his parents, his attitude remained unchanged.
Thus, from the time Zhao Jin got engaged until she married, Wu Feng never showed up. His pride and self-esteem wouldn't allow him to do so; he had no intention of doing so either.
However, at this moment, standing outside Zhao Ying'er's house and seeing Zhao Jin standing next to Qi Zheng, Wu Feng suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Clearly, she should have been his woman, yet she stood beside another man. For him, wasn't this a humiliation and embarrassment?
Such thoughts suddenly surfaced in his mind, causing Wu Feng to feel unsettled and unhappy.
Wu Feng had always been proud. His principle in dealing with people was that if he was unhappy, others shouldn't expect to be happy either. Not to mention his feelings towards Zhao Ying'er, which were never particularly fond. Even though he came today to deliver the Bride Price for her, his attention was still mostly focused on Zhao Jin.
For two months, there was a commotion over a marriage proposal, and even though Chen Cui tried hard to keep it a secret, the truth was still exposed. Therefore, Grandfather Zhao's family was well aware that Wu Feng had always wanted to marry Zhao Jin, not Zhao Ying'er.
Initially, when the Wu Family agreed to the marriage, Grandfather Zhao and the others thought that Wu Feng's feelings for Zhao Jin were over.
After all, Zhao Jin had already married into the Qi Family. Regardless of Wu Feng's feelings, there was no hope left between him and Zhao Jin.
Moreover, in Grandfather Zhao's mind, Zhao Ying'er was infinitely better than Zhao Jin. With Zhao Ying'er around, who would still want to marry Zhao Jin? Wu Feng was not blind.
Unfortunately, no matter how well Grandfather Zhao and the others thought things through, they could not ignore the glaring reality before them.
Whether Grandfather Zhao and his family wanted to admit it or not, Wu Feng had clearly exceeded their control. The direction of this marriage was turning out to be completely different from what they had expected.
Wu Feng kept staring at Zhao Jin, which displeased Grandfather Zhao and his family. The Zhao Guoqiang family certainly did not appreciate it either. Not to mention that Qi Zheng was also present.
Qi Zheng stepped forward to block Wu Feng's gaze towards Zhao Jin, and his expression instantly turned cold, exuding a chilling aura.
Qian Minmin immediately smiled. Compared to that Wu Feng, Qi Zheng was much more pleasing to them as a son-in-law.
Zhao Guoqiang and Xu Mei were also very satisfied with Qi Zheng's performance. Although they did not have much interaction with Wu Feng and did not know him well, they were genuinely pleased with Qi Zheng as their son-in-law.
As for the Qi Family as in-laws, regardless of how outsiders viewed it, Zhao Guoqiang and his wife were actually very willing to associate with the Qi Family.
They had no dissatisfaction with Qi Zheng; on the contrary, the more they interacted with him, the more they liked him.
In contrast, they had no intention of engaging with Wu Feng anymore.
For one reason alone: the bride price that Wu Feng sent over clearly reflected his character.
How could marrying a daughter-in-law be so casual? Even if the family faced difficulties, one should still show proper attitude! Moreover, the Wu Family was not lacking in wealth at all; Wu Feng clearly did not take Zhao Ying'er seriously and did not want to go through with this marriage!
So the question arose: why agree to marry if he didn't want to? Once he agreed, he should take on the responsibility! Yet Wu Feng was evidently not someone willing to shoulder responsibilities.
A man who does not dare to take responsibility and cannot bear it is certainly not a suitable match. If it were Zhao Jin, the Zhao Guoqiang family would definitely not agree to this marriage. Even if the Bride Price has already been delivered, they would oppose it to the end.
Although opposing at this critical moment would certainly bring trouble and is not a glorious thing, in the eyes and hearts of Zhao Guoqiang and others, Zhao Jin's happiness is far more important.
Take Wu Feng, for example; he was indifferent to Zhao Ying'er before their marriage, while Zhao Ying'er's Maternal Family passively allowed it. Isn't it true that Zhao Ying'er's status in the Wu Family was already established at that time?
When the time comes for Grandfather Zhao and others to reprimand Wu Feng, how would Wu Feng respond? He would surely dismiss them with disdain and ignore them.
After all, Zhao Ying'er is already the daughter-in-law of the Wu Family. No matter how powerful or angry Grandfather Zhao and others are, what can they do? The attitude of the Wu Family was clear from the wedding date; didn't Grandfather Zhao and others have any objections? Coming to pick a fight now is tantamount to not wanting Zhao Ying'er to live well in the Wu Family.
These are thoughts that any normal person could come up with, yet Grandfather Zhao and others directly ignored them. It’s not that they couldn’t think of it, but rather that they dared not think about it and were unwilling to consider it.
This marriage was forcibly taken from Zhao Jin. To ensure that Zhao Ying'er could marry Wu Feng, they even pressured Zhao Jin to marry into the Qi Family in place of her.
Now, how could they admit that Wu Feng is far inferior to Qi Zheng, and that the marriage they fought so hard for on behalf of Zhao Ying'er is not good at all?
No matter what others think, Grandfather Zhao and his group are adamant about not admitting their mistakes.
If they refuse to admit their mistakes, then they can only hold on stubbornly. Even though they have grown dissatisfied with Wu Feng, for the sake of maintaining their own dignity, they must let this marriage continue.
“Let’s all go inside!” Finally, Grandfather Zhao spoke up, but his face no longer bore the initial smile, and his tone was quite displeased.
How could Grandma Zhao, Chen Cui, and others be happy? With Wu Feng slapping their family in the face like this, each one of them was extremely angry.
What started as a good marriage has turned into a feud before they even became in-laws. Regardless of how everyone behaves on the surface, at least in their hearts, there are different thoughts and feelings brewing.
Grandma Zhao barely managed to maintain appearances; since she couldn’t act, she could only hope that her usually formidable daughter-in-law, Chen Cui, wouldn’t let her down.
However, under everyone’s watchful eyes, especially in front of the Zhao Guoqiang family as well as Zhao Jin and Qi Zheng, no matter how capable Chen Cui is, she cannot retract her words at this moment.
To successfully marry off Ying'er to Wu Feng, they had exerted so much effort to marry off Zhao Jin to the Qi Family. And no matter what, they must fulfill this marriage with the Wu Family.
Otherwise, it would be their family that becomes the laughingstock!
Grinding his teeth, Chen Cui shot Zhao Ying'er a dark look and said, "Ying'er, take Wu Feng inside."
Zhao Ying'er was extremely reluctant, her face full of anger, showing no signs of joy whatsoever.
She was so furious that she felt like causing a scene and didn't care about anything else.
However, Chen Cui glared at her several times, and Zhao Ying'er dared not act willfully outside the door. She could only suppress her anger and snapped at Wu Feng, "Wu Feng, come inside!"
Such an angry command would not be liked by anyone. Moreover, Wu Feng, who already disliked Zhao Ying'er, felt even more contempt for her at that moment, taking his disdain to a new level.
Without even glancing at Zhao Ying'er, Wu Feng's gaze was forced to land on Qi Zheng due to his obstruction.
Frowning slightly, Wu Feng's hostility towards Qi Zheng intensified as he provocatively walked over.
Seeing that Wu Feng not only ignored her but also approached Zhao Jin, how could Zhao Ying'er possibly hold back?
"Wu Feng! My grandfather wants you to come inside!" Zhao Ying'er's tone was heavy as she quickly walked a few steps to Wu Feng's side and reached out to grab him.
How could Wu Feng treat her like this? How dare he treat her this way? Wu Feng was supposed to marry her, not Zhao Jin!
Wu Feng had never been one to submit easily. He was always arrogant and self-important. Zhao Ying'er's public humiliation of him struck right at the bottom line he could not tolerate.
Zhao Ying'er wasn't even married to him yet; what gave her the right to shout at him? Did she really think she was some kind of fairy whom he had to carefully cherish?
Others might not know, but didn't Zhao Ying'er herself realize that the person he wanted to marry wasn't her at all?
It was clearly Zhao Ying'er who shamelessly insisted on competing for this marriage, yet she stood there with such righteous indignation yelling at him. Did Zhao Ying'er really think he was desperate to marry her? It was utterly ridiculous!
"He's your grandfather, not mine," Wu Feng at least spared Zhao Ying'er some face. He refrained from voicing the sarcastic remark of "Why should I listen to him?"
However, Wu Feng's so-called explanation, while honest, was also quite hurtful. He had already come to pay the Bride Price for Zhao Ying'er; this marriage was already settled. How could Zhao Ying'er's grandfather not be his grandfather?
But Wu Feng was serious about this, and from a blood relation standpoint, he wasn't entirely wrong.
Zhao Ying'er was undoubtedly very angry and looked at Wu Feng in disbelief, never expecting him to say such a thing.
Hadn't their families already agreed to the marriage? Shouldn't her family be considered Wu Feng's family? According to Wu Feng's current theory, did that mean that once she married into the Wu Family, she could also disregard Wu Feng's parents as elders and relatives?
If that were the case... Zhao Ying'er stomped her foot, stubbornly deciding in her heart to confront Wu Feng.
Fine! So Wu Feng was ruthless! They would just have to wait and see! Let's see who would back down in the future!
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