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Back to the 80s: A Cherished Marriage
Tao Tao was patiently waiting for Zhao Jin to come out. When she turned her head and saw an elder following, she immediately opened the car door and jumped out.
"Hello, Auntie." Regardless of whether she knew her or not, Tao Tao put on a bright smile and took the initiative to greet her.
"Good, good, good. The young one is called Tao Tao, right? Why didn't you come in and sit down when you arrived? Did we neglect you?" Xu Mei quite liked Tao Tao. The young person looked spirited and was quite sociable, so she quickly offered to invite her for a meal.
"No, Auntie, please don't bother. I already made plans with Sister-in-law on the way here; I'm going to Brother Qi's house for lunch." Tao Tao wasn't the type to be overly polite but also wasn't unpleasant.
As for Qi Zheng, since he was recognized by Tao Tao as the leader, he wouldn't hesitate to eat at home once it was confirmed that the Tao Family's financial situation had indeed improved. However, with others, Tao Tao would be particularly courteous.
"You're eating at Qi Family for lunch; what about dinner? Do you have time tonight? Come over to our house for dinner?" Xu Mei sincerely invited Tao Tao to visit. There was no doubt that her invitation was especially genuine. "No, Auntie, please don't be so polite with me. Whenever there's a chance, I will definitely come over to your house for a meal. But tonight, I really can't. I'm driving the Supply and Marketing Cooperative's car and need to return before they close this afternoon!" Facing Xu Mei's heartfelt invitation, Tao Tao felt very grateful. Unfortunately, today was indeed not possible, so she suggested doing it another time.
"Alright then. Let's leave it for today. Next time! Next time you come to Willow Leaf Village with your Brother Qi, Auntie will personally cook and make you old hen soup." Xu Mei wasn't angry at Tao Tao's refusal; she could see that Tao Tao and Qi Zheng were genuinely close, and her attitude became even more sincere and enthusiastic.
Moreover, the things in the car that Tao Tao drove were still Zhao Jin's belongings. Following Xu Mei's words, this was helping out her family! As a result, Xu Mei's impression of Tao Tao improved even more.
"Okay, then I’ll thank you in advance, Auntie. Next time I have a chance, I will definitely come over with my Brother Qi and shamelessly ask for some soup." Tao Tao nodded and smiled in response.
After all, "next time" just meant later. Besides, she would be bringing Qi Zheng along. If she really came to Zhao Family with Qi Zheng for a meal, Tao Tao feared there would be no discomfort at all.
"Good, good! Then it's settled. Auntie will remember this; I'll have your Brother Qi invite you over to our house for soup next time." Xu Mei's desire to invite her was genuine; thus, her words were devoid of any formality.
Xu Mei's invitation was sincere, and Tao Tao felt it deeply.
Since it was Sister-in-law's maternal family, Tao Tao no longer declined but nodded and smiled without reservation: "Then I'll look forward to tasting Auntie's culinary skills."
Seeing that Xu Mei had settled on inviting Tao Tao for dinner at her house, Zhao Jin smiled throughout and silently observed.
Anyway, since we are all family, there’s no need for formalities or calculations. It’s a good thing to interact more with each other.
After confirming that they would come over for dinner another day, Xu Mei finally stopped trying to keep Zhao Jin and Tao Tao from leaving, watching as their car drove past their home towards the Qi Family.
"This is the captain of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative you mentioned when you came back last time, right?" As the car disappeared from view, Xu Mei suddenly recalled that Zhao Jin had not yet married Qi Zheng during that time when Qian Minmin and Sun Chun'er had mentioned Tao Tao. "That's right! Mom, because he was with us today, Sister-in-law and I saved quite a bit of money! Plus, Tao Tao helped make sure that the salespeople at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative remembered both me and Sister-in-law, so even without him around in the future, they will still try to give us a discount." Qian Minmin was very optimistic about Tao Tao and felt grateful towards him. In fact, she even started to think about playing matchmaker.
However, this matter was not urgent. Qian Minmin thought it best to wait until Zhao Jin was done with her busy schedule before discussing the feasibility of this idea with her.
Although she had her eyes set on Tao Tao as her maternal family brother-in-law, Qian Minmin did not want this to affect the friendship between Qi Zheng and Tao Tao. Therefore, she needed Zhao Jin's help to facilitate this connection.
The idea of Qian Minmin acting as a matchmaker was not yet on the agenda, so it was best left unmentioned for now.
Regarding the discounts offered by the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Xu Mei shook her head disapprovingly. "Don't do this next time. It's hard to repay favors. It's fine for us to benefit a little, but if we let Tao Tao owe too many favors, it won't be good." Hearing Xu Mei say this, Qian Minmin immediately laughed and quickly explained, "Mom, Sister-in-law and I didn't want to trouble Tao Tao at first either. But then we learned about his family's situation! After confirming with Jin that Tao Tao is indeed the grandson of the president of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, we felt it was okay to ask for his help."
It was indeed a "trouble," but it wasn't like Qian Minmin and Sun Chun'er actively sought out Tao Tao. Initially, when Tao Tao offered to take them shopping, they had refused. Eventually, they couldn't decline any longer; since he worked at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and could move around freely wherever he went, they agreed.
Xu Mei understood her two daughters-in-law well. She knew that Qian Minmin and Sun Chun'er were not the type to take advantage of others, so she didn't say much more. She simply reminded them lightly to "be careful next time" before moving on from the topic.
Tao Tao's arrival truly brought a lively atmosphere to the Qi Family.
Tao Tao was naturally an energetic person. Familiar with everyone in the Qi Family yard, he saw Qi Zheng and others busy working and immediately insisted on helping out.
Qi Zheng didn’t treat Tao Tao as an outsider; he handed over what he was carrying and got up to help Zhao Jin move fabric instead.
Zhao Zhenqi's two brothers naturally followed suit immediately. With a whole truckload of fabric, it would take Qi Zheng forever to move it all by himself!
What? Their brother Jin was helping? How could someone so thin do such heavy work?
So strictly speaking, Zhao Zhenqi and Zhao Zhenan are also "sister-con."
If Zhao Zhenqi and Zhao Zhenan are solely focused on their sister Zhao Jin, then the three younger siblings of the Qi Family are truly "brother-con." As soon as Qi Zheng went to move the fabric, Qi Ze immediately stood up without a word and eagerly followed him.
As a result, only Qi Dayong, the father of the Qi Family, and Tao Tao were left in that corner of the yard.
In his heart, Qi Dayong also wanted to get up and help. However, after glancing at Tao Tao, he chose to remain silent.
After all, someone had to entertain Tao Tao!
Tao Tao felt quite innocent. He genuinely wasn't there to cause trouble. It was just that as soon as he got off the car, thinking about seeing his Brother Qi, he completely forgot that there was still a truckload of fabric to unload.
At that moment, seeing everyone else helping to unload the fabric made him feel quite out of place...
Ultimately, Tao Tao took the initiative to put down the piece of wood in his hand and suggested that he go help with moving the fabric.
Qi Dayong immediately nodded and briskly got up to head towards the front door.
Watching Qi Dayong move swiftly, Tao Tao was quite reluctant but had to admit that he seemed to have almost caused Uncle Qi some trouble.
With Qi Zheng and the others helping out, the fabric that Tao Tao assisted in bringing back was quickly moved into the rooms of Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin. The excess was placed in the rooms of Qi Rui and Qi Yuehong.
With two additional rooms to share the load, they finally finished unloading everything.
Originally, Qi Ze intended to put the extra fabric in his room. However, since Grandma Qi, Qi Rui, and Qi Yuehong were at school and not home, it seemed unnecessary to bother moving it into Qi Ze's room when it was empty anyway.
Before Qi Ze could say much more, he heard Zhou Ju nodding in agreement.
After that, there was no opportunity for him to speak further.
Meanwhile, Grandma Qi was actually thinking even further ahead. Since Qi Zheng had already brought his wife home, shouldn't it be time for Qi Ze next?
Thinking this way, Grandma Qi couldn't wait to replace all the furniture in Qi Ze's room. How could she allow these fabrics to pile up in Qi Ze's room?
Qi Ze couldn't understand Grandma Qi's thoughts. Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin didn't think much of it either; the two of them worked together with everyone else to move the fabrics and were then ordered by Zhou Ju to rest inside the house.
Of course, Zhou Ju's main target for the order was Zhao Jin. As for Qi Zheng, he was just a secondary consideration.
However, after not seeing Zhao Jin for a whole morning, Qi Zheng really missed her. He pulled Zhao Jin back into the house, fetched water for her to wash up, and then lay down with her on the bed.
"You've worked hard." Qi Zheng truly felt sorry for Zhao Jin.
If Jin hadn't married him, she would surely have a more comfortable life. But since she married him, she inevitably had to endure quite a bit of hardship.
"I'm not tired." Leaning against Qi Zheng, Zhao Jin was in a good mood and immediately shared her activities from that morning with him.
Hearing Zhao Jin talk about her pleasant cooperation with Lan Sister, who was usually so serious that she even took the initiative to help sell them the fabrics at a low price, Qi Zheng felt a swell of pride in his heart.
His Jin was truly impressive!
When Zhao Jin mentioned going to County Junior High School to see Qi Yuehong and Qi Rui and witnessing Qi Yuehong being wronged, Qi Zheng stroked Zhao Jin's hair and said, "Don't be angry."
"How can I not be angry? Our Yuehong is so well-behaved! Zhao Lei is just a good-for-nothing who has nothing better to do but cause trouble! And that Qi Juanjuan isn't any good either. She's supposed to be our Yuehong's cousin! To team up with Zhao Lei to publicly bully our Yuehong in class is just too malicious." In front of Qi Zheng, Zhao Jin never hid her true feelings; she expressed everything openly.
At this moment, her dissatisfaction with Zhao Lei and Qi Juanjuan poured out to Qi Zheng without reservation.
"There won't be a next time." Although Qi Zheng wasn't good at comforting people, he still gave Zhao Jin a reassuring promise.
"If there is a next time, I'm going to make a scene at Second Uncle's house!" Zhao Jin pouted, showing no intention of hiding her real plan.
Zhao Lei could be excused; he had been spoiled rotten by Grandfather Zhao and others. Zhao Jin knew very well that Zhao Lei would eventually face the consequences of his actions; she could let him show off for a little longer.
In Zhao Jin's memory, Zhao Lei's third year of junior high would never end. Unless something unexpected happened, next month, Zhao Lei would have to obediently pack his bags and return to the village.
At this point, Zhao Lei no longer had the opportunity to continue bothering Qi Yuehong.
Zhao Jin did not intend to give Zhao Lei a reason to find Qi Yuehong, so she simply ignored him.
Otherwise, with Zhao Lei's shamelessness, he would definitely cling to Qi Yuehong. In the end, it would be Qi Yuehong who suffered.
In Zhao Jin's view, Qi Yuehong was a good candidate for high school and college and should not be targeted by Zhao Lei.
However, Qi Juanjuan was different.
They both shared the surname Qi, and even though she had graduated from middle school, they would still see each other frequently for many years to come. Zhao Jin could not tolerate Qi Juanjuan treating Qi Yuehong this way.
Therefore, Zhao Jin had already decided that the next time she encountered Qi Ershu's family, she would speak her mind without holding back.
At that time, don’t blame her for not giving Qi Ershu's family any face!
Coincidentally, on the afternoon when Zhao Jin went to County Junior High School to deliver items to Qi Yuehong and Qi Rui, Aunt Qi Cheng Fangfang appeared in their yard.
Cheng Fangfang came to "borrow" money. The emphasis on the word "borrow" was necessary because in the past, it was always the Qi Zheng Family that faced difficulties and needed to borrow money from others. However, it was rare to see Qi Ershu and Aunt Qi take the initiative to come over due to their own difficulties.
Today was indeed an exception and caught everyone off guard. Could it be that Qi Ershu's family was really in trouble?
However, things were clearly not as everyone expected. As soon as Aunt Qi Cheng Fangfang opened her mouth, everyone understood. "Sister-in-law, you are wrong for doing this. It was one thing when life was tough before; no one could help anyone. But now your family is doing so well and has even found such a generous in-law willing to support you; you don’t even think about us? After all, we are relatives. My son Er Zhu is your elder brother's younger brother." Cheng Fangfang stood in the center of the Qi Family yard with her hands on her hips, arguing with Zhou Ju.
Zhao Jin frowned and immediately looked at Cheng Fangfang with displeasure.
The Qi Family was different from the Zhao Family; there was no formidable Qian Minmin, only the gentle Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju. Qi Zheng was indeed capable, but as a man, he could not engage in a verbal spar with an elder like Cheng Fangfang.
Even before they had separated their households, Cheng Fangfang had been quite domineering in the family and had become rather arrogant.
Here it is, after a long absence, Cheng Fangfang's aura still lingers, and at this moment, she seems to be making a comeback.
However, it is unfortunate that this time, the Qi Family has an additional Zhao Jin. The situation of the battle immediately changes, and it cannot go as Cheng Fangfang wishes.
“Second Aunt, you came just in time; I have something to discuss with you.” Ignoring the reason Cheng Fangfang came to pick a fight, Zhao Jin pulls the focus back to her side, not allowing Cheng Fangfang to control the scene.
Seeing that it was Zhao Jin stepping in, Cheng Fangfang cautiously took half a step back, looking as if she were facing a formidable enemy: “What do you want with me?”
Of course, Cheng Fangfang was not afraid of Zhao Jin. The main reason was that Zhao Jin was not from the Qi Family, but rather a daughter-in-law who had married in. Moreover, this daughter-in-law brought a considerable dowry, which naturally gave her weight in the In-law family.
Additionally, everyone in Willow Leaf Village knows that Zhao Jin is very favored in her Maternal Family. Her parents dote on her, and her brothers and sisters-in-law protect her; she has never suffered hardship or faced any grievances.
Thus, when Cheng Fangfang suddenly clashed with Zhao Jin, it was inevitable that she felt somewhat constrained.
If she were to inadvertently provoke Zhao Jin, Cheng Fangfang had a premonition that she would regret it.
So when facing Zhao Jin, Cheng Fangfang was very cautious and carried a hint of hesitation. But Zhao Jin did not care about how Cheng Fangfang felt. Right now, she was here to settle scores with Cheng Fangfang, not to build relationships. Naturally, she could not be polite: “Second Aunt, what’s going on with your daughter Juanjuan? I went to school today to bring some food for Yuehong, and I actually saw with my own eyes that Juanjuan was bullying Yuehong at school! If this escalates, they are close cousins; how can Juanjuan act so arrogantly?”
“You must be mistaken! My daughter Juanjuan is such a well-behaved girl; how could she possibly…” Cheng Fangfang reacted quickly and immediately shouted back at Zhao Jin.
Even if her daughter Qi Juanjuan really did bully Qi Yuehong, Cheng Fangfang would never admit it, especially not in front of the members of the Qi Zheng's Family. “How could it be impossible? I saw it with my own eyes; can there be any falsehood?” With a loud voice from Cheng Fangfang, the momentum from Zhao Jin was equally strong. “Second Aunt, I’m telling you, we only have one girl like Yuehong, and we cherish her more than anyone else. I won’t mention past events. No matter how your family’s Qi Juanjuan has bullied our family’s Yuehong, I wasn’t married into the Qi Family back then; it didn’t concern me then. But starting now, if your family’s Qi Juanjuan dares to act recklessly again, I will go directly to the school teacher for help.”
Ignoring the ugly expression on Cheng Fangfang's face, Zhao Jin coldly snorted: “If the teacher orders for Qi Juanjuan to be expelled, don’t blame me for being unyielding as your niece-in-law and not protecting my cousin from the In-law family.”
“You… you!” Cheng Fangfang was not one to easily concede either; she just hadn’t anticipated that Zhao Jin would be so formidable in battle and was momentarily stunned. “I’m speaking from the heart; I’m not joking with you.” The tone of Zhao Jin was very serious, and her expression was quite solemn. “Precisely because we are relatives, I want to lay down the harsh words first. Otherwise, if things get too ugly later on, you’ll come running to our house to make a scene. That would be too embarrassing and would make people look down on us.”
Cheng Fangfang had always been unmatched in the Qi Family. Suddenly confronted and pressured by Zhao Jin, she momentarily lost her composure, causing her momentum to falter.
By the time she regained her senses and wanted to confront Zhao Jin assertively, Zhao Jin had already launched a full verbal assault, causing Cheng Fangfang to miss her opportunity.
Losing the initiative right at the start was clearly disadvantageous for Cheng Fangfang.
It felt as if she had always been at the top of the food chain, only to be yanked down harshly. The first emotions Cheng Fangfang experienced were confusion and panic. However, with years of practical experience behind her, she quickly glared at Zhao Jin and sternly said, "Zhao Jin, who are you talking to? I am your elder. Do you know what it means to respect your elders? Is this how your parents taught you in the Maternal Family? Such poor upbringing! I feel embarrassed for your parents; it's shameful..."
Arguing is inherently a personal act. Whether expressing joy, anger, dislike, or hatred, it must be grounded in reality without indiscriminately throwing dirt on the other person's family. Especially not on their parents or elders.
Perhaps for Cheng Fangfang, as long as she won the argument, she wouldn't care. After all, she was Zhao Jin's elder; she could treat Zhao Jin however she pleased and reprimand her as she wished.
However, it was clear that Cheng Fangfang underestimated Zhao Jin's tolerance towards her elder. When it came to parents, Zhao Jin was more sensitive than anyone else.
If given another chance, Zhao Jin would regret not cherishing those who treated her well in her past life. Especially her family, which was Zhao Jin's most precious treasure across two lifetimes. Since Cheng Fangfang dared to bring up Zhao Jin's parents, she had to be prepared for Zhao Jin's relentless counterattack: "I am Qi Zheng's Second Aunt. May I ask if I have eaten your family's rice or drunk your family's well water? Have I spent a single cent of your family's money? Or have I gone to your doorstep begging? On what grounds do you stand here criticizing my upbringing? Yes, you are my elder; you can freely criticize or even insult me. But what qualifications do you have to judge my parents? Are you perhaps their elder?"
Cheng Fangfang anticipated that Zhao Jin would retaliate, but the angle of Zhao Jin's attack left her speechless.
Faced with Zhao Jin's accusations, she found herself unable to respond for quite some time. It wasn't that she didn't want to answer Zhao Jin's questions; rather, she was at a loss for words.
She couldn't possibly claim to be Zhao Jin's parents' elder, could she?
Since they were peers, what position or right did she have to stand there and criticize Zhao Jin's parents?
Moreover, with just a quick thought, Cheng Fangfang could see Zhao Zhenqi and his brothers standing not far away.
This realization made it even harder for Cheng Fangfang to fight back.
Isn't it the case that the Zhao Zhenqi brothers only help out at the Qi Zheng Family in the morning? Why is it that the Zhao Brothers, who usually leave right after lunch, are staying this afternoon?
If I had known it would be like this, Cheng Fangfang definitely wouldn't have chosen today to make a scene. No matter what, she should have avoided the Zhao Brothers and their show of power at the Qi Zheng Family.
The Zhao Zhenqi brothers noticed the argument here early on but chose to remain seated. Perhaps they had no intention of getting involved.
Although they both care deeply for Zhao Jin, the Qi Family is ultimately Zhao Jin's battlefield. The Zhao Zhenqi brothers are also concerned that if they intervene too much, it might lead to dissatisfaction from the entire Qi Family towards Zhao Jin.
As for matters involving the in-law family, it requires involvement from the maternal family. Even Zhao Zhenqi and Zhao Zhenan themselves might not be able to accept this with an open heart.
Thus, the Zhao Zhenqi brothers merely kept an eye on the situation without preparing to speak up. However, when Cheng Fangfang mentioned the Zhao Family's parents, the Zhao Zhenqi brothers could not ignore it.
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