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Back to the 80s: A Marriage of Convenience
Faced with Zhao Ying'er’s questioning, Zhao Jin shrugged, looking innocent. "When did I ever say that? I married Qi Zheng because you all forced me to! Moreover..." Zhao Jin paused for a moment before continuing, "It seems that from the very beginning, Qi Zheng has repeatedly informed you that his marriage to me has nothing to do with the engagement between the Qi and Zhao families. It was you who insisted on putting a good face on it, truly thinking that the Qi Family values the marriage set by my grandfather so much?"
Zhao Jin admitted that she had deliberately not emphasized or clarified certain points.
However, as everyone knows, given Zhao Ying'er and Grandma Zhao's self-righteous behavior, even if Zhao Jin clarified things, it was likely no one would believe her.
After all, in the eyes of Zhao Ying'er and Grandma Zhao, the Qi Family is completely inferior to the Wu Family. Only the Wu Family is a good match; the Qi Family is nothing but a den of wolves.
Thus, everything Zhao Jin said was destined to become what Zhao Ying'er and Grandma Zhao deemed as "excuses."
Zhao Jin was merely comforting herself; she just didn't want to appear too pitiful...
Such thoughts had crossed Zhao Jin's mind countless times after marrying Qi Zheng, especially due to Zhao Ying'er and Grandma Zhao's relentless comments.
This matter wasn't exactly a secret. After all, they not only thought this way in their hearts but also voiced it openly.
"Zhao Jin! How can you say that? The marriage between our two families was approved by Grandpa Qi as well; it’s not up to someone of your generation to point fingers here." When mentioning the origins of the engagement, Grandma Zhao couldn't help but feel a bit guilty and quickly spoke up.
Others might not know, but Grandma Zhao was well aware that the reason the marriage could be settled smoothly back then was her idea.
Because she saw that the Qi Family was well-off, Grandma Qi had the thought of arranging a marriage with them. Unfortunately, at that time, their family did not have suitable sons or daughters, nor did the Qi Family have any matching candidates.
Thus, Grandma Zhao came up with the idea of focusing on the next generation.
At that time, Grandma Zhao had yet to develop her current shamelessness. Otherwise, perhaps Zhao Fourth Uncle would not have married Chen Cui but instead would have gone to disrupt Qi Xue's marriage.
As for Great-Grandfather Qi's agreement back then, as everyone knew, it was merely because he didn't want to directly slap Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Zhao in the face due to widespread rumors.
In this situation, Grandma Zhao, as the person involved, understands better than anyone else.
At that time, they didn't even discuss it with the Qijia Family and repeatedly declared that they would arrange for Zhao Family's granddaughter to marry into the Qi Family. On the surface, it sounded like a joke, but in reality, it was a scheme against the Qi Family.
However, the Qijia Family was generous enough not to hold it against them too much.
Of course, just because they didn't act on it doesn't mean Grandma Zhao forgot the whole story. At this moment, being publicly confronted by Zhao Jin made Grandma Zhao's expression unpleasant, and her tone became particularly fierce.
Zhao Jin wasn't afraid of Grandma Zhao's angry glare. After all, it wasn't the first time she had offended Grandma Zhao; could she really be scared of her? With a light snort, Zhao Jin looked at Grandma Zhao calmly and stated, "Grandma, ever since Qi Zheng first came to visit, you have been calculating the bride price he would give me. If you truly wanted to marry Zhao Ying'er into the Qi Family, you should have brought it up back then. But you didn't. You only demanded the bride price from Qi Zheng without mentioning anything about marrying Zhao Ying'er into the Qi Family. Since you didn't bring it up then, isn't your regret coming a bit too late now?"
"What regret are you talking about? Zhao Jin, stop talking nonsense! Marrying you to Qi Zheng was a mistake from the start. We only endured because we were considering your maternal family's reputation. Don't think you can take advantage and act innocent; you don't know what's good for you!" Grandma Zhao had a knack for twisting facts and could easily fabricate lies that seemed reasonable.
She was clearly focused on the fact that the Qi Family had become prosperous. Since Zhao Jin was unreliable, she would just find another granddaughter to take her place. Grandma Zhao had rarely missed out on any benefits she sought so far.
Her numerous past victories had given Grandma Zhao unparalleled confidence and arrogance. Her self-assurance kept swelling to the point where she disregarded everyone around her and only saw her own selfish interests and benefits.
To achieve her goals, Grandma Zhao would do anything without caring about her own reputation or considering reason and fairness.
According to Grandma Zhao's mindset, anyone who stood in her way had to step aside obediently. Otherwise, she wouldn't spare anyone!
Grandma Zhao's unreasonable words made Zhao Jin laugh directly. Without even looking at Grandma Zhao, Zhao Jin turned to Zhao Ying'er and asked, "What about you? Are you like this too? Because you were considering my reputation back then, you didn’t mention marrying Qi Zheng but instead focused on snatching the bride price he sent over. You acted as if I stole your marriage while continuously getting splashed with Qi Zheng's insults?"
Grandma Zhao was incredibly shameless; Zhao Jin had witnessed this countless times.
To be honest, while Zhao Jin couldn't do much about Grandma Zhao, in this matter, since Grandma Zhao wasn't directly involved, she preferred to reason with Zhao Ying'er instead.
Oh, that's not quite right; it's not even about reasoning. Zhao Ying'er was raised by Grandma Zhao and looks just like her, so how could she possibly understand reason?
Zhao Jin simply believed that compared to Grandma Zhao's level, Zhao Ying'er was clearly lacking. Therefore, breaking through from Zhao Ying'er was undoubtedly a good choice.
As for Grandma Zhao, she was just relying on her status as an elder to confront her. Zhao Jin sneered inwardly and chose to ignore her without hesitation.
With Grandma Zhao's self-proclaimed motto of "the earth is vast, and I am the greatest," it was fine if she was challenged; she could always retaliate. However, being directly ignored…
Without a doubt, that would be the most intolerable and truly helpless painful experience for Grandma Zhao.
So, let Grandma Zhao jump around alone over there! Zhao Jin had no intention of accompanying her.
Due to Zhao Jin's sudden question, Zhao Ying'er was immediately stunned. It wasn't that she didn't want to answer Zhao Jin; it was just that she didn't know how to respond at that moment.
After all, what Zhao Jin said was the truth. Initially, she only wanted the bride price that Qi Zheng was supposed to send over and had no intention of marrying Qi Zheng. Not even a trace of such a thought had crossed her mind.
The reason for her change of heart now was also obvious. Qi Zheng had become successful, and her life in the Wu Family had not been good.
However, such facts were something Zhao Ying'er couldn't voice or defend against.
Undoubtedly, compared to Grandma Zhao, Zhao Ying'er was indeed not just a little weaker.
Or perhaps, Zhao Ying'er's skin hadn't thickened to that extent yet. Her heart was still somewhat fragile and hadn't turned into a hard stone.
Nevertheless, there was no need for Zhao Ying'er to speak up; there was no need to worry because standing here at this moment were not only Grandma Zhao but also her own mother, right?
With Chen Cui around, no matter the time, Zhao Ying'er never needed to worry about being unable to hold the situation together.
Just like now.
"Enough! Zhao Jin, can you stop dragging Ying'er into this? You know very well that Ying'er can't compete with you. Is it really fun to bully her like this?" Seeing Zhao Ying'er being suppressed into silence by Zhao Jin, Chen Cui immediately spoke up to help.
Zhao Jin is really something to dare bully her family’s Ying'er right in front of her! Does she believe that Chen Cui wouldn't slap Zhao Jin if she wanted to? Let's see if Zhao Jin would still act so arrogantly then!
It's just that the Qi Family has become prosperous, giving Zhao Jin the arrogance and confidence to act like this! The situation hasn't reached its final stage yet; who can predict how it will end? Zhao Jin is getting a bit too complacent. Isn't she afraid that the higher she climbs now, the harder she will fall later?
Although she is Zhao Guofu's niece, Chen Cui is sorry but not prepared to feel sorry for Zhao Jin. After all, they are not on the same side; everyone is just looking out for their own interests! "I just want to clarify things and have no intention of bullying anyone. If Aunt Si insists on this, then I will reason with Aunt Si." Since Chen Cui wants to step forward and take the lead, Zhao Jin nodded and directly focused on Chen Cui. "First of all, I want to say that I was the first to tell Aunt Si about my intention to marry Qi Zheng. Aunt Si must know this best and cannot argue against it."
Compared to Chen Cui's loud reprimand, Zhao Jin's tone was quite gentle. Her reasoning was clear and logical, making it much more pleasant to listen to and encouraging others to hear her out.
However, Zhao Jin's words indeed left Chen Cui with a very bad feeling.
"I..." Chen Cui wanted to say that she knew nothing at all. But when her gaze fell on the Wu Family nearby, she obediently closed her mouth.
She knew that the reason she initially rejected the Wu Family was because Zhao Jin didn't like Wu Feng and wanted to marry Qi Zheng.
Even though such a reason was hard for her to believe herself and had failed to gain the trust of the Wu Family, at least everyone had accepted this reason on the surface back then.
Moreover, the Wu Family had never confronted Zhao Jin directly nor had they interfered in Zhao Jin's marriage with Qi Zheng.
If at this moment, Chen Cui were to push everything away and claim she knew nothing and hadn't heard anything from Zhao Jin, then her justification to the Wu Family would become even more tenuous. The Wu Family could easily entangle her over this matter. At that time, it would likely lead to even bigger troubles.
So, forced by circumstances, Chen Cui could only keep her mouth shut and treat it as an acknowledgment. Zhao Jin also didn't intend to give Chen Cui much time for rebuttal. Seeing Chen Cui close her mouth on her own, she continued, "Since our engagement with Qi Zheng was based on mutual affection and willingness from both sides, what exactly do you all want by causing a scene at our home?"
"Even if it wasn't voluntary, we have already given two big grandsons to the Qi Family; it's not your place to come here and make trouble!" Zhou Ju couldn't help but add this remark as well.
At this moment, no one thought that Zhou Ju was intentionally dragging Zhao Jin down.
Having truly arrived at the Qi Family and witnessed Zhao Jin's arrogant demeanor there, even a fool could see that Zhao Jin was doing very well in the Qi Family, and the Qi Family was quite satisfied with Zhao Jin as their daughter-in-law.
On the contrary, the Wu Family and Zhao Ying'er showing up were nothing short of a big joke, completely baffling and extremely frustrating.
Regarding Zhao Jin's situation in the Qi Family, Chen Cui and Grandma Zhao had no grounds to question it and lacked the confidence to continue spreading rumors. However, Wu Feng's Mother was quite rude.
"So, Zhao Jin, you really looked down on my son Wu Feng back then, which is why you refused to marry him?" With a darkened expression, Wu Feng's Mother questioned.
Wu Feng's Mother was quite a character. This obvious fact had already been gone over several times by Zhao Jin, yet she insisted on emphasizing it. Was she afraid that Wu Feng's face wasn't embarrassed enough or worried that the surrounding villagers hadn't heard?
Accompanied by Wu Feng's retort, the onlookers couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Wu Feng's face could be described as livid. At this moment, he didn't know whether to glare at Zhao Jin for being ungrateful or to stop his mother from further humiliating him without any regard for his dignity.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jin and Wu Feng continued their conversation. Zhao Jin nodded with a clear and loud voice, responding matter-of-factly, "Yes, that's right."
At that moment, Wu Feng felt a burning sensation on his face and almost couldn't help but rush forward to question Zhao Jin about why she didn't like him.
What made him inferior to Qi Zheng? He clearly believed he was better than Qi Zheng and more cultured!
What was Qi Zheng anyway? Just a carpenter; earning money didn't compare to him.
Wu Feng clearly had a distorted self-perception; his arrogance and pride were not appreciated by anyone.
Zhao Jin's response was the most powerful rebuttal to Wu Feng.
Feeling embarrassed, Wu Feng's expression wasn't any better either.
Before coming to the Qi Family, Wu Feng's Mother still somewhat sympathized with Zhao Jin.
After all, in her heart, she had long held a public sentiment. She thought that Zhao Jin was forced to replace Zhao Ying'er and marry into the Qi Family because she was not favored by Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao.
Zhao Ying'er's various actions in the Wu Family previously gave Wu Feng's Mother a misleading impression.
She assumed that Zhao Ying'er's pampering was cultivated by Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao, which made her think that Zhao Jin was unfortunate and pitiful for marrying into the Qi Family to suffer hardships. Consequently, Zhao Jin left a pitiful impression in Wu Feng's Mother's mind.
The reason Wu Feng's Mother caused a scene at the Qi Family today was that she was truly infuriated.
She never expected the Qi Family to suddenly become prosperous, and that Zhao Ying'er would even have the thought of wanting to marry into the Qi Family. Wu Feng's face was incredibly grim, and his mood was terrible.
When coming to the Qi Family, Wu Feng's Mother intended to put an end to things.
No matter what, Wu Feng's Mother did not plan to accept Zhao Jin marrying into their family. It was too embarrassing; the Old Wu Family would not agree.
However, as for Zhao Ying'er as a daughter-in-law, Wu Feng's Mother firmly intended to teach her a lesson.
If she didn't give Zhao Ying'er a taste of reality, Zhao Ying'er would not understand her place and would not realize that being a daughter-in-law of the Old Wu Family was not so easy.
With this thought in mind, Wu Feng's Mother brought a large group of people to the Qi Family in full force.
Since it involved the Qi Family, she might as well lay everything out clearly!
However, just as things were beginning, Wu Feng's Mother started to regret it.
Zhao Jin and Qi Zheng were not as easy to deal with as she had imagined. Before they even began, they were met with a harsh rebuke, which was incredibly infuriating.
Especially when she learned that Zhao Jin had never liked their son Wu Feng; this greatly surprised Wu Feng's Mother and left her momentarily speechless.
How is that possible? The Wu Family is so outstanding; which girl wouldn't like them, and which girl wouldn't want to marry into their family?
Previously, Zhao Ying'er went to great lengths to find people to speak well of her in order to marry Wu Feng. If it weren't for Zhao Ying'er's sincerity, she would never have agreed to let Zhao Ying'er enter the Wu Family.
Wu Feng's Mother was clearly overconfident. In her excessive confidence, she also overlooked the fact that Zhao Ying'er had begun to turn against them and was no longer willing to continue a good relationship with Wu Feng.
In other words, even the "true feelings" that Wu Feng's Mother always believed in never actually existed. Zhao Ying'er's feelings for Wu Feng were not as "deeply in love" as she imagined.
Everything was built on the foundation that the Wu Family had decent conditions and that Wu Feng was an acceptable person.
Once Zhao Ying'er realized that no matter how wealthy the Wu Family was, it wouldn't be of any use, and that Wu Feng was not as good as she had thought, she immediately turned her back and wanted to break free.
The threshold of the Wu Family was only as high as they themselves perceived it to be. In reality, they were never as popular as they expected. At least, in this lifetime, Zhao Jin looked down on them. And now, Zhao Ying'er also genuinely looked down on the Wu Family from the bottom of her heart.
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