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Returning to the Eighties: A Cherished Marriage
Grandma Qi's lack of cooperation severely affected Grandma Zhao's mood.
She never expected that after reaching this point, with the steps already laid out for the Qi Family, Grandma Qi would still insist on holding onto Qiao Duan.
Was it just to put on airs? She wasn't afraid of Grandma Zhao simply turning around and leaving.
With a dark expression, Grandma Zhao fixed a meaningful gaze on Grandma Qi. It was both a warning and a silent threat.
However, Grandma Qi remained unmoved.
For Grandma Qi, she had no demands from the Zhao Family, so there was no need to consider Grandma Zhao's feelings. No matter how much Grandma Zhao scowled or glared, Grandma Qi was indifferent and would not comply with Grandma Zhao's thoughts. Moreover, she would not cooperate with Grandma Zhao's full calculations.
After waiting for a long time without receiving any compromise from Grandma Qi, Grandma Zhao's expression had become unbearable.
It seemed that the Qi Family truly looked down on their Zhao Family!
Grandma Qi was not afraid of being too high-handed; their Zhao Lei was simply unwilling to marry Qi Yuehong.
When the time came, let’s see where the Qi Family would go to cry!
Thinking this way, Grandma Zhao's expression changed again. She simply turned her head and looked at Cheng Fangfang, who had not left: "So, what? Is your Juanjuan determined not to marry my Zhao Lei?"
Compared to her previous tone, Grandma Zhao's attitude at this moment could be considered gentle. Cheng Fangfang immediately nodded vigorously, giving an affirmative answer: "That's right. The kids have grown up and have their own opinions now. As elders, we can only support them."
"Alright! Since your Juanjuan has this intention, I will go back and talk to my Zhao Lei." Glancing at the indifferent Grandma Qi, Grandma Zhao's expression darkened. Facing Cheng Fangfang, her attitude became even more enthusiastic and friendly, "You know, it's all about the children's own wishes!
I still need to go home and ask if my Zhao Lei is willing."
"Of course, of course." As long as the marriage of Qi Juanjuan can be settled, Cheng Fangfang is willing to lower her head slightly to the Zhao Family.
There was no choice; it was because she had been overly confident before, thinking that Qi Tingting was good enough and did not need to curry favor with the Tao Family. She believed that Tao Tao would definitely fall for their Qi Tingting and thus marry her.
However, the final outcome hit her hard. So much so that at this moment, when mentioning Qi Juanjuan's marriage, Cheng Fangfang dared not be careless at all.
As long as a good thing can be accomplished, being a bit more cautious is not a bad idea. At the very least, it can ensure that Qi Juanjuan successfully gets married, right?
With this thought in mind, Cheng Fangfang's attitude towards Grandma Zhao was clearly somewhat flattering. This greatly satisfied Grandma Zhao's sense of pride.
Having not gained any advantage from Grandma Qi, Cheng Fangfang here was full of pride, and Grandma Zhao certainly would not be willing to communicate with Grandma Qi anymore.
Forget it, since Grandma Qi is temporarily in this attitude, let her worry a bit! She will pretend to discuss the marriage of Qi Juanjuan and Zhao Lei with Cheng Fangfang and see how Grandma Qi regrets it.
With this plan in mind, Grandma Zhao pouted and nodded towards Cheng Fangfang: "Alright. I will ask about this as soon as possible. Once I have an answer, I will inform Jin so he can talk to you."
The reason Grandma Zhao kept Zhao Jin in mind was certainly not because she valued him highly or intended to entrust him with important responsibilities. She merely saw Zhao Jin as a channel.
Using Zhao Jin's mouth to tell Cheng Fangfang is just to inform the other members of the Qi Family, right? When Grandma Qi hears that there are new developments on her side, won't she quickly seek her out privately to stir things up?
Grandma Zhao's calculations were ringing in her mind, and her gaze towards Zhao Jin became increasingly fervent.
In this whole matter, Zhao Jin's role cannot be underestimated, but she must not let her down.
Meeting Grandma Zhao's gaze, Zhao Jin frowned.
Grandma Zhao had no credibility in Zhao Jin's eyes. Even a glance from Grandma Zhao would immediately put Zhao Jin on guard.
From then on, without needing Grandma Zhao to say much, Zhao Jin had already regarded her as someone to be wary of.
As for Grandma Zhao's request for her to act as a middleman, Zhao Jin directly refused to her face: "I'm quite busy these days, so I won't help relay messages. You can negotiate the marriage between Zhao Lei and Qi Juanjuan on your own! If you have any requests, it's more appropriate and convenient to bring them up directly."
If Grandma Zhao truly intended to marry Qi Juanjuan off to Zhao Lei, she certainly wouldn't seek out Zhao Jin as a middleman. Zhao Jin wasn't close to her and didn't have a good relationship with Zhao Lei; how could she possibly side with them?
However, Grandma Zhao was still thinking about Qi Yuehong! Without Zhao Jin relaying messages, how could she help Zhao Lei marry Qi Yuehong?
Grandma Zhao understood her grandson well. If she were to settle the matter of Qi Juanjuan, it was likely that Zhao Lei would definitely not let her off easily.
On the other hand, since Zhao Lei had brought it up, it was clear he was quite fond of Qi Yuehong and had his heart set on her.
Grandma Zhao had always doted on Zhao Lei. Although she hadn't been particularly gentle with him during this period due to various issues, deep down, she absolutely prioritized his feelings.
Therefore, regardless of whether Grandma Qi agreed or not, she was determined to help Zhao Lei win over Qi Yuehong as his daughter-in-law.
With this premise in mind, Zhao Jin's presence became particularly important and something Grandma Zhao needed to control. "What do you mean by convenience? You are Zhao Lei's cousin and also Juanjuan's sister-in-law; both sides are relatives. How can you not help make connections?" Grandma Zhao's words were quite hypocritical. Especially since her gaze remained fixed on Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju, fearing she might miss any changes in their expressions.
Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju genuinely didn't care much about whether Zhao Lei married Qi Juanjuan or not. However, the way Grandma Zhao and Cheng Fangfang insisted on discussing this in front of them while acting as if they were missing out on a great opportunity was truly off-putting.
Since they found it unpleasant to watch, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju decided not to pay attention anymore. They let Grandma Zhao and Cheng Fangfang fuss over it without getting involved.
Therefore, in the next moment, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju turned around to busy themselves.
As for Grandma Zhao and Cheng Fangfang, without an audience, it was likely that these two would run away faster than anyone else.
Seeing the actions of Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju, Grandma Zhao gritted her teeth.
She would not think that her grandson was inferior to others. Since it wasn't Zhao Lei's problem, it must be that the Qijia Family was too good at disguising themselves.
Thinking that Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju were deliberately putting on a show in front of her, Grandma Zhao not only refused to leave immediately but also became determined to chat more with Cheng Fangfang in the Qi Family's courtyard.
How could discussing this matter outside of the Qi Zheng Family's courtyard achieve a good effect? Grandma Zhao believed she was playing this game well and was fully prepared to confront the Qi Zheng Family's members.
Who wins and who loses has not yet been decided!
Completely different from Grandma Zhao's thoughts, Cheng Fangfang wanted to leave.
She was eager to marry Qi Juanjuan off to Zhao Lei and certainly did not want Qi Yuehong to steal the opportunity. Grandma Zhao's words were clear just now, and Cheng Fangfang was not unaware. She feared that in Zhao Lei's heart, the one he truly wanted to marry was still Qi Yuehong!
If that were the case, Cheng Fangfang naturally could not be happy and would not allow it.
However, if it were Zhao Lei who came to pursue Qi Yuehong, that was merely the idea of the Zhao Family elders. Cheng Fangfang would have no objections then. At the same time, she would work hard to persuade Grandma Zhao to change her mind about the marriage partner, ensuring that Qi Yuehong was pushed aside.
Yet so far, Cheng Fangfang was still uncertain about which situation it truly was. She could not determine whether Grandma Zhao came to the Qi Family on her own accord or if Zhao Lei had asked Grandma Zhao to come.
Given that Grandma Zhao had mentioned Zhao Jin several times, Cheng Fangfang felt a bit uneasy in her heart.
Zhao Jin married Qi Zheng for reasons closely related to Zhao Ying'er.
Under normal circumstances, the Zhao Family would not approach the Qi Family for a marriage proposal, especially when it involves Zhao Ying'er's younger brother wanting to marry Qi Zheng's younger sister.
Such a notion, if it were to spread, would surely invite speculation and relentless attention from everyone.
Cheng Fangfang was not afraid of being laughed at; what she feared was that Zhao Lei had no intention of marrying their Qi Juanjuan at all.
Thinking of the shy expression on Qi Juanjuan's face when she mentioned Zhao Lei, Cheng Fangfang silently sighed in her heart.
From what Qi Juanjuan implied, they liked each other. However, with the concrete example of Qi Tingting already in place, Cheng Fangfang dared not be overly reassured.
The past experience was right there; who could guarantee that Qi Juanjuan wasn't just feeling good about herself like Qi Tingting, without any real ability to win over a man?
Even though she was her own daughter, the incident with Qi Tingting undoubtedly dealt a blow to Cheng Fangfang. Now facing the situation with Qi Juanjuan and Zhao Lei, she could not afford to take things lightly or fully trust Qi Juanjuan's one-sided words.
If Qi Juanjuan were truly as wonderful as she claimed, then at this moment, Grandma Zhao would not be standing in the yard of the Qi Zheng Family. Instead, she should have taken the initiative to propose marriage to them.
No, this matter still required more effort; it absolutely could not be messed up. Otherwise, Qi Juanjuan would definitely cry herself to death at home.
Thus, Cheng Fangfang looked around and seriously suggested to Grandma Zhao: "How about you come over to my house for lunch? Just in time, my Juanjuan is also home; you can see her in person."
It was rare for Cheng Fangfang to be so sincere. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm was destined to go to waste.
For Grandma Zhao, staying at the Qi Zheng Family for a meal was far more important than going to Cheng Fangfang's house. After hearing Cheng Fangfang's words, Grandma Zhao suddenly turned her eyes and smiled: "How about we call your Juanjuan over too? Let’s all stay at the Qi Zheng Family for lunch?"
It’s fortunate that Grandma Zhao was able to speak up. Right now, she is becoming family with Cheng Fangfang, so what does it mean to involve Qi Zheng's Family?
At the very least, Grandma Qi and the others have no intention of staying for a meal.
Zhao Jin also does not want to keep Grandma Zhao and Cheng Fangfang at home for dinner. Whether she is angry or stingy, she simply does not want to feed Grandma Zhao and Cheng Fangfang.
“Let’s go eat at Second Aunt’s house! For the first meal, it’s better for the elders from both families to sit down and chat slowly. After all, this is a matter of marriage; some discussions are easier behind closed doors,” Zhao Jin has no intention of figuring out what Grandma Zhao is really up to, nor does she care.
To her, as long as Qi Yuehong does not marry Zhao Lei, no matter how much noise Grandma Zhao makes, it is just empty talk and futile.
Therefore, when it comes to the matter of staying for a meal, Zhao Jin spares no effort in sending Grandma Zhao over to Qi Ershu's house. This should be the first time Cheng Fangfang feels grateful towards Zhao Jinsheng. She immediately nodded in agreement, saying, “That’s right, that’s right. It makes sense. Why don’t we invite Grandma Zhao to our house for a visit? It’s fine if she doesn’t stay for dinner. Once everything is settled, we will have plenty of opportunities to interact.”
Following Zhao Jin's lead, Cheng Fangfang eagerly nodded, wanting to invite Grandma Zhao to their home to prevent her from suddenly changing her mind and thinking about Qi Yuehong.
Listening to Cheng Fangfang's enthusiastic invitation, it is clear that Grandma Zhao appreciates it. After all, Cheng Fangfang's attitude significantly reflects their family's regard for Zhao Lei.
However, compared to Cheng Fangfang's attitude, when contrasting it with Grandma Qi and the others' performance, Grandma Zhao inevitably feels a bit uncomfortable.
She wonders what exactly Grandma Qi is so smug about. Could it be that she still holds a grudge because their family did not marry Zhao Ying'er into the Qi Family? Is she intentionally trying to make things difficult for them regarding Zhao Lei's marriage?
If that’s the case, then the Qi Family is being quite unreasonable.
Although they did not marry Zhao Ying'er over, didn’t they already marry Zhao Jin into their family? The Qi Family isn’t losing anything; how could they continue to hold a grudge?
No matter what Grandma Zhao thinks or how angry she gets, the attitude of the Qijia Family is already clear and will not change just because Grandma Zhao says a few more words. As for Grandma Zhao, apart from shouting a few words and mumbling to herself, she really has no other options left.
The Qi Family today is no longer the Qi Family that Grandma Zhao used to look down upon. Grandma Zhao's desire to become relatives with the Qi Family is genuine and sincere.
Unfortunately, Grandma Zhao's character has always been lacking. Zhao Lei is certainly not a good match.
Thus, Grandma Zhao's calculations can only end in failure, with no other possibilities.
Unlike Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju, Cheng Fangfang is determined to see Qi Juanjuan and Zhao Lei get married.
Even though she can tell that Grandma Zhao actually prefers Qi Yuehong, Cheng Fangfang understands the personalities and ways of dealing with things of Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju much better than Grandma Zhao does.
Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju truly do not have any preference for sons over daughters. At least in terms of how they treat Qi Yuehong, Cheng Fangfang has never seen them be unkind to her over the years.
Not to mention that both Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju place great importance on Qi Yuehong's education. With Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin willing to pay for it, there is no doubt that Qi Yuehong will continue her high school studies.
Since Qi Yuehong is going to continue her education, the Zhao Family's plan to marry her into their family cannot be realized.
Furthermore, how could the Qi Zheng Family possibly become in-laws with Zhao Ying'er’s family again? Haven't they suffered enough losses before?
If it weren't for Zhao Jin acting as a shield, the Qi Zheng Family would probably have completely cut ties with Zhao Ying'er’s family by now, harboring mutual hatred and resentment.
In this situation, it is clear that their daughter Qi Juanjuan holds the advantage and is more likely to marry Zhao Lei.
Having figured out all these twists and turns in her mind, Cheng Fangfang naturally does not believe that Zhao Lei could ever marry Qi Yuehong. Consequently, the possibility of their daughter Qi Juanjuan marrying Zhao Lei has suddenly skyrocketed.
Cheng Fangfang was never the kind of person who was very magnanimous. However, in this matter, her tolerance had evidently reached a new height.
This was unexpected and quite difficult for anyone.
It was clear that Grandma Zhao's attitude was not very sincere, nor particularly warm or earnest. Nevertheless, Cheng Fangfang held her ground. She neither lost her temper nor stormed off in anger.
From this, it was evident how much Cheng Fangfang wanted to settle the marriage between Qi Juanjuan and Zhao Lei.
Zhao Jin naturally did not think highly of Zhao Lei.
Having grown up with Zhao Lei, Zhao Jin believed he understood Zhao Lei's temperament and character very well.
Given Zhao Lei's way of handling things, at least for now, he was definitely not a reliable candidate.
Whether it was Qi Yuehong marrying Zhao Lei or Qi Juanjuan marrying Zhao Lei, Zhao Jin did not approve either way.
However, Qi Juanjuan was not Qi Yuehong. While Zhao Jin could intervene in Qi Yuehong's marriage, he had no say in Qi Juanjuan's.
Moreover, Cheng Fangfang's current attitude left no room for Zhao Jin to interfere.
Perhaps in Cheng Fangfang's mind at this moment, if Zhao Jin said anything negative about Zhao Lei, it would surely provoke a fierce reprimand from her.
Zhao Jin was not a saint, and his relationship with Cheng Fangfang was not good enough for him to risk being scolded just to voice his opinion.
Thus, until the end, Zhao Jin merely watched coldly without saying another word.
Seeing that Grandma Qi's group was too passive, Grandma Zhao felt anxious but was powerless. In the end, she gritted her teeth and made a tough decision.
"Forget it, since Qi Yuehong isn't fortunate enough to marry my Zhao Lei, then let her be with someone else," she said, and really left with Cheng Fangfang.
She couldn't believe that after saying such things, Qi Zheng's Family would remain indifferent and not try to salvage the situation.
No matter how much Grandma Zhao doubted, the facts were right in front of her.
Not a single person from Qi Zheng's Family spoke up to stop her, let alone discuss the marriage between Qi Yuehong and Zhao Lei. No matter how much Grandma Zhao thought about it, it was all in vain.
Watching Grandma Zhao and Cheng Fangfang disappear outside the door, Grandma Qi couldn't help but snort lightly: "What a character!"
Grandma Qi was never one to speak ill of others behind their backs. Her actions at this moment were truly because she was infuriated by Cheng Fangfang.
Her words were quite reasonable and reflected her true feelings, causing Zhao Jin to nod in agreement.
However, compared to Grandma Qi, a smile appeared on Zhao Jin's face: "Fortunately, our Yuehong doesn't have to get involved in this mess."
"Exactly." Zhou Ju also looked relieved and sighed deeply, "I was really afraid of Grandma Zhao's unreasonable persistence. Every time she comes over, it's just chaotic nonsense. I don't know why she has set her sights on our Yuehong this time."
Fortunately, Grandma Zhao ultimately left without continuing to pester them. Otherwise, Zhou Ju would have really started to feel anxious.
"Isn't it because our Yuehong is indeed good enough? She's beautiful and does well in school; which family wouldn't want to marry her?" Zhao Jin was genuinely satisfied with Qi Yuehong. If she had a younger brother at home, she would definitely do her best to help him make a connection.
Unfortunately, there were only two older brothers in Zhao Jin's family and no younger brother.
Thinking of this, Zhao Jin couldn't help but murmur to Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju.
Grandma Qi's mood was not that good to begin with. Suddenly hearing Zhao Jin say this, she immediately laughed: "Alright! If your family has a younger brother, Grandma will definitely send our Yuehong to your house to be his wife."
Zhou Ju also didn't expect Zhao Jin to come up with such an idea out of the blue; just thinking about it was amusing: "Don't! I really like being in-laws with Jin's maternal family. If our Yuehong could marry Jin's younger brother, it would indeed be a worry-free good thing."
An unexpected topic suddenly came up, and they chatted about it enthusiastically, leaving a few big men in the corner of the yard dumbfounded.
"Brother, when did our family get another younger brother?" Zhao Zhenan naturally wouldn't mistake the "younger brother" mentioned by Zhao Jin and the others for Zhao Lei. Wasn't that their own younger brother?
But their family only had Jin; there were no other younger brothers!
Zhao Zhenqi was also confused. He could hear Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju's normal voices clearly, but he had only vaguely caught what Jin murmured earlier and hadn't figured out what was going on!
On the contrary, Qi Zheng immediately understood the content of Zhao Jin's conversation. He explained, "Jin is saying that if there is a younger brother in the family, he must marry Yuehong."
"Ah! So that's what it is." Qi Ze held back for a while without understanding. It wasn't until Qi Zheng explained that he immediately got it, "If Sister-in-law's family really has a younger brother, it can indeed be considered."
Because of his respect for Zhao Jin and his fondness for the two Zhao brothers, Qi Ze still looked forward to continuing to be in-laws with Zhao Zhenqi's family.
Hearing everyone getting into this topic, Qi Zheng seriously reminded them again: "There are no younger brothers in the Zhao Family."
So, this topic could be dropped. Otherwise, the more they thought about it, the more it seemed like a possibility, which might affect their judgment in finding a partner for Yuehong.
"Otherwise, should I go home and tell my parents to hurry up and have another younger brother?" Zhao Zhenan was playful. Just for fun, he immediately chimed in.
"What if it's a younger sister?" Zhao Zhenqi, who is usually steady, was surprisingly drawn into the conversation by Zhao Zhenan. The atmosphere at the gathering was quite harmonious, with everyone laughing and joking, creating a sense of closeness.
"If it really is a younger sister, we could consider Qi Rui! Rui is great, I like her," Zhao Zhenan chimed in, clearly enjoying the banter. Previously, he had only teased Qi Yuehong, but now even Qi Rui was brought into the discussion.
"As for Yuehong, she will just have to wait a bit longer. We need to urge our parents to work harder and have another brother soon." It was meant as a joke, but Zhao Zhenan started to laugh at his own comment.
The others listened with a mix of amusement and exasperation, rolling their eyes at Zhao Zhenan.
Zhao Zhenan wasn't offended. He accepted the glares from around him with ease and didn't forget to drag Zhao Jin into it: "Don't just glare at me. The one who started this is our Jin, not me."
"Where's the blame not on you? Jin merely speculated about having a younger brother; it was just a passing thought. You, on the other hand, dared to joke about our parents. Just wait until I tell them when we get home," Zhao Zhenqi said, not one to casually throw accusations around. Yet here they were.
Zhao Zhenan didn't take Zhao Zhenqi's threat seriously. He firmly believed in and supported his older brother's character.
Even if he did get reported to their parents by his older brother, it would only result in some criticism from them. Zhao Zhenan considered himself thick-skinned and wasn't worried. Their family had always lived comfortably and didn't need to stress over such matters.
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