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Back to the Eighties: A Marriage of Convenience
In Qi Juanjuan's view, she stubbornly believed that if she could not marry Zhao Lei, it must be due to external factors, specifically Cheng Fangfang's lack of concern.
As for Zhao Lei not wanting to marry her and the Zhao Family refusing to accept her, these reasons were completely unimportant to Qi Juanjuan.
There was no choice; she had been pushed to this point. The only way to escape the painful life of being constantly criticized and scolded by Cheng Fangfang was to marry Zhao Lei and leave her own home. She couldn't take it anymore and didn't want to endure it any longer.
This was a feeling that Cheng Fangfang had not anticipated. Even Qi Tingting had not expected to put such pressure and urgency on Qi Juanjuan.
In the past, with Qi Tingting mediating, the grievances Qi Juanjuan suffered were not as great as they were now.
But now that Qi Tingting had suddenly let go, Qi Juanjuan immediately felt a surge of grievance and oppression, with all kinds of negative emotions magnified a hundredfold.
Cheng Fangfang could not possibly realize this change. To her, she had always treated Qi Juanjuan this way. She had never seen Qi Juanjuan rebel against her before, so it was only natural for her to assume that Qi Juanjuan was simply being willful and pretentious over Zhao Lei.
Qi Tingting held a similar stance as Cheng Fangfang. In the past, Qi Juanjuan had also endured Cheng Fangfang's scolding and had grown up just fine. Why hadn’t she heard Qi Juanjuan complain about being unable to endure it back then? She had never seen Qi Juanjuan bounce around in rebellion.
Now, Qi Juanjuan was under the influence of Zhao Lei, which led her to develop a rebellious mindset.
Qi Tingting herself had liked Tao Tao and had gone through the phase of yearning for something unattainable. Believing she understood Qi Juanjuan's emotional changes well enough, she directly ignored Qi Juanjuan's many grievances and acts of defiance with an air of indifference.
Neither Cheng Fangfang nor Qi Tingting expected that Qi Juanjuan would suddenly explode today.
Or perhaps they simply did not think that Qi Juanjuan's grievances were worth considering. Being suddenly confronted and accused by Qi Juanjuan left Cheng Fangfang displeased, while Qi Tingting narrowed her eyes in response.
Qi Juanjuan did not care whether Cheng Fangfang or Qi Tingting were watching her. As long as they could help her successfully marry Zhao Lei, she would be grateful to them for life!
However, Cheng Fangfang did not think this way, nor did Qi Tingting have any intention of doing so.
Regarding Qi Juanjuan marrying Zhao Lei, as time dragged on and the Zhao Family's indifferent attitude persisted, their mindset began to shift.
Qi Tingting, of course, didn't care whether Qi Juanjuan married Zhao Lei or not. The fact that Qi Juanjuan couldn't marry into the Zhao Family made her even happier.
Because only in this way did she gain another companion. The two sisters could share their sorrows and sadness together—how wonderful was that?
What if Qi Juanjuan married Zhao Lei and lived happily ever after? What would she do then?
Thus, Qi Tingting was determined to prevent the occurrence of Qi Juanjuan getting married!
As for Cheng Fangfang, her original intention was to look out for Qi Juanjuan.
Since the Zhao Family truly lacked vision, even if they forcibly pushed Qi Juanjuan into their family, it was uncertain whether she would have a good life there. Rather than worrying about how Qi Juanjuan would fare in her in-law family later on, it would be better not to force them together from the start.
Moreover, their Juanjuan was young and beautiful, with such good conditions; surely there would be a marriage proposal better than Zhao Lei's?
If not, she could have Tingting help introduce someone from the county for Juanjuan—wouldn't that be thousands of times better than Zhao Lei?
Cheng Fangfang thought this way and planned accordingly. She considered that if all else failed, she could let Juanjuan go with Tingting to the county to see more of the world and meet more people.
According to Cheng Fangfang, once Qi Juanjuan got to know a few more people, she wouldn't care so much about someone like Zhao Lei from the countryside.
Indeed, in Cheng Fangfang's eyes, regardless of the Zhao Family's conditions, just based on background alone, Zhao Lei was far inferior to someone like Tao Tao from the city.
Not to mention that the Zhao Family wasn't particularly impressive either. Compared to the current Qi Zheng Family, they were likely far behind.
Of course, this was also one of the reasons why Cheng Fangfang increasingly looked down on Zhao Lei.
After seeing the demeanor of the Qi Zheng Family, comparing it to the Zhao Lei family is simply not worth it; they are completely unimpressive!
With this thought in mind, Cheng Fangfang has positioned herself as a relative of the Qi Zheng Family, and her arrogance has increased significantly.
They are the direct uncles and aunts of Qi Zheng; how could they not be better than outsiders? Once Qi Zheng starts to help their family, just what Qi Zheng has to offer will be enough for their family to prosper.
This understanding and mindset have made Cheng Fangfang stand even taller in front of others, boasting and being particularly arrogant.
Both Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju have heard about these matters but have chosen to ignore them.
There is no denying that they have no expectations for Cheng Fangfang. No matter what remarkable things she does, they are not surprised at all.
However, regarding the possibility of helping Qi Erzhu's family, both Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju shook their heads. This is something they cannot decide on and do not intend to take charge of.
If Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang truly have the ability, they should just go find Qi Zheng and Jin! Their family is currently led by Qi Zheng and his spouse.
Cheng Fangfang is unaware of Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju's attitude. Even if she knew, she would definitely scoff at it and not take it to heart.
With elders around, what do Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin count as?
Well, even if they are in charge, so what? If Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju speak up, would Qi Zheng and Zhao Jin dare not listen obediently?
Ultimately, it depends on whether Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju have this intention and whether they are willing to stand on their side.
As for everything else, it's better not to mention it. If they don't listen, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju shouldn't waste their breath either.
In any case, at this point, Cheng Fangfang definitely wants to come to the Qi Family to gain some benefits and take advantage of the situation.
Helplessly, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju were no longer as kind as before. Even worse, there was Qi Juanjuan, who kept dragging them down.
At this point, Cheng Fangfang was truly annoyed and angry with Qi Juanjuan.
Regardless of whether there were outsiders present, Cheng Fangfang shouted at Qi Juanjuan, "Fine, you want to marry Zhao Lei? Go ahead! Take the initiative to ask Zhao Lei to marry you and see if he’s willing to pay attention to you! Let’s see if the Zhao Family is willing to accept you as a daughter-in-law who comes with a dowry!"
"Who’s coming with a dowry? How am I coming with a dowry? I'm not Qi Yuehong, and our family is not Uncle's family. If I marry Zhao Lei, how does that count as coming with a dowry?" Qi Juanjuan had always been impulsive and thoughtless. Sometimes when pushed too hard, she would shout out whatever truth or reality came to mind. This was one of those moments.
Qi Juanjuan's words were indeed backed by evidence. Given their family's situation, even if she married Zhao Lei, it wouldn't really be considered coming with a dowry. After all, neither family was truly superior or wealthier than the other.
On the contrary, if Qi Yuehong were to marry Zhao Lei, considering the current development of the Qi Zheng Family, Zhao Lei would indeed be climbing up by marrying Qi Yuehong.
Cheng Fangfang wanted to curse.
What kind of nonsense was this? How did she end up with such a daughter like Qi Juanjuan who only knew how to demand things?
Both were her daughters; why couldn't Qi Juanjuan learn from Qi Tingting? If it were Qi Tingting, she would never cause her any worry. Aside from the matter with Tao Tao that didn’t work out, Qi Tingting rarely made Cheng Fangfang feel disappointed in other matters.
But with Qi Juanjuan, everything became different.
Faced with Qi Juanjuan's extremely unreasonable shouting, Cheng Fangfang was just short of slapping her: "Shut up! Stop talking nonsense! Go home!"
"Going home is going home. Do you think I want to come to Uncle's house and embarrass myself? If it weren't for you insisting on dragging me here, saying that only if the whole family came would Uncle's family be intimidated and our family could gain benefits..." Regardless of what should or shouldn't be said, Qi Juanjuan had already shouted it all out. At this moment, she simply let herself go without caring about anything.
She was also feeling quite unhappy inside! Her mom only knew how to give her a hard time or scold her for being unreasonable, disobedient, or not knowing how to handle things.
Yes, yes, yes—she just couldn’t compare to her sister who was doing well. She admitted that she had nothing compared to her sister. Was that enough?
Her sister is so good; why didn't her mother just have her sister and not have a second child at all?
Her mother hates her so much, and isn't it just because she isn't a son, someone who has disappointed her mother? That's why her mother has held a grudge for so many years and treats her so poorly.
Since she was little, she has never seen her mother be this fierce towards Qi Tingting. Clearly, they both made mistakes, yet Qi Tingting never gets hit or scolded. But when it comes to her, every experience is particularly dark and difficult.
It's the same with marriage.
Previously, to ensure Qi Tingting could marry Tao Tao, how much effort did her mother put in? How many times did she cause a scene at Uncle's house?
Moreover, her mother even took the initiative to arrange for Qi Tingting to run into Tao Tao and specifically went to the hospital to speak well of Zhao Jin after she had just given birth!
All these things were done by her mother for Qi Tingting.
But when it came to her, Cheng Fangfang immediately changed completely; she was indifferent and not proactive at all.
She didn't even go to find Zhao Family to say nice things; Cheng Fangfang hadn't even met Zhao Lei!
All she knows is to stay at home and complain about how the Zhao Family looks down on her. But where exactly does the Zhao Family look down on her? Who from the Zhao Family said such things?
Clearly, when Zhao Lei's mother saw her, she was exceptionally warm and friendly, even inviting her over for dinner!
If it weren't for Zhao Lei...
Thinking of Zhao Lei made Qi Juanjuan's emotions plummet again.
She could deny other things, but she couldn't deceive herself about the fact that Zhao Lei doesn't like her.
Why won't Zhao Lei just like her? What makes Qi Yuehong better than her? Is it just because Qi Yuehong's family is better off than hers?
Since the last time she had a falling out with Zhao Lei, Qi Juanjuan had tried to find him several times. However, each time she was met with a cold shoulder from Zhao Lei, and until now, they hadn't exchanged a single proper word.
This is also why Qi Juanjuan was feeling so irritable. When she's in a bad mood, everything seems off, and it's easy for her to lash out in anger.
But at this moment, what Qi Juanjuan should be worried about was clearly not Zhao Lei's attitude. It was the slap from Cheng Fangfang. A hard, forceful slap.
Cheng Fangfang hit her with great strength and was extremely furious: "Shut up! Go home right now! Just wait until I get back tonight; you'll see how I deal with you!"
Qi Juanjuan never expected Cheng Fangfang would hit her.
To be honest, although she had always been afraid of Cheng Fangfang growing up, it was true that Cheng Fangfang had never laid a hand on her before.
But that fact was just shattered.
Cheng Fangfang's unceremonious slap not only hurt Qi Juanjuan's pride but also shattered the recognition and trust Qi Juanjuan had held for her mother, Cheng Fangfang, all these years.
"You actually hit me? You hit me!" Without saying anything more to Cheng Fangfang, Qi Juanjuan covered her face and ran away crying.
After hitting her, Cheng Fangfang felt a bit regretful.
She often got into fights with others, but those were outsiders; it didn't matter much if she hit them.
However, Qi Juanjuan was different. Qi Juanjuan was her own daughter, the child she carried for nine months, a piece of flesh that came from her body.
She never imagined that one day she would lay hands on Qi Juanjuan; Cheng Fangfang felt quite upset about it.
Feeling uncomfortable, Cheng Fangfang was also very anxious and worried.
Fearing that Qi Juanjuan might run into trouble, Cheng Fangfang hurriedly pushed the person standing beside her, Qi Tingting, and urged, "Tingting, you should quickly go check on her. Don't let your sister run too far." "Oh come on, don't worry! You know what kind of temperament Juanjuan has, right? Where would she get the courage to run far? Most likely, she just ran back home and is hiding in her room crying. You don't need to fret; just focus on your own matters," Qi Tingting said dismissively.
Compared to Cheng Fangfang, Qi Tingting was much tougher.
Despite Cheng Fangfang's urging, Qi Tingting waved her hand nonchalantly and stood still, completely unwilling to go after Qi Juanjuan.
At the same time, Qi Tingting reminded Cheng Fangfang not to forget that there were important matters still unresolved.
They had come specifically to the Qi Zheng Family not just to stand around and chat. They needed to make an effort to get what they wanted and clarify things with Grandma Qi and Aunt.
Thanks to Qi Tingting's reassurance and indifferent attitude, Cheng Fangfang's flustered heart began to settle down.
Cheng Fangfang had always trusted Qi Tingting immensely. At this moment, after considering Qi Tingting's suggestion, she felt it was indeed true; someone as timid as Qi Juanjuan wouldn't get into any real trouble.
With this thought in mind, Cheng Fangfang decided not to pay attention to Qi Juanjuan running off anymore and instead returned to the main topic, preparing to have a good talk with Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju.
Zhao Jin was just returning from the workshop. As she reached her front door, she bumped directly into the tearful Qi Juanjuan.
Before Zhao Jin could react to what was happening, Qi Juanjuan suddenly pushed her aside and ran off.
Zhao Jin never took the initiative to inquire about Qi Juanjuan's matters. This attitude remained unchanged even when she saw Qi Ershu and others standing in her yard.
Seeing Zhao Jin return, Cheng Fangfang's eyes lit up with a different idea.
Ignoring Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju's attitudes, Cheng Fangfang rushed in front of Zhao Jin with enthusiasm and greeted her warmly, "Jin, you're back! Are you tired? Was it hard work?"
Suddenly encountering such concern from Cheng Fangfang, Zhao Jin instinctively took a step back. Frowning, she looked at Cheng Fangfang uncertainly and asked, "Second Aunt, what’s wrong with you?"
Zhao Jin believed that her relationship with Cheng Fangfang was not close enough for such warmth and concern to be appropriate between them.
At this moment, Cheng Fangfang inexplicably came to show her goodwill; either something was wrong with her, or she was deliberately trying to scheme against Zhao Jin.
Given Cheng Fangfang's past actions and character, Zhao Jin naturally leaned towards the latter.
It was likely that Cheng Fangfang had come to take advantage of her.
Zhao Jin had no choice but to think that Cheng Fangfang's character was indeed untrustworthy and particularly lacking in credibility. Even now, just by showing a slight smile towards Zhao Jin, she had already aroused Zhao Jin's suspicion and wariness.
Of course, Zhao Jin's suspicion and wariness were quite necessary. Otherwise, she would only be waiting to be taken advantage of and would deserve to fall into Cheng Fangfang's trap.
After all, she was not unfamiliar with Cheng Fangfang. Having been married into the Qi Family for over two years, she knew very well what she should know and what she shouldn't. She was also fully aware of the character of the relatives around her.
Knowing full well that Cheng Fangfang was not a good person and still foolishly falling for her schemes would undoubtedly mean Zhao Jin had to take some responsibility for her own mistakes. Therefore, when facing Cheng Fangfang, Zhao Jin would not easily let down her guard or wariness.
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