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Back to the 80s: A Beloved Marriage
No one spoke up to stop Zhao Ying'er from leaving. As they watched Zhao Ying'er walk away, a sense of relief and ease even emerged in their hearts.
"Jin, take Guo Guo and Dou Dou inside. Don't scare them anymore," Xu Mei said, not bothering to pay attention to Zhao Ying'er. Seeing Guo Guo and Dou Dou crying non-stop made her heart ache.
It was rare for her two grandchildren to come back, yet they had to face such incidents, which truly frustrated her.
If she had known earlier, she would have locked the front door from the inside. Let's see how Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui would have barged in then!
"Okay." As Zhao Jin nodded, Qian Minmin had already bent down to pick up one child, leaving the other for Zhao Jin to carry.
Guo Guo and Dou Dou were generally well-behaved. Especially now that their parents were around, they weren't really that scared.
As for why they had to cry, it was because there were annoying people in the yard! If they didn't cry, those people wouldn't leave obediently.
Don't think that just because they were still there, they didn't know what was happening. They noticed as soon as the bad people arrived.
Moreover, those bad people even dared to yell at their mother; that was just too much.
Right now, all they could do was cry to drive the people away. When they grew a bit older, next time they would just chase them off directly.
Hmph! How dare they bully their mother? They deserved a beating!
Unaware of Guo Guo and Dou Dou's lofty aspirations at such a young age, Zhao Jin and Qian Minmin swiftly carried the two children into the house.
Being doting parents, hearing Guo Guo and Dou Dou's cries made Zhao Jin feel heartbroken. He wished to distance himself from those annoying people and hoped never to have any contact with Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Fourth Uncle's family again.
After all, there wasn't much interaction on ordinary days; severing ties wouldn't be a bad thing at all.
In contrast, the father-son duo of Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu, who had yet to leave, became even more conspicuous and truly awkward.
So what exactly were they here for? Since there was no arguing or fussing, why did Zhao Zhenan still have to call them over?
Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu were indeed considering leaving. After all, with Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui absent, they didn't think they had much of a chance.
However, Zhao Guoqiang genuinely wanted to have a serious talk with Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu.
At the same time, Qi Zheng also had some matters he wanted to discuss seriously with Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu.
Thus, before Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu could turn to leave, they were stopped by Zhao Guoqiang and Qi Zheng.
Being stopped at this moment did not seem like a good sign. Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu exchanged glances, pondering whether they should just walk away.
Of course, that was not an option. Both Zhao Guoqiang and Qi Zheng were determined and serious about wanting to talk to Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu. It was only a matter of time; sooner or later, Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu would have to face it.
In the end, whether Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu were willing or not, they still found themselves sitting in the living room of Zhao Guoqiang's home.
"First of all, I want to express my stance to Grandpa and Fourth Uncle," Qi Zheng was the first to speak. At that moment, Qi Zheng's expression was serious, his tone solemn, and his gaze cold: "In my life, I will only have one wife, and that is Jin. No other girl can ever enter the doors of my Qi Family or be the mother of my son. So please quickly dispel any inappropriate thoughts you may have, Grandpa and Fourth Uncle, and also advise Grandma and Aunt Si not to waste any more time or effort on this."
As soon as Qi Zheng spoke, he pushed the key issue to its peak, leaving no room for Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu to feign ignorance or change the subject.
Now they had to confront this reality and make their stance clear. "I feel the same way," followed up Zhao Guoqiang with a particularly serious expression. "After all, we are family. Some matters shouldn't be made too ugly; otherwise, it will be difficult for us to meet in the future. Dad, I understand your intentions towards Fourth Brother's daughter; however, this cannot happen. Qi Zheng is my family's Jin's man; he cannot simply be given up for your Ying'er. Everything must be reasonable; don't go too far or bully us."
"Reasonable?" Since there was no escaping it anymore, and hearing Zhao Guoqiang speak up, Zhao Guofu decided to be bold and disregard any reservations. "Brother, we are all brothers here; let's talk as a family behind closed doors. Initially, when Jin married Qi Zheng, didn't you have a falling out with me and our parents? Do you remember what that was about?"
At this point, Zhao Guofu snorted coldly in disdain: "Originally it was about my Ying'er's marriage; letting Jin enjoy two years of happiness isn't enough? Haven't we treated your Jin well enough? One shouldn't forget their gratitude. What belongs to my Ying'er should be returned to her now."
"Returned? Returned where? Fourth Brother seems to have never understood my point from the beginning. Yes, I did have disagreements with you regarding Jin marrying Qi Zheng back then. Fine; I still haven't forgiven you for that." Ignoring Zhao Guofu's smug expression of "I knew it," Zhao Guoqiang continued: "However, what angers me is that you meddled in my family's Jin's marriage without any good intentions. What frustrates me is your starting point and your dirty little thoughts."
"I have opinions about the marriage with the Qi Family." Zhao Guoqiang's tone was very calm, and his expression was extremely serious. "If I were truly dissatisfied with Qi Zheng, my daughter Jin wouldn't be marrying into the Qi Family at all. I'm not the fourth son, and I can't learn from our parents' way. My own daughter, I take care of her myself. If it weren't genuinely for her good, I would never agree to marry Jin to Qi Zheng."
Hearing Zhao Guoqiang's words, Zhao Guofu was the first to object: "What do you mean by that, big brother? What's wrong with me? I care for my Ying'er just as much!"
"If you really cared for Ying'er, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation!" Zhao Guoqiang's tone was heavy, and his gaze at Zhao Guofu was devoid of any pretense, his expression particularly solemn.
Suddenly interrupted by Zhao Guoqiang, Zhao Guofu naturally felt displeased. However, no matter how unhappy he was, he didn't dare to say a word.
He rarely saw Zhao Guoqiang in such a formidable manner. Seeing him like this now startled him.
"What situation? Ying'er’s current predicament is precisely thanks to you, dear Uncle!" Zhao Guofu didn't dare to speak up, but that didn't mean Grandfather Zhao would remain silent.
On the contrary, the more aggressive Zhao Guoqiang became, the more displeased Grandfather Zhao grew.
Who was responsible for whom now? How dare Zhao Guoqiang give him that look?
It had to be said that Grandfather Zhao and Grandma Zhao truly were a perfect match. Whether in dealing with people or in their views and principles, they were completely aligned without any divergence. "Dad, can we speak honestly? Who caused Ying'er’s current situation? The marriage between the Zhao Family and the Qi Family was something you and Mom insisted on breaking faith over. My Jin and Qi Zheng did not replace the original engagement; they just happened to share the surnames Zhao and Qi, which superficially covered your so-called guilt and ugliness. But even now, you still want to bring this up; that's really inappropriate." When Zhao Guoqiang said these words, there was a hint of anger in his voice, but he managed to restrain himself.
Now he saw things more clearly than before. There was no need to get angry with Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu; in the end, it would only hurt himself—definitely not worth it.
In fact, Zhao Guoqiang knew very well that even reasoning with Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu might not be effective. However, he still wanted to give it a try—to express his thoughts to Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu.
As for how Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu would react afterward, Zhao Guoqiang didn’t care much about it nor did he hold any expectations.
For such a long time, the moment for disappointment had long passed. If he still couldn't let go now, it would be unfair to himself.
Zhao Guoqiang could not be considered selfish, but he also did not have the mindset of stubbornly digging himself into a dead end. Therefore, his attitude was mostly very calm, as long as no one touched his taboos. For example, his children and family.
Zhao Guoqiang's words were too straightforward, and Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu found themselves at a loss for words to refute him.
After all, they were not Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui, nor were they accustomed to engaging in verbal sparring. They felt guilty for being in the wrong, and facing Zhao Guoqiang's frankness only made them feel weaker.
Not to mention that at this moment, there was also Qi Zheng by Zhao Guoqiang's side. The situation was even more unfavorable for Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu.
In the end, Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu left without saying anything.
It wasn't that they didn't want to continue discussing things with Zhao Guoqiang; it was just that the facts were on Zhao Guoqiang's side. No matter how much Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu didn't want to admit it, they had no other choice.
At this point, Zhao Ying'er’s desire to marry Qi Zheng was finally completely shattered.
It was likely that even Zhao Ying'er herself did not expect that the first person to hold her back would not be Zhao Jin or the Qijia Family, but rather her own younger brother and family.
Due to Zhao Lei's extreme dissatisfaction, Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui had given up on Zhao Ying'er. Whether at home or outside, they no longer dared to mention anything about Zhao Ying'er and Qi Zheng. Instead, they focused their thoughts on the marriage between Zhao Lei and Qi Yuehong.
Even Grandma Zhao and Chen Cui reacted this way; Grandfather Zhao and Zhao Guofu had nothing more to say or do.
The face they lost in front of Zhao Guoqiang had yet to be regained. They felt extremely embarrassed and awkward, utterly speechless and frustrated.
Without the disturbances from Zhao Ying'er and others, Zhao Jin and the others had a much smoother and more prosperous New Year.
Until after the New Year when the workshop reopened, everyone maintained a good mood throughout.
Zhao Jin's first major move after the New Year was undoubtedly a significant investment in Matching Outfits.
This time, not only from other provinces, but also from the county and City, Zhao Jin will release a moderate amount of finished products, waiting to observe the market effects before deciding on subsequent production.
There is no denying that Aunt Sun's boasting has indeed yielded results. As soon as Matching Outfits hit the market in City, many of Aunt Sun's acquaintances proactively went to Golden Accessories to make purchases.
At first glance, Zhao Jin's strategy seems quite successful, and the new attempts are also very promising.
If nothing unexpected happens, it is about to reach a new height.
The rapid development of Golden Accessories undoubtedly delivers a heavy blow and an invisible pressure to the shopping malls in City.
After a series of investigations and validations, the shopping mall in City has introduced two new brands. Their styles are quite similar to that of “Golden Accessories”, and their prices are even more tempting. As soon as they launched, they attracted a lot of customer attention.
Seeing such a scene, the mall manager couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Look, their mall doesn't need Zhao Jin's clothing support; they can still discover better sources of goods.
The manager initially thought that such a significant move by the mall would surely pose a threat to Zhao Jin. He expected that within half a month, Zhao Jin would become anxious and even take the initiative to negotiate with him for future cooperation.
Unfortunately, the manager waited for half a year but did not see any sign of Zhao Jin.
The mall's operations did not go wrong, and “Golden Accessories” did not go bankrupt. The manager even personally waited outside Zhao Jin's Clothing Store. Although there were customers visiting, it could not compare to the sales volume of the mall.
As a result, the manager was completely puzzled.
Where does Zhao Jin get its confidence from? How can it remain so stable?
Of course, Zhao Jin is stable. Initially lacking a market in City, Zhao Jin could survive solely on business from the County Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Now with an increasing number of orders from other provinces, Zhao Jin's workshop is almost overwhelmed with work.
At first, only Sun Qiuer and others were helping out, but now even Grandma Qi, Zhou Ju, and Xu Mei, whenever they have free time, rush to the workshop to contribute their efforts.
In such a busy and fulfilling life, how could they not make money?
But Zhao Jin had no time to worry about how her Clothing Store in City couldn't compete with the mall.
According to Zhao Jin, she never intended to compete with the mall. It was just that the mall was not being fair, which led her to develop her own business. The Clothing Store was established for customers who liked Golden Accessories, not to go against the mall.
Now that the mall had better brands and more sales, no longer fixated on her, she felt quite good. It was comfortable and relaxed, without any need to worry or be anxious.
Of course, the mall manager would not know that besides the Clothing Store in City, Zhao Jin had many other things to attend to, making it impossible for her to constantly monitor the mall's business performance.
Thus, even though this manager waited eagerly for a long time, he ultimately could not see Zhao Jin's figure.
A one-sided argument could never escalate into a real conflict. The same goes for competing against each other.
The manager's eager desire to compete with Zhao Jin gradually faded after a long period of cooling down. What emerged instead was the original belief: he still needed to find Zhao Jin! He had to have a good talk about their cooperation!
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