Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Back to the 80s: A Beloved Marriage
Hu Qiao'er never expected Shen Lin to say something like this. Blinking, she clearly found it hard to accept: "But you..."
"You don't have to worry about me. I've grown up and don't need Mom to be with me all the time. Besides, Uncle Qi is really nice to me, and I like him a lot." After all, they owned two stores in the same family, so Shen Lin had quite a bit of interaction with Qi Feng on a daily basis.
It wasn't appropriate for a boy to spend all his holidays in the Clothing Store. In contrast, he preferred to hang out at Qi Feng's Furniture Store, where he learned a lot about woodworking from Qi Feng.
These were things Hu Qiao'er didn't know or pay attention to.
Shen Lin wasn't the type to share everything with his parents. He was very quiet and had his own opinions. He had his own scale for what was good and bad. Perhaps he wouldn't often express it to outsiders, but he was clear about it himself.
Compared to anyone else, only Qi Feng was someone Shen Lin felt comfortable entrusting his mother to.
With anyone else, no matter how good they were, Shen Lin certainly wouldn't speak so highly of them.
This was undoubtedly part of Qi Feng's charm.
Upon receiving Shen Lin's affirmative answer, Hu Qiao'er couldn't help but tear up, choked with emotion: "Lin, I'm sorry. It's Mom who..."
"Mom doesn't need to apologize to me." Interrupting Hu Qiao'er's apology, Shen Lin looked up and fixed his gaze on her. "As long as you can be happy every day from now on, that's enough."
It wasn't just Hu Qiao'er who felt heartache for Shen Lin. At his age, Shen Lin also felt pain for his mother.
He had kept in mind all the actions of his biological father, even if he was still young.
Shen Lin did not want to acknowledge or admit to a father who only got drunk and hit people.
So, if Qi Feng could provide a better life for his mother, why should he oppose it?
Even if he was his son, he could not be so selfish.
On the contrary, precisely because he was her child, he should think more about his mother.
Hu Qiao'er had always known that her son was exceptionally well-behaved and understanding. But when such a considerate Shen Lin stood in front of her and said that as long as she was happy, he didn't care, Hu Qiao'er couldn't help but shed tears.
At that moment, Hu Qiao'er felt that no matter how much misfortune she had encountered in the past, even if she could never marry Qi Feng in the future, it didn't matter.
Because she already had the best son in the world, one that no one could compare to.
However, Shen Lin had no intention of ruining Hu Qiao'er's chance for further happiness.
Regarding Hu Qiao'er marrying Qi Feng, Shen Lin's acceptance was far greater than everyone had expected.
Listening to Hu Qiao'er tearfully recount the details of her conversation with Shen Lin from last night, Zhao Jin inexplicably felt a pang in her heart. Soon after, like Hu Qiao'er, she was filled with immense pride and joy.
Such a wonderful child would surely be cherished like their own by the Qi Family. Zhao Jin could swear that she would absolutely make this happen.
Thanks to Shen Lin's stance, Hu Qiao'er and Qi Feng's marriage was soon settled naturally.
The Hu Family was completely outraged upon hearing this news.
Led by Aunt Hu, the Hu Family rushed to City and expressed their gratitude and enthusiasm towards the Qijia Family.
Undoubtedly, this marriage was destined to be harmonious.
The Hu Family actually had some thoughts regarding the whereabouts of Shen Lin.
In their view, Shen Lin was not a child of the Qi Family. They feared that allowing Hu Qiao'er to marry Qi Feng while taking Shen Lin along might affect the relationship between Hu Qiao'er and Qi Feng, and could leave a negative impact on Shen Lin.
Therefore, the Hu Family intended to take Shen Lin away.
However, the Qijia Family rejected this proposal.
The Qi Zheng's Family, including Qi Feng, never considered sending Shen Lin away while bringing Hu Qiao'er into their family.
In their eyes, Shen Lin and Hu Qiao'er were one entity. To marry Hu Qiao'er, they naturally needed to take care of Shen Lin as well and accept him into their lives.
The Qijia Family never viewed Shen Lin as a burden or a nuisance. They genuinely wanted to accept him and sincerely wished to live together with him.
With this mindset, Qi Feng engaged in a serious and friendly conversation with the Hu Family in front of Shen Lin.
During the discussion, Qi Feng firmly expressed his desire to take care of Shen Lin. He assured them that he would treat Shen Lin as his own son and welcomed the Hu Family to conduct surprise inspections at any time.
Hu Family initially thought that Qi Feng was just being polite. After all, Qi Feng and Hu Qiao'er were not married yet, so any sweet words were merely empty.
However, when Qi Feng showed up ready for an impromptu inspection, the Hu Family could no longer pretend to be calm.
So, Qi Feng really was willing to take care of Shen Lin?
Confirming this, the Hu Family did not shy away from Qi Feng, directly asking for Shen Lin's opinion.
When asked if he was willing to live with Uncle Qi from now on, Shen Lin did not hesitate much and simply nodded.
Compared to the Hu Family, he had spent more time with Qi Feng and understood him completely.
He believed that Qi Feng's words were genuine. He also believed that Qi Feng was a man of his word. Shen Lin had long understood Qi Feng's steadfastness.
Therefore, he did not want to be separated from his mother and naturally was willing to live with Qi Feng.
Returning to the Hu Family? Shen Lin had never considered it and did not want to add any burden or trouble to his grandparents or in-laws.
With Shen Lin's affirmative answer, Qi Feng clearly understood that this was the child's trust in him.
Feeling a surge of emotion, Qi Feng tightly hugged Shen Lin, both moved and silently promising.
The Hu Family could see clearly that Shen Lin and Qi Feng got along very well, sharing a mutual understanding and emotional foundation.
The Hu Family was extremely grateful and truly relieved.
They were thankful to Zhao Jin for initially allowing Hu Qiao'er to come to the City to help her with the shop. They appreciated Zhao Jin for letting Hu Qiao'er bring Shen Lin to work together. They were grateful that Zhao Jin provided Hu Qiao'er and her son the opportunity to meet Qi Feng and form a bond with him.
Mentioning Zhao Jin, the Hu Family couldn't help but hold her in their hearts.
After confirming Shen Lin's whereabouts, the Hu Family immediately expressed their gratitude to Zhao Jin.
Zhao Jin felt somewhat overwhelmed by the attention.
This matter had little to do with her, nor was it something she single-handedly facilitated.
The relationship between Hu Qiao'er and Qi Feng developed because of their mutual connection.
Additionally, there was Qi Yuehong's timely reminder and Shen Lin's generous support...
All these factors were not significantly related to her and were beyond her control.
For Zhao Jin, she merely played a small role in giving them a final push. In terms of gratitude, she felt it shouldn't be directed at her.
However, no matter how Zhao Jin explained, the Hu Family remained steadfast in their attitude. Their gratitude towards Zhao Jin was sincere and heartfelt.
Even if Zhao Jin tried to decline the praise, it was of little use. This only made Zhao Jin feel awkward and somewhat uncomfortable.
In contrast, the wedding of Qi Feng and Hu Qiao'er was not held in a grand and ostentatious manner. After successfully obtaining their marriage certificate, they naturally moved into the new house that Zhao Jin and Qi Zheng had bought for Qi Feng. They then specifically invited family members from both sides to have a meal together in City, which marked the end of their wedding celebrations.
It may not seem like a significant event, but in reality, dining at a hotel in City was something that Qi Feng and Hu Qiao'er could hardly have imagined before.
At the same time, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju made a special trip back to Willow Leaf Village, bringing plenty of wedding candies to distribute among the fellow villagers.
Upon hearing about Qi Feng's marriage, the fellow villagers of Willow Leaf Village were all in a state of surprise. They eagerly asked why they hadn't seen the bride; after all, she should have been brought back to Willow Leaf Village for everyone to see.
"We'll bring her back when there's a chance in the future. They're both busy and don't have time right now," Grandma Qi responded cheerfully to everyone's curiosity, showing no signs of embarrassment or shame.
There was truly nothing to be embarrassed about. From the beginning, they hadn't planned to bring Hu Qiao'er back. It wasn't that they thought Hu Qiao'er would embarrass them; rather, they didn't want to add any burden on her or subject her to gossip.
After all, both Hu Qiao'er and Qi Feng would be living in City from now on. Given how far away it was from Willow Leaf Village, there was no need for them to deal with the curiosity and scrutiny of the fellow villagers.
As for the future, if a better opportunity arose—such as if Hu Qiao'er became pregnant and had a child—they could bring her back then; it wouldn't be too late.
Of course, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju had discussed these considerations with Hu Qiao'er. They never treated her as an outsider, so they wouldn't deliberately hide things from her or secretly cause her distress.
At present, everyone interacted naturally and harmoniously, which was quite nice.
Compared to the fellow villagers of Willow Leaf Village who were curious but hesitant to press further, the reaction from Qi Erzhu's family of three was much more intense.
"After all, he is my younger brother. Mom, don't you think this is a bit excessive?" Qi Erzhu genuinely did not expect that Qi Feng would quietly get married in City without any notice. Even more surprising was that Grandma Qi did not inform him about such a significant event as Qi Feng's marriage.
"Later." In response to Qi Erzhu's question, Grandma Qi did not take it too seriously.
Everyone had seen how Qi Erzhu had ignored his younger brother Qi Feng over the years. Now, standing here and talking about brotherly love seemed rather hypocritical.
Moreover, even if Qi Erzhu wanted to acknowledge Qi Feng as his brother, it was uncertain whether Qi Feng would still want to associate with him at this point.
After all these years, everyone had managed to get by. Grandma Qi did not think there was a need to deliberately change anything.
Qi Erzhu could tell that Grandma Qi was being dismissive. His face flushed with anger, but he held back his words.
He didn't even know when it started that he and his older brother's family had grown apart. Even Grandma Qi and Qi Feng seemed to have developed a dislike for him.
It was clear that they had once been a close-knit family, friendly with one another.
Seeing that Qi Erzhu had nothing more to say, Cheng Fangfang became unhappy. She rushed forward, wanting to confront Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju face-to-face, but was pulled back by Qi Erzhu.
"What are you making a fuss about? Is it not noisy enough already?" Qi Erzhu's attitude towards Cheng Fangfang had lost its previous indulgence.
In his view, it was Cheng Fangfang's excessive antics that had affected Qi Tingting, leading her to become too unruly. This resulted in Qi Tingting being sent to prison and their family being unable to hold their heads high at any time.
Had it been before Qi Tingting's arrest, Qi Erzhu would never have shown such a lack of confidence in front of anyone. Even now, facing Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju, he would have thickened his skin and made a scene.
However, some matters truly could not be resolved through noise alone. Especially at this moment, Qi Erzhu's skin was no longer as thick as it once was.
So, he backed down.
Blocked by Qi Erzhu, Cheng Fangfang was naturally unwilling. However, now when facing Qi Erzhu, she no longer had the confidence she once possessed.
Even with Qi Erzhu's shout, Cheng Fangfang pouted and reluctantly retreated.
Yes, yes, yes, it was all her fault. She didn't raise her daughter properly and failed to stop Qi Tingting from making mistakes in time. Their family had fallen to this point; it was all her fault, wasn't it?
But no matter how much she admitted her mistakes, what use was it? Qi Erzhu only knew how to act tough in front of her; why couldn't he be this aggressive towards others as well?
If Qi Erzhu treated Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju like this, let’s see if they would still dare to ignore their family! Let’s see if they would still dare not to invite them or inform them when Qi Feng got married!
This wasn’t that Qi Erzhu was completely useless; even if he jumped around, it would just be like that...
In the end, whether they wanted to or not, both Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang were affected.
Even now, they no longer had the imposing presence they once did. Although there were still many things they cared about and still found displeasing, they no longer had that confidence and courage.
In a way, this could be seen as a punishment for Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang!
After being arrogant for so many years without a hitch, suddenly it felt like someone had grabbed their vital point; they could no longer act as freely and carelessly as before. Gradually, Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang fell silent.
Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju naturally noticed the changes in Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang. However, even though these two had indeed changed, they really did not want to have too much contact with Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang anymore.
Some people and some events, no matter how long ago they occurred, will leave a mark in the heart. For Qi Erzhu and Cheng Fangfang, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju have learned from their past experiences and will try to keep their distance as much as possible.
Without lingering too long in Willow Leaf Village, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju left again.
After the New Year, Qi Yuehong entered her senior year second semester, a crucial time. Therefore, Grandma Qi and Zhou Ju stayed in the county, planning to accompany Qi Yuehong until she finished her college entrance examination before returning to City.
Fortunately, City had Sun Qiuer, who was capable and hardworking, so there was no worry about others' meals.
Moreover, the newly married Hu Qiao'er was also capable and diligent, which made it even less of a concern.
In City, as they had completely become one family, everyone became more enthusiastic towards each other and visited more frequently.
Sometimes when the Clothing Store was too busy and both Hu Qiao'er and Sun Qiuer were occupied in the shop, Zhao Jin would take his family to eat at the nearby Maternal Family.
Xu Mei was certainly very welcoming of Zhao Jin bringing the Qijia Family over for meals. With Sun Chun'er and Qian Minmin, two daughters-in-law always ready to help out, she was eager to provide meals at every opportunity to showcase her value.
Shen Lin was probably the person whose life underwent the greatest transformation.
Although he had many relatives on his maternal side before this, he suddenly gained a lot more family members now. Including younger siblings, there were several of them. Each one was adorable and particularly endearing.
The elders treated him very well. They cared for him in every aspect—food, clothing, shelter—everything was taken care of so thoughtfully that his warm reception almost overwhelmed him.
However, despite feeling somewhat out of place, Shen Lin felt more happiness and joy overall.
After spending time with the Qijia Family, Shen Lin was certain that his choice was not wrong. Marrying his mother to his new dad was the right thing to do, and it was a decision he would never regret.
Guo Guo and Dou Dou were very curious and friendly towards their new brother, Shen Lin. They especially loved playing with him, running around and calling him "brother" with sweet voices.
At first, Shen Lin was unsure how to interact with the two of them. However, as they became more familiar, he grew to really like the adorable twins.
The Zhao Family had three children, with the eldest, Zhao Yiyi, being two years older than Shen Lin. She was a sensible and caring older sister who looked after her younger siblings. The ten-year-old Zhao Yaozu and eight-year-old Zhao Yaozong also became Shen Lin's new companions.
Coincidentally, Shen Lin spent more time in City than his other friends, and since they all attended the same school, they naturally became closer.
Going to and from school together provided a great opportunity for them to bond.
After getting married, Hu Qiao'er and Qi Feng maintained a good relationship. As the college entrance exams approached in July, Hu Qiao'er shared the joyful news that she was pregnant.
It was during summer vacation, and Shen Lin was at home.
Upon hearing about her pregnancy, Hu Qiao'er worried that Shen Lin might have objections.
However, Shen Lin's reaction proved that Hu Qiao'er was simply overthinking.
Shen Lin was not so fragile or unreasonable. Over the past six months, he had received an abundance of love from the elders and companions in the Qi Family and Zhao Family. As a result, he had unconsciously become more cheerful and lively.
Although his transformation might not have been immediately obvious on the surface, one could tell by the smile on his face and how often he ran outside to play that Shen Lin had become much happier.
So, friends still need the companionship of friends to be happier. The taciturn Shen Lin is no exception.
When Hu Qiao'er noticed Shen Lin's change, she was genuinely taken aback.
After the shock, Hu Qiao'er felt more at ease.
All along, Hu Qiao'er wanted to give the best to Shen Lin. She wanted to provide Shen Lin with the best education, the best life, and the best love.
However, unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Despite her efforts, there were still areas she could not attend to.
For instance, her divorce from her Ex-Husband left an indelible scar on Shen Lin. No matter how hard she tried to make up for it afterward, Shen Lin became increasingly silent, and her smile grew rarer.
But now, with the company and influence of the Zhao Family and Qi Family children, Shen Lin's world has clearly gained a few more vibrant colors, colors that bring her joy.
Hu Qiao'er has always been grateful to Zhao Jin for taking her in during her most difficult times. Now she is even more thankful for the significant change Zhao Jin's family has brought to Shen Lin, and she feels grateful to Zhao Jin for allowing her to marry Qi Feng.
Suddenly faced with Hu Qiao'er's heartfelt gratitude, Zhao Jin appeared somewhat taken aback.
After listening to Hu Qiao'er's words of thanks, Zhao Jin felt quite helpless.
As for the matters between Hu Qiao'er and Qi Feng, she had no part in them at all. The fact that the children could get along so well was due to their own fates and interactions. She truly had no connection to it whatsoever. "But if you hadn't taken me in back then, I would never have had the chance to meet your uncle. Naturally, there wouldn't have been so many subsequent events." Facing Zhao Jin's rejection, Hu Qiao'er insisted firmly, stating, "Moreover, the reason the children were able to meet is because you bought houses together, which gave them the opportunity to know each other."
If we follow Hu Qiao'er's logic, there is actually nothing wrong.
The fact is indeed this way. If it weren't for Zhao Jin, even if Hu Qiao'er and Qi Feng were to meet, they would not have had the opportunity for further contact. As for getting to know each other and eventually falling in love, that might not have happened again.
There are also a few children who can play together, and it is indeed because Zhao Jin and Qi Zheng bought houses next to each other.
Otherwise, the chances of Shen Lin encountering Zhao Yaozong and the other children would be very slim.
After all, Shen Lin is what one would call a city child. Meanwhile, Zhao Yaozong and the others are truly country kids.
However, regardless of how it happened, Hu Qiao'er and Qi Feng did meet, fell in love, and got married. Shen Lin and Zhao Yaozong along with the other children indeed had interactions, sharing meals and playing together.
These are established facts. No matter what the cause was, it is their own fate and opportunities.
Perhaps Zhao Jin did play a significant mediating role in this. However, when Zhao Jin did those things, there were no ulterior motives or expectations involved.
It can only be said that they all had such a fate. Now that they can live together so happily is self-evident. At least for Zhao Jin, this current situation is quite good for each of them. Regardless of what outsiders think, those involved are very content and happy.
Comment 0 Comment Count