Chapter 51: Women are not allowed to stay in college

Xia Qianqian's beautiful eyes were full of suspicion as she asked, "Mom, do you mean that the dowry money given by the Lu family wasn't gambled away by Dad, but was stolen? Have you told the brigade secretary about this? Maybe there's still hope of finding it."

Lin Shulan was taken aback by Xia Qianqian's words, and then asked in surprise, "Child, who told you that your father went gambling? Our Willow Tree Village is a well-known civilized village. There are no gamblers in the village. We have told the villagers about this, but we have searched for a long time and still haven't found him."

After hearing Lin Shulan's words, Xia Qianqian became even more certain of her guess.

She asked again, "So when you asked for all that dowry money, you didn't intend to use it to help your brother get married?"

Lin Shulan said helplessly, "Child, where did you hear all this nonsense? Although our Xia family is not as wealthy as those in the city, we absolutely do not have the habit of selling our daughters. When I received that dowry, I told Wenwen that on her wedding day, I would put this money in her dowry as a treasure, so that she could have a grand wedding."

Now Xia Qianqian finally understood that everything Xia Wenwen said in front of the Xia family was a lie; she was only trying to gain their sympathy.

Xia Qianqian grew angrier the more she thought about it, and couldn't help but start arguing with Lin Shulan.

"Mom, Xia Wenwen said when she got home that Dad is a gambler and he hits people. Is that true?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Shulan was so shocked that she quickly waved her hands and said, "How could that be! There are no gamblers in our Willow Tree Village. Besides, your father and I have been married for so many years and have never even had a fight. How could he hit someone? Moreover, Wenwen is a girl. We dote on her. At most, we've slapped Damin a few times, but we've never laid a finger on her."

As she spoke, Lin Shulan's eyes gradually reddened, and her voice choked with emotion: "Even if she looked down on us for being from the countryside, she shouldn't spread such rumors!"

Xia Qianqian then asked, "So, Xia Wenwen's claim that she was abused at home was all made up?"

Lin Shulan looked at Xia Qianqian with eyes full of sorrow, as if her heart had been broken.

“How could this child say such a thing? Even if I'm not her biological mother, I've raised her for so many years! Our village's conditions can't compare to the city's, but what haven't I given her that other children in the village have? How can she speak so against her conscience? Isn't she afraid of retribution?”

At this point, Lin Shulan's breathing became rapid with anger, and she was speechless for a moment.

Xia Qianqian quickly made a cup of ginger and brown sugar water and handed it to her, then reached out to pat her chest.

It took Lin Shulan quite a while to gradually come to her senses.

She smiled bitterly and said, "Child, is this why you refuse to come back and acknowledge us?"

At this moment, she understood a bit more. No wonder the child had been unwilling to come home. Anyone would avoid such a terrible family if they heard that they had such terrible parents.

Lin Shulan said urgently, "Child, you must not listen to her nonsense! Your father and I are honest and law-abiding people, and we have never done anything immoral. If you don't believe me, you can go and ask around in the village. Everyone in the village can testify to what kind of people we are."

Lin Shulan's words completely dispelled Xia Qianqian's doubts.

The Xia family has lived in this village for so many years, and the neighbors know each other very well. They live together day and night, and they know each other's character and behavior very clearly, so there's no way to hide anything from each other.

The fact that Lin Shulan dared to say it so confidently shows that she must have a clear conscience about raising Xia Wenwen.

Therefore, it seems that everything Xia Wenwen said to the Xia family was a lie. Her purpose was to gain the sympathy of her adoptive parents, and on the other hand, to prevent herself and the Xia family from coming to Willow Tree Village.

Once she meets her biological parents, Xia Wenwen's lies will inevitably be exposed.

She never imagined that Xia Wenwen, at such a young age, could be so cunning. She truly couldn't understand what grudge or animosity existed between them that led Xia Wenwen to try and harm her in various ways after her return.

If Lu Zheng hadn't insisted on bringing her back, she would have almost lost her loving family forever.

Thinking of this, Xia Qianqian's eyes reddened slightly. She turned her head and said gratefully, "Thank you for bringing me back. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would never have known the truth in my life and would have been kept in the dark, missing out on my biological parents."

Lu Zheng gazed tenderly at Xia Qianqian: "No wonder you never mentioned going back to your parents' home before, so that's what happened. Just stay at your parents' home for a few days, and I'll come back to pick you up once the wedding banquet is all ready."

"Mm." Xia Qianqian nodded gently in response.

Lu Zheng continued, "If Daya and Erya knew you lived in Willow Tree Village, they would definitely miss you. I'll bring them to see you after work tomorrow."

Xia Qianqian's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected Lu Zheng to have such ulterior motives; he had clearly found a way to see her. It just so happened that she missed her child and him too.

Her eyes crinkled into a smile as she gave Lu Zheng a bright and sweet laugh, saying in a soft voice, "Okay."

Seeing the undisguised smile in Xia Qianqian's eyes, Lu Zheng knew that she had seen through his thoughts, and his ears turned red involuntarily.

As they were talking, Xia Qingshan and his son returned home carrying a vegetable basket. He said to Xia Qianqian, "You're in for a treat today. We just ran into someone who caught fish from the reservoir to sell. Your mother is an expert at cooking fish."

Lin Shulan quickly stood up, took the vegetable basket, and headed to the kitchen to prepare a meal for her daughter and son-in-law, while Xia Qingshan and her son stayed inside to chat with them.

Looking at the pile of gifts on the ground, Xia Qingshan realized the purpose of their trip.

He looked at Lu Zheng, and a surge of displeasure welled up inside him.

Qianqian is so wonderful, yet she's going to marry Lu Zheng and become his stepmother. But seeing his daughter's willing expression, he swallowed back the words of objection he was about to utter, ultimately unable to forcibly separate the two young lovers.

Xia Qingshan said quietly, "Qianqian, Dad is waiting for your word. No matter what you think, we support you."

After saying that, he glanced at Lu Zheng sideways, the meaning in his eyes was all too clear.

Although he knew that Lu Zheng was a good person, responsible and capable, he just couldn't stand him. It was like his own carefully cultivated cabbage had been eaten by a pig.

Xia Qingshan was filled with heartache, and the reluctance on his face became even more obvious.

"Dad, I've made up my mind about him. I believe he will bring me happiness." Xia Qianqian's words made Xia Qingshan even more displeased. Daughters grow up and leave home.

He glared at Lu Zheng and poured a glass of water for his daughter: "There's no water left in your glass, why didn't you pour me some?"