Chapter 56 Marriage
“Since it has already happened,” Shen Yi said slowly, but his words shocked Zhang Xiuying and the others. “If the parties involved don’t care, I think we should just let this good thing happen.”
"Comrade Shen!" Zhang Xiuying exclaimed, "What nonsense are you talking about! This is rape! He should be dragged out and shot!"
Shen Yi looked at her and comforted her, "Auntie, don't worry. The fact that the person involved hasn't come out after all this time means she doesn't want to make things worse, right? Why don't I go in and ask her what she thinks?"
Lu Huaiyuan panicked and blurted out, "We've already taken care of everything! Why don't we just get married already!"
"Exactly!" Li Xuemei chimed in. "Besides, if a grown man like you goes in, all disheveled, and someone sees you, my son will be the one who gets taken advantage of!"
Seeing the mother and son's obvious attempt to cover up their misunderstanding, Zhang Xiuying was so angry that she was about to pounce on them again.
"Auntie!" Shen Yi stopped her abruptly, his voice steady and strong, "You're usually a woman who's just as capable as any man, and your daughter is naturally just as opinionated as you. Now, shouldn't we listen to her opinion?"
These words jolted Zhang Xiuying awake. She calmed down and nodded emphatically: "That's right! I don't believe a single word that the Lu family says! Comrade Shen, you have nothing to do with them, go and ask them!"
She paused, then added with tears in her eyes, "Tell her that whatever decision she makes, I will support her!"
"good!"
Shen Yi responded and, under everyone's tense gaze, strode towards the woodshed.
Lu Huaiyuan was so nervous that he was sweating profusely, and Lu Jianping and his wife were even more on tenterhooks.
They knew that their son must have used some tricks to get this done, and given Liu Zhixia's strong-willed nature, she would probably fight to the death!
Shen Yi didn't push the door open directly. Instead, he stood at the doorway and knocked. His voice carried clearly inside.
"Listen up, you inside. Lu Huaiyuan is now willing to take responsibility for marrying you. Whether you choose to report him to the police station or choose to marry him is up to you. Whatever you choose, we will all support you."
In the woodshed, Gu Mansheng, hiding in the shadows, felt her heart pounding wildly!
She was terrified that Shen Yi would rush in and discover that the person inside wasn't Liu Zhixia at all!
If it is discovered that it is her, the Lu family will never allow Lu Huaiyuan to marry her, and no one in the brigade will help her!
The only solution is to let them continue to misunderstand!
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, her heart filled with resentment and jealousy.
Why should I?!
Why is everyone siding with that country bumpkin, Liu Zhixia?
The room was deathly silent. Shen Yi knocked on the door again: "Comrade, what's your decision?"
Gu Mansheng lowered her voice, deliberately making it unrecognizable: "I want... Lu Huaiyuan to marry me."
Although the sound was soft, it reached everyone's ears clearly in the deathly silent courtyard.
The entire audience erupted in uproar!
Unexpectedly, despite all the drama, Liu Zhixia still chose to marry Lu Huaiyuan in the end!
Shen Yi's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly as he asked again, "Are you sure?"
"Are you deaf?!" Lu Huaiyuan suddenly jumped up from the ground, pointed at Shen Yi and shouted arrogantly, "She said! She's going to marry me! You better stay away from her from now on! You'd better never come to our brigade again!"
Shen Yi didn't even look at him, but stared at the door of the woodshed and said calmly, "Such an important matter should of course be confirmed again and again."
The person in the woodshed responded again, a hint of impatience in their voice: "I'm sure, I want to marry Lu Huaiyuan!"
"Did you hear that!" Lu Huaiyuan was so smug he was practically flying. "Give up now!"
“Very good, I heard you very clearly.” Shen Yi nodded, then turned to look at Lu Huaiyuan. “So, you are also willing to marry her and take responsibility for her, right?”
"Of course!" Lu Huaiyuan patted his chest, as if afraid others wouldn't believe him. "Am I, Lu Huaiyuan, the kind of irresponsible person? Everyone here is our witness today, and in a couple of days we'll be having a banquet! Everyone come and join us for the celebration!"
Zhang Xiuying could no longer hold back and threw herself into Liu Shouren's arms, bursting into tears. Liu Shouren's eyes also reddened with heartache.
Li Xuemei beamed with joy and shouted towards the woodshed, "That's wonderful! Daughter-in-law! Don't worry, once you're married into our family, I'll definitely treat you well!"
Lu Jianping breathed a sigh of relief and confidently assured her with a smile, "Don't worry, mother-in-law, we'll provide everything you need—the three turns and the ringer! We guarantee to marry Zhixia in style!"
Just as the Lu family was getting carried away and the atmosphere had calmed down, Shen Yi suddenly laughed.
"Congratulations." He looked at Lu Huaiyuan and said slowly, "We'll be staying at the brigade for two more days, so we might actually get to attend your wedding. But I have to take Comrade Liu home first, so I won't disturb your family reunion any longer."
Lu Huaiyuan was basking in the joy of victory when he heard this and paused for a moment: "Wait...who are you taking home?"
"Take me home, what's wrong?"
A clear, cool yet familiar voice came from the courtyard gate.
Liu Zhixia stood there lazily, a faint hint of sarcasm on her lips.
The entire venue was deathly silent.
Everyone was stunned.
How did Liu Zhixia get in from outside?
Then... who is the person in the woodshed?!
Zhang Xiuying was still crying when she suddenly saw her daughter standing unharmed in front of her, and she was completely stunned.
"Daughter, what's wrong with you..."
“Mother,” Liu Zhixia walked over with heartache and wiped away her tears, “What happened? Why does everyone say I was in the woodshed?”
Lu Huaiyuan's mind went blank for a second: "You're not in the woodshed? Then where did you go last night!"
Liu Zhixia looked at Shen Yi calmly: "Last night, Wang Laizi broke into my house, knocked my sister-in-law unconscious, and tried to harm me. It was Comrade Shen who arrived in time and chased him away."
"That damned Wang Laizi!" Liu Xiangyang was so angry that his veins bulged. "Where is he?"
"I don't know, they're probably hiding in the mountains."
Zhang Xiuying was both surprised and delighted: "So, you're saying you spent the whole night with Comrade Shen and didn't go into the woodshed at all?"
“Of course not,” Liu Zhixia said innocently. “I told Xu Zhiqing I was going home and I did. The flashlight he used is still in my room. My sister-in-law can vouch for that.”
"Impossible!" Lu Huaiyuan stared at the two of them in disbelief, muttering incoherently, "I also took that drug... It's so strong, how could you be alright?"
He lunged at Shen Yi, grabbing him by the collar, veins bulging: "You two slept together! Did you?!"
Shen Yi's eyes were cold, and without uttering a single word, he delivered a heavy punch directly to the other side of his intact face!
Lu Huaiyuan flew out like a tattered sack, crashing heavily into the woodshed door with a dull thud.
"Huaiyuan! My son!" Li Xuemei screamed and rushed over.
Just then, the door to the woodshed opened.
Gu Mansheng rushed out from inside, her clothes disheveled, and went straight to Lu Huaiyuan: "Huaiyuan, are you alright?"
When Lu Huaiyuan saw that the person who came out of the woodshed was Gu Mansheng, his mind went blank and completely exploded.
"How...how is it you?"
He stared in disbelief at Gu Mansheng, then at the suggestive marks on her body, and then at Liu Zhixia, who was unharmed not far away. He was completely dumbfounded.
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