"Stop cursing me to die!"
“I didn’t curse you. That’s what the fortune teller said. He said your eldest sister has weak ties with her relatives and will bring death to them!” Li Wenxiu said excitedly. “Your grandparents died as soon as she was born, your mother couldn’t have children for the next five years, and even if she did get pregnant, she couldn’t keep them. You broke your leg after you were born. The fortune teller predicted all of this. Qiu Xue was there too, and she heard it all.”
"You should go to fortune tellers with Qiuxue less often in the future!"
"I don't care, you're my husband now, you have to stay away from your older sister!"
"Impossible, that's my own older sister!" Song Baogen refused decisively. "If I tell you to cut off all contact with your brother, would you agree?"
"Don't bring my brother into this! He's not my nemesis! You can only choose one between me and your older sister!" Li Wenxiu forced Song Baogen to choose between the two.
Song Baogen ignored Li Wenxiu and went home.
Li Wenxiu wouldn't let him leave, demanding an explanation.
The two started tugging and pulling at each other. Song Baogen got annoyed and, without thinking, shoved Li Wenxiu.
Li Wenxiu fell to the ground, tears of grievance welling up in her eyes.
"Is this your answer?" Li Wenxiu got up. "Song Baogen, we're getting a divorce! You can go live with your older sister!"
-
Song Caixing returned home happily.
Her brother Guang didn't lie to her.
As soon as she stepped outside, she heard her father, Song Erzhuang's, voice coming from inside.
"...My Yinhua has a bad temper and is immature. She doesn't know how to be filial to me and her mother. Please don't look down on Yinhua. She's not a jinx, nor is she destined to be a concubine. She won't bring death to anyone. She's capable of working. You can let Yinhua do any chores in your household. Yinhua is strong and can handle some work. These days, who keeps an idle person?"
Huo Jianguo's already cold expression grew even colder.
Qiao Guilan initially echoed Huo Jianguo's words, but then she noticed that Huo Jianguo's expression was off, so she quickly nudged Song Erzhuang and told him to stop talking.
Song Caixing was still puzzled as to why her father had asked her older sister to help with the wedding arrangements.
She entered the main room and said, "Mom and Dad, I'm back! My sister-in-law told me that someone has proposed to me!"
Song Caixing blushed slightly when she thought of Xie Daguang.
Song Erzhuang said in a loud voice, "They were proposing to your older sister, but your parents thought they were proposing to you, so they sent your sister-in-law to call you."
Song Caixing looked at Huo Jianguo, not understanding why Xie Daguang's cousin was proposing marriage to her older sister. Shouldn't it be Xie Daguang's cousin proposing to her?
Song Erzhuang continued to plead with Huo Jianguo.
Please don't despise his daughter for being a jinx.
Please don't despise your daughter for having unclean hands and feet.
She begged him not to despise her daughter for being a concubine and for seducing other men.
She begged him not to look down on her daughter for being large-framed.
He begged him not to dislike his daughter for her bad temper.
Song Erzhuang pleaded for a long time, but Huo Jianguo remained cold and aloof, interrupting Song Erzhuang at the opportune moment.
If he wasn't interrupted, Song Erzhuang would bring up all the shameful things about his daughter from childhood to adulthood, including the rumors that she had been framed, as flaws, and beg someone to marry her.
"Uncle, Aunt, thank you for agreeing to let Yinhua marry me. The wedding day is in five days. What do you two think?"
"Five days?" Song Erzhuang and Qiao Guilan exchanged a glance.
“This is too rushed. Baogen just got married, and the busy farming season is coming up soon. There are a lot of things to do. Let’s wait until after the busy farming season before you get married,” Qiao Guilan said.
During the busy farming season, there's a ton of farm work to do at home, so we have to wait until it's all done before letting Yinhua get married.
Huo Jianguo nodded in agreement.
Qiao Guilan: "Regarding the bride price..."
Song Erzhuang yelled at Qiao Guilan, "All you old women know is how to ask the man for money! What do you want in terms of dowry? The young man is willing to marry our Yinhua, which is already a blessing for us. As long as the young couple is happy, what do we care about dowry!"
Qiao Guilan gave Song Erzhuang a dissatisfied look, "Other families give dowries when they marry off their daughters, but our daughter..."
"Don't you know your daughter's situation? What if you scare her away by asking for a dowry?"
"I've already prepared the betrothal gifts." Huo Jianguo took out the prepared cash and handed it to Qiao Guilan. "This is the cash gift, plus three turns and one ring."
Qiao Guilan happily accepted the gift money and praised Huo Jianguo profusely.
The two agreed to set the wedding date after the busy farming season.
As for the specific date, Qiao Guilan said she would go to her master to choose an auspicious day.
After Huo Jianguo left, Qiao Guilan counted the dowry money, "Three hundred and sixty, which is more than a hundred more than the dowry our family prepared for Baogen."
Song Erzhuang and Qiao Guilan were overjoyed.
I am extremely satisfied with this future son-in-law.
Song Caixing said, "I heard his mother is crazy. Are you really going to let my eldest sister marry him? Aren't you going to tell her?"
"With your older sister's reputation, it's already a miracle if someone is willing to marry her," Song Erzhuang said dismissively.
Qiao Guilan complained to Song Erzhuang, "Isn't it all because of your great-uncle's family and your sister-in-law's bad deeds behind your back!"
"What did my relatives do to you?" Song Erzhuang immediately perked up when he heard Qiao Guilan speak ill of his relatives. "How have my relatives wronged you? Qiu Xue helped Yin Hua avoid such a disaster and something terrible happened. Wasn't it my uncle's family who helped us comfort Qiu Xue? What else are you dissatisfied with?"
Thinking of Song Qiuxue's close relationship with her great-uncle, Qiao Guilan felt sad and resentful again.
The girl he raised with great difficulty has become a college student in the provincial capital, yet she is closer to outsiders.
The family of three was talking when Li Wenxiu strode in, ignoring them and rushing straight into the house.
"What's wrong with Wenxiu? She just got married yesterday, and she's already giving me a sour look today. What's she trying to do?" Qiao Guilan decided that starting tomorrow, she would definitely train this daughter-in-law properly and make sure she was well-behaved so that her son would have a good life in the future.
Li Wenxiu hastily packed a few clothes, grabbed her bag, and went out.
"Wenxiu, where are you going with your bag so late at night?"
"I'm going back to my parents' home!" Li Wenxiu said defiantly. "I'm divorcing Song Baogen!"
Qiao Guilan and Song Erzhuang's hearts sank. Why would they suddenly bring up divorce?
"What happened?" Song Erzhuang asked. "Did Baogen bully you? Don't go, I'll go talk to Baogen!"
Qiao Guilan stopped Song Erzhuang, "Our Baogen has been sensible since he was a child, and he loves us dearly. How could he bully his wife?"
Li Wenxiu sensed that her mother-in-law was deliberately protecting Song Baogen, so she grabbed her bag and stormed off.
When Song Baogen returned, he ran into her. Song Erzhuang urged Song Baogen to hurry up and bring her back.
Who runs back to their parents' home the day after their wedding? It's laughable.
"Don't chase after her!" Qiao Guilan said. "She goes back to her parents' home whenever she throws a tantrum. If you go after her, she'll have you under her thumb and make you leave. She'll come back on her own in a few days."
Qiao Guilan has experience with this.
When she was young, she had just married into the family and was constantly nagging her mother-in-law, which made her so angry that she ran back to her parents' home several times.
Song Erzhuang listened to her parents and her older brother and sister in everything, and never went to pick her up. In the end, she was kicked out by her mother, who felt ashamed, and returned to her husband's family in disgrace.
After that, she never dared to run away from home again. No matter how much her mother-in-law nag her or how much her husband listened to his family and beat her, she never ran away from home again.
Song Baogen was also angry; his own mother told him not to pursue her, and he really didn't.
He had no feelings for Li Wenxiu to begin with.
He never liked this plain-looking wife from the start. If it weren't for his third sister Qiuxue persuading him and giving him a lecture, he wouldn't have dated Li Wenxiu.
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