After Zhen Wanwan's farce, it ended in failure.
Upon learning that Zhuyuan was going out, everyone finally reached a consensus and decided to arrange their engagement the day after tomorrow.
Since it was a marriage proposal where the son-in-law was to be married into the family, and Zhu Yuan had no elders still alive, they decided to arrange the engagement at the Zhen family's home.
As for the betrothal gifts given to Zhuyuan, in addition to the gift box on the surface, Zhen Wanwan also prepared a special gift.
However, she plans to give it to him after the engagement.
These past two days, Old Lady Li has been busily preparing for the engagement. Apart from the Zhou family, Qu family, Dongzi family, and a few other nearby families, plus her aunt's family in the county, they haven't told anyone else.
Several families set up four or five tables for the feast, which is considered quite respectable in the countryside.
Therefore, the third day was also the day of the engagement.
Wearing red clothes and a red robe, Zhen Wanwan looked exceptionally charming and beautiful.
The two children, Guabao and Tianbao, were also dressed up carefully to attend their mother and father's engagement banquet, a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Zhu Yuan was still handsome and dashing, and the clothes he was wearing were specially prepared for him by Zhen Wanwan.
The two of them standing together looked like they were wearing matching outfits, just like a young couple.
As the firecrackers went off, the engagement ceremony began, and finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, the two signed the marriage certificate.
From that moment on, the two were engaged.
Outsiders, hearing the firecrackers, gathered around curiously. Old Lady Li gestured to Wang Cuihua, and the two of them took some candy and distributed it to the villagers.
On one hand, they explained the reasons they had already fabricated.
She stated frankly that since her son-in-law's family had lost its elders, she wanted to find him a new son-in-law, include him in the Zhen family genealogy, and treat him as her own son from then on.
It also makes it easier to take care of my daughter and grandchildren.
Although the excuse was a bit far-fetched, the villagers were generous with their praise for the free candy, showering them with compliments one after another.
Hearing this, Old Lady Li smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and handed out handfuls of candy and snacks.
Of course, some people would silently complain behind the scenes after receiving the candy.
The Zhen family is taking advantage of the son-in-law's lack of connections, forcing him to marry into the family so that their in-laws will be childless...
The Zhen family remained silent, treating the group as if they were talking nonsense.
That night, Zhu Yuan naturally stayed in Zhen Wanwan's guest room. Since the villagers all thought the two were a couple, there was nothing wrong with him staying.
Those in the know also know Zhu Yuan's background and would not speculate otherwise.
But tonight, someone is destined to have an insomnia.
Qu Huaiyuan remained silent throughout the meal, barely eating any food, and stated that he was not hungry.
Now he sits by the river with a jug of wine, drinking under the moon, but his heart is filled with bitterness.
His eyes were bloodshot, and it was clear that he hadn't been sleeping well for the past few days.
After taking another sip of wine, Qu Huaiyuan shouted angrily at the river twice.
Feeling much better, I drank it again and again.
Only after finishing the wine jug did he dejectedly lower his head and mutter, "Why did this happen? Why?"
These three days of unexpected events caught him off guard; the woman he had his eye on for a wife was snatched away by someone else!
And they got engaged so suddenly, without any warning from him!
Images of himself and Zhen Wanwan together kept flashing through his mind, sometimes smiling gently, sometimes clutching his chest in sadness.
In the end, he viciously slapped himself twice.
"You're such a waste! You two were the ones who met first!"
He used to think that there was plenty of time and that he could take it slow. Now he is questioning whether his previous decisions were right or wrong.
But what's the use of regretting it now?
He had so many opportunities to express his feelings before, but he hesitated time and time again.
Hesitation leads to defeat!
He missed out on a perfect match, and now he regrets it too late!
Suddenly, Qu Huaiyuan sensed a dark shadow beside him. He opened his blurry eyes and looked over.
Only by the moonlight could I barely make out who the person in front of me was!
He looked away after just one glance and said indifferently, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be keeping her company?"
Zhu Yuan remained silent, only staring at him for a few seconds before mimicking his posture and sitting by the river.
He pulled out two jugs of wine from behind his back and handed one of them to the drunken Qu Huaiyuan.
"Hmph! Thank you!"
Qu Huaiyuan snatched the wine pot, lay back on the ground with a carefree attitude, and drank the wine while admiring the moon.
After a while…
When did you start liking her?
With a low, husky voice tinged with the smell of alcohol, Qu Huaiyuan asked lightly.
Zhu Yuan took a sip of wine, supported himself with his hands on the ground, and looked up at the moon.
"Probably... when we meet again!"
A reunion? Qu Huaiyuan racked his brains, trying hard to recall the past, remembering that the first time the two met was at the entrance of the grain cave.
The second time was at a banquet hosted by Prefect Fang.
However, in my memory, the two of them didn't have much interaction; they were practically strangers.
Unaware of Qu Huaiyuan's thoughts, Zhu Yuan countered with, "And you? When?"
"I?"
Qu Huaiyuan began to recall their first meeting. In fact, their first meeting did not leave a deep impression on each other.
In their very limited contact, he discovered that she was pregnant and, despite the lack of water and food, remained optimistic and never gave up on herself.
We help them when we can, but we don't like to meddle in other people's business.
After learning about the plight of the villagers who remained in Qingshi Town, he asked him to help write down the names of his clansmen so that everyone could build a cenotaph together.
To express their gratitude, they would occasionally send medicine or dry food to his mother, which is how the mother and son survived until now.
Then, in front of the grain shed, she was heavily pregnant, yet she fought against many villains, relying on her wits to battle them.
He ultimately saved them, and despite having done the most work, he never claimed credit.
Even knowing the source of the food in the cave, he did not hesitate to offer it to General Xiao.
In the days that followed, she would always come up with many strange things or foods, and without exception, they all suited his taste perfectly.
Even after having a child, she never forgot to study and often sought him out to teach her characters.
These past events played on a loop in Qu Huaiyuan's mind.
There were too many heart-fluttering moments, and he didn't know how to answer Zhu Yuan's question for a moment.
He simply said, "What's the use of reminiscing about the past, no matter how beautiful it was?"
The person has already been abducted.
Zhu Yuanyu knew all along that Qu Huaiyuan had feelings for Zhen Wanwan.
Before he confessed his feelings to Zhen Wanwan, he had always wanted to help the two of them get together, so he secretly plotted for Qu Huaiyuan.
First, he wanted Feng He to arrange a position for Qu Huaiyuan to ensure a stable income, but unfortunately, Qu Huaiyuan refused.
Seeing how hard she was raising two children alone, he felt very guilty and took out his own assets to give to her.
He couldn't resist testing her while staying at the villa, and as expected, he was rejected.
Later, he entrusted Yuan Huizhou to her care under the guise of a 'promise'.
Just so he would have an excuse to see her in the future, his eyes gradually became glued to her.
In the end, they became more and more entangled and could not extricate themselves.
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