Chapter 50 Xia Wenwen Has a Problem
"you?"
Xia Damin was full of resentment, and his stubbornness suddenly came out. He reached out to grab Lu Zheng's collar.
But after glancing at Lu Zheng's height, he withdrew his hand and put his hands on his hips to increase his imposing presence.
"Girl, has he been bewitching you? Don't let him fool you!"
Xia Qianqian looked at her older brother's anxious expression and rubbed her temples helplessly.
She knew in her heart that her older brother was worried about her and afraid that she would be mistreated after marrying him. But how could anyone else understand her feelings for Lu Zheng?
She secretly thought to herself: It's a bit of a headache to have such loving family members sometimes. They're always worried that I'll be deceived. What should I do now?
Lu Zheng saw the Xia family's worries and said frankly, "If you don't trust me, then move to Xiangyang Village. If I treat Qianqian badly in the slightest, you can hit or scold her as you please!"
Upon hearing this, Xia Damin's eyes lit up. He slapped his thigh excitedly and turned to Lin Shulan, saying, "Mom, why don't we move there? That way, if my little sister gets bullied, she can just shout, and I'll immediately go and beat him to a pulp!"
Lin Shulan looked at her simple-minded son and scolded him, "You silly boy, can't you see how sweet your sister and Lu Zheng's relationship is? Let's not meddle in their business."
She turned to Xia Qingshan and said, "Old Xia, our daughter has finally come back. Go buy some good food, and I'll clean up the house so she can live here with us from now on."
Xia Qianqian said with some difficulty, "Mom, I have to go back."
Lin Shulan reached out and gently tapped her head: "Silly child, you're not married yet. If you live in your husband's family home, who knows how many people will talk behind your back."
I used to think you looked down on us because we were from the countryside, so I never dared to visit you. Now that you're willing to come back, Mom is determined to let you stay at your parents' house for a while. Once a woman gets married, she has a ton of responsibilities; she can't possibly have such a carefree life anymore.
Xia Qianqian and Lu Zheng exchanged bewildered glances; this situation was completely unexpected. Moreover, Lin Shulan's words did indeed make sense.
Lu Zheng scratched his head and said to Xia Qianqian, "Qianqian, why don't you stay at your mother-in-law's house for a few days? Anyway, we're getting married in a few days, so a few more days won't make a difference."
"What? You're getting married in a few days?" Lin Shulan exclaimed in surprise.
She never expected the wedding to be so rushed. She had originally planned to go to the mountains to pick more wild vegetables and mushrooms in the autumn to nourish her daughter's body. But she didn't expect that she could only stay at her parents' home for a few days. This wouldn't do.
Moreover, how can one not provide a decent dowry when their own daughter gets married?
If word gets out, people will gossip and criticize behind our backs.
Thinking of this, Lin Shulan turned to Xia Qingshan and said anxiously, "Old Xia, what should we do about this?"
Xia Qingshan looked at Lu Zheng with a serious expression: "Lu Zheng, we can't let Qianqian marry you like this no matter what. Although our family is poor, we will sell everything we own to raise a decent dowry. We can't let Qianqian suffer any injustice."
Lu Zheng solemnly said, "Father-in-law, rest assured, I will never let Qianqian suffer the slightest grievance. Moreover, from the beginning until now, I have always felt that I am not good enough for her. Being able to win her favor is a blessing I have accumulated over several lifetimes."
Xia Qingshan still disagreed. The thought of his daughter getting married before he could even cherish her for a few days made him refuse, saying, "We can't just marry our daughter off like that!"
Seeing this, Lin Shulan was afraid that if the two continued arguing like this, they would ruin the originally festive atmosphere.
She quickly reached out and nudged Xia Qingshan: "Old Xia, our daughter just got back, what's the rush? Go buy some groceries, and we can discuss things slowly. Don't scare your son-in-law away."
Xia Qingshan then realized that he had indeed been a bit too hasty. His daughter had finally returned, and he couldn't afford to mess things up.
He cleared his throat and said, "Okay, Damin, you're coming with me."
She thought to herself that she would have a good chat with her daughter later that evening after her son-in-law left.
The father and son had just left home, and the air became somewhat quiet. Xia Qianqian took the initiative to start a conversation, showing Lin Shulan the gifts she had brought from the Lu family one by one.
Looking at the pile of generous gifts, Lin Shulan felt both surprised and touched. She never expected the Lu family to value their daughter so much. Her previous anxiety gradually subsided, and the expression on her face softened considerably.
She served two bowls of sweet soup to Xia Qianqian and Lu Zheng. The Xia family was struggling financially, and this sweet soup was the best drink they could offer.
She sat down next to Xia Qianqian and said apologetically, "Qianqian, life in our village is nothing like in the city. I don't have anything good to offer you, so I can only make you a bowl of sweet soup. Please don't mind."
Looking at Xia Qianqian's fair and delicate skin and her appropriate and fashionable clothes, you can tell that she has been well taken care of in the city.
Lin Shulan felt a pang of pain in her heart. If she hadn't discovered that Xia Wenwen was adopted, Qianqian might still be living a life of luxury in the city. Now, she has been kicked out and forced to suffer in this poor, remote rural area.
Sigh, it's all my fault for letting my child down.
Xia Qianqian took the teacup, took a sip of the sweet soup, and said with a smile, "Mom, this sweet soup is really delicious."
Seeing Xia Qianqian's sensible demeanor, Lin Shulan felt an even stronger sense of guilt. She lowered her head and said, "You're getting married. Logically, Mom should give you all the betrothal gifts from the Lu family, but..."
The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't say them.
Seeing Lin Shulan's hesitation, Xia Qianqian had a feeling that things weren't so simple, so she pressed on, "But what is it? Has the bride price been spent?"
Lin Shulan knew that she couldn't keep this from Xia Qianqian. If she didn't explain it clearly, the child would definitely have a knot in her heart that she couldn't untie.
She sighed, her posture becoming somewhat hunched: "At first, the Lu family sent a matchmaker to inquire about Wenwen's situation, and we told her about the Lu family's situation. I was planning to refuse the marriage, but Wenwen insisted on marrying Lu Zheng. She has always been very opinionated, and we couldn't persuade her otherwise, so we accepted the betrothal gifts."
She paused slightly, as if recalling the situation, and after a while, she continued, "Who would have thought that Wenwen would find out she wasn't our biological daughter? When we weren't home, she gave your mother-in-law a severe scolding and even kicked her out. We thought that since she wasn't willing, the marriage should be called off, but the dowry money was lost!"
Lin Shulan bowed to Lu Zheng: "Lu Zheng, I've been wanting to apologize to your family for a long time, but I really didn't have the money and I was too ashamed to go, so I kept putting it off until now. Now that you're here, I'll apologize to you first. It's our Xia family that has wronged you."
Lu Zheng couldn't let Lin Shulan apologize to him, so he quickly got up to stop her.
Xia Qianqian listened to her words thoughtfully. She felt that things were not so simple and that Xia Wenwen was definitely hiding something from them.
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