Chapter 108 I Want to Marry Lu Zheng
Mr. Xia finally breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn't expected his daughter to actually get it done! He hurriedly pulled out his cigarette case from his pocket, intending to offer the other person a cigarette.
The man frowned and cursed, "Damn it, trying to pull this on me."
He waved his hand impatiently and said gruffly, "Alright, alright, we're all comrades, let's stop with this nonsense!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Mr. Xia's smile froze for a moment, and he hurriedly nodded and bowed, awkwardly putting the cigarette away. He knew in his heart that the situation was beyond his control, and no matter how aggrieved he felt, he could only endure it and fawn over this person.
Finally, after getting rid of the people from the command post, the Xia family mansion was in a mess. Xia's mother slumped into a chair, covered her face, and began to sob.
She has been married to Mr. Xia for so many years, from living a life of luxury to now being destitute. She has never suffered such a humiliating and injustice!
Mr. Xia patted his wife's back wearily and said in a deep voice, "Don't cry. There's no use crying now. It's already a stroke of luck that you and your daughter were able to keep those personal jewelry. It's much better than the previous families."
"Then... what should we do next?" Xia's mother looked up with teary eyes, completely at a loss.
Mr. Xia frowned and said in a deep voice, "Since the command has given the green light to let us follow, let's take it one step at a time and see. If the situation turns bad, take those jewels and leave here immediately."
"Dad," Xia Wenwen, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "I want to get married. I want to marry Lu Zheng."
She knew very well that only by marrying him could the Xia family have a chance to turn their fortunes around!
"What?!"
Mr. Xia and his mother were so shocked they were like they'd been struck by lightning, and they both froze in place.
Xia's mother even reached out to touch Xia Wenwen's forehead: "You don't have a fever, do you?"
Xia Wenwen pushed her mother's hand away: "I'm perfectly sober. I heard someone say the other day that Lu Zheng's status in the provincial capital was unusual. Xia Qianqian must have known about this relationship before she insisted on marrying him!"
"Is that so?!" Xia's mother's previous timidity vanished, replaced by anger at being manipulated. "I knew she was so quick to agree to leave the Xia family; she'd been plotting to climb the social ladder all along!"
She grew angrier the more she thought about it, then suddenly remembered something: "Wenwen, what about the job she sold you? Was that also a deliberate scam?"
In order to secure a respectable job for Wenwen, she spent a huge sum of money to buy a teaching position from Xia Qianqian.
Before Wenwen could even register, the unrest broke out, schools were closed, the education bureau was deserted, and all the money was wasted!
"It must be her! Otherwise, how could Xia Qianqian, a country girl, have such extensive connections?"
Xia Wenwen sneered, "She must have gotten information from Lu Zheng! She already knew that Lu Zheng's family background was extraordinary, which is why she painstakingly set up this scheme, first by stealing the bride, then by swindling money—treating us like fools!"
These words struck a nerve with Xia's mother, who gritted her teeth and cried out, "That ungrateful wretch! I've raised her for over ten years, and she's turned out to be such a black-hearted wretch!"
Xia Wenwen watched her mother's ignited anger, a subtle smile curving her lips.
"So, Dad! Mom! I have to get Lu Zheng back!" Xia Wenwen's eyes flashed with resentment and obsession. "I am the eldest daughter of the Xia family, am I not a hundred times better than that country bumpkin Xia Qianqian?"
Xia's mother nodded in agreement, but when she heard her daughter say "much better," her mind went blank for a moment.
Well...
Although she was her own flesh and blood, whom she had carried for ten months, Wenwen was indeed a little less attractive.
Fortunately, the Xia family still has some wealth. Even if they are slightly less attractive, they can make up for the difference by providing more dowry!
Mr. Xia poured cold water on the idea: "You probably don't know yet, do you? Xia Qianqian and Lu Zheng got married in the village just a few days ago. I heard they even had a banquet."
"What?!" Xia Wenwen was struck dumb, her face turning deathly pale. She never expected Xia Qianqian to act so quickly!
This made her even more certain of her guess: Xia Qianqian did it on purpose! She had planned it all from the very beginning!
“What do you men know!” Xia’s mother immediately interrupted Xia, “You just had a few tables of food at the village banquet, but you didn’t go to the commune to get a marriage certificate. What kind of real couple are you?”
She sneered, "Those kinds of rural weddings are just fake celebrations to fool the villagers. As long as he has a marriage certificate, Lu Zheng will still be a free man!"
"Really?!" Xia Wenwen's eyes lit up, and color returned to her pale face. "Mom is right! Without a marriage certificate, the marriage doesn't count!"
"Stop daydreaming," Mr. Xia said. "I've heard that even No. 8 attended their wedding. You should forget about it. Right now, Qin Yan has a lot of influence with No. 8. Wenwen, if you marry him, with the support of both the Qin and Xia families, his future will be a hundred times brighter than Lu Zheng's!"
"Qin Yan?" Xia Wenwen's smile froze instantly. "He still has his eyes on that bitch Xia Qianqian! A few days ago, I heard from the housekeeper that he drove to Xiangyang Village specifically to 'investigate the local conditions,' but everyone knows he was just going to see that country bumpkin!"
On what grounds?!
Xia Wenwen is the real heiress, with both beauty and money. Xia Qianqian is an orphan raised by the Xia family. Why should Qin Yan and Lu Zheng both revolve around her?
Xia Wenwen grew increasingly resentful.
Seeing the resentment surging in her daughter's eyes, Xia's mother felt both heartache and anxiety, and quickly pulled Xia's arm to smooth things over: "This matter cannot be rushed."
Her eyes lit up, and an idea came to her. "How about this, I'll have the housekeeper go to Xiangyang Village and quietly find out about Lu Zheng's situation, to see if there's any way to salvage the situation?"
Mr. Xia ran his fingertips over the cigarette pack for a moment, not noticing the ash falling onto his trousers. With the Xia family's foundation crumbling, having another option was always a good thing.
He finally nodded: "Alright, tell him to be careful and not cause any trouble."
That night, no one in the Xia family slept soundly. Xia Wenwen tossed and turned, her mind filled with the image of Xia Qianqian in her red wedding dress; Xia's mother sighed and groaned while holding her jewelry box; and Mr. Xia sat listlessly in his study until dawn, his cigarette butts filling an entire jar.
The next day, just past noon, the butler rushed into the living room in a panic.
"Did you see Lu Zheng?" Xia's mother asked anxiously.
The steward lowered his head even further: "Master, Madam... the village entrance is heavily guarded, I didn't dare to go in."
"What's going on?" Mr. Xia sat up abruptly, completely unaware that the cigarette on his fingertips had burned his hand.
"The Revolutionary Committee people... have occupied all the villages around Nancheng!" The steward swallowed hard, his voice extremely low. "They've blocked all the roads, and they're questioning anyone with a Nancheng accent, not letting them in at all."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com