Chapter 59 But it quenches thirst! The police will be here soon...
The police arrived quickly.
Two police officers arrived, one fat and one thin. Tian Zhaodi immediately stepped forward, grabbed the fat officer's leg, and started wailing.
"Officers, you must help me! Qian Jinhua is a bastard, a fraud! I paid her twenty yuan to introduce my son to a potential partner, and not only did she introduce him to a woman who looks like Zhang Fei, but most importantly, she secretly kept two hundred yuan of his dowry!"
"The woman clearly gave 300 yuan as dowry, but she only gave me 100 yuan, deducting 200 from it! Officer, is this reasonable?!"
Tian Zhaodi sat on the ground, hugging the police officer's leg, and howled excitedly with her face upturned.
She was furious. It was a dowry of three hundred yuan! If Qian Jinhua had only taken one hundred yuan and left her with two hundred, she wouldn't have been so agitated!
Mingxi hissed. Hearing Tian Zhaodi's words, what was she thinking? She was more concerned about the dowry money, wasn't she?
Tsk tsk, it seems that compared to the dowry of three hundred yuan, Yang Shulin, the only son of the Yang family for three generations, is not that important.
At this moment, the Lu family also came forward. Lu's mother said with a bad expression, "Officer, this is fraud, outright fraud! Qian Jinhua used her identity as a matchmaker to fabricate lies in front of our family, making my daughter believe that she had met her ideal man and was getting married. Now, our wedding has been ruined like this, and our family is being treated as if we deliberately committed marriage fraud. How can we face anyone in the future? Please handle this matter strictly!"
The two policemen, one fat and one thin, had already heard the general situation on their way here. Now, facing Lu's mother's request, the fat policeman nodded seriously: "Comrade, don't worry."
He casually scooped Tian Zhaodi up from the ground: "Comrade, don't worry. If our investigation confirms the facts, we will definitely deal with this matchmaker named Qian Jinhua seriously."
Tian Zhaodi: "Why even bother with an investigation?! We wouldn't lie, you should just arrest Qian Jinhua directly!"
The portly policeman said, "...We still need to investigate. By the way, where is Qian Jinhua? Isn't she here?"
Tian Zhaodi instantly fell silent, like a rooster being choked.
Qian Jinhua left; it was she who let her go.
She was now filled with regret. How could she have been fooled by that little wench, Qian Jinhua, and given her the money and let her go?
It was Lu's mother who spoke up to explain to the police: "Qian Jinhua went home before the wedding started."
The fat policeman frowned and immediately ordered the thin policeman to go to Qian Jinhua's house and bring her over. Upon hearing this, Tian Zhaodi immediately volunteered to lead the way for the thin policeman to find Qian Jinhua.
But the fat policeman refused.
Seeing how excited Tian Zhaodi was, he was afraid that the other party would start a fight as soon as she saw Qian Jinhua, which would cause a lot of trouble.
The chubby policeman glanced at the crowd of onlookers, looking for someone who could help lead them to call for help. Aunt He noticed his gaze and immediately raised her hand: "Me! Me! Officer, I know where Qian Jinhua lives. I'll take you there!"
Mingxi tilted her head, not realizing that Aunt He was such a kind-hearted person.
Aunt He: Hehe, the chance for revenge has finally arrived.
Qian Jinhua spoke ill of Zhao Sulan in front of her last time and even tried to shift the blame onto her!
Today is the day she gets her revenge.
Qian Jinhua, prepare to die!
Aunt He pushed through the crowd and squeezed to the front: "Come on, officer, I'll take you to find Qian Jinhua right now!"
The thin policeman remained noncommittal and followed Aunt He outside.
The fat policeman who stayed behind wasn't idle either; he took statements from both the Lu and Yang families.
Mingxi listened intently from the side, and what she heard shocked her: Qian Jinhua had indeed told quite a few lies.
Qian Jinhua told Tian Zhaodi that Lu Fang was too busy with work to go on a date, but she was quite satisfied with Yang Shulin's photos. She felt that she was not young anymore, and if Yang Shulin was also satisfied with her, the two of them should just get married.
She told the Lu family that Yang Shulin's family lived in the countryside and it was inconvenient for them to come to the city for a meeting. However, she had shown them Yang Shulin's photo and other information. She also told them that Yang Shulin's father was in poor health and was eagerly hoping that his son would get married soon. If they agreed, she hoped they could get things done as soon as possible this week.
Tian Zhaodi was foolish. When she heard that the woman was so well-off and that she didn't want a bride price but would even give her a hundred yuan dowry, she didn't care about anything else and immediately agreed to get married.
The Lu family wasn't so easily fooled. They thought a little more deeply and even secretly sent someone to the countryside to inquire. The results they found were almost identical to what Qian Jinhua had said.
Yang Shulin comes from an average family. He has a strong-willed mother, and his family has a bad reputation for favoring sons over daughters, making it difficult for him to find a partner. However, most people talk about his mother, Tian Zhaodi, and not many say anything bad about Yang Shulin. When Yang Shulin is mentioned, the most common thing people say is that he is honest.
After making some inquiries, the Lu family felt relieved.
Anyway, Lu Fang lived at her parents' home after marriage and didn't live with her mother-in-law, Tian Zhaodi. Even if Tian Zhaodi wasn't easy to get along with, as long as Yang Shulin was honest, it would be fine.
Besides that, there's the bride price. The Lu family did agree not to ask for a bride price and would even provide a dowry, but the 300 yuan wasn't something the Lu family offered voluntarily.
It was Qian Jinhua who made the suggestion in the voice of the Yang family. She initially proposed that Lu Fang give a dowry of 500 yuan, but the Lu family was unwilling. Then she pretended to be a good person and said she would talk to the Lu family on their behalf. In this way, the dowry was finally "negotiated" down to 300 yuan.
It's fair to say that Qian Jinhua never tells the truth; she deceives and exploits both sides.
Mingxi stared in disbelief: "My God!"
I've never seen anything like this before.
How could Qian Jinhua be so bold?
After Yang Shulin and Lu Fang get married, they will definitely meet. Once they meet, won't this lie be exposed? Isn't she afraid that both sides will come after her after they find out the truth?
As it turns out, Qian Jinhua really wasn't afraid.
When she was brought here by the police and Aunt He, she remained calm and composed, showing no panic at all that her lie had been exposed.
"You heartless bastard, give me back my money!"
Upon seeing Qian Jinhua, Tian Zhaodi pounced on her like a hungry tiger, unleashing a move called the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, scratching at her face.
Qian Jinhua originally thought that with the police officers around, even if Tian Zhaodi was angry, she wouldn't be able to lay a hand on her. But she forgot one thing: Tian Zhaodi was a fool.
It is said that even the most brilliant ideas of a fool are no match for the ingenuity of a clever person.
Tian Zhaodi is that kind of stupid person. She doesn't care about the consequences of her actions at all. She doesn't even have the idea that fighting in front of the police might get her arrested. She only thinks that Qian Jinhua cheated her out of her money, and that it's a legitimate act for her to fight Qian Jinhua to get her money back.
Tian Zhaodi gritted her teeth and used her Nine Yin White Bone Claw technique with unparalleled skill, quickly scratching Qian Jinhua's face into a bloody gourd shape.
Qian Jinhua cried out in pain, grabbing the thin policeman beside her and shouting, "Officer, help! Someone's hitting me! She's going to kill me! You can't just ignore this!"
The thin policeman pursed his lips.
Although Tian Zhaodi is known for her rough handling, is it an exaggeration to say that she was going to kill someone?
However, since Qian Jinhua had already shouted that, he couldn't ignore it, so he could only stand up with a straight face.
"stop!"
"Tian Zhaodi, did you hear that? The police officers are telling you to stop!" Qian Jinhua's hair was being grabbed by Tian Zhaodi, so she could only turn around and shout.
Tian Zhaodi: "How dare you talk about police officers like that? You liar, you bastard who cheats people out of their hard-earned money, you should be arrested by the police and thrown in jail to be shot!"
Qian Jinhua forcefully pulled her hair out of her hand and straightened her back: "Who's lying? Tell me, who's lying?"
"Everyone knows what kind of reputation I, Qian Jinhua, have. I never cheat or deceive people when I act as a matchmaker. You accuse me of lying, then show everyone the evidence and see what I actually lied to you about! If you can't provide any evidence, then it's slander!"
Qian Jinhua spoke these words with righteous indignation; anyone who didn't know the situation would surely think she was being wronged.
However, Mingxi wasn't buying it. She pouted and muttered under her breath, "They never cheat or deceive people, but I bet they've cheated quite a bit."
As for Qian Jinhua relying on her own reputation, that's even more laughable.
In the area around the steel rolling mill, everyone knows what Qian Jinhua's reputation is like. It's just that none of the people here live in that area and have never heard of Qian Jinhua's name.
Tian Zhaodi was stunned by what Qian Jinhua said.
She stammered, pointing at Lu Fang, "You lied to me! The girl you took me to meet back then was clearly very beautiful, not this female Zhang Fei at all!"
Qian Jinhua: "Are you sure I pointed you to the wrong person? Didn't you just make a mistake yourself? I was pointing to Comrade Lu Fang behind the counter."
"Impossible!" Tian Zhaodi exclaimed. "Impossible, absolutely impossible that I saw it wrong. After you pointed her out to me, you even praised her beauty!"
Her meaning was clear: Lu Fang wasn't good-looking at all, so Qian Jinhua couldn't possibly be praising Lu Fang for being pretty.
But Qian Jinhua didn't care at all. She pouted and said, "I'm a matchmaker. When I introduce people, I have to say good things, not bad things, right? When I introduce women, I always say they're pretty, and when I introduce men, I always say they're honest. It doesn't prove anything."
She even turned the tables on him: "In the end, it's still your problem. You mistook someone else for Comrade Lu Fang and ruined the wedding like this. You still want to frame me? Don't even think about it!"
It's said that matchmakers can even bring the dead back to life with their words. After Qian Jinhua's long-winded speech, half of the guests present were convinced and turned to join her in criticizing Tian Zhaodi.
"If you ask me, the matchmaker Qian is fine; it's all Tian Zhaodi's fault. She clearly mistook someone else for her!"
"Exactly, exactly. In the end, it's because Tian Zhaodi doesn't know her own limitations. She's like a toad trying to eat swan meat. She wants her son to marry a city girl who is educated, has a job, and is beautiful. She doesn't even look at what kind of person her son is."
"There's nothing wrong with Lu Fang. Apart from being a little bit ugly, her education, family background, and job are all top-notch. If it weren't for a rich matchmaker who brought the two of them together, Yang Shulin wouldn't even be good enough for Lu Fang!"
"Tian Zhaodi is too greedy. She wants a daughter-in-law who is perfect in every way, but she doesn't even consider whether she herself is worthy of her..."
Actually, not everyone thinks Qian Jinhua is innocent, but that's how people are. They don't worry about scarcity but about inequality. We're all from the same rural area, so why can you find a daughter-in-law in the city while we can't have such good fortune?
In particular, Tian Zhaodi didn't know how to be low-key at all, and she showed off in a very carefree way, inviting everyone in the village over.
Everyone was incredibly pleased to see her car crash and burn.
Seeing this, Tian Zhaodi was furious. She glared at everyone present, her eyes blazing with anger, and retorted defiantly, "What do you know? My Shulin is the only male heir in three generations of the Yang family. Even a fairy would be worthy of him! Your jealousy is useless. Anyway, your children are not as precious as my Shulin. They can't find wives in the city and are destined to farm in the countryside for the rest of their lives. They are destined to be good for nothing!"
Her words angered the crowd. Now, regardless of whether they thought Qian Jinhua was innocent, everyone started criticizing Tian Zhaodi, and the scene instantly became chaotic.
Mingxi: "..."
She was truly exasperated by Tian Zhaodi's troublemaking tongue.
Despite being 100% in the right, Qian Jinhua gained even more support because of her mouth, which offended people everywhere.
Qian Jinhua grinned.
She said that Tian Zhaodi was an idiot who was easy to fool!
See, she managed to fool me.
This is why Qian Jinhua is not afraid of being exposed.
Tian Zhaodi was easy to fool, but the Lu family was not. Lu's mother stood up with a pale face and said, "Matchmaker Qian, stop talking nonsense and explain the matter of the three hundred yuan dowry first."
Speaking of money, Tian Zhaodi's intelligence, which had just been depleted, regained its dominance: "Right, Qian Jinhua, where's the money! Lu Fang's family clearly said they would give you three hundred yuan as dowry, but you only gave me one hundred yuan. Where did the remaining two hundred yuan go!"
"Oh, you mean that two hundred yuan!"
Qian Jinhua slapped her forehead: "This is really my fault. I was thinking that the Lu family's dowry was too much, so I gave it all to you at once. I was afraid you would lose it, so I was thinking of giving it to you at the wedding. I didn't expect to be so busy today that I forgot about it."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a stack of ten-yuan notes, handing them to Tian Zhaodi: "Here, two hundred yuan is just right. You can count it if you're worried."
Qian Jinhua's words were full of loopholes; any normal person could tell something was wrong.
Tian Zhaodi is nearly fifty years old, she's not a child anymore, what's there to worry about? Just give her all the dowry money, what's wrong with that?
But Tian Zhaodi was already dazzled by the large sum of money, so she grabbed the money from her hand.
"You're smart to know what's good for you!"
"spit--"
As Tian Zhaodi spat and prepared to count the money one bill at a time, the thin policeman next to her reached out and said, "Comrade, this money is involved in fraud and is considered stolen money. You cannot take the money before the case is fully investigated."
Upon hearing this, Tian Zhaodi tried to act unreasonable again. She plopped down on the ground and kicked her legs wildly, shouting, "Why? This is my family's money, it's my son's dowry for his wedding! Why can't I take the money? Even if you're the police, you can't just embezzle our money like this!"
Both the thin and fat police officers were speechless upon hearing this.
Who wants to embezzle the people's money?
The thin policeman's face darkened: "Comrade, this is our police's case-handling procedure. Please cooperate. After we have investigated the matter thoroughly, we will return the money to its rightful owner."
He emphasized the true owner, meaning that Tian Zhaodi was not necessarily the true owner of the money, and had no right to suspect that they intended to embezzle it.
Tian Zhaodi was very astute when it came to money; she instantly realized what the thin policeman meant, and she was indignant.
"What do you mean? I am the rightful owner of the money, you should just give it to me!"
Mingxi: "Perhaps the police officer meant that whoever paid for the money is the rightful owner?"
She said in a seemingly comforting tone, "Aunt Tian, don't worry. Anyway, your son doesn't plan to marry Comrade Lu Fang, and the dowry will be returned. Even if the police give you the money now, you'll still have to give it to the Lu family later."
The three members of the Lu family then realized what was happening.
This three hundred yuan was Lu Fang's dowry, given to Tian Zhaodi because Lu Fang was going to marry Yang Shulin. Now that Tian Zhaodi is accusing her of marriage fraud and wants to break off the engagement, this money should be returned to her family!
It was only then that Tian Zhaodi belatedly realized that breaking off an engagement meant returning the dowry.
She looked longingly at the colorful banknotes in the police officer's hand.
Actually, you can't just look at a woman's appearance when choosing a wife, right?
Yang Shulin felt a chill run down his spine; for some reason, he had a bad feeling.
Tian Zhaodi lowered her head, lost in thought, and went to confront Qian Jinhua at the Lu family's residence.
Lu's mother: "You liar! When you introduced us, you clearly said that Yang Shulin was interested in our Lu Fang, and that's why we agreed. But that's not what happened at all!"
Qian Jinhua shrugged innocently: "You can't blame me for this, it was her!" She pointed at Tian Zhaodi: "She mistook me for someone else and told me that she was quite satisfied with Lu Fang. I didn't know she had mistaken me for someone else, so I thought she was really satisfied."
Mingxi had to admire Qian Jinhua's skill.
Everyone knew she was pretending to be stupid, but because she didn't explicitly tell Tian Zhaodi which one was Lu Fang during the introductions, everyone knew she was faking it, yet they couldn't expose her.
Lu's mother was also taken aback, not expecting her to be so good at shifting the blame.
She tightened her chin: "But there's still the wedding. You told our family that Tian Zhaodi was afraid of losing face and didn't want our Fangfang to show up. You told us that our local custom is that the bride can't show up. Aren't you just afraid that if the two of you meet before the wedding, your lie will be exposed!"
Qian Jinhua: "This, this..."
When it comes to this, she really has nothing to say.
Qian Jinhua had originally planned that even if Yang Shulin was unwilling, she would get him drunk after the wedding and throw him into the bridal chamber. Once the deed was done, Yang Shulin would have no choice but to comply.
Qian Jinhua had already come up with a plan. Lu Fang was easy to deal with, since she had her eye on Yang Shulin, and she could easily fool her with a few perfunctory words. The main problem was Yang Shulin.
However, Yang Shulin is easy to deal with. She can tell him that since the deed is done, if he goes back on his word, Lu Fang can sue him for indecent assault.
That should be enough to intimidate Yang Shulin.
After intimidating him, she then pretended to be a good person and offered some advice, saying that Lu Fang might not be very pretty, but she had a good personality and was a good homemaker. Moreover, Lu Fang was such a good catch, Yang Shulin wouldn't be at a disadvantage being with her.
Yang Shulin would definitely agree.
Who knows, the other party might even thank her in the end!
Qian Jinhua had a good plan, but unfortunately, things didn't go as she expected.
That idiot Tian Zhaodi actually invited Mingxi over. To avoid Mingxi, she went home first, so no one was there to get Yang Shulin drunk and let him enter the bridal chamber in a drunken stupor, thus discovering what Lu Fang looked like first.
And this idiot even made a big fuss about it.
Qian Jinhua couldn't help but roll her eyes at the thought.
She was really unlucky to run into those two idiots, Tian Zhaodi and Yang Shulin!
Qian Jinhua: "Lu Fang's mother, let me explain... It's not what you think..."
Regardless of the circumstances, Qian Jinhua refused to admit that she had lied, insisting that it was all a misunderstanding.
She was also incredibly eloquent, able to debate with a group of scholars all by herself. The entire Lu family, plus Tian Zhaodi, couldn't out-argue her. In the end, the police had no choice but to take both the Lu and Yang families to the police station.
The two families who hosted the wedding have left, and the remaining guests look at each other, not knowing what to do.
In the end, a relative of the Lu family stepped forward to smooth things over, telling everyone to disperse.
Mingxi went home after eating half a harvest of melons.
It's a bit of a pity.
She really wanted to know how the police would ultimately deal with Qian Jinhua!
Aunt He, however, stared with her round eyes and exclaimed in deep admiration, "Qian Jinhua is really bold!"
He deceived both sides and almost got her to succeed!
Shocking, truly shocking.
Indeed, Mingxi never imagined there could be such a thing!
She shook her head: "I don't know what Qian Jinhua is after."
Aunt He: "It's a referral fee, you know."
Mingxi: "It can't be that bad. Although Lu Fang isn't very pretty, she's still quite attractive. Even if we're not lying, if we keep looking, we'll find someone suitable sooner or later, right?"
Aunt He said, "Look, you said it yourself, to look around slowly. That's too much trouble and takes too long. With that time, Qian Jinhua could have convinced several people and earned a few referral fees!"
Mingxi scratched his head, honestly still unable to understand Qian Jinhua's thought process.
But this is normal. Qian Jinhua's ability to do such a thing is beyond the comprehension of normal people.
As Aunt He walked along, she suddenly exclaimed, "That penny I spent today was definitely worth it!"
Mingxi was taken aback, then realized: "No, you still remember your one-cent gift?"
Aunt He: "That's right, it's a dime! You could get two eggs for that in the countryside!"
Mingxi: "You seem to have eaten more than two eggs at the banquet today, didn't you?"
"Hehe, that's true." Aunt He grinned.
The best part today wasn't the food, but the entertainment. It was so exciting and entertaining that it was more worthwhile than watching a movie!
Aunt He excitedly wiggled her legs: "Let's go, let's go, let's hurry back, I need to hurry back and have a good chat with everyone in the compound about what happened at the Lu family wedding!"
Mingxi: "..."
As expected of you, Aunt He!
With an information director like Aunt He around, the excitement of Lu Fang and Yang Shulin's wedding quickly spread.
The next day, when Mingxi went to work, people in the office were talking about it.
Mingxi: Σ(⊙▽⊙"
Has Aunt He's information service expanded to the Women's Federation? How did this news get to the Women's Federation?
Mingxi quickly nudged Yu Xiaomin: "Xiaomin, I just heard you talking about Lu Fang and Yang Shulin?"
Yu Xiaomin was taken aback: "Oh my, you know those two people!"
Mingxi: "We're not particularly close. Yang Shulin wanted to ask me for help in finding a partner, but I didn't agree."
Yu Xiaomin: "You were right not to agree! You have no idea what a mess he caused at the wedding yesterday! Let me tell you..."
Mingxi nodded: "I know, I was there yesterday."
Yu Xiaomin: "What?! You were at Lu Fang and Yang Shulin's wedding yesterday?!"
Her shout immediately drew everyone's attention in the office, and they all looked at Mingxi with gossipy eyes.
Sister Wang: "Xiaoming, tell us what exactly happened yesterday. We heard that the woman was a marriage fraudster?"
Yu Xiaomin: "No way, I heard it was the man who called off the engagement?"
"What's going on? I heard the matchmaker cheated both sides?"
Everyone looked at Mingxi, who could only explain, "It's like this, it's all because of that matchmaker..."
She talked on and on for a long time, finally explaining the whole story clearly. Everyone in the office was satisfied with their curiosity and began to sigh with admiration.
"That matchmaker surnamed Qian is really no good!"
"Yes, she said it was a misunderstanding, but how could there be so many misunderstandings? She's just deliberately lying to people!"
"From now on, when looking for a matchmaker, you have to find out what kind of person they are. You can't run into someone like this Qian the Matchmaker!"
"And irresponsible people are no good either. Like the guy who introduced Li Ying to someone last time. He didn't even bother to find out anything about the person before he introduced her to someone, and Li Ying, a perfectly good girl, was tricked like that!"
“Why bother looking for other matchmakers? We have Xiaoming in our office. If you need someone to introduce you to someone in the future, just ask Xiaoming!” Yu Xiaomin said, hugging Mingxi.
Mingxi generously replied, "Yes, everyone, if you need any introductions for potential partners, just ask me. I guarantee I'll find you good ones!"
"That's a deal!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Just then, a noisy commotion came from outside the door, and Mingxi peeked out.
Hey, just like the saying goes, "Speak of the devil, and he appears."
The people outside the door were none other than Lu Fang's family and Yang Shulin's family.
As soon as Tian Zhaodi entered the Women's Federation, she sat down on the ground and began to wail: "Comrades of the Women's Federation, you must stand up for my son!"
Yu Xiaomin rushed forward and tried to pull Tian Zhaodi up, but Tian Zhaodi was lying on the ground like a heavy weight, and she couldn't lift her up no matter how hard she tried.
Yu Xiaomin: "Auntie, stop making a fuss. The ground is cold. Please get up. Let's stand up and talk about what we have to say."
Tian Zhaodi slapped the ground with one hand and shouted, "No, I won't get up! If you comrades from the Women's Federation don't stand up for me, I won't get up today. I'll just sit here, and you can't come in or out. I'll just block this place!"
Sister Wang stepped forward, waved to Yu Xiaomin, signaling her to go rest to the side, and said she would deal with Tian Zhaodi.
She smiled at Tian Zhaodi and said, "Big sister, if you want us to stand up for you, you have to tell us what's going on first, right? If you don't tell us, there's nothing we can do to solve it."
Tian Zhaodi: "Then...then I'll talk!"
She said, "I asked a matchmaker to introduce my son to a potential partner, but the matchmaker lied to me. The woman my son ended up marrying wasn't the one I had in mind at all. And that's not all, the problem now is, her!"
Women's Federation members: Why does this sound so familiar?
Everyone looked at Mingxi in unison, and Mingxi nodded silently.
Women's Federation members: !!!
Everyone turned to look at Lu Fang; it turned out she was the person involved in the gossip!
It must be said that Lu Fang is not very good-looking. She is dark-skinned and chubby, with rough features. If you don't look closely, you can't tell that she is a woman.
But then again, the poplar grove next to her wasn't particularly beautiful either; it was just average-looking.
Everyone withdrew their scrutinizing gazes and looked at Tian Zhaodi.
“Her!” Tian Zhaodi pointed to Lu Fang in the crowd and said, “This is the one who actually married my son. Now my son doesn’t want to get married, and she still disagrees.”
At this point, Tian Zhaodi slapped the ground with both hands and cried out, "Leaders of the Women's Federation, you must stand up for our family! Tell me, this is a new society, how can there still be forced marriages?"
Sister Wang became serious: "That's unacceptable."
She looked at Lu Fang with a stern face, but before she could speak, Lu Fang spoke first.
"Leaders, you can't wrongly accuse someone! I didn't force anyone into marriage. My marriage to Shulin was something he agreed to himself. We even had a wedding ceremony!"
Yang Shulin immediately jumped out to refute: "I didn't! I only agreed because I didn't know you were Lu Fang!"
Lu Fang: "But you still married me. We went through all the traditional wedding rites and had a wedding ceremony. I am your wife, and you are my man."
Yang Shulin: "Anyway, I don't agree. I don't even like you!"
Lu Fang: "I don't care if you agree or not, I'm happy to be married, and now that we're married, you're mine!"
Yang Shulin looked at the woman in front of him. If he could, he wouldn't want to admit that this lump in front of him was a woman. He looked at Lu Fang in front of him, feeling like crying but having no tears. He could only look at Tian Zhaodi pleadingly, hoping that Tian Zhaodi could help him think of a solution.
Tian Zhaodi's solution was to beg Sister Wang. She tugged at Sister Wang's pants and said, "Boss, boss, did you see that? This woman is pressuring my son again!"
Sister Wang frowned. The situation between Lu Fang and Yang Shulin was a mess, but forced marriage was definitely not an option.
She tried to persuade him gently: "Ahem, comrade, I understand your feelings, but forced relationships don't work out. How about this, you and this man..."
Before Sister Wang could finish speaking, Lu Fang interrupted her.
"Forced love is never sweet, but it quenches thirst!"
Sister Wang: "This..."
Lu Fang: "Comrade, I know what you want to tell me, but look at my appearance."
She said, "With my looks, I'm not afraid to walk alone at night. Robbers are scared of me, and as for sexual assault, to be honest, I'd love for someone to assault me! I'm 27 this year, and the last time I had physical contact with a man was when I was playing house in preschool and I held hands with a little boy. Every night when I sleep alone, I always feel like my bed isn't warm enough, and I need a man to warm it up for me. We're both women, you should understand how I feel, right?"
Sister Wang: "...cough cough."
Lu Fang: "Sigh, it's not easy for someone like me to find a partner. Now that I've finally met one, I'm not picky anymore. As long as he's a man, it's fine. Anyway, with the lights off, you can't see anything. As long as that thing works, it's fine."
Sister Wang: "...Cough cough cough!"
In all her years, she had never met anyone who spoke so bluntly. She didn't even know how to respond to what he said!
Everyone else in the office was also taken aback by Lu Fang's bluntness, and a chorus of coughs erupted.
Yang Shulin's face turned from pale to red, then from red to white.
For Lu Fang, a woman, to say such things so openly in front of so many people is just too... too shameless, too brazen!
In particular, he is another protagonist in Lu Fang's story.
He couldn't stand it anymore and stood up: "No way, if you won't choose, I will. You're too ugly, I won't like you. I'll have nightmares if I sleep next to you at night!"
Even the best-tempered person would get angry if he insulted them like that.
Lu Fang's expression changed instantly: "You look down on me, don't you? Fine, then break off the engagement and give me back the dowry I gave you! Give me back the money and things, and I'll leave immediately."
Yang Shulin looked at Tian Zhaodi: "Mom, give the money back to her."
Upon hearing this, Tian Zhaodi's expression became unnatural. She touched her nose, tugged at her sleeve, and said with evasive eyes, "That money... we don't have enough."
Yang Shulin: "How could it not be enough? Didn't the police just return the money to you yesterday? They even got your referral fee back, 220 yuan per yuan. I saw it. How come the money is gone now?"
Tian Zhaodi said in a guilty voice, "I already spent it."
"What?!" Yang Shulin raised his voice: "You spent it?! How much did you spend, no, how much is left?"
Tian Zhaodi whispered, "It's all gone, not a single penny left."
Yang Shulin didn't believe it. He asked anxiously, "How is this possible?! The police just gave you the money yesterday. How could you have spent it all in one night? What did you buy? I didn't see it."
Tired of his questions, Tian Zhaodi impatiently flicked her sleeves and said, "I said I spent the money, so I spent it. Why do you keep asking me what I bought? If I told you, would you give me a refund?"
"Oh dear, I'm so unlucky. I married a man who's useless. We've lived together for half my life, and he's never bought me anything. I finally have a little money, and when I buy myself some clothes and good food, my son keeps asking me where it all went. I've come to realize that I'm destined to toil my whole life, and I can't even enjoy a little bit of happiness."
Yang Shulin was on the verge of collapse. He clutched his head and cried, "Mom, what are you saying! I didn't say you couldn't enjoy life. It was you who spent it, you who spent it..."
It was Lu Fang's dowry money, and also the money he received for selling himself into servitude!
Seeing Yang Shulin like this, Tian Zhaodi lowered her head guiltily.
Originally, she hadn't planned to spend Lu Fang's dowry money; it was all because of the police and the Lu family causing trouble.
Although Qian Jinhua vehemently denied any intentional fraud, the police were extremely perceptive and immediately determined that Qian Jinhua had acted on purpose. They detained her and returned the dowry, which was confirmed to be obtained through fraud, to Tian Zhaodi.
The reason it was returned to Tian Zhaodi was because the Lu family did not want it.
Knowing that the Lu family didn't want the money, Tian Zhaodi immediately hatched a plan. She thought that since the money was in her hands, she would spend it all first, and then the Lu family wouldn't be able to get it back.
So without consulting anyone, she took her money to the department store and spent it all at once.
However, Tian Zhaodi did not expect that Lu Fang would ask for money today.
Yang Shulin: "So what do we do now!"
Tian Zhaodi shrugged and said, "What can I do, you little girl from the Lu family? Let me tell you, I have no money, but I have your life. Take it if you dare!"
She wanted to act like a rogue.
But Lu Fang wasn't having any of it. She put her hands on her hips and sneered, "What would I do with your dead old woman's life? I don't care about women. I care about men. If I were to have one, it would be your son. And I don't want his life. What use would I be if he died? I only want someone alive. The living are good for working."
"Cough cough cough—"
Another coughing sound rang out in the office.
Mingxi coughed until her face turned red, and she patted her chest with a complicated expression.
Isn't it said that people these days are reserved?
How could she not see anything subtle about Lu Fang?
Hearing these coughs, Yang Shulin felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, wishing he could just faint so he wouldn't have to face this despairing reality.
At this moment, Tian Zhaodi didn't know what to say.
She never expected Lu Fang to be such a reckless and unruly person!
Lu Fang, however, glanced at her sideways and said, "You can choose. It's either the dowry money back or your son marrying me. You have to choose one of these two today."
Tian Zhaodi looked to Sister Wang for help, but Sister Wang quickly waved her hand.
Don't look at her, she can't do anything about it. It's because Tian Zhaodi accepted the dowry money and is unwilling to return it.
If you return the money to her, she might say something.
If you don't return the money, it means you agree to the marriage. Their request to marry your son is a legitimate one.
Seeing Tian Zhaodi hesitate for a long time, Sister Wang couldn't help but urge her: "If you don't want your son to marry this Comrade Lu, then hurry up and return the money to him!"
Tian Zhaodi has a flat mouth.
Is it something she can just back out of whenever she wants?
She might be able to return the clothes and shoes, but the food was already in her stomach, so where was she going to get a refund for Lu Fang?
Tian Zhaodi looked at Lu Fang, then at Yang Shulin, and then walked to Yang Shulin's side and whispered, "Son, why don't you marry Lu Fang?"
"Actually, thinking about it, Lu Fang doesn't seem to have any other flaws besides not being very good-looking. Her family is so rich; her parents are both cadres, and she works at a department store. And that department store is so much bigger than our commune's supply and marketing cooperative!"
"And didn't you see? Lu Fang has quite a big butt, which makes her good at bearing children. Maybe she can break the curse of our Yang family having only one son for three generations!"
Whether Tian Zhaodi's words convinced Yang Shulin is still uncertain, but they certainly convinced her.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Yang Shulin should marry Lu Fang!
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