Chapter 156 Dong Chunling's Wedding - "Why aren't you leaving yet? What are you waiting for?"...
"Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Mrs. Hu coldly uttered these words, then turned and prepared to leave.
Hu Mingyi looked back at Dong Chunling, then turned to look at his mother, and then whispered to Dong Chunling, "Chunling, let's go."
Dong Chunling pouted reluctantly, but grabbed Hu Mingyi's arm, seemingly ready to leave with him. Dong's parents, seeing this, were furious and could only breathe heavily.
Who carries a bride like this?!
There were no red envelopes, no thanks to the parents, no farewells; the other party simply said, "Let's go," and the bride obediently followed and left.
How could such a thing happen?!
Mr. Dong, unable to bear it any longer, shouted at Dong Chunling, "Stop right there!"
Dong Chunling turned around impatiently: "Dad, what are you doing?"
Mr. Dong: "If you still consider me your father, then you'd better stop right there with me."
He pointed at Dong Chunling, exasperated: "Your mother and I have been good enough to you, haven't we? You had nowhere to go after the divorce, so you came home. We didn't pressure you to get married or find someone. We thought that even if things weren't great, we still had jobs and could earn money, so we wouldn't starve you. Even if you never married, we could support you. Why do you insist on getting married, without considering whether the man is reliable or whether his family is good? Are you just throwing yourself at someone?"
Before Dong Chunling could say anything, her father's face darkened.
She could tell that while Mr. Dong's words were ostensibly directed at Dong Chunling, they were actually a clear insult, implying that her son was unreliable and that her family was not to be trifled with.
Mrs. Hu's face fell. Her features already didn't suggest a kind person, and with her face drooping, she looked even more unapproachable, like a wicked witch from a fairy tale.
She turned her head and said irritably, "My dear in-law, what do you mean by that?"
Mr. Dong remained silent. If Mr. Hu Mingyi's father were here, he might have been able to say a few words to him. But since Mr. Hu Mingyi's father wasn't here, and only Mrs. Hu was present, he had nothing to say.
However, seeing that her husband was not saying anything, Dong's mother stepped in to smooth things over.
“Mother-in-law, please don’t misunderstand. My husband didn’t mean anything by it. He wasn’t saying anything about the meaning of marriage. It’s just that on this joyous occasion, we should follow tradition. It’s not appropriate for the groom’s family to not even let the bride’s family into their home when they come to pick her up. If word gets out, people might say that neither of our families is proper.”
At this moment, Hu Mingyi tugged at his mother's sleeve and said, "Mom, Chunling's mother is right."
Mrs. Hu rolled her eyes and muttered, "If they wanted to say I have no manners, they would have said so already."
However, she relented and said, "Let's do it the way you say."
Mrs. Dong breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that her daughter's future mother-in-law wasn't so difficult to get along with after all.
And just like that, everyone swarmed back into the yard.
Dong Chunling happily returned to the house. Hu Mingyi knocked on the door, handed out red envelopes, and said nice things. After a series of pleasantries, Dong Chunling finally opened the door amidst everyone's cheers and laughter.
After the newlyweds spent some time being affectionate, Dong Chunling said goodbye to her parents, then took Hu Mingyi's hand and walked out the door with him.
The atmosphere was unusually harmonious, and everyone had almost forgotten all the unpleasantness from before when Jiang Wenhua suddenly blurted out, "Brother Mingyi, doesn't today look like your wedding last time?"
The air froze instantly, and the smiles on everyone's faces froze.
Who is this?
Before Jiang Wenhua spoke, no one had noticed her. Seeing that she came with Hu's mother, they assumed she was also a relative of the Hu family.
Hearing Jiang Wenhua's tone now, everyone realized something: she didn't seem to be a member of the Hu family.
Mingxi whispered to Aunt He: "I ran into Hu Mingyi, Dong Chunling, and this woman at the movie theater last time. I heard Dong Chunling call her Jiang Wenhua."
Aunt He's eyes instantly lit up with gossip: "What? She's Jiang Wenhua?"
Aunt He's voice wasn't quiet, and everyone in the vicinity heard her, causing the crowd to instantly stir.
"Ah, so she's the childhood sweetheart of the guy surnamed Hu, right?"
"Did Mr. Hu divorce his ex-wife because of her?"
"No, she's not a relative of the Hu family either. So why did she come to pick up the bride with Hu Mingyi today?"
"Can't you see that? She's deliberately coming to annoy Dong Chunling. Didn't you hear what she said?"
The chattering reached the ears of Jiang Wenhua and Hu's mother. Hu's mother's expression was not good, and Jiang Wenhua could see it clearly, so she quickly explained, "Aunt Hu, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean it. I just misspoke."
Jiang Wenhua turned to Dong Chunling and said, "Comrade Dong, I'm sorry. I'm not good at speaking and I don't know how to read the room. I'll definitely be more careful next time. I hope you won't be petty and get angry with me over something like this."
Jiang Wenhua was cunning. She thought to herself that if she apologized first and said that Dong Chunling wouldn't hold a grudge against her, then Dong Chunling would definitely not contradict herself and hold such a thing against her.
In this way, she successfully disgusted Dong Chunling, and Dong Chunling couldn't say a word against it.
But she forgot one thing: Dong Chunling was not someone who would give others face.
Dong Chunling rolled her eyes when she heard this: "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all. You're everywhere. It's really annoying."
Jiang Wenhua choked, looking at Hu's mother with a pitiful expression: "Aunt Hu, look at her..."
She thought that Hu's mother would definitely help her scold Dong Chunling, but she didn't expect things to develop in a way that was completely different from what she had anticipated.
Hu's mother glanced at Jiang Wenhua and said, "Wenhua, Mingyi's wife's words may be rough, but they make sense. If you don't know how to speak, then you should shut up."
Hu's mother used to like Jiang Wenhua quite a bit. She thought Jiang Wenhua was a good girl. She and her son Mingyi had grown up together since childhood. Their families lived close by and knew each other well. She thought she would be a good daughter-in-law.
Jiang Wenhua did indeed date Hu Mingyi, but they broke up later. Both Jiang Wenhua and Hu Mingyi later found new partners and got married.
In Hu's mother's eyes, Jiang Wenhua was a thing of the past. No matter how much she liked Jiang Wenhua, she still had to distinguish between close and distant relationships. Compared to her daughter-in-law, Jiang Wenhua was naturally closer to her as a member of the family.
It's a pity that her son is confused and can't distinguish between close and distant relationships. Even after getting married, he still hangs out with Jiang Wenhua all the time.
In particular, Jiang Wenhua married a soldier who was in the army 360 days a year. Since Jiang Wenhua did not want to stay at her husband's family home, she went back to her parents' home.
Separated only by a wall, Jiang Wenhua would come to see her son all the time, and her son didn't think there was anything wrong with it at all, still thinking that he was playing with Jiang Wenhua when he was a child.
This angered his previous daughter-in-law, and they argued about it every day.
Hu's mother had spoken to Hu Mingyi before, and she had also tried to persuade her previous daughter-in-law. But no matter how much she said, it was no use. Hu Mingyi was a disappointment. Every time he made a promise to her, he would leave as soon as Jiang Wenhua called him.
In the end, he angered his first daughter-in-law so much that she divorced him and ran away.
Thinking of this, Hu's mother couldn't help but sigh.
Her previous daughter-in-law was so wonderful. She was educated, a cultural worker, knowledgeable, reasonable, and refined. She spoke politely and never argued with anyone. She was generous and always handled things with grace, never bringing shame to the Hu family.
This Dong Chunling is no match for her former daughter-in-law at all!
However, she wasn't confused. No matter how bad Dong Chunling was, she was married to Hu Mingyi, so she was a member of the Hu family. At home, she could complain and say whatever she wanted, but outside, especially when compared to outsiders, she would definitely protect her own family.
Seeing that seeking help from her mother was useless, Jiang Wenhua turned her gaze to Hu Mingyi. Hu Mingyi couldn't bear to see Jiang Wenhua being wronged, so he immediately jumped out and stood in front of her.
"Chunling, how can you say that about Wenhua? Wenhua just accidentally said something wrong. She's already apologized to you. What more do you want from her?"
Aunt He curled her lip and pointed at Hu Mingyi: "Xiaoming, let me tell you, remember this, this kind of man is the worst. You're married, but he still sides with outsiders. He'd rather protect outsiders than his own wife than his own wife. He can't even tell the difference between close and distant relatives. He's so muddle-headed, so incredibly muddle-headed!"
Mingxi knew, of course, that she shouldn't choose a man like that, but she still nodded in agreement.
Aunt He spoke quite loudly, and Hu Mingyi's face darkened when he heard it.
He still felt wronged. It wasn't that he didn't protect his wife, but Dong Chunling hadn't been wronged, while Jiang Wenhua had, so of course he had to side with Jiang Wenhua.
After all, Jiang Wenhua is like a younger sister he grew up with.
But now that Aunt He had pointed out that he didn't distinguish between close and distant relatives, he felt a little embarrassed. He coughed twice and said, "But let it go this time. After all, Wenhua started it first, so she was also at fault. You don't need to apologize to her."
Everyone was stunned.
So he originally wanted Dong Chunling to apologize to Jiang Wenhua?
It seems that Aunt He was right; Hu Mingyi is someone who can't distinguish between close and distant relatives.
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief, and Dong Chunling's expression also turned grim upon hearing this.
If anyone was happy, it was Wang Chuncao.
The thought that Dong Chunling was marrying a fool like Hu Mingyi meant that their future life would be full of chaos, and she could even forgive Dong Chunling for ruining her blind date in the past.
Dong Chunling's expression was not good, especially after seeing Wang Chuncao laughing gleefully, she became even angrier.
She gritted her teeth and suppressed her temper. She knew that Hu Mingyi was someone who responded better to gentleness than force, and the more she went against him, the further he would be pushed away.
Dong Chunling took a deep breath, twisted her thigh, and her eyes suddenly reddened; tears welled up in her eyes.
“Mingyi, why are you like this? I’m angry because of us. Jiang Wenhua said that our wedding this time is the same as your last one, which is basically implying that we will end up like you and your ex-wife and get divorced. I’m upset because it’s such a joyous occasion, and she said such things, which is considered unlucky.”
As Dong Chunling spoke, she grasped Hu Mingyi's hand and said softly, "I also feel sorry for you. You always say that you treat Jiang Wenhua like your own sister, but if she treats you like her own brother, why would she say such unlucky things on such an important day as her wedding? Maybe I'm being petty and overthinking things, but I've never seen Wenhua say anything wrong at other times."
Hu Mingyi has soft ears.
He immediately felt sorry for Jiang Wenhua if she cried even slightly. But he felt the same way about Dong Chunling.
Seeing Dong Chunling shed tears, he immediately hugged her tightly, feeling sorry for her.
"Chunling, don't be sad. Wenhua, Wenhua, she definitely didn't do it on purpose."
Despite saying that, Hu Mingyi's heart still began to waver.
Normally, Jiang Wenhua has no problem dealing with people and never says the wrong thing, so why does she always seem to say the wrong thing when it comes to her own affairs?
Even before his divorce, he would often accidentally say the wrong thing, causing his ex-wife to misunderstand. Although Jiang Wenhua would immediately explain, his ex-wife would still have big arguments with him because of the misunderstandings.
His relationship with his ex-wife cooled down from repeated arguments, and eventually, his ex-wife couldn't take it anymore and filed for divorce.
A sudden suspicion arose in Hu Mingyi's mind, and his gaze involuntarily turned to Jiang Wenhua.
But after seeing Jiang Wenhua's innocent and pitiful expression, he told himself, "How could that be? Wenhua is such a simple girl, how could she deliberately sow discord and ruin his relationship with his wife?"
He's definitely overthinking it.
Hu Mingyi waved his hand and advised Dong Chunling, "You're overthinking it. Wenhua definitely didn't do it on purpose, right, Wenhua?"
Jiang Wenhua nodded innocently: "Yes, Comrade Dong, you really overthink things."
It was only then that Hu Mingyi noticed Jiang Wenhua's form of address: "Wenhua, why are you being so polite? Just call her Sister Chunling."
Jiang Wenhua pouted unhappily, but under everyone's gaze, she could only reluctantly call out "sister-in-law".
"Yes!" Dong Chunling responded, glancing smugly at Jiang Wenhua.
So what if the man surnamed Jiang dislikes her and refuses to acknowledge her identity?
She was the one who married Hu Mingyi, and the man surnamed Jiang still had to call her sister-in-law.
Mingxi shook her head speechlessly. Looking at Dong Chunling like this, anyone who didn't know better would think she had snatched some treasure. In reality, it was just Hu Mingyi, a second-marriage man who wasn't good-looking, was easily swayed, and completely unreliable.
Only Dong Chunling treated him like a treasure.
Although the people present didn't show it on their faces, most of them actually thought the same thing.
Mr. and Mrs. Dong felt their vision go black. How could their daughter be so... so confused!
When she's around a man, it's like her brain is filled with mush, and she loses all her thinking ability!
However, no matter how much Dong's parents sighed, it was no use, as Dong Chunling and Hu Mingyi had already left hand in hand.
Hu's mother and Jiang Wenhua also left. With the bride leaving home, the banquet should begin.
Mr. Dong sighed and called the kitchen staff to come and serve the dishes.
To be honest, although Dong Chunling's wedding was perfunctory, today's banquet was anything but. There were twelve dishes in total, six meat dishes and six vegetable dishes, including cold dishes, hot dishes, fish, meat, soup, and staple food, which consisted of rice and white steamed buns.
As soon as the dishes were served, Mingxi knew that the Dong family had gone all out this time.
The meal was quite enjoyable, and after it was time for everyone to leave.
After returning home, everyone gossiped a lot about the trouble Dong Chunling had caused at her wedding, as well as her husband's childhood sweetheart.
There were quite a few people who wanted to see the excitement. On the third day after Dong Chunling's wedding, according to the customs of Beicheng, the bride should have returned to her parents' home three days after her wedding. Dong Chunling should have led Hu Mingyi back to her parents' home.
Mingxi and everyone in the alley were ready to watch the excitement, but Dong Chunling didn't come back with Hu Mingyi.
The Dong family sent someone to the Hu family to inquire, only to find out that Dong Chunling and Jiang Wenhua had gotten into a fight, resulting in both of them being injured and hospitalized together.
Mingxi: ...
She didn't know what to say.
Mr. and Mrs. Dong were naturally distressed, and the elderly couple immediately helped each other rush to the hospital.
Someone in the alley remarked with emotion, "Old Dong and his wife have had it tough too."
Mingxi remained noncommittal.
With Dong Chunling's wedding settled, Mingxi received another invitation the next day at work.
The person who delivered the invitation was Bai Ling, a public security officer.
Mingxi was surprised when she received the invitation: "You and Cong Kai are getting married?"
A rare blush appeared on Bai Ling's face as she said, "Yes, we've been together for a while now and know each other pretty well. We've considered that our conditions are quite suitable, and we're not getting any younger, so we've put marriage on the agenda."
Mingxi counted on her fingers and realized that Bai Ling and Cong Kai had known each other for about three months. In this day and age, that's not a long time, but it's not short either.
However, it's understandable that Bai Ling and Cong Kai, both considered older unmarried young people by today's standards, are eager to get married.
Mingxi: "So when are you planning to get married?"
Bai Ling: "The 29th of the twelfth lunar month, the day before the Lunar New Year."
She smiled and said, "When my mom and Cong Kai's mom were discussing it, they originally wanted to set it for the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, saying that it was an auspicious day. But Cong Kai and I thought that there were so many auspicious days, so why not choose the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month? That way, the wedding leave would be connected to the New Year, and we could have a week off."
Mingxi nodded in agreement, saying that no matter how auspicious a day is, nothing beats taking a few more days off during the holidays.
Mingxi: "Then I'll wait for your wedding day so I can attend the wedding banquet."
Bai Ling: "Come on, you absolutely have to have a few more drinks then!"
Mingxi: "Okay!"
Sure enough, as the year draws to a close, good news keeps coming one after another. Bai Ling delivered wedding invitations this morning, and this afternoon, Mingxi ran into Ran Jing and Wang Tianyang holding hands and strolling together on her way home from get off work.
When Ran Jing saw Ming Xi, she greeted her with a smile. Seeing Ming Xi's puzzled look, she didn't hide anything and directly announced that she and Wang Tianyang were now officially dating.
Mingxi wasn't particularly surprised by this.
After all, she had known for a long time that Ran Jing and Wang Tianyang were attracted to each other, and guessed that the two of them would be together sooner or later.
She smiled and congratulated them, saying it was a chance encounter. Ran Jing and Wang Tianyang were both busy, so Mingxi chatted with them briefly before they took their leave and went ahead.
Watching Ran Jing and Wang Tianyang walk away hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, Ming Xi couldn't help but sigh.
The connections between people are truly wondrous.
Ran Jing is a quiet woman who doesn't talk much, and Wang Tianyang is also a quiet type. Before they met, Mingxi never imagined that the two of them could get together.
It's one thing if one person is quiet, but if two people are dating, or even married and both are quiet, how can they live together?
Do you mean the two of them never speak to each other and just use sign language?
What kind of life is that?
But who would have thought that Ran Jing and Wang Tianyang would hit it off and even get along so well?
Perhaps this is fate.
After a moment of reflection, Mingxi continued walking home.
She bought some things today, which delayed her a bit on the way back. She returned to the alley a little later than usual. In addition, it gets dark early in winter. When she turned into the alley, it was already getting dark. The sparse streetlights were on, and the snow that had fallen on the ground a few days ago and had not melted was illuminated by the dim streetlights, making it look like gold.
Mingxi walked briskly, and when she was almost at her doorstep, she suddenly saw a young man and woman standing not far ahead. She subconsciously craned her neck to take a look.
That one glance was enough to make her eyes widen immediately.
Huang Li and Zhao Lei?
How did these two end up together?
Mingxi thought she was seeing things. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Sure enough, the two people standing not far in front were Huang Li and Zhao Lei.
Huang Li and Zhao Lei stood facing each other, talking. Judging from their actions, they weren't exactly intimate, but they seemed to have a good relationship.
She curiously peeked out several times, and before she knew it, she was spotted by the oriole on the other side.
It's unclear what Huang Li said to Zhao Lei, but Zhao Lei nodded, waved to Huang Li, and left.
Then Huang Li walked towards Mingxi and said, "You saw it all, didn't you?"
Mingxi scratched her cheek. Should she say she saw it, or that she didn't?
She did see Huang Li talking to Zhao Lei, but apart from the two of them talking, she didn't see anything else!
Huang Li: "Zhao Lei is pursuing me now, and I'm still considering it, so I hope you won't tell anyone what you just saw, especially not to my mom."
Although her mother didn't approve of Zhao Lei's family background when they were first introduced, you never know. Even though she now has a job, has moved out of her parents' home, and is independent, in her mother's eyes, a girl still needs to find a man to be considered settled, and she's been urging her to find a partner again lately.
She was so annoyed that she could only avoid her mother and didn't even go home during holidays. Seeing that she hadn't been home for a month, her mother became anxious and called her home, and she couldn't avoid it any longer and had to come back.
Unexpectedly, Mingxi caught her talking to Zhao Lei.
Mingxi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.
She readily agreed: "Okay, don't worry, I definitely won't tell Aunt Xu."
Huang Li felt relieved after hearing Mingxi's words.
Mingxi is a very reliable person. She promised not to tell anyone, and she definitely won't.
Huang Li felt relieved and was about to leave when she saw Ming Xi staring intently at her.
Oriole: "Is there anything else?"
Mingxi couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's going on between you and Zhao Lei?"
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Author's Note: I'll post 6,000 words today, and another 10,000 words tomorrow.
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