Chapter 101 Absurd
As they were talking in front, a commotion suddenly came from the backyard. Before long, Gao Yi stormed out of the hanging flower gate, looking furious.
He was also carrying cigarettes and alcohol that he had bought for Gao Fei.
"What's all the noise about?"
Dong Qiaoying and Gao Tiejun, who were busy in the kitchen, also came out when they heard the noise.
“Grandpa, my mom thinks the gift I brought is shabby and not presentable enough, not as impressive as the cigarettes my brother’s girlfriend gave them. She wants Shirley and me to give her another thousand yuan.”
Chen Yun laughed in anger, leaned against the wall by the kitchen door, and said very loudly, "This is the first time I've ever heard of a mother-in-law asking her son's girlfriend for money before the daughter-in-law has even entered the family. Do you think there's any logic to this?"
Gao Lan immediately chimed in, "I think my sister-in-law has made quite a bit of money over the years, so why does she only care about money all the time?"
The two women, an aunt and sister-in-law, were talking quite loudly, which quickly drew the attention of Old Jiang's family, who were preparing for lunch in the courtyard. They turned to look.
Then, the Jiang family members, young and old, carrying bowls, came out of the house one after another.
Soon, two rows of onlookers stood under the eaves of the east and west wing rooms.
Chen Yunyu noticed that her sister-in-law Qiu Zhifang was walking hurriedly towards the front yard, her expression so gloomy it looked like she was about to burst into tears. She had clearly heard the two women talking back and forth.
“It’s none of your business how my family operates. My son’s girlfriend comes to visit but doesn’t even visit her parents first. Instead, she knows how to curry favor with rich uncles and aunts.”
"Sister-in-law, what are you saying! Xue Li wanted to go to your room to greet her first. Do you and your brother have the mind to entertain that young lady?" Gao Lan sneered.
Why would Gao Lan say that...? Of course, it's because ten minutes before Gao Yi and Wang Xueli arrived home, Gao Liang had just led his girlfriend's parents and their family into the courtyard.
The entire family of four never gave anyone a second glance, walking past with their heads held high like peacocks. Chen Yun didn't even get a clear look at the girl's face.
It was their identical snobbishness that left a very strong impression.
There was also a plump girl among them, whose back view was quite memorable.
"What good things did Gao Liang's boyfriend give to his older brother and sister-in-law? He didn't even look down on cigarettes that cost tens of yuan a pack." Chen Yun patted his empty palm meaningfully: "I saw that he was carrying half a bag of apples that were no bigger than Nian An's fist. Could he have hidden some good cigarettes that he specially gave to his older brother?"
"Second sister-in-law, don't say that. What if they're carrying a golden apple? We can't judge things by appearances alone, don't you think, eldest sister-in-law?"
"Stop pretending to be a good person! What I do for my two sons is none of your business!" Qiu Zhifang shouted with a long face, glaring fiercely at Wang Xueli. "As long as I don't agree, you two can forget about getting married!"
"Let's talk inside. You've already made a scene at home, and now you're coming out to make a scene in the yard? Aren't you ashamed enough?"
Chen Yun noticed that every time they argued, it seemed that Qiu Zhifang started it, and Gao Fei would step in to act as a peacemaker, but every time he was losing the argument, he would jump out and pretend to be the good guy.
For example, if Gao Fei had said a few words to stop Qiu Zhifang from asking for money today, Gao Yi wouldn't have been so angry that he slammed the door and left.
Gao Fei was no longer the older brother who had warmly welcomed Chen Yun when she first arrived in Beicheng; even his overweight figure seemed to conceal a shrewd and calculating nature.
The old saying goes, "Two kinds of people can't sleep in the same bed."
"I don't care if you're ashamed! Since everyone's here today, I'll just say this upfront... I don't approve of the second son's marriage!"
Qiu Zhifang's tone was harsh, and her cloudy eyes, which were staring at Gao Yi and Wang Xueli, showed absolutely no affection.
That look sent chills down Gao Yi's spine, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
Even though he was usually very glib with strangers, he couldn't utter a word at this moment. He just stared blankly at his loving mother in his memory as she hysterically accused him of being unfilial.
"You can get married if you want, but don't expect to get a single penny from me... Whether you live a good or bad life afterward is none of our business!"
"Your father and I don't expect you to support us in our old age."
"You heartless bastard! Ever since you got a girlfriend, you haven't brought a single penny home. We've raised you for nothing."
“We should have ignored the fact that you stole money from home and sent you to jail, so we wouldn’t have to worry about you now.”
Qiu Zhifang's hysteria had a strange quality to it. She dug up all sorts of old stories and cursed them one by one, until she had dragged the entire Gao family into it and was still not satisfied.
"Boss!" Gao Tiejun's face was ashen as he grabbed Gao Fei's arm and pulled him forward: "If your wife keeps making a scene like this, do you really want to break off your relationship with Gao Yi?!"
Not only did Chen Yun find Qiu Zhifang strange, but Gao Tiejun also found it inexplicable.
The situation Gao Fei revealed to his parents was that the new house would belong to Gao Liang, the old house to Gao Yi, and the house they bought with a loan would be divided between the two brothers after the eldest son and his wife passed away.
Judging from Qiu Zhifang's tone, it seemed like she was planning to sever ties with Gao Yi; her words were so harsh that she left no room for negotiation.
Although Gao Yi didn't hand over all his salary to his family after starting work, he still gave his parents a living allowance every month, which was much better than Gao Liang, who was unemployed and still relied on his parents for support.
Therefore, what Qiu Zhifang said was complete nonsense; she just picked out the most offensive things to say.
"Dad, just mind your own business!" Unexpectedly, Gao Fei turned around and glared at Gao Tiejun, pulling his arm back with an ugly expression: "Liangliang's mother was right!"
"..."
"Brother and sister-in-law, stop making a fuss about Gao Yi being unfilial... You just think Comrade Wang's family isn't rich!"
Gao Ming originally didn't intend to interfere in Gao Fei's family affairs, but seeing Qiu Zhifang saying increasingly unpleasant things, he couldn't help but speak up for justice.
Chen Yun nodded, just about to join in and say a few words of fairness.
Suddenly, something tickled his side, and then Gao Nianping whispered twice, "Mom, Mom!"
Chen Yun lowered her head.
Gao Nianping waved, gesturing for Chen Yun to bend down and come closer, before whispering, "Mom, I was doing my homework in the room next to my aunt's house..."
Chen Yun: "..."
Qiu Zhifang had already turned her attention to Gao Ming, while Chen Yun listened speechlessly to her son's vivid description.
That's it!
Gao Nianping licked his dry lips and smiled with satisfaction, two dimples instantly appearing on his still slightly chubby face.
"That's great!" Chen Yun gave a thumbs up and gently pushed his son in front of him: "Dad, Nianping said that he just heard his sister-in-law talking to..." He pointed to the figures watching the commotion in front of the hanging flower gate: "His sister-in-law and Gao Liang's mother-in-law have agreed to strengthen their kinship."
Gao Liang's marriage partner's surname is Zhao, and her full name is Zhao Qingqing. She is a "round" girl who can still show half of her body even when hiding behind Zhao's mother.
When Chen Yun saw the person in the morning, she thought it was a long-faced girl with nostrils on top of her head, but she didn't expect it to be someone else.
Zhao Qingqing was about 1.53 meters tall. She wore a white wool coat with a long white fur shawl draped over it, the buttons of which were pulled up so tightly that they looked like they were about to burst off at any moment.
It's understandable that Zhao's father would dote on his two daughters.
However, Qiu Zhifang originally wanted to introduce her son to the slender Zhao Yueyue, not Zhao Qingqing.
The reason why they finally agreed to replace her with Zhao Qingqing remains a mystery, but the parents of both sides have already started discussing marriage and going through the formalities. Otherwise, why would Qiu Zhifang have taken out a loan to buy two houses?
However, things took a dramatic turn today, which even Chen Yun, who had watched too many melodramatic dramas in her previous life, found absurd.
During her time with Gao Liang, Zhao Yueyue fell for her future brother-in-law and insisted that her parents switch him back.
Marriage is not a game. Zhao's relatives already know that Zhao Qingqing is engaged to Gao's son. How could she possibly change her mind at the last minute?
Then Zhao's mother came up with another outlandish idea.
Gao Fei has two sons. The younger one, I heard, works at a transportation company. He earns a decent salary and is also quite good-looking.
Zhao Qingqing was engaged to the son of the Gao family, but it wasn't specified whether it was the eldest or the second son. It's understandable that she was temporarily replaced by Gao Yi.
That makes sense...
This woman, born into a feudal family whose father had three wives and four concubines, had no idea how absurd her ideas were.
The Zhao family is wealthy, and in her mind, allowing Gao Liang and Gao Yi to marry her two daughters would be considered an honor for the Gao family.
So Zhao's mother not only didn't think there was anything wrong with her idea, but also told Qiu Zhifang her idea in a condescending manner, and proposed... either they should become relatives, or the marriage should be called off.
"Good heavens, what era are we living in that there are still people who arrange marriages?"
"I can't believe someone actually thinks they're still a wealthy landowner from the old society? They think they can just pick any son-in-law they want for their daughter!"
"I've really had an eye-opening day!"
If it hadn't come from Chen Yun's mouth, the Jiang family would never have believed that Gao Fei, such a cultured man, could be more terrifying than anyone else when it came to feudalism.
Because in the next sentence, Chen Yun said that Gao Fei had agreed first.
"No wonder my sister-in-law started scolding Gao Yi without even asking what happened. Turns out she was planning to break them up so she could arrange another marriage. If Nianping hadn't overheard it herself, tell me... is this the kind of terrible idea a human being could come up with?!"
"dad!"
The truth was even crueler than Gao Yi had imagined; in his parents' eyes, he was just an insignificant figure.
This cry of "Dad!" filled with sorrow and disbelief did nothing to move Gao Fei.
He waved his hand furiously, trying to interrupt Chen Yun, his eyes filled with barely contained hatred.
Chen Yun took two steps back and continued to embellish what she had heard.
"The reason why my older brother agreed to such an absurd idea is because Zhao Qingqing's father promised to give my older brother and sister-in-law two shops in the department store area... and he would also subsidize the car and house."
At first, the Zhao family made a big show of demanding a house and a car, but then their attitude suddenly reversed, and they actually started giving money to the Zhao family instead.
Gao Fei agreed quickly. The marriage, which Gao Yi was unaware of, was already a done deal in his parents' mouths. The two sides even agreed on when to transfer the shop after the marriage.
Gao Fei and Qiu Zhifang were overwhelmed by the sudden windfall, but Chen Yun found it increasingly ridiculous.
Given the Zhao family's excellent financial situation, why did they insist on finding the Gao family as their in-laws? This is something worth pondering.
As a result, her younger sister stole the marriage, and the Zhao family was even willing to pay extra to marry Zhao Qingqing off as well. Who would believe there was no problem?
Most likely... Chen Yun glanced at the girl who was still hiding behind Zhao's mother.
The problem lies with Zhao Qingqing.
"Shut your stinking mouth! If you spout any more nonsense, I'll beat you to death!" Gao Fei roared, raising his hand.
Gao Ming stepped forward and blocked Gao Fei's path, his voice icy cold: "Since you dare to do it, why don't you dare to admit it? I am Gao Yi's second uncle, and I'm going to take charge of this matter today!"
"You two...you two..." Gao Tiejun was filled with shame and anger, his finger trembling as he pointed at Gao Fei and Qiu Zhifang: "How could I have given birth to such a thing as you? What a sin! What a sin!"
"Boss, you have no conscience." Dong Qiaoying's voice was trembling with tears.
"Whether or not to get married is all up to you. Have you asked Gao Liang and Zhao Qingqing what they think?" Chen Yun suddenly interrupted loudly, and when everyone's eyes were on them, she pointed at the Zhao family: "Zhao Qingqing is right here. Why don't we ask her what she thinks?"
"..."
Zhao's mother's expression changed, and she raised her hand and pushed Zhao Qingqing behind her.
Just then, a girl with a chubby face whose features were all crowded together poked her head out and chuckled at everyone.
Zhao Qingqing looks fair and clean, but anyone who looks at her can tell that this girl is not very smart, and her silliness seems to be emanating from her eyes.
The excuse of being "foolish" was just something she didn't want to say outright that she had a problem with her brain, but Chen Yun judged that... Zhao Qingqing's intellectual disability was likely caused by an acquired illness.
"Zhao Qingqing has a problem."
Gao Liang suddenly stepped out from behind the crowd.
Gao Liang, one of the parties involved, entered the public eye with a cold and indifferent attitude of "what's the use of trying?"
He is the biggest victim in this whole affair.
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