Chapter 62 Fulfillment
The sweetness after they got engaged didn't last long. Li Minghua knew that if they wanted to be legitimate, they had to get past Tang's mother.
This matter put her under more pressure than any challenge in the martial arts world.
She chose a sunny afternoon, when Tang Xiaoning was not around, and went alone to tidy her clothes, take a deep breath, and walk towards the main hall where Tang's mother was.
Tang's mother was holding a teacup when she saw Li Minghua enter. A kind smile appeared on her face: "Minghua's here, please sit down. What's Xiaoning doing bothering you again?"
Li Minghua did not sit down; she stood in the hall, her posture upright like a pine tree, but her hands were unconsciously clenched slightly.
She looked up, her gaze firm as she met Tang's mother's gentle eyes, and cut to the chase, her voice clear and taut:
“Madam, I am Li Minghua. I have come today with a request.”
Tang's mother put down her teacup, somewhat surprised by her seriousness: "What is it? Please speak freely. You have done a good job in protecting Xiaoning. As long as the Tang family can do it, we will never refuse."
Li Minghua took a deep breath and said the words he had rehearsed countless times in his mind: "This junior... admires Xiaoning and wishes to marry her. I hope Madam will grant my request."
After he finished speaking, the main hall fell into a deathly silence.
The smile on Tang's mother's face froze instantly. She looked at the serious-looking girl with clear eyes in front of her, and then thought of her own daughter who had been pampered since childhood. Her brows gradually furrowed.
She remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, her tone carrying an undeniable refusal:
“Miss Li, I can feel your sincerity. Your martial arts are superb, and you protected Xiaoning perfectly; the entire Tang family is grateful to you. But…”
She paused for a moment: "Marriage is a serious matter, not a game. Xiaoning has been pampered since childhood and has never suffered any hardship."
And you... forgive my bluntness, but you wander the martial world, have no fixed abode, and even... the Qingfeng Sect no longer exists.
How can I entrust my daughter to you with peace of mind? Do you expect her to live a life of hardship and uncertainty with you?
These words were like cold needles, piercing Li Minghua's heart.
She knew that what Tang's mother said was true, a reality she could not avoid.
She pursed her lips, her face pale, but she still stood there stubbornly, without backing down.
"I... will do everything in my power to prevent her from suffering." Her voice was low, carrying an almost obstinate promise.
"Do everything you can?" Tang's mother shook her head, her tone tinged with helplessness and heartache. "Miss Li, this isn't something that can be solved by simply trying your best. I am Xiaoning's mother, and all I want is for her to live a peaceful, joyful, and carefree life. You can't give her that kind of life."
At this moment, Tang Xiaoning, who had received the news, rushed in, her face flushed with anxiety.
She had clearly been listening outside for a while; now she rushed to Li Minghua's side, grabbed her hand tightly, and said to Tang's mother:
"Mother! I'm not afraid of hardship! I'm willing to follow Minghua! Wherever she is, that's my home!"
"Nonsense!" Tang's mother rarely put on a stern face when speaking to her daughter. "Do you know how dangerous the world is? Do you know how much suffering a poor couple endures? You've never even stepped into a kitchen since you were a child. What can you do if you're with her?"
"I..." Tang Xiaoning was speechless for a moment, but when she looked at Li Minghua, who was pale but still holding her hand tightly, a surge of courage rushed to her head.
Her eyes darted around, and suddenly a brilliant idea struck her. She exclaimed loudly:
"Then... what if Minghua doesn't 'marry' but 'marries into' his wife'?!"
Upon hearing this, both Tang's mother and Li Minghua were stunned.
Tang Xiaoning, as if grasping at a lifeline, continued speaking rapidly:
"Mother! Let Minghua marry into our Tang family! That way I won't have to leave home!"
She can still protect me and stay by my side! We can still live together like this! Is that alright?
"Marry into the family?" Tang's mother repeated the word, looking at Li Minghua with a complicated expression.
To marry a skilled martial arts woman into a merchant family?
this……
After a brief moment of surprise, Li Minghua immediately understood Tang Xiaoning's intention.
This was something that didn't matter to her.
All she wanted was the title of being with Xiaoning and to stay together with him.
Where you live or in what form is not important.
Meeting Tang's mother's scrutinizing gaze, she nodded without hesitation, her tone resolute:
“Yes. If Madam agrees, I am willing to marry into the Tang family. I will do my utmost to protect Xiaoning and the entire Tang family and help ensure the stability of the family business.”
Her promise was simple and direct, yet it carried immense weight.
Looking at the two standing side by side, Tang's mother saw an unprecedented determination and pleading in her daughter's eyes, while Li Minghua...
This usually quiet girl had clear, open eyes at this moment, without a trace of grievance or resentment, only undisguised deep affection for Xiaoning and a kind of persistence that "anything is fine as long as I can be by her side."
Tang's mother remained silent.
She felt sorry for her daughter, but she also knew that her daughter was stubborn and once she made up her mind, nothing could change it.
If we forcibly separate them, I'm afraid...
Moreover, Li Minghua is a man of upright character and superb martial arts skills, and he is devoted to Xiaoning wholeheartedly.
If she were willing to marry into the Tang family and stay there, it would indeed save their daughter from the hardship of marrying into another family, and the family would gain a very strong ally...
She sighed heavily, her face filled with the helplessness of "a daughter is no longer meant to stay at home" and a hint of relenting.
"Are you... really willing to marry into the family?" she asked Li Minghua again to confirm.
"Yes," Li Minghua answered without the slightest hesitation.
Tang's mother looked again at her daughter, who was gazing at her expectantly. Finally, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, or as if she had made some kind of compromise, she waved her hand with a hint of reluctance:
"Fine, fine... Since you've made up your minds... and Xiaoning... sigh, I'll do as you say."
"Mom! You agreed?!" Tang Xiaoning exclaimed in surprise and hugged her mother excitedly.
Li Minghua's tense body instantly relaxed, and his tightly clenched fist slowly loosened, revealing deep marks on his palm from his fingernails.
She solemnly bowed deeply to Tang's mother:
"Thank you for your kindness, Madam."
Tang's mother looked at Li Minghua, who was bowing in greeting, and then at her daughter, who was crying tears of joy in her arms. She shook her head with mixed feelings.
Although I agreed, the thought of my pampered daughter ending up like this...
Well, at least they're under my nose, so they can keep an eye on things.
"Get up," Tang's mother said in a gentler tone. "Since it's settled, there are some rules and etiquette to observe, so you should still go."
"Yes, it is entirely up to you, Madam," Li Minghua replied respectfully.
With the crisis resolved, the heavy weight on my heart was finally lifted.
Tang Xiaoning held Li Minghua's hand, her face beaming with an irrepressible smile.
So what if he marries into the family? As long as she's by his side, where isn't home?
The marriage was almost settled after Tang's mother reluctantly nodded.
As for the father, that's just a matter of the mother's word.
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