Chapter 53 The Money Is Gone
The village was bustling with activity.
Liu Caiping, the eldest aunt of the Liu family, and Liu Shiping, the second son, and his family all gathered in front of Liu Xiangqian's house.
The firecrackers were loud and the atmosphere was lively.
At first glance, the engagement banquet had ten tables.
Zhao Fengxiu was surprised. When did the Huang family become so generous?
Behind her followed Liu Shiping and his seven children, as well as his sister-in-law Liu Caiping and her two sons.
Liu Shiping remarked from the side, "Wife, this Huang family boy's mother seems to be quite capable; she actually set up ten tables for the engagement banquet."
For ordinary people, three or four tables would be quite a lot.
Zhao Fengxiu said calmly, "I'm afraid it's not that simple."
Liu Shiping was slightly surprised. "Wife, what have you thought of this time?"
Zhao Fengxiu walked forward, too lazy to pay him any attention.
Behind her, Liu's eldest aunt's two sons looked at her meaningfully.
They looked back at their own mother, who walked slowly and looked very old, just a peasant woman, nothing like her capable and efficient aunt.
"Mom, hurry up!" the aunt's two sons urged.
The group arrived at the table and looked around for seats.
The Huang family hired a cook from the town who was very efficient. When the Liu family relatives arrived, they started serving the dishes after only a short tea break.
The eldest aunt's family sat at the third table, Zhao Fengxiu and others sat at the second table, and the groom's Huang family and the bride's Liu Xiangqian family sat at the main table.
The main table had barely been set out when Liu Jianbang, one of the three gluttons, had already picked up his chopsticks!
Today, the soon-to-be bride Liu Zhenyu was wearing a particularly dazzling bright red jacket.
This has sparked much discussion.
"The Huang family is so grand? They have ten tables for their engagement banquet, and everyone is dressed so formally, it's like a wedding."
"Didn't you know? It might be that the engagement banquet and the wedding banquet are held together, a double celebration."
"Oh? Is that so?" "Many people around here are like that, it's not unusual."
"That's true. If you have the means, you'll naturally do two; if you don't, doing both is a common practice..."
Hearing what was said at the next table, Liu Shiping and the others were surprised.
They all looked at Zhao Fengxiu. No wonder she said earlier that she was not simple!
Liu Jianbang joked, "Mom, look, you went and talked to Dad, but it was no use."
Zhao Fengxiu glared at him and said, "More useful than you! Look at other people's sons, and then look at you! Our family's conditions aren't worse than the Huang family's, are they? Where's your girlfriend?"
After hearing this, Liu Jianbang shut up.
"What about your Jenny Lan? With your third uncle and the Huang family, you should be able to easily win her over, right? You can't even compare to Huang Zhijian, so what are you talking about?"
Liu Jianbang...
Zhao Fengxiu suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, so it seems you're enjoying yourself too much. I've never had a mother as heartless as yours when I was little."
Why don't you go out and experience it like the fourth and fifth brothers?
Liu Jianbang was taken aback and said in a humble manner, "Oh my god, I was just kidding. Whatever you say or do is right."
Zhao Fengxiu snorted coldly and quietly observed the changes at the main table.
No matter how she looked at it, she felt that there was something wrong with Huang Zhijian's biological mother, Aunt Luo, who was sitting there!
I had only met Aunt Luo once in my past life, and she could never have looked so timid and helpless.
But she couldn't explain what the problem was.
As Zhao Fengxiu was thinking, Old Mrs. Zheng from the Huang family at the main table smiled and said to Old Mrs. Yang from the Liu family, "In-laws, we're family now."
From now on, we must help each other out if anything happens; don't hesitate to ask.
Grandma Yang smiled and said, "Of course, what are you two standing there for? Quickly offer a toast to the elders."
Huang Zhijian and Liu Zhenyu nodded in agreement, then quickly toasted the people at the main table, and then drank with them with smiles on their faces.
This move drew applause and cheers from the crowd. As long as there was a feast, they didn't care what the host did!
However, many people on the Huang family's side cast envious and jealous glances at them!
How did that young man from the Huang family end up marrying such a wonderful girl?
Huang Weifeng was overjoyed at the sight and toasted with Liu Xiangqian.
He would occasionally turn his head to look at the second table, his disdain clearly visible in his eyes!
Liu Shiping didn't notice or care; his mind was preoccupied with competing with his children for food!
But Zhao Fengxiu noticed it!
It's really rare to have an engagement party and a wedding party held together!
If it were an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter.
Liu Xiangqian also doted on Liu Zhenyu, so how could he do this?
The groom's side consisted of his elders and fellow villagers, while the bride's side consisted of her own relatives. The ten tables were very lively and all were full.
After a few rounds of drinks, Huang Weifeng, as the groom's elder, stood up and said, "Thank you all for coming to my son Huang Zhijian's engagement and wedding banquet with Liu Zhenyu, allowing you to witness this unforgettable moment."
The terms agreed upon beforehand have been discussed with the in-laws and will be presented to them in public.
"Honey, give it to me!"
When Huang Weifeng called her Aunt Luo, she was clearly taken aback and her behavior seemed suspicious.
Seeing that Zhao Fengxiu wasn't eating, Liu Jianbang paused in his chicken foot-eating motion. "Mom, why aren't you eating?"
Zhao Fengxiu glared at him, annoyed. "All you ever do is eat! You lot are the same!"
She whispered quietly, "Get ready, there might be a tough battle later."
Upon hearing this, even the usually calm and composed Liu Jianguo pushed up his glasses and said unhappily, "Mom, why are you making such a fuss?"
This is my third uncle's family's banquet; we can just eat there. It's their business; if you keep making a fuss...
With a snap!
Zhao Fengxiu threw a dish at Liu Jianguo's face, "If you can't speak properly, shut up! If you can't help, get out of here!"
Liu Jianguo's face turned black.
His face was oily, and his glasses were stained.
He didn't say a word, silently took off his glasses and wiped them, speechless.
Lin Jingyi took a deep breath, relieved that her mother had almost taken her down with her!
Fortunately, it was just Liu Jianguo!
Lin Jingyi immediately smiled ingratiatingly, "Mom, I can help."
My third uncle's family owes Mom a sum of money! Liu Chengyu's compensation is still in Mom's hands! And that 2,000+ yuan of her secret stash...
Lin Jingyi insisted on joining the charge!
"You're smart to know what's good for you," Zhao Fengxiu said, and began to analyze the situation for them in a low voice.
"That woman might not be..."
Aunt Luo, who was at the main table, took out a bag containing a bag of money.
Huang Weifeng unfolded the bag and gestured to hand it to Liu Xiangqian, but Liu only glanced at it and did not accept it.
Huang Weifeng knew this and immediately handed the bag to Liu Zhenyu.
"Wife, let me hold this for you." Huang Zhijian quickly took it and smiled at her.
Upon hearing this smile, Liu Zhenyu smiled shyly as well, humming in agreement, looking every bit like a bashful young wife.
Huang Weifeng said, "Xiangqian, the gift has been given. There's two thousand yuan in the bag, for the two kids to buy a house."
As I mentioned before, my family gave 500 yuan as a bride price, and that's all included in the price. There's also 1500 yuan for buying a house, totaling 2000 yuan!
Seeing this, Liu Xiangqian waved and asked his wife, Sun Afang, to hand him the small bag.
"There's a thousand here, so together the two families have three thousand. We'll save it for the two kids to buy a house and live on. When does Zhijian start work?"
Huang Weifeng smiled and said, "No rush, we'll go after the wedding."
Liu Xiangqian, "What unit?"
Huang Weifeng said, "Someone has made arrangements for Xiang Qian in the county town. Aren't you comfortable with that?"
Liu Xiangqian lowered his eyes, "Of course I'm not worried. It's up to you to make the arrangements. I just hope my Zhenyu won't suffer too much after marrying into your family."
Huang Zhijian immediately retorted, "Dad! What nonsense are you talking about? I'm too busy doting on my wife!"
"Hahaha..." The guests laughed.
After the bags were put away, the table quickly became empty as people came and went.
However, two people were missing from Zhao Fengxiu's table at some point.
Towards the end of the banquet, several people at the main table were completely drunk, but only "Aunt Luo" remained seated calmly.
Suddenly, the spot in the room where the bags were kept became empty!
Liu Zhenyu got up to go to the toilet, and when he turned around, Huang Zhijian said he would put it away properly, but the bag was gone!
She quickly patted Huang Zhijian on the shoulder, "Zhijian, where's the bag? The bag is gone!"
Huang Zhijian was half-drunk, but he heard clearly, "What?"
Liu Zhenyu was somewhat terrified. "I said, the bag is gone! The money, the money is gone!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the people at the main table realized what was happening. Aunt Luo pretended to go looking for the money, then came out shouting, "Oh no! Everyone wait a minute, the money is gone! There's a thief!"
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