187 Negotiations
"But my grandfather agreed, so why are my parents coming to our door?" Li Wei thought something was wrong and asked again.
Luo Da started rubbing his face again: "Actually, nothing was wrong. I was thinking of coming back early this morning to take you guys out to play. But then, I accidentally passed by your house and your dad saw me coming out. I had no choice but to get out of the car to say hello. Then, before we could even exchange a few words, your mom came out and called your dad inside. She wouldn't let me leave, she just made me stay at the gate. And then... you know what happened. But before I left with your parents, I felt something was off, so I sent my third senior brother to pick up Grandpa Cheng and my dad. Hehe... I'm clever, aren't I?"
"Clever? Clever enough to go find my grandpa? But... that's a bit strange. How did my parents know? Could someone have told on us? But who knows our relationship and how they know my home phone number?"
Li Wei and Luo Da glanced at each other, both thinking of the same possibility—Aunt Gao!
However, Li Wei didn't blame Aunt Gao. She guessed that Aunt Gao was afraid of taking on responsibility and not being able to explain it to her parents in the future. Perhaps her mother had instructed Aunt Gao to do something behind her back, and Aunt Gao might have a supervisory responsibility.
Anyway, I've already done this myself, and this day was bound to come sooner or later. Even if it wasn't Aunt Gao, someone else would have said it, so there's nothing to complain about.
Li Wei was in a state of turmoil, pacing back and forth in the room, showing no intention of eavesdropping on the adults' conversation. Luo Da couldn't sit still for long; the feeling of having one's fate decided by others was truly unpleasant, so he secretly got up, intending to lean against the door and listen.
Li Wei shoved him down to sit: "What are you doing? Just stay put. You're the one who caused all this trouble. Now, obediently await your execution!" She was furious. Turns out, it's hard to guard against a thief within your own ranks; he'd been betrayed by this accomplice. What's that saying again? It's not the god-like enemy you should fear, but the pig-like accomplice. How did Luo Da degenerate into such a state?
Luo Da looked at Li Wei with an innocent expression, not moving. He rubbed his knee and said softly, "What will you do if your parents stop letting us see each other?" That would be the worst-case scenario.
Li Wei stopped pacing and plopped down on the bed: "What can I do? Do you expect me to elope with you? Of course I'll obey. This is the time to test you. As for what to do, shouldn't I be asking you?" Usually at this point, as long as the woman's parents don't force her to marry someone else, it seems the man should be putting in all his effort to win over the woman's parents.
Luo Da shrank back: "Of course I won't agree. Anyway, my dad likes you a lot. He won't object to our relationship, and neither will Grandpa Cheng. That leaves Uncle Li and Aunt Li. Tell me, will your dad and mom listen to your maternal grandfather? I think they should, at least partly! If your parents don't listen to Grandpa Cheng at all, don't be a fence-sitter and switch sides at the last minute! You must stay firmly with me, and I'll be good to you for the rest of my life..."
Li Wei was also quite agitated, feeling anxious and restless. Why didn't Luo Da consult her or give her a heads-up before doing this? Now she was in such a passive position. Sigh, she had lost face big time. Whatever, she decided to lie down for a while. Maybe when she woke up, nothing would happen.
Li Wei ignored Luo Da's pre-battle pep talk and simply crawled into bed to doze off.
Luo Dazheng was speaking with great emotion when he suddenly looked up and realized the person was gone, and the blanket had risen up—
"Did he just talk for nothing?" For the first time, Luo Da suddenly felt uneasy. What if no one in the living room could convince Uncle Li and Aunt Li? Was he really going to break up with Li Wei?
Moreover, it seemed that Xiaoming didn't care much about him, nor did he offer any comfort. His knee was really hurting, and he sat there for a while, feeling rather dejected, and shut up.
Li Wei lay there for a while, then suddenly noticed that Luo Da hadn't moved for a long time. She looked up at him and said, "Why aren't you talking? This melancholy expression doesn't suit you. Don't play the victim. Let me tell you, I've thought about it, and I won't really go against my parents. That would hurt them too much. It wasn't easy raising me. At most, we'll see each other secretly. You can scale walls, right? You can come see me secretly whenever you want. That would be quite interesting, like having an affair. Just thinking about it is exciting, hehe..."
Li Wei finally found some excitement in the crisis, and it seemed quite interesting.
Luo Da—
Then he'd become an unregistered person, unable to see the light of day. Wouldn't those wolves come knocking on his door in broad daylight? He'd become someone whose status was illegitimate. No way!
Thinking of this, Luo Da could no longer sit still. He got up, wincing in pain from his knees, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Um... Xiao Ming, let's make a deal. If you stand firmly on my side this time and stick with me, I'll listen to you on all important matters from now on. I don't usually care about trivial things. Really, I keep my word. What do you say?"
Li Wei originally didn't want to pay attention to this troublemaker, but after hearing his words, she had a sudden thought. This was a rare opportunity to make Luo Da back down and obey. If her parents won, she would be in a difficult position, but she wouldn't really cut off all contact with Luo Da.
But, but, what if her grandfather wins?
She's really making a profit by agreeing to Luo Dake's offer now, haha.
Since the opportunity was rare, he took advantage of it and acted innocent: "Hmph, you talk a good game, but if you don't listen to me, I can't beat you in a fight, and I don't know how to curse. What can I do but stare blankly? I don't believe your empty words."
Luo Da felt that he had never spoken so softly in his life, and now that he had said it, he was being questioned. He choked for a moment: "I am sincere. So tell me what to do, how can you believe me? I will definitely keep my word."
Li Wei thought for a moment, realizing it was hard to say. After a long pause, she finally said, "Write me a guarantee. If you don't keep your word, you'll be a eunuch. That's all." This was the only trick she had left, and she was finally using it on Luo Da. Luo Da hated the word "eunuch." Luo Er had complained to him more than once that Li Wei had threatened to chop off his penis several times when they were kids. His biggest nightmare now was Li Xiaoming chasing after him with a pencil sharpener knife, threatening to castrate him—
Now that things have taken a turn for the better, he's overjoyed and has no time to negotiate. Besides, it's just a note; he can just steal it secretly later. Anyway, once it's over, Li Wei won't make a scene over a note. She might even think he lost it, hehe.
Li Wei and Luo Da were whispering amongst themselves, but no one mentioned it.
In the living room, Li Zhaoxing and his wife were on the affirmative side. Grandpa Cheng was in the center, while Uncle Luo and his third senior brother, who had eaten and drunk their fill, were on the negative side. They formed two temporary debate teams and held a debate on whether Li Wei and Luo Da should be dating.
Li Zhaoxing and his wife argued that "early romantic relationships hinder studies and affect one's future, so they should be resolutely banned."
The argument is: Look at Old Wang's kid, he got married early because of his girlfriend and dropped out of school. Now he's working for someone else, earning barely any money. What future can he have? And look at Old Zhao's kid, so young. All he does is date, he barely finished junior high. Now…
Examples abound; Cheng Min could practically cite them effortlessly. And they were all true stories, completely unembellished.
Although Uncle Luo and Third Senior Brother on the opposing side weren't as eloquent as Cheng Min, they were still a group of men and shared common ground.
In reality, Uncle Luo refuted this, saying, "First of all, I disagree with sister-in-law's point of view. Studying doesn't necessarily guarantee success, and less education doesn't necessarily mean a lack of success. For example, neither Brother Li nor I went to university, but now I have university graduates working for me. Tell me, who is more successful right now? Also, Xiaoming and my son are both smart kids. They've been friends for so many years, and they're both doing well in their studies. If they wanted to neglect their studies, they would have done so long ago. What does this show? It shows that the kids know their limits. They understand what they should and shouldn't do. They can't go wrong. So, brother and sister-in-law, don't worry. I know my son well. I guarantee the two kids will be fine!"
The third senior brother still smiled and said, "Yes, eldest brother and sister-in-law, don't be too nervous. My junior brother is shrewd; he won't let himself or Xiaowei suffer. They've been childhood sweethearts, and their families know each other well. Although my junior brother has a bad temper, is a bit dog-like, and disobedient, overall, he's already quite good for a man his age. In a few years, even if he's not that great now, he'll be in high demand... Of course, Xiaowei is also a beautiful and smart girl; she'll probably be even more sought after than my junior brother. Rather than waiting until then..." "You're worried she'll be bullied, so why not let go now? At least my junior brother won't bully her, and it seems he won't in the future. As parents, all we want is for our children to be safe and happy. My junior brother's character guarantees that, so don't be too anxious. Let the children handle their own affairs." Sigh, he's made a huge sacrifice, acting as a matchmaker for no reason. He wonders if his junior brother, that scoundrel, will ever appreciate it, or even remember the empty promises he made to help him today after having a son.
After a heated exchange, thankfully there were fewer women, and although neither could convince the other, they all remained restrained and didn't start arguing. Seeing that the two sides were going back and forth endlessly, the old man, who hadn't spoken until now, couldn't stand it anymore and slapped the armrest: "Alright, stop it, both of you, and let this old man say a few words!"
No one dared to disrespect the old man, and they all looked at him, wondering whose side the old man would take.
The old man looked at the four of them: "I won't hide it from you three. Jianhua and his senior came to my house yesterday and told me about him and Xiaoming. I initially thought the kids were still too young, but this boy knelt at my front door all night. He couldn't get up the next morning and had to go through a lot of trouble to walk. It's rare to see someone with such determination and who isn't afraid of hardship or pain. How many grown men can be better than him? Based on that alone, I think the kid is pretty good and reliable. Actually, this matter wasn't a big deal." Xiaoming has been sensible since he was little and knows right from wrong. Jianhua is also shrewd; he can't be wrong. Besides, even if you really try to stop them, think about it yourselves—can you really stop them? They have legs to walk on; you can't follow them everywhere they want. If you push them too hard, they'll just get tired of you, and you might make things worse. So my advice is to give them a warning and let them do what they need to do. In a few years, the kids will be grown up. If they don't get along, they can always get married. If they don't get along, they'll naturally break up, and you won't have to nag them anymore. As long as they're not interfering with each other now, it's not a big deal..."
The room was filled with the old man talking, and no one else interrupted, each lost in their own thoughts, and for a moment, silence fell over the room.
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