Yan Chengcheng and Ren Zhiyi were not home that evening, so Jiang Xiaoli and her husband, along with two newly engaged couples, gathered at their house for hot pot.
Hu Jingxin looked at the two empty seats. "Chengcheng couldn't come back because her flight was canceled at the last minute, but do you know why Zhiyi didn't come back?"
Chang Yue casually said, "Didn't Zhiyi say that she and Grandpa Ren still have some things to take care of?"
"It's all a tragic fate!" Hu Jingxin sighed. "Do you even know what Zhiyi is dealing with?"
Jiang Xiaoli picked up a freshly cooked hot pot meatball for her, saying, "It's a bribe for you, hurry up and tell me!"
Hu Jingxin frowned and said, "Yesterday I was bored and called Zhiyi, but a guy answered. I asked him who he was, and he said he was Zhiyi's fiancé. I was so shocked that I hung up the phone immediately."
About 10 minutes later, Zhiyi called me back and explained, and that's when I found out.
It turns out that Grandpa Ren and an old friend surnamed Yun made an agreement when Grandma Ren and the other party's daughter-in-law were pregnant: if they had a boy and a girl, they would arrange a marriage between their children.
As it turned out, the two old men were right. So when Zhiyi and the boy were a month old, Grandpa Ren and the old man exchanged tokens and arranged a marriage for Zhiyi.
However, the other party's whole family went abroad in the 1980s, and contact was lost after that.
Grandpa Ren thought the matter was over and never brought it up again over the years. But then, before the Lunar New Year, when Grandpa Ren took Zhiyi to visit other old friends, they ran into this family.
It turns out this family didn't do well abroad, so they've come back.
After meeting Grandpa Ren and Zhiyi, the boy instantly fell for Zhiyi. Then, after overhearing his family casually mention their childhood betrothal, he's been relentlessly pursuing her lately!
Jiang Xiaoli frowned deeply. "Even someone as shrewd as Grandpa Ren would do something so foolish before?"
Zhong Yuan spoke up, "Let the guy go find whoever got engaged. What era are we living in? If he's so capable, he should pursue Zhiyi openly and honestly. As long as Zhiyi agrees, who can stop them from dating?"
Chang Yue nodded, "Yes, Zhiyi hates being bothered by others the most. I can't even imagine how difficult her New Year must have been."
Jiang Xiaoli lost interest in the boiling hot pot and immediately took out her phone to call Ren Zhiyi.
Ren Zhiyi answered quickly, but it was noisy on her end.
Jiang Xiaoli asked, "Zhiyi, we heard about you from Xinxin. Where are you now? Why is it so noisy?"
“Sigh—” Ren Zhiyi sighed deeply, “I’m with my grandfather now, but that family is here too. They’re all here, and they’re talking to my parents about that matter right now.”
Zhong Yuan said anxiously, "Zhiyi, what else is there to say? He's an idiot who couldn't make it abroad and came back to cause trouble. We can't get entangled with this kind of person!"
Ren Zhiyi was in a bad mood, but she couldn't help but laugh when she heard his words. "Brother Yuan, thank you. I know."
Chang Yue quickly asked, "Zhiyi, what's your family's attitude in this situation?"
“My family consulted me and all agreed to break off this ridiculous arranged marriage, but the other party has been refusing.”
Ren Zhiyi looked into the house from the yard. "I'll talk to you later. It seems like there's a commotion inside. I'll talk to you later."
The phone went dead, and the group exchanged glances.
Jiang Xiaoli raised her hand and said, "I think the Ren family, all cultured people, might suffer when they encounter such a scoundrel."
Zong Jiayu stood up and turned off the electric kettle. "Let's go, let's go take a look. You guys tidy up, I'll go across the hall to call Ye Biao and Cao Jie."
The others had no objections, and they quickly got dressed and drove two cars to Grandpa Ren's courtyard.
From a distance of more than ten meters, they could see a group of neighbors gathered outside the courtyard to watch the commotion.
They huddled together and whispered, "Uncle Ren made a terrible mistake. Xiao Yi is such a beautiful girl, what kind of arranged marriage is this!"
"That's right! If even a poor family like this can get involved with Xiaoyi, I think my Tutu could too!"
"Haha, Aunt Mei, please stop joking. TuTu is so shy every time she sees Xiao Yi that she doesn't dare to open her mouth to say hello!"
Jiang Xiaoli and the others walked up to the door, but the noise in the courtyard was so loud that they couldn't hear the knocking.
She had no choice but to shout loudly, "Zhiyi! Zhiyi! We've come to see you!"
Zhong Yuan, who had the loudest voice, also shouted, "Zhiyi, open the door!"
Soon, Mrs. Ren came out and opened the door. She was a little embarrassed when she saw that it was them.
"Xiaoli, Xinxin, Xiaoyue, I have something to take care of at home right now. You can come and see Zhiyi another day."
Jiang Xiaoli smiled and said to her, "Auntie, we came here because we heard from Zhiyi on the phone that there were thugs here. Please let a few of us in."
Mrs. Ren hesitated for a moment and then stepped aside.
They walked straight to Grandpa Ren's main room.
A bespectacled boy with a buzz cut suddenly walked out after seeing Zong Jia and asked, "Xiao Yi, are you unwilling to acknowledge our childhood betrothal because you already have a boyfriend?"
Ren Zhiyi looked at him with disgust and said, "Yun Bihuai, what does it have to do with anyone else if I don't want to be engaged to you? Is it wrong for me to just not like you?"
The middle-aged woman next to Yun Bihuai said to Grandpa Ren, "Uncle Ren, you've really spoiled Xiaoyi. How could she talk to Bihuai like that in front of outsiders?"
Grandpa Ren couldn't hide the regret in his eyes. He sighed and turned to the old man beside him, saying, "Brother Yun, I didn't think things through back then. Things are different now. We elders can't make decisions about our children's affairs. Let's call off this marriage."
Grandpa Yun was very conflicted. He was about to agree when he heard his son cough twice.
He sighed and changed his tone, "Brother Ren, we all value integrity in our dealings with others. My family has always kept this marriage in mind, and now you suddenly want to break the agreement..."
Yun's daughter-in-law immediately echoed his words, "Yes, Uncle Ren, my husband Bihuai has always only had Xiaoyi in his heart!"
Ren Zhiyi was furious. She said, "People like you claim to have come back from abroad. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were old-fashioned remnants! No matter how much you talk, I would never fall for Yun Bihuai!"
Seeing this, the eldest son of the Yun family stopped coughing. He pulled his son aside and said, "Bihuai, Xiaoyi's heart is indeed not with you. Otherwise, let's just let it go."
Yun Bihuai retorted, her neck stiff, "No! I've fallen for her!"
The Yun family's daughter-in-law also shouted, "Can my precious son's wife just call off the engagement like that?"
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