Chapter 48 The Ceremony Begins
The two chatted for a few minutes, the conversation shifting from Zhou Xiaowei's father to the current situation in the village.
He completely ignored Zhou Dajun.
The feeling of being ignored made Zhou Dajun even more embarrassed.
He gritted his teeth and was about to rush forward when he pulled his foot back.
There are too many people around, and if things really get out of hand, he'll be the one who suffers.
As luck would have it, Zhou Hailiang arrived at that moment.
"Dad, stop messing around! This is a wedding ceremony, not our yard! They're important guests, don't cause trouble and ruin the wedding! What will the villagers say about me then?"
He sensed something was off as soon as he entered the banquet hall.
Zhou Dajun was unconvinced and muttered something under his breath, but dared not say it out loud.
He glared at Guo Zhenyi, his eyes filled with hostility.
But in front of his son, he didn't dare to actually lay a hand on him.
In the end, they could only leave disappointed.
Zhou Hailiang breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mom, the ceremony is about to begin, and the emcee is already preparing. We'll be serving tea later, so please get ready. I've had a seat reserved for you; it's in the front row on the right."
"Okay, I understand."
Zhou Shufen responded.
Ten minutes later, soft background music began to play.
Zhou Xiaowei, dressed in a wedding gown, walked from the other end of the passageway.
Zhou Hailiang was handsome and had been known as a good-looking young man in the village since he was a child.
The girl he likes is naturally quite attractive.
He stood to one side of the stage, his gaze fixed on Zhou Xiaowei.
He couldn't help but smile.
The two are a handsome couple and look very well-matched.
Many people in the audience took out their phones to take pictures.
After the vows are read, the next step is to serve tea to both sets of parents.
Zhou Shufen stood up and walked onto the stage with a dignified expression.
She and Zhou Dajun sat side by side, waiting to drink the tea offered by his wife.
When the moment finally came, even though she appeared calm on the surface, her heart was still somewhat turbulent.
Zhou Xiaowei and Zhou Hailiang stood in front of the two men, each holding a cup of tea.
They handed it to Zhou Dajun first.
"Dad, please have some tea."
Zhou Xiaowei spoke gently and with great respect.
Zhou Dajun pretended to wipe the corner of his eye, then took the tea and drank it all in one gulp.
It was Zhou Shufen's turn.
Zhou Hailiang handed over the tea he was holding.
"Mom, please have some tea."
Zhou Shufen was about to take it when she noticed that Zhou Xiaowei did not hand over the teacup.
“I don’t call you ‘Mom’ easily. Now that I’m married to Hai Liang, you have to give me a dowry of 38,000 yuan before I’ll accept that title.”
The scene immediately fell silent.
Some people whispered among themselves, but most held their breath.
Thirty-eight thousand is not a small amount; it's enough to buy a small house in this area.
How could an ordinary family in the area afford such a high bride price for a wedding?
Normally it's just a few hundred or a thousand as a token amount, at most a few thousand.
Zhou Shufen was placed on the stage.
Now she understood everything.
It turns out this scene was planned all along, waiting for her to perform.
She looked at Zhou Xiaowei.
The other person showed no shame, but rather a hint of provocation.
She didn't say anything, but simply withdrew her hand.
Seeing her remain silent, Zhou Xiaowei's parents couldn't sit still any longer.
The two rushed onto the stage.
“Since ancient times, what marriage has never involved a bride price? Our request is not unreasonable! Giving a bride price is to protect our daughter; otherwise, why would she live a hard life with your son?”
Zhou Xiaowei's father spoke in a firm tone.
"That's right! If you don't give me the money, it's questionable whether this marriage will even take place!"
As soon as she finished speaking, her mother chimed in.
"We can't let our daughter, whom we raised with such care, marry into this family and become free labor!"
"What are you still standing there for? What's this to you? Do you really want to ruin your son's life?"
Zhou Dajun was fanning the flames from the sidelines.
"Mom, can't you think about me for once? You won't even give me this little bit of money?"
Zhou Hailiang also started pressuring her.
His voice rose, filled with grievance and anger.
They didn't seem to think their demands were excessive.
Zhou Shufen quietly observed the faces of the group of people in front of her, and suddenly everything became clear to her.
Her gaze darted between Zhou Hailiang and Zhou Dajun.
She saw through the purpose behind every expression and every line of dialogue.
Years of tolerance have not earned me respect, but rather increasingly demanding treatment.
She suddenly felt that everything was meaningless.
Zhou Shufen raised her hand and knocked over the teacup in Zhou Xiaowei's hand, then smiled faintly.
"I don't want the word 'Mom' that costs 38,000 yuan!"
After she finished speaking, her shoulders relaxed slightly, as if she had finally unloaded a burden that had been weighing on her for many years.
She stopped looking at anyone, stood up, and was about to leave.
Zhou Hailiang is now famous.
He suddenly blocked her way.
"You can't leave! You're not going to care about anything when I get married? Are you only satisfied when I can't get married? How can you be so heartless? What kind of mother are you?!"
He could not accept being openly rejected by his mother.
They couldn't accept losing face in front of their guests.
He cursed one after another, each word piercing.
He said she was selfish, cold-blooded, and neglectful of her family.
He spoke with tears streaming down his face, as if he were the one who had been hurt the most.
Zhou Dajun watched with a smile.
“My son is right. If you keep making a scene like this, no one will recognize you anymore.”
His tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.
Zhou Shufen, however, found it absurd and laughable.
And it's heartbreaking.
"You want money? Then why are you only asking me? Your dad is standing right there. Why don't you ask him for it?"
"Thirty-eight thousand! Where would Dad get that much money? You're the one with the money!"
Zhou Hailiang spoke with righteous indignation.
They were arguing so loudly that all the guests could hear them clearly.
Although the details are unknown, people have already begun to discuss it privately.
An awkward atmosphere descended upon the entire wedding.
"Judging from what they're saying, this mother must be quite wealthy. She's so stingy that she won't even contribute to her son's wedding!"
"You don't understand. Some people love their sons, while others are biased. Look at this woman's eyes, they're so mean! When she speaks, the corners of her mouth turn down, and her brows are constantly furrowed. She doesn't respect anyone at all. Anyone would feel uncomfortable with that attitude. She's not worried about the wedding at all; she's just looking for trouble."
"Sigh, what a joyous occasion, turned into this mess. If I were the groom, I wouldn't want to get married anymore! Marriage is supposed to be a matter between two people, but now the whole family is in turmoil. Relatives and friends are all gossiping. Where do the newlyweds put their faces? If word gets out, people will just say that this family doesn't know the rules and doesn't care about appearances."
Zhou Shufen has always been strong.
Faced with accusations from all sides, she appeared so lonely and helpless.
She wanted to explain, but didn't know where to begin.
The surrounding noise made it hard for her to breathe.
Guo Zhenyi had just returned from outside.
After understanding what was going on, he walked straight through the crowd onto the stage.
"I never imagined your family was like this! I'm not drinking at this wedding banquet!"
He silently shielded Zhou Shufen behind him.
"Mr. Guo, what do you mean by that?"
Zhou Xiaowei's father asked somewhat nervously.
He recognized Guo Zhenyi.
I know this person does business locally, has a wide network of connections, and his words carry weight.
He originally wanted to ask for more dowry at the wedding, but he didn't intend to make things too ugly.
But now the situation is completely out of control.
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