Iron Bull Brigade
Yu Family
"Auntie, Auntie, are you home?"
"Being at home is a blessing! Come in!"
In the Yu family's courtyard, Li Tielan was stirring the chicken feed in her hands, preparing to give the two little hens, who had been a bit listless lately, an extra meal.
Li Defu heard his aunt's voice and pushed open the door to come in.
"Auntie, are you home alone?"
"Your uncle took your cousin fishing by the river, and your cousin went out to play with her friends. What's going on? What's wrong with you?"
"Aunt, as I mentioned in the letter I sent you last time, Xiao Chengyi, the third son of the Xiao family who is engaged to Xiumei, is injured!"
"Yes, I know, so what!"
"What else could it be! Your son-in-law was injured, and you didn't even go to see him. He's back now and recovering at home. My dad sent me to deliver a message to you!"
Li Tielan couldn't help but frown when the topic of the marriage came up. Xiao Chengyi was three years older than her daughter. Her daughter was only seventeen when they got engaged, and now she's twenty.
At first, I thought the other party was an officer, or at least a member of the military, so he should be alright.
But in the three years since their engagement, he has only met his daughter twice. He hasn't seen any letters, gifts, or allowances from her.
What Li Tielan had initially thought was a golden catch had now turned into a bumpkin, and to make matters worse, the "bumpkin" was injured, making her feel even worse.
These days, my daughter has been getting quite close to Qiao, a former educated youth from the same settlement. I heard that Qiao is from Beijing.
It would be great if my daughter could marry him; then she'd be living in a big city.
It was because of this idea that the Yu family adopted a low-key approach to Xiao Chengyi's injury.
I didn't take the news seriously when I first received it, but now that my brother and sister-in-law have sent their nephew to tell us, it seems I have no choice but to go.
Li Tielan pondered how to handle this matter without losing face while still managing to pull her daughter out of the Xiao family's mess.
Indeed, in the eyes of Li Tielan and the entire Yu family, Xiao Chengyi's marriage is a huge pitfall.
What fiancé doesn't write a letter or send a gift to his fiancée in three years?
This person clearly doesn't care. If you marry someone who is so indifferent and heartless, what kind of happiness can you expect in the future?
For the sake of my daughter's future happiness, this marriage must be called off no matter what.
Taking a deep breath, Li Tielan said to his nephew, Li Defu:
"Thank you for making the trip. I understand the situation. When your uncle comes back tonight, we'll discuss it and pick a day to go and take a look!"
"Alright then, Auntie, just remember that. I'm off!"
"Why are you leaving? You've come all this way, why don't you eat here before you go?"
"I'm not eating anymore, I still have work to do when I get back!"
Li Delong was somewhat able to sense his aunt's attitude and thoughts.
Thinking about his previous interactions with Xiao Chengyi, he still offered a few more words of advice in a tactful manner.
"Aunt, the third son of the Xiao family is quite good, and his two older brothers are also capable."
Even if he injures his leg and can no longer serve in the army, he won't have a hard life.
Li Tielan naturally knew about the Xiao family's situation; she had inquired about it before the engagement.
However, in her opinion, the eldest son of the Xiao family lived in the commune, which was not far from home, so they could help each other out.
However, the situation was different for Xiao's second son, who lived far away at the food factory. According to her inquiries, Xiao's second son often stayed at his father-in-law's house.
He's practically a live-in son-in-law, barely even close to it. He's too busy taking care of his own father-in-law to have time to help a crippled younger brother.
"I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I'll think it over carefully!"
"Then you two should discuss this properly. This is no small matter; it concerns Xiumei's entire life!"
"Okay, I understand. Don't worry!"
After seeing Li Delong off, Li Tielan fed the two chickens, then closed the gate and went out to look for her daughter.
Sure enough, she caught Yu Xiumei arguing with Qiao Lizheng by the grove behind the educated youth settlement.
"Xiumei!"
Li Tielan's sudden appearance startled the two of them. Qiao Lizheng immediately let go of Yu Xiumei's hand and subconsciously took two steps back to distance himself from her.
"Mother, how did you find your way here!"
Yu Xiumei was somewhat embarrassed and annoyed. She was just about to take things further with Lizheng when her own mother ruined her plans.
Li Tielan ignored her daughter's lament and looked directly at Qiao Lizheng.
Given the current situation, she knows what's going on without even asking; everyone has been young once.
But since my daughter let someone take advantage of her, she can't just let them take it for free.
"Qiao, the educated youth!"
"Aunt Yu! Since you have something to discuss with Xiumei, I won't disturb you any longer. You two can continue your conversation. I'll be leaving now!"
"etc!"
Qiao Lizheng frowned, a bad feeling creeping over him. Sure enough, a second later he heard Li Tielan say:
"If I'm not mistaken, Yu Zhiqing was just hugging my Xiumei, wasn't he? Are you two dating?"
"This...this...."
The scene was somewhat awkward; Qiao Lizheng hadn't expected Li Tielan to say it so casually.
Isn't she afraid of ruining her daughter's reputation? Everyone in the village knows that Yu Xiumei is already engaged.
"Qiao Zhiqing, are you just doing it but not taking responsibility? You've hugged and kissed her, are you just planning to play around and not actually marry my daughter?!"
Li Tielan frowned, somewhat displeased with Qiao Lizheng's reaction.
"As the great man said, dating without the intention of marriage is immoral. Could it be that Qiao Zhiqing was immoral?"
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