Hua Guangzong also thought of this. They would rush to settle Zhian in the county town and even let him take over the old woman's job, because they didn't want him to go back to Kaoshantun.
The jewelry that the old woman has hidden is now a potential source of trouble; I'm afraid it might be exposed one day.
I thought that I had nothing to do with Kaoshantun anymore and that some things would be forgotten. But now that Xie Lanqiao is involved, no matter how long it goes on, Zhian will inevitably be implicated.
“You tell me…” Hua Guangzong pointed at Hua Zhian, so angry he could barely speak. This kid was the most troublesome one.
Hua Zhian was filled with regret. How could things have gotten to this point?
"Make a decision quickly," Hua Zhiping said, exasperated. He wondered who Zhi'an took after in terms of personality, and what was the head on his neck for? Was it just for decoration?
Previously, Zhou Xiaolan was addressed affectionately as "Sister Zhou" or "Little Sister Zhou." Now, there's a friend here who treats her like a younger sister. What's going on here?
If they really find out, then he'll be nothing but an exile, and he won't be able to escape his crimes.
"It's understandable to say that this unfamiliar girl is a distant relative for now, but if she stays in our house for a long time, the rumors and gossip will be enough to make us suffer."
But since they've come all this way, you can't just kick them out like that.
"It's alright for you, a grown man, but she's an innocent girl; her reputation can't be ruined by you."
Hua Zhian was at a loss, never expecting things to be so serious. He could only look to the old man for help, "No, I don't know what to do either. Grandpa, what do you suggest?"
"###," the old man cursed repeatedly, "You've caused trouble, and now we have to clean up your mess."
"What can we do? There are only two options: apologize sincerely and send them back politely."
You've saved some money from your work these past few months, but now you've lost everything you had. I'll ask your grandma to give you another two hundred yuan, and you can give it to the other party as our family's apology.
I wonder if this girl will face even more gossip when she gets back. You caused all this trouble, but you're making some young girl bear the consequences.
Upon hearing Hua Guangzong's words, Hua Zhian felt deeply ashamed. He knew that Lan Qiao had been given a bad reputation because of him, and he knew some of the local customs. He was sure that the gossipy women would say some very hurtful things, making it difficult for her to find a partner when she returned home. The thought of such consequences made him uneasy.
With difficulty, he asked, "What about the second method?"
Hua Guangzong said, "Let's acknowledge this marriage. You should go to the factory to get the certificate, take a long leave, and go to the Xie family to propose marriage."
Hua Zhian hesitated. He had his own hopes for the future. His family had introduced him to so many potential partners, all of whom were better than Xie Lanqiao in terms of appearance.
Xie Lanqiao also has her strengths. She is sweet-looking and poised, which makes her very popular with older people. Seeing how she gets along with her grandmother, they believe that if they were to form a family together, there would be fewer conflicts in the family in the future.
However, since she was not a town resident, which meant there was no supply, the responsibility on his shoulders became much greater.
The current salary is enough to support two people, but what about the future? Once we have children, the elderly in the family can't keep subsidizing them.
He admitted that he was realistic and considered things more deeply.
Little did he know that his dilemma would disappoint Hua Guangzong.
You can tell what a child you raised is thinking in the blink of an eye.
It doesn't seem like much usually, but when something really happens, this kid can be quite selfish.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of finding someone to rely on when he was sent to the countryside. When his family told him to return to the city, he only made a brief excuse before immediately agreeing.
The job was originally supposed to be Xiao Guai's, but now it fell on him, which made the old man feel a little uncomfortable.
Seeing that he didn't answer for a long time, I knew he was weighing the pros and cons.
Hua Guangzong sighed, put his hands behind his back, and walked out of the room. Hua Zhiping wanted to follow, but in the end he stayed behind.
"I don't know what you're thinking, hesitating for so long." The two were brothers, but he wouldn't make the decision for Zhi'an. "Compensation or just settling the marriage directly, you choose one."
According to Hua Zhiping, it was not easy for her to travel so far to come here, and they also saw that she was a really nice and simple girl. If Zhian missed her, he didn't know if he would regret it later.
Tian Guihua had subtly inquired about most of the girl's family and life. Her family was large, and it had taken a lot of effort to persuade them to make this trip.
Xie Lanqiao had originally wanted to arrange for someone to accompany her, but she refused.
The round-trip fare is not low, and she has already placed such a heavy burden on her family. If another person were to be added, the family simply could not afford it.
She's only ever been impulsive this once in her life, and she's already made the worst-case scenario plan. She's even found out the time for her return trip. If all else fails, she'll just have to spend the night at the station and catch the early bus back tomorrow morning.
This decisive approach caught Tian Guihua's attention, and she grew to like his personality more and more.
Everyone has been young, but not everyone can do this. Even Tian Guihua hesitated again and again when faced with such a choice.
“You silly child, if that silly boy isn’t lucky, we’ll be relatives from now on, and Grandma will accept you as her granddaughter.” Tian Guihua comforted her, while also making a decision in her heart: if Hua Zhian wasn’t lucky, she would accept him as her granddaughter.
When she came to visit her godparents, even if the villagers wanted to gossip, they would have to think twice.
Xie Lanqiao was deeply moved. Before coming, she had made many preparations, thinking that she might be met with all sorts of difficulties or disrespect, but she did not expect to receive so much warmth as soon as they met.
Grandma Hua is a really good person. She's not like what people say, that city people are all high and mighty and look down on country folk.
Looking at the food on the table, she felt a little lost. There was fish and meat; they wouldn't dare eat like this even during the New Year.
Seeing that Tian Guihua was about to fry the fish, Xie Lanqiao quickly stopped her, "Grandma Hua, this is already a lot of food, we can't make any more."
"These are the fish your Grandpa Hua just caught. It's so hot, they'll spoil if we don't cook them."
Don't worry, those guys are like bottomless pits, they can never be filled no matter how much you put in them.
That's one good thing about our place; it's convenient to eat fish.
"I heard Brother Zhian mention before that he had already seen many rivers and lakes on his way here. Does no one care about fishing here?" Xie Lanqiao said with some envy. Although the fish had a fishy smell, it was still meat.
If the villagers wanted to eat some fish, they could only sneakily catch a few from the streams.
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