Liu Chang had long since passed the point where he wanted to share something exciting.
I called early in the morning to pick up his parents. We waited for ages in the waiting room, and when we got to the guesthouse we had booked in advance, we started picking and choosing.
Song Chao's relatives also came along. They were picky and choosy. After finally getting a different hotel, they went straight to the Civil Affairs Bureau and haven't eaten a single meal yet.
Song Chao didn't care. He kept talking about his parents. Before leaving, she gave them two hundred yuan. What more did they want?
In which family does the daughter-in-law pay money to her parents-in-law when they meet?
Feeling increasingly aggrieved, Liu Chang shook off Song Chao's hand without a word and strode ahead.
"Hey, baby, wait for me."
Song Chao slipped away and caught up with her, putting his arm around her shoulder and coaxing her.
The group entered the restaurant. Sun Lifang and her daughter walked slowly. When they arrived, Liu Chang was chatting and laughing with Song Chao, and it seemed that he had been coaxed.
Sun Lifang wasn't in a hurry. Compared to the task, she needed to fill her stomach first. Ignoring them, she directly ordered several baskets of xiaolongbao from the waiter.
"Sis, let's eat first. Song Chao, go outside and pick someone up."
Liu Chang leaned close to Sun Lifang and whispered an apology, admitting that he had promised but then changed his mind.
Sun Lifang didn't take it to heart, but inwardly admired Xiaoyan's foresight.
The steaming buns were served, emitting plumes of hot steam, and were a little too hot to handle. The chopsticks were on the other end of the bowl.
"Xiaoya, bring me some chopsticks."
Before Sun Lifang could finish speaking, Zhou Xinya had already placed the prepared sauce in front of them. She skillfully set out the chopsticks and napkins before returning to her seat, her movements refined.
Liu Chang looked at her with envy: "Sister, you're so lucky. You married well, your daughter is well-behaved, and you're still so young."
Young? Married well?
Sun Lifang had heard these kinds of things many times in her previous life, with people below her eager to flatter her. Was she just lucky?
She dared not accept that honor.
The three of them ordered too many xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and Zhou Xinya ate a lot, so Sun Lifang ordered more, totaling seven baskets of xiaolongbao.
In the end, fearing that his daughter might be overwhelmed, he didn't call out again.
Zhou Xinya had a good appetite since she was a child, which was completely different from the skinny, smoking, and drinking business manager who would later ruin her health.
Being able to eat is a blessing. Sun Lifang would rather her daughter eat more and be happy than have her eat only one meal a day to lose weight and end up with stomach problems.
There was a sound at the door; Song Chao had returned, followed by several people.
While they were sizing up Sun Lifang, Sun Lifang was also observing them.
Liu Chang just asked Sun Lifang to pretend to be his relative and put on an act in front of outsiders.
That's true. If the parents didn't even know their daughter was getting married, where would Song Chao's parents put their boasting?
"Oh, young lady, you're already eating?" The old lady said with a smile, her shrewd little eyes staring at the steamed buns in front of Liu Chang and teasing her, "City girls are different from us country girls, they're pampered and never go hungry or tired."
Other relatives chimed in, "No, it's because Song Chao is so filial that he knew to come and pick us up."
Liu Chang's brow twitched. Out of sight, out of mind, he turned to look at Sun Lifang.
Sun Lifang didn't speak when she met Liu Chang's pleading gaze.
You can't take it now? There's more to come!
"Hey Mom and Dad, what kind of filling do you want? I'll go order." After arranging seats for the relatives, Song Chao began to introduce them, "This is my eldest uncle, my eldest aunt, my great-aunt, Mom and Dad, this is Liu Chang's friend..."
"Hello, I am Liu Chang's older sister, Sun Lifang."
Sun Lifang introduced herself, showing all the proper manners; if they started arguing, she would lose.
"What? Didn't you say she was an only child?" the woman who hadn't spoken asked.
"Yeah, how come a sister suddenly appeared?" The relative slapped his thigh, pointed at Sun Lifang, and asked, "Where are your parents? Do they look down on us? Why didn't they come?"
After saying that, he muttered to himself, "They've all given birth to daughters."
Liu Chang's hand, which was holding hers, grew increasingly damp. Without thinking, Sun Lifang spoke up, "You guys don't understand, do you? In Haicheng, everyone likes daughters. I take my mother's surname, and my sister takes my father's surname. There's no difference."
"How can these be the same?"
Song Chao's parents were furious: "You promised she was an only child! Aren't you lying? This is fraud!"
Just as Liu Chang was about to explain, Sun Lifang spoke first, saying bluntly, "Are you marrying a wife or money? Let's make this clear first, our family doesn't practice the patriarchal system. The family business will be divided equally between the two of us sisters. If you're only after money, you'd better give up on that idea now."
Sun Lifang hardened her stance, intimidating the other party into silence.
Song Chao glared at her fiercely before going to comfort his parents.
Sun Lifang gave her daughter a wink, and she immediately understood, "Auntie, I need to go to the toilet."
Liu Chang was taken aback for a moment, then realized what she meant, "Oh, okay, Auntie will take you."
Sun Lifang followed him out; she couldn't believe Liu Chang didn't understand.
.
"Sister, I can't bear to part with it." Liu Chang rested her hands on the railing, lost in thought.
Sun Lifang didn't speak. As clever as Liu Chang was, she had already figured it out; she wasn't stupid.
She was too sentimental, and for the sake of her child, she still held onto a sliver of hope.
"Sister, I'll be living with Song Chao from now on, not with his parents. As long as he treats me well, isn't that enough?" She could tolerate everything else.
Sun Lifang looked at Liu Chang as if she were looking at another daughter. If she wasn't allowed to see the truth, she would never wake up.
Meanwhile, as soon as Liu Chang stepped outside, a discussion broke out inside—
"Sister Xiuchun, your daughter-in-law is something else! How dare she give you attitude? I've never seen a daughter-in-law eat before her mother-in-law. You'll be in for it later."
The woman called Xiuchun had a gloomy face. She was good at raising sons and she was very composed. She pulled her son aside and asked in a low voice, "Tell me the truth, what do we do now?"
The fact that her parents didn't come could be used as an excuse, and Xiuchun knew that the other person's elders would definitely not agree, which is why she thought of getting the marriage certificate with him. But now the situation has exceeded expectations.
The appearance of an older sister made them feel uneasy.
Song Chao also found it strange, but in the past, Liu Chang rarely talked to him about family matters in order to prevent him from feeling inferior.
He only knew that Liu Chang was rich and naive, and easy to manipulate. At this moment, his mother's question made him particularly impatient. "You don't need to worry about it. Stop asking."
Xiuchun got anxious: "What do you mean 'don't worry'? I'm telling you, getting her pregnant is the only way to be sure. I trust you, but what if Liu Chang changes her mind?"
They had nothing but trying their best to get Liu Chang pregnant.
"Alright, alright, we'll definitely get married, don't worry!"
"What are you so worried about? Let me tell you, your brother is counting on you to help build his house. You're so carefree now that you don't have the money you owe from school." Xiuchun complained, pouting her thick lips. "We got ripped off this time. They didn't investigate properly, and we made a wasted trip..."
"Mom..." Song Chao emphasized.
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