Chapter 32 A woman who can always regain power, she knew...
“He is indeed 1.8 meters tall,” Zhong Ying said, then added, “but you can’t help it, he’s 1.8 meters tall on one foot and 1.7 meters on the other.”
Zhong Ni and her semi-transparent mother behind her both changed their expressions drastically.
“The matchmaker said he always had a smile,” Zhong Ying said. “I saw him from afar, and he did have a smile, but it was a bit creepy. Being disabled, it’s inevitable that he’s psychologically different from ordinary people, with things like low self-esteem and melancholy…”
Cao Fang and Zhong Ni learned the true situation of the good young man the matchmaker had described.
Zhong Ying also learned from her mother, Deng Xia, the reason for her hasty departure from Lawangou that day. It turned out that He Baoqin wanted Zhong Ying to marry her youngest son, Yang Yongchang, in order to compete with her eldest daughter-in-law. "I treated you like a good sister, but you used my daughter as a pawn. No wonder Deng Xia turned on you on the spot."
Li Linshi finally understood that Zhong Ying was just helping her cousin inquire about the young man by the river that day. As for the one who was with her at the time, although he had impure intentions, he had already been rejected by Zhong Ying's mother.
After hearing Zhong Ying's words, Zhong Ni's face turned pale, almost as pale as her mother Cao Fang's.
"Cousin, what... what should I do?" Zhong Ni panicked. "Even if I talk to my dad, he won't listen to me. He'll just accuse me of worrying about things that aren't my business. Marriage is a major life event decided by my parents. How can I decide whether I want to or not..."
"My dear niece, what should we do?" Cao Fang was so anxious she was about to cry. "Should I deliberately sabotage things when the man comes to visit? Maybe make them think the marriage is not going well and they'll call it off?"
Zhong Ying looked at them and pondered for a long time.
Zhong Ni couldn't help but call out anxiously, "Cousin?"
“My dear niece,” Cao Fang said, “is there really no way to resolve this?”
“Oh,” Zhong Ying came to her senses, “It’s not like there’s no way out. You can’t speak up at home, but you still have your brother, right? Zhong Ni, call your brother over, I’ll persuade him, cough, I’ll have a good talk with him.”
Zhong Ni immediately responded happily.
Cao Fang stayed where she was and asked Zhong Ying, "Niece, do you think it's wrong for me to interfere and deliberately trip someone up? I was thinking that since the underworld officials only said not to let ghosts kill people, if I don't kill them, it shouldn't count, right..."
“No, that’s not what I was thinking about. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I think your idea is good, Auntie. We can give it a try,” Zhong Ying said. “I was just thinking that women have no say at this time. Power is in the hands of men. Even I can’t say anything. I can only try to achieve my goal by using another man.”
Cao Fang was confused. "Hasn't it always been like this?"
Zhong Ying shook her head and took a step forward.
No, it won't always be like this. Women will always reclaim power; she knows that, she's seen it before.
So... Zhong Ying's current mood can only be described as "frustrated".
Looking at her back, Li Linshi sensed a melancholy in her for the first time.
——
Zhong Shuanzhu stormed home, taking the initiative as his cousin had suggested, and questioned his father, Zhong Qiushou, "Dad, do you know that the young man the matchmaker mentioned last time is a cripple?"
Zhong Qiushou was surprised, "A cripple? Where did you hear that?"
His cousin had already practiced this problem with him: don't try to prove yourself, ask him questions first.
"This is something you could easily find out by asking around, how come you don't know?" Zhong Shuanzhu asked angrily. "Is my sister really your daughter? Why don't you care at all? No way, this marriage can't go through!"
"Why can't it be?!" Zhong Qiushou's face darkened as he scolded his son, "Do you know how much the bride price is? Sixty! That's enough for you to marry twice! With that money, in a couple of years you can not only find a good match, but also renovate the house!"
A flicker of temptation crossed Zhong Shuanzhu's young face, but he quickly remembered the blow his cousin had given him to the arm. He touched the still throbbing spot and snapped back to reality. "That won't do! Sixty yuan is a buyout of my sister's good life for the rest of her days!"
His cousin said that if his sister Zhong Ni doesn't have a good life in the future, Zhong Ying and Zhong Shuanzhu will be like Zhong Chunsheng and Zhong Qiushou today, and the younger generation will also turn against each other and never have anything to do with each other again.
On one side of the scale was his father, and on the other side were his sister, his cousin, and behind his cousin were his second uncle, second aunt, cousin, cousin's wife, cousin's brother, nephew... Zhong Shuanzhu was a bit naive, but he could distinguish between what was important and what was not, and knew how to choose.
Zhong Shuanzhu didn't want to become like his father, someone with few family ties. "I only have one sister; I can only be well if she's doing well!"
Zhong Qiushou was furious, "How dare you, a mere child, meddle in this kind of thing?"
He pointed at Zhong Ni, who was carrying bowls, chopsticks, and food into the room, and shouted angrily, "Did you instruct your brother to make such a scene? Don't you have any shame? Marriages have always been decided by our parents. Who ever goes around asking around?"
Zhong Ni turned pale with fright. After putting the food on the table, she hid in a corner of the room and silently shed tears.
My cousin is amazing! Zhong Shuanzhu marveled inwardly; his father's every reaction had been anticipated.
"As a man who can speak up at home, just like your father, your only disadvantage is that you're too young, but... who says a disadvantage will always be a disadvantage?"
Zhong Shuanzhu roared, "I said no, and that's final! When the matchmaker arrives with that cripple, I'll chase them all out with a broom!"
Zhong Qiushou was both shocked and furious. He had never seen his son act so unruly and outrageous. It is said that children without mothers mature early. His daughter, Zhong Ni, was obedient and well-behaved, and she was the same with her younger brother. He really did not expect that his son, who had been honest for sixteen years, would suddenly act like an ignorant child.
Zhong Qiu grabbed a broom from the wall and said, "I'll beat you up with this broom first!"
As Zhong Shuanzhu dodged around the room, he shouted, "You're going to marry my sister off to a cripple for a dowry of sixty yuan? The whole production team will laugh at us! You may not care about your reputation, but I do!"
It was lunchtime, and Li Ming's family at the village entrance were also preparing to finish their meal.
"Captain! Captain, you'd better hurry! Boss Zhong and his son Shuanzhu are fighting again!"
Li Ming clenched his chopsticks tightly, trying to suppress his anger.
Yesterday Liu Qiang beat his son, and today Zhong Laoda got into a fight with his son. One after another, do they have nothing better to do than attract maggots and have to cause trouble?
Li Ming put down his chopsticks, not caring about eating, and resignedly walked out.
When they arrived at Old Master Zhong's house, Li Ming frowned and pressed down on Zhong Qiushou, who was panting and still wanted to hit his son. "Alright, stop chasing. You've been chasing for so long, are you really going to land a few hits? With your old arms and legs, how can you outrun a young man?"
Zhong Qiushou was a little embarrassed.
Li Ming asked the father and son, "What happened?"
Zhong Shuanzhu spoke first, "My father is greedy for money! He wants to marry my sister off to a cripple for a dowry of sixty yuan!"
The people who had gathered at the door to watch the commotion sighed upon hearing this.
"My goodness! This old hag is selling her daughter!"
"Zhong Ni is such a good girl, how could she marry a cripple? Isn't that ruining her life?"
"This isn't like the old days when we were so poor we couldn't even afford to eat. Why are you still selling your daughter? It's truly shameful..."
Hearing the gossip outside the door, Zhong Qiushou felt his face burning. He thought bitterly, "My eldest brother is not talking about my second brother. If it were someone from our family who was willing to offer a dowry of sixty yuan to propose marriage, I don't believe these people wouldn't be tempted!"
But at this moment, Zhong Qiushou still had to put on a brave face and retort, "I didn't know! When the matchmaker Wang came to the door, she didn't say he was a cripple!"
“You don’t know? You didn’t even bother to ask around. I’m just a kid, I could easily find out by asking around!” Zhong Shuanzhu shouted.
"Alright!" Li Ming shouted with a stern face, his head throbbing from the noise from the father and son.
This family only has a father and no mother, and it's no good if it becomes a one-man show. Li Ming thought for a moment and said to Zhong Ni, who was still wiping away tears in the corner, "Ni'er, your mother is gone, and the only female elder left is Zhong Lao Er's wife. Go and call your aunt. Your father is not a reasonable person, and your marriage cannot be decided by him alone."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Ni seemed to see a glimmer of hope. She nodded heavily, quickly wiped away her tears, and ran outside.
When Zhong Ni came to her door, Deng Xia was unwilling to get involved in that old man's business, but she couldn't resist her daughter's constant whispers in her ear.
“Mother, this is a rare opportunity to make things difficult for him in a justifiable way.” Zhong Ying lowered her voice, feeling like a wicked woman who was manipulating people and using them as pawns. “Besides, you’re going there to uphold justice. Think about it, if you don’t go and let that old man make his own decisions, won’t he really marry Zhong Ni off to that cripple?”
Zhong Ying sighed, "He got another sixty yuan in betrothal gifts, and he has a daughter to feed even in hardship. Doesn't that mean he can live a life of luxury all by himself?"
Upon hearing this, Deng Xia exclaimed, "No way!" Seeing the person she hated so much living a good life was more painful for her than her own miserable life!
"Don't worry, Ni'er, your aunt will definitely not let your father marry you off so easily!" Deng Xia said firmly.
Zhong Ni looked at Deng Xia with gratitude, and then looked at Zhong Ying behind her with gratitude.
Zhong Ying nodded to her, concealing her accomplishment. The final step of her plan was complete. With her mother around, Old Man Zhong's "good deed" would not succeed.
"Mom, I'm going too!" Zhong Ying excitedly followed Deng Xia, wanting to go and see the excitement. What's the point of being slapped in the face? It's much more satisfying to see it with your own eyes!
Deng Xia, who had always given in to her daughter's every whim, refused this time, saying, "Why are you, an unmarried girl, getting involved in this kind of thing?"
Zhong Ying pouted unhappily. She had figured it out: in this day and age, men came first, married women came last, and unmarried girls had the least say.
Deng Xia strode into Zhong Qiushou's house, while Zhong Ying could only sneak into the crowd at the door to watch the excitement.
Li Linshi arrived earlier than her. Taking advantage of the fact that no one could see him, he went straight into the house and stood in the front row of the courtyard of Old Master Zhong's house to watch the events unfold as Zhong Ying had predicted.
Li Ming originally intended to call Deng Xia over so that, as a female elder, she could offer some advice to Zhong Laoda from the woman's perspective. However, upon arriving, Deng Xia immediately began to berate him.
"You, Zhong Qiushou! My poor sister-in-law gave birth to five children for you, and only these two survived. You don't treat them well at all. Now you're willing to marry off your daughter for sixty yuan, regardless of what kind of person the man is. You've eaten the flesh and blood of the mother and are now eating the daughter!"
Deng Xia said viciously, and started cursing Zhong Laoda, "You heartless beast, aren't you afraid that your husband will come back to haunt you after taking that money!"
Cao Fang, who was floating in the room, blinked. She had indeed not been reincarnated, and she had indeed come to see this old man quite often these days.
Li Ming closed his eyes in anguish. He should be in the field, not here.
"From now on, I, as your aunt, will take care of Ni'er's affairs! You hurry up and find a matchmaker to rescind this marriage! If anyone proposes marriage again, Shuanzhu, just go and call me." Deng Xia put her hands on her hips and gave orders with a rather imposing air.
Zhong Shuanzhu nodded with bright eyes and responded loudly, "Yes!"
Deng Xia then turned to Zhong Qiushou and said, "You old fool, you'd better give up on your little schemes. You haven't properly raised two children in a day. Everyone in the production team knows that Ni'er has been both a father and a mother to her younger brother. Even if someone comes to propose marriage and is willing to pay a dowry, Ni'er will take that money to live on! You won't get a single penny!"
Zhong Qiushou glared, "This is my family's business, it's none of your concern—"
Li Ming interrupted impatiently, "Zhong Lao Er's wife was a bit blunt, but she wasn't wrong. That's how it'll be done. I and the people at the door are all witnesses. Ni'er doesn't have a mother, so it's reasonable for her, as her aunt, to make the decision. We'll go and settle the marriage tomorrow. Why should a perfectly good girl marry a cripple? Are there no good young men in our production team?"
Zhong Qiushou was somewhat intimidated by the captain's cold face. Even though he was still a little resentful, he had no choice but to agree.
Zhong Ni, unable to hide her excitement, shook hands with her younger brother Shuanzhu. They had succeeded!
Seeing that the matter was settled, Li Ming left Old Master Zhong's house and waved to the onlookers at the door, "Everyone, disperse, go do what you were doing!"
The crowd dispersed, and Liu Hongyan caught up with her husband. Seeing that his expression was still displeased, she asked curiously, "Wasn't the matter resolved?"
Li Ming was frustrated and distressed. "Mediating family disputes and resolving marital and family conflicts should be the job of the women's team leader. Now, every time someone has a problem, they come to me to mediate!"
Liu Hongyan knew him well. Li Ming was hardworking, reliable, and capable. As the production team leader, he was more than responsible in leading his team in production. But asking him to mediate family disputes or act as a judge of personal relationships was asking too much of him. Men are generally less patient and compassionate than women.
“I told you two years ago to elect a women’s team leader to share some of the work, but you didn’t listen?” Liu Hongyan said.
Li Ming turned to look at her with a stern face. "It's not that I'm not listening, I'm just asking you, who should I choose?"
"Zhong Lao Er's wife is certainly shrewish, but her mouth is too sharp. She starts cursing right away. It's a miracle she didn't throw herself into a fire like hot oil; we'd be lucky if she didn't escalate the situation."
"If we make Fan Wu's wife the women's team leader, she'll be so arrogant, acting like she owns the place. She'll be showing off in front of Zhong Lao Er's family all the time!"
"The third son's wife's entire focus was on her only son, Changgui. Now that Changgui is gone, she has lost her pillar of support."
"Don't ask around. She just listens to the commotion from the sidelines, and she's never satisfied until she's heard enough."
"Liu Qiang's daughter-in-law is indecisive when something happens. Expect her to uphold justice? She'll panic first!"
"Third Aunt, everyone respects her, but I'm afraid that if we argue, people might accidentally push her over in the heat of the moment. She's so old; we can't afford to let her fall."
Li Ming counted the older women in the production team, then looked at his wife, "And you, you're good at saying soft words, but not hard words."
Liu Hongyan wanted to refute, but she was powerless to do so. Old Li had played the bad cop so many times that she had gotten used to playing the good cop to appease people.
"Further down the line, how many of the young wives can shoulder this responsibility? They're either pregnant or taking care of their families, they simply can't spare the time." Li Ming shook his head. As for the unmarried girls in the production team, in his eyes they weren't women at all, just children, and even less capable of handling anything.
Li Ming sighed, "She has to be fearless and willing to take the lead; quick-witted and able to come up with clever solutions; assertive but reasonable, so that people will respect her when she handles things... Where do you think I can find such a person to be the women's team leader?"
Liu Hongyan thought about it carefully, and couldn't think of a wife in the entire Tonggan production team who matched her. She shook her head and said, "Then you'll just have to endure it. There will be fewer of these kinds of things when the autumn harvest comes and the farming season starts."
Li Ming sighed again, "It's better to be busy."
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Author's note: Li Ming: (with a wry smile) Busy, being busy is good.
These chapters about everyday family life are setting the stage for the female lead's career development.
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