Upon hearing Li Xue's words, Zhao Lan and Wang Lai didn't dare to breathe. They were terrified that, as she said, they would be locked up and never come out again.
At this moment, the villagers who were watching gradually realized that the Shen family was no longer the impoverished household that was once run by a widow named Zhao Meiyun, who led three young children to beg everywhere and was looked down upon by others.
Their eldest son, Chen Ci, is a son-in-law who married into the family. But now he's willing to bring his wife and son home. I heard that the oil shop in town is owned by his family, and business is booming.
The second son, Shen Ying, served in the army for six or seven years, rising from an unknown soldier to the position of battalion commander. Not only that, he also married a woman from the Jiang family.
Although that woman had been lazy and good-for-nothing for many years, abusing her children and getting entangled with educated youth sent to the countryside, she suddenly became the manager of a clothing store and even had connections with a large factory like Qingyun in the city.
As the youngest daughter in the family, Shen Wan was much weaker than her two older brothers. She was uneducated and timid. She was even kicked out of the house by Shen Ying's wife and sent to the city to work and pay off debts.
Surprisingly, she married into a wealthy and powerful family. Judging from how her sister-in-law defended her just now, you can tell how much her future in-laws value her.
As they watched them head towards Shen Ying's self-built villa, the villagers scattered in all directions. They whispered amongst themselves.
"I can't meddle with those women anymore and watch the Shen family's troubles. If I really anger them, my whole family will probably suffer."
"That's right, Comrade Zhang Xinhua, you should use your brain! If something happens to your husband's job, your whole family will starve!"
Some people tried to persuade her, but for the first time, the woman did not defend herself and huddled in a corner, remaining silent.
After the crowd dispersed, Wang Lai helped Zhao Lan up from the ground without saying a word. The old lady watched as a row of luxury cars drove towards her sister's house, and, not daring to do anything further, she took her son and left without looking back.
In front of the two-story house, Shen Ying was the first to stop. He opened the gate wide, and Zhao Meiyun, who was inside, nervously took small steps out, asking anxiously:
"Has your aunt left yet? Has she continued to say bad things about Wanwan?"
Then I saw many cars parked at the entrance, all loaded with expensive and high-quality goods, which piqued my curiosity:
"Does Shen Ying receive any benefits from the military?"
Her two daughters-in-law, Shi Shumei and Jiang Yu, supported her on either side, exchanging a smile. Jiang Yu slowly spoke:
"Weren't you worried about Wanwan? Well, Comrade Li Xianxue has brought his parents to our house to propose marriage."
Before Zhao Meiyun could react, a couple with gray hair, rosy complexions, and an exceptionally elegant appearance got out of the car.
Their parents bore a striking resemblance to Li Xianxue and Li Xue, making them easily identifiable as the siblings. They surveyed the small house, showering the two brothers, Shen Ying and Shen Ci, who were there to greet them, with unreserved praise:
"This house is really beautiful."
"No, no."
Shen Ying smiled modestly and invited the two inside. Li Xianxue went to the courtyard first, took Shen Wan's hand, and introduced them to their parents. Then, a large group of people entered the house. Some were making tea, others were preparing dishes; it was quite a lively scene.
There were people unloading goods outside, and the yard was packed full of people, with no place to even step.
Upon hearing the noise, Shen Suisui led her two younger brothers downstairs and, while the adults were talking, ran to the yard to check on the chickens and ducks.
Seeing this, Jiang Yu called the children back and politely addressed the elders. Li Xue took out the red envelopes she had prepared beforehand and, after some tugging and pulling with the woman, handed them out.
Shen Ci was about to take Shi Shumei to town to order groceries when Li Xianxue stopped him, saying that his family had brought their own food. He then went outside to get some cooked food.
With the young people in the family bustling about, the meal was quickly served. As they ate and chatted, they finally decided to hold the wedding at the end of this month.
Zhao Meiyun could see how much the elderly couple valued Shen Wan, and she was naturally happy. She readily agreed, saying that all she needed to do during this time was prepare the dowry.
Shortly after lunch, the Li family returned home. Shi Shumei and Shen Wan cleaned up the mess, and after seeing off the guests, Jiang Yu said goodbye to her aunt and sister-in-law and planned to go to the provincial capital to continue attending Mr. Gong Sheng's classes.
Otherwise, if Su Yujing were left there alone and someone with ulterior motives were to spread rumors, it would be a huge embarrassment to Qingyun.
Shen Ying did not object anymore. After all, the two had a good relationship now, and with his younger sister's marriage settled, his usually cold face gradually softened.
He even suggested taking the woman to the station, or better yet, to her destination.
Jiang Yu did not refuse. The two walked in silence until they were almost at their stop, when the man finally spoke:
"Bai Qin's stepmother is clearly a difficult woman to deal with. Try to avoid direct conflict with her. If you need to talk to Bai Qin about something, don't think it's too much trouble; safety comes first."
The woman nodded and boarded the bus. The bus started moving, and as their vision blurred and the distance between them increased, so too did their distance grow.
After seeing Jiang Yu off, the man went to the military base. He wanted to ask the veterans who had interacted with Commander Bai, hoping to find something in the small details.
In the provincial capital: After getting off the bus, Jiang Yu went straight to the hotel that Su Yujing had booked. Upon seeing her, Luo Zewen still displayed the same enthusiasm he would show in the workplace.
Jiang Yu chose to ignore it and turned to ask Su Yujing about his classes over the past few days. The man gave a brief description and said:
“Mr. Gong Sheng asks me every day when you’re coming back. To be honest, I don’t know. Jiang Yu, he really values you. How far Qingyun can go depends on you.”
Su Yujing's words were not an exaggeration. After all, apart from Jiang Yu, no one else had ever won Mr. Gong Sheng's favor.
The woman nodded, indicating that she understood. Just as she was about to ask if there was any news about Bai Qin, the ignored Luo Zewen spoke up obsequiously:
"President Jiang, the young master of the Bai family calls President Su almost every few hours, just to find out when you will be back. He seems afraid that you will never come back."
"If I may be so bold as to ask, do you owe him money?"
"No."
Jiang Yu didn't talk much about the Bai family, and Su Yujing could tell, so she changed the subject:
"It's getting late. Have dinner and get some rest. Tomorrow is the last day of classes."
Jiang Yu nodded, but before she could sit down in the dining area, Bai Qin rushed in, looking very nervous.
Luo Zewen spread his hands, looking as if he wouldn't believe him even if I told him; at that moment, silence spoke louder than words.
"Sister, something terrible has happened. That woman, Yin Yali, has surrounded the house with a lot of people."
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