“Her parents think Hao Jianjun is honest and reliable, and has such a respectable job. Their daughter’s divorce is just making trouble for no reason.” Liu Xue sat down and picked vegetables with Wang Xiuxiu.
Knowing everyone was curious, she kept talking, "After Zhang Li returned to the compound, she had a big fight with her mother-in-law and smashed a lot of things."
Her mother-in-law wasn't afraid at all, saying that since she couldn't have children now, she'd see who wanted her. She even said that once she was gone, it would be a good opportunity to find a young wife for her son.
"When her mother-in-law was saying these things, Hao Jianjun just squatted to the side without saying a word. Zhang Li was so angry that when her parents arrived, she said she wanted a divorce."
“Her parents wouldn’t allow it. Her mother even tried to persuade her, saying how good Hao Jianjun was, that he didn’t hit people, didn’t make a sound, let her scold him, and was honest. She said Zhang Li was so ungrateful and had to make a scene, which led to the current situation.”
Xu Ruantang felt a chill run down her spine as she listened. "So if you marry someone that everyone thinks is an honest person, even if you're three parts wrong, in the end you'll be thirteen parts wrong. Because everyone thinks that this person is so honest, what more could you want?"
Wang Xiuxiu nodded in agreement, "We have a saying in our area, 'A slumped donkey can kick a person to death.'"
“That’s right,” Liu Xue continued. “Zhang Li wouldn’t listen to anything. She was only focused on getting a divorce. When her family got desperate, they finally told her the truth.”
“Her father said that if she’s going to die, she should die at the man’s house, otherwise where would their face be? She’s divorced, and her family can’t let her go back. She has nowhere to live and no food, and they can’t possibly support two freeloading granddaughters.”
After Liu Xue finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
With no road ahead and no support behind, Zhang Li had no choice but to endure.
When Wang Xiuxiu makes stir-fried chicken, she naturally needs to serve it with fragrant rice.
Liu Xue followed Wang Xiuxiu into the kitchen. One of them chopped vegetables while the other cooked rice.
Xu Ruantang and Li Shuhe were sitting in the living room, struggling with garlic peels.
Wang Xiuxiu said, "You need a lot of garlic when you stir-fry chicken, so you have to peel all of it."
While peeling garlic, Xu Ruantang asked Li Shuhe, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry to find me?"
“There’s nothing urgent.” Li Shuhe was surprisingly quiet.
Xu Ruantang stopped what she was doing, tilted her head and looked at her carefully. "Were you scared by what just happened? It's normal. I was also shocked when I heard it the first day. So you have to be careful about getting married, otherwise you won't be able to tell whether the person sleeping next to you is a human or a ghost."
Li Shuhe was amused by her, "I don't know about others, but Qingwen isn't that kind of person, it's just..."
As she spoke, a look of worry appeared on her face.
Xu Ruantang blinked. "Shen Qingwen's family is here?"
"Yes, a whole family came." Li Shuhe looked a little listless. "These past few days, I've accompanied them to dozens of tourist attractions in Beijing, big and small. In this heat, I feel like my legs have gotten thin from walking so much."
There were only two adults, Xu Ruantang and Li Shuhe, in the main room, and two children. She decided to tell them what had happened in the past few days.
It turned out that Shen Qingwen had sent a letter home, but his parents were illiterate, so it was Shen Qingwen's younger brother who read the letter.
Shen Qingwen is 23 years old this year. He has a 19-year-old younger brother and a 16-year-old wife.
What's amazing is that Shen Qingwen's father was 61 years old and his mother was 58 years old.
The large family lived in a rural area in Northwest China, tending to a tiny piece of land, and their daily lives were basically supported by Shen Qingwen's salary.
This time, he brought his whole family with him; his sister-in-law is even pregnant.
Li Shuhe was clearly downcast, but there was an incongruous sweetness on her face, making her look conflicted. "I don't really care about his family situation. Qingwen is hardworking and ambitious, and he treats me very well, that's enough for me."
Xu Ruantang peeled the garlic, waiting for her to continue.
“But yesterday, both sets of parents met, and the Shen family didn’t want to go back; they wanted to stay.” As she spoke, Li Shuhe frowned. “Qingwen’s father was trying to subtly suggest that my father help his youngest son find a job in Beijing so that the whole family could stay.”
Xu Ruantang thought to herself, "Oh wow, a phoenix man!"
"What was Shen Qingwen's attitude when his father spoke?" Xu Ruantang asked directly.
Li Shuhe turned her body toward her and said, "He had no idea his father would say such a thing. He stood up and refused right then and there, without my father even having to say anything."
Xu Ruantang nodded, "That's good, but you have to be prepared. Shen Qingwen may have to support his family for the rest of his life, and he will have to send most of his earnings back home."
Also, given his family's financial situation, they probably can't afford much in dowry. What are your parents' thoughts on this?
Li Shuhe grabbed Xu Ruantang's arm, "It's not over yet. After Qingwen refused his father's request, his father started complaining to my father, saying that he was useless in his life, could not help his son at all, and had only been a burden to his child all his life."
Xu Ruantang was speechless for a moment. "The first time the two sets of parents met, the groom's father pulled the bride's father aside and complained. Such behavior... well... how should I put it?"
Actually, the purpose of meeting was to get engaged.
Before they're even engaged, the man has already started complaining about how difficult and pathetic he is. It's hard to judge, really hard to judge.
Anyway, Xu Ruantang could see through such a simple thought at a glance, so people like Li's parents should understand it even better.
“You have no idea how bad Qingwen’s face looked back then,” Li Shuhe sighed. “Before he came, he repeatedly told his father not to say anything carelessly. His father kept telling him not to worry and that he would take care of it.”
"Then what?"
"Fortunately, my parents didn't say anything on the spot. After dinner, Qingwen even went to apologize to my parents, saying that we didn't need to pay attention to his father, as his words didn't count."
Li Shuhe moved closer to Xu Ruantang, staring at her with pitiful eyes and asking, "Ruantang, what do you think?"
Xu Ruantang retorted, "What do you think? I think it's useless. I'm not you, and I can't live your life for you."
She already had the answer in her heart, but that was her answer; Li Shuhe certainly had her own answer as well.
However, if Li Shuhe's description is accurate, there shouldn't be any major problems with Shen Qingwen as a person.
At least his values, as his knowledge increased, were not corrupted by people like his father.
Listening to Li Shuhe's description, Xu Ruantang could imagine what kind of person Shen Qingwen's father was.
She got married late and had two children at such an advanced age.
There was only one reason: his family was poor.
There's only one reason why my family was that poor.
That's laziness.
A man who is poor, lazy, and full of empty talk, who doesn't care about something as important as his son, will only be a burden to Shen Qingwen in the future.
Putting everything else aside, the first thing Li Shuhe would do after marrying into the family would definitely be to help alleviate poverty.
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