Chapter 187: How Will My Niece Hold Her Head High If She Marries Into Your Family?

Chapter 187: How Will My Niece Hold Her Head High If She Marries Into Your Family?

The more Li's Mother thought about it, the more convinced she became that this was the right thing to do. However, she had never been a decisive person and hesitantly shared this thought with her elder daughter, Li Chunhua.

Li Chunhua took charge for her mother and sister: "That's settled then!"

Li Chunhua said to the matchmaker, "Cousin Aunt, I think we'll have to trouble you once more. As you're aware, our Li family didn't force Zhan Junior to come to our home as a live-in son-in-law. But suddenly, someone came to cause trouble, saying the marriage won't work out—I believe that if it really doesn't work out, Zhan Junior should come to explain it to us personally."

As she spoke, Li Chunhua took out a dozen copper coins from her pocket and placed them in the matchmaker's hand, "Please make the trip, these coins are for your tea."

The matchmaker, clutching the coins in her palm, smiled with her eyes bent and readily agreed.

She also kept praising Li Chunhua, "You've really grown since getting married. You're going to be a great elder daughter-in-law!"

Li Chunhua smiled in response.

"You wait here, I'll go to Beimanggou to speak to Zhan Junior right away." The matchmaker was very efficient and immediately left the room, heading towards Beimanggou like a gust of wind.

Li Donghua was in a foul mood and didn't feel like talking, so she went into the inner room and lay on the kang, sulking.

Li Chunhua remembered that Xingxing had gone to Beimanggou with Wei Pozi yesterday and decided to ask Xingxing about what had happened.

Xingxing tilted her small head and thought carefully, trying to describe the situation.

The more Li Chunhua listened, the more she felt that the neighbor, surnamed Wang, must be crazy.

At noon, Li's Mother used the preserved meat and fish brought by Li Chunhua to prepare several delicious dishes. Xingxing's eyes lit up as she ate, and she turned to Li's Mother with admiration, "Grandma, you're amazing! Xingxing always thought the dishes made by Big Bertha were delicious, but now I know it's because she learned from you!"

"Oh my, what sweet words!" This compliment made Li's Mother beam with pride, her smile wide and bright. She quickly gave Xingxing several more pieces of meat, piling her small bowl high.

Xingxing obediently held her bowl and ate without needing to be fed, her table manners neat and elegant.

Li's Mother watched her with envy, "I've raised four daughters, but none of you were this well-behaved when you were young!"

Her little cheeks puffing in and out, how could she look so adorable?

Li Chunhua was also quite proud, showing off by saying, "Our Xingxing," which made her mother's eyes widen with envy.

Li Donghua finally laughed, feeling a bit lighter.

After the meal, Li Chunhua helped Li's Mother clean up the dishes, and the two women went to the kitchen together to wash them.

Not long after, the matchmaker called from outside, "Sister-in-law! I've brought someone with me!"

Li's Mother quickly dried her hands and left the kitchen with Li Chunhua.

Li Donghua had originally been playing cat's cradle with Xingxing on the kang, but hearing the noise, her expression changed slightly. She got off the kang with a scowl but hesitated before reaching the door.

She quickly said to Xingxing, "Good Xingxing, don't tell anyone I'm in the inner room."

With that, she dashed into the inner room to hide.

Xingxing, still holding the red string, blinked and set it down on the small table beside the kang, then sat quietly at the edge, waiting for the visitors to enter.

Soon, Li's Mother and Li Chunhua led the people inside.

Li's Mother saw that there was no one on the kang outside, and with a glance at the slightly opened door of the inner room, she understood what was happening.

In addition to Zhan Junior, an older member of the Zhan family had also come.

It seems to be the eldest son of the Zhan family.

Neither Li Chunhua nor Li's mother were the type to put on airs. They invited the two Zhan brothers and the matchmaker to take a seat.

Zhan family's second son, Zhan Zhicheng, looked awkward, nervously rubbing the edge of his sleeve, unsure of what to say.

Zhan family's eldest son, Zhan Zhide, was also flustered. He greeted them with "Auntie," but then didn't know how to continue.

It was Li Chunhua who spoke first. She sized up the younger one. "...You are Zhan Zhicheng, right?"

Zhan Zhicheng nodded nervously. "Yes, yes, I am."

"We called you here for a reason. We want to ask if the promised marriage can still proceed," Li Chunhua said straightforwardly.

Zhan Zhicheng's face turned red, and he nodded vigorously. "O-of course it counts."

Li Chunhua's expression softened a little. She asked again, "What about your neighbor? What does she mean?"

Zhan Zhide, the eldest, was also embarrassed. He scratched his head. "Aunt Wang has always been kind to us, but I guess she can't accept that my younger brother is becoming a son-in-law."

"Can't accept it?" Li Chunhua was even more puzzled. "Is it her place to accept or not when it comes to your family's affairs?"

Zhan Zhide gave a bitter smile.

To be honest, he also found it baffling.

Being a son-in-law was indeed not a glorious thing.

But their family had struggled for so many years. Being a son-in-law paled in comparison to not being able to afford medicine for his parents.

And how could that compare to the pain of his father dying without a proper meal?

Just as Zhan Zhide was about to say something, a voice was heard from outside. "Wait—I have something to say—"

The person burst into the Li family's courtyard, out of breath.

The matchmaker looked outside and her expression changed. "Why is Aunt Wang following us?!"

Before Li's mother and Li Chunhua could react, the woman stormed in, clearly out of breath from running.

Both Zhan Zhide and Zhan Zhicheng were dumbfounded.

Before Li's mother and Li Chunhua could say anything, the woman, after catching her breath, immediately said to the Zhan brothers, "Zhide, Zhicheng, I'm telling you, I don't agree with this marriage!"

"Why not?" Zhan Zhide was genuinely confused, his dark face showing perplexity. "Aunt Wang, what does this have to do with you?"

Aunt Wang glared at Zhan Zhide. "Aren't you worried that your father will come after you when you meet him in the afterlife?"

Zhan Zhide was puzzled. "My father still has me and my brother Zhi Xin to carry on the family line. Why would he come after me? Besides, people say it's worse to destroy a temple than to ruin a marriage. By stopping my second brother from marrying, you'll probably get a visit from my father in a dream tonight, not in a hundred years."

Aunt Wang's face turned red with anger.

"You brat!" she said impulsively. "With your family having a son-in-law, how can my niece keep her head held high if she marries into your family?!"

"Ah?"

Everyone present was shocked.

Aunt Wang, realizing she had spoken out of turn, didn't hold back and continued angrily. "You didn't know about my niece and your third brother, huh?! Your daughter-in-law ran off, and if Zhicheng becomes a son-in-law, who knows what my niece will have to go through when she marries into your family?!"