Chapter 104 Bride Snatching

Chapter 104: Wedding Crashers

When Big Chen’s mother, accompanied by Second Chen’s family, burst in like a whirlwind, Big Chen and Xie Xinyue were in the midst of toasting their guests.

With so many people coming and going on the wedding day, no one initially noticed Second Chen’s family.

It was Xie Xinyi who first spotted Big Chen’s mother hurrying up behind Big Chen.

“Big Chen!”

Just as Xie Xinyi was about to alert Big Chen, his mother cut her off, shouting, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Her voice was loud and accusatory. The moment she spoke, everyone present froze.

On such a joyous occasion, an uninvited group had barged in. Despite the festive wedding decorations everywhere, they still posed such a question. One guest, unfamiliar with Big Chen’s mother, retorted, “What does it look like? A wedding, of course!”

The man chuckled, assuming Big Chen’s mother and her entourage were there to offer congratulations. Instead of showing any delight, however, she stepped forward, yanked Big Chen, who was holding the bride’s hand, and demanded again, “Getting married? Your real fiancée is right here! Who are you marrying?”

With that, she pulled a woman standing behind Second Chen forward.

Xie Xinyue took a closer look.

Well, well, another one!

She wondered where Big Chen’s mother kept finding these women. Not long ago, she had sent one packing, and now, in such a short time, here was another.

She scrutinized the woman standing before Big Chen.

Dressed in red from head to toe—red clothes, red pants, a large red flower pinned in her hair, and her face powdered and rouged—she was done up like a bride. Pushed forward by Big Chen’s mother, she kept her head bowed and avoided making eye contact.

Clearly, she was another timid woman dragged into this.

Unlike the one Xie Xinyue had sent away before, this woman seemed utterly devoid of agency—not only pitifully timid but possibly mute as well.

Big Chen glanced at his mother, then at the meek woman, and asked, “What kind of stunt are you pulling on my wedding day?”

“What am I pulling?” Big Chen’s mother shot back loudly, a stark contrast to Big Chen’s quiet tone. “My son is getting married without inviting his own mother, and he’s even marrying the wrong person! I’m here to bring you the real bride. What else would I be doing?”

“Exactly, Big Brother, how can you talk to Mom like that?” Second Chen chimed in, chewing on a chicken foot he’d grabbed from a table. He joined Big Chen’s mother in berating Big Chen.

The mother-son duo were tag-teaming—one listing Big Chen’s faults upfront, the other eating and backing her up from behind—exactly like their scene at the hospital. Xiao Jiang couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “Shameless parasites.”

Big Chen’s mother and Second Chen were utterly shameless. Not only did they show up unannounced, but they also brought a woman dressed as a bride. Then, pointing at Xie Xinyi’s older sister, they yelled, “You knew Big Chen already had a fiancée back home, yet you still shamelessly pursued my son!”

“Since ancient times, marriage has been decided by parents and matchmakers. I don't even know you. What kind of wedding is this? I’m telling you, I don’t approve of this marriage.”

After Big Chen’s mother finished berating Xie Xinyue, Second Chen added, “Yeah, we don’t approve!”

The Chen mother and son were putting on quite a show, and within moments, they had swayed some of the uninformed onlookers.

“What’s going on? Why are there two brides?”

“Didn’t you hear what they said? That quiet one is the fiancée the Chen family arranged for Big Chen back home. As for this one…”

People followed the speaker's gaze and looked at Xie Xinyue, who had been smiling calmly at Mother Chen.

“…She seems to be the one Big Chen met at work.”

“Two fiancées? Big Chen, a divorced man with kids, has such good luck with women?”

As Mother Chen spoke while putting a red veil on the bewildered woman, some in the crowd began to question Xie Xinyue's “status.”

“Look, they even brought out the red veil. Could it be that she really is, as Big Chen's mother said, someone throwing herself at him?”

Today was Big Chen's wedding day, and many neighbors had gathered at the door, eager to catch a glimpse of the bride.

A divorced man with three children had found an unmarried woman, much younger than him, and everyone had been speculating whether the bride had lost her mind. But as it turned out, she wasn’t the only one who seemed to be out of her mind.

On one side, Mother Chen pulled out the woman, insisting that she was the rightful daughter-in-law of the Chen family, recognized by the family, and refusing to acknowledge anyone else. On the other side, Big Chen, provoked and unable to lay a hand on his own mother, yanked the duck leg right out of Second Chen’s grip and punched him in the forehead. Then, turning to Mother Chen, he said slowly and clearly, "My marriage is not for anyone to decide, and certainly not for anyone to approve!"

His voice was louder than Mother Chen’s, and his attitude was firmer.

The Chen family drama left the neighbors stunned. Seeing Big Chen pull the bride protectively behind him, as if afraid Mother Chen might harm her, he stood firmly in front of Xie Xinyue, shielding her completely.

Mother Chen was livid. Just as she was about to make a grab for the girl, Big Chen anticipated her move, stepping back to avoid her outstretched hand.

Unable to reach her, she punched Big Chen hard in the chest and pointed at Xie Xinyue, shouting, "You shameless, crippled bitch—"

*Slap!*

Just as Mother Chen began her tirade, and everyone assumed the Xie family would stay silent to keep the peace, a sharp slap cut through the noise.

The move was too fast and too loud. Not only were the stunned neighbors caught off guard, but Mother Chen was also left speechless, unable to react for a long moment.

The surroundings fell silent as Xie Xinyue stood calmly beside Big Chen, rubbing her hand, and said to Mother Chen boldly, "Try saying that again?"

The wind carried her threat to everyone’s ears.

Her voice was gentle, but her attitude was unmistakable.

With a stern face, she swept a disdainful gaze over the stunned Mother Chen, the flabbergasted Second Chen, Second Chen's incredulous wife, and those who had earlier questioned her status.

Without waiting for anyone to react, she turned and went inside to retrieve the marriage certificate.

"Take a good look. Let me say it again: I, Xie Xinyue, am Big Chen's rightful wife, recognized by the state, no theft, no robbery!"

She added, "If anyone dares to talk nonsense again, I might just shut their mouths for them."

The neighbors stared at the girl who didn't even glance sideways, and after a moment of stunned silence, they scattered like startled animals, quickly leaving this messy situation.

Nearby, Xie Xinyi, who had stepped forward and raised her hand, quietly lowered it and exchanged a relieved look with her younger sister, who had rolled up her sleeves.

Thankfully, their older sister was like them, someone who settled scores on the spot and never waited until the next day.

When they heard Mother Chen insult their older sister, the younger sister had rolled up her sleeves, ready to step in, but their older sister, Xie Xinyue, being more composed, signaled with her eyes for them not to act rashly, otherwise she would have stolen her thunder.

The younger sister patted her chest, relieved that she and her second sister hadn't acted before their older sister.

Xie Xinyi lowered her hand and looked at her older sister with admiration for both slapping someone and threatening them with words.

Luckily, she wasn't one to swallow insults. That slap just now was totally the Xie sisters' way. She nodded approvingly, while Gu Yu nearby seemed accustomed to her ways.

When she stepped forward, he didn't say anything, and when she raised her hand, he didn't stop her. Instead, he kept a close watch on Mother Chen and Second Chen's every move, having her back.

The Xie family stood united, and Big Chen was fiercely protective of his wife.

Seeing that Xie Xinyue was completely unafraid of his mother and even produced their marriage certificate to shut the old woman up, he jumped in to back her up.

"Xie Xinyue is my lawful wedded wife. I'm making this clear right now—if anyone dares to speak ill of her in the future, no matter who it is, don’t blame me for being rude!"

"That’s right! From now on, if anyone says anything bad about our mom, our dad will knock their teeth out!"

Da Ya lifted her chin, egging her dad on while shooting a glance at Second Chen.

It was clear who the father and daughter were referring to.

Second Chen, looking at the furious pair and then at his mother, who was covering her face, too stunned to speak, felt an urge to flee.

"I... I... I didn’t say anything about her. She’s not your wife..."

He muttered under his breath, only to be thumped on the head by his mother, who had finally snapped out of her daze.

"You idiot."

After scolding her second son, the mother turned back to Xie Xinyue and yelled, "How dare you hit me? Just you wait—I’ll tear that scheming little fox apart today..."

The old woman was so enraged she could hardly breathe. Never in her life had she been slapped in the face by a junior in front of so many people. She took a big step toward Xie Xinyue.

Inhaling deeply, she raised her hand, counting silently—one, two, three—ready to strike back. But it felt like she had hit something hard.

"Ouch, my hand..."

She cried out in pain. Second Chen looked up and realized what had happened.

Holy cow—his mother had slapped his elder brother’s arm instead. Her intended target, Xie Xinyue, stood safely behind Big Chen, completely unharmed and even smiling.

Second Chen glanced at his mother, who was still groaning in pain, then at his stone-faced brother. He almost laughed but held back under his mother’s fierce glare.

"Mom, are you okay?" he asked with concern, stepping forward. But after seeing her red and swollen hand, he turned to criticize Big Chen. "You idiot, Big Chen! How could you do this to our mom?"

What was it about this new wife that he would defy his own mother like this? Didn’t he realize that with his big, sturdy frame, he could seriously hurt her?

Second Chen glared angrily at Big Chen, then glanced again at Xie Xinyue, who bore some resemblance to Xie Xinyi...

Honestly, Big Chen’s new wife was a real looker.

He was so captivated that he didn’t notice his mother, who had recovered from the pain, glaring at him with disgust. She closed her eyes briefly before turning back to Big Chen, throwing a tantrum.

"You heartless, ungrateful son! May you be struck by lightning!"

She couldn’t believe that her once-obedient son would now "raise a hand" against her just to protect his wife.

The more she scolded, the angrier she became. After venting at Big Chen, she turned her fury toward Xie Xinyue.

"It’s all your fault! You seductive witch!"

Learning her lesson from the earlier slap, Chen’s mother chose her words more carefully this time, avoiding outright insults and refraining from physical action. But her constant carrying-on made it impossible for Big Chen and Xie Xinyue’s wedding to proceed.

Big Chen, who had wanted to give Xie Xinyue a happy life, grew increasingly frustrated. Seeing that his mother refused to back down, he stopped arguing and began physically ushering her out.

"Get out! Stop crying here. You’re not welcome."

"Right, you’re not welcome!"

Da Ya and Er Ya followed his lead, pushing Chen’s mother and Second Chen out without giving them time to react. In no time, they had shoved them out and slammed the gate shut, ignoring the fact that other guests were still in the yard.

"Sorry, everyone, for the embarrassing scene."

Big Chen took a deep breath to compose himself. Ignoring the wailing mother and son outside, he took Xie Xinyue’s hand again and resumed the interrupted ceremony.

His attitude was sincere, but the joyous occasion had been ruined by the unwanted drama. He felt guilty toward Xie Xinyue and toward Xie’s mother, who had entrusted her daughter to him.

After the other guests left, Big Chen apologized again to Xie Xinyi and her younger sister.

"This isn’t your fault," Xie Xinyi and her sister reassured him.

It was his mother who had caused the trouble, not him. Besides, if Big Chen hadn’t stood firm and protected her, their older sister wouldn’t have had the confidence to confront the situation.

Big Chen was no blind follower of filial piety.

When Xie Xinyue slapped Chen’s mother earlier, Xiao Jiang and Ms. Liu were whispering admiringly at the scene.

Xiao Jiang, in particular, was impressed that Big Chen not only shielded Xie Xinyue at every turn but also didn’t utter a single word of reproach when she slapped his mother.

After all, Xie Xinyue had struck her mother-in-law.

If Xiao Jiang had dared to do the same to Shang Fushun’s mother back when she was married to him, Shang Fushun would have wanted to kill her, let alone protect her.

Xiao Jiang was seriously impressed by this quality in Big Chen. She believed that a man’s greatest virtue was refusing blind obedience to his parents and felt sure that Xie Xinyue would be happy with him.

Xie Xinyi knew this well.

She had seen and heard everything clearly when Chen’s mother caused the scene.

She knew Big Chen was not a blindly filial son.

She also knew he treated her sister well and felt guilty about what had happened.

But guilt alone wouldn’t solve the problem.

She asked Big Chen about his plans moving forward, wondering how he intended to handle his mother if she kept causing trouble in the city.

"Last time my mother showed up with those people, YueYue gave her a warning, just like today. I thought she wouldn’t come back, but..."

Instead, she had shown up on her son’s wedding day with another woman.

Chen’s mother had unusually thick skin. Since her desire to leech off Big Chen remained unfulfilled, even Xie Xinyue slapping her wouldn’t make her give up easily.

Big Chen knew this, which was why he kept apologizing to Xie Xinyue.

Xie Xinyue, however, wasn't having it. "Let her come and make a scene. I’m not afraid of her."

As long as Big Chen stood by her side, she wouldn’t fear Chen’s mother, even if she showed up every day.

What worried her was the effect on the kids.

They were so young, having lost their mother early in life. They had to fend for themselves while enduring their grandmother’s abuse.

Xie Xinyue’s heart ached for them. She didn’t want their young hearts hurt by family drama. After thinking it over carefully, she shared her idea.

"How about we move away?"

If we can't stand up to them, we can always avoid them. After all, Big Chen's household registration was removed from the Chen family registry when he came to work in Beijing.

Now he has his own independent household. As long as he sells the house and moves away, cutting off this last tie to the Chen family, they won't be able to take advantage of him anymore.

"But... what about my job?" Big Chen considered this. "They know where I work."

Last time, during the Xie Tingting incident, his mother came to the factory. Later, when she tried to set him up with someone, if she couldn't find him at home, Old Mrs. Chen would bring people to the factory to intercept him.

That time when Xie Xinyue ran into her, Old Mrs. Chen had been waiting at the factory gate all day just to catch him—there was no way to avoid her.

Besides, Xie Xinyue had put so much effort into renovating this home. Now, to avoid his mother, they had to move away. Big Chen was reluctant.

"We don't necessarily have to move out."

Xie Xinyi listened to both of them and thought they both made sense.

The home was fixed up through Eldest Sister's hard work—it would be a shame to sell it. Instead, they could temporarily rent out the house, and Eldest Sister and the others could move back to their mother's home for a while until Old Mrs. Chen gave up.

As for Big Chen's concern about his job:

"Just keep going to work. If they show up, leave through the back door. As long as they don't catch you face-to-face, they won't be able to stick around."

After Big Chen rented the house out, Old Mrs. Chen would have nowhere to stay when she brought people over.

Before, whenever Old Mrs. Chen came to cause trouble, whether she saw Big Chen or not, she always had a place to stay and food to eat.

With shelter and food, Old Mrs. Chen naturally had the confidence to wear Big Chen down.

Eldest Sister must have seen through this, which is why she suggested moving away.

She knew that only by eliminating Old Mrs. Chen's fallback option could she completely give up the idea of coming to Beijing to mooch off them.

After all, Beijing is such a big city. As an illiterate rural woman with no money, if she had nowhere to stay, how would she dare to come?

Xie Xinyi suggested that Big Chen and Eldest Sister take their three daughters to stay at their mother-in-law's place for a while. The next day, Big Chen rented out his house to a butcher.

Following her advice, Big Chen and Xie Xinyue went to work as usual, and the three girls went to school as usual. By the time Old Mrs. Chen cooled off and returned, she couldn't find a trace of Big Chen's family.

"...This is my son's house. He even got married here—how could he have sold it to you?"

"...What? He didn't come to work and got fired by the factory? How is that possible? Last time I was here, I heard he was promoted to shift supervisor."

"...She doesn't go to school here anymore? She was studying here all along before. You don't know where she transferred to either?"

Old Mrs. Chen, along with the woman she wanted to set up with Big Chen, searched from Big Chen's old place to his factory, and even went to where Da Ya used to go to school, but she couldn't find her eldest son's family.

It was as if they had vanished into thin air. Not only did she not find anyone, but she ended up furious and almost got beaten up again.

Old Mrs. Chen thought about the man she met outside her son's house—holding a knife, his face covered in blood. As soon as he heard she was looking for someone, he fiercely said he didn't know them and was about to shut the door.

Although she managed to stop him from closing it in the end, Old Mrs. Chen couldn't help but shudder when she recalled his threats and the bloodstained knife.

"I said I don't know them! I don't care if it's Big Chen or Second Chen—this house is mine now! If you come asking again, don't blame me for cutting off your head and using it for a stool!"

Old Mrs. Chen couldn't help but tremble when she told her second son about it.

"Tell me, how is it that after just two months away, the house is gone and the job is lost too?"

Old Mrs. Chen couldn't figure out what had happened to her eldest son. "Do you think your big brother is deliberately hiding from us?"

She speculated, but Second Chen thought it was impossible.

“The house could be sold, but he couldn't just quit his job like that.”

Jobs weren't easy to come by, and his older brother had worked hard to become a team leader. He wouldn't just stop earning money just to avoid them.

Then there was Da Ya's school transfer.

His older brother couldn’t possibly have the influence to get the school to lie for him.

Although Second Chen didn’t know what had happened to his older brother, he felt they shouldn’t go back to Beijing.

“If even a team leader like him got fired from the factory, he must have done something seriously wrong.”

Afraid of getting himself involved, he advised Chen's mother not to go either.

Chen's mother had come back empty-handed from her last trip and was feeling frustrated. Seeing how timid her second son was, she scolded him a few times and went back to Beijing the following month.

Not believing in divine intervention, she didn’t act recklessly like last time. Instead, she carried two bags of steamed buns and waited outside Big Chen’s house for two days but saw no one. Then she went to Guohui Food Factory and waited another two days, still without any luck.

Unwilling to give up, she went to Da Ya’s school and waited for two more days.

She went back and forth several times like this until the end of the year, finally had to accept the fact that Big Chen’s family had vanished.

“They’re gone, completely gone.”

Her eldest son had severed their only tie and disappeared. Chen's mother was so angry she stayed in bed for three days. Meanwhile, Big Chen was happily celebrating his first Spring Festival without any interruptions.

"Let's get some of this for Mom. I heard from Xiao Jiang that her Mother-in-law has been taking this and is in excellent health."

"And this, Little Sister could probably use it. I notice she always lights a separate lamp when studying every night."

"This doll, Xiao Yueer will definitely love it. Last time for her birthday, I didn’t get her anything as her uncle—it’s kind of embarrassing to admit."

"And this, this..."

Xie Xinyue looked at the man who seemed eager to buy the whole department store and teased with a smile, "Weren’t you saving up to buy a house? Didn’t you say you wanted the kids to have a head start in life, as my sister suggested? What, giving up already?"

"No," Big Chen denied seriously. "No, I just think these things suit them well, so, just, you know..."

"So you’re just overexcited?"

Xie Xinyue deliberately called him on it. Though her words were teasing, she still pulled out her wallet and bought everything the man had just mentioned.

Big Chen was indeed overexcited—genuinely so.

Ever since he moved to his mother-in-law’s place on Xie Xinyi’s suggestion, he hadn’t been able to wipe the smile off his face for months.

The Xie family treated him well and cared for the three girls as if they were their own. Especially his mother-in-law, who not only cooked delicious meals for him and the girls every day but also bought them this and that, never treating them differently just because they weren’t blood-related.

Big Chen appreciated it deeply and naturally cherished every member of the Xie family even more.

He bought everything he could from the department store, and that evening, the whole family sat down together for a lively New Year’s Eve dinner.

After the dinner, the two sons-in-law took on the task of setting off New Year's firecrackers.

Amid the crackling of firecrackers, a rising new year quietly arrived.