Chapter 158: Chapter 159: Depending on Ningningâs Wish
âI know, I know! Qigang specifically wrote a letter asking us to apologize, saying he earnestly wants to go to Sheng Ningâs family as his wife.â
âThis⊠I canât give a response right away. It mainly depends on Ningningâs opinion!â
âDidnât that girl also take a fancy to my son?â she said. Why even consider it then?
âBefore was before, now is now.â Anâan, quite upset, said, âMy sister agreed, but your son wanted to call off the engagement. Who could bear that? Now he regrets it, and Iâm telling you itâs too late!â
âAnâan, shut up. Who told you to talk to your elders like that?â
âWhat Iâm saying is the truth!â
âRude girl, hurry up and apologize to Uncle Xu.â
âI wonât apologize. I didnât say anything wrong. Why should I apologize?â Every time Sheng An thought about still owing the mayorâs family five thousand yuan and not being able to pay, if Sheng Ning couldnât pay, sheâd have to marry over there. She felt pained and sad, wanting to tell her father but not daring to.
So now, whenever someone came to propose, she was even more resistant.
With the mayorâs family matter still unresolved, Sheng Ning couldnât get engaged. If it ever came out, it would not just be their family losing face.
âRude girl, youâre getting bolder by the day.â Sheng Laosan was so angry; he had been eagerly hoping someone would want to marry Ningning, especially someone he valued highly like Qigang. He wished he could agree immediately.
Seeing Anâan come out and disrupt things, he couldnât help but be mad.
âLao San, donât get angry. Why bother arguing with a little girl?â Although Xu Xianxiong felt embarrassed, it was not good to show it to Anâan, so he pulled Mr. Sheng aside to try to calm things.
âHmph! This girlâs temper is getting worse; weâve spoiled her too much.â
âDad, youâre being too much.â Anâan ran out of the main room, angry. Around noon, everyone was eating, and her running out like this would surely make people gossip behind their backs.
Thinking it over, she decided to just be sulky alone in the courtyard. Glancing at the kitchen, she saw a vague figure and then remembered Aunt Xu had just gone inâprobably to persuade Sheng Ning to marry Qigang. She still didnât know if her mother had agreed!
Wait⊠her mother had always been looked down upon in front of Sheng Ning. She used to be bullied often before; her mother surely wouldnât show any reaction.
Although Sheng An thought this, she was still curious about what was being said inside. So she cautiously moved closer and eavesdropped near the window.
âMother-in-law, rest assured, once Ningning marries into our family, I, as her mother-in-law, promise to love her as my own daughter,â Zhao Lanzi said with a smile while helping to add firewood to the stove.
Shen Luhua was a literate and discerning woman, her demeanor and speech quite unlike the typical rural woman. Zhao Lanzi, upon first seeing her, thought this woman was formidable, not easy to deal with. But after a few exchanges, she realized she had been overly worried. Although a widow remarrying was truly different from Widow Zhang in the village, she was not even on the same level.
Her initial reluctance vanished, and she found herself more and more satisfied, feeling that this was the mother-in-law she wanted.
âLook at what youâre saying. Lao San and your familyâs Lao Xu are brothers; how could I not trust you?â Shen Luhua nodded, thinking secretly to herself. Whatever nice things you say, I wonât believe you. Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are natural enemies from ancient times. Youâve raised such an outstanding son and are willing to let a daughter-in-law take him away?
She didnât believe it for a second; this wasnât like a mother-in-law admiring her daughter-in-law, becoming more pleased the more she looked!
âButâŠâ Shen Luhua suddenly changed her tone, causing Zhao Lanzi, who had just calmed down, to become anxious again.