Chapter 13

It was simply a stroke of bad luck.

Old Lady Zhao had been cursing and grumbling at home for two days, feeling utterly drained.

She couldn’t understand why calling off an engagement was so difficult.

One party refused to back out.

The other was hopelessly foolish.

The Cui family was easy to deal with it was mainly the Lin family causing trouble.

She had underestimated them.

She had thought they were all pushovers, except for the sharp-tongued Lin Da Ya. The rest should have been easy to handle.

Who would have thought that their third daughter would be so difficult, clinging onto her son and refusing to let go? How was Hui Zhou supposed to marry a high-ranking official’s daughter now?

Old Lady Zhao was so frustrated that her teeth hurt.

She was seething with anger.

Out of ideas, she decided to go to town.

She picked a time when the villagers were all out working and went straight to the county’s telecommunications office to call Zhao Huizhou’s workplace.

It took a while before Zhao Huizhou answered. “Mom?”

Since making a phone call was expensive, Old Lady Zhao had no patience for pleasantries. She got straight to the point:

“Son, that matter you mentioned didn’t work out. They’re holding on tight, and the Cui family is a mess because of it.”

There was silence on the other end for a long time before Zhao Huizhou suddenly said something completely unrelated, “So Uncle Cui and Aunt Zhang are getting married?”

Old Lady Zhao was full of question marks what was her son talking about?

Then, he muttered to himself,

“Well, if that’s the case, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. Buy some gifts and send them to Uncle Cui. He’s helped us a lot these past two years, and we owe him this favor. Don’t be stingy I’ll send my allowance home later.”

“Mom, you and Dad take care of yourselves. Don’t skimp on food I’ve got everything covered.”

“Alright, that’s it for now.”

“Beep, beep, beep…”

He had hung up.

Old Lady Zhao left the telecommunications office in a daze.

On her way back to the village, she kept pondering. The Aunt Zhang her son mentioned was that the widow from the village?

That couldn’t be right. Widow Zhang had clearly married Lin Lao Er.

Besides, when did the two families ever get along?

After walking a few more steps, she started to understand something.

To be fair, Lin Lao Er was a capable and shrewd man. Though his wife had died early, he and his two sons had managed to keep their lives running smoothly.

He never had any intention of remarrying and was solely focused on his children.

Back then, Widow Zhang had set her sights on Lin Lao Er, but he refused he didn’t want to take on a wife who had three sons to support.

No matter what, he wouldn’t agree.

Until one day, when Lin Lao Er was passing by Zhang’s house… and was forcibly dragged inside by three strong young men.

He had no choice but to marry Widow Zhang.

Old Lady Zhao had witnessed the whole thing with her own eyes.

She had been scared out of her wits back then…

So now, was Hui Zhou implying…?

At the Cheng household

Thanks to Grandma Cheng’s diligent efforts, Second Aunt Yu Xianghong brought some fine gifts to visit an old friend.

She spoke an entire basketful of sweet words,

But they were useless.

Only after much persuasion both coaxing and pressuring did the other party agree to introduce another girl.

What a coincidence she happened to have a girl in mind.

A city girl. And she had a job.

Yu Xianghong was thrilled. She thought to herself, This must be fate.

This time, it was bound to work out.

With that, Grandma Cheng was so happy that her back no longer ached and her legs felt light again.

She even considered going for a walk late at night to see if the moon was full.

The matchmaker set things up, and both families showed interest.

They agreed that the young ones would meet the next day.

The girl’s family didn’t want neighbors gossiping about her going on a blind date,

So they arranged for the meeting to be at the boy’s house.

The next morning, Grandma Cheng was up early, bustling around the house.

This place is too messy tidy it up.

Why is that flowerpot sitting there?

It’s ruining her grandson’s marriage feng shui move it away.

Yu Xianghong, hearing the commotion, got up quickly and helped her mother-in-law clean up.

Uncle Cheng gave up on sleeping in and decided to take his tea outside to play chess.

Cheng Luo arrived just before breakfast.

Grandma Cheng was not pleased. “You’re so late! All the good girls will be gone. When are you going to get me a granddaughter-in-law?”

Cheng Luo: “???”

How was this late?

This steel-hearted man was dumbfounded.

“Mom, the girl isn’t coming until later,” Yu Xianghong laughed, trying to ease the situation. “Xiao Luo, go set the table.”

Cheng Luo immediately obeyed and went to the kitchen.

He didn’t dare say another word.

At that moment, Uncle Cheng returned, holding his teacup.

He had utterly defeated Old Wang in chess today, so he was in a great mood.

Feeling cheerful, he had an unconscious smile on his face.

Grandma Cheng looked at him and was instantly annoyed. “Your nephew is meeting a girl, and you, as his uncle, don’t even care.”

Uncle Cheng: …

Alright, he’d better just stay quiet and not make the old lady mad.

The youngest grandson, Cheng Tan, yawned as he walked out.

Grandma Cheng’s gaze swept over him.

She held back.

Didn’t say a word.

Yu Xianghong watched the scene unfold and nearly burst out laughing.

That morning,

Breakfast at the Cheng household felt oddly tense.

Cheng Wanjun had originally planned to play chess with Old Wang after breakfast, but on second thought ah, forget it.

Old Wang was probably still fuming.

Haha.

So, Uncle Cheng, still in a good mood, casually picked up a newspaper and sat on the couch to read.

Years of being a bureau chief had made his reading posture naturally serious.

Like a crouching tiger.

A bit intimidating.

Grandma Cheng glanced at him and immediately thought: Why is this scary thing sitting here?

“Why aren’t you out playing chess?”

Uncle Cheng: …

After Uncle Cheng left, Grandma Cheng finally felt that everything was in place—only the east wind was missing.

Now, they just had to wait for the girl to arrive.

The whole family sat in the living room, waiting for the east wind.

But after waiting and waiting, no one came.

By noon,

Second Aunt Yu’s friend, Bai Wenxiu, arrived instead.

Peering through the window, Yu Xianghong only saw her alone, and her heart sank.

Something was wrong.

Indeed, Bai Wenxiu looked troubled, wondering how to explain the situation to the family.

What a mess.

After entering the house, she gave an awkward smile.

“Why are you alone?” Yu Xianghong welcomed her in.

Bai Wenxiu sighed. “The girl got up early and dressed up nicely, ready to come. But as soon as she stepped out, she tripped over the doorstep, tore her pants, and scraped her knee.”

“Oh dear, that must’ve hurt.”

Yu Xianghong looked concerned but felt uneasy inside.

There was definitely more to the story.

Sure enough, Bai Wenxiu continued, looking pained, “She changed her pants and set out again, but then she lost balance on her bike and fell again.”

“This time, her arm broke. She’s still at the hospital, getting a cast.”

“Oh dear, poor girl! We should have gone to her place instead,” Grandma Cheng exclaimed, shocked and regretful. “Xiao Luo, go visit her with your Aunt Bai.”

“And stop by the department store to get some gifts.”

Cheng Luo hesitated. He sensed Bai Wenxiu had more to say.

Yu Xianghong noticed too. “Is it inconvenient? Should we wait until she recovers?”

Bai Wenxiu gave a helpless smile. “Her family is in chaos because of this. They wanted to let you know not to wait. The match is off.”

In other words, the blind date was canceled.

Grandma Cheng was unwilling to give up. “Can’t we reconsider?”

Bai Wenxiu sighed and shook her head. “I tried, but… they think the two just don’t have fate.”

She put it mildly.

In reality, the girl’s family thought this was a bad omen.

Bad luck.

Grandma Cheng felt dizzy.

Oh dear.

Why did it suddenly feel like the sky had darkened?

“Mom!”

“Grandma!”

“Auntie…”