Chapter 23: The Grudge Between the Xie and Lu Families

Lin Xiangyi collected the money and went out. Xie Qingxiao and a group of relatives and friends had already packed her luggage and dowry.

Lin Huihui’s dowry was much less, and she had already moved out. Seeing Lin Shan come out, Lu Dingyuan pulled Lin Huihui over to say goodbye to Lin Shan.

According to age order, Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi should have left first.

But Lin Shan also knew that Lu Dingyuan and Lin Huihui were unhappy with him, so he didn’t stop them when they wanted to leave first.

However, Lin’s relatives and friends thought it was inappropriate and asked them to wait.

Of course, Lu Dingyuan didn’t listen.

Lin Xiangyi didn’t care. After Lu Dingyuan and Lin Huihui’s wedding procession left, she also sat on the back seat of Xie Qingxiao’s bicycle, surrounded by people, and headed to the Xie family amidst the sound of firecrackers.

The two wedding processions were heading in the same direction, but the atmosphere was completely different.

Lu Dingyuan and Lin Huihui, who were leading the way, both had long faces, and the people behind them were naturally not happy either.

The Xie family procession following behind was like having won a battle, carrying the spoils of war, that is, Lin Xiangyi’s dowry, and everyone was smiling like a flower.

When they were walking on the mountain road, Zhang Pengfei opened his mouth and sang: “The mountain wind blows over the hills, the magpies chirp on the branches. Today my family is getting married, everyone is happy and joyful…”

The procession quickly followed the rhythm and sang along: “The gongs and drums are loud and shake the four directions… The bride waits for her husband with blushing cheeks…”

Zhang Pengfei and his men rode their bikes following Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi. When they sang “Oh my, the bride is beautiful, as pretty as a flower, jade and a fairy,” he grinned at Lin Xiangyi. When they sang “Oh my, the groom is smiling, he is so happy to have a lovely wife…” he winked at Xie Qingxiao.

Xie Qingxiao smiled slightly, letting them tease him.

Lin Xiangyi, however, laughed and scolded: “You guys are crazy!”

“Sister-in-law, we’re not crazy, we’re just singing out my brother’s heart,” Zhang Pengfei said with a smile, and then asked Xie Qingxiao: “Isn’t that right, Brother Xiao?”

“Get lost!” Xie Qingxiao also couldn’t help but laugh and scold, “You little rascal, you’re asking for a beating.”

“I’ve hit the nail on the head, you’re blushing with anger, hahahahaha,” Zhang Pengfei laughed loudly. The people behind the procession didn’t understand, but it didn’t stop them from singing and laughing along.

Lin Xiangyi was a little embarrassed by their teasing, and urged Xie Qingxiao: “Ride faster, leave them behind.”

“Then hold on tight to me!” Xie Qingxiao said.

Lin Xiangyi hugged Xie Qingxiao’s waist, and Xie Qingxiao sped up, leaving the group behind, which drew more teasing laughter from them.

From the Lin family to Longjing Village, it took half an hour to ride a bicycle, but the wedding procession had many people, some riding bicycles, some riding ox carts, and some walking. They also had to help pull the dowry and carry luggage, so it took more than an hour to reach the village.

Longjing Village was bustling with joy because the Xie and Lu families were both holding big wedding celebrations, and the whole village was celebrating together.

Lu Dingyuan had decided on the marriage three months ago, and Lu’s mother had already boasted that she would invite everyone in the village to the banquet.

Although Xie Qingxiao’s wedding was rushed, the Xie family didn’t skimp on anything.

Every corner of the house was cleaned, Xie Qingxiao’s room was repainted, and the windows and doors were decorated with festive window decorations.

After discussing it, the Xie family didn’t compete with the Lu family in terms of the number of tables. They only set up twenty-six tables according to the village’s custom, inviting one person from each household, and focused their energy on the meat dishes.

Xie’s father and mother’s eldest son and two married daughters had returned today to help with the reception.

Xie’s mother calculated the time and thought that the wedding procession should be arriving soon, so she went to the door.

She happened to meet a group of children running happily towards her, shouting loudly: “The bride is here! The bride is here!”

The guests in the Xie family’s courtyard and the people from the Lu family heard it and rushed out to greet them.

Somehow, Xie’s mother was squeezed together with Lu’s mother.

The Xie and Lu families had always had a grudge, but they weren’t at odds to the point of being irreconcilable. As long as it didn’t involve a conflict of interests, they usually got along peacefully.

However, the Xie family and the Lu family had always been incompatible, and the biggest reason was that when Xie’s mother and Lu’s mother were young, the matchmaker was going to introduce Lu’s mother to Xie’s father. However, Xie’s father fell in love with Xie’s mother and married her.

Lu’s mother felt that she had lost to Xie’s mother and never gave her a good face.

Xie’s mother wasn’t someone who would take it lying down, and the two of them gradually became enemies.

Over the years, there have been constant friction between them. Today, my clothes are blowing onto your house, you tear my clothes, tomorrow your chicken flies to my house, I kill the chicken and eat it… There have been countless incidents like this.

The families living near their two houses all watched the conflict between the two families as if it were a soap opera.

However, Lu’s mother was in a particularly good mood these past few months.

She and Xie’s mother both had four children. Xie’s mother had two sons and two daughters, while she had three sons and one daughter.

But her first three children didn’t live better than Xie’s mother’s first three children. Only her youngest son, Lu Dingyuan, could compare to Xie’s mother’s youngest son, Xie Qingxiao.

Xie Qingxiao dropped out of high school, but Lu Dingyuan not only graduated from high school but also got a job in the city. His wife brought a dowry of three turns and one ring, which made Lu’s mother happy and proud.

She boasted in front of Xie’s mother, as if to get revenge.

A few days ago, she learned that Xie Qingxiao was marrying Lin Huihui’s elder sister, Lin Xiangyi, and she asked Xie’s mother about Lin Xiangyi’s dowry.

The Xie family didn’t know themselves, and even if they did, they wouldn’t tell Lu’s mother, so Xie’s mother scolded Lu’s mother.

Lu’s mother was happy after being scolded.

She thought that Lin Xiangyi definitely didn’t have a dowry of three turns and one ring, otherwise, why would Xie’s mother scold her?

Lu’s mother had inquired about Lin Huihui and knew the situation of the Lin family.

She naturally knew that Lin Xiangyi was the daughter of Lin Shan’s previous marriage, and Chen Fengmei was the head of the Lin family. Lin Xiangyi wasn’t favored in the Lin family.

It was understandable that the Lin family didn’t give her a dowry of three turns and one ring.

Besides, she had also heard about something, so she was very happy to see Lin Xiangyi marry Xie Qingxiao.

Now, being squeezed together with Xie’s mother, she said with a smile: “I didn’t expect that our two families are so destined. We’ve married two sisters as our daughters-in-law. We’ll be relatives from now on.”

Xie’s mother didn’t realize the truth until after the proposal was made. Becoming a family with Lu’s mother, Xie’s mother couldn’t imagine how “lively” her future life would be.

But the proposal had been made, and she couldn’t back out. She could only comfort herself by trying to relax.

Today was a happy day, and she didn’t want to have an unpleasant encounter with Lu’s mother. She smiled falsely: “Yes, our two families are relatives from now on. We need to take care of each other.”

“Of course,” Lu’s mother replied.

However, both of them knew that taking care of each other was impossible. Lin Xiangyi and Lin Huihui weren’t real sisters, and their relationship wasn’t good either.

As they were talking, everyone’s eyes fell on Lu Dingyuan and Lin Huihui.

Lu’s mother’s eyes lit up: “It’s my son and daughter-in-law!”

Seeing this, Xie’s mother frowned and took a few steps back, giving way to the Lu family.

Lu’s mother was full of joy, waiting to greet Lu Dingyuan and Lin Huihui. As their faces became clearer, Lu’s mother noticed the strange expressions on their faces.

Her heart sank, and she had a bad feeling.