Chapter 31: Wedding Trouble

Home alone for dinner, Xiao Qingru didn’t bother making anything fancy she just reheated the morning’s steamed buns and ate them with some pickles. She hadn’t even finished her meal when her parents returned from the wedding banquet.

Originally, Mother Xiao hadn’t wanted to go, but Father Xiao had insisted, saying they couldn’t avoid running into the couple later, and it would be embarrassing if they ruined the relationship entirely. So, they went begrudgingly.

But to Xiao Qingru’s surprise, they came back with smiles, clearly in a good mood.

“Mom, did something good happen?”

Mother Xiao couldn’t wait to share. “Du Wanqiu’s mother in law showed up and made a scene, not wanting her to marry Jiang Chuan and trying to drag her back to their hometown. The two nearly got into a fight! It was such a mess.”

Xiao Qingru asked, “How did her mother in law get here?”

Given Du Wanqiu’s temperament, she probably wanted nothing to do with her in laws from her hometown and certainly wouldn’t have invited them.

“Jiang Chuan called her over. Since Du Wanqiu was technically still someone else’s daughter in law, he thought it was only right to notify her family.”

On the surface, it seemed reasonable a respectful gesture. But, unfortunately, there wasn’t a single blessing for this marriage outside of the bride and groom.

Du Wanqiu’s mother in law had been counting on her to help in her old age. Now that she was gone, there was no one to rely on, which naturally caused an uproar.

Xiao Qingru remained silent, suddenly doubting Jiang Chuan’s intelligence. Could he not see Du Wanqiu’s true intentions? He must not have given her a heads up, or her mother in law wouldn’t have shown up.

For a moment, Xiao Qingru regretted not attending the banquet herself.

“The woman was crying and shouting, accusing Jiang’s family of stealing her daughter in law and grandson, demanding compensation. It was such a scene! When we left, Du Wanqiu was still crying.”

Mother Xiao felt delighted retribution for their actions.

This incident was truly humiliating. Jiang Chuan’s superiors were present, too. Who knows if he’d get reprimanded afterward?

Xiao Qingru listened to her mother’s account while munching on a steamed bun. She didn’t want to be gleeful, but thinking of how smug Du Wanqiu had been the last time they’d met, she couldn’t help laughing.

This wouldn’t be an easy mess to clean up. Whatever happens to Du Wanqiu, it’ll cost her dearly. And Jiang Chuan might not come out unscathed either.

Father Xiao shook his head, “Can you two keep it down? Imagine if someone overheard. How embarrassing.”

“Oh, so if they’re having a hard time, we have to frown along with them? We’re not allowed to laugh?”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean?”

Knowing when to avoid a losing battle, Father Xiao simply said, “I have things to do in the study,” and left.

Mother Xiao shot him a scornful look and complained to her daughter, “Your dad’s always so concerned with appearances and his friendship with Jiang Chuan’s father.”

“Mom, isn’t it that same loyalty and sense of duty you love about him?”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t complain about it.”

In life, there are always compromises.

Xiao Qingru understood her father’s dilemma. As someone in a high position, he had to maintain composure and deal with things calmly. Letting emotions affect his actions would only harm his work.

But, if her father really cared about appearances, he wouldn’t have helped her cancel the engagement in the first place.

Sometimes, as long as the outcome is good, the process doesn’t matter as much.