Chapter 139: I’ll Marry Her

“Second son, speak! What do you plan to do about this?” Shen Qingsong’s face was dark as he slammed his fist on the table.

Shen Zhengliang just sat there silently.

Shen Zhengxu also looked anxiously at Shen Zhengliang, “Second brother, say something! What are you thinking?

If you don’t want to marry her, let’s tell the Li family. You did a good deed by saving their daughter; if they force you to marry Li Xiaolan because of this, it’s being ungrateful!”

Shen Qingsong also sighed.

He didn’t want his second son to marry Li Xiaolan either.

After all, Li Xiaolan’s pursuit of Zhou Yubai and her delay in finding a partner were well-known throughout the brigade and even the commune.

Now that Zhou Yubai was his son-in-law, if Li Xiaolan became his daughter-in-law, it would be awkward no matter how you looked at it.

Shen Qingsong stood up, supporting himself with his legs, “Alright, I won’t force you. I’ll go to the Li family and explain.  The radio is constantly broadcasting new ideas and customs these days; saving someone is saving someone, and marriage is marriage. You shouldn’t be forced to marry their daughter just because you saved her.”

As Shen Qingsong got up to leave, he noticed Shen Chuning standing at the entrance of the main room.

“Good girl, why are you back?”

“Father, I passed by on my way home from work, so I came to see you,” Shen Chuning replied naturally.

Shen Qingsong looked behind Shen Chuning, “Just you? Didn’t your mother-in-law pick you up from work?”

He had heard about Lin Shulan’s offer to pick up and drop off his daughter.

“She did. She went home after I decided to come back,” Shen Chuning said, “Father, let me go to the Li family with you!”

The reason she came back was that she was afraid her father would give in to the Li family and force her second brother to marry Li Xiaolan, pushing him into a desperate situation.

But her worry was unnecessary.

Although her father was dissatisfied with her second brother because of what happened with Wang Yumeng and was often strict with him, he still cared about his second son.

Shen Qingsong waved his hand in refusal, “Good girl, it’s freezing cold; don’t go with your father. Go back to your own home first. Your second brother’s matter, your father will handle it.”

Shen Qingsong started walking towards the door.

But as he reached the entrance, Shen Zhengliang suddenly knelt down before him with a “thud.”

“Second brother!” Shen Chuning looked in surprise at Shen Zhengliang kneeling on the ground.

Shen Qingsong also turned around.

“Father, I’ll marry her! Please help me propose!” Shen Zhengliang said firmly.

Shen Qingsong & Shen Zhengxu: …

Shen Chuning: …

The three of them looked at Shen Zhengliang, full of incomprehension.

Shen Zhengxu even wanted to persuade him again, “Second brother, you don’t have to…”

“Big brother, don’t say anymore. I’ve made up my mind; I’ll marry Li Xiaolan. I saved her; if I don’t marry her, her reputation will be ruined. A woman’s reputation is everything. I can’t save her and then ruin her.” Shen Zhengliang’s voice was calm, almost cold.

“Second brother…” Shen Chuning looked at Shen Zhengliang’s eyes, which had lost their light, her heart aching.

Shen Qingsong remained silent for a moment, “Alright, then go back and change your clothes; I’ll change mine too, and we’ll go to the Li family together.”

The new cotton-padded clothes that Shen Chuning had asked He Shen and He Hui to make for her father and two brothers were ready.

Shen Qingsong and Shen Zhengliang went back to change into their new clothes and went to the Li family.

Shen Chuning looked at Shen Zhengxu, and both of their eyes were filled with worry.

Shen Zhengxu gave a comforting smile and ruffled his sister’s soft hair, “Alright, little sister, don’t worry about it. Maybe it’s fate; otherwise, why would Li Xiaolan go to the river and happen to be met by your second brother?”

“Let’s go, big brother will take you home.”

On the way back, Shen Chuning couldn’t help but think about the things related to her second brother in her dream.

In the dream, her second brother and Li Xiaolan had no interaction.

Because in the dream, although Zhou Yubai didn’t agree to Li Xiaolan’s pursuit, he didn’t get married either. Li Xiaolan thought she still had a chance since Zhou Yubai wasn’t married, so she didn’t get engaged, and naturally, there was no jumping into the river.

It seemed that as she made decisions completely different from her dream, the destinies of everyone around her had changed.

After returning home, Shen Chuning took out one hundred yuan and gave it to Shen Zhengxu, “Big brother, give this one hundred yuan to Father to help Second brother with the wedding.”

Although Shen Zhengxu felt uncomfortable taking his sister’s money, he couldn’t refuse.

After all, the money he used for his own marriage proposal and wedding was also given by his sister. Now that his second brother was getting married, his sister giving the same amount of money was fair.

He had no right to refuse on his second brother’s behalf.

Shortly after Shen Zhengxu left, Lu Qiaoqing came over.

As soon as Lu Qiaoqing saw Shen Chuning, her eyes lit up, “Ningning, I heard that your second brother has gone to the Li family to discuss the marriage with Li Xiaolan?”

Shen Chuning looked at Lu Qiaoqing’s gossipy expression and couldn’t help but laugh; the gossip in the village spread faster than the wind.

When she came from the Shen family, her father and second brother had just gone to the Li family.

Now that she had just arrived home, even Lu Qiaoqing in the educated youth’s dormitory knew the news.

Shen Chuning nodded.

Lu Qiaoqing clapped her hands happily, “Great! I finally don’t have to worry about having to be sisters-in-law with that annoying Wang Yumeng after I marry your third brother.”

Shen Chuning: …

She was even more amused.

Lu Qiaoqing’s relationship with her third brother was still one-sided!

She was already so worried!

Lu Qiaoqing probably even thought about how many children she would have with her third brother and what their names would be!

“By the way, Ningning, do you know why your second brother happened to be at the river to save Li Xiaolan today?” Lu Qiaoqing mysteriously asked Shen Chuning.

Shen Chuning widened her eyes, looking at Lu Qiaoqing.

Could it be that her second brother saving Li Xiaolan wasn’t an accident; was there another story?

Without Shen Chuning asking, Lu Qiaoqing, seeing her expression, lowered her voice and said, “When we were working today, I saw Wang Yumeng secretly giving your second brother a note.

And Wang Yumeng went to the river first, and then your second brother went.

But I don’t know whether your second brother met Wang Yumeng before saving Li Xiaolan or if he encountered Li Xiaolan jumping into the river without seeing Wang Yumeng.”

Shen Chuning: …

The river that flowed through their production team was at the foot of the mountain. The land at the foot of the mountain wasn’t suitable for planting wheat; rapeseed was planted in this season.

Rapeseed didn’t need much management, and since her second brother was caught by the armed department after hunting in the mountains last time, he wouldn’t go to the mountains anymore.

She had been wondering why her second brother happened to be by that river today.

It turned out that Wang Yumeng had asked him to go.

It was unknown what Wang Yumeng wanted to do by asking her second brother to go.

However, her second brother saving Li Xiaolan should be a coincidence, after all, Wang Yumeng should not have been able to arrange Li Xiaolan’s suicide attempt.

Just as Shen Chuning was thinking, there was a knock on the door and Shen Zhengliang’s voice, “Ningning, it’s me.”