FID – Chapter 601

Chapter 601: Not Even Qualified to Be a Little White Lotus

Crouching behind the two human-shaped geckos, Shi Xianrou looked up at the sky and sighed. Why was she here?

She only needed to sit in the yard and sip tea leisurely to clearly hear everything going on in the main hall. It would be so relaxing and carefree.

Why did she have to sneak over here to crouch?

She raised her finger, poked the shoulders of the two girls, and made a gesture to leave. “Ladies, can I leave first?”

“No.” The two girls said in unison.

Before Shi Xianrou could ask why, Liu Yusheng directly gave her an answer. “If you’re a friend, you should share both the blessings and the difficulties. If we’re crouching in the corner, we should all crouch together.”

Their conversation was loud enough to disturb Liu Muqiu, who turned around and glared at them with a look of reproach. “Shh, don’t make noise!”

Shi Xianrou resigned herself to her fate.

In the main hall, when mentioning her son, Du Juan smiled at a few of them. “My son has big ideas and a high standard. Unless he’s the one who picks someone, don’t expect him to marry. Well, we’re too lazy to worry about it anymore, we’ll just let him be.”

Wang-shi and Chen Xiuying exchanged a look, and both of their eyes flashed with joy.

Yang Shuqing and Yang Shuyu both shyly lowered their heads, but the joy was evident at the corners of their mouths.

The elders of the Liu family weren’t fools; at this moment, how could they not understand the intentions of the four people who had come?

Chen Xiulan was so angry that her face turned red.

The people who came today were her eldest sister-in-law and her eldest sister, yet they were conspiring to scheme against her husband’s family!

Did they consider her position and situation when they started conniving? How would she be able to hold her head up in front of her family and sister-in-law in the future?

In the past, when they schemed against her son and daughter, it was about her children, and after causing a commotion, she ultimately chose to forgive.

Now, however, they had turned their intentions toward her sisters-in-law! 

They were extending their hands into the Liu family! How could they be so shameless!

Her wife was trembling with anger, and Liu Dalin’s face also turned cold. There had been a fallout before when the Chen family tried to interfere with the children’s matters, and only after Chen Qiming personally came to apologize and mediate did that issue barely get settled.

How long has it been? And now they wanted to make trouble again! They really didn’t learn their lesson!

Liu Dalin gently patted his wife’s arm to calm her down, signaling that she shouldn’t get too worked up. There were elders present in the house, so they should listen to their parents.

Moreover, even if Wang-shi and the others had designs on Zhiqiu, they still had to see whether Du Juan would agree.

Over there, Wang-shi seemed oblivious to Chen Xiulan’s expression and continued speaking in response to what Du Juan had said earlier. “Parents’ orders and the matchmaker’s words—how can the lifelong matter of marriage be left to the children themselves? Zhiqiu is already twenty-three, but he’s still young and inexperienced in judging people. He doesn’t know what kind of person is suitable for managing a household and living life. 

So, when it comes to picking a partner, it’s best for the elders to make the decision. Like in our family, when it came to our eldest son, we, as his parents, had to help him choose his wife. If he were to do it on his own, what good is it to only pick someone who looks good? Is he planning to marry her and put her on a pedestal like a Buddha statue?”

Chen Xiuying added, “That’s exactly how it should be. Zhiqiu is good-looking, with a nice temperament, and comes from a good family. Many girls would want to marry him. But when there are so many choices, he might be overwhelmed. A lifetime decision can’t be taken lightly.”

The two of them spoke in unison, with their conversation entirely focused on Zhiqiu.

Grandma Liu slapped her thigh, and the smile on her face faded. “The children are grown up and have their own opinions. Our family never forces our children. When they marry, it’s their life to live together. As long as he likes her, we have no objections. Let’s not talk about this any longer. I wonder, what brings you two over this time?”

With this shift in topic, the conversation momentarily moved away from Liu Zhiqiu’s matters.

Upon hearing her ask about their purpose for visiting, Wang-shi and Chen Xiuying exchanged a glance and immediately began wiping their tears.

“It’s because of the disaster this time. A huge flood washed everything away—our crops were destroyed, the house collapsed. Not to mention, our orchard suffered a huge loss. Even after we repaired the house, it was only put together hastily with borrowed money. 

We’ve accumulated a mountain of debt, and the family’s so poor we can barely afford to feed ourselves. That’s when I thought of my sister-in-law. 

Your family is in a good situation, so I was wondering if I could come and borrow some money to get through this tough time. After a while, once the orchard is replanted and we make some money, we can repay you slowly. Xiulan knows my personality; I’m not one to easily ask for money. If things weren’t this bad, I wouldn’t have the audacity to come today.”

Although Chen Xiuying didn’t say anything, she also wiped away her tears.

The sound of the women crying filled the entire hall, filled with sorrow and sadness.

In the back of the hall, in the corner by the wall, Liu Yusheng quietly motioned for Shi Xianrou and Liu Muqiu to sneak away.

Liu Muqiu kept turning her head, wanting to stay and listen.

The two women had been talking about Zhiqiu’s marriage, mentioning things like ‘parents’ orders, matchmaker’s words,’ and the kind of person suited to manage a household. It made her grit her teeth in frustration.

“There’s nothing more to hear, grandma already changed the subject. If they keep talking, it’ll just be about borrowing money,” Liu Yusheng said. 

“As for my second brother, they can’t get anything from him. Not to mention our grandparents’ and parents’ opinions, even my second brother wouldn’t let them have their way. My second brother is not someone who can be controlled by others.”

Liu Muqiu thought about the man’s character. Though he seemed simple and carefree, he really wasn’t the type who could be easily manipulated.

He always knew what he wanted to do, and never wavered or changed his mind because of someone else’s words.

In terms of marriage, if Zhiqiu were someone who easily compromised, he probably would have been married by now, with children crawling around already. How could he still be single at twenty-three without even a partner?

Thinking of this, Liu Muqiu felt relieved and quietly let out a breath.

Back in the inner courtyard, Shi Xianrou teased her, “Little White Lotus, look at you, your hairs are all standing up, like a hen ready to fight at any moment. Are you worried that Zhiqiu might be charmed by those two young girls?”

Liu Muqiu lowered her eyes and spoke softly, “Those two girls are good-looking, and they’re relatives from Nannan’s mother’s side. Being brought here for Zhiqiu to meet must mean they’re great people too. If Zhiqiu truly likes them, it would be a perfect match—bringing them closer as family. I have no reason to interfere.”

The corners of Liu Yusheng and Shi Xianrou twitched. They took a deep breath and said, “Our family doesn’t do this indirect, evasive way of speaking. If you’ve got something to say, just say it plainly. There’s no need to be so perfect. Muqiu, speak normally!”

Liu Muqiu blinked, lifted her head, and suddenly her expression darkened. Even her tone turned cold and sharp, “What are those two supposed to be! They’re not as good-looking as me, don’t have my figure, and their voices aren’t even as nice as mine! They’re just pretending to be pure, but they’re not even good at being little white lotuses! I can’t stand them! I just want to tear them apart every time I see them!”

“…”

A moment of silence reigned by the stone table before laughter erupted.