Chapter 588: Chapter 401: Puzzling
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"How could this happen? How is this possible? There must have been a mistake, an absolute mistake..." After hearing her daughter’s account, Che Yali slumped into a chair, repeatedly muttering to herself.
"Mom..." Jiang Meixiang sat down beside her, speaking in a hushed voice, "Lower your voice a bit. If dad finds out about that woman’s background, who knows how anxious he’ll get."
"Right, right right..." Che Yali nodded vigorously, "You’re right to remind me, we can’t let your dad know. What if he goes to find that old fox spirit? What would we do then?"
"Mom..." Jiang Meixiang looked helpless, "That woman has a husband, it’s impossible for dad to get back together with her. Can’t you focus on what’s actually important?
What if that woman harbors a grudge and has the Qiao family come after us? Was it easy for dad to get where he is today? If this affects his future, he’ll definitely blame you."
"Then... what should we do?" Che Yali looked bewildered, "Surely I can’t go apologize to that woman, right? She hit me first, why on earth would I apologize to her?!"
"Oh, my aunt, mom, have you forgotten about my aunt?"
"Ask for help from your aunt?" Che Yali’s face was full of doubt, "Your aunt may be close to me, but she’s not closer than to her own daughter. Now that woman is a relative of her daughter’s husband’s family, how could she possibly side with me?"
"Mom, you’re not still thinking about making that woman lose face, are you?"
"Huh?" Che Yali stared blankly at her daughter, "Then why would we need to ask your aunt for help?"
"Mom, you’re usually so clever, how can you be so muddled about this?" Jiang Meixiang looked around to make sure no one was nearby before continuing, "Right now, our top priority is to protect my dad.
You just tell my aunt that if we had known that woman was a relative of my sister-in-law’s family, we would have never provoked her. Anyway, she already hit and berated us, we don’t owe her anything. Just ask my aunt to pass on a message, if we meet again in the future, we’ll act like strangers."
"Will that work?" Che Yali said, frowning, "Just let that woman off like that? I can’t stand it!"
"Who can stand it?" Jiang Meixiang rolled her eyes, "I can’t stand it either but if we endanger dad because we ’can’t stand it’, there’ll be much more to regret in the future."
After considering her daughter’s argument, Che Yali agreed, "Okay, just like your dad said, I will go talk to your aunt about it. Ah, what a mess!"
"Remember to buy something for your aunt, don’t go there empty-handed."
Che Yali eyed her daughter suspiciously: "Meixiang, why do I feel like you’ve changed?"
"Alright, I’ll tell you the truth. This wasn’t my idea; it was Yang Ping’s. He said that if I were to complain to my aunt about Qiao Ying, it would only make my aunt think she’s backed the wrong horse.
Only if you go see my aunt personally will she possibly be willing to help. As for making that woman pay in the future, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Who knows what will happen in anyone’s family? Things can change drastically in ten years - isn’t that how it goes?"
Che Yali looked puzzled and asked, "Why did you take Yang Ping to see Qiao Ying?"
"Dad had Yang Ping’s sister, Yang Shan, transferred to the county hospital, so I thought why not stop by your sister’s place and pay a visit, ask her to take care of Yang Shan.
You know how much Yang Ping adores his sister, and if I’m good to his sister, he’ll definitely treat me better. But I didn’t even get a chance to speak before we were scared off by that woman’s family."
"Usually silent as a clam, but you’ve got strategies when it counts..." Che Yali frowned, "Meixiang, don’t say I didn’t warn you, Yang Ping might not be someone you can keep under control. In my opinion, Zhang Qian is more suitable; that boy has listened to everything you’ve said since he was little. Marry him, and you’ll be pampered for life."
"Mom, if I wanted to be pampered, couldn’t I just hire a nanny? Especially since dad will be entitled to one once he gets promoted again, what’s the rush?" She paused then questioned Che Yali, "Why did you choose dad, who was in a worse position than Uncle Zhang, when you could clearly have married Uncle Zhang back in the day?"
Che Yali waved her hand irritably, "Enough, enough, do as you please. I’m just kindly reminding you, can an impoverished scholar’s son compare with your dad, the great son of a worker?"
"Enough already, mom, no one can compare with dad in your eyes. My grandparents always say that to you, dad can do no wrong."
"Get out!" Che Yali laughed and gave her a push, "Does anyone talk about their parents like that? Alright, you take good care of your dad. I’ll go see your aunt, sigh!"
As Che Yali’s figure disappeared, Yang Ping emerged from around the corner, staring somberly after Che Yali, "Does your family always look down on me? Disdain me, disdain my father, I think... we should just call it quits."
Jiang Meixiang coquettishly swayed her body: "Yang Ping, that’s just how my mom is. In the future, she’ll see your good side. You know how I feel about you, right?"
"The advice I gave was for your father and your family’s well-being, but to your mom, it sounded like I’m calculating, making you guard against me. Never mind..." Yang Ping shook his head, "A marriage without parental blessings won’t be happy, and a marriage constantly misunderstood won’t be happy either. Let’s end things here. I wish you find a husband that both you and your family approve of soon. I’ll find a suitable wife for myself too. Goodbye!"
"""
"Yang Ping..." Jiang Meixiang panicked; she could tell Yang Ping wasn’t joking, and not even caring about being in a public place, she grabbed his sleeve tightly, "We’re about to get married, how can you just call it quits?"
"I’m being responsible to you," Yang Ping replied as he tried to pry her fingers off, "If I know we’re not suitable for each other and still marry you, that’s not love, that’s harming you, Meixiang. I enjoyed the time with you, but let go, people are watching," he said while breaking free from her grasp. "Stop making a scene."
"No, I don’t care!" Jiang Meixiang intensified her grip, now wrapping her arms around him. "I won’t let you leave, I like you, I just like you, Yang Ping, I want to marry you.
For you, I convinced my mom not to hold a grudge against that woman; for you, even though I clearly despised that woman and her daughter, I chose to generously forgive them; for your sake, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do. How could you just give up on me because of one thing my mother said?
Or is it that you had planned to break up with me all along? I was too naive; I thought you were afraid I’d misspeak and you wanted to cover for me in critical moments. But now, I realize what your plan was all along. How could you do this to me..."
"Squeak!"
The door to the sickroom flew open, and Jiang Yuesheng stood at the entrance, his face like a thundercloud, glaring at his daughter and Yang Ping: "Get in here, both of you. You’ve embarrassed me enough!"
"Dad..." After closing the door of the sickroom, Jiang Meixiang had already forgotten what she had said to her mom. She spilled everything she knew, not letting go of Yang Ping’s sleeve, as though she was afraid he might escape.
"Let’s hear then, why did you come up with such a suggestion?" Jiang Yueping sat back on the bed, staring straight at Yang Ping, "Just because my wife and daughter believe what you say doesn’t mean I do. If you can’t give a good reason, I’ll make sure your entire family regrets it. Don’t believe me, try me."
"Dad!" Jiang Meixiang screamed frantically, "Are you trying to drive him away just like mom is? Dad, I’ll hate you for the rest of my life!"
"Step aside!" Jiang Yuesheng frowned at his daughter, "If you dare say another word, whether he wants to break up with you or not, I will never agree to you marrying him."
Jiang Meixiang moved her lips but ultimately didn’t dare to say another word. She thought for a moment then retreated to the door and bolted it shut.
Yang Ping looked Jiang Yuesheng in the eye and said, "Secretary Jiang, I decided to break things off because I believe a marriage without the blessing of parents won’t be happy. There’s no other reason."
"Really?"
"Really!"
Jiang Yuesheng stared at him intently, "Then I’m telling you now, I agree to let my daughter marry you. As for my wife, I’ll take care of convincing her. Can you marry my daughter right away?"
"Yes," Yang Ping nodded, "as long as you and Auntie agree, I can marry right away."
Jiang Meixiang immediately brightened up, about to jump next to Yang Ping. But a cold glare from Jiang Yuesheng stopped her in her tracks, and she pouted discontentedly.
Jiang Yuesheng’s gaze returned to Yang Ping, "Marrying my daughter is your good fortune. There’s no need for such far-fetched excuses."
Yang Ping hung his head and remained silent.
Jiang Yuesheng’s eyes turned icy, "You suddenly lost enthusiasm for the marriage because Lin Baohe and Zhao Yulan have the Qiao Family backing them, and that scares you, doesn’t it?"
"Yes," Yang Ping lifted his head, looking at him straightforwardly, "I’m just an ordinary person. My parents have endured too many frights. I don’t want them to live in fear anymore because of me, and I don’t want to live in fear either."
"Then why did you agree to be with my daughter in the first place?"
"What was in the past is in the past, now is now," Yang Ping sighed, "Fine, I admit it. I was vain before. Being able to marry the secretary’s daughter indeed seemed enviable."
"And now you refuse to marry her. Aren’t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"
"Being afraid of the wolf ahead and the tiger behind will only get you killed faster," he countered.
After scrutinizing Yang Ping for a moment, Jiang Yuesheng scoffed, "Fine, remember your words today. I hope you won’t regret today’s decision for the rest of your life!"
"Thank you for your magnanimity, Secretary Jiang," Yang Ping bowed slightly, turned around, and bowed again to Jiang Meixiang, who stood tearfully by the door, "I’m sorry."
"Are you here to take revenge on me?" Jiang Meixiang’s lips trembled, "What’s your relationship with that woman’s family? Why would you help them take revenge?"(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian () to vote and support. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit to read.)