Seeing Old Master Huo, Huo Qingshan froze. “Dad, didn’t you say you were going out to take care of something?”
“Before I left, I came to see my eldest grandson. I didn’t expect that the moment I walked in, I’d see you losing your temper at him like this. Outside, who would dare speak to him so loudly? When he was little and needed you to discipline him, you didn’t. Now that he doesn’t need you anymore, you decide to step in?”
“Dad, what are you saying? I’m only thinking about his future. The Xia family happens to be interested in him. You know that child, Xia Yin exceptionally outstanding, and wholeheartedly sincere toward Jingnian. Because Jingnian has been in the army for years and is at a critical stage in his career, I never brought it up to you all, but I thought everyone tacitly understood. Yet today, he actually did something so foolish just to spite Jingchen. As his father, how could I not be angry?”
Huo Jingnian stood up and gave up his seat. Old Master Huo sat down and said firmly, word by word, “Jingnian is not Jingchen, nor is he you. His future does not need to rely on any woman. Besides, your taste in choosing a wife is so poor that you’d better not meddle in his affairs.”
Huo Qingshan looked at Old Master Huo in disbelief. “How is my taste poor?”
“Weiwei is far prettier than Xia Yin. You can’t even see such an obvious difference if that isn’t poor judgment, what is?”
Huo Qingshan: !!!
He was momentarily speechless. Indeed! “But Dad, that’s not how you taught me back then. You said that when choosing a wife, besides character and values, one must also consider family background.”
Old Master Huo laughed. “Yes but you didn’t listen to me either. You were greedy for money and lustful, which is why you married Jingnian’s mother rich and beautiful.”
“Dad! Can you stop saying such things in front of the children?” He still needed some dignity.
“All right, all right. And it’s precisely because you were greedy for money and lustful that you had Jingnian handsome and wealthy like his mother. Otherwise, it would’ve been Jingchen who was good-looking and living off others.”
“The point is, the Qiao family has gone bankrupt. Qiao Zhiwei has nothing left but her looks.”
Old Master Huo smiled. “For Jingnian, she only needs to be good-looking. Our Jingnian has both money and power. But Jingchen is another matter. Besides, Weiwei is far more than just a pretty face.”
Huo Qingshan was so tangled up by Old Master Huo’s logic that his temples throbbed. “Dad, I’m talking to Jingnian about serious matters.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Huo Qingshan rubbed his forehead helplessly. “In any case, Jingnian cannot marry Qiao Zhiwei.”
Old Master Huo stood up. “I’m not dead yet. This isn’t up to you.”
With that, he turned to Huo Jingnian and said, “Come. Go write the marriage application.”
Huo Jingnian turned and left.
Huo Qingshan was left sitting there, sighing heavily.
At that moment, Chen Qingmei came in. Seeing her husband’s dejected look, she knew it hadn’t worked out. In a very good mood, she pretended to comfort him. “All right, Jingnian has grown up. It’s normal for him to have his own ideas and decisions. Besides, Qiao Zhiwei isn’t stupid. Given her family’s current situation, marrying Jingnian is nothing more than seeking protection. She hasn’t let go of Jingchen in her heart. If Jingchen later walks around in front of her every day with his wife, she herself won’t be able to stand it. So I think her marriage with Jingnian won’t last long.”
Huo Qingshan had never thought in this direction before and immediately became alert. “She won’t cause the two brothers to fall out completely, will she?”
If that got out, where would the Huo family’s face go?
Chen Qingmei smiled. “Don’t you know your two sons? Especially Jingchen Qiao Zhiwei was devoted to him for so many years, yet once she decided to let go, she did so. And Jingnian this is just him being angry with Jingchen and you, trying to get more attention from you. You’ve ignored him for so many years. Even if he doesn’t say it, he cares deeply. So the more you make a fuss about this, the more he’ll go against you.”
Even so, Huo Qingshan still felt uneasy. “Jingnian’s marriage isn’t child’s play. A military marriage isn’t easy to dissolve. And the Xia family would mind.”
Chen Qingmei smiled. “It’s just not easy to divorce, not impossible. With Jingnian’s conditions, even if he divorced, he’d still be highly sought after. Besides, doesn’t the Xia family still have Jingchen?”
Huo Qingshan frowned. “Jingchen?”
Chen Qingmei nodded. “Yes.”
Huo Qingshan shook his head. “Didn’t he just get engaged to the He family?”
“Don’t you know why Jingchen rushed to get engaged to the He family? He has no feelings for Qiao Zhiwei how could he have feelings for He Manman?”
“The Xia family wouldn’t agree.”
“Jingchen is handsome, a prodigy who returned from overseas. In all of the capital, it’s hard to find another like him. I’d say among the women of the capital, as long as Jingchen speaks up, there’s none who wouldn’t be willing. Back then, Xia Yin only set her sights on Jingnian first because Jingnian had already been chosen by someone else. With such a high status, how could she compete with a capitalist’s daughter for a man?”
Huo Qingshan shot her a glare. “Don’t talk nonsense. The Qiao family wasn’t originally capitalists.”
When the border war broke out back then, the Qiao family donated money and supplies. They were well-known patriotic merchants in the capital.
You could even say her father was smart otherwise, he would’ve been confiscated and sent down long ago.
Chen Qingmei was unconcerned. “It’s just a different way of putting it. Deep down, they’re still capitalists. Otherwise, how could they leave behind such a huge debt and run away? Not only harming their own daughters, but also making life difficult for our whole family. Where’s the sense of responsibility of a patriotic merchant?”
Seeing that Huo Qingshan was still silent, she continued to persuade him. “All right. Even if Jingnian has no fate with the Xia family, his future won’t be bad. At the very least, his maternal family won’t stand by and do nothing. And Old Master Huo will spare no effort to support him. He has the capital to be willful unlike Jingchen, who has no support except you.”
At this, Huo Qingshan finally felt a bit better. “All right then. I’ll trouble you to prepare Jingnian’s wedding.”
“That’s nothing. It’s what I should do,” Chen Qingmei said virtuously.
“Make it respectable,” Huo Qingshan added.
“Understood. We’ll do what we should. Hopefully, Weiwei will know her place and make an effort going forward.”
Qiao Zhiwei and Qiao Zhilin returned home and had dinner. Exhausted, they washed up and went straight to bed.
In the past, the sisters each had their own room, but ever since creditors kept showing up, they’d been sharing one.
Though utterly tired, Qiao Zhilin was too excited to sleep. She tossed and turned, then finally asked, “Are you really going to marry Brother Jingnian? What if the Huo family changes their mind again?”
Qiao Zhiwei smiled. “If they do, there will be a price to pay. I don’t think Brother Jingnian will.”
Qiao Zhilin smiled. “I think so too. But even if you marry Brother Jingnian, the debts still have to be paid. Right now, aside from the five thousand yuan Grandpa Huo gave us, we’re penniless. And this money still has to be used to prepare for the wedding.”
“As long as those people don’t come knocking every day and are willing to give us more time, the debt will eventually be repaid. As for the wedding preparations, we don’t really have relatives or friends anymore, so we’ll save on banquet expenses.”
“Mm. We sisters will work hard together. We’ll pay it back sooner or later.”
Qiao Zhiwei smiled. “Go to sleep. We still have things to do tomorrow.”
Early the next morning, after breakfast, the sisters prepared to go out.
The moment they opened the door, they saw a group of creditors blocking the entrance, led by He Gang.
Qiao Zhiwei looked at him coldly. “You didn’t go to the police station yesterday?”
Hearing her voice, He Gang smiled. “Weiwei, why don’t you ever wish me well? If I were really detained, how would I convince everyone here that you’ll be able to repay the debt in the future?”
“You mean you paid it off for me?” Qiao Zhiwei knew very well that no matter how rich the He family was, they wouldn’t be that generous.
“If you’re willing to marry me, with my He family backing you, would they still worry about the debt running away?” He Gang said, then turned to the creditors behind him. “Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, we trust the He family.”
“There are so many girls in the capital why hang yourself on one tree?” Qiao Zhiwei tried to reason with him.
He Gang laughed. “But I just like this tree of yours.”
The men behind him joined in. “Among all the rich men in the capital, only Young Master He is this devoted.”
“Marry into the He family and give Young Master He two big sons maybe he’ll be happy and pay off our debts.”
“Yeah. Otherwise, with just you two little girls, how long do you think we’ll have to wait?”
Their teasing tones were full of mockery.
Qiao Zhilin clenched her fists. “Who my sister marries is none of your business. The money we owe will be repaid sooner or later.”
“Oh? You’ve got quite a sharp tongue,” one man sneered. “If the Qiao family can’t repay the money, then you and your sister can be taken as compensation.”
“Listening to you, I’d think I was living in the old society,” Qiao Zhiwei said coolly. In the past, such words would’ve truly frightened her, but now she didn’t care.
“New society or old society, owing money means paying it back it’s only right,” someone else shouted.
“We never said we wouldn’t repay it, but paying debts takes time!” Qiao Zhilin shouted.
At that moment, the courtyard gate was pushed open again. The person who came in wasn’t a creditor but Qiao Zhilin’s uncle.
Ever since the creditors started coming, this uncle hadn’t appeared once.
Behind him was their cousin.
Seeing this, He Gang hurried to greet him. “Uncle Qiao, you’re here.”
Qiao Luwen nodded slightly, then turned to the creditors and tried to placate them. “Everyone, please don’t get agitated. The debt will definitely be repaid. Please go back for now and let me discuss things with the sisters.”
Seeing his pretentious attitude and recalling the public notice he’d placed in the papers severing ties with them, Qiao Zhilin was furious. She immediately put on a cold face. “In what capacity are you here to ‘discuss’ things with us?”
Qiao Luwen froze. “Is that how you speak to an elder? After going through something so big, your temper still hasn’t changed.”
He then turned to Qiao Zhiwei. “I know you’re more sensible. You can understand your uncle’s situation back then. Blood ties can’t be severed everything before was just for outsiders to see.”
Their cousin, Qiao Wanxia, added, “Yes, Cousin. My dad has been so worried about you two these past two weeks that he can’t even sleep. He’s lost weight, too.”
“Then who are you putting on a show for now?” Qiao Zhiwei asked calmly.
Qiao Luwen clearly didn’t expect Qiao Zhiwei who had always respected him to speak like this. Feeling embarrassed in front of He Gang, he glanced back at him, saw that he and the creditors were still standing there, and lowered his voice. “If there’s anything to say, let’s talk inside. It doesn’t look good for others to see.”
Qiao Zhiwei didn’t move. “Did He Gang promise you something to get you to come persuade us?”
Caught at once, Qiao Luwen froze. “Your uncle is doing this for your own good. With the He family guaranteeing you, the creditors will feel at ease and won’t pressure you sisters like this.”
Qiao Zhiwei smiled faintly. “Isn’t the Huo family more reliable than the He family?”
Qiao Wanxia looked at her proud cousin and advised, “The Huo family only has Old Master Huo’s verbal promise. If you marry Brother He Gang, you’ll truly become part of the He family. How can those two be compared?”
Qiao Zhiwei took a deep breath. “What if I say I’m marrying into the Huo family?”
Luckily, she had shamelessly agreed to Huo Jingnian. Otherwise, she and her sister would’ve been bullied to death by He Gang.
He Gang laughed as if he’d heard a huge joke. “Weiwei, don’t be stupid. Do you think Huo Jingchen is like me, so devoted to you? No matter how beautiful you are, you’re a hot potato. Aside from me, no one would dare marry you.”
Qiao Wanxia nodded repeatedly. “Yes, Cousin. Huo Jingchen’s current fiancée is Sister Manman. If you keep clinging to Brother Jingchen now, that would really…”
She trailed off.
Qiao Zhiwei looked at her. “Are you trying to get an accounting job at the He family factory?”
Qiao Wanxia had previously worked as an accountant at her father’s TV factory. Since the factory ran into trouble, she hadn’t found suitable work.
“Cousin, I’m advising you not just for my job, but sincerely for your own good. Huo Jingchen will never marry you.”
Qiao Zhiwei had already guessed their purpose, but hearing Qiao Wanxia admit it still made her heart go cold.
When her father was alive, he’d treated this cousin very well. Whatever the sisters had, if the cousin liked it, her father would buy her a set as well. He even sent her to study accounting before she finished middle school and arranged a job for her at his factory.
Yet now, she showed no gratitude at all and stood on He Gang’s side.
Suppressing her emotions, Qiao Zhiwei said, “Who said I’m marrying Huo Jingchen?”
“Then who else in the Huo family could you marry?”
Qiao Zhilin glared at Qiao Wanxia and shouted, “My sister is marrying Huo Jingnian!”
Everyone stared at one another in shock.
Qiao Wanxia couldn’t believe it. “Qiao Zhiwei, have you gone crazy? Do you know what kind of status Huo Jingnian has? Even the Xia family’s eldest daughter wouldn’t dare covet him openly and you say you’re marrying Huo Jingnian?”
He Gang, who had been standing at a distance, immediately rushed forward. “No way, Weiwei. Just to avoid me, you’ll say anything now. I’ve been patient enough with you, haven’t I? I didn’t force you. I even invited elders to do ideological work for you and made guarantees to these creditor brothers that as long as you marry me, the Qiao family’s debt won’t disappear.”
Qiao Zhilin looked at him. “You’re just eyeing our house because it’s still worth some money and you want my sister too. The reason you’re not acting as arrogantly as last time isn’t respect it’s because you’re afraid of Brother Jingnian.”
Exposed, He Gang flew into a rage and stepped forward threateningly. “Qiao Zhiwei, what you just said had better be true. Otherwise, next time I won’t be this polite.”
“Which words had better be true?”
Just as he finished speaking, a cold, heavy voice came from the doorway.
Huo Jingchen’s tall, upright figure strode in with an imposing presence, stopping behind Qiao Zhiwei.