Yao Yunzhen had dismissed Yao Kemei’s words as nothing but hot air, thinking they would vanish without consequence. Little did she know, that was merely her own wishful thinking.
Thus, when Tan Guihua entered her room and dropped a bombshell with her very first sentence, Yao Yunzhen was utterly stunned.
“Zhenzhen, I heard you also like that Educated Youth Li. Is it true?”
Tan Guihua spoke cautiously while carefully observing Yao Yunzhen’s expression.
“Grandma, what nonsense are you talking about! How could I possibly like Li Yunqi?”
Yao Yunzhen stamped her foot in fury.
Her mother had told her that with her looks, she ought to be the one others fawn over—how could she possibly take the initiative to like someone else?
Let alone a pretentious pretty boy like Li Yunqi.
This was an insult to her, a downright outrage!
Tan Guihua looked skeptical. “Really? Then how come you know that pretty boy’s name is Li Yunqi?”
In her words, Educated Youth Li had now clearly become a “pretty boy,” with none of her previous favorable impression remaining.
Evidently, in Tan Guihua’s eyes, he was far from worthy of her precious granddaughter.
Yao Yunzhen never expected this could be used as evidence of her affection.
“There are only a few Educated Youth in the village. Everyone knows their names—it’s not strange that I know them too. I know the names of other villagers as well—does that mean I like all of them?”
“Grandma, who told you I liked him?”
Yao Yunzhen wasn’t foolish; her intuition told her someone was playing tricks behind the scenes.
Seeing Yao Yunzhen’s resolute expression and firm attitude, Tan Guihua finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“It was Kemei. She told me you liked that Educated Youth Li. She said she couldn’t steal the person you liked, so she’d yield him to you.”
At this point, Tan Guihua grew a bit angry.
“How could she spread such rumors? You’re already engaged. If this gets out and causes misunderstandings, it’ll be disastrous.”
Yao Yunzhen was absolutely livid.
Yao Kemei spouting nonsense in front of her was one thing, but to go babbling such lies to her grandmother? Would she next take this gossip outside?
She had to teach that girl a lesson!
“Mom—”
Yao Yunzhen dashed out of the room.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
Miao Cuilan was about to go to sleep when she heard her beloved daughter’s distressed voice. She rushed out of her room immediately.
“Mom, Yao Kemei is bullying me! She’s spreading rumors about me!”
“What?!”
How dare she bully her daughter while she was still in the house? This was unacceptable!
Miao Cuilan exploded with rage. Rolling up her sleeves, she stormed into Yao Kemei’s room.
The self-built house had poor soundproofing. When Yao Kemei heard Yao Yunzhen tattling, her heart sank.
Yao Kemei had initially thought Yao Yunzhen denied it simply because she disliked her, which was why she had used their grandmother as a mouthpiece. She never expected Yao Yunzhen would still refuse to admit it.
Why? Shouldn’t she be overjoyed to marry Li Yunqi?
Who would have thought she’d not only refuse but also make a scene about it?
Remembering her aunt’s fierce temper, Yao Kemei shuddered.
Her aunt wasn’t like her own mother, who didn’t care about her daughters.
She doted on Yao Yunzhen immensely and would stand up for her in matters big and small.
Yao Kemei instinctively tried to flee, but the moment she stood up, she ran right into Miao Cuilan’s grasp.
“You little wretch! How dare you bully my daughter? I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!”
Miao Cuilan grabbed Yao Kemei by the collar and slapped her across the face.
Yao Kemei wanted to fight back, but she was chronically underfed, as thin as a scrawny chick, and having just been through the ordeal in the water, she was no match for the broad-shouldered and sturdy Miao Cuilan.
Miao Cuilan, quick as lightning, delivered several sharp slaps—smack, smack, smack—while cursing under her breath.
“See if you dare bully my daughter again! See if you dare spew such filth from your mouth…”
“That’s right! Let’s see if you’ll spout nonsense again!”
Yao Yunzhen stood to the side, hands on her hips, acting tough by borrowing Miao Cuilan’s authority.
Tan Guihua had initially intended to mediate, but seeing Yao Yunzhen’s stance, she ultimately kept silent. This time, her younger sister was in the wrong.
Ah, who told her to talk recklessly? Such matters should never be spoken of carelessly.
Household affairs had always been decided by Tan Guihua. Since she didn’t speak up, Yao Daqiang naturally remained silent as well.
As for Yang Erni, it was as if the one being beaten wasn’t her daughter—she stayed hidden in her room the entire time, not uttering a single sound.
Miao Cuilan also knew her limits and stopped once she felt it was enough.
Finally, she issued a warning: “If I ever catch you bullying Zhenzhen again, you’ll regret it!”
Yao Kemei slumped to the ground, clenching her fists tightly, her eyes lowered to conceal the envy and hatred burning within.
Just wait, she thought. She wouldn’t let anyone who had wronged her get away with it—absolutely not!
In this lifetime, these people would never trample over her again.
After dealing with Yao Kemei, Miao Cuilan carefully questioned Yao Yunzhen. Upon hearing about Yao Kemei’s actions, she felt the urge to tear her mouth apart and slap her a few more times.
“This is utterly outrageous! Our Zhenzhen already has a fiancé. Could it be that Yao Kemei said such things because she has her eyes on Zhenzhen’s fiancé?”
Miao Cuilan had initially spoken offhandedly, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
“It must be so. Otherwise, why would that girl even turn down Educated Youth Li and try to push him onto Zhenzhen? She must be aiming for someone better.”
Back when Old Man Yao was young, he had saved an injured military officer, and the two families had stayed in touch. Later, they arranged a marriage alliance for their children.
At the time, Yao Yunzhen had just been born—a delicate, jade-like child whom Miao Cuilan couldn’t adore enough.
The marriage was clearly a favorable one, and Miao Cuilan naturally seized the opportunity.
Back then, the second branch of the family only had two daughters. Yang Erni, lacking confidence, didn’t dare compete with her domineering sister-in-law and couldn’t be bothered to expend effort on “worthless girls.” Thus, the engagement fell to Yao Yunzhen.
However, the two families lived far apart, separated by vast distances. They hadn’t seen each other since the arrangement, and at one point, they even lost contact. Neither side knew what the other’s child looked like, making it possible to switch the bride without detection.
In a previous letter, Miao Cuilan had suggested exchanging photos of the children.
She was confident that once the other side saw the photo, the son-in-law would be as good as secured.
Unfortunately, the other party refused, explaining that the young man was serving in the military and his photo couldn’t be disclosed.
They didn’t fully understand the reasoning, but as the bride’s family, they couldn’t push too eagerly. The matter of exchanging photos was eventually dropped.
If Yao Yunzhen were to marry that pretty boy surnamed Li, wouldn’t Yao Kemei be the only marriageable girl left in the Yao family?
“How cunning,” Miao Cuilan gritted her teeth.
She had even taken care of Yao Kemei when she was little, enduring Yang Erni’s sarcasm and even getting into fights over it. Who would have thought this wretched girl would repay her like this—scheming against her own daughter!
At this point, Miao Cuilan’s remaining pity for Yao Kemei had completely vanished.
Tan Guihua showed hesitation in her eyes: “That can’t be, can it?”
No matter what, Yao Kemei was her own granddaughter. It was difficult for her to think of the girl in such a negative light.
Yao Yunzhen, however, fully believed Miao Cuilan’s judgment and looked at her with admiration.
“Mom, you’re really clever.”
Silly girl, is this really the time to say such things?
Naturally, her mother-in-law still had feelings for her own granddaughter and was unwilling to think of her in such a bad light. But Miao Cuilan was firmly convinced of her own speculation. She didn’t intend to argue with Tan Guihua, instead saying:
“Mom, why don’t we take the initiative to bring it up? Look, both children are grown up now. It would be good to settle things early.”
Miao Cuilan had originally planned to keep Yao Yunzhen at home for another two years, reluctant to let her daughter marry too early. But now that she saw someone trying to snatch the promising son-in-law she had her eye on, she could no longer sit still.
Tan Guihua was also afraid things might change, so she agreed without much hesitation.
“When Yunchuan returns, have him write a letter to inquire.”
The Yao family were just ordinary farmers without many connections. If they missed this opportunity, Yao Yunzhen would likely only be able to marry someone from the village, or at best, someone from the county town.
With a girl like Yunzhen growing up so beautiful, ordinary families wouldn’t be able to protect her properly. If she married beneath her station, they wouldn’t feel at ease.