Zhong Yi was also utterly dumbfounded.
It was mainly because of Grandma Guan’s attitude at the beginning. She had been anything but friendly.
But hadn’t things taken a rather dramatic turn?
Or was the bond between women sometimes just that wonderful?
By noon, they began preparing lunch.
The men of the Zhou family took charge of the cooking, and they prepared an incredibly lavish spread. They had stewed chicken soup, fish, and meat. They had even managed to buy some rare beef. With a good balance of meat and vegetables, the dishes filled the entire table, clearly demonstrating their respect for their guests.
At the dining table, Grandma Guan had completely changed her earlier sharp-tongued attitude. She kept piling food onto Zhong Yi’s and Zhong Huilan’s plates.
Guan Shujun could only shake her head at the sudden change in her mother’s behavior.
Zhou Shou’an, meanwhile, was still somewhat confused. He had no idea what had happened. His mother-in-law certainly hadn’t behaved this way earlier.
Zhou Shouye and Zhou Yue had only come along to make up the numbers. Since they were visiting relatives, they figured they might as well enjoy the delicious food.
Gu Qingtang, however, sat holding a bowl of rice, unable to eat a single bite.
She had originally thought Grandma Guan would be able to stop this marriage from happening. Who could have imagined things would turn out this way?
She secretly glanced at Zhong Yi.
She genuinely couldn’t understand what was so special about this country girl.
“There’s something I’m not sure whether I should say.”
Clutching her chopsticks tightly, she suddenly spoke up.
As soon as those words left her mouth, the entire dining table fell silent.
Zhong Yi also raised her eyes to look at Gu Qingtang.
Generally speaking, when someone began a sentence like that, they already knew perfectly well what they wanted to say. And whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t going to be pleasant.
In fact, it was something she could have easily kept to herself, but she simply couldn’t resist saying it.
Guan Shujun frowned.
Even Zhou Yue sensed that something was wrong. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Gu Qingtang and Zhong Yi.
Gu Qingtang stared at Zhong Yi with an innocent expression on her face.
“How come I heard that you had a fiancé you’d been engaged to for many years?”
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zhou’s expression darkened with displeasure.
What was wrong with this girl?
Grandma Guan had been drinking chicken soup, but now she stopped as well and hurriedly put down her spoon.
“Is that true?”
Gu Qingtang acted as though the matter had nothing to do with her.
“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Zhou Duo. Before we went home that day, we saw Zhong Yi making a scene outside a farmhouse. Later, we found out that she had been engaged to a man surnamed Liang for a long time. Under normal circumstances, the two of them should have gotten married by now, right?”
She refused to believe it.
Other things might be forgivable, but Zhong Yi had been engaged to another man for years. Who knew whether the two of them had crossed any boundaries during that time?
She wanted to see whether the Zhou family could still pretend nothing was wrong after hearing this.
“Qingtang, that’s enough!” Grandpa Zhou snapped.
He had been very polite ever since arriving at his son’s home, but now his face had turned dark.
There were certain things involved in this matter that he and Zhou Shu had originally agreed not to bring up. Since some details were embarrassing, there was no need to spread them around.
Yet Gu Qingtang simply refused to let the matter rest.
Now that things had come this far, Gu Qingtang decided to go all the way. She stubbornly lifted her chin, insisting that she had done nothing wrong.
Zhong Yi smiled indifferently. Out of respect for the seriousness of the matter, she also put down her chopsticks.
“Since you’re so concerned about it, I’ll simply tell you the whole story from beginning to end.”
She then explained the history between the Zhong and Liang families.
The matter was actually quite simple. Her connection with Liang Feng began when she was fourteen years old.
One summer, she had been washing clothes by the river when something startled her, nearly causing her to fall into the water. Liang Feng happened to be passing by and rescued her.
Because he had saved her life, the Zhong family felt they owed him a debt of gratitude. They repaid his kindness and supported him throughout his studies. Since Zhong Yi and Liang Feng were also close in age, their families eventually arranged an engagement between them.
“Back then, he saved my life. Our family believed in repaying kindness, so we supported him all the way through school. Now he’s found someone from a more influential family in the city, so I was the one who proposed breaking off the engagement.”
She looked directly at Gu Qingtang.
“Tell me, Comrade Gu. What exactly have I done wrong in your eyes?”
Gu Qingtang bit her lip and raised her chin haughtily.
“Since the two of you were engaged for so many years, who knows whether you ever—”
“Gu Qingtang!”
Guan Shujun’s sharp shout cut her off.
Gu Qingtang froze.
When she met Guan Shujun’s disgusted, scrutinizing gaze, it felt as though she had suddenly awakened from a dream. A chill spread throughout her entire body.
She knew that she must look utterly ugly behaving this way. She didn’t want to be like this, either.
But the thought of Zhou Shu marrying the woman sitting in front of her made her heart ache unbearably. She felt as though she would rather die.
Everyone around the table was looking at her differently now, each person with their own thoughts.
Zhou Yue was especially quick to speak.
“We’re all women here. You’re talking about a woman around your own age, making damaging accusations against her reputation without knowing anything about the situation. Gu Qingtang, don’t you think you’re being downright malicious?”
Gu Qingtang’s face turned deathly pale. Under everyone’s scrutinizing gazes, she felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles.
She desperately wanted to explain that she wasn’t a bad person.
But would anyone still believe her?
Unable to bear it any longer, she dropped her bowl and chopsticks, covered her face with her hands, and ran outside.
Of course, this time, nobody went after her.
Whatever the circumstances, this was completely inappropriate behavior for such an occasion. She should never have said those things.
Zhong Yi remained perfectly calm. She had known that she would eventually have to face this situation.
Ultimately, the timing had simply been too coincidental. And even if the Zhou family had their doubts, that would be understandable. If she were in their position, she might have questions herself.
After all, marriage was no trivial matter, especially when it came to choosing a daughter-in-law.
However, Gu Qingtang was in no position to be the one making those accusations. Just who did she think she was?
Besides, Zhong Yi had already given Gu Qingtang plenty of consideration.
What had happened between her and Zhou Shu could still be explained as a case of someone setting them up.
But was Gu Qingtang herself truly so innocent?
Zhong Yi hadn’t forgotten how Gu Qingtang had stripped off her clothes to seduce Zhou Shu.
She had only kept quiet out of consideration for the fact that they were both women, sparing Gu Qingtang the embarrassment by not exposing the matter publicly.
She believed Zhou Shu had kept quiet for the same reason.
Guan Shujun had apparently thought of this as well.
“Zhong Yi, I’d like to apologize to you on Qingtang’s behalf. I haven’t disciplined that girl properly.”
Zhong Yi replied, “Aunt Guan, there’s no need to apologize. This isn’t your fault. Gu Qingtang is already an adult, and she should take responsibility for her own words and actions.”
What she meant was clear: she didn’t blame the Zhou family, but that didn’t mean she forgave Gu Qingtang.
Guan Shujun understood her meaning and raised her eyebrows slightly.
The girl looked gentle and sweet, but she actually had quite a stubborn streak.
Then again, if someone had humiliated her like that, she probably wouldn’t forgive them easily, either.
Grandma Guan, however, remained silent for the rest of the meal. She narrowed her eyes slightly, seemingly lost in thought.
After lunch, everyone sat together for a while longer.
When it was time to leave, the Zhou family had also prepared generous return gifts.
There were tins of biscuits, cured meat, canned fruit, and various canned meats. The gifts were worth even more than the things the Zhong family had brought.
Zhou Shou’an and his wife personally escorted their guests to the entrance and helped load everything into the bed of the tractor.
Guan Shujun turned to Zhong Yi and said, “After meeting you today, our family has a very good impression of you. Your entire family knows how to value kindness and loyalty. As for the matter between you and my son, we parents won’t interfere too much. What matters most is what the two of you want. Come visit us more often in the future.”
As she spoke, she nudged her mother’s arm.
“Mom, say something, too.”
Zhong Yi could actually see Grandma Guan’s hesitation. The elderly woman had traditional views and might feel that her grandson was getting the short end of the stick.
But when it came to the original Zhong Yi and Liang Feng, there really hadn’t been anything between them.
Thinking about it carefully, Liang Feng had simply treated the original Zhong Yi as a source of financial support, someone who would keep providing him with money.
He had never truly liked her in the first place. And without genuine affection, there was little reason for any intimate contact between them.
Grandma Guan pressed her lips together. Her tone sounded somewhat reluctant.
“My daughter is right. This is a matter for the two of you youngsters to decide.”
Zhong Yi smiled as well.
What mattered more to her was Zhou Shu himself, along with his character and the way he treated other people. As for how the rest of the Zhou family felt about her, she wasn’t particularly concerned.
Zhou Shu was a soldier, after all. At worst, she could simply move to wherever he was stationed after they married. That way, she wouldn’t need to see the Zhou family very often. As long as they maintained basic courtesy, that would be enough.
Grandpa Zhou, however, noticed how halfheartedly Grandma Guan had spoken and felt that he ought to do something.
After all, before his grandson left, he had earnestly entrusted him with looking after Zhong Yi.
“Wait a little longer before you leave. You few, come over here. There’s something I need to tell you.”