Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Clarifying Clearly
Even without a reputation, the marriage was still on!
Xia Lan swept away her previous gloom.
Xia Lan was happy, but the He Family was not.
Though the gift money sent did not have to be repaid now, it was recorded in the gift money book and would still have to be repaid when Xia Chuyi got married!
Not repay? Not repaying would result in being spat on and vilified.
Moreover, could Uncle Xia let it go if the gifts were not repaid?
Paying a little less was possible, but no matter how little, they still had to give out several dozen yuan, causing Mr. He and Mrs. He immense heartache.
“How about it, He Family?” Uncle Xia asked slowly.
“My son isn’t necessarily going to marry Xia Lan,” Mrs. He said in pain, stammering, and before she could finish, Xia Lan burst into tears.
“Aunt He, Brother Qing and I truly love each other. Are you trying to drive me to death?” she said, about to throw herself against the wall.
Her words and actions rendered Mrs. He speechless.
Xia Lan was now beyond caring; her reputation was already damaged, and she could not lose the marriage too.
“I didn’t, didn’t mean that…” Mrs. He quickly held Xia Lan back, trying to soothe her.
Seeing this, the bystanders began whispering.
“So Xia Lan really does have something going on with He Qing?”
“Tsk tsk tsk, shameful!”
“The He Family is even more shameless, sleeping with someone’s daughter and then trying to deny it.”
Embarrassed and helpless, Mr. He and Mrs. He had no choice but to accept the marriage.
“Well, we’ll listen to Brother Zhao then…”
And so, it was settled.
“Wait, what is this? Does it mean that Xia Lan, the shameless one, doesn’t have any issue but still received an advance of 300 in gift money?” Xia Mei, thoughtless as ever, blurted out angrily.
Uncle Xia sneered, ready to settle scores with Xia Mei when she impulsively jumped out.
“As the saying goes, ‘Better to demolish ten temples than destroy one marriage’, let it be settled then, for both He Family and Third Xia Family.”
He turned to another face, facing Eldest Xia.
“Next, Eldest Xia, I need to ask, what is your daughter relying on to bully my niece?”
Uncle Xia’s expression was unfriendly.
Glaring hatefully at his daughter, Uncle Xia apologetically said to Uncle Xia, with a forced smile, “Younger brother, I am sorry, it’s all because Da Mei is ignorant, a child speaking without restraint…”
“Speaking without restraint?” Uncle Xia cut him off, “Speaking without restraint, and implying my sister and Chuyi are living off others?”
“And that Chuyi can only survive because of the main house?” Uncle Xia stared intensely at Eldest Xia.
Eldest Xia, rendered speechless, turned the color of liver.
Then, Uncle Xia continued, “Since things have come to this today, let’s clarify everything once and for all.”
“Father-in-law, mother-in-law, may I ask, when my brother-in-law died, did the military issue any pension?”
“Do I not send hefty gifts to the Xia Family during the holidays? Do I not give a regular allowance to the second household every month?”
At that moment, all the villagers understood that the Xia Family was actually living off the second household’s pension and Uncle Xia’s money, all the while bullying a family of lone women!
Uncle Xia had no reservations about exposing them, causing Grandpa Xia’s face to turn ashen.
“Uncle, you can’t say that, over the years, our family has always treated the second household well…” Grandpa Xia began, but then, something crossed his mind, and his gaze shifted, landing on Mother Xia who was crying in the back of the crowd.
“Second son’s family, speak for yourself, has the family not treated you well?” Grandpa Xia directly called out Mother Xia.
Once Mother Xia was called out, Xia Chuyi knew things were about to get worse.