324 Agreeing to the Marriage Proposal
When the neighbors saw Yu Bing turn around and leave, they frowned.
“Mr. Yu and Duan Mei are too outrageous. They even want to charge their daughter money for a few meals at home!”
“That’s right. Their family of four has three people working. I can often smell meat when I pass by their home. How can they be short of food for one more person? Moreover, Yu Bing already said that even if she doesn’t have money now, she’ll make up for it later. Yet the couple can actually bear to watch Yu Bing starve outside.”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t have come back!”
“Indeed, how heartless! It’s time to eat, so they should at least let her have a meal. The Yu family doesn’t even want to give her a single grain of rice now.”
Yu Bing could naturally imagine the discussions of outsiders. This was a part of her plan of escaping the Yu family’s control in the future. With the advantage of public opinion being on her side, it would be easier for others to understand her.
After Yu Bing left, Duan Mei looked at her husband and said, “I think she did it on purpose! She wants to ruin our family’s reputation!”
Yu Bing’s actions could be interpreted as leaving after being rejected, but it could also be interpreted as Yu Bing deliberately showing her neighbors that her family mistreated her.
However, no matter what, this matter had already affected the Yu family negatively.
Mr. Yu no longer cared to think about what Yu Bing’s intention was. Since they definitely wouldn’t be able to get Yu Bing’s salary, he began to agree with his wife.
“After dinner, go to Shi Lian and discuss the two children’s marriage with her. Settle it as soon as possible and get the money. This year, the recruitment for sending intellectuals to build the countryside has begun again.”
“I just pulled some strings today. Yu Wu will go to the food factory to work as a temporary worker. As long as Yu Wu gets this position, he won’t have to go to the countryside. We have to gather enough money quickly!”
Duan Mei’s eyes lit up. “Alright, I’ll go tonight!”
At the Yao family’s house.
When Shi Lian saw Duan Mei standing at the door, she greeted her with a smile, “Duan Mei, it’s been a long time since you’ve been a guest at my house. Come in.”
When Duan Mei entered and saw that Mr. Yao was also there, she smiled and said, “Mr. Yao is also here. That’s good.”
Mr. Yao stood up and replied with a smile, “You’re a rare guest. Please sit.”
Shi Lian welcomed her in and let her sit on the sofa. Then, she poured a glass of water for Duan Mei and said, “Is Yu Pan ready to get married?”
Duan Mei smiled and said, “It’s not confirmed yet. They’re just dating.”
Duan Mei changed the topic and revealed her true motive for coming to the Yao family’s home. “Shi Lian, Mr. Yao, my husband and I thought about it and felt that a good child like Yao Nian is indeed rare. I really don’t want Yu Bing to marry a bumpkin, or else even if the intellectuals can return to the city in the future, she won’t have a chance at all. Therefore, we discussed it and decided to agree to your previous marriage proposal!”
Shi Lian’s smile didn’t change, but she disdained Duan Mei’s actions. Previously, she wanted to keep Yao Nian hanging and see if she could climb up the social ladder through another man. Now, she changed her mind? It was too late!
Thinking of the contents of her son’s letter last week, Shi Lian felt a little smug.
Her son was indeed outstanding. With his own strength, he had found a girl whose family was more than ten times more well-off than his family! He could even return to the city and find a job. How could Yu Bing compare to her?!
Hence, Shi Lian looked at Duan Mei indifferently and replied aloofly, “Duan Mei, I thought about it and decided to let the children decide it themselves. Yu Bing has high standards. My husband and I also thought about it later. What you said makes sense. Marriage is about reciprocation. Let the two children choose who to date themselves. They’re still young, so there’s no hurry.”
Duan Mei paused. She could tell that Shi Lian had changed her mind, so she was a little anxious.
Her son was still waiting for money in order to pull strings!
Duan Mei realized that it wasn’t the Yao family who was proposing marriage now, but their family. Hence, she could only smile and say, “What do children know? The parents should make the decisions regarding marriage. How can parents harm their children? Aren’t many couples like this? They’re living quite harmoniously now!”
Shi Lian was very calm. “You can’t say that. Free love is popular now. We should also learn from it and keep up with the times. Don’t be anxious. Our children will have their own match! These two children probably are not meant to be together. Otherwise, they would have been engaged already.”
Duan Mei knew that Shi Lian was determined not to consider Yu Bing anymore, so she said with a stiff expression, “Alright, since you’ve decided, I hope you won’t regret it and come looking for me after this!”
With that, she stood up and left the Yao family’s home.