"That one didn’t pan out, this is another one, and now Su Qin is really in demand! Almost every day she meets two or three suitors. Her aunt, who married into the county, used to be very close to her when she was still living at home.
Now that she herself is married happily, she hasn’t forgotten about her niece. Knowing that her parents only care about the dowry, she managed to secure two worker registrations for Su Li. Whoever marries her would get the chance to work alongside her as a worker. You wouldn’t believe it, her parents are green with envy, resentful that her aunt didn’t get the same for her brother and sister.
However, her aunt doesn’t buy their nonsense, so they’ve got no leverage there. Right now, they’re hell-bent on making a fortune from the dowry," Zhao Qihui said as she pulled her outside,"Oh right, have you been wondering why your grandmother and grandfather didn’t tell you about my grandfather’s birthday?"
"Exactly." Chuxia nodded honestly, "I really can’t make sense of it."
"It’s just two old men bickering, Oh..." Zhao Qihui said with a face caught between laughter and tears,"In the past, your grandfather, who’s also my grandfather, and my other grandfather used to get along quite well. Whenever there was a market in both villages, the two elders would find time to drink together.
You’ve been with me a few times before; my grandparents liked you a lot. But they always worried about your marriage prospects because of your physical incapabilities. So, they’ve always kept an eye out for you.
My mother, father, and I thought that one of us had already informed them about your marriage, so we didn’t say much about it, mainly because we didn’t fully understand the situation and didn’t want to delve into it too much..."
Chuxia interrupted her with a smile: "Everyone thought I was going to end up with an old man, right?"
"Not an old man, exactly." Zhao Qihui said awkwardly, rubbing her head, "But yes, everyone thinks you’re not young and didn’t want to say too much. Later, when we went to attend a wedding and coincidentally the Zhou family had some trouble, when we returned, our grandparents naturally spoke only good things at home, never mentioning a word about the Zhou family’s mishap.
Aunt Su Qin and Qiyan wrote back and made the news widespread. My grandfather then hurried to ask my grandfather on a bicycle. My grandfather was already furious and accused him of coming to gloat, which made him turn him away angrily.
This infuriated my grandfather, who felt blindsided by the sudden gossip about how ’Old Man Zhao from Xiaolin Village’s granddaughter was getting married to an arrested son-in-law.’ He came out of concern but was treated as if his good intentions were hogwash.
Since then, the two have been at odds, not speaking to each other. My parents and I tried mediating from both sides. Eventually, the grudge in their hearts dissipated, but neither wanted to admit it openly.
Some time ago, my cousin got married, and the groom’s family was quite well-off. My grandfather was overjoyed, unlike my grandad, who loves showing off when something good happens.
Remembering how he treated you, my grandad became even more upset. What was a loosening knot became tight again. This time, although grandparents had prepared gifts for my grandfather’s birthday, they didn’t mention a single congratulatory word, nor did they allow us to bring any messages.
If it were any other year, both would have joined the birthday celebration. Chuxia, you really mean the world to them," Zhao Qihui explained.
"I understand." Chuxia said, feeling a bittersweet emotion; this heavy love was almost too much for her, "They can’t stand to see me slighted in any way; they aren’t actually mad at Grandfather Li, but they feel he should have unconditionally supported me. No matter what others say, suspicion or conjecture should be out of the question, alas..."
"Also, didn’t Qiyan come back around the same time as you? Aunt Qiyan boasted around the village that her daughter married a big official, and then my grandad had to chip in, completely infuriating my grandad," Zhao Qihui added.
After a moment’s thought, Chuxia asked, "Grandfather Li wasn’t praising Qiyan’s marriage in front of others, was he?"
"Exactly, that’s what happened. My grandad thought by doing so, he was indirectly apologizing to my grandad. Little did he know, the attempt backfired, and my grandad completely ignored him afterwards," Zhao Qihui explained.
"No wonder Grandfather Li asked me to drink then. He was actually angry with me. If it wasn’t for me, the two old men wouldn’t have ended up ," Chuxia said, her eyebrows tightly furrowed, evidently pondering ways to resolve the conflict between the two."