"Thump!"
Xu Donglai gritted his teeth and knelt down on both knees.
Xie Sui quickly pulled him up: "One knee. Kneeling on both knees is for visiting graves and ancestors. I'm truly impressed by you. I'll call you brother."
Xu Donglai quickly switched to one knee. The ring was gold. Diamond rings weren't popular back then. He bought a large, floral gold ring, weighing a full five grams. The most expensive one. Xie Sui thought, such a good girl, he couldn't mistreat her.
Since he wasn't short of money, he might as well buy the most expensive one.
He marveled again at how cheap gold was, only thirty yuan per gram. He also bought one for Lin Wanwan and kept it in his pocket.
Xu Donglai then handed the ring to Yu Lili: "Lili, will you marry me!"
"Yes, I will."
Yu Lili's eyes welled up with tears. No matter what, she was finally marrying the man she loved.
As for Su Ning, who was he? She now only wanted to escape, not to be bothered by irrelevant people.
After helping her put on the ring, Xie Sui said: "The bride is leaving. Carry her out, everyone make way! The bride's physique means a princess carry is truly a killer. We mustn't be late!"
Yu Lili was displeased: "Am I fat?"
"You're not fat. Even if you were fatter, I could still carry you."
Xu Donglai chuckled foolishly. Yu Lili pouted: "Doesn't that still mean I'm fat!"
Xie Sui was speechless. Can you two flirt after you're safe? You're truly a pair of troublemakers.
"Old Xu, at this point, you don't need to talk. Kiss her!"
"Yeah, kiss her, give her a kiss!"
The crowd egged them on. The noise could be heard two streets away. What kind of wedding makes such a commotion!
Xu Donglai gave her a hearty kiss, followed by more cheers. Yu Lili's relatives were all smiling broadly. The groom's family knew how to liven things up. Weddings should be this lively.
"We're leaving, aunties! Watch me scatter flowers!"
Xie Sui threw another stack of red envelopes, over fifty of them. The relatives almost fought to snatch them. One yuan was a lot! A pound of pork was only eighty cents! Su Ning Novel Network.
After the red envelopes were snatched, the father-in-law, Yu Jianshe, came out and said: "They didn't pay their respects to their parents and kowtow to us. Why are they leaving already?"
The relatives were stunned. They finally realized something was amiss. That's right, they seemed to have left in too much of a hurry, scattering red envelopes as if they were free. Where was the usual etiquette?
Moreover, not a single elder from the groom's side had come. It was just a group of youngsters. This wasn't right!
"Where's Director Su?"
Yu Jianshe looked innocent: "I don't know!"
"You..."
The relatives didn't know what to say. What was the difference between a man who didn't manage the household and a piece of decoration?
But the people had already been taken away, leaving only scattered firecracker remnants. This matter shouldn't go wrong, right?
Yu Lili had also married happily. She knew that man, and it wasn't a kidnapping.
Just as they were feeling uneasy, more firecrackers sounded. The relatives' faces turned green. Oh dear, what was going on?
Just then, Director Shen returned and saw their strange expressions. "What's wrong?"
"Uh, Director Shen, Lili was picked up by the groom's family. She forgot to kowtow and bid farewell to you two. Look at this mess, it's against the rules."
Director Shen was also puzzled: "Didn't they say they would wait for me to return before leaving? Why didn't you stop them?"
The relatives exchanged glances, feeling very embarrassed. They couldn't very well say they were too busy snatching red envelopes to pay attention.
Firecrackers sounded at the door. A child ran in and said: "The groom is here."
The relatives were dumbfounded. "Why is there another one?"
Director Shen suddenly realized: "Where's Yao Jinling? Something's not right."
Yao Jinling had to face her anger: "Aunt, please calm down. Xu Donglai is out. Sister Lili has always liked him. They were forced into this. There was no other way."
Director Shen almost fainted. She finally understood what was happening. Xu Donglai had impersonated the groom and tricked her daughter away.
"You, you are truly something. A good Xu Donglai. He's committing fraud to get married. Let's go demand our person from the Xu family."
Yu Jianshe slapped his thigh: "What about the people outside?"
The real groom had already arrived at the door, but the people who came were rather shabby. They were scattering only melon seeds, with few candies. Some of the relatives who came to escort the bride were even wearing patched clothes and had gaunt faces, completely out of place in the compound.
Su Ning's family was from the countryside. He had barely managed to get into a vocational school. There were many children in his family, and they had pooled all their family's resources to support him. Now the whole family depended on him for sustenance, so their financial situation was bound to be difficult.
If it weren't for their family's extreme hardship, they wouldn't have known about Yu Lili and would have been willing to marry her, hoping Director Su would help her. He was also a "phoenix man."
When Xu Donglai had an accident, Yu Lili went to the factory to find Director Su, begging her to save him. This was known to everyone in the factory. Because of this, Director Su felt she had lost face and even more strongly disapproved of their marriage.
She hastily arranged the marriage with Su Ning, cutting off Yu Lili's hopes. Director Su was a cold-blooded and overbearing person. With such a mother, Yu Lili had lived a very hard life since childhood.
Director Su's face was so dark it could drip water. Standing at the door, she personally blocked Su Ning and his poor relatives.
Su Ning wore a dark blue Zhongshan suit, which was inappropriate for the weather. He rode a bicycle, which was borrowed.
Seeing Director Su, he flashed a fawning smile: "Mom, I'm here to pick up Lili."
Director Su: "Don't call me mom. The wedding hasn't happened yet. I ask you, when are you going to give the betrothal gift of thirty-eight yuan that you promised my family?"
"Betrothal gift?"
Su Ning looked guilty and avoided her gaze. "Director Su, you know my family's situation. Don't worry, I'll make it up later. I can give you an IOU, okay?
No matter what, let's get the wedding done first. It will look better for everyone."
Director Su had calmed down and deeply felt that the marriage she had arranged was too hasty. "Let everyone hear this. Does anyone write an IOU for a betrothal gift?"
"Other families give sixty-six or eighty-eight yuan, a 'three turns and one ring' (referring to a sewing machine, bicycle, watch, and sewing machine), eight sets of bedding and eight covers, and thirty-six legs (referring to furniture like beds and tables). I've considered all these, but you're writing an IOU for just thirty-eight yuan. How can I be assured of marrying my daughter to you?"
"Not to mention, once you're married, there's no guarantee you'll ever repay this money."
Su Ning's second aunt came to help with the bride reception. Seeing Director Su's arrogant attitude, she instantly got angry: "Don't you know what kind of character your daughter has?
She was fooling around with another man before marriage, maybe her body isn't even clean anymore. My nephew Su Ning is a vocational school graduate. So many young women are eager to marry him.
Today, I'll make it clear: will your trash daughter get married or not?"
Director Su was stunned. How could she speak about her daughter like that?
"You, you're spouting venom! My Lili was just dating someone. It's not like you say at all.
How can you be an elder and be so willing for your nephew to wear a cuckold's hat before even marrying a wife?
Very good. Seeing your attitude, I understand. This marriage is off!"
Su Ning's face turned extremely grim. He suppressed his anger and said: "Director Su, I know my family is poor, but I've always worked hard. Everything I've achieved today is through my own struggle. I will definitely succeed in the future.
I don't care about Lili's past. I will treat her sincerely from now on. Please grant us our wish?"