CHAPTER 409: CHAPTER 409: MONOPOLIZING

Mrs. Lu grasped another of Shen Yixiang’s hands and said, "Child, you don’t know how good the Huang family’s conditions are. His father is the brigade leader, and he works as an accountant in the commune. They don’t have to worry about food or clothing. It’s true he’s been married once, but he doesn’t have any children, no strings attached. He’s not that old either, only twenty-five or twenty-six, about the same age as our Hai Jun. He’s also a good-looking man. If you marry into their family, you won’t have to work the fields or worry about how much grain you have. What’s not to like about that?"

Shen Yixiang then asked, "What happened to his previous wife?"

"She died during childbirth, and the child didn’t survive either. But that was just one year of bad luck."

Lu Hailing cried out, "Which respectable family would marry their daughter to a widower? It would be shameful for our parents and for our second brother. Besides, everyone says he beats his wife. Who knows if it wasn’t his abuse that led to the difficult birth? Mother, I’m begging you, please don’t make me marry into that family."

Mrs. Lu grew somewhat angry, "I’ve told you so many times already, do you know how many girls in our village want to marry him? He just didn’t take a fancy to any of them, but he has chosen you. As for the nonsense about beating his wife, which couple doesn’t have arguments now and then? A little push and shove when you’re angry happens everywhere. How could it be that he caused the childbirth complication? Why haven’t we heard about it? Do you young girls really know better than us?"

Shen Yixiang furrowed her brow. She agreed with Lu Hailing’s opinion and continued to persuade, "Auntie, this is Hailing’s life we’re talking about. You can’t be so careless. If she doesn’t want to, how can she be happy?"

"She doesn’t understand now, but she will be grateful to me in the future," Mrs. Lu remained unmoved.

Shen Yixiang continued, "Such a good girl as Hailing, how can we not find someone better than the Huang family? If she can’t do farm work, then let’s not marry her into a farming village. Let’s search properly. Maybe she can even find someone in town. Hailing isn’t that old."

"Finding someone in town, how could that be possible? What does she have to compete with the town girls? Would anyone choose her over them? That’s impossible! This girl doesn’t appreciate what she has. She doesn’t think about how hard it has been for her father and me to raise her to this size. This is all for her own good."

"Auntie, people now value the freedom to choose their own spouses. It has to be Hailing’s own wish!"

"Why are you also trying to persuade me, Yixiang? We all want what’s best for her."

"Auntie, we need to listen to what Hailing wants. Arranged marriages are not acceptable. You wouldn’t want to make everyone unhappy, right?"

Mrs. Lu could not argue with Shen Yixiang, so she turned her ire on Lu Hailing, "You rebellious girl, not listening to your parents anymore. If I had known it would come to this, I might as well have smothered you at birth and saved myself the current grief. Fine, if you’re so capable, go find yourself a job and bring it back here. Then we won’t have to worry about you, and you can marry whoever you want!"

Lu Hailing cried even harder.

Shen Yixiang stood up and said, "Alright, Hailing, come with me. Stay at my place for a few days, and I’ll help you look for a suitable job. Auntie, are you serious? If she finds a job, will you really stop pressuring her to marry into the Huang family?"

Mrs. Lu nodded, "My word is my bond."

So that’s how it went, when Shen Yixiang came back, she brought Lu Hailing along without even mentioning it to Lu Haijun. Initially, Shen Yixiang had felt sorry for Lu Hailing, so she couldn’t help but say what she said. By the time she reached the doorstep, she started feeling some regret; she didn’t know what Lu Hailing could do. If it was like her mother said, and she was unable to do anything, then how could she herself help her find a job? There was also her brother’s approval to worry about. But then again, she had already spoken her promise, and she believed that with so many factories around, surely a job could be found. Besides, her brother, sister-in-law, and their mother were all kind-hearted people and would definitely support her.

After hearing this, both Yang PeiMin and Chen Guizhi thought that Shen Yixiang was being too impulsive. If she couldn’t deliver on her promises, she was in for some trouble.

Lu Hailing looked at them and quickly said with caution, "Aunt, sister-in-law, I’m sorry for the trouble. I’ll go back home once my mother calms down tomorrow."

Shen Yixiang pulled her aside, "Go back for what? If you go back, you’ll have to go with your mother back to your hometown, and then you’d be forced to marry into the Huang family with that twice-married man!"

Lu Hailing’s eyes reddened, but she stubbornly tried to keep the tears from falling, "Ultimately, they are my parents, and it’s only right that I listen to them."

"Don’t go back," Shen Yixiang said. "Didn’t your mother say it? As long as you find a job, you’ll have a say in your own marriage matters." After speaking, she looked at Yang PeiMin, "Sister-in-law, please help Hailing. She’s really pitiful. She’s being forced to marry a man who’s been married before, and he’s an abusive husband. His previous wife died from complications during childbirth because of his beatings. Marrying Hailing to him would be like pushing her into a fire pit."

Yang PeiMin didn’t agree, "You first take this young lady to wash her face; let’s talk about this matter later."

It seemed that this matter needed to be discussed with Lu Haijun. What did he mean by sending his sister over like this?

Yang PeiMin picked up her son from the baby crib and went to her room to breastfeed him.

Shen Yixiang took Lu Hailing to wash her hands, and Lu Hailing, following behind her cautiously, quietly asked, "Sister Yixiang, I’ll just stay the night and go back, right? It’s so embarrassing to be here. You don’t have to find me a job. Who would want someone like me?"

Shen Yixiang handed her a new towel, "Wipe your face first, and don’t worry, I’ll find you a job."

Lu Hailing’s eyes reddened again, and she bent her head down, wiping her eyes with the towel, then looked up at Shen Yixiang and said, "Sister Yixiang, you are truly kind, but I just feel so embarrassed staying here. I don’t know if your sister-in-law or your mother would mind?"

Shen Yixiang waved her hand dismissively, "What would they mind? You saw it yourself, there’s plenty of space here, plenty of room to live. If you’re embarrassed to have a room on your own, you can stay with me. My mother is especially tender-hearted, and my sister-in-law is a broad-minded and reasonable person; they won’t mind. If you feel bad about it, after you find a job, you can treat them to a nice meal."

"But, but I can tell that both aunt and sister-in-law are kind people, and I still feel like I’m being a bother. Sister-in-law seemed a bit upset just now. Won’t this make things difficult for you? Maybe I should go back..."

Shen Yixiang held her hand, speaking in a warm tone, "My sister-in-law isn’t like that, don’t overthink it. She was probably just worried about my nephew getting hungry, that’s why she said what she did. She’s very busy, having to go to class every day and always rushing back to feed my nephew."

Encouraged by her words, Lu Hailing finally managed a smile.

Meanwhile, Chen Guizhi had followed Yang PeiMin into the room and asked her in a soft voice, "Minmin, what do you think about this situation?"