Chapter 432 - 375: Visitors from the Sun Family
Chapter 432: Chapter 375: Visitors from the Sun Family
After seeing Lin Liuping off, Xiao Man did the math and realized she had only a few days left at home. School was about to start. Grandpa, Grandma, and Yu Wumei began to sort through all the local specialties they had gathered and received from the other villagers, getting them ready for Xiao Man and the other two to take back to Beijing. With another separation looming, the siblings and friends were all sad to see them go.
After Liu Fengying returned from Dingshan Village, she came looking for Xiao Man a few times. But Grandpa and Grandma, fearing she would cause trouble, told everyone in the family to be on guard and not even let her into the courtyard. Consequently, no matter how Liu Fengying threw a tantrum, even rolling on the ground and wailing, she could only make a scene by herself on the main road. After this happened several times, even the snot-nosed toddlers couldn’t be bothered to watch.
Liu Fengying was furious but helpless. Grandpa and Grandma held their heads high now; they were no longer the destitute, sick, and helpless old folks they once were. They had money and their own biological children and grandchildren. They had no need to rely on Mo Guoqiang and Mo Laoer and could sever ties with those two ungrateful, treacherous nephews in a heartbeat. But Liu Fengying and Mo Laoer weren’t stupid. They knew full well that they absolutely could not have a real falling out with the old couple. Even just tagging along to bask in their reflected glory offered plenty of benefits!
If you were to ask Liu Fengying what she regretted most, she wouldn’t tell you the truth. But deep down, her guts were twisted with regret. ’Why didn’t I just get rid of Mo Xiaoman back then? I was greedy for her labor, thinking I could keep a servant girl for free. But instead, she found a way to escape and shack up with those two old fossils. They always say three heads are better than one, and it’s true! That damn girl managed to completely turn her life around, making my life miserable, ruining my own daughter’s prospects, and cutting off my family’s good fortune. The loss far outweighed the gain, and the frustration is just killing me!’
While Liu Fengying was seething with resentment and secretly cursing Xiao Man, Grandpa, and Grandma, the place now known by the people of Gongdao Village as the Mo Family Mansion welcomed another distinguished guest—Xinghua’s fiancé, Jiang Junlin.
Finally meeting Jiang Junlin in person, Xiao Man took a couple of extra glances at him. He was indeed gentle, cultured, refined, and handsome, with a hint of the air of a young master from the Republican era. Standing next to the shy and beautiful Xinghua, they made a perfect match.
Jiang Junlin had only just now come to G Province because he had to sort some things out in H Province during the holidays. After all, since he was going to be working here and had even transferred his household registration, there were matters that needed to be properly settled for him to have peace of mind.
He was a late-in-life son. His mother passed away when he was in his teens, his older siblings already had their own families, and his father died of illness last year, leaving behind some property and old belongings. He had no objection when his siblings requested to divide everything equally, but when the time actually came, he realized they had screwed him over. The inheritance wasn’t divided by the number of siblings, but by headcount! His sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nephews, and nieces were all included, with everyone getting an equal share!
This put Jiang Junlin at a clear disadvantage. Unmarried with no wife or children, he only counted as one share. His siblings, besides their spouses, each had three children, so each of their families claimed five shares! Jiang Junlin’s portion ended up being just two of his father’s antiques, a few old books, and a corner of the courtyard. The five-room ancestral home, under the excuse that it couldn’t be broken up, was not part of his share at all!
But Jiang Junlin was no fool. He took his siblings to court. The lawsuit lasted for half a year, and in the end, he won and got back the inheritance he was entitled to. However, his siblings became his bitter enemies in the process.
Last year had been an extremely difficult and disastrous period for Jiang Junlin: his father passed away, Xinghua went missing after being trafficked, he was embroiled in a lawsuit, and his family turned against him. He endured it all stoically while persistently trying to find out where Xinghua was. After the police’s anti-trafficking operation, they followed orders from above and kept the details of Xinghua’s abduction strictly confidential. But they couldn’t withstand Jiang Junlin’s incessant pestering. Plus, given his status as the man Xinghua was planning to marry, the police had no choice but to give him a scrap of information. He followed the trail all the way to Wancheng and, with incredible luck, ran into Xinghua and her brother on the street as they were following behind Grandpa and Grandma!
He had won Xinghua’s acceptance, earned the approval of Grandpa, Grandma, Mo Jiabao, and Yu Wumei, and even gained the support of Tang Qingyun, who used his connections to arrange a teaching position for him at Guan City Middle School. Jiang Junlin’s quest to win his wife was now complete.
Jiang Junlin had arrived in Wancheng a couple of days ago. He first went to the school to report for duty and handle the paperwork, where he was assigned a two-bedroom faculty apartment. After cleaning it and buying some furniture, he returned to the village, planning to take Xinghua there when school started in September.
Originally, Grandpa had thought that Xinghua was a bit old to be starting middle school. This was quite common in the countryside, so he wasn’t worried about local gossip. But children in the city usually progressed through school at the normal age and would definitely be younger than Xinghua. He was worried she would feel embarrassed.
But Jiang Junlin insisted on having Xinghua by his side, and his plan seemed very reasonable. He promised Grandpa that he would personally tutor her. The initial plan wasn’t for her to go on to high school, but to focus on completing her middle school courses and then take the exam for a technical secondary school. After she started working, she could then test into an adult university. With him, a teacher, by her side, getting a university diploma would be no problem!
Xinghua agreed with Jiang Junlin and was willing to try for the technical school, so the family unanimously approved the decision.
On August 28th, Grandpa and Grandma had Mo Jiabao slaughter another fat pig. This time, they sold most of it, using the remaining meat, bones, and offal to prepare a banquet of several tables. They invited their clan relatives and village neighbors over for a meal to send the children off to school.
The banquet began around ten in the morning. Xiao Man saw Mo Chengfu wheeling a woman’s bicycle into the courtyard, a silly grin plastered on his face. ’Someone must have arrived,’ she guessed. And sure enough, a bright and pretty young woman followed him in. It was his girlfriend, Li Fangfang.
Since she hadn’t seen Fangfang visit for so long, Xiao Man had once asked Mo Chengfu about it. He had explained that Fangfang’s maternal grandfather was influential and had helped her transfer from the post and telecommunications office to the power supply office. The power supply office was a much better post, but she had to undergo training right after starting. Fangfang had gone out of town for the three-month program and could only return after it was over.
So, she was back now. And with perfect timing, too.
Fangfang came in with a huge smile, and her eyes lit up even more when she saw Xiao Man. She strode over and threw her arms around her in a hug, exclaiming with a laugh, "My dear little sister! I finally get to meet you! Chengfu told me on the phone that you were asking why I hadn’t come back. I wanted to! I’ve been dying to come back and see my little sister!"
Mo Chengfu coughed twice from the side. "Ahem, Fangfang, she’s my niece, not your sister!"
Fangfang shot him a sidelong glance. "I like it! I’m going to call her sister! What’s it to you?"
Mo Chengfu took the glare but just chuckled foolishly, as if he were drunk. "Alright, alright! Have it your way, have it your way. Sister it is, then!"
Xiao Man: "..."
’Mo Chengfu, do you realize how much you lose by being so spineless? Think about it. You’ve instantly gone from being my cousin-uncle to my brother-in-law. Besides, if your dad, my Eighth Uncle, found out, he’d give you at least two sharp flicks on the forehead!’
At Grandpa and Grandma’s urging, everyone took their seats. The wine had just been poured and no one had picked up their chopsticks yet when Qiu Erhu ran in from the courtyard gate, shouting, "Grandpa, Grandpa, more guests are here! There are three cars parked outside!"
Grandpa froze for a second, and Mo Jiabao said, "Dad, you stay seated. I’ll go see."
The words had barely left his mouth when a clear, crisp woman’s voice came from the entrance: "Is this Mo Youmu’s home? Is Brother Amu here?"
Hearing this voice, Grandpa immediately stood up. Xiao Man also hurried over to help Grandma to her feet, whispering, "It’s Imperial Doctor Sun’s family!"