"Huh?" Grandma and Mom exchanged glances, then deliberately asked, "What method?"
"Isn't he going to have a banquet on the 18th? We'll bring Zhuang Yuan along and say that he and Yuanyuan have been engaged since childhood. With the real person there, Old Qu won't doubt it!"
"What?! I'm engaged to him?!" I burst out laughing!
"No way!" Zhuang Yuan cried out like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on.
"I mean, pretend!" Grandpa reassured Zhuang Dayuan, who had jumped three feet high.
"Old Su, I think Qu Ling is a very good kid, why are you so opposed to it?" My grandma and my mom are of one mind. They think that marrying me to Qu Ling is a windfall, but my grandpa disagrees, which makes them very upset. They are afraid that the old man will ruin the marriage.
"Don't you know what kind of people the Qu family are?" Grandpa glared at Grandma. "They're all ruthless. Besides, their family background is so high, our Su family can't possibly be worthy of them!"
"The Qu family's methods are indeed ruthless, but they have to consider who they're dealing with. Old Su, you have to have a conscience. The Qu family has been very kind and righteous to our Su family. Back during the Cultural Revolution, when you were locked in a pigsty, I had nowhere to go with my four sons. If it weren't for Old Qu taking us in and rescuing you, would our Su family be where we are today?" Grandma didn't back down either, bringing up all the old grievances to tell everyone.
"These are two different things! I can't repay a debt of gratitude with my own granddaughter!" Grandpa was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at his face. "Yuanyuan! Grandpa will never let you jump into a fire pit!"
Uh, Grandpa, aren't you being a bit too absolute? Actually... that fire pit actually looks pretty good.
"Fourth brother, Yuanyuan is your daughter, come out and say something!" Grandma pulled Dad out.
"Actually..." Dad scratched his head, "When we were little, we lived with the Qu family. Grandpa Qu was really good to us brothers. And Qu Ling's dad, they all treated me like a brother... Speaking of which, I even played with Qu Ling when he was little! The Qu family has always been clear about love and hate, they hate completely and love completely. Besides, these days, how can a man survive in society without some tricks up his sleeve! Qu Ling became a dean at such a young age, he must have some tricks up his sleeve. My Yuanyuan is innocent, she should find someone powerful to protect her. As long as Qu Ling is sincere to Yuanyuan, I think this marriage is a good one, Yuanyuan's mom, what do you think?"
"I can tell! Qu Ling definitely likes my Yuanyuan!" Mom had been waiting for a chance to speak for a long time, and she hurriedly threw out a bombshell at the old man who was fighting alone.
"Which eye of yours saw that? You've only seen that kid a few times!" Grandpa retorted fiercely.
"I saw it with both eyes!" Mom pointed to her eyes and laughed, "That night at dinner, I kept watching them exchanging glances!"
Oh my god—Mom, you really have a keen eye for observation.
In short, the family has been arguing endlessly about my marriage to Qu Ling. Apart from my third uncle, who thinks Qu Ling is not a simple person and that he and I are not suitable, everyone else is against my grandfather's wishes, fearing that my marriage will be ruined by the old man and that this opportunity will be lost forever.
Before they knew it, it was the 18th. The whole family gathered in the yard early in the morning as if they were going to war, and even Su Tiantian rushed back from Y City.
I know he came back specifically to see me make a fool of myself.
"Su Yuanyuan, if you really manage to get married, I'll give you my favorite pet!" Su Tiantian said with a grin as she lay down next to me.
"Tell me first, is your favorite pet a shrimp?" I stared at his strange smile with a suspicious look.
"It's Xiao Ling!" Su Tiantian actually looks quite masculine and is tall. From the perspective of an average girl, he would definitely be a handsome guy, but I don't know why I always feel that he is very childish. I can't see the word "handsome" in him no matter how I look at him.
"Xiao Ling? What a martial arts name! Is Xiao Ling a dog or a cat?"
“Xiaoling has been with me for five years. I found her on the school playground when I was a freshman.” Su Tiantian gestured with a bottle of mineral water as she spoke. “That day, I came out of the library with some classmates and saw Xiaoling in the middle of the road. My classmates were all scared and jumped to the side, but I was excited and my eyes lit up. I used a stick to gently poke at her and caught Xiaoling in the mineral water bottle. Later, I took her back to my dormitory and kept her in a milk powder can filled with mud and grass.”
"...Su Tiantian, what exactly is Xiaoling?" A sense of foreboding rose in my heart, and sweat broke out on my forehead.
"Centipede!" Su Tiantian smiled and waved a mineral water bottle in front of me, looking very proud.
"..."
“I took Xiaoling to the Chinese medicine purchasing station and asked. The old pharmacist said my Xiaoling could be sold for at least five hundred yuan!” Su Tiantian held up five long fingers in front of me. “I thought about it, but I still can’t bear to sell her. My Xiaoling might even cultivate into a spirit and become a beautiful woman!”
"...Su Tiantian, are you running a high fever?" I slapped his head to the side. "Beautiful woman, my foot! You dare to want a beauty who's actually a centipede demon? Be careful, she might poison you to death!"
"Silly!" Su Tiantian suddenly stopped laughing and looked at me with disdain. "I was just kidding! How could I be so stupid!"
My chest heaved with blood, and I was about to spit it out. "Su Tiantian! You're asking for death!" I swung my cane down, hitting Su Tiantian and making her scream wildly.
Chairman Mao said that we must never be soft-hearted when dealing with class enemies!
*****
At exactly 12:00, at the Xihuayuan Hotel.
When we arrived at the hotel entrance, my grandfather was stunned. A big red sign read: Congratulations to Mr. Qu Ling and Ms. Su Yuanyuan on their engagement!
Before Grandpa could even react, several men who looked like leaders came over, shook his hand, and said with smiles, "Principal Su! Congratulations!"
"Heh...heh," Grandpa chuckled awkwardly, completely unable to recall who these people were.
"Director Lin! Director Zhu! Secretary Wang... Hello!" The uncle also stepped forward and shook hands with the man.
"Chairman Su, is Miss Su Yuanyuan your daughter?"
"No, no! She's my fourth brother's daughter!"
"Ah! It's actually the fourth brother's daughter? Haha! Where is she? Let me see!"
My uncle pointed, and I, sitting in my wheelchair peeling oranges, became the star in everyone's eyes.
"Truly a lady of high birth!"
"Your temperament is as elegant as an orchid!"
"A family of scholars naturally exudes elegance!"
Pfft—I feel so pathetic just thinking about how I look peeling oranges while sitting in my wheelchair. It's amazing that these uncles could give me such praise, and with such natural expressions, without any pretense or hypocrisy.
Once inside the gate, we realized that the so-called engagement banquet hosted by the Qu family wasn't just for our two families; almost all the prominent figures in the city had been invited.
In this situation, even if my grandfather wanted to back out, he couldn't. After all, so many high-ranking leaders were present. If things got out of hand, the Qu family would lose face, and the Su family would also have a hard time.
"Su Wentong!" Grandpa Qu sat in his armchair, his face beaming with pride.
"Qu Ba!" Grandpa stormed up to him and said in a low voice, "What's going on here? Didn't we agree it was just a family reunion? Why did you invite so many people?"