“Big Brother Xie, what’s wrong?”
Xie Shijun stood at the entrance of the restaurant, dazed for a brief moment. Chen Ying could clearly tell that his moment of distraction was because they had just run into Tang Guo and Song Ye.
As for which of the two had stunned him, was that even a question? Of course it was Tang Guo.
Jealousy stirred faintly in her heart, but at the same time, she felt grateful. Thankfully she had made the first move and arranged for Tang Guo to marry Song Ye.
Otherwise, if Xie Shijun returned to find Tang Guo still single, who knows what might have happened?
“It’s nothing.”
Xie Shijun had indeed spaced out because of Tang Guo. He had seen her as a child. Back then, she was still a little girl in the village, remembered as someone cherished by the entire Tang family, a fair-skinned, delicate little thing.
“Let’s go. Let’s head back.”
He found the sudden, inexplicable thought that had just crossed his mind a bit ridiculous. He stopped thinking about Tang Guo and turned his attention back to his situation with Chen Ying.
His initial impression of Chen Ying was still quite good. If nothing unexpected happened, he’d submit the marriage report once he returned to the army.
When Chen Ying heard him asking about her, she let out a sigh of relief, though it didn’t show on her face. She continued to carry herself with grace and confidence, which made Xie Shijun increasingly pleased with her.
None of this concerned Tang Guo. She and Song Ye finished eating, bought a few things, and returned to the village.
Before long, news spread that Xie Shijun was going to marry Chen Ying. Nothing unusual came from the Xie family’s side, but while Xie Shijun returned to his unit to submit the marriage report, the Chen family stirred up quite a bit of trouble.
The source of the chaos was mostly Chen Fangfang. She kept saying Chen Ying didn’t like Xie Shijun, loudly declaring she wanted to marry him instead, which made her become the village’s laughingstock. Unfortunately, the Chen family was full of odd characters. They favored the youngest daughter Chen Fangfang and the youngest son Chen Shubao, while treating Chen Ying poorly.
The reason this issue erupted was that Chen Fangfang’s persistent nagging about Xie Shijun actually made Ding Yuzhen consider: “Should they swap the bride?”
Only someone from the Chen family could come up with such an absurd idea.
Chen Fangfang and Ding Yuzhen thought they had a clever plan. But Xie Shijun’s mother, Xu Qiulan, wasn’t someone easily fooled. Everyone in the village knew Chen Fangfang was spoiled rotten. How could she compare to the diligent and capable Chen Ying?
Chen Ying, having been reborn, had long figured out Xu Qiulan’s personality. She knew the woman admired hardworking, capable girls. So whenever Xu Qiulan was around, she would perform well on purpose. Aside from her vague connection to Song Ye before her rebirth, which couldn’t be changed, Xu Qiulan was completely satisfied with her.
She had also repeatedly and clearly stated she wasn’t interested in Song Ye. Now that Chen Fangfang had made such a fool of herself, it only made people believe those earlier rumors were just Fangfang slandering her own sister to steal a marriage.
The Xie family had no intention of changing their daughter-in-law candidate. Xie Shijun himself was already satisfied with Chen Ying. How could they possibly replace her with the spoiled Chen Fangfang?
Having failed to get her way, Chen Fangfang’s reputation was nearly ruined, and she officially became Chen Ying’s enemy.
When Xie Shijun returned next, it would be time for him and Chen Ying to marry. Before that, he had already filed for family accompaniment in the army.
After marrying Xie Shijun with great fanfare, Chen Ying left with him, leaving Chen Fangfang to stare enviously in the village.
All of this had nothing to do with Tang Guo and Song Ye. They were currently busy with factory matters.
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