The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 138 - 137: No Matter How Well You Dress, You Can’t Hide Your Uncouthness

Chapter 138: Chapter 137: No Matter How Well You Dress, You Can’t Hide Your Uncouthness

Daya hadn’t come out of the bathroom yet when Mrs. He hurried over.

"Did you bring Daya back? Did the Liu Family agree?"

He Lang pointed to the bathroom. "She’s back and taking a bath. Six yuan a month. The Liu Family agreed."

"Six yuan? That’s so much! You’re taking Daya to Beijing City to enjoy a good life. How dare they ask for so much?"

A cold smile touched He Lang’s lips. "The Liu Family wanted ten. This was already a concession."

Mrs. He’s eyes widened. "Have they gone mad over money?"

"Hah. Who knows?"

A moment later, Daya came out of the bathroom, and Ruanruan ran over to take her hand.

"Big Sister Daya." Then she led Daya into the room.

Mrs. He looked at Daya. Although she was wearing a new set of clothes, her gaunt frame made Mrs. He’s eyes redden.

"Daya."

When Daya saw Mrs. He, her eyes lit up and she ran over to her. "Grandma."

Mrs. He wiped away her tears and pulled Daya into a hug. "Oh, my poor Daya."

Seeing Mrs. He was what finally made Daya cry out. "Grandma."

After a moment, Mrs. He touched the dark bruise on Daya’s face. "Which damn bastard hit you?"

Daya mumbled in a low voice, "It was my aunt. She pushed me, and I hit the wall."

Mrs. He said angrily, "And your mother doesn’t do anything about it?"

Daya shook her head.

Mrs. He gritted her teeth. "That clueless woman. I get angry just thinking about her."

Mrs. He asked Daya a few more questions, and the more she heard, the angrier she became.

Worried she’d make herself sick with anger, He Lang quickly changed the subject.

"Alright, Mom, let’s not talk about it anymore. We’re going to Beijing City in a few days, and we’ll be far away from that family. Daya’s hair isn’t dry yet, you should help her dry it properly."

Mrs. He glanced at Daya’s hair, which was indeed still dripping. "Your hair is so long, I can’t believe they didn’t get it cut. You’re so thin, and long hair will just suck up your nutrients. And these bangs... who gave you this haircut? They’re covering your eyes."

As she spoke, Mrs. He went to find a pair of scissors and cut Daya’s hair to shoulder length, just right for a ponytail.

Xue Yue brought her a couple of hair clips to pin back her thick bangs.

"Now that looks much better. It’s not like you can’t be seen in public, so why cover half your face?" Mrs. He looked at her handiwork and nodded in satisfaction.

Since they hadn’t seen each other in years, Mrs. He decided to take Daya back to the old family house at noon. Ruanruan and Shiyi went along with them.

Xue Xingzhou returned in the afternoon. He had taken Zhang Qian out that morning to buy a few new outfits and some gifts for the Zhang family.

Zhang Qian’s older brother and sister-in-law had also returned. They were all to have lunch with Zhang Qian’s family at the state-owned restaurant tomorrow.

Xue Yue told her brother about Xue Changlin’s wishes and showed him the bracelet.

"He probably still has some unresolved issues. If he doesn’t want to go, then let’s just forget it."

Xue Xingzhou hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."

The next morning, knowing they were all going to town, Daya hadn’t returned from the old house the night before.

Xue Yue hadn’t forgotten about Xue Xingjun, so she had He Lang go pick him up early in the morning.

Xue Xingzhou went ahead to order the food. Xue Yue’s family plus Xue Xingjun couldn’t all fit on bicycles, so they had to take an ox-cart.

When they arrived at the state-owned restaurant, the Zhang family wasn’t there yet.

After a short wait, they saw Zhang Qian approaching with her parents, along with a middle-aged couple and a boy who looked to be about ten.

When Zhang Qian saw Xue Yue, she waved happily. "Xiao Yue."

Xue Yue smiled and stepped forward. "Sister-in-law, Uncle, Auntie, hello. I’m Xue Yue. That’s my younger brother, Xue Xingjun, this is my husband, He Lang, and these are my two children."

Zhang Hongjie glanced at Xue Yue, then turned his head to look at He Lang and gave a slight nod.

Huang Ying, on the other hand, enthusiastically came forward and took Xue Yue’s hand. "Xingzhou told us long ago he had a sister, but I never expected you to be so young and pretty! Your husband is very handsome, too. Oh my, and you already have two children! How adorable."

Xue Yue responded with equal warmth.

Zhang Qian’s brother, Zhang Hui, chatted with Xue Xingzhou and He Lang. Meanwhile, Zhang Qian’s sister-in-law, Zhao Yunyun, stood to the side, staring askance at Xue Yue’s group and constantly sizing them up.

Xue Xingzhou gestured towards the restaurant. "Let’s go inside. We can talk while we eat. The food should be just about ready."

Zhang Hongjie nodded.

They entered the state-owned restaurant together. The restaurant had two private rooms, but they weren’t usually open to the public. Besides, most people preferred to eat in the main dining hall. Xue Xingzhou paid a little extra to get them one of the private rooms.

Once everyone was seated, Xue Xingzhou stepped out to tell the server to start bringing the food.

Huang Ying smiled at Xue Yue. "I heard from Qianqian that you also got into a university in Beijing City. That’s wonderful! You siblings can go to Beijing City together and look after each other."

Xue Yue smiled and nodded. "Yes, I didn’t want to be too far from my brother."

"Where does your husband work?"

Xue Yue glanced at He Lang. "He used to work for the transportation team, but he’s already resigned. Our whole family is moving to Beijing City."

Zhang Hongjie knew He Lang worked for the transportation team, but he hadn’t expected him to quit his job to move to Beijing City.

"Your entire family is moving to Beijing City?"

Xue Yue gave a small smile. "The children are still young, and I can’t bear to be away from them."

"That’s true. Children are a mother’s most precious treasure."

Zhang Hui asked He Lang, "So, do you have any plans? I’ve heard it’s not easy to find work in Beijing City."

He Lang chuckled. "We’ll see when we get there."

Suddenly, a loud "Hmph!" drew everyone’s attention. All eyes turned to Zhang Qian’s sister-in-law, Zhao Yunyun. The sound was a forceful snort, thick with disdain, and her face was a mask of contempt.

Xue Yue saw it but merely flicked a glance at the woman before lowering her gaze, saying nothing. He Lang didn’t even deign to look in her direction.

A flicker of light crossed Xue Xingzhou’s eyes as he stared directly at her.

Huang Ying felt the awkwardness and cleared her throat lightly.

Zhang Hui nudged his wife with his elbow and whispered, "What are you doing?"

Zhao Yunyun snapped, "What are you bumping me for? Can’t I even make a sound? Don’t I have even that much freedom?"

Zhang Qian gave her a cold look. "What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know this is a special day for me? If you find something here so disagreeable, you can just go home."

Zhao Yunyun scoffed. "What kind of thing is that to say? Weren’t you the ones who called and asked us to take time off work to come back here? Besides, I didn’t even want to come in the first place. A bunch of country folk. No matter how nicely they dress, they can’t hide that hayseed air about them."

Zhang Qian slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet. "Are these ’country folk’ eating your food? What’s wrong with being from the country? And besides, how are they any worse than you? Do you think you’re so high and mighty?"

Furious, Zhao Yunyun turned to her husband. "Zhang Hui, did you hear what your sister just said? Does she even treat me like a sister-in-law? Aren’t I just looking out for her? What’s so great about marrying a country boy? So what if he got into a university? His family has no money at all." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Zhang Hui glanced at his father’s dark expression and quickly grabbed his wife. "Stop talking. Don’t you see what day it is? Why are you making such a scene? It’s embarrassing."