“What is he trying to do?” Bai Lan watched as Zhu Cheng approached her mother, her brow furrowed.
Xu Jianbei shook his head. “How about we go over and take a look?”
Bai Lan agreed and pulled Xu Jianbei toward her family’s home. The neighbors in the courtyard, who had been watching Zhu Cheng’s movements, also looked over curiously.
Under the gaze of so many people, Zhu Cheng remained remarkably composed.
“Hello, Auntie. My older sister is married to Bai Ping’s brother.”
The connection was convoluted enough that Bai Lan’s mother was momentarily stunned. In particular, the name Bai Ping stirred up a wave of emotion in her. After all, Bai Ping was the daughter she had raised and cherished for twenty years. But she knew what was right and wrong. After Bai Ping had done so many things to hurt the family, Bai Lan’s mother knew she needed to suppress those feelings.
So, although Zhu Cheng’s words surprised her, she still tried to remain calm and asked, “May I ask, what exactly are you trying to achieve by saying all this?”
Zhu Cheng was not surprised in the least by Bai Lan’s arrival. After politely nodding to Bai Lan’s mother, he turned to Bai Lan, who had just caught up. “Hello, Comrade Bai Lan. To be honest, I don’t want anything in particular. It’s just that our two families are somewhat connected by marriage. The grievances of the previous generation are beyond repair. As for Bai Ping, my aunt and uncle recognize her as their younger sister. So, I thought I’d come by and talk to you, to see if there’s a way to ease the misunderstandings between you.”
These words left not only Bai Lan but also the neighbors who were watching the spectacle stunned. None of them had expected Zhu Cheng to have such a background or to be connected to Bai Ping. Immediately, someone went to ask Widow Hu if she knew about Zhu Cheng’s connections.
Widow Hu was unapologetic. “Of course I know! Why wouldn’t I? Is that a problem? They’re just relatives, aren’t they? It’s not like Bai Ping did anything wrong! She wasn’t the one who swapped the babies at the hospital back then.”
Her words left everyone speechless again.
Bai Lan couldn’t be bothered with someone as unreasonable as Widow Hu. She addressed Zhu Cheng directly. “Did Fang Baoguo and his wife send you to mediate? Or was it Bai Ping?”
Zhu Cheng, usually so eloquent, found himself at a loss for words when Bai Lan spoke so bluntly.
But Bai Lan wasn’t done. “If you’re here on behalf of Fang Baoguo and his wife, let me make it clear: our family will never reconcile with Bai Ping. If you’re here on behalf of Bai Ping, that’s even less likely. Although you’re Widow Hu’s future son-in-law, you have no relationship with our family. From now on, if you have no business here, please stay away from us.”
“Oh, Bai Lan, how can you be so cold and heartless…”
Widow Hu immediately began questioning Bai Lan when she heard this.
But Bai Lan ignored her entirely. She fixed Zhu Cheng with a sharp gaze and said, word by word, “Is that clear?”
Seeing that Bai Lan was completely unyielding, Zhu Cheng finally shook his head with a wry smile. Then he said, “It seems I was presumptuous today. I’m very sorry for the intrusion.”
He then politely bowed to Bai Lan’s mother in apology. Turning to Widow Hu, he said a few words softly. Then he nodded courteously to the other neighbors in the compound and calmly walked away.
Such posturing actually earned nods of approval from quite a few neighbors. Everyone praised the young man for being so cultured.
In contrast, Bai Lan was made to seem unreasonable.
Seeing this, Bai Lan took a deep breath. She thought to herself that someone so fake really made her want to kick him.
Xu Jianbei stepped forward and pressed Bai Lan’s shoulder. “We don’t know what this guy’s real motive is. Don’t get angry over him.”
Bai Lan shook her head. “I’m not that angry. But people like him really are disgusting.”
Moreover, in the original storyline, this person had never appeared. She wondered what had happened to bring Fang Baoguo’s relative all the way to Beicheng.
As for Zhu Cheng, after leaving the compound, his expression remained largely unchanged. He calmly made a phone call to Bai Ping.
“Sorry, I couldn’t get it done.”
Bai Ping, on the other end of the line, curled her lip. “Forget it. No rush. We’ll take it slow.”
She hadn’t pinned her hopes on this man who had suddenly appeared anyway. He claimed to be the nephew of her cheap older brother’s wife. A relative so distant, if it weren’t for the fact that she truly couldn’t find anyone else to help her recently, she wouldn’t bother associating with him.
—
Back at the compound, Bai Lan had no idea what Zhu Cheng and Bai Ping were plotting. After shutting him down, she checked the time and decided to go back to her room and finish organizing. She had just bought some things and hadn’t put them away yet.
The neighbors didn’t press Bai Lan for more information. They all knew she and Bai Ping were on very bad terms. So, they gathered around Widow Hu instead, continuing to pry into exactly who this Zhu Cheng was.
Bai Lan didn’t join in. She went back home with Xu Jianbei to tidy up their things.
But as she worked, she couldn’t help replaying the short drama clips she had seen in her memory. Unfortunately, the videos were too short, and most of the content revolved around the female lead, Liu Meiling.
This meant Bai Lan couldn’t extract much useful information.
Her frustration lingered until that evening, when she happened to run into Hu Aihua at the communal sink. Finally, she couldn’t resist offering a friendly warning. “I don’t know exactly what Zhu Cheng’s background is, but a slippery character like him doesn’t strike me as very reliable.”
Hu Aihua was also doing laundry at the sink. She paused at Bai Lan’s words.
Seeing this, Bai Lan continued, “I heard from Aunt Wan that you didn’t want to be with Zhu Cheng at first. So, you should probably trust your initial instinct.”
Hu Aihua replied, “I had a pretty average impression of him when we first met too. But he’s truly a very nice person. You wouldn’t know since you haven’t spent time with him. So, thank you for the advice. But I know what I want.”
Although Bai Lan had rarely interacted with Hu Aihua, she knew the girl wasn’t stupid. Since she had said as much, Bai Lan decided to respect her fate.
When she got home and saw Xu Jianbei looking at her, she couldn’t help but smile ruefully. “Trying to be a good person isn’t easy, is it?”
Xu Jianbei understood what she meant. He pulled her into his arms. “You did what you wanted to do. Leave the rest to fate.”
Yes, no one could stand in the way of another person’s destiny.
Bai Lan wasn’t one to dwell on things. She quickly put this minor unpleasantness behind her and started discussing their plans for the coming summer with Xu Jianbei.
—
Bai Lan had thought that after what happened yesterday, Zhu Cheng might not show up at the compound for the next few days. But his psychological fortitude proved to be remarkably strong. The next day, he resumed his visits to the compound as if nothing had happened, picking up and dropping off Hu Aihua from work.
Some people who had thought less of him because of his connection to Bai Ping immediately changed their minds upon seeing this.
And after a full month of his unwavering routine—rain or shine—not only the compound but also the neighbors in the surrounding alleyways knew of this “paragon of a good man.”
It was around this time that news broke in the Hu family that Hu Aihua was about to marry Zhu Cheng.
When Bai Lan heard this, she exclaimed in surprise, “Those two have known each other for less than two months, by my count!”
Bai Lan’s mother had shared the news with her. Seeing her youngest daughter’s surprise, she smiled. “That’s pretty fast these days. Apparently, Widow Hu is afraid someone will snatch away such a good son-in-law.”
Bai Lan curled her lip. This guy was hardly such a prize.
But however much Bai Lan scoffed, the Hu family treated Zhu Cheng like a treasure. The day after news of the upcoming wedding spread, Qin Yan came to Bai Lan and told her that Hu Aihua had already gotten her introduction letter from her workplace. She would go with Zhu Cheng to get their marriage license first thing tomorrow morning.
The whole process sounded incredibly smooth. Bai Lan didn’t know what to say anymore.
That speed was truly unmatched.
“Anyway, even if their family invites us to the wedding, none of us are going.”
Qin Yan chattered on about Hu Aihua and Zhu Cheng’s relationship, then added, “My mother is losing her mind. She feels like Widow Hu has completely trampled her pride. She’s been driving me crazy lately.”
Bai Lan had to agree. Aunt Qin seemed determined to compete with Widow Hu. Over the past month, she had not only had Matchmaker Wu set up Qin Yan with five different men, but she had also asked everyone working at the textile factory’s big canteen to introduce Qin Yan to potential matches.
It was as if Qin Yan was some kind of unmarriageable spinster.
“Anyway, I have no face left now. Everyone at the textile factory and in our alleyways knows that Qin Yan can’t get married and no one wants her.”
Every time she thought about how desperately her mother was trying to marry her off—and marry her off better than Hu Aihua—Qin Yan felt utterly speechless.
Bai Lan understood this kind of competitive mentality. Qin Yan’s situation was truly pitiable.
Looking at Qin Yan’s expression of utter despair, Bai Lan thought for a moment, then finally spoke. “You haven’t found anyone suitable through matchmaking. Have you ever considered someone closer to home?”
Qin Yan was stunned. “Closer to home? Who?”
Bai Lan took a deep breath and finally said what she had been wanting to say for a while. “Da Tou.”
“Da Tou?” Qin Yan jumped up from her seat as if she’d seen a ghost.
“How is that possible! He…” Before she could finish, Qin Yan was already on her feet, pacing back and forth, muttering to herself, “How is that possible? How is that possible?”
This reaction surprised Bai Lan a little. She had thought the most she would get was Qin Yan’s displeasure. Instead, she seemed almost conflicted. Could it be that Qin Yan liked Da Tou too? Bai Lan had never noticed any romantic feelings from Qin Yan toward him.
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