Meanwhile, at the Ming Family’s courtyard, Wang Weiguo was being pulled by his parents, his eyes bloodshot and voice hoarse. “Mingxia, come out!”
Ming Lei, Mingxia’s older brother, stood with his younger brother blocking the door. “Wang Weiguo, can you listen? We made it clear yesterday—our sister doesn’t want to marry your family. The bride price will all be returned to you. What else do you want?”
Wang Zhigang got angry. “Is returning the bride price enough? What about our family’s reputation? We spent so much preparing the wedding. Can you just return the bride price and call it done?”
“What do you want then? Didn’t our sister’s reputation get affected too?” Ming Lei was furious.
The Wang family was causing a scene, and the neighbors were all listening.
Ming Yu was also defending his sister. “Yeah, my sister breaking off the engagement has been affected.”
“Who is breaking off the engagement?!” Wang Zhigang shouted loudly. “Ming Family boys, are you reasonable? Your sister broke off the engagement at the last minute. How can people accept that?”
Tian Xiaohua cried, “I don’t understand. What’s wrong with Mingxia? Why break off the engagement at this time?”
The Ming Family only said Mingxia didn’t want to marry, but the Wang Family couldn’t accept the reason at all.
Inside the house, Mingxia wanted to go out to persuade Wang Weibing to leave but was held back by her mother. “Don’t go. If you’ve decided not to marry, don’t see him again.”
“But Mom, I feel guilty towards Weibing,” Mingxia said with remorse.
He Cuihua sighed. “That’s true, but we also thought about you. Marriage isn’t just about the man; it’s also about the family atmosphere. At first, we thought the Wang Family was okay, but we didn’t expect Wang Weiguo’s cousin to really be violent.”
Regarding this, after Mingxia heard from Zeng Shuyi, the Ming Family investigated.
They confirmed it was true.
They asked the Wang family openly and secretly, but the family attitude was to not take it seriously.
Wang Weiguo said he believed Wang Jie wouldn’t hit someone without reason.
Actually, there was no single, special reason for breaking off the engagement.
It was these small things piling up that made the Ming Family feel increasingly uneasy about the Wang Family.
From Wang Juan always supporting her natal family, constantly talking about carrying the first grandson of the Zeng Family.
To Tian Xiaohua and her husband coaxing Wang Juan with all kinds of subsidies for her natal family and never reasoning when conflicts arose.
Wang Weiguo never realized what was wrong and selfishly felt his sister should support him.
Especially his line: “Even if my cousin hit her, it must have been just a normal marital quarrel, and there was reason. Maybe my eldest sister-in-law had some problems.”
This sentence planted the thought of breaking off the engagement in Mingxia’s mind.
But at first, she didn’t dare say it. It was almost the wedding day, and breaking off the engagement would be so shameful.
However, her condition worsened, and her family saw it.
Finally, after telling them, her parents supported her decision.
In the courtyard, Wang Weiguo and the Ming brothers were arguing.
Mingxia wiped her tears and pushed open the door. “Weiguo, stop arguing. I’m sorry to break off the engagement at this time. But I really don’t want to marry you. Your family completely fails to realize their selfishness. I want a harmonious family, not one like yours, where everything is calculated against others.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m very upset about my eldest sister. I will pay her medical bills. As for the bride price, I won’t keep a penny.”
“But Mingxia, you… you said you’d marry me?” Wang Weiguo was stunned.
Wang Zhigang shouted louder, “What nonsense are you talking? Our family is fine. Who’s selfish? I think you’re crazy, ruining my family like this. Paying some medical bills is enough.”
Most of the Zeng family was waiting at Wang’s house.
Everyone knew how much Zeng Qingliang wanted a grandson.
For that reason, he tolerated his daughter giving money as bride price for her brother’s marriage.
Now everything was ruined, and his daughter’s body was injured.
How could the Zeng family accept this?
Ming Lei said, “Then what about you?”
At this point, Wang Zhigang directly said, “Besides medical fees, we want compensation for my son’s reputation and money for my daughter to recover. He Cuihua, you’ve had children. You know how much damage a miscarriage does to the body. And we’re planning to have kids soon. My daughter can’t have sons; how will she stand in the in-laws’ family later?”
He couldn’t say in front of everyone that his daughter couldn’t have children, or she’d lose face even more.
He Cuihua gritted her teeth. “How much do you want?”
Wang Zhigang spread his hands and gestured eight. “I want 800 yuan. It’s not too much!”
Of that 800, he planned to give 600 to his son for his marriage and 200 for his daughter’s recovery and to appease the Zeng family.
His daughter was already like this; there was no way he would let her break off the engagement.
“800? Why don’t you go rob someone?” Ming Lei’s eyes widened. “There’s no way we’ll give you that much!”
He Cuihua agreed, “Yeah. That’s way too much. I gave 150, but 800? No way. I still have a youngest son getting married; I can’t give all our money to Wang Zhigang.”
Wang Zhigang gave his wife a look, and Tian Xiaohua immediately sat outside the Ming Family.
“My heavens! I can’t live anymore. How come our child’s life is so hard, running into a family with black hearts!”
Her shouting caught the attention of many onlookers.
Some didn’t hear everything and asked what happened.
She repeatedly explained the Ming Family suddenly broke the engagement, fought, and caused her daughter’s miscarriage.
Hearing the severity of the miscarriage, people who didn’t know the Ming Family began cursing.
But those who did know them doubted such a thing could happen and went to verify.
The Ming Family denied it, making the crowd suspicious.
As more people gathered, He Cuihua and Wang Zhigang felt utterly humiliated.
He Cuihua urged them inside to talk.
Wang Zhigang grumbled but followed.
He Cuihua said, “In-laws, I…”
“Who are you calling in-laws?” Wang Zhigang glared.
“Fine, I won’t say it. 800 is really too much. Our whole family doesn’t have that much. Less, please.” He Cuihua lowered her posture. Her family was in the wrong after all. “You can see, we have so many people to support. We simply don’t have that much.”
When her two sons tried to speak, she gave them a look to stop.
Wang Zhigang thought it over.
Feeling 800 was a bit impossible, he said 700. “You ruined my son’s reputation. When he gets married, he’ll have to give more bride price. I want this money, not too much.”
After speaking, he nudged his son. “Weiguo, right?”
Wang Weiguo didn’t respond but stared at Mingxia.
He truly loved her and wanted to marry her.
He didn’t understand.
He hadn’t been unfaithful or abusive, and he always thought of Mingxia first when there was good food.
How was he selfish?
Mingxia dared not meet Wang Weiguo’s gaze.
She just sat beside her mother, head lowered, waiting for the elders to negotiate.
But the Ming Family couldn’t come up with 700 either.
He Cuihua looked worried. “I know our breaking off the engagement was sudden, but 700 is too much. If this keeps going, it won’t be good for either of us. Less, please.”
“No way. Your family dares to do such a shameless thing; you have to pay the price. Eldest daughter-in-law breaking off the engagement now—who knows if Mingxia is seeing someone else?” Wang Zhigang said subconsciously.
Ming Lei stood up immediately. “Wang Zhigang, don’t say nonsense!”
“You’re scolding me?”
Just as they were about to argue again, He Cuihua hurriedly pulled her sons to sit down. “Let’s talk nicely, don’t fight. Sit down, Ming Lei.”
While the Wang and Ming families negotiated compensation, the Zeng family had already been sitting at Wang’s house for half a day.
Only Wang Weibing was attending to them—he wasn’t the opponent Zeng Shuyi expected.
“Wang Weibing, we’ve been here two hours. I’m not hungry. You must be, right?” Zeng Shuyi rubbed her stomach.
“I just checked—your kitchen still has cured meat. Go cook it.”
“That’s for our family to eat!” Wang Weibing said.
Zeng Shuyi snorted. “When you came to my house before, we didn’t just have cured meat—we had a table full of five dishes, three of which had meat. I don’t even get to eat meat once a month in my own home. We could entertain you like that, but now when we come, you can’t do the same?”
She stood up. “Fine, if you won’t cook, I will. We’re probably staying here today anyway. I don’t consider myself a guest.”
Lin Jiazhen quietly said, “Shuyi, won’t this be inappropriate?”
“Don’t say anything.” This was the first time Zeng Qingliang so strongly supported Zeng Shuyi.
“Shuyi, you cook. Serve all the good dishes and wine. Wang Zhigang and his wife have yet to explain themselves. Today, I’m staying at their house!”
“Good, Dad!” Zeng Shuyi waved at her younger brother. “Xiangmin, help me start the fire. Today, you’ll eat your fill.”
In Wang Family’s kitchen, she not only took down the cured meat but also dug through the cabinets to find salted fish, eggs, flour, and rice.
Zeng Xiangmin grunted, “This salted fish was brought by eldest sister-in-law. Our family only eats one fish; the rest were taken away by her.”
“We’ll all eat today. How many bowls of rice do you want—three or five?” Zeng Shuyi began rinsing the rice.
“Make five bowls. If I can’t finish, I’ll take it away.”
“Alright, you start the fire; I’ll start cooking.” Zeng Shuyi washed the rice and began cutting the cured meat.
Even in the first lunar month, her family didn’t eat such rich food every day.
Seeing the glossy cured meat made her mouth water.
Wang Weibing saw Zeng Shuyi and her brother being so unrestrained and felt anxious.
He hurried out to the street but looked left and right, still not seeing his parents.
“If they don’t come back soon, Zeng Shuyi will strip the house bare!” Wang Weibing worried and was about to lose his temper.
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