Free Web NovelChapter 642: Chapter 640: The Troubles of a Marriage Alliance
Meanwhile, Zhou Zhenhui’s eyes were fixed on the gaudy woman standing at the entrance to their private room.
He was a businessman who had to travel everywhere to negotiate deals, but he had never met anyone who dared to be so disrespectful to him.
And this gaudy woman, dressed ostentatiously and caked in heavy makeup, was his cousin in name only.
She was the daughter of his fourth grand-aunt’s sister’s son. His grandfather, Mr. Zhou, had taken four wives in his lifetime, so they were cousins with no blood relation.
Her cloying, flirtatious aura washed over him, making him very uncomfortable. "Looking for me? Who the hell do you think you are?"
"Hui, my grand-aunt said I’m supposed to marry you. How dare you glare at me and talk to me like that?"
Li Xue Mei’s eyes widened in fury. She pointed at Zhou Zhenhui, about to rush forward and argue with him.
Seeing how desperately the woman wanted to marry Zhou Zhenhui, Su Shuochi was no longer angry. ’She’s just a crazy woman.’
So he sat down next to Gu Jiaojiao to watch her eat and protect her, just in case the crazy woman tried to hurt her.
Just then, the assistant standing next to Zhou Zhenhui stopped her. "Miss, you can’t be disrespectful to our boss just because you’re related to the Fourth Mistress."
"I’m so beautiful, why would I need to rely on my grand-aunt’s connections? Why shouldn’t Hui like me?"
The assistant was about to say more when he heard his boss speak. "Enough nonsense. Throw her out."
"You... Zhou Zhenhui, how dare you... No wonder you... MMPH!" Li Xue Mei was still trying to scream when her mouth was covered.
"Brother Zhou, what’s going on?" Gu Jiaojiao asked curiously. Her pregnancy hadn’t diminished her love for gossip.
"You eat first. I’ll explain everything slowly. We can’t let my goddaughter go hungry," Zhou Zhenhui said gently.
From his story, Gu Jiaojiao learned that in the very beginning, the Zhou family was nothing more than a small workshop in Hong Kong City.
There were many small workshops like the Zhou family’s, and Li Xue Mei’s grandmother’s maiden family also ran one.
Li Xue Mei’s grandmother’s family had several daughters, none of whom were well-educated. They had worked in the workshop since they were young.
The eldest daughter hadn’t even had a year of schooling before she married the young Mr. Zhou and became his fourth wife.
Although their youngest daughter also had little schooling, she married into the Li family, a family of scholars.
Because the Li family’s son had been married for several years without producing a male heir, he, in order to continue the family line, took a sixteen-year-old second wife as arranged by his parents.
In the scholarly Li household, Li Xue Mei’s grandmother was, to put it mildly, a fish out of water.
Her husband was a man of great learning and naturally hoped his wife could also read and write, but Li Xue Mei’s grandmother was completely unwilling to spend any time on her studies.
She couldn’t understand the ways of the Li family scholars. ’Can you fill your stomach by gathering to recite poetry, compose couplets, and discuss historical anecdotes?’
’Aren’t they all relying on the money I earn from my business to survive? And they have the nerve to call me uncultured. Does being cultured fill your belly?’
Not only did Li Xue Mei’s grandmother refuse to study with the Li family, she even found them ridiculous.
She had no common ground with her husband and had a bad temper. What infuriated the Li family even more was that she couldn’t open her mouth without talking about money, money, money.
At first, her husband tried to communicate with her, but she would just complain every time, relentlessly blaming others for her problems and leaving the family with no peace.
She gave birth to three children. One daughter died shortly after birth, and she accidentally dropped and killed her youngest son.
Only Li Xue Mei’s father survived, and that was only because the Li family did everything in their power to protect him.
Exhausted mentally and physically, Grandpa Li simply separated from her. Not long after, he married his third wife.
Unlike Li Xue Mei’s grandmother, Grandpa Li’s third wife was gentle, virtuous, and considerate, and the entire Li family adored her.
The third wife went on to give birth to several children, becoming the hero who continued the Li family line.
Grandpa Li’s family lived harmoniously in the front courtyard, while Li Xue Mei’s grandmother lived alone in the desolate back courtyard.
She languished in that scholarly household, her personality gradually becoming irascible and unpredictable.
She felt even more isolated and helpless, especially when her in-laws took her son away to teach him how to read and write.
Her biological son, however, felt sorry for his mother, and many years later, he sent his first daughter to keep her company.
Thus, she vented all her dissatisfaction onto her granddaughter, Li Xue Mei.
Whenever Li Xue Mei ran to the front courtyard to play with her younger siblings, her grandmother would scold her viciously, feeling that her own granddaughter had betrayed her.
You could say that Li Xue Mei grew up amidst her grandmother’s incessant verbal abuse and complaints.
So why did she stay with her grandmother after growing up? Because she had fallen for her grand-aunt’s grandson.
If Li Xue Mei left her grandmother, she would no longer be able to see her grand-aunt’s grandson.
Her grandmother knew what she wanted, but instead of helping to arrange a match, she took out all her resentment on her.
She would curse everything under the sun, constantly fighting with her granddaughter. The frequent arguments left both grandmother and granddaughter exhausted.
Li Xue Mei lived shouldering her grandmother’s negativity, and the unrequited love made her life even more painful.
She became prickly, as if covered in thorns. And now, she had latched onto Gu Jiaojiao and was spouting all this nonsense.
After hearing Zhou Zhenhui’s story, Gu Jiaojiao sighed with emotion. "My god, it’d be a miracle if someone like that didn’t turn out extreme. No wonder she’s so nasty!"
"She acts like your fiancée. Is she delusional?" Su Shuochi asked, looking at Zhou Zhenhui with contempt.
Zhou Zhenhui shook his head with a bitter smile. "Yeah. She’s been overflowing with negativity her whole life. It’s not surprising she’s become delusional."
But Gu Jiaojiao suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "She wouldn’t dare say such things so openly without your grandfather’s approval. Is he going to force you to marry her?"
Zhou Zhenhui shook his head. "My grandfather did consider forcing me to marry a granddaughter from the Li family, but not her. After all, the Li family has a very high standing in Hong Kong City."
"So even someone as capable as you has to worry about their family forcing them into marriage?" Gu Jiaojiao asked with a smile, but her eyes betrayed her concern.
Zhou Zhenhui smiled reassuringly. "It’s fine. I’m strong enough to stand up to my family now, and I have help from you and Mr. Su."
Gu Jiaojiao sighed. "I’m glad you think that way. I never thought you’d have to deal with the troubles of a marriage alliance. I just hope you can find someone you love and get married soon, so you can have a better life."
Zhou Zhenhui nodded. "I know. Mr. Su, Jiaojiao, thank you for taking care of me during this time."
A flicker of unease crossed Gu Jiaojiao’s face. She had originally wanted to borrow the Zhou family’s influence, only to realize later that their rise to prominence was still two years away!
So, it turned out that she and her husband were the ones who had helped Zhou Zhenhui succeed. ’But it doesn’t matter,’ she thought. ’He’s a capable man, after all.’
"Not at all, not at all. We just looked after each other. Now that you’re better, we can rest easy."
"Boss Zhou, you’d better keep your eyes open and find someone to marry soon. Then you can have a son to look after my daughter."
Su Shuochi said this with a deadpan expression, but it was his way of acknowledging Zhou Zhenhui’s good character.
