Free Web NovelChapter 394: Chapter 392: Foreign Daughter-in-law
Marina already had a good impression of Dingzi, and now he had saved her life, even getting injured in the process. In her heart, he was a hero, a towering figure. She had completely fallen for him. She told her father she wanted to follow Dingzi to China and marry him.
Marina’s father hadn’t expected this decision from his daughter, but he didn’t have time to think it over. She had to be sent away; otherwise, he feared he wouldn’t be able to protect her. Since she had fallen in love with this Chinese man, he might as well let her go. After all, this man had been willing to risk his life to save her and was clearly a capable person. It was better for her to marry him than to be sent to some other foreign country to live an uncertain life. So, Marina’s father agreed. He had a talk with Dingzi, asking him to treat his daughter well.
Dingzi never expected Marina would want to marry him. He was stunned. He had saved her out of a sense of duty. He thought she was a kind and lovely girl, but... he had never considered marrying a foreign woman.
But when he saw the look in her eyes—clear, filled with adoration and resolve—he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. Under normal circumstances, he might have hesitated. But this was a difficult time for Marina. ’Can I really bear to send her off to another foreign country? To a strange place, to live a rootless life?’
He felt that this girl didn’t deserve such a fate. ’Since she likes me, and since I saved her, I have a responsibility to her. I have to protect her, make sure she never has to live in fear again, and give her a stable life.’ And so, Dingzi nodded. He bid farewell to Marina’s father and left with her.
Dingzi had originally planned to take the train back with Marina. But because he had killed one of their pursuers while saving her, they were after Marina again. With people chasing them, Dingzi hid with Marina for two days before finding some smugglers to escort them back.
They crossed at the Heihe River. It was a good thing Dingzi was exceptionally skilled, or they would have never made it back. Even so, they ran into trouble upon their return. Thanks to Li Zhi and Sun Jiaming going to meet them, they were able to get home without further incident.
Watching Marina’s eyes sparkle whenever she spoke of Dingzi, Gu’er knew the girl had truly fallen in love. Just as Marina said, Dingzi was a hero in her heart. She didn’t just like him; she worshipped him. To her, Dingzi wasn’t cold or taciturn. ’I guess this is what it means to find the right one,’ Gu’er thought.
’Though Dingzi is a man of few words, he’s an excellent judge of character. His agreeing to marry Marina couldn’t have been just out of concern for her safety; he must have developed feelings for her, too. Otherwise, a man like him would never go out of his way to put food on her plate. To think Dingzi’s romantic destiny would turn out to be a cross-cultural one.’
Gu’er was fully supportive of their relationship. Marina was simple and straightforward, with no ulterior motives, and she was easy to get along with. Gu’er believed that she and Dingzi would be very happy together.
’The only problem is, the paperwork for them to get married will be a huge hassle right now. And then there’s Grandma Dingzi... Will she agree to her grandson marrying a foreigner?’
While Gu’er was worrying, Grandma Dingzi was already staring, dumbfounded. She pointed a disbelieving finger at Dingzi. "Y-you... what did you just say? That blonde girl... she’s the granddaughter-in-law you found for me?"
Dingzi knew this was a huge shock for his grandmother, but he had no intention of hiding the truth. He had brought Marina here, and he would take responsibility for her. Marina was a good woman; he believed that in time, his grandmother would come to accept her. So, Dingzi simply nodded at his grandmother.
"Now, now, sister, don’t get worked up," Grandma Sun quickly interjected, afraid Grandma Dingzi would get upset. "Dingzi isn’t a reckless boy. This girl might not be from around here, but Gu’er and Jia Ming both say she’s a good person. When the children went to the Soviet Union, she took great care of them. Now she’s fallen on hard times; shouldn’t we help her? As for her and Dingzi, let’s not be hasty. The New Year is almost here, right? Let’s not talk about marriage before then. Let’s just get to know the girl first. If she’s really as good as they say, we can let them start a relationship. It doesn’t matter where she’s from. When we’re looking for a granddaughter-in-law, all we care about is that she’s a good person, right? As long as she can build a peaceful life with Dingzi, and as long as the two of them are happy, then we can rest easy."
"Sister, I... I..."
Grandma Dingzi was at a loss for words.
"Grandma, please don’t be upset," Li Zhi chimed in. "Marina is a really good person. Even though she’s from another country, she’s very kind. Just like Grandma Sun said, let’s just get to know her first. We can’t just send her away, right?"
"That’s right, Grandma. Let’s get to know her first," Sun Jiaming added.
"Look at you all, getting so worked up. Did I say I was against it? I was just surprised my grandson brought me back a blonde granddaughter-in-law! If this doesn’t prove how capable my grandson is, I don’t know what does! Which one of you could marry a foreign wife? None of you, right? Only my grandson could do it! He goes out once and brings me back a foreign daughter-in-law. Now that’s a skill nobody can match! From now on, I’d like to see anyone dare say my grandson is worthless and can’t find a wife. I’ll just trot out his foreign wife and see who dares to act so smug in front of me then!"
Grandma Dingzi’s speech left everyone stunned. ’Didn’t she disapprove? We all thought she was shocked and angry. Who would have thought... she’s actually quite pleased with the situation.’
"Oh, you," Grandma Sun said with a smile, shaking her head.
Li Zhi was speechless, not expecting such a sudden twist. Dingzi was also dumbfounded. ’Grandma... agrees?’
"I know what you were all thinking," Grandma Dingzi continued. "But I’ve had a moment to think it through. Instead of me fussing over Dingzi all day, asking this person and that person to introduce him to someone, it’s much better that he’s found someone he likes himself. Yes, that girl... what’s her name, Ma-rina... she’s not from around here. But you all say she’s a good girl. She’s fallen on hard times, and she was willing to follow my grandson all the way from her home, so far away, without any family to support her. That means we have to treat her even better. Don’t you worry. Now that she’s part of this family, I’ll treat her like my own granddaughter. I won’t let her suffer any grievances."
Grandma Dingzi sighed, speaking from the heart. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t shocked or that she didn’t have any reservations. But she was a sensible woman who knew what was important. She wanted to live out her remaining years in happiness. Since her grandson had chosen this girl, and he liked her, and there was nothing wrong with her character, then she would accept it. As long as the girl could build a good life with her grandson, then they would be happy, and she in turn could be happy and rest easy.
"You’re the one who always sees things so clearly," Grandma Sun said, agreeing wholeheartedly. "We’ve lived to our age; we’ve already got one foot in the grave. What more could we ask for? All we want is to see them live a good life. As long as they’re happy, we can die in peace."
Sun Jiaming, Li Zhi, and Dingzi exchanged a look. At that moment, they felt incredibly lucky that their grandmothers were such reasonable and insightful women. Otherwise, this situation could have turned very ugly.
