Chapter 17: The Marriage Proposal

Yao Jingjing was fairly attractive. Her face was delicately shaped like a melon seed—small and refined—with narrow, sharp eyes that betrayed a worldly shrewdness. Yet Yao Weiguo disliked her. No matter how skillfully she coquettishly acted sweet and obedient, he couldn’t explain why, but he simply detested her. Moreover, her nasal bridge was slightly sunken, and Yao Weiguo was somewhat superstitious, so from a young age, he never had high hopes for her future marriage.

Now, the signs of an unhappy marriage seemed apparent—someone who tried to juggle two relationships was bound to fail sooner or later. Unfortunately, a face-reading book left to him by his grandfather had to be kept hidden due to certain circumstances; otherwise, he would have eagerly consulted it line by line to verify his suspicions.

At this moment, as he looked at his sister, his expression was clearly tinted with disdain and disgust. Sensing trouble, Yao Jingjing immediately resorted to her usual tactic—acting coy and begging for mercy. It was useless; Yao Weiguo wasn’t fooled by her act. He admired straightforward, generous personalities, and the more he looked at his sister, the more repulsed he felt.

Without wasting words, he simply grabbed her and took her back. Along the way, Yao Jingjing tried to soften him with submissive gestures, but he remained silent. Upon entering the house and seeing Xie Chunxing, Yao Jingjing quickly broke free from her brother’s grip and threw herself into Xie Chunxing’s arms, complaining, “Mom! Big brother is bullying me!”

“It was Mom who called him back to help you deal with the Qin family,” Xie Chunxing replied sensibly. Despite her indulgence, she never compromised on matters of principle. This issue had to be resolved swiftly, or the consequences could be dire.

Yao Jingjing was speechless; this woman only knew how to bring her son back to pressure others. She claimed it was to let her brother help with the trouble, but this family wasn’t Yao Weiguo’s alone. It made her feel like a helpless burden, and yet this woman wouldn’t admit her preference for sons. Such hypocrisy!

Yao Jingjing was furious, but since Xie Chunxing was her only lifeline, she swallowed her anger and continued her coquettish act. Yao Weiguo despised this flirtatious demeanor of hers, sneered coldly, grabbed her collar, and dragged her away.

Without further ado, he went straight to the Qin residence to have the matter clarified in person. Old Qin had once served under Yao Jingzong but had been injured and was now a cripple, so he was assigned other duties. Currently, he was the workshop director at a cotton mill, living a smooth life.

He had three sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Qin Yicheng, was clever and quick-witted. Since starting work at sixteen, he had continually improved technology and made inventions. By the age of twenty-three, he had already achieved the rank of an eighth-level technician—a remarkable feat given the strict standards for such certification. For a young man to reach the pinnacle of technical titles at such an age was proof of his excellence.

Yet Yao Jingjing looked down on such a talented man? Yao Weiguo was infuriated beyond measure. Upon arriving, he called his uncle and aunt but stood silently by their side.

Old Qin’s large family was having a meal when the siblings arrived. They greeted them warmly—serving rice, handing chopsticks, offering cigarettes, chairs, and water. Yao Weiguo said he wasn’t hungry, took a cigarette, sat down with a sullen face, and fixed his gaze on Yao Jingjing.

Yao Jingjing was livid; her elder brother was disgusting, meddling in matters that weren’t his concern. She liked Duan Cheng, so what? She didn’t want to break off the engagement, so what? Yet he forced her! If he had the guts, let Yao Jingzong come deal with it! But he was a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong!

Still, since she was already here, if she didn’t make things clear now, Yao Weiguo would never let her off. So she took a few steps forward, wiped her tears, and sniffled, “Uncle Qin, let’s call off the engagement with Brother Qin. I can’t even graduate from the health school; I’m not worthy of him.”

Yao Weiguo raised an eyebrow. Here it came again—playing weak and pitiful. How could he have such a disgusting sister? Not like anyone else in the family.

His father was straightforward, always saying whatever was on his mind. Though gruff, he was never scheming. His mother cried often but suffered silently without causing trouble for others. Yao Jingjing was unlike any of them—constantly victimizing herself to dominate others. Her weakness was always her justification. Shameless!

Everyone at Old Qin’s was stunned. They all put down their chopsticks and stared at her in silence. Yao Weiguo grew more irritated but had to clean up the mess she caused. Suppressing his anger, he said, “Uncle Qin, my father only just found out that this girl changed her mind. He scolded her at home, but she wouldn’t listen. My father was so upset he fainted. My mother had to stay home to care for him, so I, as the eldest brother, came to apologize on their behalf. Uncle Qin, we’re truly sorry.”

“No worries, no worries. Young people’s thoughts change often; it’s normal,” Old Qin quickly eased the tension. What could he do if his daughter backed out? Frankly, he wasn’t keen on Yao Jingjing either. The engagement had been arranged years ago, and since she was the only unmarried daughter in the Yao family, she was the only option. If she renounced the engagement, then the fault lay with the Yao family. Yao Jingzong must feel guilty and would want to support them. He was happy to oblige and considered it a favor.

Yao Weiguo felt ashamed and sighed, “Uncle Qin, don’t be anxious. I’ll introduce someone good to Yicheng later.” That was the best he could do. Old Qin, wanting to save face, agreed with a smile.

Qin Yicheng remained silent the whole time. Once the Yao siblings left, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Great, I didn’t like Yao Jingjing either.”

On the way home, Yao Jingjing was quietly pleased. “I thought breaking off an engagement would be complicated, but it’s just a matter of talking it out.”

Yao Weiguo rolled his eyes and deliberately chose a bumpy road to ride his bike, jolting her so hard her head nearly turned to mush. After telling their parents, he left immediately; staying any longer was torture.

Back home, his wife Cui Wen was serving rice, waiting for him. He breathed easier—this was where he felt comfortable. With Yao Jingjing around his parents, he was uneasy all over.

Before bed, Cui Wen chatted with him and learned about the trouble his little sister had caused. Yao Weiguo muttered, “Why do I feel sick whenever I see her? Does that mean I’m not a good brother?”

Cui Wen thought for a moment and shook her head. “No, it means she’s not like the rest of your Yao family.”

Is that so? Yao Weiguo had never considered it from that perspective. He resolved to find a way to verify it.

* * *

Yao Zhizhi was frustrated by her eldest sister’s stubbornness. She refused to cooperate with their plans. The only thing to do was to keep it from their parents. Even worse, she discouraged Yao Zhizhi, saying it was a waste of effort. This infuriated Yao Zhizhi so much she didn’t want to talk to her.

Finally, Yao Taotao volunteered. “I’ll do it.”

Yao Zhizhi warned her, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll beat you up when they find out the truth?”

“No,” Yao Taotao said firmly. If there was a chance to take a gamble, she would—after all, it wasn’t like she was really going to drink poison.

Yao Zhizhi hurried to the clinic and bribed the doctors and nurses on duty the next day. After all, if they were going to put on a show, it had to be convincing.

The next day, while relatives and friends came for the wedding celebration, Yao Taotao quarreled with Yao Erdan and Wang Fang. She didn’t want her sister to marry a secondhand man, nor was she willing herself. Yao Erdan slapped her hard, enraging her so much that she ran to the storeroom and “drank poison,” collapsing immediately.

Yao Erdan was terrified and dumbfounded.

Yao Zhizhi quickly arranged for her sisters to escort Yao Taotao to the clinic for “rescue.” The wedding for Yao Mengmeng’s continued; Yao Erdan stayed behind while Wang Fang accompanied the patient.

About two hours later, Yao Taotao was declared “out of danger.” Wang Fang returned with a heavy heart. The incident caused quite a stir.

When Yao Zhizhi brought the “weak” Yao Taotao back home, the commune director had already arrived, along with the women’s team leader and the captain of the third brigade, Yao Jingye. The group earnestly pleaded with Yao Erdan, whose face was ashen but who refused to relent.

Infuriated, Yao Taotao cried and shouted, threatening to “drink poison” again. Fearing a disaster, Yao Jingye angrily kicked Yao Erdan several times. “Do you want the whole commune to be officially reprimanded?”

Cornered, Yao Erdan reluctantly gave in.

Late that night, the anger only grew. The next day, he found opportunities to call each of his other three daughters in separately to interrogate them. He suspected Yao Taotao’s claim was dubious. Unfortunately, after prolonged questioning, he got nothing.

He glared at the last daughter, Yao Ningning, and immediately struck her—two kicks followed by two hard slaps—trying to intimidate her. “Still won’t talk? Your eldest sister already told me everything!”

Yao Ningning staggered, supported herself against a cabinet, her hair disheveled and blood staining her mouth. Trembling, she knelt before her father. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”

Yao Erdan fell silent. The timid third daughter couldn’t fake anything, so she must truly be ignorant. He hypocritically grabbed her ear and threatened her again. Still, Yao Ningning wouldn’t change her story.

He finally roared and ordered her out. Yao Ningning returned to her room, crying her heart out. Luckily, she endured it; otherwise, she would have been hated by the other four sisters.

After resting, she saw it was late and went to cook. At dusk, Yao Zhizhi returned from the bamboo weaving station, having earned thirty-nine yuan and eighty cents for her baskets and boxes—enough to add to her dowry with peace of mind.

Yao Erdan stopped her. “Is your marriage really arranged? Why hasn’t anyone come to propose?”

“I’m not in a hurry. Why are you?” Yao Zhizhi retorted, leaving him speechless.

The next day, Yao Zhizhi quickly wrote a news article about the matter and sent it to the newspaper. Three days later, she received a reply—it was accepted! The piece was under a thousand words, and the payment was four yuan and sixty cents. Yao Zhizhi was delighted. At this rate, writing six or seven articles a month could match a town worker’s salary. The only downside was the lack of ration coupons. It would be better to become a regular employee at the paper, but that would come in time.

Cheerful, she returned home to find a crowd gathered at the doorstep, peering inside. As she pushed through, she saw Tang Fengyuan and Qi Changxiao sitting in the yard. Beside them, Granny Yan was chatting cheerfully with Yao Erdan.

Seeing Yao Zhizhi, Granny Yan warmly beckoned, “Ah, Zhizhi’s back! Come quickly, Aunt Tang has brought her son to propose!”