Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 52 - 41: Engagement (Part 1)

The rain had stopped, and the sky had grown dark. Only ten men remained on the mountain to stand guard; the rest followed Chen Song back to the Zhao Village. They planned to rest for the first half of the night before returning to the mountain to relieve the others.

But as soon as he returned to the village, Chen Song was stunned by two pieces of news in quick succession.

The first piece of news: his stepmother had been privately spreading rumors of Shusheng’s tragic death, and Mr. Qu had just stormed over to their home in a rage.

Mr. Qu was so furious he had killed all the chickens at the old family house, and their blood flowed across half the courtyard.

The second piece of news: his stepmother had really outdone herself, privately pulling the dirty trick of promising one girl to two families. As a result, the Zhao family had caught her in the act, and the engagement between Wanyue and Zhao Jing was called off, just like that.

Hearing all this, Chen Song’s mind went blank.

When he came back to his senses, a vein throbbed uncontrollably on his temple.

He clenched his fists, wishing he could storm over to the old family house right now and demand an explanation.

’Why does she have to keep spreading gossip?’

’How can she have so little regard for our family’s reputation?’

Chen Song was so angry he felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

Qi Lan, seeing his expression, stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder. "Focus on the bigger picture," he advised. "We don’t have time to worry about these trivial matters right now."

He added, "Every family has its own problems. Yours is actually not that bad. The old lady is just your stepmother, after all. And you’re a capable man, so she can’t really harm you directly."

’She can’t harm me directly, but she’s offended people from the Zhao and Qu families. How is that going to end well for me?’

Chen Song wiped his face. This whole situation was an absolute mess.

Hearing this, many of his colleagues showed expressions of sympathy. They started trading stories about the foolish things their own parents had done, and with their banter and jokes, the look on Chen Song’s face finally softened.

The group soon arrived at the main house of the Chen family. Inside, Chen Wanqing and Xu Su Ying were packing the prepared dinner into buckets and baskets, ready to carry it up the mountain.

They were delighted to see the group arrive.

It saved them a trip and a lot of trouble.

Xu Su Ying warmly welcomed everyone to wash their hands and faces, then went to set up tables and bring out stools.

While his wife was busy outside, Chen Song slipped into the kitchen in a few quick steps. He recounted what he’d heard on his way back and then asked his daughter, "Is any of that true?"

Chen Wanqing smiled. "People always say a lie repeated three times becomes a truth. I’ve certainly seen that in action now. Mr. Qu killed all the chickens? He only killed one to warn Grandmother. And the blood didn’t flow across half the courtyard; there was just a small patch by the chicken coop. As for Grandmother privately promising me to the Li family..."

Chen Wanqing hadn’t even finished speaking when Chen Song furiously slammed his fist on the stove. "The Li family has gone too far! I won’t let them get away with this."

But Chen Wanqing remained calm. "Why bother arguing with them? Besides, Mom and Dad were still considering it and weren’t actually planning to marry me off to them anyway. If they want to find another bride, let them. This even saves you a trip to the matchmaker to refuse the proposal."

"You silly girl, you make everything sound like it’s nothing. Tell me, your mother and I are both short-tempered. How did you end up like a dough figurine, not even making a peep when people bully you right to your face?"

"Because I never really cared about it, and I never thought I would actually marry into the Li family. The Li family’s business has nothing to do with me, so why would I get angry over it? Besides, Mom and Dad are both hot-tempered. If I didn’t hold you back and instead fanned the flames, how would we ever live our lives in peace?"

Chen Song pouted. "I can’t win an argument with you. You’re always right... But what about what your grandmother said? That Mrs. Zhao has taken a liking to you and wants you to marry Zhao Jing..."

"Dad, Grandmother was just spouting nonsense. How could you take her seriously? Mrs. Zhao isn’t that kind of disrespectful person. My grandmother only said that to make people uncomfortable. All right, Dad, stop worrying about things that aren’t even real. You’ve had a long day. Go get something hot to eat. Go on, dinner’s ready."

Chen Song walked out of the kitchen with a heavy heart, sighing.

He had just reached the kitchen doorway when he saw Xu Su Ying approaching.

Xu Su Ying shot him a glare and said in a low voice, "What are you nagging your daughter about now? Hurry up and go eat. Can’t it wait until after dinner?"

Chen Song hung his head. "With so much going on, how can I possibly eat?"

"If you can’t eat, it just means you’re not hungry enough. Hurry up and go. A little later, you might not even have time to eat at all."

Chen Song caught the hidden meaning in her words and immediately looked up. "What else is going on? Honey, don’t hide it from me. If something’s up, give me a heads-up so I’m not blindsided when it happens."

"With that little bit of courage you have, what good are you? All right, stop dawdling and go. If you keep dragging your feet, your colleagues are going to start telling their dirty jokes."