Chapter 692: Chapter 597

In the main hall, Liang Panqiu, Grandma, and Fifth Auntie were sitting around a brazier, talking. The main door was wide open, so they could clearly hear the conversations from outside. Liang Panqiu tried her best to maintain her smile, but it was a struggle. Her expression was stiff, her smile painfully awkward.

’Xiao Man’s cold indifference had completely extinguished her hopes of having her daughter marry into the family. And that word "retribution" from Yu Wumei’s comment sent a shiver of fear through her. She had arranged several marriages, two of which had been extremely profitable. But they had been arranged marriages, plain and simple—the terms were settled entirely by the groom’s family, the bride’s family, and herself as the matchmaker, with no regard for the girls’ wishes. She knew perfectly well that those two girls had been forced to marry and were now miserable, but what did that have to do with her? She was just the go-between. Who ever heard of a matchmaker having to guarantee a couple’s happiness for life?’

Just as Liang Panqiu was starting to feel restless, she faintly heard the CHUG-CHUG-CHUG of a tractor from beyond the courtyard walls. Her daughter, Zhang Lanni, came running and shouting happily, "Mom! Mom! Wang Ligao is here to pick us up with the tractor! My cousin, Li Hua, came too!"

Liang Panqiu hurriedly said to Grandma and Fifth Auntie, "Auntie, Fifth Auntie, this Li Hua is my husband’s niece, Lanni’s cousin. The driver, Wang Ligao, is my niece’s husband. They just had their wedding reception a short while ago. I’m sure you’ve heard about it!"

Fifth Auntie smiled but said nothing. Grandma said flatly, "It’s good that someone is here to pick you up. You two can be on your way, then. It’s windy outside, so we won’t see you out."

Liang Panqiu: "..."

’She had wanted to invite her niece and nephew-in-law inside for a bit, to give them a tour of her uncle’s beautiful new house. Her aunt was usually so agreeable; she would have surely told Qiuyan to make some hot tea and bring out sweets and cookies from the inner rooms for the guests. With her uncle’s family being so generous and wealthy, it would reflect well on her. She would have more standing with the younger generation after this.’

But she hadn’t expected her aunt’s attitude. Liang Panqiu’s heart sank.

By now, the tractor had parked outside the courtyard gate and its engine was off, silencing the racket. In the courtyard, Gu Shaoqin breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t mind living in the countryside, but he absolutely despised these tractors. The noise was enough to deafen a person.

Dapeng, who was squatting by the kitchen door carving a wooden spinning top, glanced speechlessly toward the courtyard gate. ’It’s just a beat-up old tractor, and she calls that "arriving in a vehicle"? My family’s big Dongfeng truck, now *that’s* a real vehicle.’

Zhang Lanni had no idea what anyone else was thinking. She was completely absorbed in the joy of getting to ride the tractor home. Rushing into the main hall, she didn’t hear Grandma decline to invite her cousin and Wang Ligao inside. When she saw her mother stand up to leave, she assumed she was going to extend the invitation personally. So, Zhang Lanni immediately turned and ran back to the courtyard gate to greet her cousin. Her cousin had other relatives in Gongdao Village and had visited a few times. She had long been green with envy over the Fang family’s courtyard and new house and was dying to see the inside. ’I have to make my cousin’s wish come true!’ she thought.

For some reason, Zhang Lanni lifted her chin and shot Xiao Man a disdainful, arrogant sideways glance, as if to say, ’What’s so great about you? So what if you don’t want to be my relative? I have other impressive relatives I can show off!’

Xiao Man immediately put down the large shears in her hands and followed Zhang Lanni and Liang Panqiu. Da Zhi happened to catch Zhang Lanni’s glance as well. ’What the hell?’ he thought. ’None of these cousins are worth a damn. Every single one of them is asking for a beating.’

He stopped tying up the flower vines and called for Gu Shaoqin to follow Xiao Man with him.

At the courtyard gate, Liang Panqiu greeted her niece, Zhang Lihua, and nephew-in-law, Wang Ligao. Zhang Lanni immediately grabbed Zhang Lihua by the hand. "Cousin Li Hua, our great-uncle’s house looks amazing from the outside, doesn’t it? Well, let me tell you, it’s even more beautiful, spacious, and comfortable inside! The renovation is incredible! Every single room, no matter who it’s for, has bunk beds and modular wardrobes, all brand-new and shiny! There’s a big color TV in the main hall and another one on the second floor! They even have a washing machine, and I heard they’re getting a refrigerator delivered soon!"

"Really? Your great-uncle’s family is so rich! I bet they’re more than just a ’ten-thousand-yuan household’—they must have at least a hundred thousand yuan!"

The young woman, Li Hua, gasped repeatedly, her face a mask of envy. She turned to Liang Panqiu. "Auntie, if Lanni calls him Great-uncle, then he’s my great-uncle too. Please, take me inside for a look! I just love big, new houses!"

Liang Panqiu hesitated for a moment, but Zhang Lanni was already pulling her cousin inside. "I came back to get you, so let’s go! It has four floors! It’ll take us a good twenty minutes to see everything. I saw Cousin Xinghua and her husband go upstairs. They’re newlyweds too, so their room is bound to be full of all kinds of new, nice things. It’s the perfect chance for me to give you a tour of her room!"

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