Sweet Nostalgia of the 80s

Chapter 680: Chapter 679: The Argument

Having returned to the village, Qin Jian accompanied An Hao to her father’s house first to drop off the things for her father, and then they headed back to the Qin Family home.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, an air of festivity greeted them.

The courtyard was cleaned spotlessly, with large red ”happiness” characters pasted on the door of the bridal room. Firewood had been stacked and a huge pot set up in readiness for the next day’s cooking.

The people bustling about the courtyard were all preparing for Qin Fen and Song Yueqin’s wedding tomorrow.

But there was no one in charge; those helping out were busy in a disorganized manner, each picking the easiest tasks and avoiding the laborious ones.

The workers greeted An Hao and Qin Jian as they saw them return.

After the pleasantries, the couple made their way toward the bridal room.

Upon entering, the scene that met Qin Jian and An Hao’s eyes left them somewhat stunned.

A wedding should have been a joyous occasion, yet there was Li Junping with red-rimmed eyes, and Qin Fen had an expression of displeasure plastered on his face.

”Mom, Qin Fen, what’s going on here?” Qin Jian asked.

Seeing Qin Jian had returned, Li Junping, as if she had suffered a great injustice, couldn’t help but burst into tears, ”Qin Jian, I... I just can’t endure these days anymore...”

Li Junping’s sudden expression of misery on the eve of Qin Fen’s big day puzzled Qin Jian, ”What’s the matter?”

”Ask Qin Fen! What have I done as a mother that deserves this? Haven’t yet married and already she’s inciting him to oppose me!” Li Junping said with aggrievement.

Qin Fen, who had remained silent, suddenly became agitated upon hearing Li Junping’s words, ”Mom, what are you saying? What do you mean Yueqin is inciting me to oppose you? Which household marries off a son in the manner of our family? No dowry money, no furniture! For crying out loud, I’m your only son. At the very least for my wedding, you should buy half a pig, right? Look at this; the food doesn’t even have any meat. What are people going to say about us tomorrow?”

”Do you think I don’t want to marry off my son in a grand fashion? Isn’t it because our family has no money right now? Your sister has been unconscious for half a year...”

”Enough!” Qin Fen interrupted before Li Junping could finish, ”Can you stop mentioning my sister? She’s already married; it’s her in-laws’ duty to take care of her now. What about me? You gave all the money to Qin Feng; what am I supposed to do? They say a married daughter is like spilled water, but which family is like ours?”

”Qin Fen! Do you hear yourself talking? How could I not take care of your sister? You know very well the situation at the Song Family!!” Li Junping, growing more upset, raised her voice significantly.

The people working in the courtyard heard the commotion and gathered underneath the windows to listen in.

Inside, Qin Jian didn’t quite understand the situation.

So Li Junping explained it to him.

They were preparing for the wedding and the bridal room was ready, but there was no money for furniture, so they just repainted the old furniture.

Tomorrow, they had to host the banquet, which would be no small expense.

This year, an epidemic killed many pigs in the town, causing pork prices to triple by the end of the year.

They were struggling to afford it for themselves, let alone for a wedding.

A terrible event struck the family in October, and they truly had no money now.

The Song Family was pushing Qin Fen to get married. As a parent, Li Junping couldn’t favor her daughter over her son, could she?

Some time ago, with Qin Fen’s impending wedding, Zhang Juyun suggested that Qin Feng, who was already married, should not continue living at her parents’ house.

So they sent Qin Feng back to her in-laws, where she was neglected all day by them.

Song Fei worked during the day and would come home at night to find Qin Feng had lost control of her bodily functions.