Li Qianxue spoke with strong resolve.
The Huo family was wealthy and powerful, but in her opinion, the Li family was their equal. She really did not appreciate Liu Tongjia’s aggression towards her.
Before she had found out that Su Qingsang was her real daughter, she guessed that the Huo family might dislike Su Qingsang because of her family background. Back then, she didn’t feel like that was her issue.
But now, Su Qingsang was her daughter. She would not allow the girl to be harshly judged.
Likewise, Old Master Li wouldn’t stand for it. His granddaughter had married into the Huo family—she wasn’t sold to them!
Not to mention the fact that Su Qingsang had stayed in Lin City for very valid reasons. It wasn’t like she’d refused to come to Rong City on purpose. The way Liu Tongjia framed it was very upsetting.
Nonetheless, Old Master Li found it inappropriate to squabble with someone who was much younger than him, so he allowed Li Qianxue to do all the talking.
“Are you threatening me?” Liu Tongjia hadn’t expected Li Qianxue to have that kind of defiance. “Fine. That’s exactly what I—”
“Mom,” Huo Jinyao interrupted Liu Tongjia and looked deep into her eyes without another word.
Liu Tongjia felt a little unsettled meeting her son’s unyielding eyes. However, she refused to admit defeat just like that.
With a sullen face, she said, “What? Did I say something wrong? She only cares about her own family. Her husband’s family doesn’t mean anything to her. I don’t like that kind of woman.”
“Tongjia.”
Old Master Huo looked very displeased. He never thought that Liu Tongjia would disrespect people in the Li family like that.
“Am I wrong?” Liu Tongjia glanced at Li Qianxue and her father, then continued, “She’s just an illegitimate daughter, and you’re making it look like she’s some sort of princess. Why is that?”
“Su Qingsang is my daughter, not an illegitimate child.” Li Qianxue glared at Liu Tongjia and said sternly, “I only found out about that recently. When she was born, she was accidentally mixed up with another baby at the hospital. I wanted to spend some time with her after I learned the truth. That’s why she didn’t return to Rong City for the festival. All she did was spend a few days with her mother. Why is that so wrong in your eyes?”
“She’s your daughter?”
“Yes.” Li Qianxue nodded and replied in a strong voice, “To me, she is perfect. If you think she’s not good enough, that’s fine. I’ll take my daughter back. I’d like to spend more time with her, anyway.”
Liu Tongjia had a mocking smile on her face. She didn’t believe Li Qianxue. She thought that Li Qianxue and her father had visited the Huo family to take things from them, using Su Qingsang’s marriage as their way in.
She believed Li Qianxue was even willing to act as though her husband’s daughter was her own so that she could extort the most out of the Huo family.
“Great. A lot of girls would want to be with Jinyao. Take your daughter and go back home. Jinyao will find someone better.”
“Mom.”
“Liu Tongjia,” Huo Mingguang called. He had come downstairs earlier, unnoticed amid the fighting. His eyes were on Liu Tongjia, and he was filled with frustration.
Li Qianxue couldn’t believe what Liu Tongjia had just said. She quickly stood up, looked at her, and said, “Do you mean that? If you do, we’ll take Qingsang home today.”
“Of course.”
“Enough!” Old Master Huo had lost his patience. He glared at Liu Tongjia and said, “Sit down. If you don’t want to be here, you can go back to your room.”
“Father, do you want me to leave?”
“No one wants you to leave,” said Old Master Huo unhappily, “but I’m telling you now, if you can’t have a proper conversation, don’t talk.”
Liu Tongjia was so angered by this that her chest heaved, as she exploded, “I’m not allowed to talk? He left home and got married. Did I ever give him permission to marry that girl? Did I say yes?”
“Mom.” Huo Jinyao finally interrupted the dispute. He looked at Liu Tongjia with conflicted feelings and said with a deep voice, “I’m the one who’s married to Qingsang. I’m the one who’s going to share the rest of my life with her. I didn’t think I needed your permission to marry her.”
“Now that you’re all grown up, you don’t care about me anymore—is that right?”
“Tongjia,” said Huo Mingguang, “sit down. You’re making a scene in front of our guests” He then glanced at Huo Jinyao and spoke to him as well.
“You, too. Stop talking.”
“Mr. Li, right?” He turned to Old Master Huo and continued, “I’ve heard about you from my father.”
Old Master Li’s demeanor had become standoffish. Based on what had just gone down, both he and Li Qianxue could tell that Su Qingsang’s life in the Huo family was probably not as pleasant as it originally appeared.
“Mrs. Su, my wife is a frank and opinionated person. Sometimes, she speaks without thinking. Please don’t take what she said to the heart. The truth is, we couldn’t be happier about the marriage of your daughter to Jinyao. Please don’t worry.”
No one but Huo Mingguang himself believed what he’d said.
Li Qianxue was not naïve. She entirely understood what he was saying. She gave a faint smile and said, “I’m glad to hear that. We like Jinyao too. He has been trying to tell us how much his family likes my daughter. Maybe the kids don’t understand how much their parents’ approval means in their marriage. Their marriage may not be happy without their parents’ best regards. Do you agree?”
Upon hearing that, Liu Tongjia almost lost her temper again, however, under Old Master Huo’s watchful eye, she had no choice but to stay quietly fuming.
Being unable to express her indignation made her increasingly uncomfortable.
“I agree with you. So, we all believe that they will be happily married, forever.”
Huo Mingguang was obviously lying through his teeth, but no one called him out on it at the moment.
“I’ve spoken to my father about having another wedding ceremony for Qingsang and Jinyao in Rong City—that way, all our family and friends can get to know Qingsang. I think that will solve many problems.”
Both Li Qianxue and Old Master Li slightly eased their irritated expressions.
Su Qingsang and Huo Jinyao were already married, after all, and they had a good relationship. Li Qianxue and Old Master Li didn’t really want to take her away from her husband.
“That’s a good idea. We have some old business partners in Rong City, as well as some relatives. We can invite them all to the wedding.”
Huo Jinyao furrowed his brows. It seemed that he didn’t like this idea.
“This is unnecessary.”
Su Qingsang had just finished breakfast and come out of the dining room. She’d overheard the last part of the conversation.
She walked to Huo Jinyao’s side and smiled at him, then she turned to Li Qianxue.
“Mom, grandpa, grandfather, father—we don’t need to bother with holding another wedding. Jinyao and I—we don’t care about these formalities.”
“I think we should hold another wedding ceremony,” said Old Master Huo, who had given it more thought than she had. “The Huo family is well known in Rong City. People should meet the wife of my oldest grandson.”
“Grandfather,” Su Qingsang protested. She had already had a wedding, and it was exhausting. She didn’t want to have to do it all again. “Grandfather,” she said, “thank you. I know that you’re thinking of what’s best for me, but I think that it’s excessive. If you want me to meet all of your family members and friends, we can just hold a dinner party and introduce me to everyone then.”
“Alright, let’s do that.” Huo Mingguang settled on a decision. “Your granduncle retired recently, and he moved back to Rong City. Your grandaunt is here too. We shall all have dinner together. They’ll be happy to meet you.”
“Mr. Li, Mrs. Su—you’ve come all this way. Why don’t you stay for a few days? Jinyao told me that you are currently staying in a hotel,” he said warmly to Li Qianxue and Old Master Li, “How can we let you stay in a hotel? You should just stay here. I’ll tell Wenchang to retrieve your luggage.”
“Yes, we have guest rooms. I’ll have those rooms cleaned for you,” Old Master Huo added.
Old Master Li smiled, but replied, “That won’t be necessary. We’d feel uncomfortable staying here. Qianxue has bought a house near here, and it was tidied yesterday when we arrived. We’ll move our things there later today.”
“Oh, well…” Huo Mingguang felt a little helpless. “If people knew about this, they might think that we’re not showing you any hospitality.”
“It’s okay. The house is not far from here. It’ll be convenient for us to come and visit you again.”
Li Qianxue would never have agreed to stay with the Huo family, now that she’d learned that Su Qingsang’s mother-in-law was so hard to get along with.
She turned her gaze onto Su Qingsang. Because her mother-in-law didn’t like her, she might face some difficulties in the future of her marriage. Li Qianxue could only hope that Huo Jinyao would be a reliable husband and protect her daughter.
As the others shared a pleasant conversation, Liu Tongjia was left sitting alone with her annoyance.
She couldn’t let go of the anger she felt in her heart. After giving Su Qingsang a resentful glare, she abruptly stood up, turned, and stalked out.
Her sudden movement made everyone there turn and look.
Huo Mingguang wasn’t pleased to see Liu Tongjia walk out like that, but he didn’t want to embarrass her in front of members of the Li family.
“I’m sorry. My wife has a short temper. I’m very sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Li Qianxue was done giving attention to Liu Tongjia. “It takes time for a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law to accept each other. They’ll build a better relationship over time.”
“That’s right.” Huo Mingguang had no choice but to agree with her. “Qingsang is a good girl. Jinyao’s mother just hasn’t realized that yet. She’ll accept her when she realizes that.”
“Good,” Li Qianxue said, looking at Su Qingsang again. She didn’t mind giving the Huo family a bit of the story. “Qingsang is my daughter, but I didn’t know that for a long time because she was mixed up with another baby when she was born. Now that I have her back, I want to give her all the best in the world. I’m worried that if she is unhappy, she won’t tell me about her problems. I hope you understand where I’m going with this.”
“Of course, we understand.” Old Master Li had heard these concerns already from Huo Jinyao, so he knew what Li Qianxue meant. “Don’t worry,” he said to her, “Qingsang has married into my family. She is now a member of this family, and I will treat her like my own granddaughter.”
