Chapter 22 - Roar

Ye Weidong and Chen Fang knew they were somewhat at fault towards He Xiaoqing’s family, and they were already prepared to face He Xiaoqing’s parents with humility and resolve the matter properly.

However, what they did not expect was that Li Lanfang, who had been silent just a moment before, suddenly began to yell loudly the next second.

“Ye Qiu, that good-for-nothing, still has the face to propose breaking off the engagement with Xiaoqing?”

“How does a good-for-nothing like him deserve Xiaoqing?”

“It’s good enough that my Xiaoqing didn’t initiate it herself.

Unexpectedly, he dared to bring it up first!”

Li Lanfang herself had been a very fierce person when she was younger, and now at this age, she had become even more shrewish.

In the neighborhood here, the neighbors all feared having any conflicts or arguments with Li Lanfang.

However in the past, Ye Weidong and his wife had a very close relationship with the butcher’s family, so usually, there was no problem.

“I heard that Ye Qiu was in a car accident because of that pretty girl in his class?

Now he doesn’t want to marry Xiaoqing, and it’s all for that girl in his class.

Isn’t he just a toad lusting after a swan’s flesh?”

The more Li Lanfang cursed, the uglier her words became, making Ye Weidong and Chen Fang very embarrassed, especially since the quiet old neighborhood lacked soundproof windows.

Now with Li Lanfang yelling and cursing loudly, the neighbors could hear everything very clearly.

The neighbors who quietly listened to Li Lanfang publicly denounce Ye Qiu also heard about Ye Qiu wanting to break off the engagement with He Xiaoqing.

Ye Weidong and Chen Fang were secretly reflecting that they had not expected Li Lanfang to have such a temper, and now they truly regretted having arranged such an engagement for Ye Qiu in the first place.

He Xiaoqing had a very good temper, but Li Lanfang’s temper was really too bad!

“Sister-in-law, we’re here to discuss and solve this issue amicably.

Moreover, it was just a verbal agreement initially, and Ye Qiu and Xiaoqing weren’t even officially boyfriend and girlfriend, so it hasn’t impacted Xiaoqing’s reputation.

Why do you have to curse Ye Qiu like that!”

Ye Weidong said.

“Reputational impact?

Hmph, now the whole neighborhood knows that Xiaoqing was supposed to wait for Ye Qiu to graduate high school before marrying him, but now you’ve gone and broken the engagement yourselves.

How big of a blow is that to Xiaoqing?

Are you saying it doesn’t affect her reputation?”

Ye Weidong didn’t know what to say.

Li Lanfang continued, “Moreover, Xiaoqing has been working hard in your store, slaving away for three years, and now you just dismiss her like that?”

Initially, after the verbal agreement between the families, Li Lanfang, wanting to leave a good impression on Ye Weidong and his wife, would let He Xiaoqing help out at the porridge and noodle shop whenever she had time.

Though it might have been just a few hours each day, it totaled nearly two and a half years, which was not insignificant.

In the past, Li Lanfang didn’t mind these things because she thought that once Ye Qiu and Xiaoqing got married, they would be family.

But now that the Ye family had spoken this way, Li Lanfang naturally began to take these matters seriously.

Butcher He had been silent all this while.

Because he too felt very awkward and didn’t know what to say.

He and Ye Weidong had a very good relationship, normally drinking and chatting together, but at home, Li Lanfang held more sway than he did.

And in this matter, he felt that the Ye family’s actions were indefensible.

“So what do you suggest we do to resolve this?” Ye Weidong asked.

Now, hearing the other party insult his son like that, Ye Weidong was also getting angry.

“Calculate it based on three years of wages!

We can’t let Xiaoqing work at your shop for nothing!”

Li Lanfang spoke directly.

When the butcher wanted to say something, he ended up keeping silent in the end.

Considering the wages over three years, Ye Weidong and Chen Fang were taken aback, as they hadn’t expected Li Lanfang to be that kind of person.

After all, it was He Xiaoqing who had volunteered to help at the porridge and noodle shop; no one had asked her to come.

But both knew that since He Xiaoqing had volunteered, she had indeed been a big help over those three years.

“So, how should we account for it?” Ye Weidong asked.

“Based on the current ordinary wages in Jinling, even though Xiaoqing only worked four to five hours a day, her work should be worth a thousand or two per month,” Li Lanfang said.

Ye Weidong and Chen Fang exchanged glances, feeling as if they had never really known Li Lanfang before.

However, they also knew that if they were to break such an engagement, a verbal agreement, it would naturally be best to settle these matters clearly.

“Actually, Xiaoqing was there for just over two years, not quite two and a half years.

But since we’re calculating it for three years, let’s say ten thousand a year, so thirty thousand for three years,” Ye Weidong said.

He knew He Xiaoqing was a good girl, and now that things were being clarified, he didn’t want to argue over this with Li Lanfang any further.

Li Lanfang felt this was still acceptable.

“Thirty thousand it is then, let’s settle on that!” Li Lanfang seemed no longer inclined to discuss further.

A short while ago, she had been ranting for a long time, mainly fighting over this.

“Then we’ll be going.

In a while, I will deliver these thirty thousand yuan to your family,” Ye Weidong said.

He and Chen Fang no longer wanted to stay.

Initially, the two families were very close friends, almost becoming in-laws, but it was unexpected for it to turn out like this.

However, Ye Weidong and Chen Fang both felt relieved thinking that if He Xiaoqing’s mother was this kind of person, Xiaoqing really was not suited to be with Ye Qiu.

As Ye Weidong and Chen Fang headed out, Li Lanfang paid them no heed, while the butcher hurriedly followed them outside.

“Brother, I’m really sorry about earlier,” the butcher said.

“I understand,” Ye Weidong said.

“Did Ye Qiu do that because we didn’t lend him the hundred and ten thousand for the medical expenses?” the butcher asked.

Ye Weidong shook his head, “It’s not about that, it’s unrelated.

Just that, after Ye Qiu’s car accident, he changed a lot and started to think about many things on his own.

So, about the engagement, let’s just drop it.

If Ye Qiu and He Xiaoqing like each other and want to be together in the future, we have no intention of stopping them.

However, right now Ye Qiu doesn’t like Xiaoqing and to avoid delaying her marriage prospects, we should clarify this now.”

The butcher felt that what Ye Weidong and his wife were doing wasn’t wrong.

Ye Qiu was grown up and had his own opinions, which was also right.

As for his wife’s earlier ranting, that wasn’t wrong either.

“We’re leaving,” Ye Weidong said.

After Ye Weidong and Chen Fang left, the butcher, holding the cigarettes that Ye Weidong had just given him, could only stand outside the door smoking gloomily.

In the room, He Xiaoqing initially felt like crying but couldn’t.

Later, when she heard her mother ranting in the living room, she didn’t know what to say.

However, hearing that because she worked at the porridge and noodle shop, the Ye Family wanted to clarify things and return the money to her, He Xiaoqing knew that the Ye Family planned to settle everything with her.

In his own room, Ye Qiu had already heard Li Lanfang’s ranting and the scolding directed at him, or rather, at the original owner of his body.

He hadn’t expected that the original Ye Qiu was really such a weakling.

However, with parents like He Xiaoqing’s, he really didn’t want anything to do with them.

Ye Xue, in her room, initially went out to the balcony after hearing the ranting.

Hearing it was Li Lanfang’s voice, and the scolding directed at Ye Qiu, she was very upset.

Now she knew that Ye Qiu and He Xiaoqing really weren’t suitable to be together.