Chapter 455 - 449+450: Curse

Gu’er was truly stunned. Why? In her past life, after Zhou Mazi died, Li Hua had always been alone and never remarried. She never expected that someone would actually be interested in Li Hua, nor had she ever considered the possibility of her mother remarrying. The thought was simply inconceivable.

"So what did my mom say? Is she interested?"

Gu’er’s interest was piqued. If Li Hua could remarry, it would actually be a good thing.

"Well, as for your mother, I tried to sound her out. She has a good impression of Dali. He helps her out when he has time, and she feels he’s a pretty down-to-earth man. But she’s afraid to take that step. She’s worried Zhou Mazi will cause her trouble, plus she has three children and is afraid of dragging the man down."

Lin Shuying sighed. She wished Li Hua would agree, but she understood that Li Hua had her own reservations.

"Auntie, can you help me find out more about this Dali? What kind of person is he really, and what’s his family situation like? If he were to marry my mom, would his son object? Also, you should reveal some things about my mom’s situation to him and see what he thinks. If he’s truly taken with my mom, isn’t afraid of the difficulties, and is willing to build a good life with her, then I think it would be great. My mom is only in her early forties; she can’t just live the rest of her life alone like this. If she had a companion to take care of her, it would put my mind at ease too."

Gu’er wasn’t opposed to Li Hua remarrying, but first, she had to see what this man was like—if he was sincere toward Li Hua and if he was a responsible person. If Li Hua started a new family and had a man to protect her, Zhou Mazi wouldn’t be able to bully her anymore. With a man in the house, Zhou Feng’er, Zhou Duo’er, and Zhou Cai wouldn’t be able to get away with being so insolent. Once Li Hua had a pillar of support, she would be much stronger than she was now.

"I think Dali seems like a decent guy, but I’ll go and ask around properly. I’ll come back and tell you what I find out. I’ll also try to talk to Hua’er about it."

Lin Shuying nodded and agreed to the task. She and Li Hua were kindred spirits who had suffered similar hardships, so she sincerely hoped Li Hua could find happiness.

"Okay, let’s go out. The food should be about ready."

Gu’er took Lin Shuying’s hand and they walked out. Outside, Aunt Zhao had already set the food on the table.

Zhongshan and Xinghua had also come over, and everyone was eating there. Sun Jiaming and Dingzi made sure to have a few drinks with Lin Shan.

During the meal, the conversation turned to Zhongshan. He had changed quite a bit. His health had mostly recovered, and he no longer had that sickly, frail look about him.

Zhongshan also had a girlfriend now. Her name was Chen Hui. She was from the city, a twenty-year-old factory worker. Her family wasn’t particularly well-off, but they managed. She was pretty, with delicate features, and had a good temper.

She had gone to Xinghua’s shop to have a sweater knitted for her. As it happened, Zhongshan went to see Xinghua that same day, and the two of them ran into each other. They met twice more after that, and since their impressions of each other were quite good, they slowly began to get to know one another.

Eventually, they both developed feelings for each other. After Lin Shuying found out, she met Chen Hui and thought she was a decent girl. She also had someone inquire about the Chen family’s situation. Her parents were the honest, simple type. There were three children in the family; Chen Hui was the middle child, with an older sister who was already married and a younger brother still in school. They were all well-behaved people, so Lin Shuying felt there was nothing to be picky about.

The Chen family also inquired about the Lin family’s situation. They learned that Lin Shuying was divorced, had returned with her children, and didn’t own a house. However, her side of the family was respectable: her brother was a government official, her sister-in-law treated her well, and her niece was very capable. Both Lin Shuying and Zheng Zhongshan had jobs and earned a good income. As for Xinghua, she had her own business and didn’t require any support. So, even without a house, life after the wedding wouldn’t be difficult. Most importantly, Lin Shuying didn’t seem like the type to be a wicked mother-in-law, so they wouldn’t have to worry about their daughter being mistreated after marrying into the family.

The only point of concern was that Zheng Zhongshan’s health wasn’t perfect, but it had mostly recovered through careful nurturing. Therefore, the Chen family was also satisfied. Both families agreed to hold the wedding in the spring of the coming year.

This was why Lin Shuying was so content these days. Everyone had said her son wouldn’t survive, but now his health was nearly back to normal, and he was about to get married.

Her daughter was sensible and well-behaved, earning her own money—in fact, more than Lin Shuying herself. She wouldn’t have to worry about her daughter’s future at all. What else was there to be unhappy about? The only thing left was to find a place and buy a house. It didn’t need to be too big or too expensive. With the money she had on hand, she could buy a house for her son to get married in. After all, they couldn’t possibly keep living at Gu’er’s after the wedding; that would be completely outrageous.

Zheng Zhongshan’s face turned slightly red as he listened to everyone talking about him. Although he wasn’t that young anymore, he was quite introverted due to his lack of social contact in the past. He would still get a little embarrassed when people teased him, but deep down, he was the type of person who had a very clear head on his shoulders.