Chapter 75: News of the Engagement

Several more villagers came to ask Granny Shen about the situation after Liu Yue left.

Some of them thought that Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi might have also heard the rumors about Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi in the village. They felt that it was not good for Shen Chi to stay in the store, so they fired Granny Shen and Shen Chi, and they were here to gloat.

Quite a few of them came to comfort Granny Shen, and the rest of them came to inquire for information about Granny Shen's 'old job'.

Not only Zhang Xiuhe wanted Granny Shen's job, but many villagers also wanted it.

"Granny, this Chen Xiao Mi is so cruel. After all, you've worked for them for so long. How can he just fire you like this?"

"No wonder Grandma Chen said that he was ferocious. You guys are old friends, yet her had the heart to just fire you like this..."

Granny Shen couldn't bear Zheng's nonsense gabble, she replied helplessly, "I wasn't fired. I just came back to deal with something."

"Of course you are! But what matter can it possibly be? " Zheng firmly believed that Granny Shen was too shy to admit that she was just fired.

"That Zhang Xiuhe is not a decent person, her embroidery skills are fine, but to be honest, there are a lot of people in the village who are good at embroidery. If it wasn't for the fact that she had a good brother, how could she replace you?"

Granny Shen was rendered speechless. Lu Lin had no intention to hire Zhang Xiuhe, yet the villagers started to buy the fake news already!

Granny Shen felt that this rumor might have been deliberately spread by Zhang Xiuhe. As time went by, more and more villagers might think that Lu Lin had agreed to hire Zhang Xiuhe. In this way, if Lu Lin refused to hire Zhang Xiuhe in the future, the villagers might think that Lu Lin was inconsistent in his words.

"I really don't think Lu Lin plans to replace me or recruit more people for the time being," Granny Shen said.

......

The village kids liked to hang out under the big tree at the entrance to their village to avoid summer heat.

"Ya, Shen Chi is back," Zhang Dabao said to Zhang Ya.

Zhang Ya nodded and said arrogantly, "Well, I heard that his grandmother was fired."

Previously, Lu Lin had rejected Zhang Ya's mother, Ma Shi, Zhang Ya had been holding a grudge since that.

The rumor about Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi was not cooked up by Ma Shi, but she had definitely fanned the fire abd spread the rumor.

Zhang Ya thought to herself: Granny Shen is getting senile. Shen Chi is a Bio, you can tell he isn't cut out for heavy work. It is normal that they get fired, it will be abnormal if they can keep their jobs for long.

"My mother and auntie sold embroidery products to Lu Lin and they have earned a lot of money. I heard that Granny Shen earned more." Da Bao added.

Zhang Ya pouted and thought to herself, " Granny Shen must have made a lot of money, that true. What's the point of earning so much? They have lost their jobs now! "

"Is Chen Xiao Cai really close to Shen Chi?"

"Of course. They used to play together!"

"It's just playing together."

......

Issuing a Betrothal Letter required a good matchmaker. Chen Xiao Mi asked Matchmaker Wang to do the honor.

Matchmaker Wang had arranged dozens of marriages, and she was well respected in the neighboring villages.

Matchmaker Wang was surprised by Chen Xiao Mi's visit though. " Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi?"

Chen Xiao Mi nodded, "Yes, please do the honor."

Matchmaker Wang was a little confused, "Shen Chi is a Bio!"

The villagers usually tended to avoid Bios, let alone rich families like the Chens now. It was well known in the village that the Chen brothers had recently made quite a lot of money.

She also heard that Lu Lin bought a bear without hesitation.

Chen Xiao Mi looked at Matchmaker Wang with indifference and said coldly, "Is there anything wrong with Bio?"

Matchmaker Wang smiled embarrassedly and said, "No, no, of course not."

Matchmaker Wang suddenly remembered that Chen Xiao Mi was a Bio himself and he had a dumb Bio brother Chen Xiao Mai at home. And Chen Xiao Mi doted on that baby brother so much so that he was so spoiled.

Chen Xiao Mi nodded and said with pride, "Girls are charming. But it's better to be betrothed to a Bios."

Matchmaker Wang instantly understood Chen Xiao Mi's intentions.

......

Lu Lin took Chen Xiao Cai to pick a betrothal gift for Shen Chi and Chen Xiao Mi picked Matchmaker Wang as their matchmaker.

Lu Lin only found that out after everything was done.

"Matchmaker Wang," Lu Lin said strangely.

Chen Xiao Mi nodded, "Yeah! We already know Cai wants to Marry Chi, we only hire a matchmaker to make everything look more open and formal."

"That's right, but I don't like her that much, this Matchmaker Wang seems to be the one who has introduced Lu Tong to the widower Li Ji," Lu Lin said.

Chen Xiao Cai blinked and said, "Ah! I forgot."

Lu Lin shook his head. Lu Tong's marriage was pretty eventful. Tang had despised Li Ji and chased the matchmaker out. After that, no one else was willing to offer 20 taels as betrothal present, so Tang begged Matchmaker Wang to talk to Li Ji again. Chances were Li Ji didn't like Tang very much after that farce.

Lu Tong didn't seem to have a good time after she married into Li Ji's house. However, no one could blame the Li family. Tang had pocketed her daughter's dowry and she would even go to Li Ji's house to seek financial help from time to time. It would be strange if Lu Tong's mother-in-law adored her, besides, Lu Tong tended to slack off on house chores.

......

In Shen family.

Granny Shen looked at Shen Chi who was constantly looking outside the door and said, "Chi, they won't come today. It is an auspicious day three days from now on, they will come on that day."

Shen Chi nodded and let out an "Oh."

Granny Shen sighed. People in the village seemed to think they were swept out by Lu Lin like rubbish. Granny Shen was too reserved to tell them the truth that they were back home to prepare for Shen Chi's engagement.

Shen Chi rubbed his hands, his face flushed, and he felt nervous.

When Shen Chi was in town, he knew that Lu Lin had proposed marriage to his grandmother on the behalf of Chen Xiao Cai. He was so happy, and he wasn't that surprised that it happened.

Shen Chi had feelings for Chen Xiao Cai as well. He vaguely felt that Chen Xiao Cai like him, but he was afraid that he would be wrong, so he dared not think too much.

After Lu Lin talked to Granny Shen, Chen Xiao Cai also talked to Shen Chi.

Chen Xiao Cai gave Shen Chi a silver pendant which was bought by Chen Xiao Cai when he was in Willow Town.

The two of them sat in the yard and chatted for a long time.

Shen Chi was judged by the villagers when he went to the riverside to do laundry The girls would just gather around and talk about his so openly like he wasn't there.

Shen Chi didn't expect the villagers to be so mean.

Shen Chi suddenly thought that Xiao Mi and Xiao Cai, they grew up listening to those rumors about how ill-starred they were. 'Things must be more difficult for them', thought Shen Chi.

Shen Chi originally thought he and Chen Xiao Cai made a cute couple, but the villagers kept saying things like he didn't deserve Chen Xiao Cai. At first, he would just brush them off, but he started to lose confidence recently.

......

Granny Shen didn't mention Chen Xiao Cai and Shen Chi were getting engaged to anyone. She just said that they were back home to deal with some things, that had only worsened the situation, gossip and speculation were constantly fed to the villagers.

However, Matchmaker Wang came to the village and the rumors in the village had stopped instantly.

The villagers loved to talk to Matchmaker Wang whenever they met her.

Some curious villagers asked Matchmaker Wang what she was doing in the village. Matchmaker Wang told the villagers that she was here to do horoscope matching for Shen Chi. Naturally, the villagers asked whose horoscope she was going to match Shen Chi's with. Matchmaker Wang didn't hide it. She said Chen Xiao Cai's name. If it went well, Chen Xiao Mi would come over to propose a marriage to Granny Shen on his brother's behalf in a few days.

Matchmaker Wang's words caused an uproar. The people who took pleasure in Granny Shen's 'misfortune' were shocked. It turned out that Granny Shen and Shen Chi were not fired but they were back to deal with things.

The villagers complained that Granny Shen didn't tell them a word beforehand. Many people who had made bitter remarks now were embarrassed.

At dusk, Granny Shen's neighbor, Grandmother Li, visited them.

Grandmother Li and Granny Shen were neighbors for a long time and they were on good terms.

"You hid it too well. I had no idea you were home to prepare Chi's engagement. I thought... that Chen Xiao Mi was ungrateful and fired you."

Granny Shen said helplessly, "I didn't say anything because I was afraid that might cause another round of disturbance."

"Cai and Chi make a cute couple."

Granny Shen smiled and said, " Chi is reliable, and he works hard, so is Cai."

"That's an important trait! Lu Cheng Yu has married a lady from the town who often slacks off. It seems like the Lu family's situation is going steadily downhill."

Granny Shen lowered her head and didn't say anything. Shen Chi often worked by Chen Xiao Mi's side and he had accidentally heard Li Ru was just a concubine.

Shen Chi told Granny Shen what he had heard in a chitchat, Granny Shen was stunned for a solid second when she first heard that.

Granny Shen had told Shen Chi not to mention this to anyone else, but Granny Shen was also confused, she wondered whether Lu Lin knew that before or after Lu Cheng Yu got married.

......

In Zhang Family.

Zhang Xiuhe said sullenly, "Matchmaker Wang is talking nonsense, right? Chen Xiao Cai really likes Shen Chi? And they are getting engaged?"

Zhang Xiuhe had been busy spreading rumors that Lu Lin was unhappy with Granny Shen and he fired her since Granny Shen was back.

But it turned out that Granny Shen and Chen Xiao Mi were going to be in-laws, so naturally, Granny Shen would not be fired.

Zhang Jin glanced at his Second Aunt and said, "Matchmaker Wang wouldn't joke about such things."

Zhang Xiuhe was dissatisfied, "Didn't you say that Chen Xiao Mi has money now? How come he wants his brother to marry a Bio? Maybe he isn't as rich as we think!"

"Maybe Chen Xiao Cai just likes Shen Chi."

Zhang Xiuhe pouted and said, "What's so good about marrying a Bio? The Chen family already has two Bios, yet they still want Chen Xiao Cai to marry one."

"People's feelings are impossible to explain. "

Zhang Xiuhe frowned, "Granny Shen is so uncanny though. She deliberately hid it and embarrassed me."

"Granny Shen didn't say that she was fired or anything like that. You just guessed that was the case, this is on you, Aunt! " Zhang Jin felt that his Second Aunt shouldn't blame anyone but herself.

Zhang Xiuhe had been telling everyone that she was going to replace Granny Shen in Sino Commercial Shop, but she had made a fool of herself in the end. Granny Shen and the Chens were going to be in-laws, they were becoming family!

"Big Brother, go talk to Lu Lin," Zhang Xiuhe looked at Zhang Cheng and said.

"What are you talking about?" asked Zhang Cheng.

"My craftsmanship is much better than that old woman Granny Shen, you need to talk to Lu Lin and talk me up," Zhang Xiuhe said.

Zhang Cheng puffed on his pipe in frustration. He had zero confidence in talking to Lu Lin. He recalled that one time when Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi renovated their house, he turned them down when they came to him asking him to recruit some villagers as casual workers and he ended up losing the villagers' support. Some villagers still complained that it was his fault that Chen Xiao Mi had taught people in Bid Wind Village how to build a kang instead of them.

Zhang Cheng felt that Lu Lin was a changed person after he married Chen Xiao Mi.