"Shufen, Xiaoyi, stop standing outside, come in!"
Wang Guiying then added, "Your old house has already collapsed, so you'll stay at our place tonight. We have a spare room anyway!"
Responding to the invitation, Qin Yi and Zheng Shufen walked towards the house.
Upon reaching the door, Zheng Shufen greeted Tian Guangjun, "Brother Tian!"
Qin Yi also politely called out, "Uncle Tian!"
"Mm."
However, Tian Guangjun merely nodded slightly in response to their greetings, his reply neither warm nor cold.
Seeing this, Wang Guiying shot him a glare and then pointed to another man and woman beside him, introducing them to Zheng Shufen, "Shufen, these two are our in-laws from the neighboring town. They've come specially today to discuss the arrangements for Xiaoyu's wedding in three days!"
Zheng Shufen beamed and proactively greeted the couple, "Hello, I'm..."
Before she could finish half her sentence, the man interrupted, "In-laws, since the matters have been discussed, we'll be taking our leave!"
The couple then walked away on their own, heading towards a small car parked by the roadside not far away, and drove off.
Zheng Shufen's smile froze, and Wang Guiying appeared extremely embarrassed.
The next moment, Wang Guiying said apologetically, "Shufen, my in-laws can be a bit ill-tempered. Please don't take offense!"
"No, no..."
Zheng Shufen composed herself and waved her hand dismissively, unconcerned.
"Shufen, Xiaoyi, come inside quickly!"
Wang Guiying ushered them in. Once inside, Qin Yi placed the gifts on the table and remarked, "You didn't have to bring anything, returning is enough. You're too kind!"
As darkness gradually fell, Wang Guiying busied herself with preparing dinner.
She asked Tian Guangjun for help, but he responded with a sullen face, clearly reluctant.
Seeing this, Zheng Shufen proactively joined Wang Guiying in the kitchen.
Despite not having seen each other for many years, Zheng Shufen and Wang Guiying were still very familiar and had a good relationship. While cooking, they chatted about everything and anything, reminiscing about their experiences over the years.
In fact, Qin Yi also had a good impression of Wang Guiying. He remembered that when he was younger, she would often give him and Qin Lei snacks meant for Tian Yu.
Back then, Wang Guiying, perhaps seeing how difficult it was for Zheng Shufen to raise two children alone, had taken good care of their family.
"Aunt Wang, isn't Tian Yu home?" Qin Yi asked.
"Xiaoyu went to town with Xiuqiang to buy some things..."
Wang Guiying replied. Seeing a flicker of confusion on Qin Yi's face, she quickly explained, "Oh, Xiuqiang is Xiaoyu's fiancé!"
Qin Yi understood.
Before long, Zheng Shufen and Wang Guiying had prepared several dishes. With Tian Yu out shopping and Wang Guiying's son not home, only the four of them sat down to eat.
At the dinner table, Zheng Shufen and Wang Guiying continued to chat and laugh, much like old friends reuniting.
Qin Yi sat beside them, interjecting occasionally.
Only Tian Guangjun, however, had maintained a sullen expression and remained silent since Qin Yi and Zheng Shufen had entered the house, as if Qin Yi or Zheng Shufen owed him a great deal of money!
Finally, Wang Guiying, unable to bear it any longer, pinched Tian Guangjun hard under the table and said, "Tian Guangjun, what's wrong with you? Shufen and Xiaoyi have finally come back after so long, who are you putting on a long face for?"
Zheng Shufen reached out to hold Wang Guiying back, but it was to no avail.
Feeling the pain, Tian Guangjun forcefully removed Wang Guiying's hand and then turned to Qin Yi, asking, "Qin Yi, I heard you served time in prison for committing a crime, is that true?"
Zheng Shufen and Wang Guiying both froze.
Regaining her composure, Wang Guiying tried to pinch Tian Guangjun again, wanting him to shut up.
However, before she could reach him, Tian Guangjun grabbed her hands.
Qin Yi smiled faintly and nodded, "Yes, I have been to prison!"
As the saying goes, good deeds never go beyond the door, while bad deeds travel a thousand miles.
Although they had left their hometown for over a decade and had never returned, Tian Guangjun and the others had still learned about his imprisonment.
"It's good that you admit it!" Tian Guangjun declared. "My daughter is getting married the day after tomorrow. It's a joyous occasion, and I don't want any ex-convicts attending. It's bad luck..."
"Tian Guangjun, shut up, stop talking!"
Wang Guiying stood up, desperately trying to intervene.
But her hands were ultimately caught by Tian Guangjun. He stared directly at Qin Yi and continued, "Qin Yi, you don't have any objections, do you?"
At this moment, Zheng Shufen felt immensely embarrassed, her cheeks flushing involuntarily.
"You stop!"
Immediately after, Tian Guangjun, seeing Wang Guiying struggling and trying to stop him, yelled at her, "Wang Guiying, are you out of your mind? We haven't been in contact with their family for so many years, why did you invite them over?"
"Especially Qin Yi, he's an ex-convict. Do you feel it's good luck to invite him to Xiaoyu's wedding?"
"Tian Guangjun, I think you're the one out of your mind! How is Xiaoyi bad luck? Are people who have been to prison supposed to die?"
Wang Guiying, unable to break free from his grasp, could only retort.
Seeing that the two were about to argue, Zheng Shufen put down her chopsticks, stood up, and said, "It's alright, Guiying. If Guangjun doesn't want Xiaoyi to attend, then Xiaoyi won't attend! We'll leave now!"
She gave Qin Yi a look and, without hesitation, turned towards the door to leave.
Qin Yi stood up, offered an apologetic smile to Wang Guiying, and followed her out.
However, just as they reached the doorway, they saw a figure running back from outside.
"Mom, Dad, I don't want to marry Xiuqiang anymore..."
The figure, upon entering the house, sobbed and said to Tian Guangjun and Wang Guiying.
Qin Yi and Zheng Shufen both stopped in their tracks and turned to look back.
Undoubtedly, the figure who had suddenly returned was Tian Yu.
Tian Yu was a year younger than Qin Yi. When they were children, because her family had better conditions, she would always share her snacks with Qin Yi and Qin Lei.
Now, over a decade later, she had grown up. She was tall, nearly 1.7 meters, with her hair cascading naturally down her back. She was also quite good-looking. While not as beautiful as Han Xin or Qin Lei, she was definitely considered a beauty.
However, at this moment, Qin Yi noticed that one side of her cheek was red, with finger marks on it.
Her eyes were also red, clearly from crying.
Seeing this situation, Wang Guiying immediately stopped arguing with Tian Guangjun and hurried to Tian Yu's side, asking with concern, "Xiaoyu, what's wrong? What happened???"
Tian Guangjun also walked over and said, "Didn't you go to town with Xiuqiang to buy things? You were fine when you left. What happened?"