"Xiu Qiang hit me!" Tian Yu said, her eyes red.
"What?" Wang Guiying exclaimed. Seeing the finger marks on Tian Yu's face, she said angrily, "Xiao Yu, don't tell me Xiu Qiang did this!"
She reached out to touch Tian Yu's face with concern. As soon as she touched it, Tian Yu flinched back reflexively from the pain.
Under these circumstances, Wang Guiying became even more furious. She cursed, "Xiu Qiang, you bastard! He actually hit you! Is he even a man?"
Tian Guangjun looked at the finger marks on Tian Yu's face, his expression complex.
However, he was not as agitated as Wang Guiying. Instead, he asked, "Xiao Yu, why did Xiu Qiang hit you?"
"We went to a clothing store to buy clothes. He took a fancy to an outfit and insisted I buy it. But I didn't like it, so I didn't want to. We argued, and then he slapped me in front of so many people..."
Tian Yu wiped away her tears, saying with both anger and grievance, "Dad, Mom, please don't make me marry Xiu Qiang anymore, okay? He has a violent tendency! We're not even married yet, and he can hit me. After we get married, he'll surely become even more reckless and escalate his actions!"
"And Dad and Mom, you know Xiu Qiang was a troublemaker even when he was in school. He even injured someone with a knife before! If I marry him, my life will be ruined!"
Upon hearing her words, Qin Yi and Zheng Shufen looked at each other in surprise.
They exchanged glances, and each saw surprise in the other's eyes!
Neither of them had expected that Tian Yu's fiancé would be such a person!
Instantly, they stopped what they were doing and turned back towards the house.
Qin Yi spoke, "Tian Yu, when you were dating this person, didn't you get to know him clearly? Since he's like this, why do you still want to marry him?"
Hearing his voice, Tian Yu finally noticed Qin Yi.
She looked at Qin Yi, first with confusion, and then with slight surprise, "Brother Qin Yi, it's you, Brother Qin Yi!!!"
Qin Yi was a year older than Tian Yu. When they were children, Tian Yu always called Qin Yi "Brother Qin Yi."
Qin Yi smiled and said, "Tian Yu, it's been so long. You've grown so tall and beautiful!"
Tian Yu also noticed Zheng Shufen and called out, "Aunt Zheng, you're back too!"
Zheng Shufen nodded and was about to say something, but before she could speak, Tian Guangjun said first, "No. Xiao Yu, don't be silly. Your marriage to Xiu Qiang is not a child's play. How can you just call it off?"
"Now all our relatives and friends know about your wedding. They're all waiting to attend!"
"But Dad, Xiu Qiang has a violent tendency. He's hitting me now. If I really marry him, he'll definitely abuse me later!"
Tian Yu was still trying to persuade Tian Guangjun to agree to cancel her wedding with Xiu Qiang.
Tian Yu also grabbed Wang Guiying's arm and pleaded, "Mom, you've always doted on me the most, right? I don't want to marry Xiu Qiang anymore. I don't want to sacrifice my lifelong happiness..."
Wang Guiying's face showed a look of hesitation and indecision, as if she were in a difficult situation, and did not speak immediately.
Tian Guangjun, however, pulled Tian Yu's hand away from Wang Guiying's arm and reprimanded, "Alright, stop making a fuss. Xiu Qiang hitting you is wrong, and I'll deal with him later! As for canceling the wedding, don't bring it up again. Not even think about it!"
Tian Yu became agitated. "If you don't agree, isn't it because you've accepted their thirty thousand yuan betrothal gift! You're willing to disregard my happiness for money, willing to push me into a fiery pit. I hate you!"
With that, Tian Yu covered her mouth and ran out of the house crying.
"Xiao Yu..."
Wang Guiying wanted to chase after her but was stopped by Tian Guangjun. "Let her go. She'll calm down after a while!"
Qin Yi, however, quickened his pace and followed her out.
...
Tian Yu ran out of the house and squatted on a small path in the village, burying her face between her legs, crying sadly.
Qin Yi chased after her. Seeing her like this, he didn't know how to comfort her for a moment.
So he just stood quietly beside her, letting her vent for a while!
It wasn't until several minutes had passed that Tian Yu finally looked up, her eyes red and swollen, and asked Qin Yi, "Brother Qin Yi, when did you and Aunt Zheng come back? Did my mom ask you to come back for my wedding?"
"Just this afternoon..."
Qin Yi replied, and then said, "Tian Yu, don't worry about us for now. Tell me first, since that Xiu Qiang is such a scoundrel, why did you even get involved with him and agree to marry him?"
Tian Yu was silent for two seconds, wiped the tears from her face, and stood up to explain, "Brother Qin Yi, you don't know, but neither my relationship with Xiu Qiang nor this marriage was voluntary!"
"Xiu Qiang is a hoodlum. One day, he saw me in town and started pursuing me! I refused him at first, but when he saw I wouldn't agree, he went to my parents and managed to win them over!"
Qin Yi asked in surprise, "How did he win over your parents?"
"A while ago, my brother borrowed money from loan sharks and owed a large sum. The creditors came to our door!"
Tian Yu said, "Xiu Qiang gave our family a thirty thousand yuan betrothal gift, which my father used to repay my brother's debt, solving our family's urgent problem!"
"Then, plus my father thought Xiu Qiang's family was wealthy, so he helped me agree to Xiu Qiang's proposal!"
"I refused, but they all tried to persuade me. In the end, I couldn't withstand the pressure and had to agree!"
"But I never imagined that Xiu Qiang could be such a scoundrel. Our wedding is the day after tomorrow, and he still hit me in front of so many people on the street today, sob..."
As Tian Yu spoke, she became more and more emotional. By the end, her heart was filled with grievance, and she started crying again.
Qin Yi listened, standing there, speechless.
He had originally thought that Tian Yu's marriage was a matter of free love and free marriage, but he never expected it to be like this!
"And Brother Qin Yi, you know, I heard that Xiu Qiang had several girlfriends when he was in school, and even got one of them pregnant. Then her family came to our door to make a scene..."
Tian Yu continued, "Xiu Qiang's reputation in their town is already ruined. Everyone knows he's a hooligan and not a good person!"
Qin Yi was utterly speechless.
After a moment, he said, "If that's the case, Xiao Yu, I support you. Don't marry him! This wedding is off!"
Tian Yu gave a wry smile. "Brother Qin Yi, you think it's too simple. You saw my father's attitude just now. If I don't marry him, he'll be the first one to disagree!"
"Moreover, if I cancel the wedding, Xiu Qiang's side will definitely not let it go. A person like Xiu Qiang is capable of anything."
Tian Yu's face was filled with helplessness, even despair.
In response, Qin Yi thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Yu, as long as you say you won't marry him, I'll handle the rest for you!"