Chapter 56 Character is Revealed Through Actions

Seeing that Li Cuilian and her husband still remained unmoved after her speech, Liu Guilan’s triumphant expression vanished in an instant. Overwhelmed with anxiety, she immediately raised her voice and began to boast about her family's favorable conditions.

As she spoke, she gestured exaggeratedly, acting as if her household were some wealthy and influential clan in the village.

"Brother, Sister-in-law, you really need to think this through carefully. The harvests from our family's fields are always exceptional every year, and our granaries are overflowing with grain. The house we built is only a few years old—spacious and bright—and all the furniture is newly purchased. Which aspect of our family isn't superior to others? Xiaohai is such a sensible and capable young man. If Erni marries into our family, she’ll be stepping right into a bed of fortune. How to choose should be perfectly obvious to anyone. Don't be foolish now," Liu Guilan said, her face glowing with radiant excitement and her eyes sparkling, fully convinced that this would lead Li Cuilian and her husband to a swift decision.

Yet, upon hearing Liu Guilan’s boastful words, Li Cuilian merely chuckled softly. With a faint smile, she replied in a leisurely and unhurried tone, "Sister Guilan, we know all about what you’ve mentioned. However, this is our daughter's lifelong matter after all, so we still need to discuss it further. Why don't you two go back first and wait for news? We only have this one daughter, and we treasure her dearly, so we must consider things with utmost caution. We hope you can understand our feelings as parents."

In this era, despite the family planning policies, which family didn't have two or three children, or even more?

A situation like Erni’s family, where there was only a single child, was truly rare.

Therefore, ever since she was a little girl, Erni had been the apple of her parents' eyes—cherished so tenderly that they feared she might melt if held in their mouths or shatter if dropped from their hands. The couple accommodated her in every possible way, hoping only that she would live a happy and smooth life. When it came to her lifelong marriage, they naturally had to be exceptionally cautious, leaving no room for the slightest carelessness.

Seeing Li Cuilian respond this way, although Lin Qiang and Liu Guilan were secretly fuming, they knew that making forceful demands at this point would be of no use. Consequently, they stopped arguing, stood up with disgruntled expressions, and strode out of the house.

Once they reached the outer room, Liu Guilan immediately spotted the two fish and the basket of eggs she had brought. Without a second thought, she grabbed the entire lot. Seeing this, Lin Qiang looked instantly embarrassed and quickly muttered in a low voice, "Why are you taking back things we gave to someone else? That looks so inappropriate."

Liu Guilan curled her lip and said dismissively, "The match didn't go through, so of course we have to take the things back. Do you expect me to leave them here for them to take advantage of? Hmph." With that, she picked up the items and strode briskly outside. Her attitude completely disregarded the gazes of others, leaving Li Cuilian and Liu Dafu utterly mortified. Standing there, they didn't know whether to advance or retreat, feeling immensely embarrassed.

Liu Guilan didn't care about any of that and left without once looking back. Seeing this, Lin Qiang could only let out a helpless sigh and hurriedly followed after her.

Wang Yufen watched this scene from the side with an equally awkward expression. Once Lin Qiang and Liu Guilan had departed, she quickly bid farewell to Liu Dafu and Li Cuilian. Wearing a somewhat forced smile, she said, "Big Brother Li, Sister-in-law, we'll be heading back as well. You two take your time to think it over. The two young people like each other, and that matters more than anything else. We're just hoping for a happy outcome for them."

Liu Dafu and Li Cuilian nodded slightly and replied, "Alright, we will consider it. Mind your step on the way back."

As she spoke, Wang Yufen and Lin Yu turned to leave. After walking just a few steps, Liu Dafu hurriedly retrieved the two rabbits along with the meat originally prepared for stewing. He took a few quick strides to stop Wang Yufen and said with a bashful expression, "Sister Yufen, since the match didn't work out, you should take these things back as well. How can we accept your gifts for nothing?"

At this moment, Lin Yu quickly spoke up, "Uncle, what was given to you belongs to you. How can there be any reason to take it back? Just keep it and cook it. We still have more at home, so please don't decline."

Wang Yufen chimed in, "Indeed, Brother, please keep them. This rabbit meat is delicious; consider it a treat to try something fresh and a token of our goodwill."

Before Liu Dafu could continue to refuse, Lin Yu turned to Erni and said, "Erni, why don't you come over to our house for dinner tonight? We're stewing meat this evening, and it smells amazing."

Having said that, he hesitated for a moment, scratched his head, and awkwardly added, "I... I also have a gift for you."

Upon hearing this, Erni's delicate face instantly flushed bright red, glowing like a sunset. Her shyness spread all the way to the tips of her ears, and her heart fluttered wildly like a trapped little rabbit.

She nodded repeatedly in agreement, looking so bashful that her face seemed as tender as water, while her eyes gleamed with anticipation and joy at the prospect of going to Lin Yu's home.

Seeing her daughter acting so lacking in restraint, Li Cuilian hurriedly stepped forward, gently pulled Erni's arm, and scolded playfully, "You girl, what are you going over to their house to eat for? Our own family isn't starving. How can you agree so readily? What kind of behavior is that?"

"Oh, Mom, didn't you hear Brother Xiaoyu say he has a gift for me?" Erni shook Li Cuilian's arm coquettishly, her eyes filled with eager yearning, hoping desperately that her mother would let her go.

Seeing this, Wang Yufen quickly smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, just let Erni come. Even if the marriage doesn't work out, it's nothing for the two youngsters to hang out and have a meal together."

Without waiting for Li Cuilian to say anything further, Erni reached out and grabbed Lin Yu's hand, gripping it tightly. With a face full of eager impatience, she declared, "Mom, I'm going then!"

With that, she pulled Lin Yu along and bolted out the door in a whirlwind, moving with quick and hurried steps as if she feared her mother might change her mind and call her back.

"This child."

Frowning, Li Cuilian looked helplessly at Erni's retreating figure. She called out a few times, but Erni acted as though she hadn't heard and refused to look back. It was clear she could no longer be called back.

Looking apologetically at Wang Yufen, Li Cuilian wore a somewhat embarrassed expression and said, "Sister Yufen, I'm terribly sorry. This girl is shameless and a bit insensible; please don't mind her."

Wang Yufen found the situation rather amusing inwardly, thinking that the girl's straightforward and naive nature was truly endearing. If she were to become her daughter-in-law in the future, the household would certainly be lively. Going over to their place for a simple meal was an ordinary thing anyway, so there was nothing to mind.

Nevertheless, she maintained a deeply polite smile on her face and remarked calmly, "Having a meal is nothing at all, Sister-in-law. Please don't take it to heart. I'll be heading back now; you and Brother should go inside and rest."

Watching Wang Yufen step out of the courtyard, Li Cuilian finally turned her gaze to the rabbits still held in Liu Dafu's hands. Reminded of what had just transpired, she could not help but vent, "From this single incident, one can tell a person's true character. That Liu Guilan is someone who always looks to take advantage of others whenever she can. She takes things without hesitation, and imagining you could ever get the better of her is nothing short of a dream. If you ask me, if our daughter were to marry into that family, there's no telling what kind of grievances she would suffer. Even though we live in the same village and we as parents could stand up for her if she were mistreated, dealing with someone like Liu Guilan would mean getting into eight fights a day. I certainly couldn't bear that; just thinking about it gives me a headache."

Listening to his wife, Liu Dafu nodded in agreement. While unconsciously swaying the two rabbits in his hand, he frowned slightly, sighed, and said, "Wang Yufen has a gentle disposition and is a reasonable person. If our daughter marries into her family, she certainly won't be mistreated. However, what Liu Guilan said isn't entirely without merit. Look at their large family—with both younger brothers and sisters, there are so many mouths waiting to be fed and clothed. Even if Lin Yu possesses extraordinary capabilities, making a living will still be tough. If our daughter marries over there, she's bound to live a life of toil. We have to take that into consideration as well, don't we?"

"Let's wait and see then," Li Cuilian said after a moment of thought, casting her gaze in the direction where Erni had disappeared. She slowly added, "If Lin Yu truly proves to be capable, marrying him isn't completely out of the question. Since our daughter fancies him, we shouldn't stand in the way of young lovers. But if he turns out to be unremarkable in the future, well, our daughter isn't someone who can't find a husband. In any case, this matter cannot be rushed; we must observe him slowly over time."

Liu Dafu murmured in assent. As the couple conversed, they walked back into the house, both continuing to weigh the pros and cons of this potential match, pondering how to make the best decision for their daughter's lifelong happiness.

Meanwhile, Erni had pulled Lin Yu along, running in a light jog all the way out of the courtyard. A gentle sea breeze swept past, fluttering their hair. Erni's face beamed with a joyful smile. She turned her head to look at Lin Yu, her eyes sparkling brightly as she asked, "Brother Lin Yu, what is the gift you prepared for me?"

At her question, Lin Yu's face flushed slightly. He scratched the back of his head and smiled, "Oh, Erni, you'll find out when the time comes. If I tell you now, it won't be a surprise anymore."

Pretending to be angry, Erni gave a small huff and playfully punched Lin Yu's arm, saying, "Hmph, keeping me in suspense, are you? Well, now I'm even more excited."

As evening descended, the afterglow of the setting sun draped a thin orange-red veil over the small seaside village. A gentle sea breeze drifted by, carrying a faint salty ocean scent as it softly brushed against their cheeks, teasing a few wisps of hair across Erni's forehead and making them dance playfully in the wind.