Chapter 44 Arranging an Betrothal

On the third evening, Wu Xiaofeng drove home and picked up his son, Wu Zhenri, who had just woken up, from the cradle.

Remembering how he had been soaked by the baby last time he held him, he hurriedly walked to the doorway, squatted down, and held the child over a damp little drainage ditch to pee.

Wu Xiaofeng puckered his lips and whistled a soft "shh-shh," and the baby's urine pattered down into the ditch.

As he stood up, Lady Ma had already walked up behind him and said, "Xiaofeng, you still remembered to hold the baby to pee today, otherwise, he would have bestowed upon you another blessing of wealth like last time."

"Ma, there's something I want to tell you today." Wu Xiaofeng turned around and, seeing Lady Ma reaching out to take the baby, casually mentioned it.

Lady Ma asked what it was about, and Wu Xiaofeng told her to sit in the central room first, saying he would call Gong Yawen over so they could discuss it together.

Seeing that her husband had returned, Gong Yawen was currently washing herself in the room so that when the dead of night arrived, she could serve her husband with a clean body.

Holding her head-bobbing grandson, Lady Ma sat in an armchair and said impatiently, "Tell me whatever it is first, so I can have a say in it too."

Feeling that it wasn't strictly necessary to have Yawen present, Wu Xiaofeng directly stated that his son Wu Zhenri was fated with Xu Shigui's daughter, Xu Qi. He repeated, word for word, the entire fabrication he had previously told Feng Yuelian's family as if it were the absolute truth.

Before Lady Ma even finished listening to this "story," her inner opposition arose. Naturally, she felt that the Xu family was far too poor while her own family had grown so prosperous; they were clearly mismatched in social status and wealth. Besides, her grandson was still just a baby, and when he grew up in the future, he would have his own destiny—why bother arranging a marriage for him at such an early age? This cradle betrothal was a leftover remnant of the old society that should have been eradicated long ago; how could anyone hold onto it and pass it down?

She was just about to scold her son and ask which of his nerves had gone haywire when she heard him mention that a fortunetelling shaman had revealed the children's destiny was sealed in a past life—that in their previous existence, they had been a husband and wife who swore to remain husband and wife in the next life as well...

Hearing this, Lady Ma hesitated. She connected it with the fact that the two children were born in the exact same year, the exact same month, and the exact same day, and moreover, came into the world in the same village. Could it really be destiny? If it truly was destiny, she felt she had no way to oppose it; this was the will of heaven.

After Wu Xiaofeng finished telling the "story," Lady Ma was still somewhat skeptical and asked her son if that shaman could still be found.

Wu Xiaofeng felt a brief pang of panic, as if terrified that his trickery had been seen through by Lady Ma, and hurriedly defended himself, "That's hard to say. That shaman is a wanderer of the rivers and lakes, traveling north and south with no fixed abode. How could anyone run into him easily?"

"Since that's how it is, we must submit to fate." Lady Ma essentially believed the "story" her son had fabricated.

She looked closely at the grandson held in her arms, as if she didn't recognize him anymore, as if he were some strange creature sent by that shaman to undergo trials and fulfill a karmic bond.

This fleeting thought vanished instantly, because her grandson's ruddy, chubby little hand had grabbed her wrinkled wrist and he broke into a grin. That smile, like a soft and brilliant ray of light, dispelled the shadows of doubt in her heart.

Right then, she tightly hugged her grandson and murmured, "Zhenri, your father is going to arrange a cradle betrothal for you. Are you happy?"

The grandson in her arms still smiled widely. Although he did not understand his grandmother's words, he naturally exuded an infantile joy, as if foreshadowing that this cradle betrothal would turn out to be a joyous occasion after all.

That same evening, Wu Xiaofeng also told Gong Yawen about this matter. She neither entirely believed it nor disbelieved it, but she naturally disagreed with it, as this was tantamount to letting Xu Qi become her daughter-in-law in the future.

Although Gong Yawen was herself of rural origin, she utterly looked down upon country people and always wanted to find a pretty city girl for her son when he grew up.

There was also another consideration: even if they were to find a bride for Wu Zhenri in the countryside, they shouldn't choose one from a family with such poor conditions.

When she voiced this thought, Wu Xiaofeng retorted, "Look at me back then—weren't I as poor as a church mouse? Once you seize an opportunity, even if there isn't one, you can create an opportunity and turn things around. As for the Xu family's poor conditions, have you considered this? Our son will be marrying the Xu family's daughter and living his life with Xu Qi; the Xu family's condition, good or bad, won't affect our Wu family. Our Wu family will continue to flourish just as it should."

Still frowning, Gong Yawen muttered in complaint, "This is letting the Xu family get off too cheap."

Lady Ma remained silent for a moment, and seeing that Gong Yawen's mouth wouldn't stop and she still had complaints, she advised her, "We must submit to fate; everyone has their own destiny. Since Wu Zhenri and Xu Qi share a bond, let nature take its course!"

Gong Yawen took the baby from Lady Ma's arms and, while feeding him milk, lightly patted his back and said, "If we don't do a cradle betrothal with the Xu family, who knows what kind of misfortune might show its face?"

"That's right, the child certainly wouldn't have smooth sailing." Wu Xiaofeng picked up where Gong Yawen left off and continued fabricating lies, "I asked that shaman, and that's what he said."

Lady Ma believed it even more firmly and said, "Then we should pick an auspicious date to arrange the cradle betrothal for the two children and invite our relatives and friends over for a meal!"

Gong Yawen still showed little enthusiasm, looking as displeased as if arranging this cradle betrothal for the two children meant her own family would suffer a heavy loss. She couldn't help snapping at her husband, "Hmph, the two families aren't even in-laws yet, and you're already treating their family so well. Once we become in-laws, won't you be giving them even more benefits?"

"Aren't you just saying I shouldn't have given Xu Shigui those high-end cigarettes? You're still dwelling on such a small matter; you really lack broad-mindedness." Wu Xiaofeng shook his head as he spoke, then placated his wife, "Yawen, don't worry, I won't give him such high-end cigarettes in the future."

Gong Yawen gave the edge of the chair back a slap and said, "I won't care even if you divide up the family property and give it to the Xu family in the future."

"How could that be? I'm not a fool." Knowing his wife was throwing a temper tantrum, Wu Xiaofeng didn't say much more. However, he understood her very well, and secretly appreciated her overly cautious calculations and even the captious reasons she dug up. Therefore, Wu Xiaofeng always maintained a pleasant expression and never lost his temper when she grumbled.

When they shared intimacy that night, he tried his best to satisfy her, making her develop an absolute sense of trust and dependency on him.

Wu Xiaofeng didn't stop there. After daybreak, he drove his wife to the city for a shopping trip, saying, "Buy whatever you want; don't always say I'm not good to you or that I'm unfaithful."

Gong Yawen replied, "When did I ever say you weren't good to me or were unfaithful? Let's leave all that aside; you bought me a platinum necklace last time." She stroked the platinum necklace around her neck and continued, "I really like it. I don't need anything else this time, just buy me a platinum bracelet—I'm currently missing that little treasure."

How could Wu Xiaofeng refuse? He took Gong Yawen out of a luxury supermarket and drove straight to West Street, letting her pick out a platinum bracelet valued at 4,800 yuan at a gold jewelry store.

Gong Yawen was extremely satisfied. She was naturally a person of passion; when treated well, even if flawed reasoning came out of your mouth, she would passively accept it once she believed in you.

On the way back to Cottonwood Village in Cottonwood Town, Gong Yawen, sitting in the passenger seat, occasionally caressed the platinum bracelet now adorning her wrist, and from time to time said to her husband who was driving, "Xiaofeng, I won't oppose that cradle betrothal you mentioned anymore."

"Just not opposing it isn't enough; you need to be a bit warmer toward the Xu family. Don't always wear a bitter, sour face. Even if you aren't happy about something inside, you must pretend to be happy, especially since there's nothing unhappy holding you back." Wu Xiaofeng glanced sideways at the shiny, brilliant platinum bracelet on her wrist, knowing it was this little treasure that had brought her such immense joy.

From a favorable perspective, this platinum bracelet could satisfy her vanity as a wealthy lady; from an unfavorable perspective, this platinum bracelet was like that platinum lock, invisibly locking away her autonomy, keeping her thoughts, emotions, and even behavior in a state of soft enslavement—yet she remained completely oblivious to it, or aware of it only with helpless resignation, until she willingly submitted.

Gong Yawen thought to herself: *I'm unhappy inside and don't say it with words, but surely I can let my emotions show on my face?*

However, seeing that her husband had made a special trip to take her into the city to buy such an expensive item to please her, her inner unhappiness had long since been neutralized into nothingness. Thus, even if she felt some aversion to her husband's words, she didn't object, and gently nodded to indicate she accepted his instruction.

After driving his wife back to Cottonwood Village, Wu Xiaofeng took Feng Yuelian to the suburban construction site. Along the way, they conversed about Wu Zhenri and Xu Qi's cradle betrothal. Knowing that the relations between the two families had smoothed out, they decided to choose an auspicious day to host a banquet for all their guests, notifying their extended family and clan to mark the joyous occasion.

Feng Yuelian was extremely excited. That evening, after the workers finished dinner and she stepped out of the cafeteria, she saw Wu Xiaofeng squatting under a verdant cottonwood tree ahead, smoking a cigarette. She gave a deliberate, light cough—this was clearly a signal. Wu Xiaofeng immediately stood up and walked toward her, saying, "You're here."

"You've waited so long, how could I not come?" Feng Yuelian looked at him with tacit understanding, then followed him to the open ground ahead, where Wu Xiaofeng's sedan was parked.

At that moment, Wu Xiaofeng opened both side doors, got into the driver's seat on the left, and Feng Yuelian sat in the front passenger seat on the right. Casting a charming glance at Wu Xiaofeng, who had turned his head slightly to look at her, she said, "We're not going straight to the city hotel today; you're taking me to the supermarket for a stroll."

"Is there something you want to buy?" Wu Xiaofeng asked.

Feng Yuelian told him she wanted to buy something—it wouldn't cost much money, but it was of great significance.

Wu Xiaofeng readily replied, "Alright then!"

He immediately started the car, drove out of the twilight-shrouded suburbs, and headed toward the dazzlingly lit urban area, stopping in front of a supermarket named "Moonflower." Wu Xiaofeng joked, "This supermarket shares a fate with you. Go inside and buy whatever you want!"

"This supermarket shares a fate with me, I share a fate with you, and your son shares a fate with my daughter. Having a fate is truly wonderful; we are a family now." As they approached the escalator, Feng Yuelian chatted brightly with Wu Xiaofeng, who was accompanying her.

Entering the supermarket, facing the dazzling array of goods, Feng Yuelian didn't look around much. She simply linked her arm through Wu Xiaofeng's and walked straight to the general merchandise shelf, picked up a bundle of red floral thread, inspected it, and said, "I'll take this."

"What are you going to use this for?" Wu Xiaofeng asked, puzzled.

"You'll know next time; it's a secret for now." Feng Yuelian kept him in suspense.

Wu Xiaofeng didn't ask any further and simply focused on paying at the supermarket checkout.

Feng Yuelian pushed his hand holding out the money and said, "You don't need to pay for this, I'll pay!" That bundle of red floral thread was worth no more than 5 yuan anyway.

Wu Xiaofeng withdrew his hand and said, "As you like!" Yet in his heart, he remained puzzled as to what Feng Yuelian intended to do with this bundle of red floral thread.

The day of the celebration banquet for the cradle betrothal was very lively. The location for the banquet was the large open space right in front of the Wu family home in Cottonwood Village. There were no particularly elaborate rituals; most of the relatives and friends who came to offer congratulations simply set off a string of firecrackers, while those who wanted to put on a show set off fireworks and firecrackers.

Of course, there were also those who didn't use firecrackers to add to the excitement and simply brought monetary gifts.

However, no one could be found to record the gifts in a ledger. Just as some of the older women were murmuring and preparing to pull out their gift money and hold it in their hands, they suddenly saw Wu Xiaofeng posting a sheet of red paper on the wall by the doorway. Written upon it were the words: *A warm welcome to all relatives and friends! The Wu family and the Xu family are holding a celebration banquet for this cradle betrothal; no gift money will be accepted.*

Upon seeing this, the guests mostly began to discuss it. President Wu, who had grown wealthy through the construction business, didn't care about a bit of gift money—how magnanimous! Some of the guests wearing plain, shabby-looking clothes were also staring at the eye-catching, oversized calligraphy brush characters on the posted red paper. They read it over and over again, as if they couldn't quite believe it was true. Was there really such a thing as a free lunch in this world?

This question, which was no longer a question, drifted away like a wisp of shadow. To confirm it was true, some even rubbed their eyes and looked again to verify it wasn't false. Then, joy from the bottom of their hearts blossomed like flowers on their brows, and their voices grew louder and clearer.

You must know that for those vulnerable people teetering on the poverty line, giving 100 yuan as a gift was not easy—that represented ten days to half a month of their living expenses. Now that this had been saved, they could immediately "open up" their stomachs and happily feast on a free meal to their hearts' content. How could they not be happy?