Chapter 589: Informing of the Engagement Date
Chapter 589: Informing of the Engagement Date
Nie's grandmother and Lu Jiaxin discussed the engagement matter, which made Lu Jiaxin realize that she should call home and inform them about the engagement.
At six o'clock, Lu Jiaxin called Lu Jiaguang, who was likely off work by then. However, he was on a business trip, and it was Wang Xiaojie who answered the phone.
Lu Jiaxin said, "Big sister-in-law, I've decided on the date for my engagement with Ah Zhan. It's September 18th. I don't know if you and my eldest brother will be able to make it."
Although she knew that the probability of Lu Jiaguang coming was zero, it was still polite to invite him. If he couldn't make it, that would be her eldest cousin's problem.
Wang Xiaojie panicked a little and said, "Jiaxin, the engagement date should be chosen by the groom's family. They should select several auspicious days and then visit the bride's family to make the proposal, allowing the elders to choose the final date."
She was sure that Lu Hongjun didn't know about this. If he did, he would definitely inform her husband immediately and then ask the Nie family to come over on that day as guests. After all, the Nie family was a prestigious and prominent clan, and the Huang family was not suitable to attend such an event.
Lu Jiaxin indicated that she didn't mind these old customs. "The engagement date was chosen by me and Ah Zhan together. We consulted a master, and it's a good day."
Wang Xiaojie fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "Jiaxin, this won't do. If the Nie family is sincere, they should come to Si Jiucheng and formally propose to your father. Without any gestures of goodwill, it's not appropriate to simply agree to the engagement. The Nie family will look down on you."
"Jiaxin, listen to me. Don't think that you can disregard these old customs just because they're outdated. If you don't follow them, not only will people ridicule you for being unwanted and having to find your own husband, but even your in-laws will look down on you."
If it weren't for Lu Jiaxin's substantial family background, Wang Xiaojie's worries might have held some weight. However, everyone in Hong Kong City knew of Nie Zhan's devotion to her, and she herself was the chairman of a publicly listed company with a net worth of billions. How could anyone possibly ridicule her for being unwanted? Nonetheless, Lu Jiaxin understood that Wang Xiaojie was concerned for her, and the wedding customs in Hong Kong City were indeed quite particular.
Lu Jiaxin thought for a moment and said, "Big sister-in-law, it's not that I don't respect the old customs, but... Nie Zhan's grandfather had a stroke recently due to anger, and he's still in the process of recovering. His father is a scientific maniac; I haven't met him to this day. As for his mother, she doesn't get along with Nie Zhan, and who knows what she might do if she comes to our door."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaojie felt a headache coming on. "What happened to anger his grandfather so much that he had a stroke? And why doesn't his mother get along with Nie Zhan? Jiaxin, let me tell you, if your mother-in-law is difficult, she will find ways to make things hard for her daughter-in-law. If Nie Zhan's mother doesn't like you and opposes your marriage, you must not marry into that family."
They had already learned from their hometown that Lu Jiaxin's boyfriend had a net worth of several billion. There were many complexities in wealthy and influential families, and she felt it would be better to marry into a family of equal status.
Lu Jiaxin explained each of her concerns. "Nie Zhan's aunt forced her husband's mistress to get an abortion, but unfortunately, the woman bled to death along with the fetus. The sister of the mistress harbored a grudge and schemed against them. The old man has high blood pressure, and he had a stroke due to this stimulation."
"As for his mother, she's what people call a 'love fool.' She's the type of person who, once she falls in love, devotes all her energy and attention to the man. She's been married five times, and her fifth marriage was two years ago. To prove her sincerity to her current husband, she gave birth to a child last year at the age of 52."
As a nurse, Wang Xiaojie was well aware of the risks involved in giving birth at the age of 52—it was akin to gambling with one's life. However, that wasn't the most important issue; after all, it was Nie Zhan's mother's life at stake. What truly concerned her was Nie Manlin's five marriages: "Getting married five times is treating marriage like a joke.
The old saying goes, "Like father, like son; a dragon's child will soar, while a mouse's will dig." With such a casual attitude towards marriage, wouldn't Nie Zhan be influenced by his mother's behavior?"
Lu Jiaxin chuckled, "Some people are influenced by their parents, but others detest their parents' actions and strive to be different. Nie Zhan, for one, finds his mother's dramatic love life tiresome and has vowed not to follow in her footsteps."
"Sis-in-law, don't worry about me getting the short end of the stick. I have my own company and make a substantial income. Even if our relationship sours and we divorce, I'll still be living comfortably."
While Wang Xiaojie was dissatisfied with the Nie family, Lu Jiaxin's resolute nature and the fact that her decision to get engaged was final meant that there was little Wang Xiaojie and the rest of the family could do to object.
After a moment's thought, Wang Xiaojie said, "Jiaxin, your future mother-in-law only thinks about herself and doesn't consider others. It's challenging to get along with someone like that, so you have to be careful."
Lu Jiaxin smiled and replied, "Sis-in-law, even if I marry Nie Zhan, I'll still be living in my own villa. I'll only see them during festivals and holidays. As for Nie Zhan's business with the rest of his family, that's for him to handle. I won't get involved."
Wang Xiaojie felt slightly relieved and asked, "Who from your family do you plan to invite to Hong Kong for your engagement banquet? I'll make the necessary arrangements."
Lu Jiaxin replied, "You, Big Brother, Dad, and Shanzi. I also wanted to invite Big Uncle and Big Aunt, but they're getting on in years, and I'm afraid the long journey might be too strenuous for them."
Especially Big Aunt, who suffered from severe car sickness and would be miserable during the trip. It would be best to leave them at home and not disturb their peace.
Wang Xiaojie was taken aback. Lu Jiaxin was only inviting four people from their family. However, this also showed that Jiaxin had truly lost patience with her second uncle and Jiajie.
After some thought, Wang Xiaojie said, "Jiaxin, if there are too few people from your family, the Nie family might look down on us. I'll bring Lu Ping and Lu An with me. As for Jiajie, he made a huge mistake, but he knows it now. He's been keeping a low profile for the past six months, and I think he's learned his lesson."
"He's learned his lesson?"
"Your second uncle was a handful during his surgery last year, exhausting the entire family. As soon as he returned, Jiajie hired a deaf-mute to take care of them and then washed his hands of the matter. Surprisingly, this seemed to work in Jiajie's favor, as your second uncle became too afraid to cause trouble. Jiajie arranged for them to stay in Si Jiucheng for post-surgery recovery and even hired a deaf-mute to look after him."
"Now, Jiacai is working with Jiafu, and he earns over 200 yuan a month, which is double what he used to make. On top of that, Jiajie found a skilled carpenter to work with Jiacai and sent Jiamei to Yangcheng to learn makeup artistry. He even enrolled her in night school."
Lu Jiaxin was pleasantly surprised, but Lu Jiacai had always been an honest and hardworking man. Much of this was also thanks to Big Uncle's strict upbringing; otherwise, the two brothers would have turned out badly.
"What about the other three?"
"Jiajie said it's normal for siblings to have conflicts, and many families go through the same. But when Dad needed surgery, he didn't ask them for money; he only wanted them to help with caregiving, and they still refused. If that's how they feel about family, we're better off without them. He said he's done with them and won't have anything to do with them in the future."
Jiajie's stance was clear: from now on, he would only support Lu Jiacai's family. However, no one could fault his decision, as the other three had shown themselves to be unreliable. When their father needed them, they refused to contribute financially or even help with his care. Who would want to associate with people like that, especially when they might stab you in the back? In fact, they had already done so once with Jiajie.
(End of Chapter)
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