Chapter 419: Chapter 416 Bridesmaid
"If you dare to touch me, I’ll go tell Uncle and Auntie, even though they’re not yet willing to agree to me being your wife."
"But when it comes to right and wrong, they should still be able to tell the difference; they surely wouldn’t want their son to become a bad person."
Zhang Hao frowned, "How am I suddenly a bad person? Don’t women always say, ’If a man’s not bad, a woman won’t love him?’"
"So now I’ve become a bad man, and you don’t love me anymore? How can you be like this? I really, really love you."
Zhang Hao continued to cling to He Qianhui, feeling bored with the situation. He Qianhui then took Zhang Hao by the hand and walked back.
Halfway home, the two miraculously ran into that woman again, and saw her chatting with a group of people.
She looked just as if nothing had happened.
As they walked away, He Qianhui whispered to Zhang Hao.
"This village is so small, aren’t the relationships between everyone already public knowledge?"
Zhang Hao shrugged. He didn’t live in this village; how could he know such details?
These things should be asked of the villagers themselves.
But as the saying goes, good news will stay indoors, bad news will spread far and wide.
Those affairs of a wife getting together with another man behind her husband’s back are not unique to this village.
It’s sad to say, but men work hard to provide for their family, rarely coming back home during the year.
They can’t enjoy the warmth of a wife and child, but who can guarantee that a man doesn’t seek other ways to fulfill his needs outside?
After all, these days there are plenty of ways to satisfy those urges.
"Forget about it, don’t worry about other people’s business. Let’s hurry back," He Qianhui said.
"In case my dad and mom can’t find us later, they’ll start calling me again."
He Qianhui quickly nodded her head and hastened home with Zhang Hao.
On their arrival, they saw his mother coming out, looking somewhat anxious, and they didn’t know what had happened.
"Mom, what’s going on?" asked Zhang Hao, intercepting her.
"Nothing much. Your dad doesn’t come back often, but he has started drinking with your uncles again," she said.
"He just told me he drank too much and started talking nonsense, so I hurriedly brought him back home."
"Let me go. You and Xiaohui stay here," said Zhang Hao, taking responsibility for the matter. He Qianhui and her aunt just stood looking at each other awkwardly.
"Xiaohui, don’t just stand outside like that. Come into the house with me."
Zhang Hao entered the front courtyard, and as soon as he stepped into the house, he saw his father reminiscing with several uncles.
"Dad, you’ve had too much to drink. Mom is calling you to come back."
His father obviously hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand, "I haven’t had that much. I was just enjoying some time with your uncles, I’ll go back in a bit."
Seeing his dad had no intention of leaving, Zhang Hao took the wine glass away from in front of him.
"You have to go back even if you don’t want to. If mom comes here, she won’t be as easy to talk to as I am."
Thinking of his fierce wife, Zhang Hao’s father sobered up halfway.
Figuring he still had two days left in the village and there was no rush, he said, "Alright, alright, I’ll go. I’m really scared of you."
"Just a moment ago, you were boasting, and now you’re under the thumb of your wife," the other men laughed.
"Earlier you claimed to have a high status at home, but it seems not that high after all. How can a man let a woman boss him around like this?"
Expecting his father to go along with that man’s words and put down his own mother, instead, he heard his father say,
"Being bossed around by a woman is a true blessing, you guys just don’t understand. I’m not drinking with you anymore; I need to go find my wife."
Zhang Hao had always thought his parents’ relationship was a bit strange since he was a child, especially since his mom often threw little tantrums.
His dad always seemed a bit clueless, and sometimes, when he didn’t handle a small matter well, he would be nagged by his mom for a long time.
Yet, his dad was always smiling, but even so, when it came to making big decisions, his mom could never decide on her own, and it would still be up to his dad to take charge.
At first, Zhang Hao couldn’t understand why they were like this, but through his dad’s behavior today,
he seemed to have finally understood a little bit.
After bringing his dad back, his mom helped him lie down on the bed.
"You drink so much, do you not care about your health?"
Zhang Hao pulled He Qianhui out of the room and they sat down in a room that had been arranged for them to rest.
"I didn’t expect that uncle and auntie would get along so well. I always thought that people at middle age would be sick and tired of each other, but now I suddenly believe in the existence of love again."
When Zhang Hao heard this, he felt it was a bit odd. What did she mean by believing in love again? Could it be that their being together wasn’t because of love?
Zhang Hao straightened He Qianhui’s body: "What do you mean? Are you saying you’re with me for a reason other than love?"
He Qianhui shook her head: "Of course it’s because of love, but children who grow up in love understand its preciousness even more, so I am also very lucky."
With the wedding drawing near, the two spent an unprecedented night in the village.
This was to avoid delaying the auspicious time tomorrow when the groom was to come over early in the morning to pick up the bride.
And the bride had to get up in the middle of the night to dress and make up. It was in this moment that someone hastily came looking for Zhang Hao.
"Hao, can I ask you for a favor?"
"What is it?" Zhang Hao asked, looking back at the person.
Thinking that he was just there to attend a feast, wondering what kind of help he could possibly offer.
The visitor first looked at Zhang Hao, then glanced at He Qianhui seated beside him.
"The arranged bridesmaid suddenly can’t make it, saying that being a bridesmaid too many times means she won’t be able to get married herself. So, could we have your girlfriend step in as a bridesmaid?"
Zhang Hao did not immediately reject the request.
However, he had previously seen online that some backward customs involved harassing the bridesmaids.
Some of the groomsmen or others would take advantage of the custom to physically harass the bridesmaids, some almost to the point of assaulting them.
Zhang Hao couldn’t bear the thought of his girlfriend being treated that way.
"Does our village have any custom of harassing bridesmaids?"
The person shook their head: "No, no, she just needs to stand on the stage to make up the number. She only has to wait for the bride and groom to exchange rings, and then it’s all over."
He Qianhui hesitated. Others might not know, but didn’t she know herself?
She was already a divorced woman. It doesn’t seem quite right for a divorced woman to be a bridesmaid.
But it was not something He Qianhui could disclose publicly. While she was hesitating, Zhang Hao had already given an answer.
"Alright then, let her give a hand. But if anything untoward happens, don’t blame me for not having warned you beforehand."
The person assured repeatedly: "Don’t worry, I promise nothing unpleasant will happen."
Because of this little interlude, He Qianhui also changed into bridesmaid attire, and the dress had to be said to be somewhat crudely made.
However, this crudely made dress, when worn by He Qianhui, actually looked somewhat nice.
It was just a little too revealing of the figure, which made Zhang Hao truly a bit suspicious.
With He Qianhui standing on that platform, would anyone even bother to look at what the bride looked like?
