The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 591 - 581: The Stepmother Who Refuses to Be a Stepping Stone 69

Lu Jun glared at Lu Mengniang: "What are you talking about? If our daughter wasn’t so fond of Li Jingming, I wouldn’t have agreed to this."

Lu Mengniang was still somewhat reluctant.

Lu Jun then explained to her in great detail.

"Lu Yi’s family has been so difficult that they must have really pissed off the Li family. Now they’re stuck in a dilemma. At this moment, if our girl steps in and helps them out of this tight spot, they’ll always remember the kindness of our Lu Meng."

After thinking it over, Lu Mengniang realized that this was indeed the case.

"Our family only has Lu Meng, and she doesn’t have any brothers. No matter which family she marries into, we’re afraid she’ll be at a disadvantage. But the Li family is different; the Li brothers are numerous and you never hear of them squabbling over anything. The brothers are harmonious, and the wives of the Li family are all of good character. Even though our girl is an only child, once she marries over there, they won’t bully her."

Lu Jun really considered everything to the utmost for Lu Meng: "Plus, our girl genuinely likes Li Jingming. I figure, if this goes through, she’ll have good days ahead. Lu Yi’s family is really foolish, not handling such a good marriage proposal properly and now they’ve overplayed their hand. If this doesn’t work out, they’ll be the ones crying."

Lu Mengniang also felt that this marriage with the Li family was indeed a good match.

You should know that when Lu Yi’s marriage to Li Jingming was arranged, who knows how many families in the village were envious of her.

The Li family is a well-known rich family in the area for miles around. Each of the Li brothers is capable and not only are they skilled, but they’re also quite handsome. Which girl in this area doesn’t want to marry into the Li family and enjoy a life of fortune?

Thinking this way, Lu Mengniang no longer objected to this arrangement.

"Alright, I’ll go see little Meng, and by the way, we should also get things ready. We can’t get married without giving our daughter a dowry."

As she said this, Lu Mengniang first smiled: "Thankfully, I thought that our little Meng might be getting married at any time, so I had some quilts made back in autumn. Over the years, we’ve also saved some money. Let’s dig them out later, and if this gets settled tomorrow, we’ll bring them over."

While Lu Meng’s home was discussing this matter, Lu Yi’s family was also discussing affairs.

Lu Fu and Lan Cui sat together, while Lu Yi sat far away from them.

Lan Cui looked at Lu Yi and asked, "Yi, are you sure you’ve got Li Jingming completely under your thumb?"

Lu Yi smiled: "Mother, if it weren’t so, would his family be willing to offer such a large dowry? Just for this, Li Jingming even got a beating from his father, and he knelt down to his parents."

Lan Cui laughed: "That’s great, that’s great. Pah, their family is dreaming if they think they can buy a pure Miss with just that amount of money. Let me tell you, you must stand your ground this time. Once you marry over, think about your brother and remember to skim something from their family to support your own."

Lu Yi nodded.

Her gaze fell, obscure and indistinct.

She said these things because she had no other choice, given that Lan Cui had regrets prior to getting married.

It was also because recently, when Lu Yi went to the city, she happened to attract the attention of a lame man there.

That man, in his thirties and crippled, did indeed come from a very wealthy family, much richer than the Li family. He had a wife before, but she ran away after being beaten by him, and he had been dragging his feet ever since, looking to marry a beautiful girl. His family had introduced many, but the man was satisfied with none.

Then he encountered Lu Yi and took a liking to her at first sight, clamoring to marry her.

Being the only son, if he insisted on the marriage, his family would surely grant his wish.

They had contacted Lu Fu to discuss a high bride price to take Lu Yi into their family.

But Lu Yi’s engagement to the Li family had already been settled, and it would be quite problematic should they decide to call it off.

Moreover, Lu Yi herself was unwilling to marry that man. She had heard that the man had a violent streak and was prone to beating his wives; she didn’t want to suffer after marrying him.

So, using her eloquence, she convinced Lan Cui, making her think that after marrying into the Li family, she would still be able to take care of her natal family.

After all, the Li family was closer to Lu Village, making it convenient for her to return home. But it was different with that man from the city—given the distance, if he were to control her strictly, she wouldn’t be able to come back, and her family could forget about benefiting from her in the future.

Her words moved Lan Cui, but she remained anxious, so Lu Yi devised this plan to allow Lan Cui to carefully test the Li family.

In Lu Yi’s heart, Li Jingming was the one who would marry no one but her.

No matter what demands Lu Family made, no matter how much the Li family was unwilling, as long as Li Jingming adamantly insisted, the Li family would eventually give in.

And besides, the wedding was tomorrow. What could the Li family do if not concede?

If this matter really falls through, his family won’t be able to lift their heads in front of relatives and friends.

Lu Yi had the situation all figured out; she was confident that everything would go smoothly.

She was even thinking that after she married into the Li family without a hitch, she would immediately cut ties with the Lu family. She couldn’t care less about their life or death.

After confirming with Lu Yi, Lan Cui also felt relieved.

But when it was almost midnight and the Li family still hadn’t sent over the things they had demanded, Lan Cui and Lu Fu began to feel uncertain about the situation.

Lan Cui thought: "They’re probably testing us, figuring that we’ve also informed our relatives and friends. If things fall through, it won’t look good for us either."

Lu Fu nodded: "We have to stay firm. Tomorrow when they come to fetch the bride, we’ll be tough. If they don’t deliver the goods, we won’t let Lu Yi get into the palanquin."

Early the next morning, before dawn, around three or four o’clock, the Li family sent Li Zhipeng with two others to assess the situation at the Lu’s.

The original time planned for the bride to get off the palanquin was 7:30 am. The Li family was close to the Lu family’s home. Setting out at six meant that even with dallying on the road, by 7:30 the bride could be taken home.

But with the incident involving Lu Meng, the Li family decided to check Lu Yi’s family’s attitude earlier and leave more time to prepare for Lu Meng’s home.

Li Zhipeng took several young men from the village to Lu Yi’s family’s home.

When they arrived, Lu Yi’s home was dark and quiet, not at all like a household about to host a wedding.

After all, if a family was holding a wedding, the lights would be kept on all night, signaling to the village that there was a celebration. But there was no sign of activity at Lu Yi’s home.

From a distance, Li Zhipeng could tell that Lu Yi’s family wanted to completely take advantage of the Li family.

He felt angry and told someone to knock on the door.

Before long, Lu Fu came out to open the door.

Li Zhipeng smiled as he approached: "Brother Lu, what’s the meaning of this? Is this wedding happening or not?"

Lu Fu stiffened his neck: "Where are the things we asked for? Without those things, how can we proceed with the marriage? It’s not like you don’t know our family is poor. You can’t even provide the meat and wine for the banquet. If that’s the case, we might as well not get married."

Li Zhipeng sneered: "What about Lu Yi? Does she feel the same way?"

Lan Cui rushed out: "Yes, that’s exactly what our Yi thinks. She sympathizes with us, her poor parents, and hopes that your family could provide a little support. It’s not like your family doesn’t have the money. Forget twenty-odd banquet courses, even a hundred wouldn’t be a problem for you."

"Really not getting married?"

Li Zhipeng confirmed again.

A young man standing not far behind him was quietly recording the conversation between the two parties with a video camera.

This camera had been given to them by Anning before they set out. Anning told them to record these events so that if the Lu family caused any trouble later, they would have evidence.

"We won’t marry. Without those things, there is no marriage."

Lu Fu answered once more.

Li Zhipeng laughed, "Alright, we understand."

He waved his hand: "Let’s go back."

On the way, Li Zhipeng called Anning and relayed the outcomes.

Anning immediately drove to Lu Meng’s home.

Meanwhile, Li Zhiyuan also called several restaurant waiters and chefs to ask for their help at Lu Meng’s home.

Li Zhipeng called his friends in the county to prepare food and other materials and have them delivered to Lu Meng’s home. These expenses would be charged to his account, which he would settle in a few days.

The Li family sprang into efficient action, and soon everything was prepared properly.