In the few days before they moved, Li Mu and his parents frequently traveled between Haizhou and Jinling to buy all kinds of household appliances and furniture. Papa Lee and Li Ma's concept of consumption had improved a lot. They had given up on the concept of saving money. Everything in the new house was refurbished, and all the furniture and appliances in the old house were left behind.
The three of them worked together and finally moved into the new house on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. On the day they moved into the new house, Nurse Li and Li Mu's aunt cooked a big meal at home and invited all the relatives to come over to have a pot soup to celebrate the move. The next morning, Li Mu drove his GL8 and went back to his hometown in the countryside.
The family had a reunion dinner at Second Uncle's house. Because of Papa Lee, Second Uncle's living conditions had changed dramatically. Papa Lee's two aunts' families also started a small business with Papa Lee's help. Their lives had improved significantly.
During the dinner, Second Uncle and Papa Lee drank some white wine. It was obvious that he was in a good mood. He pointed to his children and said, "After Fenfen gets married, I can focus on building a new house for Xiao Bin. When he gets married, I will have completed my task!"
No one thought that it was inappropriate for Li Fen to get married so early. In their opinion, Li Fen had already dropped out of school and stayed at home. Girls of her age who did not go to school or work outside the village were basically married or had good in-laws. Naturally, Li Fen could not delay her marriage. Moreover, her future in-laws were very famous in the town. They owned a flour mill and were quite well-off. They were well-known in the town.
Li Mu looked at Li Fen's expression and noticed that when everyone was talking about her marriage, she didn't look happy or shy at all. There was only a trace of sadness between her brows. It seemed like she was unwilling. Li Fen was only one year younger than Li Mu.
Li Fen was only one year younger than Li Mu. She was not bad looking and had a good personality. She was a very down-to-earth girl. In Li Mu's impression, she only went to school after the first year of high school. She worked in the county town for a year. After her family opened a wholesale department, she came back to help. According to the trajectory of her previous life, she did not go home but went to the south with her fellow villagers to work. She did not get married until she was in her early twenties. Because of Li Mu's interference, her life trajectory changed last year. It was because she stayed at home to help that her family thought of finding a husband for her. It was also because her second uncle's business was booming recently that the Qi family, which opened a flour mill, wanted her as their future daughter-in-law.
If Li Fen was satisfied with this marriage, Li Mu might not have interfered. However, he could tell that Li Fen was unwilling, so he couldn't let himself be at ease. Everything had come to this point because of his influence in the dark. He should be responsible for her future.
Therefore, when the family was discussing what kind of dowry to prepare for Li Fen, Li Mu suddenly asked Li Fen, "Fen, what do you think?"
Li Fen raised her head and glanced at Li Mu. She was not very familiar with this cousin of hers. The two of them only met a few times a year, so they were a little distant when they met each other. However, this cousin of hers who was a little distant gave her a laptop that she didn't even dare to dream of, which made Li Fen feel flattered. There were several times when she thought that she was dreaming. She knew that her cousin was studying at the prestigious Renmin University in Beijing. She also knew that her cousin was very capable. It was said that her uncle and aunt's clothing store was opened by him after he earned some money. Therefore, Li Fen was full of admiration for Li Mu, who was only one year older than her.
At this moment, when she heard her cousin asking her what she thought, the suppressed grievance in Li Fen's heart was suddenly aroused by Li Mu's words. When her family was arranging this matter, they almost didn't ask for her opinion. She was too gentle and didn't dare to disobey her parents, so her attitude had been ambiguous. Her family thought that she had acquiesced, so they pushed the marriage step by step with the Qi family. When she wanted to refuse, she found that she had already missed the best time to refuse.
Recently, no one had asked her what she thought in her heart. Suddenly, this sentence was asked by her cousin. Li Fen hesitated for a long time, but still plucked up her courage and said, "Actually, I don't really want to get married. I want to go out and have a look …"
After saying this, Li Fen lowered her head nervously. When Li Mu's second aunt heard this, she casually waved her hand and said, "What else can you do except work? Look at the girls in our village who go out to work. How many of them live a good life? The Qi family is so rich. If you marry into their family, you won't have to worry about anything in the future. Your father and I will also subsidize you so that you won't be looked down upon in your in-laws' family. By then, your life will definitely be the best among these girls. "
Li Fen said in a low voice, "But I really want to go out and have a look. I've only been to Jinling once in my life. I haven't been to other places. I don't want to get married so early …"
As Li Fen said this, tears of grievance involuntarily fell down. The relatives at the table saw this and were at a loss for a moment. Li Fen's second aunt was embarrassed for a moment and hurriedly smiled to smooth things over. "It's okay, it's okay. She just feels that she is going to marry into someone else's family in the future. Thinking about it, she feels uncomfortable. Which girl doesn't cry a few times before getting married? She will be fine after getting married for a month or so."
Li Fen's tears instantly flowed, and her voice also choked. "Mom, I really don't want to get married, and I don't like that Qi Dayong …"
Li Mu's second aunt frowned and questioned her in a somewhat angry tone. "Why didn't you say earlier that you don't want to get married? Now that things have come to this, you still say that you don't want to get married. The betrothal gifts of the Qi family have been given to your father, and the master of the banquet has been invited. How can you say that you don't want to get married? "
After being scolded by the second aunt, the atmosphere at the table instantly froze. After being scolded by the second aunt, Li Fen did not refute or explain. She just lowered her head and kept crying.
At this time, Li Mu said, "Second aunt, don't be angry. Fenfen said that she doesn't want to get married, and she must have her own ideas. Why don't you let her tell you her own plans first? If she doesn't want to get married, what does she want to do?"
The second aunt looked at Li Mu, and her tone became a little calmer. She said, "Xiaomu, you don't know Fenfen. She doesn't say anything in her own mind. She is very, very fat …"
Li Mu said, "Let her tell me her own plans."
The second aunt asked Li Fen, "Then tell me, what do you want to do if you don't want to get married?"
Li Fen raised her head and said, "I want to go out and work."
"Work?" The second aunt refused without hesitation. "We don't need the few hundred yuan you earn now. What's the point of going out alone?"
Li Fen said, "I just want to go out and have a look. I don't want to get married so carelessly."
The second aunt's face was very ugly. She slammed her chopsticks on the table. "You wicked girl, are you deliberately embarrassing me and your father in front of so many relatives?"
Li Fen was provoked by the second aunt's words and walked out. Her brother, Li Bin, was about to chase after her when Li Mu stood up and said, "I'll go. You guys eat first. I'll persuade her."
After that, Li Mu walked two steps quickly out of the door and out of the courtyard. He stopped Li Fen, who was still wiping her tears in front of him.
Li Fen stopped. Li Mu walked in front of her and asked her, "Why don't you eat?"
Li Fen wiped her tears and said, "I can't get through to my mother at all."
Li Mu advised, "The reason why you can't get through to her is because we haven't found a solution that both parties can accept. You don't want to get married, which is against her wishes. She can't accept you going out and working."
Li Fen said angrily, "I can also earn money to support my family. My classmates can also earn five or six hundred yuan a month. The factory provides food and lodging, and they can send three or four hundred yuan a month back home. Didn't they want me to marry Qi Dayong because of his family's money?"
Li Mu smiled and said, "Now that your family's wholesale business is so good, how can your parents bear to let you go out and work? They don't need the money you earn. They want you to get married not because of the money, but because they want you to live a better life. Didn't your mother say that after you get married, in order to prevent your in-laws from looking down on you, she and your father have to continue to support you? "
Li Fen said with red eyes, "But I really don't want to get married …"
Li Mu nodded his head and said, "You can't always say that you don't want to get married, but can't give an effective solution. If your parents agree to your request and don't force you to get married, what will you do in the future?"
Li Fen hesitated for a while and said in a low voice, "I don't know. I just want to go to the south to work. If my family didn't open this wholesale business, I might have gone to the south with my classmates. I only came back after this wholesale business was opened. I never thought that they would want me to get married so early."
Li Mu helplessly sighed and became even more determined in his heart. No matter what, he must not let Li Fen get married so early.
At this moment, he suddenly thought of some of his colleagues in the workplace in his previous life. An idea formed in his mind and he asked Li Fen, "Then, do you want to go to school?"
"School?" Li Fen looked at Li Mu in shock and said, "I didn't even finish my first year of high school. What school can I go to now? Go back and start from the first year of high school? "
Li Mu shook his head and said, "I'll go directly to university."
"University?" Li Fen was even more confused. How could she go to university with her current situation?
Seeing that she was confused, Li Mu explained, "Many private universities don't require you to take the college entrance exam and just pay for it. Although it's called a university, it's mainly for the adult college entrance exam training. But at least it's similar to a normal university. You can also experience the learning and life of a university. If you work hard in school, you can also get a nationally recognized certificate. Even if you don't pass, with these experiences and a diploma from a private university, you can also find a company to work. It's much better than looking for a job with a middle school or high school diploma."
Li Fen once had a deep yearning for university, but her family's financial situation was poor. After she dropped out of high school, she completely dispelled all hope and longing for university. However, Li Mu's words ignited a glimmer of hope in her. Although she had heard that private universities weren't very reliable, Li Mu's words were very pertinent. Although the school wasn't officially recognized by the country, it wasn't much different from other universities. If she worked hard, getting a certificate would be very useful in the future.
Li Fen, who had hope ignited in her heart, quickly realized a serious problem. She said, "If I go to school, the tuition and living expenses will be too high. My parents will definitely not be willing."
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