Chapter 259 The two brothers come to break off the engagement (3)

Then he raised his head, looked at Qian Ahua expressionlessly, and said in a low voice, "Auntie, this is all my savings, a total of 223 yuan."

"Although this amount of money is far from enough to make up for the harm I have caused you, it is all I can offer right now. Please accept it."

Standing to the side, Shen Junqi witnessed everything that was happening before her eyes, her vision already blurred with tears.

She stared at the meager amount of money on the table, her heart aching with unbearable pain. Sobbing uncontrollably, she questioned Xu Wenhua, "Wenhua...how could you be so heartless?"

"Am I really that worthless in your eyes? What did I do wrong to deserve such heartless humiliation from you..."

Xu Wenhua lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "Comrade Shen, I'm sorry. I know I owe you something, something I can never repay in this lifetime. But I really can't marry you."

Qian Ahua grabbed the money on the table and slammed it to the ground: "Xu Wenhua, get out of here! Our Shen family doesn't care about your money! From now on, our two families are severed!"

Xu Wenhua didn't say anything more, gave Shen Junqi a deep look, and then turned and walked out of the house.

The eldest brother of the Xu family sighed and left as well.

Shen Zicheng didn't say a word the whole time. When he saw the two of them about to leave, he picked up the money on the ground and chased after them.

"You two, stop right there!" Shen Zicheng said.

Xu Wenhua paused, then turned around.

"Uncle, is there anything else you require? As long as it's something you've asked for, and I have the ability to do it, I certainly won't refuse!"

Xu Wenhua said with a face full of guilt, his head almost touching the ground.

Shen Zicheng stared intently at him, his fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles were even slightly white from the exertion.

He gritted his teeth and asked, "My daughter, do you really not want to marry her at all?"

Faced with this question, Xu Wenhua could only murmur his lips, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out three words: "I'm sorry..." His voice was so soft that it seemed as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

Hearing this, Shen Zicheng snorted coldly, "Hmph, fine! Since you are so determined not to marry my daughter off, then even if I shamelessly insist on marrying her to you, I'm afraid she won't get any good things in your family in the future."

"How about this, as long as you can give me two job openings, we can call off this marriage!" As soon as he finished speaking, he stared intently at Xu Wenhua, as if trying to see a sign of relenting on the other's face.

Xu Wenhua simply lowered his head silently and replied in a low voice, "Uncle, it's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that I'm powerless to arrange the work!"

"Then this engagement can't be called off! A girl's reputation is extremely important, especially in a rural place like ours!"

"If you break off the engagement like this, how will my daughter live in the future? If it really comes to that, she might not even have a way to survive!" Shen Zipu said anxiously, his mind racing with calculations.

"If you can find her a good job in town or city, and have her brother go to work with her, I'll feel much more at ease."

"After all, having a family member by her side to take care of her is better than her being all alone, isn't it?" Shen Zicheng looked at the other person expectantly, hoping to get a positive answer.

Just then, Xu Wenhua was about to say something when Shen Zipu rudely interrupted him: "Alright, alright! Don't give me that nonsense."

"I'm making this clear: you can call off the engagement, but you'll have to offer two job opportunities in return, not one less! Otherwise, we're not going to call off this engagement! There's no room for discussion!"

After Shen Zicheng finished speaking in a firm tone, he turned away and ignored Xu Wenhua, leaving Xu Wenhua standing there, unsure of what to do. The two then went inside.

Inside the house, the mother and daughter were tightly embracing each other, sobbing uncontrollably.

Shen Zicheng, who had just entered from outside, finally couldn't help but speak up: "Alright, stop crying! What's there to cry about?"

"Don't you know how his family has treated you these past two years?"

"And look at how long he's been away from home, yet he hasn't even sent a single letter. Aren't all these signs enough to explain the situation? You should have been mentally prepared long ago!"

At this point, Shen Zicheng paused slightly, then continued, "I just asked him for two job openings."

“If he can give us these two job openings, then you and your brother can go to work in the city.”

"From now on, you'll be true city dwellers, and you'll be able to eat rations. When that time comes, will you still have to worry about not meeting a good, excellent man?"

After hearing the man's words, the mother and daughter, who had been immersed in grief, immediately stopped crying. The mother, Qian Ahua, was the first to react.

She looked up with a face full of surprise, staring wide-eyed at the man, and asked eagerly, "Honey! Is what you said true? You really asked him for two job openings?"

"Dad, how could you do this?" Shen Junqi was even more heartbroken.

"Are you all just like people who only know how to curse meaninglessly, cry at the drop of a hat, and don't even want money?"

"Are you just going to keep quiet about everything? Are you just going to watch him so easily break off the engagement?" Shen Zicheng questioned angrily.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his voice carried a hint of ruthlessness: "Hmph, want to break off the engagement? Not so easy! I will absolutely not let this go. If I don't teach him a lesson and make him suffer, then I'll change my surname to his!"

Hearing her father's words, Shen Junqi's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up. She bit her lip and whispered, "Dad, actually... I really don't want to break off the engagement." Her tone was full of reluctance and helplessness.

Shen Zicheng interrupted his daughter without hesitation, stamping his feet in anger and shouting, "Silly girl, how can you not understand? They don't even care about you!"

"Do you think you can save this marriage just by insisting that you don't want to break off the engagement? Don't be naive! What if they disregard your feelings, unilaterally break off the engagement, and run off to get married and start a family elsewhere? We won't be able to find them anywhere!"

"You're just selling me out to give your brother some benefits!"

Shen Junqi roared furiously, completely disregarding what she was saying; at that moment, all she felt was anger and resentment.