The day after meeting Lu Yiyue, she contacted Huang Jie saying her niece was getting engaged and insisted on bringing Shi Li along.
Lu Yiyue used to be Shi Li's aunt by marriage. Her niece often came to visit the Shi family.
Lu Lanshan was a few years older than Shi Li. Before entering middle school, she frequently took Shi Li out to play.
She went abroad for middle school, and after Lu Yiyue divorced Youngest Uncle Shi, Shi Li lost contact with Lu Lanshan.
Youngest Uncle Shi was adamant about divorcing Lu Yiyue. The Lu family said they wouldn't hold it against others, but in reality, they gradually cut ties with the Shi family.
From ending business cooperation to slowly ceasing all interactions between the two families.
A gentleman ends a friendship without harsh words. The two families didn't immediately cut ties after the divorce, mainly to avoid affecting stock prices and to minimize any negative impact on each other.
Seeing Shi Li outside the prison, Lu Yiyue suddenly felt the fleeting nature of time and the unpredictability of fate. She thought that past events were over, and there was no need to let years of friendship between the two families be buried along with her failed marriage.
So she took the initiative to invite Shi Li to her niece's engagement party, extending an olive branch.
Afterwards, worried that Shi Li might forget or fail to convey her message correctly due to her young age, she called Huang Jie, whose number had been lying dormant in her phone contacts for years. She not only invited her to bring Shi Li to the engagement party but also asked them to visit her home when they had time.
After hanging up the phone, Huang Jie thought for a moment, went to the walk-in closet, opened the safe in the corner, and took out some of her jewelry collection. She found a jade bracelet to give to Lu Lanshan as an engagement gift.
Since Lu Yiyue had extended the olive branch, their family couldn't show up empty-handed.
Knowing that Lu Yiyue and Lu Lanshan were both at home today, Huang Jie pulled Shi Li, who was working on exercise books in the study, and told her to change into something more refreshing, "Come with mom for a bit."
Sitting in the car with Huang Jie, Shi Li finally asked where they were going.
"Lanshan is getting engaged in a few days. Your former aunt just called to invite us to attend. We're going to see the bride-to-be. I've prepared a purple jade bracelet as a wedding gift for her."
Shi Li took the jewelry box from Huang Jie's bag, opened it to see a beautiful purple jade bracelet lying on the velvet.
She loved it so much, examining it carefully in the sunlight.
The thought of giving away such a beautiful bracelet made Shi Li's heart ache. "Mom, why don't you have a second child? Relying on me to recoup the gift money through my own engagement and wedding seems a bit unrealistic."
Huang Jie snatched the bracelet back from her hand, carefully putting it back in the box before giving this silly child a slap on the back. "What nonsense are you talking about? How old am I to have another child? Are you out of your mind? Has studying made you stupid? If I have a second child, wouldn't they compete with you for the family inheritance? What if we end up with a spendthrift? The three of us would suffer along with them."
Compared to families still chasing after male heirs, Huang Jie and Shi Li's father were quite progressive.
They never felt that having a girl meant the end of their lineage. Instead, they believed that having a wastrel son would be the real disaster.
Before getting out of the car, Huang Jie gave Shi Li a stern look, telling her to watch her mouth and not say anything inappropriate.
Shi Li nodded obediently, "Madam Mother, please rest assured. I won't say anything silly in front of others." She wasn't stupid; she knew what should and shouldn't be said.
Only then did Madam Mother withdraw her threatening death glare, switching to a different demeanor after starting the car.
The Lu family's housekeeper greeted Huang Jie and her daughter at the entrance.
It had indeed been many years since they'd last met. Huang Jie smiled and inquired about the housekeeper's health.
The housekeeper politely responded, gesturing with one hand to guide them in.
Huang Jie used to visit frequently, so it wasn't as if she'd forgotten her way around after a few years of absence.
However, the layout of the Lu family's villa grounds had changed significantly. Without someone leading the way, it would indeed be easy to get lost.
When Lu Yiyue and Huang Jie, the former sisters-in-law, met, they exchanged pleasantries for quite a while. Lu Yiyue didn't forget to hold Shi Li's hand.
"Little Li has grown into such a beautiful young lady. Girls really do change at eighteen. I almost didn't recognize her when I saw her outside yesterday."
Huang Jie turned to glare at Shi Li, as she hadn't heard about this encounter from her daughter.
Three generations of Lu women were at home. The elders were preparing the dowry, while Lu Lanshan was learning about dowry preparation from her mother and grandmother.
Huang Jie first greeted Old Madam Lu, then presented the prepared gift to Lu Lanshan, "This is Auntie's wedding gift for you."
Lu Lanshan opened the box to see a translucent purple jade bracelet. She immediately expressed her delight, "Thank you, Auntie. I love it."
Huang Jie smiled, "I'm glad you like it. I remember you had excellent taste even as a child. You once set your eyes on your aunt's jade bracelet."
Lu Lanshan pouted, "I remember. But my aunt was stingy and wouldn't give it to me."
Lu Yiyue chided her, "I hadn't had enough of that bracelet myself. How could I give it to you? A gentleman doesn't covet what others cherish. You ungrateful child, I've given you plenty of gifts over the years."
Bringing up the past and reminiscing about old times imperceptibly bridged the subtle gap between them.
Huang Jie praised Lu Lanshan repeatedly, while the two Lu matriarchs, in turn, showered compliments on Shi Li.
After finishing the mutual flattery session, Huang Jie casually inquired about Lu Lanshan's marriage and fiancé.
"Lanshan's fiancé is from the Bo family, isn't he?"
She had heard some rumors, but lately, her attention had been captivated by Hong Yan and Song Ying's affairs, so she wasn't up to date with the latest gossip.
At the mention of this soon-to-be son-in-law, the Lu family elders couldn't stop talking, "That young man is truly exceptional. Handsome, capable, and talented. We only have Lanshan as our daughter, and we don't want her to struggle too much. We hope that she and her husband can support each other in their careers."
Huang Jie, also having only one daughter, could understand the Lu family elders' perspective. "That young man is indeed outstanding. It's just a pity he's burdened by such a family. He's quite suitable for our Lanshan, and I haven't heard of any scandalous affairs involving him. That's very good."
The more Huang Jie spoke, the more she felt this son-in-law was a great match. She almost wished she could find such a son-in-law for Shi Li, but Shi Li was still young, and it was too early to talk about finding a partner and getting married.
Especially remembering how this silly girl had suggested on the way here that her own engagement and marriage were far off, and proposed that Huang Jie have a second child to recoup the gift money faster.
Thinking of this, Huang Jie abandoned the idea of securing a good son-in-law at the first opportunity.
Lu Lanshan was a career-oriented girl. After graduating from university, she worked for a year at a renowned foreign company before returning to work at her family's company in China.
She was quite successful in her work, and when facing Shi Li, she naturally assumed the role of an elder sister, gently inquiring about Shi Li's school life.
While she only asked Shi Li about school and studies, Shi Li had many questions she wanted to ask her.
The main issue was that there were no classmates of Shi Li's in the Lu family villa at the moment, so no one could hear her inner thoughts or know about her current dilemma.
As early as when Huang Jie mentioned "that boy from the Bo family," Shi Li had recalled many plot points from her previous life.
For instance, Lu Lanshan's fiancé, Bo Yiyang, had a useless and incompetent father. After Bo Yiyang's grandfather passed away, his father took control of the company. In less than two years, he had made over a dozen major and minor blunders, nearly driving the company to bankruptcy and liquidation.
It was only after Bo Yiyang entered the company that he managed to turn the tide, saving the company from the brink of bankruptcy. However, due to a broken capital chain, the company needed cash to sustain itself.
Then Bo Yiyang went on a blind date with Lu Lanshan. As they progressed towards marriage, the Lu family would invest in the Bo family's company and provide some assistance. In return, the Bo family would make some concessions in future collaborations. This was already written into the contract.
Although it was an arranged marriage with mutual benefits for both families, anyone with discerning eyes could see that the Lu family was clearly getting the short end of the stick.
Of course, business matters were trivial, and it was hard to say who was really at a disadvantage or advantage.
But Bo Yiyang was an ungrateful wretch. While he enjoyed the benefits of marrying Lu Lanshan and lived off her family's resources, he was also keeping a small secretary on the side, indulging in a passionate affair with her, choosing this one love out of a thousand possibilities.
[Ahhhh!]
[Bo Yiyang is such a scumbag and an ungrateful bastard]
[Which matchmaker with a grudge against Sister Lanshan introduced this piece of trash?]
