Chapter 157: Six Years of Hardship
Zhan Xiao was stunned. When did he have a childhood marriage? Although his parents had both passed away, they had never mentioned the matter to him.
Mr. Sun was even more puzzled. He had followed General Zhan since he was a teenager and had never heard of this matter.
Zhan Xiao looked at the man who suddenly appeared in front of him calmly, and he couldn't help but feel a little doubtful and alert. However, he didn't show it, but asked politely: "I don't know your name, sir. I am not the kind of person who doesn't repay a favor, but I'm sorry to be frank. I don't know you."
The man raised his head, his eyes revealing a hint of arrogance and disdain. He glanced at Zhan Xiao, and with a sneer on his face, he said, "Xiao'er is a general now, so it's natural that he doesn't recognize us poor relatives. However, Ningshuang is your wife-to-be. She has waited for you for so many years, and she even looks down on other men for you. You can't be an ungrateful person and break the Zhan family's promise to her!"
Zhan Xiao frowned slightly after hearing this, and a feeling of impatience suddenly surged in his heart. However, he still suppressed his emotions and tried to remain calm and answered: "Sir, just tell me your identity, and I will verify the rest. As for my marriage, I have only one wife who is not your daughter, so please be careful. My father is a strong general. If such a thing really happened, he would definitely tell me before he died. He would never make a promise to you that he could not fulfill."
The man looked sullen and said angrily, "So the Zhan family is going to break their promise? I didn't expect that the famous God of War, General Zhan, would be a treacherous person. I can only blame my son for choosing the wrong person. Ningshuang, let's go."
At this moment, Ye Ningshuang quietly walked out from behind her father, and everyone noticed her presence. Her face was as big as a plate, and it was covered with dense freckles, like stars; and her eyes were like two small green beans, embedded in her face.
Ye Ningshuang saluted Zhan Xiao, her movements were gentle and slow. Then, she slowly raised her head and cast her eyes on Zhan Xiao. However, with just that one glance, her originally calm heart was instantly struck by a strong current, and she completely fell into Zhan Xiao's irresistible charm.
Zhan Xiao's face was as cold as ice, but it still couldn't hide his handsome face and majestic temperament. His eyes were deep and sharp, which made people fall in love with him.
Ye Ningshuang took a deep breath and mustered up all her courage to speak: "Since the day I was born, I knew that I would become General Zhan's wife. Although our two families have lost contact for many years, I have never dared to forget the marriage agreement between my father and General Zhan. I have been waiting for sixteen years!"
There was firmness and persistence in her voice, as if she had endless expectations and trust in Zhan Xiao. However, Zhan Xiao's reaction was beyond her expectations, and he flatly denied the engagement.
Ye Ningshuang's face darkened, but she did not blame Zhan Xiao. Instead, she attributed the responsibility to her own lack of luck. She continued, "I know very well that General Zhan once promised that Zhan Xiao would only marry me in his lifetime and would never take a concubine. Now, since General Zhan is unwilling to admit this, I will not blame him. I only hate my own miserable fate. But I have decided to marry the general in this lifetime. If I cannot do so, I can only go to the temple and cut my hair to become a nun."
After saying this, Ye Ningshuang turned around with tears in her eyes and prepared to leave.
"Wait," Zhan Xiao shouted, "Today you all claimed in public that you had an engagement with me, but you repeatedly did not mention your identity. Then I will send someone to investigate. If what you said is false, I will personally escort you to the Dali Temple."
Ye Ningshuang turned pale, then she straightened up, tears streaming down her face before she could speak, "General Zhan really doesn't remember our friendship. I've waited for you for sixteen years."
Zhan Xiao glanced at her and found that she was actually looking at him and giving him a wink. He almost got goosebumps.
"Zhan Liu, you stay with this father and daughter. Follow them wherever they go and find out their identities. He just said that he is a poor relative of the Zhan family, but there is no relative with the surname Ye in my Zhan family."
After Zhan Xiao finished speaking, he glanced at the Shen family in the crowd. They should have seen it just now. This father and daughter pair were really troublemakers.
Zhan Xiao's expression changed immediately, and he enthusiastically invited the Shen family into Wangxian Building. After entering the private room, he carefully closed the door, and then personally poured tea and water for everyone. After everything was ready, he said with a little trepidation: "I really don't know that father and daughter! And if they really arranged a marriage for me, my parents would definitely tell me about it before they died!"
Mr. Sun on the side also quickly echoed, "Yes, even I haven't heard of this! When I followed General Zhan, General Zhan was not yet born. Moreover, you don't know, General Zhan is a very open-minded person. His sister married the son of the Marquis of Bo Xi because of a child marriage. The two did not know each other before the marriage. Their relationship was not good after marriage. In the end, she suffered domestic violence and died unfortunately. Since then, General Zhan has particularly hated the practice of parents deciding marriage matters and matchmakers. He thinks that men and women must understand each other and know each other's character when they get married, otherwise it will harm others and themselves. With General Zhan's character, he will never arrange a marriage for his son at random."
Third Uncle had just seen this in the crowd and was naturally surprised, but they also knew Zhan Xiao's character. It was just a bit unpleasant that this happened today.
Shen and the third uncle's wife also looked unhappy, but they didn't say anything.
Shen Zhi was not worried about this matter. He knew Zhan Xiao's character. Besides, Zhan Xiao would definitely look down on the behavior of that father and daughter.
However, Zhan Xiao tried his best to liven up the atmosphere during the dinner and made the Shen family smile happily.
Meanwhile, the father and daughter of the Ye family watched Zhan Xiao lead a group of country folk into Wangxian Tower, and Zhan Xiao's attitude towards that family deeply hurt Ye Ningshuang. Out of a woman's intuition, she immediately determined that the sweetheart Zhan Xiao mentioned was that country girl. What was so good about that girl? She didn't have any flesh on her body, and was as skinny as a bamboo pole, unlike herself, who had a big face and was blessed.
The Ye family father and daughter wanted to follow, but Zhan Liu was standing by them, following them wherever they went. In the end, they had no choice but to return to the small courtyard in Xinghua Lane in a depressed mood.
What they didn't expect was that in addition to Zhan Liu, there was also a dark shadow following them.