A reborn mother longs for her daughter's happiness.

Chapter 171 Qingchen's Engagement Day

Early Saturday morning, sunlight streamed through the window, playfully falling on Li Shiqing's face. She groggily opened her eyes, her mind blank for a moment, then, as if struck by lightning, she abruptly sat up in bed and shouted, "I'm getting engaged today!" Her voice was so loud that even the stray cats downstairs probably jumped in fright.

Just then, the door was flung open with a bang, and Li Shiqing's younger sister, Liu Yixin, rushed in, still holding a chicken leg she hadn't had time to put in her mouth. She mumbled, "Sister, you're finally awake! If you hadn't gotten up, Zhang Chen would have thought you ran away from your wedding!"

Li Shiqing rolled her eyes at her, "You jinx, can't you say something nice first thing in the morning?"

Just as the two were bickering, Li Shiqing's mother, Li Yuan, walked in with a cup of hot milk and said with a smile, "Alright, you two stop arguing. Today is your sister's big day, so make sure everything goes smoothly for you."

Li Shiqing took the milk, took a sip, and suddenly remembered something. She asked anxiously, "Mom, where's the dress I wore for my engagement? I can't find it!"

Li Yuan patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Don't worry, it's hanging in the closet. I prepared it for you last night."

Meanwhile, Zhang Chen wasn't idle either. His father dragged him out of bed early in the morning, nagging, "Look at you, you're about to get engaged and you're still sleeping like a pig. Get up and get ready, don't keep Shi Qing waiting."

Zhang Chen mumbled sleepily, "Dad, what time is it? What's the rush?"

His father glared at him. "You child, you don't care at all. Today is a major event in your life. If you dare to mess it up, see how I deal with you."

By 10 a.m., the engagement ceremony venue was almost fully decorated. Flowers, balloons, and ribbons—everything looked so warm and romantic. Li Shiqing was carefully getting ready in her room, while Liu Yixin kept offering suggestions, saying things like, "This lipstick color isn't nice," or "That hairstyle isn't fashionable enough." Li Shiqing was getting annoyed by her constant chatter. "Yixin, can you please be quiet for a bit? I'm going to go crazy if you keep this up!"

Liu Yixin stuck out her tongue. "Okay, then I won't say anything more."

Just as Li Shiqing was getting ready, her younger brother Liu Qicheng rushed in, panting, and said, "Sister, something terrible has happened!"

Li Shiqing's heart tightened suddenly. "What's wrong? Don't be so startled."

Liu Qicheng took a breath and said, "Zhang Chen's car was scratched by a tricycle on the road, and he's arguing with the driver now."

Upon hearing this, Li Shiqing almost fainted. "What kind of time is this to be happening?"

Li Yuan quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, Shi Qing, Zhang Chen will definitely be able to handle it. Let's wait a little longer."

On the other side, Zhang Chen was arguing heatedly with the tricycle driver. The tricycle driver was an honest-looking uncle who kept apologizing: "Young man, I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to. I was in a hurry to deliver vegetables to someone and I didn't notice that I had scratched your vehicle."

Zhang Chen felt heartbroken seeing the long scratch on his beloved car, but he couldn't bring himself to get angry with the uncle. He could only say helplessly, "Uncle, what should we do about this? I have important things to do today."

The middle-aged man scratched his head. "I don't have much money either. How about I buy you some food?"

Zhang Chen was both amused and exasperated. "Uncle, why would I need your vegetables? My car repairs cost a lot of money."

Just as the two were at an impasse, Zhang Chen's phone rang. It was Li Shiqing calling, "Zhang Chen, why aren't you here yet? Everyone's waiting for you."

Zhang Chen sighed and recounted the whole story to Li Shiqing.

After listening, Li Shiqing remained silent for a while, then said, "Zhang Chen, don't make things difficult for Uncle. Today is our engagement day. Don't let this little thing ruin your mood. We can talk about the car later. Come over here now."

Zhang Chen felt a warmth in his heart after hearing Li Shiqing's words. He said to the uncle, "Uncle, never mind, you can go now. Be more careful when you drive in the future."

The man said gratefully, "Thank you, young man, you're such a good person."

Zhang Chen finally arrived at the engagement ceremony, already half an hour late. As soon as he entered, he saw Li Shiqing standing there, wearing that beautiful engagement dress, looking like a fairy descended from heaven. He quickly walked over, took Li Shiqing's hand, and said apologetically, "Shiqing, I'm sorry I'm late."

Li Shiqing smiled slightly, "It's alright, as long as you're here."

At this moment, the host walked onto the stage and said loudly, "Dear friends and family, good afternoon! Today, we are gathered here to witness the engagement ceremony of Ms. Li Shiqing and Mr. Zhang Chen. At this wonderful moment, let us welcome the two soon-to-be-married couple to the stage with warm applause."

Amidst applause, Li Shiqing and Zhang Chen walked hand in hand onto the stage.

Zhang Chen took out a carefully prepared engagement ring from his pocket, knelt on one knee, and said affectionately to Li Shiqing, "Shiqing, from the moment we met, I knew you were the one I was meant to be with. Your kindness, gentleness, and beauty have deeply attracted me. Today, in front of all our family and friends, I want to make a promise to you: I will love you and cherish you with my whole life, making you the happiest woman in the world. Will you marry me?"

Li Shiqing was moved to tears. She took the ring, put it on her finger, and said, "I do!"

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

Next, both sets of parents took the stage to give speeches. Li Shiqing's father, Liu Xuan, spoke first. He cleared his throat and said, "Today is the day my daughter Shiqing and Zhang Chen are engaged, and I am very happy. I like Zhang Chen from the moment I saw him; he is smart, capable, and responsible. I believe he will bring happiness to Shiqing. Here, I want to say to you both, marriage is a lifelong commitment. I hope you can understand, tolerate, and support each other, and work together to build a good little family." After speaking, Liu Xuan bowed deeply to Zhang Chen and Li Shiqing.

Zhang Chen's father also went on stage and said with a smile, "Today, it is a blessing for our Zhang family that my son Zhang Chen is engaged to Shi Qing. Shi Qing is a gentle, virtuous, and well-educated girl, and we all like her very much. I hope that you two young people will hold hands and never abandon each other in the future, no matter what difficulties you encounter. At the same time, I would also like to thank Shi Qing's parents for raising such an excellent daughter."

Just as everyone was immersed in the happy atmosphere, Liu Yixin suddenly stood up and said loudly, "I also want to say a few words."

All eyes turned to her. Liu Yixin walked onto the stage, looked at Li Shiqing and Zhang Chen, and said playfully, "Sister, Brother Zhang Chen, I wish you a happy engagement! But, Brother Zhang Chen, let me make this clear: if you dare to bully my sister, I won't let you off the hook. Also, if you two ever argue, don't do it in front of me, or it might affect my appetite." Her words made everyone burst into laughter.

Not to be outdone, Liu Qicheng ran up to the stage and said, "Sister, Brother Zhang Chen, I hope you can buy me lots and lots of delicious food and fun things in the future." The crowd burst into laughter again.

After the ceremony, everyone began to enjoy the meal. Li Shiqing and Zhang Chen went from table to table toasting their relatives and friends, thanking them for coming.

Suddenly, Liu Yixin walked up to Zhang Chen with a glass of wine and said, "Brother Zhang Chen, I'd like to toast you. But you have to answer one question for me first."

Zhang Chen smiled and said, "Okay, go ahead and ask." Liu Yixin blinked and said, "What do you find most unbearable about my sister?"

Zhang Chen paused for a moment, looked at Li Shiqing, and then said, "I think your sister is great in every way, there's nothing about her that I can't stand."

Li Shiqing felt a warm glow inside upon hearing this, and she smiled at Liu Yixin, saying, "You little rascal, you always come up with difficult questions."

Just then, one of Zhang Chen's colleagues stood up and said, "Zhang Chen, today is your engagement day, we have to make a big fuss. How about you and Shi Qing do a heartfelt duet?"

Everyone chimed in. Zhang Chen and Li Shiqing couldn't refuse, so they agreed. They chose "Because of Love," and sang it with deep emotion, their voices filled with love for each other. Friends and family in the audience clapped along, creating a heartwarming scene.

After singing, everyone started playing games. One of the games was a riddle game. Zhang Chen's mother asked, "What gets fat quickly and loses weight even faster?"

Everyone racked their brains, when Liu Yixin suddenly shouted, "I know, it's a balloon!"

Everyone applauded for her.

Liu Yixin said smugly, "This is easy, it's no problem for me."

Then, a friend of Li Shiqing posed another riddle: "Winter melon, cucumber, watermelon, and pumpkin can all be eaten, so what kind of melon can't be eaten?"

This time, Liu Qicheng answered first: "Fool!" Everyone burst into laughter at his answer.

Joyful times always fly by, and before they knew it, the engagement ceremony was drawing to a close. Li Shiqing and Zhang Chen stood at the door, bidding farewell to each and every relative and friend. Their faces beamed with happiness, and their hearts were filled with anticipation for their future life together.

After the last guest left, Zhang Chen took Li Shiqing's hand and said, "Shiqing, although there was a little hiccup today, it was still perfect overall. I think our lives are like today; although we may encounter some small troubles, as long as we face them together, we will definitely be able to live happily."

Li Shiqing leaned on Zhang Chen's shoulder and said, "Yes, I believe we definitely will."

The setting sun cast its golden rays upon them, bathing their figures in a golden glow. This young couple, about to enter into marriage, walked hand in hand toward the future, leaving behind a trail of happy footprints.