Chapter 65 Psychological Warfare

"We came here today simply to settle this matter properly."

"Regarding everyone's criticisms, Comrade He Yuzhu sincerely accepts them and is willing to make amends." The Third Elder deliberately paused here, turned his head to look at He Yuzhu, and the others followed suit, casting their gazes in his direction.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu hurriedly nodded solemnly, his face filled with the sincerity of someone ready to correct his mistakes.

The Third Elder nodded inwardly at this, and continued, "We made a special trip to the Ran family today primarily for two reasons. First, we want to express our apologies to you all, and second, we hope we can all sit down together and calmly discuss a solution to this problem."

"People always have to look forward. If we keep dwelling on those minor past mistakes, how can life go on?" The Third Elder's words were like a gentle spring breeze nourishing the elderly couple's hearts, and their expressions gradually softened.

Standing to the side, He Yuzhu looked at the Third Elder's poised and eloquent demeanor, a wave of admiration welling up in his heart.

As expected of a people's teacher who had spent his entire life educating others, the Third Elder's eloquence was simply extraordinary. He was an absolute master of conducting ideological work!

Knowing this was the prime moment to strike while the iron was hot, He Yuzhu secretly gave the Second Elder a look, signaling him to put in some effort and help persuade the Ran family's elderly couple.

The Second Elder understood the hint instantly and immediately took over the conversation, pushing forward with their "psychological offense."

Earlier, the Second Elder had watched the Third Elder steal the show at the engagement banquet, feeling sour and intensely jealous inside.

Just as he was feeling that way, He Yuzhu gave him a subtle glance, and the Second Elder immediately caught on, swinging into action.

"Older Brother, Sister-in-law, you might not know this, but the father He Yuzhu ended up with is no ordinary character."

"Some things might be as easy as pie for anyone else, but when it comes to his old man, it's harder than reaching the heavens." The Second Elder raised his voice, a very solemn look on his face. "He Daqing is He Yuzhu's biological father, which makes him your future in-law. Let me tell you, that man is simply devoid of decency!" As he spoke, the Second Elder shook his head with an expression of utter contempt. "His heart is as cold and ruthless as they come! Not many days after his wife passed away, he ran off with another woman, leaving his own son and daughter behind at home without a single care. Is that any way to behave?"

Before the Second Elder could finish, Mother Ran interrupted him.

Frowning, Mother Ran spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Second Elder, we were already aware of young He's family situation beforehand."

The anger we felt earlier was because young He had previously assured us that his father would definitely attend the engagement banquet. But what happened? From start to finish, we didn't even catch a glimpse of him! Didn't that make us lose face in front of our relatives and friends?" With that, Mother Ran shifted her target back to He Yuzhu. "Young He, we thought you were an honest and reliable person, which is why we considered entrusting our daughter to you."

"Look at what you've done, though. If you couldn't pull it off, you shouldn't have made rash promises to us in the first place!"

He Yuzhu opened his mouth to explain, but the Second Elder wouldn't have it.

Stepping forward with his hands spread wide, the Second Elder spoke loudly, "Sister-in-law, you're going a bit too far with that! Isn't this deliberately making things difficult for him?" His emotions ran somewhat high, and his voice rose a notch. "According to you, should He Yuzhu have just told you straight up that his father couldn't make it? Would that have been more appropriate? He wasn't making empty promises; he did everything in his power to fulfill your request. Who could have foreseen that his good-for-nothing father would act so heartlessly?"

As soon as the Second Elder finished, the Third Elder chimed in hurriedly from the side, "All the blame lies with that father of his, He Daqing. Please don't hold it against a younger generation like He Yuzhu."

"He's just a young man; how grave of a mistake could he possibly make?"

Noticing that the expressions of Father and Mother Ran were softening again, the Second Elder continued, "You shouldn't feel that it's improper for juniors to handle matters without elders present."

"In our courtyard, the three of us brothers act as He Yuzhu's elders."

"If little Ran marries into our courtyard in the future, she'll realize that every single matter big and small in this place is looked after by us three brothers!" The Second Elder patted his chest with a face full of pride. "Old Yi, who is the First Elder of our courtyard, is not very articulate and isn't great with words."

"That's why He Yuzhu specifically asked me, the Second Elder, to come and have this thorough chat with you. You simply must give me some face!"

Father and Mother Ran exchanged glances, a tacit understanding seeming to pass between their eyes.

After a moment, Father Ran spoke up, "We won't pursue this matter any further."

"Young He, you must treat little Ran well from now on. When all is said and done, little Ran is the one who suffered a grievance this time." A faint smile appeared on Father Ran's face as he looked at He Yuzhu, his gaze holding both expectation and a trace of relief.

Mother Ran also smiled as she looked at Ran Qiuye, saying, "Little Ran, you can finally set your mind at ease now and stop being torn in two directions."

Ultimately, Father and Mother Ran decided to turn the page on this incident.

In truth, after the engagement banquet concluded, the two of them had privately discussed whether this romance could possibly continue.

After careful consideration, the outcome was clear: their satisfaction with He Yuzhu as a prospective son-in-law still vastly outweighed their discontent.

Although the absence of He Yuzhu's father at the engagement banquet had caused them to lose face in front of relatives and friends, having lived for the better part of their lives, they long understood that substance mattered far more than superficial pride in this world.

Their daughter liked He Yuzhu, and He Yuzhu had the ability to provide her with a stable and happy life, and even help support the two of them in their old age.

If they let go of a son-in-law like He Yuzhu, they would probably never find anyone so suitable again.

Therefore, they had reached a consensus long ago: while they still needed to complain and scold him to make sure He Yuzhu knew not to underestimate the Ran family, more importantly, they must never let this incident ruin the bond between their daughter and He Yuzhu.

That day, the conversation between the two sides proceeded very smoothly.

Not only were past grievances resolved and peace restored, but the subsequent arrangements for the engagement were also finalized.

According to Father and Mother Ran's wishes, there was no need to make a grand fuss over another engagement banquet; it would suffice to hold a grand celebration when they actually married.

After all, which family holds two banquets just for an engagement? It was the sort of thing people gossiped about, so the fewer such unnecessary actions, the better.

With the matter successfully resolved, He Yuzhu was filled with joy.

Standing in the middle of the courtyard, he picked up a gong and struck it, making a loud *clang, clang, clang* sound.