On Monday, Xie Qingtao didn’t go to school. Instead, she rode an ox cart to the countryside with Xie Qingxiao.
The summer wind carried a wave of heat as it swept over them.
Xie Qingtao wore a beige straw hat, her large almond-shaped eyes narrowed into slits against the glaring sunlight.
“Brother, it’s so hot! I really want to eat red bean ice cream.”
Sitting on the swaying ox cart, Xie Qingtao complained irritably, feeling the scorching summer sun.
Her voice was soft and sweet, sounding more like a coquettish whine than genuine displeasure.
Xie Qingxiao wore a faint smile as he quietly shifted his position, blocking most of the harsh, sweltering sunlight for Xie Qingtao.
“Better now?”
The sun’s rays fell directly on Xie Qingxiao, casting a rosy hue over his fair skin. Combined with beads of sweat, he looked like a delicate flower adorned with crystal-clear morning dew—radiant and captivating.
Xie Qingtao stared at Xie Qingxiao, lost in thought.
No wonder Liu Yunyun would go to any lengths to snatch him away—he truly was mesmerizing.
Xie Qingxiao chuckled softly:
“Taotao, what are you looking at?”
Enchanted by Xie Qingxiao’s beauty, Xie Qingtao answered honestly:
“I was just thinking how good-looking you are, Brother.”
Xie Qingxiao’s smile widened. The usual sense of detachment about him faded, replaced by the refreshing aura of youth, making him even more charming:
“After all these years, you still haven’t had enough of looking?”
Xie Qingtao stared at Xie Qingxiao’s suddenly stunning doll-like face, her cheeks flushing pink as she whispered:
“Brother, I finally understand why Liu Yunyun is so obsessed with you.”
A rare trace of annoyance and disgust flickered in Xie Qingxiao’s eyes:
“She doesn’t deserve it.”
With that single sentence, he shut down any possibility for Liu Yunyun.
“But our Taotao is also very beautiful.”
Xie Qingxiao’s gaze shifted to Xie Qingtao’s vibrant face.
Xie Qingtao was in the prime of her youth, with delicate features, a small oval face with plump cheeks, arched willow-leaf eyebrows, sparkling almond-shaped eyes, a pert nose, and rosy smiling lips. Paired with her naturally curly long hair, she looked exactly like the doll he had once seen in a department store.
Hearing her brother’s praise, Xie Qingtao smiled shyly, her cheeks flushed red like a ripe peach hanging from a branch, its skin tinged with a soft pink.
As they chatted, they arrived at Peach Blossom Brigade.
It was noon, and only a few people were gathered under the trees in the brigade.
Xie Qingtao ran straight to Uncle Xie’s house.
Before even reaching the door, she began shouting at the top of her lungs:
“Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Auntie, I’m back!”
Xie Qingtao’s uniquely sweet and soft voice immediately drew out several people.
Grandma Xie rushed out first:
“It’s Taotao! Why are you here at this hour? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”
Grandma Xie quickly looked Xie Qingtao over, relieved to see she wasn’t injured.
Xie Qingtao took Grandma Xie’s aged, calloused hand and led her toward Uncle Xie’s house.
“Grandma, I came here today because I have something important to say. Let’s go inside—it’s too hot out here.”
As soon as they entered the house, Xie Qingtao felt the oppressive heat dissipate slightly.
Seeing the meal laid out on the dining table, she smiled apologetically:
“Uncle, sorry for interrupting your meal.”
Uncle Xie didn’t mind at all and warmly greeted them:
“Taotao, are you hungry? Stay for lunch at our place today.”
Eldest Aunt Xie brought out bowls and chopsticks, serving Xie Qingtao a bowl of thick corn porridge.
“Taotao, what brings you here at noon? Why did you come during school hours?”
Xie Qingtao unceremoniously took a sip of the slightly sweet corn porridge:
“I came to inform you all about my eldest brother’s wedding.”
Grandma Xie’s aged face blossomed into a smile like a flower, patting her thigh with delight as she said:
“Qingping is getting married! Oh my! Finally tying the knot, it hasn’t been easy! When’s the wedding?”
Her expression seemed to say that the family’s long-standing bachelor had finally found someone.
Xie Qingtao nodded along.
It truly hadn’t been easy—this marriage had gone through twists and turns, quite exhausting.
After picking up a piece of cold salad for Xie Qingtao, Xie Qingxiao said in a cool, low voice:
“Grandma, Eldest Brother is getting married tomorrow. Make sure you remember to come.”
Uncle Xie couldn’t sit still, his brow twitching fiercely, his expression suddenly grave:
“Why is the timing so rushed? Did something happen to Qingping?”
His intuition told him there was definitely something going on.
Xie Qingxiao remained expressionless, giving a slight nod:
“Something did happen. Eldest Brother got someone pregnant.”
Grandpa Xie’s chopsticks clattered onto the table, his eyes blazing with fury:
“That scoundrel Xie Qingping! Old woman, fetch my stick. I’ll beat him to death.”
Grandma Xie stopped eating immediately, set down her bowl, and nimbly went to the room to retrieve the Xie family’s ancestral wooden stick.
Eldest Aunt Xie and Uncle Xie wore worried expressions.
Eldest Cousin Xie Qingshan and Third Cousin Xie Qinghe silently put down their bowls and chopsticks, their expressions serious.
Xie Qingxiao continued calmly, without a ripple of emotion:
“Grandpa, by the way, I should also tell you some news. Taotao is getting married too, just one week after the college entrance exams.”
Eldest Aunt Xie’s face changed drastically:
“What? When did Taotao get a boyfriend? Why the rush?”
She remembered Guiyun telling her before that they wanted to keep Taotao at home for a few more years before discussing marriage—why the sudden change?
Uncle Xie, sensing something amiss, furrowed his brows:
“Qingxiao, tell me—is there any connection between your eldest brother’s marriage and Taotao’s marriage?”
Xie Qingxiao nodded:
“There is indeed a connection. Taotao’s fiancé is the eldest brother of Eldest Brother’s fiancée.”
Uncle Xie, realizing Xie Qingtao’s marriage was an arranged exchange, instantly turned livid with rage, shouting that he would beat Xie Qingping to death:
“That beast Xie Qingping! I’ll kill him!”
He knew it! That kid might look honest and simple, but deep down he’s cunning.
And now, he’s caused such a huge mess, even dragging his own sister’s marriage into it.
Eldest Aunt Xie hugged Xie Qingtao, crying sorrowfully:
“Our poor Taotao! To have such a beast of an eldest brother, you’ve suffered so much.”
Xie Qingtao quickly forced a smile to comfort her:
“Auntie, I’m not suffering, really. I agreed to this myself.”
Eldest Aunt Xie continued to cry, while Xie Qingshan and his brother looked at Xie Qingtao with sympathy and pity.
Hearing the crying, Grandma Xie rushed over with the wooden stick she had just found, only to hear the shocking, dreadful news. Her vision darkened, her legs went weak, and she nearly stumbled.
Grandpa Xie’s face flushed red, his breathing rapid, clearly struggling to contain his emotions.
Xie Qingxiao finished the corn porridge in his bowl and set down his bowl and chopsticks.
“Grandfather, Taotao’s marriage isn’t about her marrying out—it’s about taking a husband into our family. The man is marrying into our household. As an equivalent exchange, Xie Qingping will also marry into the Mu Family. Isn’t that fair?”
Xie Qingxiao thought this arrangement was quite advantageous—trading the family’s deadweight fool for a love-struck yet intelligent person seemed like a good deal.
Xie Qingxiao was now utterly fed up with his eldest brother, that fool.