After the earlier chaos, Uncle Xie’s household fell silent once more.
No one spoke a word, and the quiet was so profound you could hear a pin drop.
Apart from Xie Qingtao and Xie Qingxiao, everyone else was suppressing their anger.
Grandpa Xie stared at the now-cold coarse corn porridge on the dining table, his gaze deep and thoughtful:
“Qingxiao, what kind of person is Taotao’s marriage partner?”
Xie Qingxiao had anticipated this question and replied objectively:
“He’s an outstanding individual. Currently, he serves as the right-hand man to the county official—handsome, capable, and at the very least, far better than…”
…someone like Xie Qingping, that fool who only knows how to cause major trouble.
Xie Qingxiao chuckled softly, his eyes filled with mockery.
Uncle Xie pressed anxiously:
“The right-hand man to the county official! That’s impressive, but why would he agree to marry into our family?”
He couldn’t understand why such an outstanding person would consent to an arranged marriage.
Could there be some hidden flaw?
No, that wouldn’t do! If Taotao married him, wouldn’t she be jumping into a pit of fire?
Xie Qingxiao’s clear, penetrating eyes seemed to see through Uncle Xie’s thoughts as he kindly explained:
“Uncle, there’s nothing wrong with him.
Oh! Wait, that’s not entirely accurate. If there’s any ‘flaw,’ it might be his hopeless romanticism.”
Xie Qingxiao was particularly satisfied with this aspect of Mu Bozhou.
Uncle Xie wasn’t entirely sure what “hopeless romanticism” meant, but he roughly understood that the young man was deeply fond of Taotao.
Hearing this, his anxious heart settled.
Eldest Aunt Xie carefully examined Xie Qingtao’s vibrant face and said with a touch of heartache:
“Poor our Taotao, getting married so young. Once married, she’ll be considered an adult.”
Xie Qingtao, who had just turned eighteen, was momentarily stunned by these words, her mind struggling to process them. Then, reacting quickly, she softened her voice and cooed:
“Who says getting married makes you an adult? Am I not still Eldest Aunt’s favorite child?”
Xie Qingtao’s large, clear, and bright eyes gazed affectionately at Eldest Aunt Xie.
Sure enough, the look of heartache vanished from Eldest Aunt Xie’s face. She hugged Xie Qingtao, beaming with joy:
“No matter when or where, Taotao will always be a child in my eyes—the precious treasure of my heart.”
Xie Qingtao nestled sweetly against Eldest Aunt Xie, her smile radiant and her entire face glowing with a charming, vibrant sweetness that instantly filled the room.
“Oh, my dear Taotao! You truly are the apple of my eye. I wish I could take you home and raise you myself.”
Eldest Aunt Xie laughed, her eyes crinkling with delight. Suddenly, she paused, still holding Xie Qingtao, and turned to look at Xie Qingxiao:
“Qingxiao, is Taotao’s partner good-looking?”
With Taotao being so beautiful, it would be a shame if she ended up with someone unattractive, wasting her lovely appearance.
Xie Qingxiao’s gaze drifted momentarily before he turned his head:
“He’s quite handsome—refined, elegant, and imposing. He’s a very formidable person.”
Eldest Aunt Xie visibly relaxed, a smile returning to her face:
“That’s good! Any children Taotao has in the future will surely be beautiful.”
Xie Qingtao’s fair, delicate face instantly flushed bright red, her ears burning as if steaming.
She fanned herself with her hand, her eyes brimming with a spring-like tenderness and shyness as she protested coyly:
“Eldest Aunt, please stop talking about that. It’s all too far off for me.”
She was still floating in a daze—how had the conversation suddenly turned to children? It all felt too rushed.
Eldest Aunt Xie laughed even more heartily, teasing her:
“Taotao is shy, but getting married and having children is a perfectly normal thing.”
Grandma Xie was also smiling at this moment, her gaze filled with affection as she looked at Xie Qingtao, her tone tinged with nostalgia:
“Time really flies. I remember when Taotao was born, she was just this tiny little thing, and now she’s about to get married.”
Moved by Grandma Xie’s words, the whole family wore expressions of reminiscence.
By the time Xie Qingtao returned to the large compound, it was already evening. Accompanying her were Grandpa Xie and Grandma Xie, the elderly couple.
As soon as Grandpa Xie stepped into the Xie family’s independent small courtyard, his expression changed, and he picked up a wooden stick.
He ran straight into Xie Qingping, who had just gotten off work and was resting in the main room.
Without a word, Grandpa Xie raised the stick and started hitting him.
“Ah! Grandpa, why are you hitting me? It hurts so much…”
Xie Qingping couldn’t dodge in time and took several heavy blows. The pain made him cry out in agony.
Seeing Xie Qingping still sitting there leisurely, Grandpa Xie’s anger flared up even more. He didn’t hold back, deliberately aiming for the fleshy, less visible spots on Xie Qingping’s body:
“You useless brat, you heartless fool! I’m tightening your skin now to teach you a lesson.”
Xie Qingtao wanted to step forward to intervene, but Grandma Xie held her back.
Xie Jianguo and the others stood at the kitchen door, arms crossed, enjoying the show. No one felt any sympathy for Xie Qingping.
Xie Qingxiao coldly watched as Xie Qingping was chased around the courtyard, a rare, mocking smile curling at the corner of his lips.
This was the liveliest time in the large compound.
Xie Qingping’s wails quickly drew the attention of many onlookers.
Someone climbed onto the courtyard wall, eager to stir up trouble, and shouted at the top of their lungs:
“Hey! What’s going on here? How can you hit the groom-to-be?”
One person started the topic, and another chimed in:
“Yeah, yeah! You can’t possibly think that just because Qingping is marrying into another family, he’s no longer your own child, right? Hitting him like this without any heartache.”
Recently, the entire compound had been gossiping about the Xie family’s two pieces of news.
At first, some thought Xie Jianguo had lost his mind, letting his perfectly good son marry into another family.
Not only was he giving away his son, but he was also sending a daughter along.
Everyone thought Xie Jianguo had gone mad.
But when they heard that Xie Qingtao’s marriage partner was actually marrying into the Xie family, and that the person was quite capable,
those who had been laughing at them turned into sour grapes.
Everyone looked at the Xie family with envy, as if the whole compound were soaked in a vat of vinegar, filled with an overwhelming sourness. Even Xie Qingxiao faced a few remarks when he went out.
Now, with Grandpa Xie beating Xie Qingping, everyone in the compound came out to watch the commotion.
Xie Jianguo glared at them and said:
“Mind your own business. This is an old tradition in our Xie family before a wedding. It’s none of your concern.”
Xie Jianguo spoke with such conviction that he managed to fool everyone.
Only Xie Qingping endured the pain, his face twisted in agony.
In the crowd, Liu Yunyun watched the commotion in the Xie family courtyard with cold eyes, her fists clenched tightly, her gaze filled with malice and hatred.
Suddenly thinking of Xie Qingping’s wedding tomorrow, Liu Yunyun smiled, her expression hiding intense murderous intent and resentment.
She waited, knowing tomorrow would surely be even more eventful.
The first light of dawn shone into the Xie family’s small courtyard.
Early in the morning, Xie Jianguo and the others got up and started bustling about.
Today, their family was taking in a daughter-in-law. There wasn’t much to do—they just had to bring Xie Qingping into the household.
Xie Jianguo wore a bright smile on his face, showing no sadness over marrying off his son.
Instead, he felt a kind of joy, as if he had finally managed to offload some long-stored, burdensome goods from the family home.