Xia Weiming pedaled his bicycle furiously all the way. When he arrived at Xia Weixin’s house in town, the family had just finished breakfast, having gotten up unusually late on this rare weekend.
“Big brother, why are you here at this hour? Have you had breakfast yet?” Xia Weixin asked as soon as they met.
Xia Weiming was panting heavily from exhaustion. He took a couple of deep breaths before waving his hand. “Yes, yes, I’ve eaten. I have something to discuss with you.”
After guiding Xia Weiming to sit down, Xia Weixin fetched a towel, turned on the fan, and instructed his daughter Xia Tao: “Tao Tao, hurry up, pour a cup of warm tea for your uncle.”
Xia Tao was busy washing pots and dishes in the kitchen with her mother Zhang Jing. Hearing the call, she was about to respond when Xia Weiming interjected: “No need for warm tea, Tao Tao! Just scoop some cold water for your uncle!”
Drinking cold water could upset the stomach.
Xia Weixin quickly added, “Don’t listen to your uncle, just pour warm—”
Before he could finish, Xia Tao had already cheerfully scooped out a large bowl of cold water. Xia Weiming hurriedly stood up to take it, chiding Xia Weixin: “Look at you, you’re not even as sensible as your Tao Tao. Us farmers don’t fuss over such things—cold tea? On a hot day like this, sweating all over, nothing beats cold water!”
As he spoke, he reached out with his free hand to pat Xia Tao’s head.
Xia Tao was quick-witted and agile, dodging just in time. “Uncle, you talk with Dad. I’ll go help Mom wash the dishes in the kitchen.”
Xia Weiming awkwardly lowered his hand and was about to nod when he suddenly put on a stern face. “A young girl like you, why should you be doing such chores? Besides, aren’t you about to take the college entrance exam? Even if your grades are good, you still need to review properly. Time shouldn’t be wasted like this!”
Xia Tao smiled cheerfully. “Uncle, you can’t study all the time. It’s too tiring. Helping Mom with some chores gives my brain a rest.”
Xia Weiming’s expression softened slightly, but he persisted, “Then go play! That’s also a way to rest!”
This time, Xia Tao didn’t reply. She just smiled, but as soon as she turned around, her face fell.
Her uncle was simply unbearable!
As she entered the kitchen, she could still hear Xia Weiming talking to Xia Weixin. She couldn’t understand why her uncle felt the need to meddle in her affairs when he should just focus on his own family. Wasn’t her mother exhausted from working every day? As a daughter, what was wrong with helping with some household chores? Besides, wasn’t it said that her cousin Yingying from her uncle’s family could cook for herself since she was seven? She was already eighteen—even if she couldn’t compare to Yingying in other ways, was she not even allowed to wash pots and dishes?
“Mom, look at my uncle. He’s so annoying!” Xia Tao whispered to Zhang Jing in complaint.
Zhang Jing also showed a look of disdain, gently patting her daughter. “Just ignore him. Stay quiet, and let me listen to what your uncle is up to.”
Xia Tao nodded and leaned toward the kitchen door as well.
Outside, Xia Weiming quickly explained the matter in a few sentences, leaving Xia Weixin stunned. Yet he was still asking, “Second brother, do you think I made a mistake? That boy dropped out before finishing high school. Can he really get into college after just one year of review?”
Xia Weixin fell silent for a moment before asking with difficulty, “Big brother, shouldn’t you be more concerned about whether Yingying has been wronged and whether the eldest son of the Zhou family is a good match?”
Clearly, the second son of the Zhou family wasn’t, but what about the eldest?
If he was, then letting things slide might be fine. But if he wasn’t, they should bring her back immediately!
After all, was there any worry that a daughter of the Xia family wouldn’t find a good match?
Xia Weiming was taken aback for a moment, then immediately flushed with anger. He didn’t even address him as “second brother” anymore, shouting directly, “Second brother, what do you mean by that? Yingying is your niece, but she’s my own daughter. Do you think I care about her less than you do? If I didn’t care whether she was wronged, would I have rushed to the Zhou family early in the morning without even eating breakfast? If I didn’t love her, would I care whether her husband is capable? I want her husband to be capable because I want her to live a good life!”
For every word Xia Weixin said, he felt like retorting with ten.
And indeed, this left Xia Weixin too intimidated to speak up.
In the kitchen, however, Xia Tao whispered softly, “Mom, I really can’t see how my uncle is being good to Yingying. If he truly cared, after Yingying suffered such a great injustice, he should have smashed up the Zhou family and then brought Yingying back home. As for that eldest son of the Zhou family, if he really wants to marry my Yingying, he should show some sincerity and go to my uncle’s house to plead for her hand.”
That made sense.
Even their own Tao Tao could see it clearly, but her husband probably couldn’t.
Sure enough, outside, Xia Weixin immediately apologized to Xia Weiming, “Big brother, you’ve misunderstood. That’s not what I meant. How could I not know how much you love Yingying? You even dote on our Tao Tao so much, so of course you love Yingying too. I was just anxious and thought the wrong way. But speaking of this Zhou Qingbai…”
“Dad!” Xia Tao came out of the kitchen, interrupting Xia Weixin. “Dad, actually, it’s very simple to find out whether this person can really get into university—just test him. I can’t boast about anything else, but in our class, my grades are among the best. Testing someone who hasn’t even attended high school shouldn’t be a problem.”
Xia Weiming immediately slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “Ah! Yes, yes, yes! That’s exactly what I was thinking too. So, Tao Tao, could you do your uncle a favor and help test that kid?”
Xia Tao nodded, “No problem. Just set the time, and I’ll prepare a test paper for him.”
·
Sitting in the West Wing Room, Xia Ying didn’t take out all her dowry to sort through.
A few large items were placed to the side, and only the chest she had just opened was there; the rest remained where they were.
After moving the pitiful two chests from Jiao Qinqin’s dowry to the floor by the door, she sat on the edge of the bed, thinking about the problems she might face next.
Based on her understanding of her father, he would likely find someone to test Zhou Qingbai, and the most likely person he would ask would be Xia Tao from her second uncle’s family. Xia Tao was born on the same year, month, and day as her, but while she was already married, Xia Tao was the only daughter of her second uncle and aunt, currently in her third year of high school in town, preparing for this year’s college entrance exam.
Fortunately, she had always been on good terms with Xia Tao. As long as she could find a way to contact Xia Tao first, she wouldn’t have to worry about what came next.
But after that…
Glancing around the West Wing Room, Xia Ying’s brows furrowed tightly. She didn’t want to live here. Even if she could forget the unhappy memories from her past life in this lifetime, the thought of living under the same roof as Zhou Yiming’s family made her feel deeply uncomfortable. It seemed she would have to find another place to live. Building a house wasn’t very feasible—even a simple three-room tiled house would cost at least four thousand yuan. Even if Zhou Qingbai was willing to pay, their combined savings wouldn’t be enough.
Besides, having a new house wasn’t enough. They would still need beds, cabinets, tables, pots, pans, bowls, and utensils, right?
All of that required money.
I wonder if there’s an old house somewhere that could be bought, or maybe borrowed…
Moreover, she also needed to think of a way to earn money. Only with financial independence could a woman have the confidence to make any choice.
Xia Ying was trying to recall whether anyone had done anything to make money around this time in her previous life when the door was gently knocked. She hadn’t heard any movement from the main door outside, so it couldn’t be Zhou Qingbai. Could it be—Zhou Yiming?
Xia Ying stared at the door without making a sound.
Outside the door was indeed Zhou Yiming. He knocked several times and, seeing no response from inside, had no choice but to stop. Yet he was unwilling to give up and leave just like that. This was his last chance. If Xia Ying and Zhou Qingbai spent another night together, he would truly have no opportunity left.
This wasn’t just about losing a woman; it could very well mean losing a chance to climb higher in life!
With no one around, Zhou Yiming allowed the regret in his heart to overflow, hating himself so much that his eyes turned red. What on earth had gotten into him? Why had he gotten involved with Jiao Qinqin in such a way? Jiao Qinqin… was only moderately pretty. If he could just pass the college entrance exam and secure a good job, would he lack beautiful girls? How could he have been so shortsighted, focusing only on Jiao Qinqin without considering the consequences!
He regretted it, truly regretted it. He shouldn’t have done it!
“Xia… Yingying…” He gently tapped the door again. “I have something to say to you. Could you open the door? I… I was wrong, Yingying. I know I was wrong. I regret it. I shouldn’t have done that. Yingying, could you give me another chance?”
Through the door, Xia Ying couldn’t see Zhou Yiming’s expression at that moment.
But just imagining it, she could picture how pitiful and wretched he must look.
This was something she had never seen in her previous life. Back then, Zhou Yiming had carried himself with an air of superiority from the very beginning. Even later, when Zhou Qingbai beat him so badly he couldn’t get out of bed, his confidence never wavered. And with her dowry and Zhou Xiaocao’s sacrifices, he had always gotten his way and steadily climbed the social ladder.
If she hadn’t heard it with her own ears, she wouldn’t have believed that Zhou Yiming could ever be so pathetic.
Xia Ying wanted to laugh, and she couldn’t help but do so.
In her previous life, she had always blamed her misfortune. But now, looking back, it wasn’t fate that was cruel—she had been useless, incompetent!
With just a few words, Zhou Qingbai had brought about a qualitative change in the situation. The moment her father’s attitude shifted, Zhou Yiming had revealed his true colors. If she had thought more deeply earlier, she would have realized that if the straightforward path didn’t work, she could have taken a detour. As long as it led to a good outcome, the process didn’t matter at all.
Thanks to Zhou Qingbai, she finally understood that at least half of her suffering in her previous life had been self-inflicted!
Zhou Yiming pressed his ear against the door, hearing what sounded like a mix of laughter and crying from inside. Naturally, he assumed it was crying. Although things hadn’t unfolded as he had expected, he remained convinced that he was ten thousand times better than Zhou Qingbai. He firmly believed that, given the chance, Xia Ying would choose him over Zhou Qingbai.
He hurriedly pounded on the door even harder: “Yingying, Yingying, don’t cry. Open the door, I promise you, I’ll go to the Jiao family right now and make things clear with Jiao Qinqin! I was blinded by foolishness—I don’t like her, the one I like is you! Yes, the one I like is you. As long as you’re willing, we can still be husband and wife, a proper married couple. I promise to treat you well for the rest of my life, and I swear I’ll never look for another woman again!”
By this time, the legal marriage age requirement had already been established, but most rural families didn’t bother with marriage certificates. Besides, both Xia Ying and Zhou Yiming were still underage, so there was nothing wrong with Zhou Yiming saying this now.
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard footsteps coming from inside. He quickly stood up, and as soon as the door opened, he immediately tried to embrace her.