As a soldier, Xu Qingzhou possessed considerable strength. With his hand pressing down on Fang Yao’s neck, she couldn’t break free no matter how hard she tried.
Panic set in instantly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Her voice even carried a nasal tone as she pleaded, “Xu Qingzhou, I didn’t mean to. You ruined all my flowers.”
Xu Qingzhou’s heart skipped a beat. Only then did he realize he had overstepped. He released his grip and stepped back to a safe distance, his gaze fixed on the girl’s flushed cheeks. This was the first time he had been so close to someone of the opposite sex, and his own ears grew warm with heat.
“Let’s stop fooling around, alright?”
Fang Yao pressed herself tightly against the wall, curling up defensively. She nodded and murmured a soft “Mm.”
“Go to sleep. If they’re ruined, you can weave new ones tomorrow.”
Xu Qingzhou wanted to help pull the blanket over her, but Fang Yao remained tense. Before his hand could even approach, she had already tugged the blanket over herself, her dark eyes fixed on him like a startled bird.
Xu Qingzhou sighed. Since the situation had started because of him, he needed to show sincerity.
“Did I scare you just now?”
Fang Yao saw him tentatively raise his hand toward her and instinctively tried to dodge, but she was already pressed against the wall.
She could only watch as his hand gently landed on her head, giving it a few soft pats.
“Pat the head, fear not.”
Fang Yao pursed her lips, her eyes locked on his. Gradually, her emotions settled, and she felt it was necessary to set some ground rules sooner rather than later.
“Xu Qingzhou, I’m not one of your soldiers. I don’t respond to your military ways.”
Xu Qingzhou’s hand remained on her head, patting gently again and again, soothing her sensitive nerves. “Alright, I won’t do that again.”
In an instant, Fang Yao felt like a deflated balloon, her eyelashes drooping listlessly.
If it had been Xu Manjiang today, he would have argued with her endlessly, then used her hitting him as an excuse to pin all the blame on her. She had subconsciously prepared herself for a heated argument with Xu Qingzhou.
But he didn’t argue or make a scene. Instead, he calmly absorbed her emotions and patiently soothed her.
The difference in how people interacted was just that stark.
“Let’s sleep,” Fang Yao said, pulling the blanket over herself as she lay down.
Seeing that she was no longer angry, Xu Qingzhou relaxed and replied with a soft “Mm.” He, too, pulled his blanket over himself. Before settling in, he walked over to the stove and added more firewood.
Fang Yao peeked out from under the blanket, resting her head on the pillow as she watched him. Sensing he might turn around, she quickly closed her eyes and rolled over to face the inner side of the bed.
Soon, the empty space beside her was occupied. His breathing, unlike the dry warmth of the stove fire, carried a gentle, moist warmth that brushed past her ear. Fang Yao’s closed eyelids fluttered slightly, and then another layer of blanket was draped over her.
Just like the night before, Xu Qingzhou had shared half of his blanket with her.
“If you sleep like this, the blanket won’t cover you properly, and you’ll get cold at night,” Fang Yao said, opening her eyes and trying to push the extra blanket away.
Xu Qingzhou raised his hand to stop her, his deep voice tinged with affection. “It’s fine. Men run hot. I won’t get cold.”
As he spoke, he patted her through the blanket, as if soothing a child.
The gentle vibration on her shoulder, combined with the surrounding warmth, lulled Fang Yao into a deep sleep. When she opened her eyes again, the sky was already bright, and Wang Hua’s voice could be heard from the courtyard. Xu Qingzhou entered the room carrying a basin of water. Seeing Fang Yao awake, he turned and closed the door tightly behind him.
“Awake? You slept quite soundly last night.”
Fang Yao nodded, grateful for his care over the past two days, and spoke sincerely, "Thank you for being so good to me."
Xu Qingzhou chuckled dismissively, squatting in front of the stove to warm his hands. "Why be so polite between husband and wife? This is just the beginning."
Fang Yao also curved her lips into a smile, got up to dress, washed her face, and after having breakfast in Wang Hua's room, Xu Qingzhou and Wang Hua each rode their bicycles to accompany her back to her parents' home.
Fang Yao's parents' household was a large one. Her grandparents were still alive and lived with the family. Her father's generation included an uncle, and there was a cousin and a cousin-sister. In her own family, she had two older brothers, five and three years her senior, respectively.
Liu Bailan and Fang Daguo had been eagerly awaiting her return. Early in the morning, they had their sons prepare firecrackers to hang at the front gate, and all four family members stood on the road waiting.
From afar, Liu Bailan caught a glimpse of bicycle shadows and beamed with joy, calling out, "They're back! Hurry and find a lighter. Light the firecrackers as soon as they arrive!"
The eldest son, Fang Tong, lit a roll of tobacco and got ready to ignite the firecrackers.
The second son, Fang Bin, ran forward a few steps, confirmed the visitors, and dashed back with a wide, silly grin. "I saw them! They brought boxes of liquor and soda, and even cloth! My brother-in-law's gifts for this visit are even more generous than the betrothal gifts!"
Upon hearing that her son-in-law had brought cloth, Liu Bailan was overjoyed, her smile stretching from ear to ear.
As the bicycles drew closer, Fang Daguo urged Fang Tong to light the firecrackers. Seeing him fail several times, he snatched the cigarette and said, "Step aside," taking matters into his own hands.
The crackling of firecrackers filled the entire street with a festive atmosphere. Neighbors gathered at their doorways, peering curiously. The closest family teased, "Sister Fang, now that your daughter has brought her son-in-law home, you better hurry up with the wedding feasts for your eldest and second sons!"
"Just wait! You won't be left out!" Liu Bailan replied, her face glowing with delight, as she happily led her family forward to greet the visitors.
Unexpectedly, the flash of grass-green on the bicycles caught her eye. The man's appearance—his nose and eyes—didn't match her son-in-law at all!
The four members of the Fang family were stunned!
Looking back and forth between Xu Qingzhou and Fang Yao, Liu Bailan, standing at the front, asked in bewilderment, "Isn't this Man Jiang's cousin… What's going on, Yao Yao? Where's Man Jiang? Why didn't he come back with you?"
Fang Yao gazed at her parents with a complicated expression. Poor them, they had no idea she had already died once. Xu Manjiang had betrayed their trust and their entrustment, betraying her, hurting her, and even taking the life of the child in her womb.
"Mom…" The resentment in Fang Yao's heart turned into sorrow, magnified infinitely upon seeing her family.
Hearing the sob in her voice, Liu Bailan sensed something was wrong and pressed urgently, "What on earth happened? Tell me, child!"
Choking back tears, Fang Yao told her mother, "The groom has changed. Xu Qingzhou and I are husband and wife now."
"What? The groom changed?" Liu Bailan's eyes widened in shock!
The rest of the Fang family wore expressions of astonishment and disbelief!
Seeing this, Wang Hua quickly stepped forward and took Liu Bailan's hand, urging her not to make a scene. "Mother-in-law, I am Qingzhou's mother. It's freezing outside, and the children have been cold all the way here. Why don't we go inside first and discuss the details later?"
Reminded by her, Liu Bailan realized the matter was disgraceful. In a flustered hurry, she pulled Fang Yao and turned back toward the house.
"Let's talk about this at home!"
Fang Yao was tightly held by her mother's hand. With every step, she noticed her mother's face growing paler, realizing that her family's reaction to the Bridegroom Swap was not as easy to resolve as she had imagined.
Just as she expected, upon entering the house, Liu Bailan didn't even glance at the gifts in Xu Qingzhou and Wang Hua's hands. She stormed forward and demanded angrily: "I sent my good daughter to marry into the Xu Family, and in less than two days you tell me there's a Bridegroom Swap? What on earth have you all done? If you don't give me a proper explanation today, we'll go to the brigade and report the Xu Family for human trafficking!"