Fang Yao was once again left speechless by Xu Qingzhou and glared at him fiercely.
“Can’t I just watch the commotion? You’re always so sharp-tongued. Go chop your firewood!”
After saying this, Fang Yao went back inside, but Wang Cuilian’s quarreling didn’t stop. It lasted for over two hours before gradually subsiding.
In the afternoon, Fang Yao helped Xu Qingzhou deliver firewood to Old Mrs. Xu. While chatting, she casually asked about the situation.
Old Mrs. Xu lived alone and seldom had anyone to talk to. She immediately poured out her grievances to Fang Yao.
It turned out that the matter of the exchanged brides had become a spectacle for the neighbors. They gossiped about it at home, and their children overheard them. Early in the morning, the children gathered outside Wang Cuilian’s house to mock her, even making up a catchy rhyme.
How could Wang Cuilian tolerate this? Scolding the children wasn’t enough to vent her anger, so she went door-to-door demanding an explanation from the neighbors.
The neighbors had originally just whispered and laughed behind her back, letting the matter pass quickly. After all, everyone had their own lives to live—who could keep their eyes fixed on others all the time?
But Wang Cuilian refused to let it go. She went to each household, exposing their shortcomings. Back and forth, the jokes escalated into conflicts. Unable to match the four or five mouths against her, she threw a tantrum on the main road, making a fool of herself in front of the entire village.
Old Mrs. Xu, who had spent her whole life carefully maintaining her dignity, saw it all ruined in a single day. Her lips were so inflamed that several large blood blisters formed. She cried as she pointed them out to Fang Yao.
Fang Yao immediately went to the kitchen to fetch sesame oil, used a needle to puncture the blisters, and applied the oil to stop the bleeding.
Holding Old Mrs. Xu’s hand, she comforted her, “Grandma, people will say whatever they want. We just need to live our lives well. Time will prove everything.”
Touched, Old Mrs. Xu tightly grasped Fang Yao’s hand and praised her for her filial piety.
“Today, let me say something biased: Qingzhou is far better than Man Jiang. Those outsiders may laugh at them, but they haven’t said a single bad word about the two of you. Both you and Qingzhou live with clarity, and true good days are still ahead!”
Old Mrs. Xu had more to say but held back. The main reason Wang Cuilian was so furious was that outsiders didn’t mention Xu Qingzhou and Fang Yao at all, only mocking her family. This left her feeling unbalanced.
Fang Yao didn’t need her to explain further; she had already figured it out herself. She responded to the old lady’s words appropriately. Seeing that Fang Yao hadn’t come out for a while, Xu Qingzhou came inside to call her.
“Let’s go back. Tomorrow, I’ll accompany you to your parents’ home and take you shopping to buy some gifts to bring along.”
Fang Yao’s family lived in Beishan Village, a few kilometers away from Taoli Village. With all the busyness inside and out these past few days, she had completely forgotten to inform her family about the bride exchange!
Old Mrs. Xu’s expression also turned serious, worried that Fang Yao’s family might not accept the exchanged marriage and that Xu Qingzhou alone wouldn’t be able to handle it. She specifically instructed, “Then don’t be stingy with money. Buy plenty of good things, and take your mother along to meet the in-laws!”
Xu Qingzhou nodded and looked at Fang Yao, urging, “Let’s go.”
Fang Yao bid farewell to Old Mrs. Xu and left with Xu Qingzhou. Noticing his stiff walking posture, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Are you nervous about accompanying me back to my parents’ home?”
Xu Qingzhou, having been seen through, frowned helplessly and turned his gaze away, his lips pressed into a tight, downward curve.
Still stubborn, he retorted, “Who’s nervous? Sooner or later, the ugly son-in-law must meet his in-laws. What’s the big deal?”
Fang Yao saw through it but didn't say anything. She went home to get the money, while Xu Qingzhou informed Wang Hua and went to the storage room at the back to wheel out the bicycle.
This bicycle had hardly been ridden since it was bought and had never carried a passenger. Looking at the bare rear seat, he went to Wang Hua's room to fetch a cushion and tied it on with a rope.
Fang Yao's ears were sensitive to the cold, so she wrapped her head tightly with a scarf, leaving only her two dark, large eyes exposed. Her long eyelashes were already coated with a layer of moisture from the cold.
Glancing up, she noticed Xu Qingzhou wasn't wearing anything for warmth. She went back inside, rummaged through the wardrobe for a cotton hat and gloves, and handed them to him.
"Put these on. Tie the hat tight—if it blows off, I'll have to pick it up for you!"
Xu Qingzhou's eyes were filled with amusement as he took the gloves and put them on. Gazing at her lively, expressive eyes, he thought to himself that despite her young age, she always acted so mature. He deliberately lowered his head to tease her.
"Wearing gloves makes it inconvenient. You tie it for me."
Fang Yao instinctively raised her hands, pulled the strings to cover his ears, and tied a slipknot under his chin.
"Alright, let's go."
Xu Qingzhou curled the corners of his lips, swung his long leg over the bicycle seat, and stepped onto the pedal. His left leg planted firmly on the ground as he waited for her to settle securely on the rear seat. With a push of his right foot on the pedal, he glided effortlessly out the door, his mood as light and carefree as his ride.
Wang Hua stood by the window trimming dragon's claw plants and happened to witness the harmonious scene between the young couple. It was as beautiful as a painting.
It was worth noting that ever since Xu Qingzhou had discussed marriage with Li Xuemiao, his face had been perpetually wrinkled like a bitter gourd. Compared to his current vibrant spirit, if he had a tail, it would probably be wagging up to the sky!
Seeing her son find happiness, Wang Hua felt overjoyed and increasingly believed she had made the right choice in swapping daughters-in-law!
Both wrapped up warmly, Xu Qingzhou pedaled the bicycle swiftly, and they soon reached the city center, heading straight for Baihuo Dalou.
On the way, he had asked Fang Yao what her parents and elder brothers liked. With a clear goal in mind, they began shopping. They bought a case each of liquor and soda, which took up both his hands, along with some fruit, candy, and oil biscuits for Fang Yao to carry behind him.
"This should be enough. Any more and we won't be able to fit it on the bike," Fang Yao said, trotting along behind him.
But Xu Qingzhou set down the liquor and cigarettes, pulled a few fabric ration coupons from his pocket, and stuffed them into Fang Yao's hand.
"Buy some fabric for your mother to make new clothes. It's the thought that counts."
Xu Qingzhou strode ahead and soon reached the fabric store. With limited fabric coupons, he opted for quality, choosing the latest product, Diqueliang fabric, using up all seven feet of his coupons without a hint of reluctance.
Looking at the piles of gifts on the ground, Fang Yao could already imagine the scene when they returned to her parents' home tomorrow. Her mother alone would be overjoyed.
At that point, forget about the arranged marriage swap—with such a generous son-in-law, they'd probably treat him like royalty.
Xu Qingzhou, on the other hand, was perfectly content. The drinks and liquor took up the rear seat of the bicycle, and Fang Yao refused to sit on the crossbar, finding it uncomfortable. Instead, she walked alongside him, pushing the bicycle all the way back.
As they approached the village entrance, Fang Yao and Xu Qingzhou ran into a few neighbors chatting by the roadside. These people had just finished arguing with Wang Cuilian in the morning and were still fuming. They deliberately stopped the couple to vent their frustrations.
"Qingzhou, your second aunt's heart is as small as a needle's eye. At her age, she acts like a child and even came to my house urging us to hit her, scaring my child into crying! Don't you think she's mentally unstable?"
"I heard that after your second aunt went back, she started making a fuss in the yard again, blaming the new bride for making Man Jiang go out in the middle of the night shirtless to gather firewood. What's wrong with a grown man serving his new bride? She just can't stand it—it's only the second day since the bride entered the household, and she's already picking on her left and right. Just wait and see, there’s no way things will settle down from now on!"
"Exactly! Fang Yao, you’re truly blessed to have married Qingzhou! Not to mention he’s a regular army company commander, but having a mother-in-law like Wang Hua, who’s both hardworking and reasonable, is a thousand times better than Wang Cuilian!"