Yang Butou had already tipped them off—Xiao Mo’er was set to marry his brother-in-law. That left only Xie Mingzhu from the list, whom no one wanted.
She had five children trailing behind her.
But with their faces all pockmarked and figures similarly unremarkable, Fang Zhubo couldn’t immediately tell who was Xie Mingzhu. “Which of you is Xie Mingzhu?” he asked.
Xie Mingzhu hurriedly stepped forward. “This convicted woman, Xie Mingzhu, pays her respects to the Magistrate and Lord Secretary.”
The children and Xiao Mo’er also quickly bowed, their hearts filled with anxiety, deeply worried that Xie Mingzhu might be sent to the Salt Fields.
Seeing this, Fang Zhubo whispered a few words to Magistrate Chen.
Clearly, Magistrate Chen hadn’t known earlier about the handful of burdens Xie Mingzhu dragged along. After hearing Fang Zhubo’s explanation, his gaze unconsciously fell upon Xiao Yunyan and the others.
Then he looked at the carefree young man standing beside the old man.
Secretly, he felt troubled. Not only was this lad a loafer who only cared about filling his own belly and couldn’t possibly support six mouths, but there was also a significant age gap.
Madam Xie already had five children—even if not all were her own, she had to be at least in her twenties.
But the old man’s mind whirred, thinking that this woman came with five ready-made children. If this marriage went through, wouldn’t their village gain five more people? Wasn’t that a good thing?
Close your eyes and open them again—once the children grew up, wouldn’t they become five more laborers? And with four girls among them, they’d be highly sought after!
So, while Magistrate Chen and Fang Zhubo were lost in thought, the old man slapped the young man’s head. “What are you standing around for? Thank the lords, take your wife and children home!”
At these words, not only did Xie Mingzhu and her group widen their eyes in shock, but Yue Zhixian also jumped up.
“Old man, have you lost your mind? How old am I, that you’d make me a stepfather to so many people?” Whether they were ugly or not didn’t matter—the real issue was, with so many mouths to feed, wouldn’t he work himself to death?
He had no desire to die young.
Moreover, he’d never even considered getting married. This damned old man had dragged him to the county seat just to fill a quota.
Did the old man really think so little of him, not believing he could marry a wife from outside in a few years?
The old man seemed to enjoy watching him fret and fume. He thought this was perfect—he refused to believe Yue Zhixian could stand by and watch all these mouths go hungry with him.
Maybe once he got busy, he wouldn’t have time to idle around anymore and could truly settle down.
Magistrate Chen and Fang Zhubo were completely stunned, thinking to themselves that this old man was even more ruthless than they were! Though they considered Yue Zhixian a good-for-nothing, he was still young, and they felt somewhat guilty making him marry a widow so much older than him with five children in tow.
Who could have guessed the old man would go this far?
Still, at least Xie Mingzhu and her family of six would have a place to stay. Besides, Xie Mingzhu was still young and could surely bear more children in the future, contributing to Guangmao County’s population growth—far better than being sent to the Salt Fields.
And if she went to the Salt Fields, what would become of these five children? They couldn’t all tag along, could they? What future would they have there?
Wouldn’t that just mean losing five or six people for nothing?
So they quickly agreed, “In that case, we’ll issue your marriage certificate and register your household right away.”
The old man chuckled merrily, completely ignoring Yue Zhixian who was hopping mad with rage. He trotted happily after Fang Zhubo into the house to collect the marriage certificate for Xie Mingzhu and Yue Zhixian, and even took the opportunity to register their household registration under Silver Moon Beach, with Yue Zhixian listed as the head of the household.
Once they went inside, only Magistrate Chen was left outside, feeling rather awkward.
Although Xie Mingzhu’s pockmarked face made it hard to discern her expression, the shock and confusion in her eyes were unmistakable. This made Magistrate Chen too embarrassed to look at her. He cleared his throat and said, “Well, Xie Shi, you should go back with your husband from now on and live a proper life. In a year or so, if you behave yourselves, I will petition the court to lift your status as convicts.”
With that, without waiting for Xie Mingzhu to express her gratitude, he hurried into the so-called main hall.
For a moment, only Yue Zhixian was left, grumbling and cursing.
Of course, Yue Zhixian was cursing their village chief.
After cursing for a while, he seemed to realize that Xie Mingzhu and the others were still there. Scratching his head sheepishly, he explained, “Well, I’m not cursing you. I’m cursing that old bastard.”
And that Magistrate Chen and Fang Zhubo too—meddling in other people’s business like dogs chasing rats!
Xie Mingzhu didn’t know how to respond. Frankly, looking at this young man who was now her husband, her conscience ached a little.
Damn it, he’s just a high school boy! People in ancient times married early—who knows if he’s even of age yet?
Awkwardly, she replied, “I… I know.”
Xiao Mo’er stepped forward and tightly grasped Xie Mingzhu’s hand. She studied the young man—though handsome, he looked like an idle good-for-nothing.
“Sister-in-law,” she whispered. What should they do? The marriage certificate was already being processed.
And seeing how impatient the old man seemed, she grew even more worried. This young man was definitely no good!
Xiao Yunyan and the other children, however, didn’t think that far. They were just a bit dazed at suddenly having a new young father.
Xie Mingzhu didn’t know what to do either. “Let’s not panic for now. At least we have a place to stay, and the children are registered.” They wouldn’t have to go to the Salt Fields anymore.
Just then, Yang Defa and his wife rushed in. Mrs. Yang was scolding Yang Butou.
As soon as they entered the courtyard and saw Yue Zhixian, Mrs. Yang frowned. “Why are you still here?”
Yue Zhixian snorted disdainfully, his eyes shifting to Xie Mingzhu. “The old man’s getting my marriage certificate. I’m waiting for it!”
Mrs. Yang, who had already moved closer to Xie Mingzhu, paused mid-step at his words. Her gaze shifted between Xie Mingzhu and Xiao Mo’er.
She was afraid that Xiao Mo’er had been paired with that rogue, Yue Zhixian.
Xie Mingzhu noticed her concern and quickly explained, “The magistrate has assigned me to him.”
Hearing this, Mrs. Yang breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn’t her sister-in-law.
She felt happy for Xie Mingzhu. “That’s good too. A Xian may be a bit of a troublemaker, but he’s not a bad person. Living with him is better than being with a large, complicated family.”
Yang Butou also thought it was a good match. He patted Yue Zhixian on the shoulder and said, “From now on, you should strive to improve yourself. Now that you’re married, stop idling around and take on the responsibilities of a man.”
“Wait—” Yue Zhixian rolled his eyes. What responsibilities of a man? This marriage was forced on him by the old man and the magistrate.
But catching sight of Xie Mingzhu and the others with their varying heights, and a two-year-old girl watching with wide eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to speak harshly.
After all, this matter wasn’t something they could control themselves—it wasn’t their fault.
In the end, he had no choice but to resign himself to fate and change his tone. “I understand.”
The old man happened to come out cheerfully holding the marriage certificate and household register, just in time to hear this. “I told you, getting married changes a person. I was only inside for a short while, and you’ve already learned to take responsibility.”
Then he called out to Xie Mingzhu and the group, “A Xian’s wife, bring the children and follow me back to Silver Moon Beach.”
Madam Yang pulled them back. “Come to our house for a meal before leaving. The children must be hungry!”
But Xie Mingzhu’s attention was fixed on Silver Moon Beach. Since Su Yurou and Lu Wanwan were also there, they would have some support.
Yang Defa also urged them to stay.
The old man, however, glanced at the sky. “I have dry provisions on my mule cart. We’ve been away for two days already and need to return. We can manage a bite on the road.”
Yue Zhixian was also preoccupied with the traps he had set in the mountains—they might have already caught a pheasant—and was eager to check. For the first time, he found himself in agreement with the old man. “Yes, yes, we must hurry on our way.”
Seeing this, Madam Yang couldn’t insist on keeping them longer and said, “In that case, let the sisters-in-law bid each other a proper farewell.”
Xiao Mo’er clutched Xie Mingzhu’s hand, her heart fluttering with anxiety. “Sister-in-law.” She was both reluctant to part and afraid of facing an uncertain future alone.
Ever since the incident, she had relied on her sister-in-law for everything. What would she do once her sister-in-law was gone?
Though they had only been together for a little over two months, they had been inseparable day and night, and Xie Mingzhu treated her like her own younger sister. Thinking of Xiao Mo’er’s gentle, soft-spoken nature and timidity, Xie Mingzhu naturally worried about her.
But now they had no choice but to part. Xie Mingzhu hurried to comfort her: “Don’t worry. I can see that Yang Butou and his wife are very good people. Just treat them as you would me.”
But how could it be the same? Still, Xiao Mo’er feared causing her sister-in-law concern. Xie Mingzhu still had to care for her own children, so Xiao Mo’er held back her tears and nodded. “Yes, Sister-in-law, please take good care of yourself.”
Then she turned to her eldest nephew, Xiao Yunyan, and urged him, “Be filial to your mother.”
Xiao Yunyan nodded repeatedly. Truth be told, he felt closer to his aunt, whom he had only recently come to know, than to his mother, and his heart ached with sorrow. Choking up, he said, “I know, Aunt. You take good care of yourself too.”
While they spoke, Xie Mingzhu turned to Yang Butou and his wife with a request: “My mother-in-law passed away early, and I am still young, so I wasn’t able to teach her much. If she has any shortcomings, I beg you both to be lenient with her.”
Seeing both young and old in tears, Madam Yang was moved by the scene and quickly replied, “Set your mind at ease. I will treat her as my own younger sister.”