Xu Ao didn’t understand the source of her displeasure. Letting beads of sweat as large as beans roll from his temples down to his chin, he said helplessly, “You’re still sick. The doctor said you need to rest in bed.”
Sang Zhixia, who had initiated the confrontation, was momentarily taken aback.
Xu Ao frowned deeply, no longer concerned about blending in or climbing the ladder. He leaped down from the wall and, standing firmly, said, “Give me the water. You go and rest.”
Just as Sang Zhixia was about to speak, Aunt Wu, standing nearby, chuckled and said, “Xu Ao, is this your wife?”
Xu Ao’s ears inexplicably reddened.
Before either of them could respond, she took Sang Zhixia’s hand and looked her up and down, teasing, “I never would’ve guessed you’d be such a lucky one!”
“Look at your little wife—so pretty! With that delicate nose and big eyes, fair and clean like a fairy who just stepped out of a painting! You sure know how to pick a bride!”
The redness in Xu Ao’s ears spread directly to his cheeks.
In her previous life, Sang Zhixia had relied solely on herself to get by, and she was well-versed in social etiquette. Without a trace of shyness, she smiled and said, “Auntie, you really know how to flatter someone. If I hadn’t looked in the water mirror while washing my face this morning, I’d have thought I’d become an immortal!”
“Hahaha!”
“Listen to that sweet little mouth of hers!”
Sang Zhixia took the opportunity to support the enthusiastic aunt and naturally greeted everyone, “Uncles and aunties, please don’t rush. Have some water and take a break first. There’s no hurry with these tasks.”
She raised her hand toward Xu Ao, who quickly took the basket hanging from her arm. Inside the basket was a pot of water at just the right temperature and a stack of clean bowls.
Xu Ao spread a wooden plank over a rock and hurriedly took out the water pot to pour drinks.
The water was just ordinary boiled and cooled water, but it carried a faint floral fragrance.
Aunt Wu took a sip and asked in surprise, “What did you put in here? Why does it smell so good?”
Sang Zhixia handed a bowl of water to another uncle with both hands and explained with a smile, “We don’t have any tea at home, so I picked and washed some crushed osmanthus blossoms to add to it. How does it taste, Auntie?”
“It’s really not bad at all.”
Aunt Wu didn’t hesitate to give a thumbs-up. “It’s fragrant, much more flavorful than plain water.”
“If you like it, I’ll pick some more later, dry it, and bring it over to you. That way, the water you drink every day will be full of flavor.”
Aunt Wu was overjoyed and repeatedly said it was a wonderful idea.
Sang Zhixia’s banter had everyone laughing, and those who were naturally outgoing started calling her Xiaxia right away.
Some with sharp eyes noticed that her complexion really didn’t look well.
After finishing his water, the Village Chief said, “Xu Ao’s wife, since you’re sick, you should go inside and rest. We can pour our own water if we need to.”
“Yes, if you’re sick, don’t trouble yourself coming out.”
Xu Ao seized the moment to say, “I’ll handle things here. You go back inside.”
Sang Zhixia glanced around uneasily but, after being urged several times, simply smiled and said, “Well, thanks to all of you, I’ll take the chance to be lazy today.”
Amid the laughter urging her to go inside, she tugged on Xu Ao’s sleeve.
“Come here.”
Understanding her meaning, Xu Ao walked over. As soon as he lowered his head, he heard Sang Zhixia whisper softly, “The materials were provided by others, and they’ve put in effort too. When everything’s done, remember to invite them to stay for a meal.”
The Xu Family had already fallen from grace, yet they still put on airs and acted self-important.
She was genuinely worried that Xu Ao might not catch on either.
Fortunately, Xu Ao wasn’t that clueless.
He curled his lips and said, “Alright, I understand.”
Sang Zhixia turned to leave, but after a moment’s thought, she added with concern, “If you’re inviting people to stay for a meal, we can’t just serve plain rice porridge. You need to buy something decent for the table.”
She was quite amused by the idea of Xu Ao using his unchanging rice porridge to shut up Auntie Xu the Second and the others, but you can’t skimp like that when hosting guests.
Inviting people to help and then treating them to a meal—this kind of mutual exchange would help them become familiar faces in the village.
They weren’t just staying in Luobei Village for a day or two; it was important to build good relationships.
Xu Ao nodded amiably and agreed. Only after Sang Zhixia went inside did he roll up his sleeves and prepare to climb back onto the roof.
But as soon as he moved, he heard Aunt Wu, who had been showering Sang Zhixia with praise, say, “This is why they say a man who dotes on his wife is a good one.”
“Look at how clingy young Xu is—he can’t take his eyes off Xiaxia. You two haven’t been married long, have you? Still in that newlywed phase, all lovey-dovey.”
Xu Ao flushed bright red at the teasing but mustered the courage to reply with a smile, “Auntie, you’re right. We haven’t been married long.”
“Then you’d better hurry up,” Aunt Wu said cheerfully. “My Changgui is only a year older than you, and he already has three kids. With both of you so good-looking, you should aim for seven or eight!”
Xu Ao’s attempt at a comeback failed completely. Blushing furiously, he climbed awkwardly onto the roof, his movements stiff and uncoordinated.
Everyone burst into laughter at the sight.
The repairs on the roof were nearly done, and the villagers had gained a rough understanding of the Xu Family’s situation.
Learning that there were over a dozen people in the household, yet only Xu Ao and Sang Zhixia were out making arrangements, Aunt Wu asked curiously, “Where are the rest of your family? Why haven’t we seen them?”
Xu Ao replied vaguely, “We just moved here, and everyone’s exhausted from the journey. They’re resting and recuperating for now.”
Aunt Wu made a thoughtful sound and said, “That makes sense. I heard you came a long way—must’ve been quite a hassle.”
“Alright, we’re pretty much done here. Old man, we should head back.”
“Auntie, don’t rush off,” Xu Ao quickly stopped the villagers who were about to leave. Wiping his sweat, he insisted, “We haven’t had time to set up the house properly, and you’ve all been such a great help today. No matter what, we must treat you to a simple meal.”
“Please stay for dinner. I—”
“Hey, no one’s in a hurry for this meal,” Aunt Wu interrupted, shoving the basket of bowls into Xu Ao’s hands. “Xiaxia is still sick. Who would rush you for a meal like this? There’ll be plenty of time for that later.”
When Xu Ao tried to insist, Sister-in-law Wu, who had come to fetch Wu Changgui, teased, “When your wife has a baby, you’ll have to deliver red eggs to every household and host a feast. If you have seven or eight kids like my mother said, you’ll have plenty of chances to treat us!”
Xu Ao was never skilled at bantering, and such direct teasing from the women left him utterly flustered. This kind of overwhelming warmth was something he had never experienced before.
Seeing that Xu Ao’s face had been flushed all day, Wu Changgui and the others chuckled as they gathered their tools.
“Someone who might be a father by the end of the year, and yet you blush so easily?”
“Alright, alright, Xu Ao, no need to see us off. We’re heading home now.”
The villagers who had volunteered to help left, chatting and laughing among themselves. Xu Ao stood still for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm the turmoil in his heart, then turned and walked to the East Room, knocking on the door.
“Mother?”
“Come in.”
Xu Ao keenly detected the unusual tone in her voice. Pushing the door open, he saw Sang Zhixia wrapped in a quilt and leaning against the corner, making desperate lip movements at him: “She’s angry.”
To be precise, she was extremely angry.
Seeing Xu Ao enter, Xu Wenxiu said with reddened eyes, “Ao’er, you must discipline your wife.”
Xu Ao asked blankly, “What has she done?”
“What do you think she’s done?”
Xu Wenxiu, normally as gentle as water molded into a benevolent figure, showed rare anger. Sobbing, she said, “There were so many people outside earlier, men and women all crowded together. She’s your newlywed wife—how could she mingle among the men?”
This not only violated feminine virtues but also contradicted the teachings of female chastity and conduct!
If word got out, not only would Sang Zhixia’s reputation be ruined, but Xu Ao would also be dragged down and become a laughingstock.
After Sang Zhixia returned to her room, Xu Wenxiu grew increasingly distressed the more she thought about it. She wanted to assert her authority as a mother-in-law and reprimand Sang Zhixia, but she was someone accustomed to being lectured herself—how could she possibly know how to scold others?
Xu Wenxiu silently wept in front of Sang Zhixia for a long time before finally gritting her teeth and delegating the task of disciplining Sang Zhixia to Xu Ao.
After hearing her tearful account of the situation, Sang Zhixia silently assessed in her heart: Not bad—this mother-in-law I gained by chance spoke truthfully without exaggeration or fabrication.
She had indeed been crying like this in front of her.
And she had been crying for quite a while.
How could someone cry so much…
Xu Ao hadn’t expected this to be the reason for her anger. After a moment of silence, he slowly exhaled a bitter breath and said hoarsely, “Mother.”
“Zhizhi did nothing wrong.”