“W-What did you just call me?!”
Zhou Jianbin flew into a rage. Pointing a trembling finger at Lin Wanxia, he shouted at her.
“Lin Wanxia, don’t push your luck!”
“How dare you!”
Lin Wanxia’s smile vanished.
“How dare you!”
Her sharp rebuke silenced the courtyard.
“Zhou Jianbin, since your parents clearly failed to teach you proper manners, perhaps it’s time your Young Aunt gave you a lesson!”
She stepped forward.
“First, I married your youngest uncle. That makes me your elder by marriage, whether you like it or not.”
“Second, pointing at an elder and shouting insults is disgraceful behavior. Is this how the Zhou family raised you?”
Her gaze swept across the assembled relatives.
“I’ve barely married into this family, and you’re already treating me with such disrespect. Do you intend to treat your uncle the same way?”
The courtyard fell silent.
No one had expected Lin Wanxia to confront Zhou Jianbin so boldly.
Zhou Jianbin was completely overwhelmed.
His face turned a dark, purplish red, and he struggled for a long moment before finally managing to sputter, “Y-You’re twisting everything around!”
“Twisting everything around?”
Lin Wanxia gave a cold laugh.
“Fine! If that’s what you think, then let’s invite all the senior members of the Zhou family over and hold a proper family meeting. We can settle this matter in front of everyone!”
She raised her chin.
“Let’s see whether you’re the one who disrespected his elders first, or whether I’m the one being unreasonable!”
A family meeting?
The expressions on Zhou Dehai’s and Wang Xiulan’s faces changed immediately.
The Zhou family placed tremendous importance on family traditions, particularly filial respect and proper etiquette.
If the respected elders of the clan were summoned to settle this dispute, Zhou Jianbin would undoubtedly be the one to suffer.
And when that happened, their branch of the family would be humiliated all over again.
“Enough!”
Zhou Dehai finally spoke, his expression dark with anger.
“What kind of disgraceful behavior is this? We’re all family! Why are you making such a scene?”
He shot Zhou Jianbin a fierce glare, silently ordering him to keep his mouth shut.
Then he turned toward Zhou Yu’an, softening his tone.
“Yu’an, Jianbin is still young and immature. Don’t take his words too seriously. But you have to admit that you rushed into this marriage. You didn’t even discuss it with the family beforehand.”
He sighed heavily.
“It’s not that we’re against you getting married. It’s just that Lin Wanxia only recently broke off her engagement to Jianbin, and now you’ve turned around and married her yourself.”
“Have you thought about what people will say about the Zhou family when they hear about this?”
His words sounded perfectly reasonable, as though his only concern was protecting the family’s reputation.
But beneath that respectable explanation lay the same old intention.
He wanted Zhou Yu’an to give in.
Lin Wanxia was about to respond when she felt Zhou Yu’an gently squeeze her hand.
She turned toward him.
Meeting his reassuring gaze, she understood what he wanted.
She closed her mouth and allowed him to handle the confrontation.
“Big Brother.”
Zhou Yu’an’s voice was calm.
“Who I choose to marry is my own business. I don’t need anyone’s permission or approval.”
“As for what outsiders might think…”
His gaze shifted toward Zhou Jianbin.
“From where I’m standing, I’m simply cleaning up the mess my nephew created.”
“He couldn’t keep himself away from other women. He became involved with someone else while he was still engaged, broke his promise to Wanxia, and dragged an innocent young woman’s reputation through the mud.”
Zhou Yu’an’s expression remained cold.
“By marrying her, I’m protecting the Zhou family’s reputation. I’m showing everyone that our family doesn’t abandon its responsibilities when things become inconvenient.”
He paused before delivering his final blow.
“Or would you rather force Wanxia into such a desperate situation that she sees no way out except to take her own life? Would that finally make you proud of our family’s reputation, Big Brother?”
Zhou Yu’an hadn’t raised his voice, yet his words left Zhou Dehai with little room to argue.
He had turned the accusation against them.
Instead of defending himself for marrying his nephew’s former fiancée, he had reminded everyone that Zhou Jianbin’s betrayal was the real source of the family’s disgrace.
Zhou Dehai’s face alternated between red and pale.
He opened his mouth several times but couldn’t find a single convincing argument.
Wang Xiulan, however, couldn’t bear to remain silent.
“That’s nonsense!” she shrieked, stepping forward. “That little seductress was the one who tempted Jianbin in the first place!”
“Oh?”
Before Zhou Yu’an could respond, Lin Wanxia stepped forward with a pleasant smile.
“Sister-in-law, are you saying that your son, Zhou Jianbin, is such a useless man that he can’t even control himself? That any woman who comes along can lead him astray?”
“I…”
Wang Xiulan froze.
“Or perhaps you’re saying your son has no moral character whatsoever? That he’s a shameless womanizer who falls for every pretty face he sees?”
Lin Wanxia pressed forward without giving her a chance to recover.
“You!”
Wang Xiulan trembled with anger.
“Neither of those?”
Lin Wanxia spread her hands innocently.
“Well, that settles it, doesn’t it? If your son is such a decent, upright young man who knows how to behave himself, how could someone like me, this supposed seductress, possibly lead him astray?”
She tilted her head thoughtfully.
“Clearly, the fact that our engagement ended must have been a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, I might never have discovered his true character. It couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with me personally.”
“And now, his youngest uncle has married me to protect the reputations of both our families. Isn’t that a wonderful outcome for everyone?”
Her smile grew brighter.
“Sister-in-law, as the wife of the Zhou family’s eldest son, shouldn’t you be happy for us? Why are you standing here crying and carrying on as though we’ve committed some terrible crime?”
Then her expression changed slightly.
“Unless…”
She let the word hang in the air.
“Unless you were actually hoping that after Zhou Jianbin ruined my reputation, I’d never be able to marry anyone else.”
Her voice became quieter, but the accusation was unmistakable.
“Perhaps you were even hoping I’d be driven to death. That way, your precious son would no longer have to worry about the stain on his reputation. Is that what you wanted?”
The words came quickly, one after another, each argument flowing naturally into the next.
By the time Lin Wanxia finished, Wang Xiulan had been thoroughly trapped by her own accusations.
Instead of appearing like a concerned mother protecting her son, she now looked like a vicious woman who would gladly see her son’s former fiancée dead if it meant protecting his reputation.
Wang Xiulan’s vision darkened with rage.
She pointed at Lin Wanxia, her finger shaking uncontrollably.
“You… you… you…”
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t form a complete sentence.
The male relatives who had accompanied the family to witness the confrontation began looking at Wang Xiulan differently.
At first, they had also thought the marriage was absurd.
After all, it was hardly an ordinary situation for a young woman to marry her former fiancé’s uncle.
But the more they listened, the more reasonable Lin Wanxia’s arguments sounded.
What Zhou Jianbin had done was undeniably disgraceful.
His involvement with another woman had driven Lin Wanxia to break off their engagement, leaving her to face the village’s judgment and the Zhou family’s hostility.
And under the circumstances, Zhou Yu’an marrying her really did seem like the best possible solution.
At least the girl would have a respectable marriage, and the Zhou family could avoid being accused of abandoning her.
Wang Xiulan’s continued tantrum, on the other hand, only made her appear petty and incapable of considering the family’s interests.
“That’s enough! All of you, shut your mouths!”
Seeing the situation turn against him, Zhou Dehai finally lost his patience.
“That’s enough! All of you, shut your mouths!”
He knew there was nothing more to gain from arguing. Lin Wanxia was far more difficult to intimidate than he had expected, and Zhou Yu’an showed no intention of yielding.
“Today’s matter ends here!”
He turned toward his younger brother.
“Zhou Yu’an, you’d better think carefully about what you’re doing!”
With that final warning, he dragged the furious Zhou Jianbin and Wang Xiulan away.
The remaining relatives followed, leaving the courtyard silent once more.
At last, peace returned to the little courtyard.
Lin Wanxia watched their retreating figures and felt wonderfully refreshed.
In her previous life, she had suffered countless humiliations and hardships at the hands of the Zhou family.
Every time they mistreated her, she had swallowed her grievances and endured everything in silence.
But this time was different.
In this life, she had confronted them directly for the first time.
And she had left both Wang Xiulan and Zhou Jianbin completely speechless.
The victory left her feeling lighter than she had in years.
Then she noticed something.
Zhou Yu’an was still holding her hand.
Heat rushed to her cheeks, and she instinctively tried to pull away.
His grip tightened gently.
“In a few days, we’ll visit your parents.”
Lin Wanxia blinked.
According to tradition, newlyweds were expected to visit the bride’s family shortly after their wedding.
“All right,” she replied.
Only then did he release her hand and return to the main room.
Lin Wanxia watched him leave, her fingers still tingling from his touch.
Why was her heart beating so quickly?
Returning to her room, she closed the door and leaned against it, slowly releasing the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
This marriage to Zhou Yu’an was beginning to feel rather different from the arrangement she had originally imagined.
She had thought of it as a partnership.
A practical agreement that would benefit them both.
But the protection he offered her went far beyond anything she had expected.
And somehow, it felt much warmer too.
Lin Wanxia was still lost in thought when her gaze suddenly drifted toward the space beneath her bed.
Hidden there was her greatest secret.
The priceless piece of imperial green jadeite.
The confrontation with the Zhou family had reminded her that she couldn’t rely on someone else’s protection forever.
She needed resources of her own.
And the jadeite hidden beneath her bed could give her exactly that.
But turning it into money wouldn’t be easy.
Selling such a valuable treasure on the black market would be dangerous, especially for a young woman without connections.
She needed someone trustworthy who understood how to handle such a transaction.
Zhou Yu’an.
He was the only person she knew who might be able to help.
Yet the thought of revealing the jadeite made her hesitate.
He knew she had purchased an ordinary-looking stone for fifty cents. How would he react if she suddenly showed him a piece of imperial-green jadeite worth a fortune?
Would he believe her explanation?
Or would he begin to suspect that she had married him for his connections?
Lin Wanxia stared at the space beneath her bed.
She wanted to trust her husband.
But revealing her greatest secret was another matter entirely.
Just as she was struggling with these thoughts, a sudden knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock.
It was Zhou Yu’an.
Lin Wanxia’s heart gave an unexpected leap.
She quickly walked over and opened the door.
“Is something wrong?”
Zhou Yu’an stood outside, holding a large, coarse porcelain bowl with a small chip along its rim.
Inside were two freshly boiled eggs, their smooth white surfaces still giving off wisps of steam.
“Dinner.”
He held out the bowl, offering only that single word.
Lin Wanxia accepted it.
The porcelain felt pleasantly warm against her palms.
She looked down at the two eggs.
In this era, eggs were considered a luxury.
Most ordinary families saved them for special occasions or used them to entertain their most honored guests.
Yet Zhou Yu’an had prepared two for her.
A gentle warmth spread through her heart.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“Mm.”
Zhou Yu’an gave a quiet acknowledgment.
But instead of turning away, he remained standing in the doorway.
His deep, dark eyes rested on her face, and for a moment, he seemed to be considering something.
As though there were words he wanted to say but couldn’t quite find the right way to begin.
“Actually…”
“There’s something…”
They spoke at exactly the same moment.
Both immediately fell silent.
An awkward pause settled between them.
“You go first,” Zhou Yu’an said.
Lin Wanxia pressed her lips together.
For a brief moment, she hesitated.
Then she made up her mind.
“I… there’s something I have that I’d like you to take a look at.”