The two held hands, winding through multiple courtyards until they reached the front hall.
Inside the hall, the Old General was sipping tea while watching the Old Madam.
Seeing her run back and forth to peer out the main hall entrance for the fifth time, he shook his head in amusement and called out, “Why are you so anxious? Running back and forth like this—you’re making me dizzy! You’re fifty-eight years old, how can you still be so restless?”
The Old Madam turned and smiled at him. “You can sit still because your leg is lame. Otherwise, you’d be running around more than I am.”
The Old General chuckled. “I’m not like you, going crazy waiting for a daughter-in-law.”
The Old Madam retorted, “Oh really? I wonder who was calling out for a grandson in their dreams in the middle of the night? Quiet as you may seem, you’ve actually been going crazy with anticipation, haven’t you?”
The Old General’s face reddened.
So what if he wanted a grandson?
He was sixty-one years old and still hadn’t held a grandson—wasn’t he allowed to want one?
As the Old Madam bickered with the Old General by the door, she suddenly caught sight of figures by the Moon Gate. She focused her eyes and finally saw her son Ling Zhao appearing hand-in-hand with his future bride.
The Old Madam stared at the image of their interlocked fingers and pinched her own thigh in excitement.
Good heavens, this daughter-in-law wasn’t going anywhere—she was one of their family now!
The Old Madam hurried back to sit beside the Old General, saying joyfully, “They’re here, they’re here! Holding hands as they come! Quick, sit properly, sit properly!”
The Old General promptly set down his teacup and straightened his posture.
From now on, they were to be parents-in-law. They needed to be dignified and not let their delicate daughter-in-law think they were a bunch of rough folks.
Thus, when Shen Yuanwei entered, she saw the perfectly upright Old General and the graceful, proper Old Madam.
She walked with Xiao Lingzhao to stand before the elderly couple.
Xiao Lingzhao cupped his hands in salute and got straight to the point. “Father, Mother, your son wishes to marry Yuan Wei as soon as possible. I beg for your approval and blessing.”
The Old General and Old Madam exchanged a glance, their smiles impossible to conceal.
Oh my.
Before, when they urged him to marry, he stubbornly refused to listen. Now he was in a hurry?
Wanting to marry her so quickly—what had he been doing all this time? Why hadn’t he introduced the young lady to them earlier?
The Old General stroked his beard, smiling as he looked at Shen Yuanwei.
“Miss Shen, my son says he wants to marry you as soon as possible. I wonder how you feel about this?”
“We two old folks have no objections to this marriage. Miss Shen, you may not realize what you mean to our family. When you arrived today, my family was preparing to send me out to end my own life. I met you when I had no way out and could only trade my life for another’s.”
“You saved my son, sparing me from death. In doing so, you saved my life.”
“You also indirectly saved my wife’s life, because she and I share a deep bond. If I had died by suicide, she likely wouldn’t have lived much longer either.”
“So Miss Shen, you are the benefactor of our entire family. If my son can marry you, it would be the good fortune of our Xiao family!”
The Old General’s tone then shifted.
“The only question is whether your parents would be willing to form a marriage alliance with our Xiao family? As long as they don’t look down on us, my wife and I will immediately prepare betrothal gifts and personally visit to seek your hand in marriage for our son!”
The Old Madam also rose with a smile and walked over to stand beside Shen Yuanwei.She carried none of the airs of a general’s wife, speaking with gentle warmth and evident delight. “Miss Shen, though this is our first meeting, I trust my son’s judgment. In all his years, he has never shown interest in any young lady—you are the first he has brought before us.”
The Old Madam tightened her grip on Shen Yuanwei’s arm. “Do you know, we urged him countless times to marry, but he always refused. It seems his heart was already set on you—you were the only one he ever wanted to wed, isn’t that so? For my son to care for you so deeply, to love you enough to vow never to marry another—I believe you must possess far more virtues than mere kindness and beauty. You surely have countless wonderful qualities. You must be the finest young lady under heaven! Having you join our family is not only my son’s blessing but ours as well!”
Shen Yuanwei glanced at the kindly white-haired Old General, then at the gracious Old Madam.
Such lavish praise made her uneasy.
She wasn’t that exceptional, and she didn’t want them to misunderstand.
She spoke frankly, “Old General, Old Madam, I’m not as perfect as you describe. I’m just an ordinary person with many flaws. I fear you might envision me too ideally and later struggle with the disappointment…”
The Old Madam immediately interjected, “Flaws make it even better!”
Shen Yuanwei’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.
The Old Madam laughed heartily. “If you’re not perfect, then I, as your mother-in-law, won’t have to be so nervous around you, right? Truthfully, it’s not just young women who dread becoming daughters-in-law—we elders also worry about being mothers-in-law! I was afraid my daughter-in-law would be too perfect, finding fault with this and that. I dreaded having to tread on eggshells every day—that would be exhausting. Since none of us are perfect, we can relax and accept each other freely, don’t you agree?”
Shen Yuanwei chuckled.
Her initial agreement to marry Xiao Lingzhao had been because her life in her original world had ended, and she came to this world to redeem him—so marriage seemed inconsequential.
But now, after interacting with them, not only was Xiao Lingzhao winning her over, but the Old General and Old Madam were too.
Living with such easygoing and amusing people would surely be far from burdensome.
Shen Yuanwei bowed respectfully to the elderly couple. “I’m honored that you consider me worthy to be your daughter-in-law. However, I was an abandoned infant left at a mass grave. The foster mother who took me in and raised me passed away half a year ago, and I have no other family. I wonder if you might find my fate too harsh, being an orphan?”
The Old General and Old Madam were both taken aback.
Such a wonderful girl, yet her life had been so tragic?
The elderly couple exchanged glances.
Other families might shun an orphan for fear of ill fortune, but their family would not. They had lost six children themselves—they would never reject someone merely because tragedy had struck their family.
Their hearts ached with pity for the poor girl.
The Old General stood up, his voice tender. “Dear child, don’t be afraid. Our family has served as generals for generations—we’re steeped in martial energy. We’re not afraid of your harsh fate; in fact, it’s better if you’re resilient! If you could outlast even me and Ling Zhao’s mother, that would be quite a feat!”
Shen Yuanwei couldn’t help but burst into laughter.Old Madam also expressed her stance, “If you are willing, young lady, I will choose an auspicious day to halt your marriage with Ling Zhao. From then on, the General’s Residence will be your home, and we will be your family. We will cherish you as our own daughter, and on each Qingming Festival and death anniversary, Ling Zhao will accompany you to pay respects to your mother.”
Shen Yuanwei knew that the Old General and Old Madam’s current fondness for her was only because they needed her to save Xiao Lingzhao, but she didn’t mind.
As long as Xiao Lingzhao, this patient, could never leave her for the rest of his life, the General’s Residence would treat her like an ancestor and support her forever.
Therefore, without any hesitation, she was even more straightforward than the two elders. She directly reached into her bosom, pulled out her identity document, and handed it to Xiao Lingzhao.
“Take it to register the marriage. We’ll hold the wedding ceremony tonight.”