Zhao Aunt quietly returned to the living room and first called the eldest son of Old Master Qin’s family, but no one answered. She then dialed the second son’s household.
The second daughter-in-law, Chen Shuyi, answered the phone: “Hello?”
“Is this the second young master’s wife? I’m Zhao from the old residence. Is Xingyun by your side?”
Chen Shuyi said, “Aunt Zhao, he’s not here. What’s wrong?”
Zhao Aunt said, “A country girl came to the house—dark, fat, ugly, and messy. She insists on marrying into our family. The Old Master decided on Xingyun, and this morning he pulled connections to get their marriage certificate done.”
Chen Shuyi jumped up from her chair in shock. “What? How can he decide Xingyun’s marriage? And to such an unsightly woman? Wait for me, I’m coming over.”
Zhao Aunt hung up the phone and thought to herself: Just wait until his mother arrives—you’ll see.
……
After Zhao Aunt left, Su Manman went back to sleep, only to be woken by the noisy commotion outside.
“Dad, how can you let Xingyun register marriage with a stranger? A marriage certificate requires signatures from both parties. What you did doesn’t count!”
“Girl, our family has been turned upside down and you still won’t say a word?” Chen Shuyi pushed the door open and scolded angrily. She saw a young woman sitting on the bed, her face patchy with dark and light tones like a skin disease. But looking closely, the dark parts seemed like natural skin tone.
Her features were exquisite—like a painting. She had two thick, long braids, glossy black, hanging down her back. Her figure was slim and delicate.
Zhao Aunt had said she looked like a ghost and weighed several hundred jin?
Even if she was pretty, it still wouldn’t do.
A rural girl with no background, no education, no support—what use was she?
“Hey! What are you doing? The child just arrived after several days of travel and is resting. Why are you barging in?” Old Master Qin said angrily.
This girl was not easy to deal with. If she was offended, she might use poison against them and make them suffer for a year or two—that would not be worth it.
He stepped forward to apologize:
“Manman, sorry…”
He stopped halfway.
The girl in front of him had uneven skin tone, but her facial features were extremely delicate. Her eyes looked like a clear spring.
Her beautiful lips opened and closed: “Second sister-in-law, hello. Since I address you this way, you should already know who I married, right? Father-in-law, has the certificate been registered?”
Old Master Qin was speechless.
Wasn’t this a bit too fast to change address?
“It’s done. Why have you become so thin?”
In just one night, the once heavyset girl had turned into a slim and graceful young woman.
Her speech had also become clear.
Her voice was crisp and pleasant.
She looked completely different from yesterday.
Su Manman smiled in satisfaction, but when he kept nagging, she rubbed her forehead and said impatiently, “Do you not understand human speech? How many times do I have to say it? I had an allergic reaction.”
Old Master Qin was silent.
Chen Shuyi couldn’t stand being ignored. “Dad, how can you do this? Qin Lin got married without even knowing, and you even hid it from his mother. Will they accept this when they come back?”
Only then did Su Manman learn the man’s name from the photo.
Nice name.
How is it written?
Old Master Qin said calmly, “I know what I’m doing.”
Chen Shuyi was speechless.
You “know what you’re doing” by letting your son marry a stranger?
This girl looked about eighteen or nineteen, probably uneducated.
What could she possibly contribute to the family?
Just support her?
Thankfully, she wasn’t going to be her daughter-in-law.
Her own son’s situation was now safe, so she left in relief.
Old Master Qin placed the documents on the table. “Manman, keep your marriage certificate safe.”
Su Manman nodded happily. “Mm! Thank you, Dad, for fulfilling this. You’re really good. From now on you’re my real father. It would be even better if you could also give me breakfast.”
Old Master Qin couldn’t help but laugh.
He then turned to Zhao Aunt. “Did you not prepare Manman’s meal?”
Zhao Aunt, who had been watching the scene sourly, replied a bit emotionally, “It’s ready. She was asleep, so I was going to bring it out.”
She had barely opened her eyes and already wanted to eat.
Yet such a woman still managed to marry well.
Unfair.
She left angrily.
Old Master Qin followed her out. “Xiao Zhao, why did you tell the second daughter-in-law about Manman and Xingyun’s marriage?”
Zhao Aunt felt nervous under questioning. “Master, I—I was just trying to help. Yesterday she looked so ugly, I thought she didn’t match Xingyun at all… I didn’t expect that overnight she’d become so beautiful. Master, I feel something is off. How can someone go from ugly one day to beautiful the next?”
Old Master Qin narrowed his eyes slightly.
The girl’s condition might be related to some backlash from poisoning techniques—now recovering.
In this new era, such things must not be spread.
He said coldly, “I think you’re the one who’s not normal. You’re hired to work, not interfere in family matters. Until I publicly hold the wedding, I don’t want outsiders asking about this.”
Zhao Aunt left embarrassed.
……
After breakfast, Su Manman put away her marriage certificate.
Old Master Qin came over. “Manman, let’s go outside for a walk. The sun is good—helps with calcium absorption.”
“Calcium? What’s that?”
“Something good for your body. Xingyun is a doctor; he said so.”
Su Manman immediately became interested. “He’s a doctor? That’s like me. Is he also a university student?”
“Yes. How many years have you studied, Manman?”
Su Manman scratched her head awkwardly. “Only a few days. After my parents and grandfather passed away, my grandmother became mentally unstable. If she didn’t see me for a moment, she thought I was dead—she either tried to jump into a river or hang herself. I had to stay with her.”
Old Master Qin sighed with pity. “It wasn’t easy.”
Thinking back, he should never have sent others to pick them up—he should have gone personally.
At least he should have arranged her education.
“It’s all in the past,” Su Manman said.
“Come, go out with me.”
“I’m not going out. I’ll only say this once. If you mention it again, I’ll get angry with you.”
Old Master Qin: “……”
He turned to leave.
“Wait. When will Qin Lin come back? I want to sleep with him.”
Old Master Qin almost spat blood.
“About a week. He should be back tomorrow. And don’t say things like that out loud!”
He hurried away, afraid she would say something even more shocking.
Su Manman tilted her head. What’s wrong with sleeping?
Don’t people sleep?
City people are complicated.
She closed the door and took out a bronze bell from her bag.
A gift for her fiancé.
A linked-heart Gu.
It contained a mother-and-child Gu; his was the child Gu. When he rang the bell, she would sense it.
The mother Gu was a Gu King—very powerful.
Its offspring could repel insects, protecting against poisonous bugs in spring and mosquitoes in summer.
He should like it.
What should she wear tomorrow?
She opened her wardrobe—only three outfits.
One was an old-style red padded jacket, a wedding gift from a village aunt, unsuitable.
Another was hand-stitched by her grandmother—uneven stitching, suitable for home wear.
The last was a white cotton coat gifted by a family she treated in the city—slightly bulky but well-made.
This one would do.