“After her first husband died, she remarried into Shidianzi Village and married a carpenter. That woman’s a real schemer. She squeezes every penny she can out of her husband, then secretly sends it all back to support her own brothers. Chen Liang is the younger brother she dotes on the most. He’s benefited from her generosity for years. Their whole family lives like kings.”
The two women chatted animatedly, each adding to the story. Every word drifted clearly into Qiao Qingyan’s ears.
She kept her head lowered, calmly scrubbing clothes without pausing, her expression as tranquil as ever.
Even if Chen Xiuying emptied every last cent of Qiao Nianshan’s savings, it had nothing to do with her.
Before long, the women finished washing their clothes one after another, picked up their wooden basins, and headed home.
Qiao Qingyan noticed that Chunya had already finished too. The clean clothes were neatly folded inside her basin, and she looked ready to leave.
But the next second, Chunya suddenly spotted something.
She immediately squatted back down, casually grabbed a piece of clothing, and pretended to rinse it over and over in the stream.
The water flowed crystal clear beneath the sunlight, sparkling with ripples.
Following Chunya’s gaze, Qiao Qingyan looked up.
A tall, broad-shouldered figure was walking across the bridge.
As he drew closer, she finally recognized him.
It was Xiao Jinye.
A huge cloth sack hung over one shoulder, while each hand carried two barely-alive wild pheasants. He strode steadily across the bridge.
“Brother Jinye!”
Chunya waved enthusiastically before anyone else could speak.
Xiao Jinye lifted his eyes slightly, sweeping his gaze across the riverbank. When his eyes landed on Qiao Qingyan, they paused for the briefest moment.
Their eyes met for several silent seconds.
Then he calmly looked away.
This was the first time Qiao Qingyan had seen Xiao Jinye since they got married.
He walked steadily toward them.
His tall, powerful frame stood straight as a pine tree. With the summer heat, he wore only a white sleeveless undershirt. Most of his broad chest was exposed, and the hard lines of muscle along his arms radiated raw strength.
Beneath his straight nose, his thin lips were pressed together, while faint blue stubble shadowed his jaw.
Everything about him exuded rugged, untamed masculinity.
Even from several meters away, Qiao Qingyan could clearly feel the overwhelming masculine aura surrounding him.
It was remarkably similar to the scent she’d caught in his bedroom that night.
Taking a quiet breath, she was just about to greet him—
When he completely ignored her.
Without even sparing her another glance, he walked right past her and stopped in front of Chunya.
“Chunya, I just caught this wild pheasant. Take it home and let your parents have something nice to eat.”
As he spoke, he handed over one of the pheasants in his left hand.
Chunya beamed with delight as she accepted it.
“Thank you, Brother Jinye! I’ll take it home right now so my parents can cook it!”
Qiao Qingyan planted her hands on her hips, nearly exploding with anger.
Seriously?
Was she invisible to him?
Did he have even the most basic manners?
Even if he didn’t like her as his wife, couldn’t he at least acknowledge her with a greeting?
She turned around and glared fiercely at the back of Xiao Jinye’s head.
Her bright eyes bulged with indignation, as though she wished she could burn two holes right through him.
Chunya’s eyes sparkled.
“Brother Jinye, why don’t you, Aunt Zeng, and Duoduo come over to our house for dinner tonight?”
Xiao Jinye answered coolly and decisively,
“No need. You all enjoy the pheasant. I’m heading home.”
He turned around—
And suddenly came face-to-face with Qiao Qingyan.
She wore a sleeveless cotton dress that accentuated her fair, creamy skin. Her glossy black hair was braided into a loose side braid. Beneath her gracefully arched brows shone a pair of bright, crystal-clear eyes filled with spirit.
She was breathtakingly beautiful.
There was an innocence about her that somehow made it impossible to look away.
A gentle summer breeze lifted the hem of her dress, carrying with it a faint, clean fragrance.
Xiao Jinye’s fingers trembled ever so slightly.
His heartbeat thundered inside his chest.
Meanwhile, Qiao Qingyan’s brows drew together tighter and tighter.
She pursed her lips, gave a tiny huff through her delicate nose, and finally decided to greet him first.
After all, she still needed to shamelessly ask him later about becoming a married couple in name only.
But before she could speak—
She saw his Adam’s apple bob once.
He deliberately shifted his gaze away.
Without saying a single word to her, he hurried straight past her.
“…?”
Qiao Qingyan froze.
She stamped her foot in frustration, wishing she could scoop up an entire basin of cold water and dump it over his head while shouting—
“Xiao Jinye! What’s with the attitude? What are you acting so high and mighty for?!”
She crouched down, hastily rinsed the remaining clothes a few times, then picked up her basin and marched home in a huff.
Watching everything unfold, Chunya became even more convinced.
Brother Jinye really doesn’t like his new wife.
By the time Xiao Jinye arrived home, Duoduo heard him outside.
The little girl came running out at full speed, throwing herself into his arms and tightly hugging one of his long legs.
“Bro… Brother…”
Aunt Zeng Yumei also came out of the house. The moment she saw her son, her face lit up with a smile.
“Jinye, you’re back.”
Xiao Jinye set the wild pheasants in the corner, bent down, and gently kissed his little sister’s soft cheek.
“Duoduo, let go of Big Brother first. I need to wash my hands.”
The pheasants on the ground were still twitching faintly.
Duoduo’s attention was immediately captured.
She let go of Xiao Jinye’s leg, squatted beside them, and happily poked at the birds with tiny fingers.
Zeng Yumei quickly scooped two ladles of water into the washbasin.
“Son, come wash up.”
The washing area was beneath the eaves outside the kitchen. A row of bricks supported a smooth slab of bluestone, with the basin resting on top.
A clothesline stretched overhead, several towels hanging from it.
As Xiao Jinye walked beneath the eaves, his eyes unintentionally landed on a pink-striped towel.
A faint fragrance drifted from it.
The scent felt strangely familiar…
Zeng Yumei spoke again.
“Listen, now that you’ve married her, no matter what happens, you can’t keep treating your wife so coldly. Understand?”
“…Mm.”
Xiao Jinye splashed cool water onto his face.
Over the past few days, he had thought things through.
Since they were already married, and the bride price had already been paid, divorce wasn’t really an option.
In these times, divorce would ruin a young woman’s reputation.
Besides…
She hadn’t done anything wrong.
The one at fault was him.
He wouldn’t fulfill the duties of a husband.
From now on, they could simply live together politely and respectfully.
After washing his face, he picked up his old towel and casually wiped away the droplets.
Just then, Duoduo, who had been playing by the doorway, suddenly jumped to her feet, pointing excitedly toward the entrance.
“Sis… Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law!”
The icy expression on Qiao Qingyan’s face softened the moment she saw the little girl.
Carrying her basin, she stepped over the wooden threshold and answered gently,
“Duoduo~”
Over the past two days, she and her little sister-in-law had become quite close.
Duoduo wasn’t afraid of the newcomer at all.
She loved clinging to Qiao Qingyan, often wrapping her tiny arms around her leg while calling out, “Sister-in-law.”
Qiao Qingyan never minded, even when Duoduo occasionally wiped her runny nose on her clothes.
She adored the child’s innocence and lovable nature.
“Jinye, your wife is back.”
Zeng Yumei lightly patted her son’s arm to remind him.