“What mother gives birth to a child and doesn’t raise them? I’ve never heard of a mother treating the care she gave her own sick son as some great favor to be endlessly praised. Is letting your child die supposed to be the normal thing instead?”
“You say Qin Xiao is unfilial? You won’t find a better son anywhere under heaven.”
“You favor your younger son, spoil Qin Yue at every turn, and treat Qin Xiao harshly. Has he ever complained?”
“Look at what he wears. Look at where he lives. Then look at yourself. Look at what Qin Yue wears.”
“Your family house was built with his money, yet not a single room belongs to him. Did he ever make a fuss about it?”
Qin Xiao stared in astonishment at the petite figure standing before him.
He had never complained to her about his family.
How did she know all of this?
At that moment, she was like an enraged kitten with its fur standing on end, shielding him behind her while her mouth fired off words nonstop, pouring every grievance he had ever suffered onto Madam Qin.
“All these years, he’s given you at least eighty taels, if not a hundred.”
“At the border, cutting off the ear of a barbarian enemy only earned ten copper coins. Bringing an enemy horse back to camp earned one tael. Did you ever stop to think that he risked his life for every single coin?”
“You spend his money without guilt. Qin Yue spends it without guilt. Yet not a single person ever thanks him.”
“Instead, you interfere with his marriage and try to force him to marry someone he doesn’t want.”
“How can there be such a cold-hearted mother in this world? Is he even your biological son?”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became on Qin Xiao’s behalf.
Her chest rose and fell violently.
It was as if she were the one who had suffered all those wrongs.
Out of respect for the fact that this woman was Qin Xiao’s mother, she swallowed back the harsher curse that was on the tip of her tongue.
Madam Qin had originally been so furious that she was about to strike her.
But when she heard that final sentence, the hand she had raised stopped halfway and slowly lowered.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“He… he… of course he’s my biological son!”
The words made her heart race.
The confidence she had been displaying instantly weakened.
If Qin Xiao truly took those words to heart and began thinking about them, it would be disastrous.
Back then, when she was pregnant, her mother-in-law had tormented her relentlessly.
Even close to childbirth, she had been forced to kneel and climb temple steps to pray for a son.
It was there, at the temple, that she went into premature labor.
There had been no midwife.
No hot water.
Her biological child had died in her arms.
Fortunately, she had found Qin Xiao.
Only then had she been able to return home with an explanation.
Fortunately, she later gave birth to another biological son.
She and her husband had guarded this secret carefully for years.
But no secret was without traces.
If Qin Xiao ever became suspicious and started investigating, everything would be ruined.
Seeing his mother’s reaction, Qin Xiao narrowed his tiger-like eyes.
A flicker of suspicion flashed across them before disappearing.
He wrapped an arm around Qinghe’s shoulders and stood beside her.
His voice was low and steady.
“Mother, I don’t want to argue about everything that happened before.”
“But if you still want me as your son, then stay out of my marriage.”
“Unless… you want to sever our mother-son relationship.”
“No!”
Madam Qin panicked completely.
She waved her hands frantically.
“We’re mother and son. How could we sever that bond?”
“Marry whoever you want.”
“I won’t interfere anymore, alright?”
Qinghe turned her head and looked up at him.
Today, he seemed especially handsome.
His strong brow bone.
His straight nose.
Even the somewhat messy beard seemed to radiate rugged masculinity.
Something fluttered inside her chest.
The corners of her lips lifted unconsciously.
“Oh, come on, Aunt Qin!”
Sister-in-law Miao suddenly spoke up, clearly displeased.
With her hands on her hips, she mocked Madam Qin mercilessly.
The older woman’s face flushed red with embarrassment, and she lowered her head, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.
“So your son’s marriage isn’t actually your decision?”
“Then why did you come to me?”
“With nothing but your mouth, you swore your son listened to your every word.”
“You even said that after Xiugu married him, the game Qin Xiao hunted would be shared between our two families!”
“You said Qin Xiao would help work both our fields!”
“Bah!”
Sister-in-law Miao spat at the ground.
“Forget your son. Even this so-called lowly servant girl you keep insulting can scold you right to your face.”
“Aunt Qin, aren’t you afraid your lies will come back to bite you?”
“Hmph!”
“Xiugu, let’s go!”
Miao Xiugu had arrived reluctantly.
Then she had spent a brief moment full of hope.
Now she was being dragged away, filled with disappointment.
Her emotions were like a baby chick caught in an eagle’s claws, soaring and plummeting with no control over its fate.
Just as they reached the courtyard gate, she suddenly shook off her sister-in-law’s hand and ran back into the kitchen.
With a loud thud, she dropped to her knees before Qin Xiao.
Her expression was pitiful and desperate.
“Brother Qin, please.”
“Please buy me too.”
“If I can’t marry you, my brother and sister-in-law will send me to become a concubine for Master Wang in the county.”
“Master Wang is gravely ill. He probably doesn’t have much time left.”
“His son heard that my fate is strong and deliberately chose me.”
“When Master Wang dies, I won’t have a good ending either.”
“Brother Qin, please save me.”
“You already bought one person. One more won’t make a difference.”
“I know you’re capable. You have money, don’t you?”
Sister-in-law Miao, who had rushed back, swallowed the insults she had been about to hurl.
After all, sending her sister-in-law to become an old man’s concubine wasn’t exactly something she wanted spread around.
If Qin Xiao was willing to buy her instead, all the better.
Miao Xiugu cried miserably.
Her body trembled like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind.
Anyone who saw her would feel sympathy.
Qinghe’s heart softened a little.
Yet she was equally unwilling.
She had already fallen from a Prince’s Manor to a remote mountain village.
Now she still had to deal with a man taking a concubine?
If that was the case, she might as well become some wealthy man’s concubine herself.
It wasn’t as though she didn’t know how to charm men.
Still, this decision belonged to Qin Xiao.
She said nothing.
Turning her head aside, she stared at a half-burned log that had fallen from the stove.
But her ears were perked up, listening carefully.
She heard Qin Xiao say apologetically,
“Xiugu, it’s not that I don’t want to help you.”
“Buying a free-born woman is against the law.”
The law was very clear.
Only government-sanctioned slave transactions were legal.
Any private trade involving people was a criminal offense.
If discovered, both buyer and seller could be sentenced to exile.
Hearing his explanation, Miao Xiugu realized he wasn’t rejecting her outright.
He was only worried about breaking the law.
Hope immediately returned to her eyes.
Wiping away her tears, she kowtowed once more.
“Brother Qin, then take me as a concubine.”
“I won’t compete with Sister for your affection.”
“I’ll stay in your home as a servant.”
“I promise I’ll work hard and behave myself…”
The moment those words left her mouth, Qin Xiao’s eyes widened.
He immediately stepped back several paces, creating distance between them.
As though avoiding a plague.
“Xiugu, don’t talk nonsense.”
“What kind of family are we?”
“We’re ordinary villagers.”
“Why would we imitate wealthy families and marry multiple wives?”
“Have I gone mad?”
“I can only afford one wife.”
“You should ask someone else.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”
At that point, Miao Xiugu no longer had the courage to keep begging.
Filled with resentment, she allowed her sister-in-law to drag her away.
Madam Qin had made the trip for nothing.
Not only had her plan failed, she had also made an enemy of Sister-in-law Miao.
Her mind was in complete chaos as she hurried home to discuss matters with her husband.
Soon, only Qinghe and Qin Xiao remained in the kitchen.
Qin Xiao suddenly grabbed Qinghe by the shoulders and pulled her in front of him.
Leaning down, he planted a loud kiss on her cheek.
“Qinghe, thank you for speaking up for me.”
He truly hadn’t expected it.
Beneath her timid appearance was such a fiery temperament.
Even when she scolded someone, her voice remained soft and gentle, lacking any real intimidation.
Yet her tongue was far sharper than his.
With only a few words, she had completely crushed his mother’s momentum.
She had even opened the path that allowed him to force his mother to accept their marriage.
Qinghe raised a hand to the cheek he had kissed.
Her fingers rubbed lightly against the skin, suppressing the tingling sensation spreading through her body.
Pouting, she shot him a sharp look.
“You said you’re poor now and can only afford one wife.”
“Does that mean that once you become rich enough, you’ll marry several more?”
“I don’t want that…”
Before she could finish, Qin Xiao interrupted her seriously.
Unable to recognize the teasing and jealousy hidden in her words, he answered with complete sincerity.
“I’m not a fire poker.”
“It’s not like it doesn’t matter which stove I poke.”
“Besides, with a heavenly beauty like you as my wife, who else could possibly catch my eye?”
Seeing the corners of Qinghe’s lips curl upward, he finally realized what she had been worried about.
She was afraid he might change his heart.
And apparently, being told she was beautiful made her happy.
Qin Xiao stared at her without blinking.
“Qinghe, that day outside the government slave office, I fell for you at first sight.”
“Think about it. Everyone else had been exiled for so long they were thin as sticks and yellow-faced.”
“So how were you still so beautiful?”
“One look at you, and I couldn’t take my eyes off you.”
At his question, Lin Qinghe suddenly doubled over laughing.
“Hahaha!”
“You’ll never guess why.”
“And I absolutely won’t tell you!”