Chapter Sixty-Three [V] Strangers Couple

Seeing the family weeping so bitterly, and fearing that continuing like this might attract the attention of the authorities… Li Yan gently advised, “Should we… go back inside first?” She explained with a smile, “Second… Second Brother just got back, I wonder if he’s eaten or if he’s tired… perhaps…”

"Erlang, haven't you eaten yet? Mother will cook for you." With that, Aunt Xue stopped crying, wiped away her tears haphazardly, and turned to go to the kitchen.

Li Yan called out to her, "Mother, Erlang has just returned, he must have many private things to say to you. You two go to the main room to talk, I'll go cook." After saying that, without waiting for Aunt Xue to speak, Li Yan turned around and quickly slipped away.

Watching her daughter-in-law's departing figure, Aunt Xue felt very gratified.

"Erlang, this is the wife your mother has chosen for you." Thinking that although the two are husband and wife, this is their first meeting, Aunt Xue couldn't help but say many good things about her daughter-in-law, Li Yan. "You are so lucky, Yan Niang is as beautiful as a flower and has a good temperament. You are so lucky."

Thinking about the relationship between the two, Xue Yi felt a little strange, but he remained calm and only asked his mother, "Did Mother marry her to bring good luck to her son?"

“Exactly,” Aunt Xue replied decisively.

In his previous life, Li was also a woman his mother married to bring him home as a way to bring him good luck.

"Where is she from? Does she have any other sisters?" He remembered that in his previous life, Li had a stepsister who married Han Yue. In the future, Han Yue would achieve great things in the court. And Li's eldest sister, along with her husband, would rise in status and become one of the most prominent noblewomen in the capital.

“She is the daughter of Li Shangping, a carpenter in our town. She has an older sister who married a scholar. She also has a younger brother who is her half-brother, with whom she has little contact. She doesn’t have a good relationship with her maternal family these days…” Since her son asked, Aunt Xue simply told him all the details.

All the information matched that of her previous life, which meant that Li was still the same Li, only her appearance and temperament had changed.

An oil lamp was lit in the main room. After entering the room, Aunt Xue examined her son closely.

Compared to two years ago, he seemed to have grown slightly taller. He wasn't as skinny as I had imagined; he was quite robust.

And judging from his current attire, he seems to have made a fortune.

Suddenly remembering something, Aunt Xue asked, "My son, what exactly happened? You weren't...you weren't on the battlefield..." The government had sent back a blood-stained garment, and she recognized it; it belonged to Erlang.

Then it suddenly occurred to me that when Yanniang went to open the door for him earlier, she seemed to call him "Liu Qianhu". When she asked who he was, he said that he was the second son of Aunt Liu's family.

When Yan Niang went to Jiangning Prefecture before, she had seen "Liu Erlang" before, so it's normal for her to recognize "Liu Erlang".

But no one expected that "Liu Erlang" was not the real Liu Erlang, but Xue Erlang from the Xue family.

Even if she were incredibly stupid, Aunt Xue could roughly guess what had happened. Thinking of those heartless Liu family members trying to keep her son, Aunt Xue was filled with rage, and her eyes reddened.

“That heartless Liu family! How could they do such a thing? They lost their own son, so they came to snatch mine. We’ve lived in the same village for thirty years, and you were raised by Liu’s brother and sister-in-law. How could they be so cruel?” Aunt Xue cried bitterly, clutching her chest with both hands, which ached terribly.

Seeing this, Xue Yi quickly comforted his mother: "Don't be too angry. Fortunately, your son has regained his memory and found you again. As for the Liu family... they did something against their conscience, and they will never have a good life from now on. It's their retribution."

“Yes, today is a happy day, Mother shouldn’t be crying.” As she spoke, Aunt Xue quickly raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and then smiled again.

"Today, you and I, your uncle and nephew, and your spouses are able to reunite because our Xue family ancestors are watching over you from heaven. They have protected you and brought you home. We have survived the hardest times, and from now on, there will be only good days ahead." She didn't need to mention anyone else; she was certain that her son would not be unfilial to his mother, nor would he treat Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er badly.

The only one worth mentioning is Yan Niang.

Yanniang was married to Erlang to bring him good luck, and today was the first time the young couple had met as husband and wife, so it was inevitable that they felt awkward.

But it doesn't matter... living under the same roof for a while, feelings can always be cultivated.

"Yan Niang is truly a good woman, but her background is also very pitiful. After her father remarried, he abandoned her and sent her to live with her grandmother in the countryside. Later, it was only for a dowry that he married her off to you, whose fate was unknown at the time. Fortunately, she is strong-willed and resilient, and that's how she managed to make a good life for herself. Erlang, I've had a good year with her. Your nephew, Xu Ge'er, was sent by her to study with the best teacher in Huating County, and Yue Jie'er is also very much loved by her. Our whole family is living a very comfortable life. It's just that she has worked hard and suffered a bit. So, you must treat her well. I don't care whether you become an official or not, you must respect her and cherish her."

At this moment, Aunt Xue was also very glad that her daughter-in-law was not engaged to that scholar Xu. Otherwise, marrying two men would not only be bad for her reputation, but would also make it difficult for Yan Niang to make a choice.

Things are good as they are now; Yanniang hasn't remarried, and Erlang has returned.

Xue Yi understood his mother's meaning; she simply wanted him to treat Li Shi well.

Suddenly, he thought of his past life. Although his mother and Li had a bad relationship, she told him to treat Li well when he finally found her.

However, the two kinds of kindness are different.

In his past life, his mother did not acknowledge their marital relationship, only telling him to take Li as his sworn sister and support her for the rest of his life. But in this life, his mother wants him to treat Li as his wife.

So much happened that day that Xue Yi felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Therefore, he neither refused nor readily agreed to everything his mother instructed him to do.

In this kind of matter, it's not just a matter of what he says going to do; it also depends on what Li Shi (Li Shi) wants to say.

Besides, this Li woman has changed so much in her past and present lives, and she has too many secrets that he must find out.

"The food is here." Just then, Li entered the main room carrying a bowl of freshly made noodles with meat sauce.

The aroma of minced meat mixed with oil quickly spread, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the main room.

Xue Yi followed the triumphant master back to the capital. During the court's reward ceremony, he was granted the rank of a fifth-grade commander and had certainly enjoyed good food. However, this was the first time he had ever smelled such delicious food.

This aroma is different from the delicacies in those grand restaurants. Many dishes in those restaurants are flashy but impractical; although delicious, they lack real culinary appeal. He was originally a farmer and couldn't stomach such refined food.

When he was on the battlefield, what he missed most was the clear soup noodles his mother made.

The soup was made with mutton broth, and the noodles were hand-pulled by his mother... He would never forget that aroma.

And now, this bowl of noodles in front of me smells even better than the ones my mother used to make.

After a busy day without a drop of water, I'm really hungry now.

So, without much trouble, a large bowl of noodles with meat sauce was gone in no time.

Seeing that he looked like he hadn't eaten for three days, Li Yan hesitated for a moment before saying, "There's still some in the pot."

Hearing this, Xue Yi looked up at her, then shook his head: "I'm full."

It was already very late, and the entire alley was completely silent. Clearly, everyone had already gone to bed.

Thinking that her son must be exhausted after his journey back from Jiangning Prefecture, and then his trip to Xishui Village and his entanglement with the Liu family, she said, "Pack your things and get some sleep first."

But the next problem is, with only two rooms, how are we supposed to sleep?

Considering that although they are husband and wife, they have not had a formal wedding ceremony and have only just learned of each other's identities, it is inevitable that they feel awkward.

So, Aunt Xue took the initiative to say, "How about we make do tonight? I'll bring Yue'er and Yan'niang to squeeze in, and Erlang and Xu'er can share a room."

Previously, Li Yan was the least willing to share a room and bed with others, but now, she couldn't agree more to this arrangement.

"Let's do as Mother says." As if afraid that something might change later, Li Yan immediately agreed.

Xue Yi nodded: "Let's stay here like this for today, and tomorrow..." He wanted to say that he would bring his mother and nephew back to Jiangning Prefecture tomorrow, but he felt that now was not the time to discuss this, and it would be better to talk about it tomorrow.

"Go to sleep first," he said.

After turning off the lights, everyone went back to their rooms, but none of them fell asleep immediately.

Everyone had their own feelings and couldn't sleep.

Li Yan didn't fall asleep until late at night, past midnight.

She woke up again early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Severe sleep deprivation caused both of her eyes to swell.

Li Yan cherishes the body she has pampered little by little, and cherishes even more the face that now deserves the title of "beautiful".

Her face was swollen when she woke up, so she went to the trellis in the yard and picked a cucumber.

The yard wasn't large, but it was very well maintained. A small plot of land had been fenced off and planted with some fruits and vegetables.

When Li Yan got up, everyone else in the family was already up. Xue Yi had developed a habit of getting up early to exercise while he was in the camp. Right now, he was stretching his limbs in the small courtyard.

Before they knew they were married, they got along very well. But now that they know each other's identities, they can no longer be so open with each other when they meet again.

When they bumped into each other in the courtyard, Li Yan gave him an awkward smile.

When Xue Yi saw her come out, he looked rather uncomfortable. He put away his outstretched fists and feet and nodded slightly to her.

Li Yan picked the cucumbers and ran to the kitchen. There, she sliced ​​the cucumbers into pieces, put them in a bowl, and then carried the bowl back to her room.

When he came out again, his face was covered with cucumber slices.

Xue Yi was genuinely surprised when he first saw this scene.

"What is this...?" He hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

Li Yan: "Skincare."

"Skincare?" Xue Yi frowned slightly; he was skeptical.

Xu Ge'er then leaned over to his uncle and whispered, "This really does help with skincare. Auntie isn't lying to you. When Auntie first came into our family, she didn't look like this."

She didn't look like this... That means that when Li first married into the Xue family, she actually had the appearance of her previous life.

Later, she became concerned about her skin and appearance and wanted to change, which is why she looks like she does now.

While one's appearance might be somewhat altered through effort, this change is far too drastic. Moreover, it's truly perplexing that not only has her appearance changed, but her personality has also undergone a complete transformation.

Li Yan was unaware of what Xue Yi was thinking, and she didn't care.

After finishing breakfast, she planned to go out to Ye Wangxiang's place, where he rented a room in this alley.

Xue Yi returned home last night, but since it was inconvenient to stay there, Li Yan had Qingniang stay at Ye Wangxiang's place last night.

Just as Li Yan entered Old Madam Gu's door, Ye Wangxiang immediately came over, grabbed her hand, and asked anxiously, "Your man is really back?"

Li Yan wasn't surprised at all; she knew Qingniang would eventually be unable to hold back and tell Ye Wangxiang about it.

But this can't be kept secret forever; sooner or later, everyone in this alley will find out.

Besides, this isn't something to be ashamed of, so why hide it?

"Yes." Li Yan nodded. "I came back last night."

Ye Wangxiang added, "I heard from Qingniang that he is an official in Jiangning Prefecture?"

"It's a long story," Li Yan sighed.

But Ye Wangxiang, clearly a gossip, immediately laughed and said, "Then, Mr. Li, just get to the point."

"Let's go inside and talk." After entering the house, Li Yan spoke concisely, focusing on the key points, but her meaning was clear.

Upon hearing this, Ye Wangxiang's eyes widened to the size of pigeon eggs, utterly astonished: "This, this is too bizarre! This, this is just like the stories written in the storybooks."

Li Yan shrugged: "Who says it isn't?"

Ye Wangxiang said solemnly, "But no matter what, he's back, and he's back with merits. Your life will be much easier from now on." Then, he suddenly thought of that Scholar Xu, paused, and said, "I guess Scholar Xu will be heartbroken."