But in the village, he was inevitably surrounded by people wherever he went, and the villagers looked at him as if he were a circus - in Beiguan Village, there were actually quite a few blind people who couldn't even read a single word.

In their eyes, a scholar like Xia Dalang is the incarnation of Wenquxing!

If you meet Wenquxing, you must take a good look at him!

This is what Xia Dalang hates the most, but when facing outsiders, he is always gentle and polite, so naturally he cannot easily destroy his personality.

I had to suppress my inner impatience and interact with the villagers.

Xia Dalang socialized with the villagers for a while, and the more he socialized, the more irritable he became.

These peasants who can't even read a single word can't come up with anything new to praise others.

It was either "Wenquxing has descended to earth", "She looks so energetic", or "She will definitely have a bright future", a total of three or five sentences, repeated over and over again.

I have been hearing these words since I returned to the village before the New Year, and my ears are almost getting calluses!

Xia Dalang felt like his face was about to become numb from smiling. He was just worrying about how to get out of this situation when someone came to his rescue.

A middle-aged man wearing an ill-fitting dark green silk gown came over from the village entrance. He had a full beard, a fierce look, and official boots on his feet. He looked unapproachable.

Next to the man was a woman in a crimson dress, with heavy makeup and a big silk flower pinned in her hair. She was holding a basket in her hand and walking very fast.

The two men's clothes were in sharp contrast, and their appearances were unfamiliar, which instantly attracted the attention of the villagers.

Although Wenquxing is rare, he is a local after all. As long as his grandparents are still in Beiguan Village, he will definitely come back. But this fresh and lively scene in front of him cannot be missed.

When the crowd surged towards the two strangers like a tide, Xia Dalang suddenly felt relieved, but at the same time he felt a little lost.

He shook his head, holding the book in his hand, and walked away.

Originally, he went out today just to have some peace and quiet.

He certainly knew that no matter whether his mother Liu was throwing things around or scolding Yinhua, it was not directed at him, but was just to vent the anger in her heart.

But how could he concentrate on reading in that kind of atmosphere?

He had no choice but to come out and hide, but unexpectedly, he was almost eaten by the villagers.

Xia Dalang walked away and didn't see the man in green and the woman with heavy makeup. He stopped to ask the villagers a few words, and then he ran straight to the Xia family without stopping.

The two men knocked on the door and entered the yard. Xia Daohua was shocked: the man in green clothes was clearly the bearded man she had seen before!

She hesitated for a second, turned around and ran to the old couple's room, found Xia Yujiao, and said to her hurriedly:

"Aunt, that person I can't remember who he is has come to our house!"

Xia Yujiao's face turned pale in an instant, and then returned to normal in the blink of an eye, but with a hint of determination.

Xia Daohua looked at her a little worriedly. Xia Yujiao noticed Xia Daohua's gaze and smiled at her soothingly.

Xia Daohua was not comforted.

She always felt that there was something wrong with this aunt.

Before Xia Daohua could figure out what was going on, the two men had already knocked on the old couple's door.

Mr. Xia and Mrs. Zhou's expressions turned serious.

The old couple recognized the man and woman who knocked on the door, and neither of them was easy to get along with.

The man was a small flag officer in the town's Qianhu Suo.

He likes drinking, gambling and causing trouble on weekdays, but his uncle from the same clan is the deputy captain stationed in the Beiguan Town Captain's Office, and has always been relied upon by the captain.

So when the man got drunk and acted crazy in the town, bullying the common people and small vendors, the county magistrate turned a blind eye. As for the ordinary people, they dared not speak out.

The heavily made-up woman was a person with a complicated identity.

Her official identity is a famous official media.

She's a very capable person, and she's very methodical. When she's a matchmaker, she always gets the job done. But if you want her to act, you'll have to pay a pretty penny.

Her secret identity—not really a secret one, really—was the mistress of a powerful and influential businessman in Beiguan Town.

Zhou had a headache, but still said with a smile:

"Oh, isn't this Sister Song? You're such a rare guest! What brings you here?"

Sister Song smiled and said, "Sister Zhou, congratulations, happy event has arrived!"

Zhou asked curiously, "Where does the joy come from?"

Mrs. Song asked, "Sister Zhou, you're not willing to let me in for a drink of water?"

Zhou paused, made room at the door, and let Mrs. Song and the bearded man in green shirt enter the house.

Mrs. Zhou and Old Man Xia gave up their seats, and Xia Yujiao went to make some sweet soup for the guests.

Xia Daohua was standing aside, seemingly playing, but actually eavesdropping openly.

Mrs. Song and the man she brought with her sat down. Mrs. Song stated her purpose straight out of the gate:

"This is Mr. Jin from Beiguan Town. His family is quite wealthy. Mr. Jin's uncle is the deputy commander of the Beiguan Town Thousand Households Office. He himself has also been promoted to a small flag due to his military merits.

Recently, Mr. Jin lost his wife and wanted to marry a second wife.

I heard that Miss Zhou's daughter, Miss Yujiao, is dignified, gentle and virtuous, so I asked me to be a matchmaker and came to propose to her.

Mr. Jin came with me today, also to let Sister Zhou and Brother-in-law see him."

Mr. Xia and Mrs. Zhou were stunned when they heard this: "Ah...but our Yujiao has already been engaged!"

Zhou stared at Mrs. Song with suspicion. Based on Mrs. Song's reputation, how could she come to her house so rashly without knowing the woman's situation clearly?

Old Master Xia stared at the bearded man, feeling extremely angry no matter how he looked at him.

With his appearance, how dare he covet his own daughter?

Mrs. Song glanced at the bearded man, turned her head and said with a smile:

"I'd like to let Sister Zhou know that a few days ago, the boy from the Xie family, who was engaged to your daughter, went out to play with others and accidentally fell into an ice hole.

That kid was already a sickly person, and after this incident, he caught a cold and was frightened. Now he's breathing more than he's breathing in. The Xie family is busy choosing a grave for him!"

"What?"

The old couple and Xia Yujiao's faces changed drastically and they were all shocked.

If such a thing really happened, why didn't the Xie family send a message to the Xia family?

Since Xie Jiabao and Xia Yujiao were already engaged, the Xie and Xia families should have been closer than most. Since something like this had happened, it was only logical that the Xie family should have sent a message to the Xia family immediately!

Xia Daohua's face wasn't looking good either. She was thinking more than the old couple - how could it be such a coincidence that the bearded man had recently lost his wife, and Xia Yujiao's fiancé had just fallen into the ice hole?

I’m afraid what’s going on here is not simple!