After Xie Qi put the things he bought on the carriage, he looked at Old Man Xu and said, "Uncle Xu, to be honest, I have always saved some money. When I was alone before, I didn't think of spending lavishly and liked to have fun. But now that I'm married, I can't let my husband suffer with me."

When Old Man Xu heard what Xie Qi said, he was stunned at first, as if a little surprised, but soon a very comfortable smile appeared on his face.

The laughter was extremely hearty: "Hahahaha! I didn't expect that you, a bad boy, would be so smart and know how to save money. Before, I was really worried that you would spend your whole life in a muddle. Now it seems that getting married is different. You can finally focus on your life. Not bad!"

Old man Xu smiled and continued earnestly, "From now on, you have to be nicer to your husband. That child has a very hard life." His words were full of concern and love.

After hearing what Old Man Xu said, Xie Qi nodded without hesitation and said, "Don't worry, I will always treat him well." His eyes were firm and full of warmth, as if he had already engraved this promise deeply in his heart.

When the three of them returned to the village, the sun had not yet completely set. The soft afterglow of the setting sun cast a soft golden glow on the village road.

However, within this peaceful and tranquil atmosphere, there were some discordant voices. The villagers had long been gossiping about Xie Qi taking her husband to town the day after her wedding.

Many people even asserted that this young man from the Liu family might never come back.

At this moment, the Liu family was also having dinner. Liu Zhu was sitting at the table, and opposite him was his daughter Liu Qingqing, who was one year older than Lu Xingze.

Aunt Liu slowly brought over a bowl of steaming porridge and muttered resentfully, "I told you the money was too little! Without that money-losing stuff, there's no one to do the housework!"

Liu Qingqing, who was sitting nearby, heard this and immediately echoed, "That's right, Mom! It's all your fault for selling that ugly thing too early. Now there's no one to help wash my clothes!"

When Liu Qingqing thought about the scene of having to run to the river to wash clothes this morning, she felt particularly depressed and uncomfortable.

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Qingqing seemed to suddenly remember something important. She hurried over to Aunt Liu and asked in a low voice, "Mom, tell me, is what those people in the village saying true? Did that bully really sell the ugly thing to town?"

Aunt Liu narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing a shrewd look. In her shrill, slightly caustic voice, she replied, "Hmph, is this true? She's been gone since this morning and hasn't been seen since. In my opinion, she's most likely been sold to some brothel!"

Just as the mother and daughter were chatting animatedly, Liu Zhu, who had been silent the entire time, finally couldn't help but frown and yelled at them fiercely, "That's enough! Can you two stop yelling? Don't you think the gossip the villagers are spreading about our family is enough and isn't harsh enough?"

Liu Zhu's outburst terrified Aunt Liu and Liu Qingqing, who were sitting opposite him, into silence. No one dared to say a word. For a moment, the room fell into a depressing silence.

As soon as Liu Zhu finished speaking, he stared at Aunt Liu with a burning gaze and asked, "Where's Erwa? The meal is ready, why didn't you call him back to eat?"

Aunt Liu was stunned at first when she heard this, but then she came to her senses and responded, "Oh, look at my memory. Erwa is playing at the door. I'll go call him back right away." After that, she pretended to stand up and walk towards the door.

But at this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps was heard coming from far away, followed by a small figure rushing into the house in a hurry.

The man who came was Liu Caiwen. He was seen panting and shouting loudly, "Mom! He...he's back! Not only that, he also brought back so many good things! Meat! Big, fragrant, fat meat!"

Aunt Liu looked at her ten-year-old son with a puzzled look on her face. Seeing him babbling incoherently and speaking incoherently, she couldn't help but frown and ask, "What kind of meat is that? What did you see? Don't worry, tell me slowly and clearly."

Liu Wencai swallowed hard, calmed down a little, and then continued, "Mom, that ugly guy wasn't sold. He even had new clothes on, which looked very nice. They also bought a lot of meat. We saw it with our own eyes."

When Aunt Liu heard this, her eyes widened like bells. She immediately asked in astonishment, "What? They actually bought so many things? Not only new clothes, but even meat?! How is this possible!"

Aunt Liu stared at her son closely. Seeing him nodding repeatedly in confirmation, the anger in her heart was instantly ignited, as if it was about to burst out of her chest.

She was so angry that she was shaking all over, and her face was distorted with anger.

Then, Aunt Liu spat fiercely on the ground and cursed loudly, "Well! How dare that damned little bastard deceive me! When I married that little bitch, he cried and cried that he had no money. Now, the fox's tail is finally exposed! He even dared to pretend to be poor in front of me. He is really rebellious!"

Thinking of this, Aunt Liu felt a lump in her chest, unable to swallow it no matter what. So, she simply threw down her bowl and chopsticks, not even bothering to eat, and strode straight towards Xie Qi's house with a fierce momentum.

Seeing this, Liu Wencai and Liu Qingqing looked at each other, exchanged glances, and then hurriedly got up and chased after him.

At this moment, Xie Qi and Lu Xing had just returned and had already attracted the attention of other people in the village.

When they saw Xie Qi from afar, they looked at each other, and each of them showed an expression of "as expected" with understanding.

After all, everyone had noticed the slowly approaching carriage from afar. Inside, Xie Qi, dressed in brand new clothes, stood out. Furthermore, beside him lay a pile of fresh meat and various delicacies.

At this moment, some people in the crowd felt pity for him. They secretly speculated that Xie Qi must have been cruel enough to sell Lu Xingze out, which was why he was so prosperous today. However, the reality was not what they thought.

As the carriage got closer, people were surprised to find that Lu Xingze had not been sold, but was sleeping quietly on Xie Qi's thighs.

Seeing this scene, those who had made random guesses before suddenly felt a burning sensation on their faces, as if they had been slapped hard in the face.

Then, an even more astonishing scene occurred. Xie Qi, known for his bad temper, gently picked up the sleeping Lu Xingze and walked into the house with great care, as if protecting a rare treasure.

After settling Lu Xingze, Xie Qi returned and unloaded various items from the carriage in an orderly manner.