Lu Xiaomei also hurried off the kang (a heated brick bed), and Li Qianqian went out to greet her.

Xiaoyue also heard the commotion in the courtyard. She pushed open the door and found that she recognized the people who came in: Hu San was walking in front, followed by Niu Lishi and Niu San.

Xiaoyue calmly left the house, unhurriedly greeting Niu Lishi and Hu San. Niu San entered the house, and Li Qianqian took out the tea set Xiaoyue had bought before the New Year and poured water for the three of them.

Before Li Qianqian could put him down beside her, Hu San went straight into the room, gesturing wildly as he sat down on the left side of the kang table, shouting as he did so:

"Xiaoyue, I'm here today to propose marriage to you." He smiled, revealing a large front tooth.

Xiaoyue didn't even glance at Hu San. Before going to Qixing Mountain, she thought Hu San was joking, so she didn't take it to heart. She never expected that he would actually come to propose marriage today.

Xiaoyue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She sat down on the stool and said to Hu San in a righteous and indifferent tone, "I do not agree to this marriage."

When Niu Li heard Xiaoyue refuse on the spot, Hu San was stunned, as if he had been hit by a falling stone, neither speaking nor moving.

Niu Lishi, who was standing nearby, chimed in, giving Xiaoyue a seemingly friendly smile: "Little sister, don't be in such a hurry to refuse. We watched Hu San grow up in the village. He only had one person in his family. Five years ago, during a blizzard, Da Lingzi's parents and Hu San's parents died on the same day."

He then sat down on the stool next to Xiaoyue, naturally took her hand, and said kindly, "You're not a child anymore. Since you came to our Niukou Village, one thing after another has happened. What have the villagers been saying about you?"

"You know without me saying it, Hu San is a straightforward guy. You don't have in-laws to support, nor a sister-in-law to cause trouble. Besides, Hu San's family is quite well-off; they have an oxcart and fifteen mu of land, enough to last them a year."

Xiaoyue's smile faded, then her expression turned stern. She stared coldly at Niu Lishi for a long time, and Niu Lishi gradually felt as if she had been stung by a wasp. Xiaoyue's gaze caused Niu Lishi a piercing pain.

Hu San, still unable to see clearly what was happening to Niu Li Shi and Xiao Yue, scratched his head and laughed loudly, "Sister-in-law Niu, I didn't know I had so many good qualities."

Niu San sensed Xiao Yue's displeasure and tugged at Hu San from behind. Hu San turned around and said, "Brother Niu San, why are you pulling me?"

Niu San blushed deeply, feeling both angry and embarrassed.

Niu Li's smile was like a stiff mask, concealing her inner tension and unease. She said helplessly, "My brother is an honest man, not a bad person. Whenever we have any work to do, Hu San will help us out."

If he has a wife, he will definitely listen to her.

"Yes, now that I've married Xiaoyue, I'll listen to her in everything," Hu San said smugly.

Xiaoyue glanced at Hu San, casually withdrew her hand, and coldly said to Niu Li Shi, "Sister-in-law Niu, you can have some water. It's not that I disagree with Hu San because there's anything wrong with him, but I already have someone in my heart."

Hu San got up from the kang (a heated brick bed) and came to Xiaoyue, gesturing as he said, "It's alright, I'll take care of your paralyzed man with you."

Xiaoyue pulled the stool back a step, and Niu San stepped forward and pulled Hu San aside.

Xiaoyue stared at Hu San's every move, then suddenly felt a tingling sensation on her face and refused again, feeling helpless.

When Hu San heard that Xiaoyue had rejected him again, he angrily slammed the door and left, cursing as he went: "You slut! You look like a human being. The people in the village are right. You're shameless. There's a reason why no good family will marry you."

Niu Lishi awkwardly left Xiaoyue's house with Niu San and his wife. They ran into Liang Qi at the gate. Liang Qi heard Hu San cursing Xiaoyue, but without saying a word, he slapped Hu San hard across the face.

"You! I..." Hu San covered his face, glaring angrily at the person who came in, but fell silent as soon as he saw that it was Liang Qi.

Liang Qi took another step forward towards Hu San, but Hu San took three steps back, turned around, and ran away.

When Xiaoyue saw Liang Qi unilaterally crush Hu San, she felt inexplicably upset. When she saw Liang Qi looking at her, she turned and left.

As Xiaoyue walked, she thought to herself that Liang Qi always arrived on time whenever someone from her family came to propose marriage. Xiaoyue couldn't help but overthink things. She pushed open the door and went inside.

Xiaoyue called everyone back and asked sternly, "Tell me, who gave Liang Qitong the letter?"

Seeing that no one spoke, Xiaoyue circled the room again, pointed at Chunyue, who shook her head, and then pointed at the little bean.

The little bean timidly stepped forward, raised his little face, and stretched out one hand in front of Xiaoyue. Xiaoyue saw that the little bean was holding two candies in his hand.

The little boy said aggrievedly, "Aunt Xiaoyue, Uncle Liang said that people who come to our house for blind dates are coming, and he told me and Shuiyue to go to him, and he'll give us candy in return."

Xiaoyue rolled her eyes at Liang Qi, who was standing in the kitchen, and squatted down in front of Xiaodouding and Shuiyue, saying, "If you want candy, just tell me. Don't tell outsiders about family matters next time."

After saying that, he pushed open the door to the house, pushed Liang Qi into the yard, and said coldly, "Go home. If there are any problems at my home in the future, I won't trouble you to help."

Liang Qi took Xiaoyue's hand and said in a hoarse voice, "I don't want to worry about whether you will get engaged to someone else while taking care of my father."

Xiaoyue stood on the steps, looking down at Liang Qi. After more than a month, Liang Qi's complexion still hadn't recovered. His eye sockets were even more sunken, and his dark blue eyes held a heartbreaking sadness.

He had a light bluish stubble on his chin, his neck had become thin and long, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down with each word he spoke.

Xiaoyue suddenly turned her head away, unable to bear watching any longer. Her resentment towards Liang Qi for not coming to propose marriage vanished at this moment. An indescribable bitterness welled up from the deepest part of her heart, reaching her eyes, her nose, and her lips.

A simple "Hmm..." encapsulates everything: all the resentment, all the effort, all the passion—ultimately, none of it could escape the wishes of one's parents.

Xiaoyue suddenly didn't want to face the aggrieved Liang Qi anymore. She forcefully pulled her hand away, opened and closed the door in one smooth motion, and said to Liang Qi meaningfully through the door:

"If you have to blame someone, blame it on the fact that we were destined to be apart. You can leave now."

Liang Qi hung his head dejectedly and walked out of Xiaoyue's courtyard, disappearing into the darkness.

Li Qianqian pulled Xiaoyue, who was squatting by the door, to her feet, and sighed, "What are you two trying to achieve?"

Xiaoyue gave Li Qianqian a bitter smile, and tears streamed down her face: "I'm tired too!"