Actually, Xiuxiu's mother was aware of their relationship.

They usually turned a blind eye, so Ye Yong would help their family with a lot of chores.

For example, chopping firewood, gathering pig feed, or even planting and harvesting.

It would take Xiuxiu a whole day to do it alone, but with Ye Yong's help, it can be done in half a day. This way, Xiuxiu can free up her hands to do other things.

Having been bullied by Ye Yong's family today, I deliberately brought this up to embarrass Hu Xiuxiu.

Hu Xiuxiu could easily see through her intentions, and sneered:

"You don't need to shame me! What, when you were using your own daughter to keep him working for the family, why didn't you expose that? You're not ashamed of your behavior as a madam, so why should I be ashamed?"

"You—" Xiuxiu's mother was so angry that she almost fell backward.

She reached out to hit her, but Hu Xiaosi and the other kids rushed forward and pushed her away, saying, "Don't hit your sister."

"This is outrageous! Those who turn their elbows outwards..."

"Mother!" Hu Xiaosi spread his arms, blocking Hu Xiuxiu's way, staring intently at Xiuxiu's mother:

"How's it going with your marriage, sister? Yong-ge already has twenty taels, what more do you want?"

When Xiuxiu's mother looked at his tender little face, her eyes were like those of a wolf cub ready to pounce at her at any moment.

Just as Xiuxiu's mother was about to lose her temper, she noticed that the third, fifth, sixth, and seventh children were all staring at her like that, and her heart skipped a beat. She then put on a stern face.

"Who am I doing all this for? Isn't it all for you?"

Xiuxiu's mother was so aggrieved that she simply sat down on the ground and started crying:

"You ask me what else I want? I'm just making some reasonable requests!"

"Is this how the Ye family gets married? Is twenty taels of silver really just twenty taels of silver? Besides the bride price, are there no other dowry or valuable items to weigh down the bride?"

"They clearly have plenty of money, and all we asked for was a gold hairpin, yet they acted so sarcasticly. What, did they expect us to be treated like poor people, given a broken bronze mirror? It's obvious they look down on us women!"

"Think about it yourselves, are your sisters really that worthless?"

Hu Xiuxiu and her brother Hu Xiaosi were both dumbfounded by what she said.

Xiuxiu's mother wiped away her tears and looked at Hu Xiuxiu: "Which family doesn't spend money to get a wife? Otherwise, how can they cherish her after she's married into the family?"

"Xiuxiu, you always dote on your younger brothers the most. What will happen to them after you get married?"

"All I asked them for was a way to make a living, and they didn't even give me a chance to discuss it. They just said they weren't going to get married!"

"Was it that I didn't want to get married? They were the ones who said they didn't want to! I even went to their door, and then they said they didn't want to get married!"

Xiuxiu's mother knew that this matter had to be told, otherwise, if it came from the village head's husband or the Ye family, she didn't know how she would be distorted.

"Xiuxiu, it's not that your mother doesn't want to arrange this marriage, but the Ye family is going too far."

Hu Xiuxiu was stunned, staring blankly at her: "Mother just mentioned business? What business?"

Xiuxiu's mother pursed her lips: "I was only thinking about your younger brothers. How would they, a bunch of kids, survive after you got married? I just asked Ye Yong to teach them how to make spicy soup. As a result, Ye Yong immediately said he wouldn't marry you!"

"Mother has done her best, but the Ye family doesn't agree."

Tears streamed down Hu Xiuxiu's face: "Is it that they don't agree? You're pushing your luck. What kind of business are you trying to make? You're trying to steal their secret recipe!"

Besides being heartbroken, Hu Xiuxiu also felt a strong sense of shame, making her wish she had never been born.

"What do you mean by lying!" Xiuxiu's mother couldn't accept it. "It's one thing for the Ye family to say such things about me, but you actually said them to me too?"

Xiuxiu's mother burst into tears, covering her mouth and nose and pointing at her: "Hu Xiuxiu, if you have the guts, then make Ye Yong marry you. But the twenty taels of betrothal gifts, the gold hairpin, and the business for your brothers are all indispensable."

Hu Xiuxiu laughed when she heard this: "Why didn't you make so many demands of that carpenter Cai?"

Xiuxiu's mother choked.

Hu Xiuxiu shook her head: "It's just because Ye Yong likes me, and she thinks Ye Yong is honest and easy to manipulate."

"Now you're saying all this again? What? You want me to go to him and beg him to agree to these conditions? Too bad, I don't have that kind of face."

Hu Xiuxiu's voice was quiet, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

She looked up at the sky and said, "Well, this is for the best. It's best that I didn't marry him; otherwise, I would have dragged him into a fire pit!"

As they spoke, they would often walk outside.

Looking at her daughter's lifeless appearance, Xiuxiu's mother felt a pang of guilt, but what had she done wrong?

The Ye family is clearly wealthy, so why shouldn't they contribute more?

Xiuxiu's conditions are so good, why can't she ask for more?

...

Hu Xiuxiu sat by the river, staring blankly at the flowing water.

She really wanted to jump down and end it all.

But she's dead. Xiao Si and the others will cry. She wanted to watch them grow up...

She stood up and was taken aback, only to see Ye Yong standing not far away.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then turned around in tacit understanding and went their separate ways.

Since it's destined to have no outcome, there's no need to dwell on it.

They are each other's most important people, but at the same time, they also have other important people in their hearts that they cannot let go of or leave.

"Sister!" Hu Xiaosi emerged from the bushes and caught up with her.

"Okay." Hu Xiuxiu took his little hand. "Let's go home."

When he got home, he found Huang the matchmaker sitting in the main room.

Hu Xiuxiu held her hands tightly.

"Oh dear, what a mess this is!" Huang the matchmaker exclaimed, sitting in her chair. "This morning, the Cai family told me that the monk was actually a fake!"

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