The next day, around nine or ten in the morning, Mrs. Huo came to visit, followed by Pei Ji holding Xiaobao.
Mother Xue came out to greet them wearing the clothes she had chosen for a long time and which were praised by all three children.
Xue Huan stood beside her.
When she saw Pei Ji, she couldn't help but give him a helpless smile.
When Xue's mother saw Xiaobao in Pei Ji's arms, she was startled for a moment, but she quickly calmed down. After greeting each other, she welcomed Huo into the yard.
Xue Huan naturally fell behind, standing shoulder to shoulder with Pei Ji. She approached Xiao Bao and asked, "Xiao Bao, do you still remember 'Mother'?"
Two-year-old Xiaobao already knew what the concept of mother was. When he found out that he didn't have a mother, he would ask his aunt (Ms. Huo) where his mother had gone.
Mrs. Huo couldn't bear to tell him that his parents had passed away, so she told him a white lie: Mom had something to do and couldn't be with Xiaobao for the time being, but she would come back to visit Xiaobao later.
Because he still remembers that he saw his mother when he was a child (a little over one year old), Xiaobao firmly believes that he is a child with a mother.
Seeing Xue Huan calling herself mother, Xiao Bao looked at her without saying a word. He simply leaned over and stretched out his two little arms towards her, asking her to hold him.
Xue Huan was filled with affection and immediately took him from Pei Ji, putting her head close to his cheek and asking, "Xiaobao, what did you eat this morning?"
Xiaobao spoke clearly: "Porridge, egg."
"Does Xiaobao eat by himself or is he fed by someone else?"
"Xiaobao, use a spoon."
"Oh, Xiaobao can use a spoon by himself now. He's really capable."
The "mother and son" were talking intimately, and Xue Huan didn't pay attention to the road under her feet for a moment. Pei Ji saw that she was about to step into a pit, so he reached out to grab her, held her shoulders and turned her in another direction.
But as soon as Mrs. Huo entered the hall, she bowed deeply to Xue's mother.
Xue's mother was startled and hurried to help her: "Hurry up and get up, you are really tiring me."
Mrs. Huo insisted on completing the ceremony. "Why should it be so embarrassing? Madam is Akang's benefactor. You should be able to bear this ceremony."
Being addressed as Madam by the former Queen, Xue's mother didn't know what to do. She waved her hands repeatedly and said, "How can I be considered a Madam? I'm just an ordinary citizen. Please don't address me like that."
Mrs. Huo took her hand and said, "How about we call each other by our maiden names? My given name is just 'Wu', and before I got married, my father and brothers all called me Ah Wu."
Xue's mother also gave her name.
"Hui Niang, I felt a strong affinity with you the moment I saw you. Now that I'm no longer a queen, you can just treat me as an ordinary woman."
Seeing that her attitude was indeed gentle and amiable, Xue's mother gradually relaxed.
"Xiaobao, come here and meet your aunt." Mrs. Huo wanted to take Xiaobao from Xue Huan's arms, but the little guy didn't cooperate and held Xue Huan tightly.
Mrs. Huo laughed: "Xiaobao, now that you have a mother, do you no longer want your aunt?"
Mother? Mother Xue looked at Xue Huan, who was holding Xiao Bao, in horror. Her head felt dizzy. Could it be that the child—
As soon as Xue Huan saw her mother's expression, she knew she had misunderstood. She stuffed Xiaobao into Pei Ji's arms, asked him to take him to the yard to play, and then explained the whole story to her mother.
Xue’s mother: Fortunately, fortunately. She almost thought that her daughter had given birth to a child without her knowledge. She was really scared just now.
After knowing the truth, she couldn't help but feel sad when she thought about Xiaobao mistaking Xue Huan for his mother.
The three women sat together and chatted for a while, becoming familiar with each other. Mrs. Huo felt it was time to turn the topic to proposing marriage.
However, it was not appropriate to say such things in front of his daughter, so he said to Xue Huan, "Huan Huan, please help me check on Xiao Bao. I wonder if he's hungry."
"Okay." Xue Huan knew what was going on and got up and left.
Mrs. Huo then said to Mrs. Xue, "Mother Hui, the reason I came here this time is to thank you and your family for saving Akang's life."
Xue's mother: "Awu, please don't mention this anymore."
Mrs. Huo smiled. "Secondly, I came to ask for Huanhuan's hand in marriage on behalf of Akang. I've always wanted a daughter, but it was never my wish. Then Akang brought Huanhuan home. I fell in love with her the moment I saw her, and I've already treated her like my own daughter. So you don't have to worry at all about me being a nasty mother-in-law if Huanhuan marries me."
Xue's mother couldn't help but laugh at her.
Mrs. Huo continued, "I'm sure you, Hui Niang, know what kind of person Akang is. He doesn't easily show any emotion. I used to worry that he was too cold and would be lonely forever. But I didn't expect him to become a completely different person after meeting Huan Huan. Of course, it's a change for the better. Seeing him now, I'm very relieved."
"He has decided on Huanhuan for his whole life. If she marries him, he will definitely hold her in his arms and dote on her. So, Hui Niang, are you willing to marry Huanhuan to Akang?"
Xue's mother said, "Marriage affects Huanhuan's entire life. I must ask her opinion first."
Perhaps because her own marriage was not arranged by her parents or the matchmaker, when it came to her daughter's marriage, she was unwilling to be the parent who directly decided her daughter's marriage.
Huo: "It should be."
After the Huo family members left, Xue's mother privately told Xue Huan about the Huo family's proposal and asked for her opinion.
Xue Huan had nothing to be embarrassed about, and said openly, "Mom, I am willing to marry Akang."
Xue's mother stroked her hair and sighed, "Our Huanhuan has grown up so quickly and is now old enough to get married. I still remember when you first came to our house, you were so tiny, delicate and graceful, like a glutinous rice dumpling."
As she spoke, her eyes couldn't help but become moist and she wiped the corners of her eyes quickly.
The marriage between Xue Huan and Pei Ji was settled in this way. Of course, it was only verbal, and the two families reached an agreement on the marriage.
If you really want to get married, there are still many procedures to go through, and the three books and six ceremonies are essential.
But because the Chinese New Year was just a few days away, the two families agreed to wait until after the New Year.
"It's crooked, a little to the right, past it, okay, that's it."
Twenty-eight, stick flowers.
That morning, after breakfast, Xue Huan took her two younger siblings to paste Spring Festival couplets and window decorations all over the house, making sure to decorate the house to look festive and lively.
Xue Jun was very skillful. She cut out all those delicate and beautiful window decorations, and the Spring Festival couplets were written and sent by Pei Ji, the future son-in-law.
Xue Huan prepared the paste. The paste she made was neither too thick nor too thin, and it had a strong rice aroma. It looked like rice porridge and made people particularly appetizing.
Xiaobao looked at it and drooled, which made Xue Huan laugh so hard that she quickly took out a biscuit and gave it to him, letting him chew it slowly.
As for the task of pasting, Xue Yao volunteered to take it over. He quickly climbed up the ladder and pasted the Spring Festival couplets evenly coated with paste on the door lintel.
Looking at the Spring Festival couplets and window decorations posted everywhere, Xue Huan felt the festive atmosphere of the New Year suddenly became stronger.
On New Year's Eve, at the invitation of Xue's mother, Pei Ji and his family came to have New Year's Eve dinner with the Xue family, and Zhong Biliu was also at the table.
He didn't need to be invited at all. He smelled the aroma of fried meatballs wafting from the Xue family's kitchen early in the morning and came to wait for the food.
Of course, he didn't come empty-handed, he also brought gifts.
—A soul-nourishing wooden statue carved from his own body.
There is one statue for each of the four members of the Xue family, and they are all carved according to their attributes. The statues are lifelike and exude a faint and refreshing fragrance.
The Xue family happily accepted it.
However, except for Xue Huan, Xue's mother and the other two did not know the preciousness of this soul-nourishing wood carving. They were just happy that it was carved by Zhong Biliu himself. The gift was small but the sentiment was great, so they took it out and wore it on the spot.
Seeing this, Zhong Biliu couldn't help but smile.
He finally understood why humans loved giving gifts to each other. It was a very satisfying feeling when the gift he gave was cherished and appreciated by the other party.
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