Chapter 3401 Extra Zhou Yin 16
Xia Yan: "Are you questioning me? Xinniang's marriage is my family affair. Why, now you want to interfere in my family affairs and even make decisions for me?"
Zhou Yin, who was standing behind Xia Yan, was slightly startled. He glanced at Mr. Xia in surprise and then lowered his eyes.
Everyone in the main hall looked unhappy, including Xia Yan. He said, "Xia San's family is indeed the closest to me, and Xia Yi is your second son. He seems to be the most suitable person to adopt."
"But whether or not to adopt him depends on my wife and I's liking for him. My wife and I don't really like Xia Yi to begin with," Xia Yan said with a sneer as he glanced around the room. "Besides, I'm looking to adopt a child, not find a family for myself."
Xia San's face turned pale. Just as he was about to speak, Xia Yan stood up and stared at the Xia clan leader. "I won't talk about how they used to come to my house every now and then and tell my wife and daughter what to do. But they even paid someone to watch my every move. I haven't even been adopted yet, and their wife and daughter are already domineering and overbearing towards mine. When I really am adopted in the future, will my home still be ours?"
"Now you're even questioning Xinniang's marriage?" Xia Yan said, "Don't forget, this is my family affair. Xinniang is my daughter!"
"Brother Yan," Clan Leader Xia hurriedly comforted him, "Xia San didn't mean that. He was just worried that you were deceived. After all..."
He glanced at Zhou Yin and said, "After all, he's an outsider, and he came from out of town. Who knows what kind of person he is?"
Xia Yan: "I know his character best from spending time with him day and night. I've also seen Xia Yi's character over the years."
Xia San was furious at seeing Xia Yi look down on him. He wanted to say something, but was held down by his brothers on both sides, who told him not to be impulsive.
Xia Yan's decision and comments were a bolt from the blue for Xia San's family, but they were not entirely bad for the clan.
Originally, Xia San's family and Xia Yan had the closest blood relationship. Whether from an emotional or ethical point of view, if they wanted to adopt a child, they had to choose someone from their family.
Xia Yi was recognized as the best candidate early on. Whether it was the clan or Xia Yi's family, everyone thought that Xia Yan would definitely adopt Xia Yi in the future.
As a result, Xia Yan now looks down on Xia Yi. Doesn’t that mean that other people in the clan have a chance?
The Xia clan leader also thought this was a good thing, so when he pulled Xia Yan outside, his expression brightened. He advised earnestly, "Brother Yan, since you feel Xia Yi is not suitable, why not choose a younger child from the clan and bring him up with you from a young age? Not only will his character be guaranteed, but you'll also develop a deep affection for him from a young age."
Xia Yan shook his head. "Clan leader, you know that my wife and I are not in good health and have limited energy. It's troublesome to raise Xin Niang, let alone other children. Bringing the child here will only delay others. Forget it, forget it."
Patriarch Xia couldn't help but glance at Zhou Yin beside him, then pulled Xia Yan aside and asked in a low voice, "Brother Yan, you're not really thinking of marrying off Xin Niang, are you?"
Xia Yan also glanced at Zhou Yin, who was standing like a pine tree. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. After pondering for a moment, he shook his head and said, "I haven't thought about marrying Xin Niang yet."
But he really wanted to marry Xin Niang off and take away most of the property.
Chief Xia hurriedly said, "Even if we are looking for a son-in-law, we can't choose a foreigner, especially a foreigner who has fled here."
Ever since Zhou Yin became a farmhand for the Xia family, everyone in Hongtian Village knew his origins. They heard that he was from Mianzhou and had escaped because of the drought.
Xia Yan said, "My family values character when choosing a son-in-law."
"What if he has bad character?" said the Xia clan leader. "He has no relatives here to rely on. Who can control him?"
Xia Yan: "Thank you, clan leader, for your concern for my brother's family affairs. I will consider this matter."
But he didn't look like he was considering it at all.
Patriarch Xia could only watch Xia Yan and Zhou Yin leave.
On the other side, Xia's mother and Xia Xin, who were surrounded by female relatives, were also having a hard time. Ever since they sat down, some people asked directly or indirectly about the adoption.
After asking about the adoption, he asked about Xia Xin's marriage.
It seemed that it was a heinous act that she was almost of age and still hadn't gotten engaged.
Some people even wanted to propose marriage to her, which made Xia Xin so angry that her face turned pale.
Xia Xin stood up and said to her mother, "Mom, I'll go out and look after Dad. Don't let him drink."
After saying that, he left.
The aunts and uncles in the clan were stunned for a moment, then became a little angry, "Sister-in-law, why is Xinniang getting more rude as she grows up?"
Mother Xia's face darkened slightly. "She's worried about her father's health from drinking. That's filial piety. How can that be considered rude?"
She also stood up and said, "I think it's getting late. You guys can chat first. I'll go check on the elders of the clan."
Everyone watched the mother and daughter leave, looking at each other in confusion, "This..."
"Have you noticed that the mother and daughter are very strong this year and have become much bolder."
"It's not just this year. Last year was different. They had the guts to refuse us when we went to their house. Would that have been possible before?"
"Could it be that they really want to marry Zhou Yin into their family, so that they don't have to rely on the clan anymore, so..."
"That can't be right. Zhou Yin is an outsider. After all, an outsider is an outsider. How can he compare to one of our family members?"
They were talking about it, and Xia Xin ran out without looking for her father. Instead, she ran out of the village and didn't stop until she was out of breath.
She angrily kicked the stone at her feet away. Because the stone was a bit big, she felt a dull pain in her toes and tears suddenly fell.
Zhou Yin, who had chased after her, was at a loss when he saw this. He handed her his handkerchief and said, "Don't cry, did Xia Lan bully you again? Just wait, I'll go beat up Xia Yi to vent your anger."
Xia Xin then realized that he was following her. She pulled out her handkerchief and turned her back to wipe her tears. "You, why are you here?"
"I saw you running out of the village. I called you twice but you didn't respond. I was worried something might happen to you, so I followed you." Because she lowered her head, Zhou Yin couldn't see her face. He could only try to lower his head to see her expression and asked softly, "Were you bullied?"
Xia Xin raised her eyes slightly and looked at him. When she met his gaze, she lowered her eyes again to avoid his gaze and muttered, "No."
Seeing tears still on her face, Zhou Yin couldn't help but reach out to wipe them away, saying softly, "You're lying! Why are you crying when you're not crying? And why are you crying so sadly?"
Xia Xin was startled by his hand, took a step back suddenly, and reached out to knock his hand away.
Zhou Yin withdrew his hand, and both of their expressions changed slightly. They remained silent.
Xia Xin felt that her reaction just now was not good and might have hurt Zhou Yin, so she hesitated to speak.
Zhou Yin lowered his head and was silent for a moment, "You, do you know?"
Xia Xin: "Know what?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
