"Comrade Shen Huanxi, you are still young and you won't have trouble finding a husband. There is no need to waste your life on someone like me who has crippled legs."

Xiao Shanhe spoke in a serious tone and with a solemn expression, his eyes, as deep as the sea, showed determination.

Zhang Guifen burst out laughing.

"I thought it was something else. It turns out that you don't want to burden Xiao Shen. Aren't you just caring about her? Isn't marriage all about caring for each other? Matchmaker Zhou and I have told Xiao Shen about your situation. Xiao Shen knows everything. The fact that she is willing to come here shows that she doesn't mind. Besides, you are not incapable of taking care of yourself and need her to take care of you."

"Mom, I want Comrade Shen Huanxi to speak for himself." Xiao Shanhe looked at Shen Huanxi, his expression becoming more serious.

Shen Huanxi tugged at the corner of his clothes, then immediately let go and smiled at Zhang Guifen.

"Auntie Zhang, how about I just have a chat with Comrade Xiao Shanhe myself?"

Zhang Guifen looked at Shen Huanxi, then at Xiao Shanhe, and after a while, nodded.

"Then you two can talk it over. I'm going to go cook. It's almost lunch time. Xiao Shen, I'll cook your portion as well. No matter what you two discuss, you have to stay for lunch today."

After Zhang Guifen finished speaking, she walked out quickly without waiting for Shen Huanxi to answer, leaving only Shen Huanxi and Xiao Shanhe in the room.

Shen Huanxi suddenly felt inexplicably nervous.

She had been through two marriages in her previous life and had been in the business world for decades, so she had seen all kinds of men. However, she inexplicably felt guilty in front of Xiao Shanhe.

She wanted to give Chang'an and Changning a good living environment, so she wanted to marry Xiao Shanhe. She also told people that she liked Xiao Shanhe. At this time, she was afraid that Xiao Shanhe would ask her this question.

It's not that she wasn't good at lying, but she felt that Xiao Shanhe's unfathomable eyes seemed to be able to see through everything. He clearly didn't have any excited emotions, but there was a sense of oppression that came from his intimidating presence, so she didn't dare to lie in front of him.

If he found out, how would she explain it?

Shen Huanxi didn't expect Zhang Guifen to leave so soon. She couldn't organize her words to talk to Xiao Shanhe, and she hadn't even figured out where to start.

Looking down, I saw that the mortise and tenon mechanism box that Xiao Shanhe had just fiddled with had its parts scattered all over the floor.

She squatted down and picked them up one by one. There were six pieces in total, which were simple mortise and tenon boxes.

After picking them all up, he held them in his hand and looked at them for a while, then put them back together for Xiao Shanhe before returning them to him.

"If I hadn't come, Aunt Zhang wouldn't have broken it. I'll put it together for you."

Xiao Shanhe took the box, and his eyes, which had just been as calm as a windless lake, suddenly flashed with a strange light that disappeared in an instant.

"Forget about this broken thing. There's no need to put it together again." Having said this, Xiao Shanhe paused and looked at Shen Huanxi, "Thank you."

The atmosphere finally eased a little and was no longer as awkward as before, and Shen Huanxi stopped dawdling.

"Aunt Zhang has explained your situation to me very clearly. She just said it again in front of us. Just as she said, I can accept it, so I came to see you. I won't beat around the bush. Since I want to live with you, I won't hide anything from you.

I married you with an ulterior motive. As you know, I have two daughters. They have been in poor health since childhood. The living conditions in the village are poor. When the dusty weather comes, the two children cough badly and are prone to lung diseases.

If they come to the city, the conditions will be better, their health will be better, and they can go to school in the city. So I married you for my daughter, and you married me to help me, and I didn't suffer any loss..."

…

Zhang Guifen came out of the house, full of worry, always afraid that Xiao Shanhe would be stubborn and would not open up.

The people who had come to watch the excitement outside the yard had not left yet, and there were even more and more of them.

A divorced man with crippled legs going on a blind date was already big news, not to mention that the blind date was with a beautiful woman. However, Xiao Shanhe rejected Shen Huanxi and blocked her outside the door, refusing to let her in. In the eyes of many people, this was simply outrageous.

"If you ask me, Xiao Shanhe is a little ignorant. What are his conditions? He dares to reject a woman who is willing to go on a blind date with him. He really thinks he is a big shot."

"I think that Comrade Xiao Shen has lost her self-respect. It's obvious that Xiao Shanhe doesn't want to see her, but she still refuses to leave and wants to go inside. How can she treat herself like this? She has no dignity at all."

"Now a man and a woman are still living alone in the same room. I'm afraid Xiao Shen will never be able to get married in the future."

"She deserves it. Xiao Shanhe refused to see her but she stayed with him. Isn't that what she deserves? She is so pitiful. How can there be such a stupid woman?"

"How else would she end up on a blind date with a cripple? It's just that a person with no self-respect met a person who doesn't know what's good for him."

…

Zhang Guifen had just taken out an iron basin and a bowl, and went back into the kitchen. When she came out again, she was holding a live chicken with its legs tied up in her left hand, and a kitchen knife in her right hand, about to bleed the chicken, with a sullen look on her face.

It was just killing a chicken, but she looked so ferocious that if you didn't know better you would think she was going to kill someone.

Anyone who wasn't stupid could see that she must have heard everyone's discussion. Seeing the excitement, the people lowered their voices and started whispering to each other, but they didn't leave. They even gathered outside the Xiao family's yard and looked around.

After a while, Xiao Shanhe's door opened. Shen Huanxi walked in front, and Xiao Shanhe followed closely behind pushing a wheelchair. People who came to watch the excitement all looked at the two of them.

It was not a good idea to discuss anything in front of others. They had just been whispering in a restrained manner, and now they were all silent. However, they could not hide the pity in their eyes when they looked at Shen Huanxi, and the disdain in their eyes when they looked at Xiao Shanhe.

Zhang Guifen noticed those people's gazes and found them very irritating. She bled the chicken and stood up. Xiao Shanhe and Shen Huanxi came up to her.

"Mom, Comrade Xiao Shen and I have discussed that we will find a suitable time this month to get the marriage certificate printed."

"You...what did you say?" Zhang Guifen almost couldn't hold the chicken and kitchen knife steadily.

She had just prepared how to scold Xiao Shanhe and also scold those neighbors who were watching the fun and meddling in other people's business, but she never expected to hear good news.

"Let's arrange it early and arrange for the children to meet each other. They will be a family in the future and will live together, so it's better to get familiar with each other in advance." Xiao Shanhe added.

Zhang Guifen was now certain that she had heard correctly, her son and Comrade Xiao Shen were together, but her son would never joke.

"Hey, it's good that we've reached an agreement, so that some people won't say that Dashan doesn't know what's good for him and that Huanxi is giving him away. I'll go back to your grandmother's house tomorrow to pick up Tangtang and Zhengzheng, and arrange for them to meet Huanxi. From now on, Huanxi will be their mother. I'll go ask the Civil Affairs Bureau when they'll open."

Just now I was calling him Xiao Shen, but now I am happy.

After saying this, she placed the chicken and kitchen knife in the large iron basin, turned around, thought of the gourd ladle hanging on the wall, and scooped a ladle of water from the large water tank outside the kitchen.

"The rooster was struggling just now, so I didn't put the blood properly when I was bleeding it, and not all the blood flowed into the bowl. It has dirty my yard. I have to flush it." As he spoke, he splashed the water in the ladle forward, but what he splashed was not the few drops of chicken blood on the ground, but the feet of those people who were gossiping outside.

The people in the front row were nearly splashed by the water. They were so frightened that they quickly took a few steps back.

Zhang Guifen didn't care about their reactions. She threw the gourd back into the water jar and picked up the bowl of chicken blood on the ground.

"Huanxi, we just agreed that you would stay for lunch. By the way, when would it be convenient for Chang'an and Changning to arrange for them to meet Dashan?"

"Let's do it today." Xiao Shanhe replied.

"I just discussed it with Xiao Shen. It's still early today, and Taolin Village is not far from the city. Xiao Shen, a lesbian, took the initiative to come to our house for the blind date today. I was impolite, so I'll go first to see the child for the first time. It can be regarded as a gift and compensation to Xiao Shen."

"Okay, okay, okay, then today, I've already started cooking, we'll go after dinner! You have to take the initiative, you have to take the initiative in the future, don't let others say you're happy again."

"Who said Comrade Xiao Shen?" Xiao Shanhe frowned.

Zhang Guifen shook her head.

"Of course it's the gossipers who say that. If you don't want your future wife to be talked about, you should be more careful and think about how to prepare to meet the two children at Huanxi's house."

"Yeah." Xiao Shanhe didn't ask any more questions. "I went to the department store to buy some things."

"Okay, you go. Time is running out, so hurry up and buy more things. Don't lose your manners again. Also, leave a good impression on my two granddaughters." Zhang Guifen had a smile on her face.

Shen Huanxi was not idle either, so he went over to help Zhang Guifen.

Zhang Guifen had been polite to Shen Huanxi just now, but now she was no longer restrained. She put the chicken and the kitchen knife into the big iron basin, then patted the back of Shen Huanxi's hand with a smile.

"Huanxi, did you see that? I didn't lie to you, did I? My son can take care of himself. He can even go to the department store to buy things. Don't worry, he doesn't need you to serve him."

"Yes. But it's the family's duty to help each other, and there's no need to be too calculating. Auntie, what can I do?"

"Sit here." Zhang Guifen pointed to a small stool not far from her feet. "I've boiled some water. I'll go in and blanch the chicken and pluck it. We'll have dinner early."

"I'll get it."

"Hey, it's not right for you to serve it. Look at your delicate skin and tender flesh. Let me do it. Sit down." Zhang Guifen smiled and rudely grabbed Shen Huanxi's hand again and pushed her whole body onto the small stool.

The people who were watching the excitement were no longer excited. After being mocked by Zhang Guifen, they all left. They all thought that this marriage was incredible. How did Shen Huanxi agree to it? Don't be like Lan Linxiang, who ran away with the Xiao family's money after a few days.

Zhang Guifen brought out a bucket of freshly boiled water and poured it into the large iron basin containing the chicken. The boiling water submerged the entire chicken. She then grabbed the chicken's neck, pressed it, and turned it around in the boiling water for several circles. After half a minute, when she made sure that every part of the chicken's body had been scalded by the boiling water, she poured out the water, grabbed a handful of chicken feathers, and with a slight pull, she easily plucked the feathers off.

Shen Huanxi didn't want to just sit there and do nothing, so he wanted to go over to help, but was stopped by Zhang Guifen.

"Huanxi, you are still a guest today. How can we let a guest do the work? Besides, even if you are not a guest in the future, I can't let you do the work all the time. It's not like I can't do it. If you have nothing to do, you can take a look at our house. It will be your home from now on. You can get familiar with it in advance. Oh..."

Zhang Guifen was talking when she suddenly seemed to remember something and patted her thigh.