He was about to take a step when he stopped abruptly and turned to look at Madam Xie.
“Mother, if it weren’t for Madam, do you think I would have survived until now and been able to stand up again? If it weren’t for her taking care of the Xie family in every way, would the Xie family have enough meat to eat every day, enough charcoal to heat the kang (a heated brick bed), enough quilts to cover themselves with, and enough padded jackets to wear? If the villagers didn’t both respect and fear Madam, do you think so many women in the Xie family would not have been bullied?”
"I...I..."
Seemingly aware that she was in the wrong, Madam Xie opened her mouth and said "I" for a long time but didn't say anything.
“Mother, I think the most important thing in life is not to forget your roots. You are living a good life now, so you have forgotten the hard times in the beginning, and you have forgotten how your mother pulled the Xie family out of the mire.”
Xie Muqing's voice carried a hint of coldness.
Madam Xie noticed this as well and quickly explained:
"Mother hasn't forgotten her contributions, but why must she repay you by having you marry into her family? You can marry her..."
It's true that people sometimes laugh unconsciously when they're speechless.
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Muqing was so angry that she laughed.
He impatiently interrupted her fallacy.
"Ha! You mean you want her to keep feeding the Xie family, have several more children for them, and work herself to death serving the whole family? Mother, that's not repaying kindness, that's repaying kindness with enmity. Mother, my wife has already been very considerate by not asking me to change my surname to hers, please don't go too far. Otherwise, if I'm not happy, I'll just take my wife's surname, Lin."
After leaving those words, Xie Muqing stopped looking at her reaction.
He turned around and strode off to chase after the figure from before.
Madam Xie was left standing alone and dejected in the courtyard.
She couldn't believe it.
Those words just now actually came from her son's mouth...
When Xie Muqing returned to the main room, Lin Yan was sitting in the study chair.
She looked at him with a half-smile.
For some reason, Xie Muqing's heart suddenly tightened.
He spoke somewhat nervously:
"My wife..."
Lin Yan interrupted him abruptly.
The right corner of his mouth turned up slightly, his face carrying a mocking expression, and his eyebrows were slightly raised.
"I'm a little uncomfortable with you calling me 'wife'!"
Xie Muqing knew she was angry as soon as he heard this, so he quickly took long strides and squatted down in front of her, his tone pleading:
"Mother was confused for a moment. I don't ask for your forgiveness, but please don't hold a grudge against me, okay?"
"Are you really not tempted by what Madam Xie said? After all, I am just a peasant girl from a mountain village. Don't worry, although your marriage to my son-in-law was ordered by the county magistrate, His Highness Prince Su still owes me a favor. I can ask him to dissolve our engagement. From now on, you can marry your beautiful bride, and I will marry my handsome husband."
Upon hearing that she was going to find Prince Su, Xie Muqing became anxious.
"My lady, I'm not interested! I have a bad stomach and bad legs. I just like to be a kept man and live off women. I don't want to marry a beautiful woman. You're not allowed to go to Prince Su!"
Lin Yan chuckled.
She extended her index finger, gently lifting his chin, and looked down at him with a soft laugh:
"It's indeed not easy to find a husband as handsome as you."
Lin Yan didn't really care about Madam Xie's thoughts.
She married Xie Muqing, not her.
After all, it is very easy to change a person's surroundings.
However, changing a person's long-held beliefs is extremely difficult.
At first, Lin Yan did feel guilty towards Madam Xie because of Xie Muqing's marriage into the family.
But then she thought about it.
On what grounds?
She didn't force him to do anything, and she doesn't owe them anything, so why should she feel guilty?
If it weren't for the fact that the Xie family children were very affectionate towards her.
She wouldn't care about them.
A faint blush appeared on Xie Muqing's face because of her ambiguous actions...
...
Just before leaving the house.
Ye Lan stopped Lin Yan in time, pulled her aside, and asked in a low voice:
“Daughter, now that Xiaoqing’s leg is healed, how about you have a wedding ceremony? Although you have a marriage certificate, the most important thing about getting married is still having a ceremony.”
Ye Lan had asked this question a long time ago.
But Lin Yan disliked those tedious rituals.
He then declined, citing Xie Muqing's inconvenience due to being in a wheelchair.
Looking back now, I realize she was selfish.
Just because she doesn't like it doesn't mean Xie Muqing doesn't like it.
"Mother, go pick an auspicious day to prepare. If you don't have enough money, go to the study to get some. There are still more than twenty taels of silver in the box. I'm going to the prefectural city now and will be back in a few days."
"Yes! Mother will go and choose an auspicious date!"
Perhaps it's because the year-end is approaching.
The city was much more lively than usual.
When Lin Yan arrived at the hot pot restaurant.
The sharp-eyed Peach Blossom spotted her immediately, her eyes instantly sparkling! She rushed towards her like a nimble little deer.
"Miss Lin! You've finally arrived!"
Peach Blossom's enthusiasm was completely unexpected by Lin Yan.
She seemed a little uncomfortable, so she moved slightly away from where the other woman was leaning closer, coughed lightly, and asked:
"What's wrong? Has anyone come looking for trouble while I'm not at the hot pot restaurant?"
Seeing her deliberately keeping her distance, a hint of loneliness flashed in Peach Blossom's eyes.
"No, during the days you were away, perhaps because of His Highness Prince Su, the customers did not make things difficult for the sisters."
"That's good. I'll be staying at the shop for the next few days to prepare extra base ingredients for you. You can tell me about any problems the shop has encountered these days."
After letting the moon rest in the backyard, Lin Yan began preparing the base ingredients.
The city is crowded with people and has many eyes.
To prevent the secret recipe for the base from being discovered, she would bring some ingredients from home each time she made the base, and only buy the rest in the city.
As Lin Yan passed through an alley, she encountered Yuan Rong and her servants once again.
However, she seemed to be in a hurry today.
A hint of nervousness was also revealed on her gentle face.
So much so that she didn't even notice Lin Yan passing by.
The three of them, master and servants, were extremely cautious in their every move, clearly displaying a guilty conscience.
Watching their retreating figures, Lin Yan seemed lost in thought.
Learning from her previous experience, she decided to secretly follow them to see what the master and servant were up to.
She followed him secretly for a while and found that the surroundings were becoming increasingly remote.
Lin Yan couldn't help but frown.
Yuan Rong was, after all, a noblewoman from a distinguished family.
Why would she go to a place like this instead of being a pampered young lady in the royal palace?
With a sense of bewilderment, the three of them, mistress and servants, looked around and then entered a house.
After they entered the house, Lin Yan quietly climbed over the wall and entered.
Following their trail, we walked towards the backyard.
She stopped when she heard a faint sound coming from a room.
In order to avoid being discovered, Lin Yan had no choice but to take a detour and climb onto the roof.
She could hear Yuan Rong talking to someone inside, but because she was deliberately lowering her voice, she couldn't hear clearly.
However, the other voice sounded strangely familiar to her.
Lin Yan couldn't help but frown.
Driven by curiosity, she gently lifted a tile at her feet and bent down to peek.
When she saw who was inside the room, her pupils contracted instantly!
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