The Si family was a prominent clan in Jinling. There were seven or eight cars just to pick up Si Jiangchen.
Seeing my flushed face, as if I was showing signs of heatstroke, Si Jiangchen picked me up in his arms and carried me into the first car.
"Brother Achen, wait for us. Let's go together!"
Li Mingyue tugged at Si Xirui's arm and caught up from behind.
"The car is small. You two go and take the other cars," Si Jiangchen said truthfully. There was only room for four people in the car besides the driver. The front passenger seat was usually for the adjutant or the servant when going out. With Si Jiangchen holding me in the back seat, there was only one seat left for the two young ladies of the Si family.
"Brother Jiangchen, it's been ages since you last came home. Mingyue and I want to be closer to you," Si Xirui had already opened the door and sat beside Si Jiangchen. Pointing at me, she said coquettishly, "Let her sit in the front. The two of us will accompany you."
Si Jiangchen frowned, and his expression quickly turned cold. "Stop being so childish. Get out."
"Brother!!"
Si Xirui seemed to be caught off guard that her brother would embarrass her in front of outsiders. She tightly pursed her lips and endured the urge to cry. Staring at me, her aggrieved look seemed to imply that I was the one who had bullied her.
Nestled in Si Jiangchen's arms, I stared back at her defiantly.
For a few seconds, we were at a stalemate. Instead of seeing me get out of the car voluntarily, Li Mingyue, who was standing outside, sensibly patted the car door. "Xirui, it's Brother Achen's first day back. Don't be so willful. I'll sit in the front."
With that, she opened the front door and got in.
The car started. I wriggled out of Si Jiangchen's arms like a snail and sat down on the other seat. It was so hot that Si Jiangchen was like a furnace. Staying in his arms for too long would probably roast me dry.
"Brother, why did you marry her?"
Seeing me move away from Si Jiangchen, Si Xirui immediately clung to him like a piece of sticky candy. Pouting, she murmured, "Even if the Du family is trying to curry favor with ours, you don't have to marry her as your main wife! A country girl is only fit to be a concubine!"
... It seemed that Si Jiangchen's eight - character telegram had brought quite a shock to the Si family in Jinling.
I noticed that the people who came to pick us up kept stealing glances at me. It turned out that they were all dissatisfied with me, the fiancée who had been betrothed to the future head of the Si family since childhood.
"Xirui, is that something you should say?"
Si Jiangchen was indeed cold - faced and cold - hearted. He was even willing to scold his cute younger sister. So his sarcasm and coldness towards me were not intentional but just his nature.
However, seeing him scold others with a cold face made me feel quite good.
After all, it wasn't a pleasant feeling to be looked down upon!
"Everyone says so!"
Scolded by her brother, Si Xirui felt even more humiliated. "Her family is just a low - class one that made its fortune from corpse - driving. They used some evil methods to make the dead work for them and earned ill - gotten gains... Now the Du family has been punished by heaven, and the whole family has been wiped out. You don't have to keep the promise and marry someone you don't like!"
"Yes! Brother Achen, Miss Du is quite pitiful, but you don't have to wrong yourself like this," Li Mingyue, who was sitting in the front, also turned around. Looking at me with pity on her face, the words she said were really hurtful. "We've all heard that the Du family in Du Yang Town is completely gone, and she's the only one left alone. But if she marries into our Si family, it might affect the fortune of the Si family!"
Her words seemed to pity me, but they might as well have written the words "I'm a jinx" on my forehead.
"Cough."
I coughed softly to indicate that I was about to speak. Li Mingyue and Si Xirui stopped talking simultaneously and looked at me.
"Sorry, I seem to remember that this young lady introduced herself as Miss 'Li', right?"
Originally, my face was close to the open window, enjoying the gentle breeze. Now I turned to Si Jiangchen and said, "Why does she refer to the Si family as 'our Si family'? Is Miss Li also a daughter - in - law of the Si family?"
Without waiting for Si Jiangchen to answer, I continued, "... That's not right. Shouldn't she introduce herself as the young mistress of the Si family? Why is she still using her maiden name? Could it be that... she's living in a man's house without getting married?"
"You!!"
My words made Li Mingyue blush with anger. She bit her lower lip and couldn't say a word.
How could she know that a country girl like me could be so sharp - tongued? I had caught her words and accused her of being unruly and immoral.
"Mingyue is my cousin. It's only natural for her to live in our house," Si Xirui shouted. "Don't talk nonsense. You're the one who's shameless, throwing yourself at my brother before marriage."
Hearing her words, I leaned back and nestled against Si Jiangchen's chest. "I'm his fiancée, and my family has suffered a great disaster. Thanks to my fiancé who saved me from the pile of dead bodies, I'm naturally willing to marry him as a way of repaying him."
I had lived with the destitute refugees for a few months, witnessing all kinds of scheming and life - and - death struggles. These two rich young ladies trying to play tricks on me were just asking to be angry with themselves.
Si Jiangchen had never seen me being so sharp - tongued. He looked at me with interest and seemed to enjoy my cuddling up to him.
"As for you, Miss Li Mingyue, are you living in the Si family, trying to follow in the footsteps of 'Miss Bao' living in the Grand View Garden, hoping to fall in love with 'Master Bao' over time and marry into the Si family?"
I suddenly remembered the complete set of *Dream of the Red Chamber* that A Wen had stolen from my father's study when I was recuperating at home, so I just used it casually.
Sure enough, Li Mingyue couldn't stand my sarcasm. She was ashamed and angry, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Brother Achen, you know me. How could I be such a person?!"
Si Jiangchen slightly twitched the corner of his mouth, put his arm around my shoulder, and then said to Li Mingyue, "Mingyue, after we get married, Du Xinghe will be the mistress of the house. You can stay as long as you can get her approval."
"Brother Achen..."
Li Mingyue's tears finally rolled down.
"Brother!! There's still Father at home, and two aunts!! How could it be her turn to be in charge?"
Si Xirui stamped her foot in anger. "She's just a country girl. How could she manage the inner courtyard of our Si family?"
Si Xirui was right. I had been raised by my father to be sold since childhood. When the Du family approached the Si family back then, they never thought that the Si family would let me be the mistress in charge. So I had never been taught the rules of managing a household.
However, since Si Jiangchen had stood up for me, I naturally couldn't let him down. So I smiled slightly and said, "I'll have to manage it even if I can't. Since Si Jiangchen has married me as his wife, I'll just have to bear the burden..."