The cooking smoke was curling up, and the Pei family's dinner was served on the table.
Qi Jiao stood at the courtyard gate, looking around. Neither Pei Xia nor Pei Li was in sight.
A vague uneasiness welled up in her heart. She told Tang Guiniang and then went to the Qu family's place with Pei Jin to look for them.
The Qu family's house was some distance away from the Pei family's. It took Qi Jiao and the others about half a quarter of an hour to see the newly - built tile - roofed house of the Qu family.
However, before they could enter, Pei Li and Pei Xia came out.
There was also a graceful young lady closely following Pei Xia.
The young lady was facing Pei Xia, speaking softly with a smile as bright as spring flowers.
Qi Jiao's eyes flickered slightly. It was Xuan Niang.
Pei Jin was a bit angry. She stepped forward two steps, grabbed Pei Li's ear and scolded, "I told you to call Big Brother. Why did it take you so long?"
Pei Li grimaced in pain, "Stop, stop, stop. Listen to me! Big Brother just..."
Before Pei Li could finish his words, Pei Xia interrupted him.
"Jiao Niang," he murmured tenderly. He strode up to Qi Jiao but didn't hold her hand.
Pei Xia looked apologetic, gazing into Qi Jiao's beautiful eyes. "Today... there was a little accident. Let's go home now."
Qi Jiao smiled faintly and glanced at Xuan Niang behind him. "A little accident? Is it about this young lady?"
It wasn't that she was being mean, but Xuan Niang's presence was just too hard to ignore.
The way Xuan Niang looked at Pei Xia was anything but innocent.
Pei Xia had been staying in Yinwan these days.
Xuan Niang was also in Yinwan. Who knew what had happened between them?
While she was busy day and night in the county town, Pei Xia was having contact with other women. Qi Jiao couldn't help but let her imagination run wild, picturing all sorts of scenarios.
She was angry and aggrieved in her heart, feeling a sour and hard - to - describe emotion. But she had to try her best to keep calm and maintain a smile.
She looked up at Pei Xia. Pei Xia didn't answer, but his face flushed slightly.
If there was nothing going on, why was he blushing?
Qi Jiao got even angrier. The angrier she was, the calmer her expression became. Her eyes were as faint as light smoke, and it was impossible to find fault with her.
Qi Jiao reached out and patted the dust off Pei Xia's shoulder. "Alright, let's talk about it when we get home. Mother and Aunt are still waiting."
Pei Xia didn't miss the change in Qi Jiao's expression. A sense of indescribable loss welled up in his heart.
Jiao Niang acted as if nothing had happened when she saw Xuan Niang with him.
Pei Xia's eyes dimmed a bit. He let out a soft "um" and then turned to instruct Pei Li, "We'll go back first. A Li, you send Xuan Niang home."
Pei Li let out an "ah" sound. He was reluctant in his heart. He wanted to go back early to have something delicious.
But since Big Brother was in an inconvenient situation, he, as the younger brother, had to do it for him.
Pei Jin didn't have a good impression of Xuan Niang at first sight - why was this woman getting so close to Big Brother, and her eyes were full of attachment.
People who didn't know might think that Xuan Niang was their sister - in - law.
Pei Jin sneered coldly. Unable to resist Pei Li's urging, the two of them escorted Xuan Niang back to Biwu Village.
After thinking for a while, Pei Xia still turned around to thank Xuan Niang.
Standing beside Qi Jiao, three feet away from Xuan Niang, he said seriously, "I really appreciate you today. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just let me know. I'll definitely do my best to help."
He didn't want to get involved with Xuan Niang, but he had to thank her for the ointment she had provided in time.
Xuan Niang didn't say a word. She just gave Pei Xia a gentle smile. Everything was understood without words.
Pei Xia had a cold appearance and a cold personality, but he was extremely loyal and affectionate.
Since he had said it, he would surely do it.
Xuan Niang had long known that Pei Xia was a reliable young man. Otherwise, she wouldn't have set her mind on him again.
Xuan Niang was quite pleased, and her smile was extremely charming and gentle.
Pei Xia's words and Xuan Niang's smile...
Without even looking at Qi Jiao's expression, Pei Li could already sense that a storm was coming.
He quickly pulled Pei Jin and rushed to send Xuan Niang home.
Xuan Niang walked in front, with the corners of her lips slightly upturned. She had thought that Qi Jiao would lose her temper.
Unexpectedly, Qi Jiao was very different from the maid or village woman she had imagined.
It wasn't just that she was beautiful. The most important thing was that she was smart.
Xuan Niang's eyes turned cold. This situation was getting a bit tricky.
On the way, Xuan Niang gently pulled Pei Jin to talk.
Pei Jin felt extremely uncomfortable. But since she had a good temper, she could only endure and perfunctorily respond.
"You two must not remember me."
Pei Jin just smiled and didn't answer.
Pei Li didn't want to make the benefactor who had saved Big Brother feel embarrassed. With curiosity in his heart, he asked, "Sister Xuan Niang, have you been to our home before?"
Xuan Niang smiled, with a look of reminiscence on her face. "I've been away from Baiyun Village for a full ten years. When I was a child, I often followed your Big Brother around. We went to play in the water on the beach and pick up shells together... Aunt Tang also took good care of me. When we moved away, you two were not even three years old and couldn't even talk. It's only natural that you don't have any impression of me."
Pei Li felt a bit ashamed. He and A Jin had started talking late when they were kids. Adults used to joke that they were little mutes, and this incident was often laughed at by his little friends.
He didn't expect that the stranger Xuan Niang had actually met his family a long time ago. Xuan Niang and Big Brother were childhood sweethearts...
Pei Li was extremely troubled.
When they arrived at the destination, Xuan Niang warmly invited them in to sit down.
Pei Jin declined with a smile and said, "Sister Xuan Niang, go in quickly. My family is still waiting for me to go back."
After saying that, she pulled Pei Li and left in a hurry.
Xuan Niang shook her head with a smile and then turned around to enter the house.
When her aunt, Mrs. Qi, saw Xuan Niang coming back so late, she curled her lips and couldn't help but scold her softly, "The food is cold. Your cousin and younger cousin insisted on waiting for you, and they're still hungry now!"
Xuan Niang looked at Mrs. Qi, only feeling disgusted and ridiculous.
Her father, Qi Daben, was a herbal medicine collector. More than a decade ago, he had brought their family to live in Baiyun Village. Life was poor and hard, but they were still happy.
At that time, the other kids in the village didn't play with her.
Only Brother A Xia from the Pei family, who was silent and determined, often helped and protected her.
Whenever she thought of those rare and beautiful days, she couldn't help but smile.
Good days never lasted long.
Her father fell off a cliff while collecting herbs and had to stay in bed for the rest of his life.
Her mother cried all day long, heart - broken.
At this time, her aunt, Mrs. Qi, came to their home.
Mrs. Qi was beaming with joy and brought the good news that Doctor Yuan wanted to marry her as his second wife.
Doctor Yuan ran a pharmacy in the neighboring town. He had hundreds of acres of fertile land and was quite wealthy.
The Yuan family often bought the herbs collected by her father. After hearing the sad news, on the one hand, they felt sympathetic. On the other hand, Doctor Yuan's wife had passed away, and the Yuan family urgently needed a woman to bear children.
No one knew what kind of wind Mrs. Qi had blown into the matchmaker's ear in the Yuan family.
In the end, the Yuan family thought that her birth date and time were extremely auspicious.
Mrs. Qi conveniently arranged for Doctor Yuan to meet her.
Finally, Doctor Yuan said that Xuan Niang was a bit young, but she looked very nice. She could be married into the family first and wait until she grew up to consummate the marriage.
Just like this, because of the generous betrothal gifts from the Yuan family, she married a man more than twenty years older than her.
...
She hadn't been back to Yinwan for many years.
Ten years was a long time during which a lot of things could happen.
Her father had died, and her mother had remarried.
At the beginning of last year, her husband contracted tuberculosis. He lingered on with medicine for more than half a year and then passed away.
After her husband's death, her in - laws thought that she was inauspicious and had caused her husband's death. Moreover, she had no children.
She was looked down upon in the Yuan family. Finally, unable to bear the humiliation, she asked to leave the family on her own initiative.
Since she had no children to tie her down and her husband had doted on her very much during his lifetime, he had filled her dowry box generously.
After much thought, Xuan Niang decided that it would be better to leave the Yuan family earlier.
With money in her hand, why should she live a life of having to please others and suffer for a whole lifetime?
She was just twenty years old and had a good appearance. Where couldn't she find a caring young man?
She made a series of arrangements and put on a show. Coupled with the instigation of the second branch of the Yuan family, her biased in - laws didn't want to support an extra idle person. So they gave her a letter of divorce and a few taels of silver and sent her away.
Xuan Niang held the thin letter of divorce in her hand and walked out of the Yuan family's big gate alone with her valuables on her back. Her face was gloomy, but she felt extremely relieved in her heart.
She wanted to go back to Yinwan.
She wanted to see Brother A Xia again.
Unexpectedly, after seeing Pei Xia that day, her once - quiet heart could no longer be at peace.
He was so tall, handsome, and reliable, but his eyes and heart were filled with another woman.
She was not willing to accept this!