The second and third aunts almost choked to death!
Shao Yun Duan almost laughed out loud, so turned his head and coughed. His wife was quite interesting.
First Uncle Shao was dumbfounded, and said, "but…we all have the same surname."
Fang Shi was amused and snorted, "more than half of the people in our village have the surname as us, and we all have the same ancestor. Do you want to support all of them? Qiao Shi, you should understand that separated families live their own lives. No one lacks arms or legs, why are you so greedy? When have we asked for anything from you?"
Niu Shi said, "we don't have any skills. We will remember what you've done for us. In the future, if we have the ability, we will help you out. We shouldn't talk about such things as a family. It hurts our relationship! Who knows if Qiao Xuan really doesn't have any more gifts, or she just doesn't want to give them to Mei Ling and Xiaozhi!"
First Uncle Shao sighed, and looked at Shao Mei Ling and Shao Mei Zhi with some guilt.
He felt the same way, secretly complaining that Qiao Xuan was too narrow-minded. She was really too stingy to be a sister-in-law!
Qiao Xuan said helplessly, "I really don't have any more. There's nothing I can do if you don't believe it!"
Niu Shi was annoyed.
Why didn't she say "if you don't believe it, go check it yourself"?
If she said this, they would definitely look through Qiao Xuan's dowry.
Besides, she was very curious and wanted to see what the twenty-six boxes of dowry from the county magistrate contained.
It didn't matter anyway, Ni Shi simply said, "unless you let us see it!"
Qiao Xuan immediately looked up at her, with a half-smile, "second aunt wants to look through my dowry?"
Fang Shi was furious, "Niu Shi, what do you mean! I, as the mother-in-law, didn't even look at Qiao Xuan's dowry, and you want to do that?"
A woman's dowry was an extremely private thing, and no decent person would ask that.
Niu Shi smiled, "I just want to let Qiao Xuan prove it to us."
Fang Shi sneered, "if you don't believe it, it's your problem. The only thing that matters is if I believe her!"
Qiao Xuan smiled, "it's fine, but now that I think about it, none of you have given me a meeting gift! Why don't you make it up to me first? Let me see your dowry too?"
"You…" Ma Shi said angrily, "what meeting gift? We don't have this rule!"
Fang Shi rolled her eyes, "then shut up!"
Niu Shi wanted to say something more, but Fang Shi said, "you don't want to eat dinner today, do you? Are you done?"
Niu Shi, Ma Shi and their husbands met each other's eyes, each of them was secretly angry, knowing that nothing would happen today, so they stopped talking.
First Uncle Shao was already devastated and embarrassed. He didn't care about anything at the moment, and waved to Fang Shi, "okay, okay, stop speaking and go cook! What time is it now?"
Fang Shi was used to Uncle Shao's excessive kindness, so she snorted and felt nothing in her heart, but she was a little worried that Qiao Xuan would be bullied again, so she said, "Yun Duan, take your wife back to the room for a while, and I will call you two to for dinner later."
Shao Yun DUan didn't want to stay here and listen to their chatter, so he nodded, "okay."
Ma Shi couldn't bear to see it anymore, and couldn't help but smile, "you really love your daughter-in-law and won't let her do anything."
Fang Shi glanced at her, "Duan'er is a scholar, and he will take part in the examination next year. Doesn't he need someone to take care of him?"
Ma Shi choked with anger when she thought about how her son failed the exam.
Third Uncle Shao and Shao Yun Jiang looked upset.
Fang Shi didn't care whether they were in a good mood or not. She turned around and left.
Shao Yun Duan returned to the room with Qiao Xuan.
After closing the door, Qiao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.
The room was a little quiet, Shao Yun Duan glanced at her, and felt that he should say something. After thinking about it, he said, "are…are you okay?"
Qiao Xuan gave him another look, raised her chin slightly and pursed her lips into a faint smile, "I'm okay!"
She's okay.
Shao Yun Duan didn't know how to evaluate this answer.
He felt that he didn't really understand her.
"Well, as long as you're fine." After a pause, he said again, "second and third aunt have always been like this, you…you just keep away from them in the future. Whatever they say, don't take it to heart, if it's too much, tell me, or tell mother."
Shao Yun Duan said as he glanced at Qiao Xuan. He felt bad for her.
Qiao Xuan saw his expression and chuckled. She turned her head slightly to look at him, and smiled a little, "do you feel guilty?"
Shao Yun Duan was startled, looked away unnaturally and said in a low voice, "I didn't expect them to be like that, anyway, stay away from them in the future."
Qiao Xuan smiled deeper, "why, are you afraid that I will suffer?"
It was a question, but it seemed to Shao Yun Duan that she was saying that she's not afraid of them. There was no point in him being so worried in the first place.
Feeling a little annoyed and ashamed for no reason, he was about to speak, but Qiao Xuan nodded and smiled, "well, you are right, I will stay away from them."
In fact, she was not interested in them at all. As long as they don't stir up trouble, who cares about them?
It's better to focus on the person in front of her!
So she looked at him again, with sincere eyes, "if you feel guilty, how will you make it up to me?"
Shao Yun Duan: "…"
He felt as if he had jumped into some pit.
He felt the same feeling of helplessness again!
With her staring at him expectantly, he couldn't refuse, "what do you want?"
Qiao Xuan was overjoyed, she thought this person was really interesting!
She tilted her head and thought for a while, then smiled and said, "why don't you take me up the mountain tomorrow!"
"Up the mountain?" Shao Yun Duan was surprised.
He never expected that she would make such a request. After all, why would she want to go up the mountain as a county magistrate's daughter? He couldn't help being a little curious, "what are you trying to do?"
"Just want to go for a walk!"
Shao Yun Duan: "…"
He felt like an idiot.
Seeing that he was about to leave because of her teasing, Qiao Xuan suppressed her smile and said hastily, "the scenery on the mountain must be nice, I just want to stroll around and relax, will you accompany me?"
More importantly, on the mountain, she could study and test her ability. After all, there were many plants on the mountain.
Can Shao Yun Duan say no?
Of course not.
Moreover, she had suffered so much unreasonable condemnation and bullying today.
"Sure!" Shao Yun Duan nodded, glanced at her, and couldn't help reminding her kindly, "the road on the mountain is not easy to walk on, there are many plants with thorns. Also, there are all kinds of insects at this time of year. You have to be mentally prepared."
"I'm not afraid," Qiao Xuan blurted out with a smile, "you will be there anyway!"
Shao Yun Duan's heartbeat suddenly missed two beats, and his face felt a little hot for no reason, "don't…"
He wanted to say "don't talk like that!", but after another thought, it seemed that she was right. He would be there in case something went wrong.
How would a lady like her ever go to a mountain? If he didn't take care of her, she might be in a mess!
So she was right. He had misunderstood!
Fortunately, he stopped abruptly and didn't say that, otherwise he would die of embarrassment.
Shao Yun Duan felt that he couldn't stay any longer, God knows what else she would say later?
He stood up and said stiffly, "you stay here, I'll go out and have a look."
After finishing speaking, without waiting for Qiao Xuan's answer, he turned around and ran away.
Qiao Xuan looked in the direction of the door, and suddenly covered her face with her hands and laughed softly.
Why is this person so funny!
She seemed to really like him, what should she do?
Thinking about how he protected her just now, Qiao Xuan felt more and more satisfied.
It seemed like her mother-in-law, little sister-in-law, and her brothers-in-law were nice. As for her father-in-law, she could see that he was patriarchal and afraid of embarrassment. At least that meant that he wouldn't do any shameless things, so he wouldn't scold his daughter-in-law. He would be easy to deal with.
Just now, she was not at all polite when she spoke to her aunts. She saw that her uncles' foreheads were throbbing. Her father-in-law just looked at her with displeasure, but he did nothing.
The Shao family that she married into was not that bad.
Qiao Xuan smiled brightly.
Her aunts must have been tired, so they didn't make any more trouble during dinner.
Although she didn't like to see their faces, they wouldn't spend time with them on weekdays, so she could bear with it.
It was a peaceful dinner.
After dinner, the children left quickly. Fang Shi asked Qiao Xuan and Shao Yun Duan to go back to the room so she could accompany him to study.
Second Uncle Shao, Niu Shi, Third Uncle Shao, and Ma Shi stayed. They sat there chatting with First Uncle Shao and kept criticizing Qiao Xuan.
First Uncle Shao felt ashamed and nodded to express his agreement.
First Uncle Shao also felt that Qiao Xuan, the daughter-in-law, was outrageous!
Why can't she be more like Xu Shi, who's diligent and obedient? She was so rude to the elders!
Even if she was the daughter of the county magistrate, she couldn't act like this as someone's daughter-in-law. She must be taught. Otherwise, she would offend everyone in the family sooner or later!
She could not behave like this in this family.
The day before was the wedding and Qiao Xuan almost committed suicide, Shao Yun Duan was furious and upset, so he didn't have the energy to think about other things.
However, now that everything was back to normal, at least on the surface, he had to address their sleeping arrangements.
Shao Yun Duan found it hard to mention this.
A farmer's family was poor, and there was only one bed in the room, and there was no ottoman or the like.
After struggling for a while, Shao Yun Duan went to the closet to get the quilt, planning to sleep on the floor.
There were no wooden panels or tiles on the ground. Although the soil was compacted and solid, it was still a little damp.
Qiao Xuan also thought about the problem, but she didn't say anything, and went to bed early to claim her spot.
However, she didn't think that he would rather sleep on the floor than come up and share half of it.
She was amused!
Of course she wouldn't let him sleep on the floor. If he got sick she would feel guilty.
"What are you doing?"
"Going to sleep." Shao Yun glanced at her, "don't worry…"
"I'm worried!" Qiao Xuan said, "the bed is so wide, what are you doing on the floor? If you get sick, don't I have to take care of you?"
"I am in good health and will not get sick!"
"But, what if?" Qiao Xuan smiled, "why? Could it be that you are afraid of me?"
"Who's afraid of you!" Shouldn't she be afraid of him instead?
He was just being considerate. Not only did she not understand his kindness, she was even afraid of taking care of him if he got sick.
"Then you sleep here," Qiao Xuan added, "anyway, you slept here last night, right?"
Shao Yun Duan: "…"
What's the difference?
Shao Yun Duan didn't know what to say.
Qiao Xuan was amused by this awkward guy.
Eventually, she stopped teasing him, "come to bed! We have to go up the mountain tomorrow!"
Shao Yun Duan's heartbeat missed two more beats, his face felt hot, and he almost staggered!
How could this woman speak like that!
But she sounded natural. She was obviously just calling him to bed, and it didn't seem to have any other meaning.
It's him who had crazy thoughts!
Shao Duan knocked his head, he must be crazy!
From the corner of his eye, he saw Qiao Xuan looking at him curiously, apparently taking in all of his head-knocking action just now.
Shao Yun Duan was even more embarrassed and wanted to stick his head into the ground.
However, he had no choice now. He coughed, and simply walked over pretending to be calm.
Little did he know how hard it was for Qiao Xuan to hold back her laughter.
The next day, after breakfast, everyone went about their business.
Shao Yun Duan told his mother that he was going to accompany Qiao Xuan for a walk up the mountain.
Fang Shi was very happy to hear that. She nodded and smiled lovingly, "okay, don't go too far, the road is too steep in the mountains. You have to take good care of Qiao Xuan, don't let her fall."
There was a knowing look on her face. Shao Yun Duan was speechless.
He wanted to explain but didn't know where to start. So he gave up.
Forget it, let her think whatever she wants.
As long as she's happy!
Carrying a bamboo basket, Qiao Xuan was in a good mood and her steps were light. There was a smile on her lips, and her beautiful eyes looked around, exclaiming in amazement from time to time.
It was the season when the vegetation was flourishing and the flowers were blooming, so the mountain scenery was beautiful.
The two walked for about half an hour, and came to a bamboo forest. The valley was wide, the slope was gentle. There were flowers everywhere.
At the foot of the mountain, there was also a clear stream. The sound of the water was light and crisp. One could also hear the birds singing from time to time.
Standing in the lush greenery, Qiao Xuan felt a strong sense of vitality which energized her physically and mentally.
"It's so beautiful here!"
Shao Yun Duan thought that she was a young lady who had never seen the countryside and forests, so it was new to her. He sat down on a big dry rock and casually mumbled "hmm".
Qiao Xuan admired the scenery for a while, then smiled and said, "there must be a lot of delicious mushrooms in this season. I want to pick some."
Shao Yun Duan glanced at her, thinking that she must not know a lot about the mountains, so he said patiently, "most mushrooms are poisonous, and if you are unlucky, you will die if you eat the wrong one. "
Qiao Xuan smiled and said, "I can identify them. The mushrooms I pick are fresh and delicious, and they are absolutely non-poisonous!"
She tried using her ability and she could keenly distinguish whether a plant, including mushrooms, were poisonous or not. Even if she couldn't name the mushrooms, it didn't matter.
Shao Yun Duan didn't believe her of course. He frowned slightly and said seriously, "I'm not joking, no."
Qiao Xuan pouted, "why don't you believe me? I'm naturally sensitive to all kinds of plants. I…my father's study has a lot of books on geography, and there happens to be a book about mushrooms. I remember all of them! Will I risk my own life?"
Shao Yun Duan couldn't refute her.
A look of envy flashed in his eyes. The study of the county magistrate's house must be fascinating!
The corners of Qiao Xuan's lips curled up triumphantly. Was he envious that she could identify so many delicious mushrooms!
"I can teach you too!" Qiao Xuan pulled on his sleeve and walked forward.
Shao Yun Duan lowered his head and glanced at her hand holding his sleeve, and did not refuse.
Fine.
Although there were a lot of mushrooms in the mountains, it was not easy to harvest them. If one was unlucky, one might not harvest more than a handful in a day. Maybe she would lose interest in a while.
Little did Shao Yun Duan know that that was not a problem for Qiao Xuan!
Her hands casually pinched the leaves of a small tree beside her, secretly focusing her thoughts, and her spiritual consciousness spread instantly through the tree.
The entire range was about a kilometer around her as the center point. This surprised and delighted Qiao Xuan, because the range was not fixed, she could clearly feel that when the power was strengthened, the range could expand.
Her ability could evolve, especially in this season when everything was growing, her ability also strengthened quickly.
Within this range, she could feel every tree, every leaf, every flower, and every little ant on the ground.
"Let's go over there!"
Qiao Xuan smiled and pointed to a direction to the front left, leading Shao Yun Duan there.
Shao Yun Duan didn't want to be a wet blanket, so he followed her there.
Then, they found a clump of straw mushrooms under a tree. The gray-brown mushroom was flat and short. It looked very cute. Qiao Xuan's eyes brightened, and she said with a smile, "we're really lucky!"
Seeing her squatting down to pick it, Shao Yun Duan couldn't help but asked again, "is this really non-poisonous?"
"Of course!" Qiao Xuan took a bite, "look!"
"Hey you…" Shao Yun Duan hurriedly wanted to stop her before it was too late, "what are you doing? Spit it out!"
Qiao Xuan spat it out, and said with a smile, "look, it's not poisonous, right?"
Shao Yun Duan: "…"
He didn't know what to say.
She didn't have to go so far.
He was still shocked. "Don't do this next time, pick it if you like, and feed it the chickens at home. Don't try it yourself."
It's not worth it to give up your life for mushrooms.
Qiao Xuanchuckled and nodded, "okay, anything you say!"
Shao Yun Duan glanced at her, and complained in his heart that she didn't listen to him just now.
Qiao Xuan waved to him, "come help me!"
Shao Yun Duan had no reason to refuse, so he had to resign himself to his fate and squat down to help her pick mushrooms.
Then, the two discovered some brown-yellow wild enokis, dark red russulas, shiitake mushrooms, wood ears, red pine mushrooms, and even several rare boletus mushrooms.
They would have harvested more if the basket could fit.
On the mountainside, they found a lot of tender brackens. They took a bunch and tied them up.
Qiao Xuan was satisfied and smiled happily, "what a big harvest! We are so lucky today!"
A smile flashed across Shao Yun Duan's eyes, and he nodded, "yeah."
He was surprised beyond words.
Although there were many mushrooms in the mountains, they were not so easy to find.
What kind of luck was that!
The two were about to go back, but they happened to run into the twins.
"Fifth brother, fifth sister-in-law!"
The twins waved at them and ran over happily.
"Yunhuai, Taotao, what a coincidence, you are here too!" Qiao Xuan's eyes lit up.
ShaoYunhuai scratched his head and grinned, "well, I set up a trap in the mountain the day before yesterday, so we came to have a look. You have picked a lot of mushrooms and brackens!"
Qiao Xuan laughed and said, "these mushrooms are delicious, as are the bracken. We can have a good meal tonight."
Shao Taotao was a little worried like her fifth brother, and couldn't help but say, "many mushrooms in the mountains are poisonous. Are these really edible?"
"Of course!" Shao Yunhuai was extremely trusting and determined. "Fifth brother is always right!"
His fifth brother was a scholar and very well-educated. Since he didn't say it was poisonous, it must not be poisonous.
Qiao Xuan immediately agreed, and nodded with a smile, "Yunhuai is right!"
Shao Taotao also pitched in, "yeah!"
Shao Yun Duan: "…"
The four of them went home together, talking while walking.
Qiao Xuan couldn't help but ask Shao Yunhuai about their adventure in the mountains.
"It's a pity that we don't have luck today. I didn't get anything. It would be nice if I could trap some hares, pheasants, or other birds and small animals, then we could have extra dishes tonight. It's too close to the village, so there are not many animals around. I will go to Wangqing Mountain in a few days, I'm sure I'll find a lot of prey there! Few people go to that area, and there are a lot of animals."
He could also shoot arrows apart from setting up traps. He had very good skills as he was taught by the late Grandpa Shao.
However, Grandpa Shao had repeatedly told him that unless he was forced to defend himself, he was not allowed to show his archery skills in front of others.
Nor was he allowed to tell anyone, including his family, about it.
Although he didn't know why, Grandpa Shao was very kind to him. He had promised him not to do it.
Therefore, although he made bows and arrows and occasionally hunted, he would not do it near the village, for fear of being seen by others, so he had to go deep into the mountains.
Qiao Xuan was obviously very interested in this, so she smiled immediately, "sounds very interesting. Next time you go to Wangqing Mountain, take me too! Well, take me and your fifth brother!"
Shao Yun Duan frowned slightly, and glanced at her. Is she addicted to going up the mountains?
He couldn't help but say, "the mountain is dangerous, Yun Huai…"
Before he could finish, Qiao Xuan smiled and said, "are you afraid?"
"Of course not." Of course he wouldn't say he was.
"Well, I'm not afraid either!" Qiao Xuan smiled at Shao Yun Huai, "your fifth brother wants to go too!"
Shao Yun Huai was overjoyed, and patted his chest, "yeah, don't worry, fifth brother and fifth sister-in-law! I won't take you to a dangerous place!"
Shao Taotao cheered, "I want to go too!"
Shao Yun Duan: "…"
He should really stop talking.
Seeing the mushrooms and brackens, Fang Shi smiled and praised Qiao Xuan, but she was a little uncertain about the mushrooms.
Qiao Xuan enthusiastically proved that she was fine after feeding it, so Fang Shi felt relieved.
In the evening, she made stir-fried mushrooms, mushroom soup, pickled cabbage, bamboo shoots and fried bracken. They were very delicious, and everyone loved the food.
They didn't expect the mushrooms to taste so good!
There were a lot of mushrooms on the mountain, if you can tell them apart, it is a rare dish.
Although mushrooms are not easy to preserve, they can be dried in the sun and stored for a year.
So the next day, the enthusiastic Qiao Xuan went up the mountain together with Shao Yun Huai and Shao Taotao. Shao Yun Duan had no choice but to follow them.
It was a day full of harvest again. They filled a sack full of mushrooms, brackens, and bamboo shoots in less than half a day.
They didn't need to search for the mushrooms at all, as if they actively appeared under their noses. They found them just by walking around.
Shao Yun Huai and Shao Taotao were very happy.
"We're lucky today!"
"Yeah!"
Shao Yun Duan could not help but nod in agreement, "yes, we are lucky today."
The four of them returned home. Fang Shi and Xu Shi no longer doubted the edibility of the mushrooms, so they spread them out to dry in a high place.
There were also brackens, which cannot be fried directly in the pan. They removed the head and the ends, blanched them in boiling water, and then rinsed them in cold water.
The thin bamboo shoots had not been shelled, so the women sat together to shell them.
While they were busy, Niu Shi came to visit with a smile on her face. As soon as she entered the door, she rolled her eyes. Seeing Fang Shi and Qiao Xuan peeling the bamboo shoots, she immediately lost interest and said with a smile, "oh, what are you doing with such thin bamboo shoots! Isn't this a waste of time and effort?"
She heard that they just came back from the mountains with a few big bags, so she came here specially to have a look.
She didn't expect it to be that.
Fang Shi glanced at her, "yes, the children just want to play around."
Niu Shi glanced at the basket next to her, which was half full of shelled tender bamboo shoots, and bent down to take some. She said with a smile, "oh, how nice, I'll take some back to try!"
However, a pair of hands quickly stretched out and took the basket.
Qiao Xuan stood up holding the bamboo basket, and said with a smile, "mother, do you want to blanch these bamboo shoots in boiling water?"
Niu Shi's hand grabbed the air and she froze.
Fang Shi laughed out loud, and nodded at her, "yes, but if you don't know how to do it, don't do it. Otherwise, you might burn your hands. Xu Shi, you do it."
Xu Shi quickly agreed, took the basket and left.
When she saw Niu Shi about to take the basket, she was also anxious. She knew that Niu Shi was shameless, and she might take everything.
The thin bamboo shoots were delicious, but they had thick shells. They spent a long time peeling half a basket of them. Wouldn't it be distressing if Niu Shi took it just like that?
But she didn't dare to stop her. She didn't expect Qiao Xuan to do it.
Xu Shi was impressed.
Niu Shi was so angry that her nostrils were filled with smoke, and she snorted, "Qiao Xuan, you are too stingy! You can't even let your family have some bamboo shoots?"
Qiao Xuan smiled in embarrassment, "such thin bamboo shoots are full of shells, and it's very tiring to peel them off. By the way, there are so many of them in the mountains. If you want them, it's better to pick some yourself, it's very easy!"
Qiao Xuan wasn't really that stingy, but she couldn't stand Niu Shi's sarcasm.
Niu Shi: "…"
Fang Shi laughed out loud, "yes, these are not expensive. There are plenty of them on the mountain, so go get them if you want some! Our family is quite big, and this is only enough for two meals, so I can't let you have them."
Niu Shi snorted. How stingy! Fine, she wasn't that interested in some stir-fried bamboo shoots anyway.
She was just used to taking advantage of others.
She couldn't be bothered if they refused to give her some. However, since she was here, she had to say something.
Niu Shi's eyes rolled, but she suddenly smiled and said, "Qiao Xuan, you are going back to your family tomorrow, right? Have you prepared the gifts? Tell me what you plan to bring, and I can give you some ideas!"
Fang Shi's smile faltered, her face changed slightly, and she glanced at Niu Shi with cold eyes.
That b*tch had a dirty mouth! She purposely said what others didn't want to hear, as though she could benefit from it.
Fang Shi couldn't help feeling annoyed and nervous.
She was going to discuss with Qiao Xuan and Shao Yun Duan about this matter, but she had a small argument with her husband and was so angry that she forgot about it.
She really didn't know what to do for Qian Xuan and she was going to ask her later.
Qiao Xuan smiled at Niu Shi, "why don't you give me two chickens, my parents will definitely be happy!"
"What are you thinking! Our chickens are still laying eggs for her, so we can't do that!" Niu Shi glared at her.
Qiao Xuan shrugged, "oh!"
So why did she ask then?
Niu Shi became angry again, "don't you have chickens? Take a few and send them home! Oh, but that's too little, right? Why don't you go to the city to buy something? Fang Shi, this concerns your son and your daughter-in-law's reputation, you mustn't be stingy, right?"
Niu Shi would do everything she could to start a drama.
"Of course, Qiao XUan is filial, sensible, and caring. I'll prepare everything I can!"
Fang Shi stared at her, angry.
She was worried about Qiao Xuan, so she couldn't refute. If she did, it would mean that she didn't value Qiao Xuan and her family. She was afraid that Qiao Xuan would misunderstand.
Qiao Xuan smiled gratefully at Fang Shi, "I appreciate that. My parents know that this is a good family! Don't worry, it's the intentions that matter. It would make me feel bad if you're too preoccupied about this. My parents might even lecture me!"
Mr. Qiao was actually cold, indifferent and selfish. He only wanted fame and fortune and didn't care about Qiao Xuan at all.
As for Mrs. Qiao,Qiao Xuan was so happy to marry into this family, so she didn't care about going home at all.
In fact, in the past three days, Qiao Xuan hadn't thought about this at all. If possible, she didn't mind going back empty-handed.
Anyway, they would never help her when she was down, so why would she care about their feelings?
Fang Shi's heart warmed up, and she calmed down a bit, "okay, that's good to know!"
Qiao Xuan looked at Niu Shi again, and said with a smile, "why are you still standing there, sit down and help us peel the bamboo shoots!"
Fang Shi was happy, so she slightly sneered, "that's right, you're so free, why not sit down and peel the bamboo shoots with us!"
Niu Shi was resentful and jealous, but she smiled and said, "oh, look at the time, I should go back."
She was angry that they were so lucky. Why did they have such good in-laws?
She couldn't help but blame her son again.
Her son, Shao Yun Qiao, was such a smart person, but he refused to go to school, saying that he would rather chop firewood and work in the fields. He said that sitting in the classroom was uncomfortable, and he would get a headache whenever he saw a book.
Her eldest brother-in-law always took care of them. If her son wanted to go to school, he would let him instead of Shao Yun Duan go.
After Nih Shi left, Fang Shi talked to Qiao Xuan about her going home.
Qiao Xuan repeatedly assured her that her parents would not care about such things, which finally made Fang Shi feel relieved.
Fang Shi's heart was filled with joy, and she looked at Qiao Xuan with even more affection.
Early the next morning, Shao Yun Duan accompanied Qiao Xuan back home.
There is no horse-drawn carriage in the village, so the two borrowed an ox-cart for 20 wen.
They didn't bring any gifts, Qiao Xuan said that they would buy some along the way.
She couldn't bear to give the hen and rooster away, let alone Fang Shi and Xu Shi.
Since there was nothing they could bring from the Shao family, Fang Shi asked them to buy some gifts along the way.
So she gritted her teeth and gave Qiao Xuan two taels of silver, half of which was from her savings.
It was difficult to save money when her sisters-in-law were watching!
If it weren't for Shao Yun Duan who needed money to study, they might not even save any.
Qiao Xuan didn't want to take it at first, but she had to accept it eventually.
Entering the city, the two bought four boxes of pastries, two jars of rice wine, and two cans of tea.
They were not expensive stuff.
But Qiao Xuanbought a beautiful packaging box and repacked it.
It looked exquisite.
Shao Yun Duan was speechless.
Looking at her masterpiece, and imagining her stepmother's face, Qiao Xuan felt the joy of repaying her in the same way.
"Before we go, I think I need to tell you something."
When they arrived at the Qiao residence, she wouldn't be able to hide all the evil within the family.
Mrs. Qiao, her step-sister Qiao Wei, cousin Qiao Kou, and Aunt Du would definitely laugh at her, ridicule her, and maybe even humiliate her and her husband.
Instead of catching Shao Yun Duan by surprise, it was better to let him be mentally prepared.
Shao Yun Duan was not too surprised.
As a scholar, he was wiser than others.
He could easily understand the conflict between the stepmother and the stepdaughter.
Besides, he thought it was odd that Qiao Xuan would fall into the water and there was no servant around her.
However, he was too busy with the wedding, and he didn't have time to think about it too much.
Now listening to Qiao Xuan, everything became clear.
No wonder the marriage was accomplished so easily.
Mrs. Qiao would like Qiao Xuan to marry a farm boy.
Although he was a scholar, there were so many people who were above him. Shao Yun Duan never thought that he would be able to pass the imperial examination, and maybe he would just be a mere scholar in this life.
No wonder Qiao Xuan acted so aggressively on the wedding night.
Shao Yun Duan no longer feel suspicious, and he glanced at Qiao Xuan with some sympathy.
It's not easy for her either.
"They will not have anything good to say. Don't take it to heart! Anyway, there won't be too much contact with them in the future, just bear with it and let it pass. Let's leave as soon as possible!"
"Sure."
It didn't seem like a dialogue between two newlyweds.
The two of them arrived at Shao residence with a lot of presents.
Naturally, no one greeted them at the door, and they even knocked on the door for a while before the door opened.
Some lowly servants opened the door and lazily greeted them. The hosts were nowhere in sight.
There was no servant to lead the way.
What received them was coldness and indifference.
Qiao Xuan was very calm. To put it bluntly, the people in this mansion were all dogs raised by Mrs. Qiao. Why should she be bothered by them?
She didn't know that Shao Yun Duan thought that she was calm on the surface but heartbroken and ashamed on the inside.
When Qiao Xuan talked about her family, Shao Yun Duan didn't feel much, he thought he understood. It was only when he was there that he realized that he didn't understand it at all.
What kind of family is this? They're clearly no better than strangers.
He didn't expect Mr. Qiao to be that cold to them as well.
Shao Yun Duan glanced at Qiao Xuan secretly, and said in a low voice, "don't be sad."
"Huh?"
Shao Yun Duan didn't know how to comfort others, so he glanced at her awkwardly, "cough, anyway, don't be sad."
Qiao Xuan blinked, and then realized that he was comforting her. A little smile appeared in her clear eyes, and the corners of her lips curled up, "well, I'm not sad."
The two came to the main hall, only Mrs. Qiao and Qiao Wei were there.
Qiao Xuan signaled to Shao Yun Duan to put down the gifts they brought and bowed.
Mrs. Qiao glanced at their outfit. She was in a very happy mood, she nodded her head slightly and said, "sit down, the master has something to do today, so he can't see you! Shao…cough, you don't mind, do you?"
Mrs. Qiao couldn't even remember Shao Yun Duan's name, and refused to call him "second young master", looking at him and calling him "you" directly.
Humiliating Qiao Xuan alone was not enough. Of course the Shao family cannot be left behind. What she did to the Shao family, they would certainly blame Qiao Xuan later!
Thinking of the scene where Qiao Xuan was yelled at by her husband and with tears on her face, Mrs. Qiao felt energized.
Since that slut, Madam Yan, dared to seduce her husband and betrayed her, she would never let Qiao Xuan live a good life.
Shao Yun Duan looked at Mrs. Qiao with warm eyes, shook his head and cupped his hands and said, "father-in-law has a lot to do every day, how can I disturb him? Of course I don't mind."
Mrs. Qiao choked, her eyes were slightly cold.
How much work could a county magistrate have on weekdays? Was that sarcasm? Did Shao Yun Duan mean it or not?
She thought he was a wimp, but it turned out that he had a smart mouth!
Mrs. Qiao naturally would not back down, and smiled slightly, "a scholar sure knows how to talk."
Shao Yun Duan nodded slightly, "thank you."
Qiao Wei scoffed lightly. How shameless.
While talking, Aunt Du and Qiao Kou came.
Aunt Du was married into the family by Mrs. Qiao's orders, and the purpose was to fight Madam Yan.
Aunt Du's slavery contract was in Mrs. Qiao's hands, so she always obeyed Mrs. Qiao, and was used to flattering her.
Aunt Du's daughter, Qiao Kou, was Qiao Wei's follower, and she was more dedicated than the maid who served her.
Over the years, their life had been pretty good, at least in terms of supplies.
Of course, since Mrs. Qiao hated Qiao Xuan, they hated her even more.
"Nice to meet you Madam Du."
Aunt Du and Qiao Kou bowed with a smile, and sat down opposite Qiao Xuan and Shao Yun Duan.