Chapter 14: Showdown

Xiao Hanzheng then realized another problem.

Shi Qingluo had actually already saved his younger brother and sister, and had even brought down his fever to help him wake up early, which was equivalent to saving his mother as well.

To his entire family, this was indeed a life-saving debt of gratitude that would be difficult to repay.

When he had first regained consciousness, he was still worried that, just like in his previous life, his mother, brother, and sister would all be dead.

Waking up now actually meant he had missed the critical window; had it not been for Shi Qingluo, his siblings would have followed the same path as in his previous life.

He couldn't help but feel immensely fortunate.

Because of this, his reaction to suddenly having an extra wife was more one of helplessness rather than rejection or resentment.

Looking at Mother Xiao, Xiao Hanzheng asked, "Mother, Shi Qingluo isn't from our village, is she?"

"And why would her family let her come here to perform the 'luck-chasing' marriage for me?"

Before he had woken up, marrying into their family would likely have been like jumping into a fire pit.

In his previous life, while in a hazy coma, he had heard the clan leader muttering that his mother, brother, and sister had all died, which was what forced him to struggle and wake up.

Otherwise, he feared he would have fulfilled those people's wishes.

Which meant that if Shi Qingluo married in, she would most likely become a widow.

A normal family of origin would likely not agree to such a thing.

Mother Xiao replied, "Qingluo is a girl from the Shi family in Shangxi Village."

"She is also a pitiable person. When she was a few years old, her family sent her to a Taoist temple to work. Not long ago, after that old immortal passed away, she returned home."

"A few days ago, she was almost sent by the Shi family to marry the Wu family's son as a sacrificial bride."

"I just don't know if the Shi family's conscience eventually acted up and they proactively went to the Wu family to cancel the engagement."

"I don't know the specifics of why the Shi family agreed, but they only had one stance: Qingluo wanted to marry you, and they couldn't oppose it."

She then proceeded to recount everything Shi Qingluo had told her and the situation she encountered at the Shi house to Xiao Hanzheng, word for word.

After listening, Xiao Hanzheng remembered as well.

When he was investigating the Wu family in his previous life, he discovered that before his sister was taken to the Wu family to marry as a sacrificial bride, the Wu family had originally chosen the daughter of the Shi family from Shangxi Village.

However, that girl had accidentally died from a fall on the very day the Wu family came to fetch her.

According to accurate information, that girl had been forcibly driven to her death by her own biological mother.

That was why the Wu family increased the bride price; when his wicked eldest aunt and third aunt heard of it, they immediately sent his sister to be a sacrificial bride, earning one hundred and fifty taels of silver.

So, was Shi Qingluo that deceased girl?

He was not unfamiliar with the Shi family. Shi Qingluo's fourth uncle was a classmate of his from the county school, and he was a hypocrite.

He had also heard others talking privately about certain matters regarding the Shi family. How could such a family have a sudden pang of conscience and proactively cancel an engagement?

It was even more impossible for them to forgo the bride price and instead send grain as a dowry, sending their daughter to his house to perform the luck-chasing marriage.

He asked again, "The bride price Shi Qingluo said she didn't want—did she handle the Shi family herself?"

Mother Xiao nodded. "That's right. I was worried the Shi family would be difficult to deal with, but who knew the marriage would go so smoothly."

"It must have been handled by Qingluo." She could still see the dissatisfied attitude of the Shi family.

Xiao Hanzheng nodded. "I see."

When he first heard that Shi Qingluo had saved his siblings, he had actually suspected whether she was like him.

Whether she knew he would hold a high position later in his previous life and thus deliberately saved people and took the initiative to marry him.

But after listening, he realized that was likely not the case. According to the timeline of his previous life, by the time he woke up, Shi Qingluo had already died from her fall.

"That old immortal was Qingluo's master, so she is very capable, and she is a person blessed with good fortune."

"Since you were able to wake up, Qingluo is your lucky star."

Mother Xiao emphasized, "Don't you dare look down on her for being a farm girl. Even if you pass the imperial examinations and become a scholar in the future, you must not mistreat her."

She had always known her son was a man of great ambition, especially after the recent events; she feared he would be even more motivated by the stimulus.

But in her heart, Shi Qingluo was a benefactor, a daughter-in-law, and a lucky star; he could not do her wrong.

Xiao Hanzheng's eyes were full of helplessness. "I understand, Mother. I won't look down on her or fail her."

In his previous life, all his energy had been focused on revenge. He had never married, nor had he even touched a woman. He truly hadn't expected to have a wife immediately upon his return.

As for the government regulations regarding marriage, during his early years of wandering, no one took the initiative to manage him, and in his later years of high status, no one dared to force a marriage upon him, so he had remained unmarried.

Furthermore, such regulations were mainly aimed at commoners; for noble families and powerful clans, the government wouldn't truly force them to marry if they reached the appropriate age.

However, his mother was right. Regardless of the circumstances, Shi Qingluo was his family's savior.

For that reason alone, as long as Shi Qingluo did not betray or harm his family in the future, he would treat her well.

Hearing her son's promise, Mother Xiao felt relieved.

She wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief, stood up, and said happily, "You just woke up. I'll have Bai Li brew some porridge for you to drink, and I'll take Erlang to continue hosting the guests."

Xiao Hanzheng nodded. "Alright. Thank you for your hard work, Mother."

After Mother Xiao and the others left, Xiao Hanzheng leaned against his pillow and closed his eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, he heard the door being pushed open and opened his eyes.

He saw Shi Qingluo walking in carrying a bowl.

Shi Qingluo walked up to Xiao Hanzheng. "Here, drink this."

This was the glucose she had just taken out from her space to replenish his energy.

Xiao Hanzheng took it and saw that the bowl contained water.

Since Shi Qingluo had previously used medicine to bring down his fever, she wasn't likely to poison him now.

Moreover, as soon as it touched his mouth, he would know if it was poison.

Therefore, without hesitation, he lifted it and drank. To his surprise, it wasn't water; it was sweet.

It didn't taste like white sugar, either.

He asked, "What is this?"

Shi Qingluo replied, "Sugar water, to nourish your body."

"Thank you!" Xiao Hanzheng didn't ask where she got it from.

For some reason, he always felt that this Shi Qingluo did not seem like the girl who had died from a fall in his previous life.

Everyone had their own secrets, and he had his too, so there was no need to dig deliberately.

Shi Qingluo smiled. "For the time being, we are family. There's no need for formalities."

Xiao Hanzheng raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'for the time being'?"

Shi Qingluo replied with a smile, "Your mother should have told you the reason why I married in."

"I want to escape the toxic relatives of the Shi family, but I also don't want to marry into a household where a huge extended family lives together, or one with domineering grandparents or in-laws."

"As for my personality, I am quite strong-willed. If others respect me, I will give them equal respect, but if they want to lord it over me and act bossy, that is absolutely impossible."

She could tell that Xiao Hanzheng was not simple. Judging by the contrast between his state when he woke up and how he had dealt with the clan leader just now, she estimated he was a "black-bellied" type—outwardly gentle but inwardly calculating.

Since they were going to lay everything out, and they were both smart people, there was no need to be secretive.

"To be honest, although I told people externally that I volunteered to marry you for the luck-chasing marriage because I took a liking to you..."

She clenched her hand into a fist and gave a light cough near her lips. "...in reality, I came for your family. I feel it suits me well."

"After all, before I married in, I didn't know you, let alone have seen you."

"What I mean is, if we don't get along in the future, or if you have a sweetheart or fall for someone else, we will just get a divorce."

"So, it's equivalent to saying we are family for the time being."

By laying her cards on the table now, she wanted to let Xiao Hanzheng know and feel at ease: she would not cling to his family or him. If they didn't get along, they would divorce; it was no big deal.

Xiao Hanzheng: "..." So this little wife was already thinking about divorce in the future.