Chapter 13: A Simple Wedding

It made sense if others called Su Yuexi ugly, but Mei Xiaofang was Yuexi's own mother; Sikong Jing could not understand it.

At that moment, Su Yuexi took his hand again and pleaded, "Sikong Jing, please don't say any more."

"You, you, you..."

Mei Xiaofang's chest heaved with rage. Suddenly, she threw a tantrum, shouting, "I just think she's ugly! I'll call her a jinx, I'll call her an ugly freak—is that any of your business?"

"Fine then, Su Yuexi, you've certainly become capable, haven't you? Now that you have a criminal for a husband, you want to anger me to death, is that it?"

Hearing this, Su Yuexi hurriedly stood up and said, "Mother, that's not it, I..."

"Get away! You're driving me mad. I don't want to see your ugly face right now!" With that, Mei Xiaofang slammed the door and left.

"Mother..." Su Yuexi called out, attempting to chase after her.

But just then, a coughing sound rang out—it was the sickly Su Zhenglong.

He said, "Yuexi, don't chase her."

Stopping in her tracks, Su Yuexi asked, "Father, Mother is so angry; will she be alright?"

Su Zhenglong shook his head with a smile. "Heh, if she isn't hitting you, it proves she'll be fine."

He then looked at Sikong Jing and asked casually, "Ah Jing, is it alright if I call you that?"

"Don't blame Yuexi's mother. She is mainly worried about my health. Now that she knows Yuexi was almost beaten to death, she is heartbroken too; she's just too stubborn to admit it to save face."

Sikong Jing froze. He watched Mei Xiaofang's departing figure and nodded thoughtfully.

Then, Su Zhenglong gave another instruction: "Yuexi, take Ah Jing to see the room."

Su Yuexi's expression stiffened. She instinctively looked at Sikong Jing and then lightly pinched the corner of her clothes, looking quite shy.

Thus, Su Yuexi led Sikong Jing to her room, which would henceforth also be Sikong Jing's room.

It was a crude room; the furnishings looked nothing like what a young lady of the Su family should have.

"Is it just as I described? It's not much better than a pig farm," Su Yuexi asked with a smile, showing a hint of helplessness.

Sikong Jing looked around and asked with a frown, "The head of the Su family is your grandfather, right? It is understandable that he despises you for being ugly or for marrying a criminal like me, but why is your father-in-law living in such an environment?"

The way the head of the Su family treated his son left him perplexed.

"I can't understand why my grandfather is so heartless either. Perhaps it's because Father no longer has any value."

Su Yuexi's voice carried sadness and grievance.

Their family had lived here for ten whole years, simply because their father was no longer useful to the Su family after his severe injury.

Sikong Jing fell silent. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I will help you all escape this predicament."

Smiling, Su Yuexi did not take his words seriously. Sikong Jing was an exiled criminal; how could he have the power to escape such a predicament?

"I will also restore your beauty," Sikong Jing added emphatically.

Hearing this, Su Yuexi stood stunned. She gave a bitter smile; this was even more impossible, and she had long since lost hope regarding it.

Sikong Jing said no more; this would be the greatest surprise he would ever give Su Yuexi.

After a while, a servant came to call them for dinner.

The two returned to the courtyard hall, where, unexpectedly, a table of sumptuous food and wine was laid out before them.

Su Zhenglong sat weakly in a large chair, his body wrapped tightly in clothing. He smiled and said, "Sit down quickly. Your mother prepared this with great care; consider it your wedding wine."

Su Yuexi covered her mouth in disbelief and asked, "Mother, she..."

"Nonsense! This was clearly prepared to nourish you. Since we can't finish it anyway, it would just go to waste. This criminal and ugly freak are just eating it as an afterthought," Mei Xiaofang retorted, walking out with a tray and a cold expression.

Su Zhenglong chuckled and said no more.

Sikong Jing gradually showed a look of realization; it seemed he had misunderstood his mother-in-law, Mei Xiaofang, earlier.

Just as the two were about to sit down, Mei Xiaofang suddenly spoke again, "Wait. All of you, kneel down."

Su Yuexi's heart raced, and she stammered, "Mother, what did I do wrong again?"

She then looked at Sikong Jing. Given his temper, he certainly wouldn't kneel, and she feared he would start another argument with her mother.

But at that moment, Sikong Jing performed an action that left Su Yuexi utterly shocked: he actually knelt down.

After her initial disbelief, Su Yuexi hurriedly knelt beside him.

"Kowtow three times to me and apologize for offending me," Mei Xiaofang commanded.

Looking at his mother-in-law, Sikong Jing actually found it somewhat amusing.

She was far too stubborn. This was clearly a wedding prepared for him and Su Yuexi; they were essentially performing the marriage rites.

Having recognized Mei Xiaofang's temperament, Sikong Jing naturally did not expose her.

Beside him, Su Yuexi was still in a daze. Why had Sikong Jing suddenly changed his nature?

Just as the two were about to kowtow, Mei Xiaofang suddenly pulled out a piece of red cloth and tossed it over Su Yuexi's head, cursing under her breath, "You're still just as ugly even with a veil. Use this to cover your face."

Suddenly, Su Yuexi's vision was filled with red, and she finally understood... her eyes blurred with tears.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

After the three kowtows, Sikong Jing pulled Su Yuexi up and picked up the wine from the table.

"To my father-in-law and mother-in-law, I shall drink first to show my respect."

After drinking the wine with Su Yuexi, this incredibly simple wedding was completed. Sikong Jing gently lifted the red cloth from Su Yuexi's head, seeing the torrential tears in her eyes.

Sikong Jing made a silent vow in his heart: "From this day forward, I, Sikong Jing, will protect her for a lifetime!"

The family of four sat down to eat.

After a while, Mei Xiaofang asked with great concern, "Husband, Yuexi living at the pig farm was that old geezer's order. Now that you've brought them back like this, how do you plan to explain it to him?"

The "old geezer" she referred to was Su Yuexi's grandfather, Su Xuefeng!

This was no small matter, especially with Su Zhengtao's family working against them.

After a moment of contemplation, Su Zhenglong said coldly, "I have decided. If Father continues to reprimand us, I will dispose of Su Zhengtao."

Just as he finished speaking, a man's laughter suddenly drifted in from outside: "Uncle, do not worry. My father has already pleaded with Grandfather; he will no longer hold it against Su Yuexi for leaving the pig farm with a criminal."

Su Zhenglong and Mei Xiaofang snapped their heads up and cried out, "Su Yang!"

A man and a woman strode through the doorway. The woman was Su Yun, and the man was her second brother, Su Yang.