Chapter 1: The Wedding Night (New Book...)

  Originally wanted to pretend to be excited about the long-awaited reunion.

  Everything he could see made Guo Ye's eyes moisten, and his nose involuntarily sour.

  His father wore a coarse linen garment, hunched over with his back to the ground, his face full of smiles and wrinkles like knife cuts; his mother was wearing a jacket with patches all over it, looking at Miss Wu with embarrassment, and then looking at Guo Ye with longing and affection.

  In the small courtyard, there was a thin and weak little girl wearing a shirt full of stains, holding an axe in her hand, looking at the firewood scattered all over the yard, which should be what she had just chopped today.

  Kuang Ye struggled to hold back tears of sorrow and grief, his heart crying out in anguish: Is this really my parents, my little sister?

  Kuai Ye's thoughts suddenly flew back to his previous life. At that time, he was also from a rural area, and his parents had worked hard to support him in school until he graduated from college and found a job on his own. Just when he thought he could earn money to support his family and take care of his parents, they passed away one after another due to old age and illness.

  The tree wants to be still but the wind won't stop; the son wants to care for his parents but they don't wait!

  Affected by the successive deaths of his parents in his previous life, Guo Ye did not show off his talents after entering the company, but instead developed a mediocre personality, so he lingered at the grassroots level of the company and muddled along.

  Perhaps it was King Yanluo's pity for Guo Ye's filial piety that allowed his soul to reattach and be reborn, giving him another chance to be a good son.

  Successful people have always been good at grasping opportunities rather than waiting for them.

  Guo Ye's face was ashen, seeing the bleak scene of his parents and younger sister in this life. He clenched his fists tightly, making a silent vow to himself that for their sake, for his younger sister's sake, he would no longer live such a miserable life of just barely scraping by.

  Father, mother, little sister, give me some time, I, Guo Ye, will definitely let you live a rich and comfortable life.

  "Doll, what are you staring at? Hurry up and invite Miss Guo into the house."

  Guo Lao Dun pushed forward and reminded Guo Ye, who was stunned and dazed.

  Kuang Ye was shocked and woke up, entering the house?

  There are two small houses in the small courtyard, with walls made of mud and thatched roofs made of wood and straw.

  This is perhaps the only immovable property that the Guo family can take out of their hands.

  Seeing the two thatched cottages, not only was Guo Ye astonished, but also Wu Xiuxiu and the maid Chunxiang were extremely surprised, never expecting that the Guo family would be so poor.

  Guo Lao saw Wu Xiuxiu and others with a look of surprise, embarrassedly rubbing his hands and smiling: "Well, Miss Wu, please don't mind. The betrothal gift money given by the Wu family is quite generous, we thought that next year we would renovate the house again, this time it's really an inconvenience to you."

  Guo Ye's little sister, Guo Xiaoman, ran nimbly to Wu Xiuxiu and said fearlessly: "Sister-in-law, my dad didn't lie, he has already discussed with the village craftsmen about building a new house. Next year when you and my brother come back home, you will definitely be able to live in a new house."

  Wu Xiuxiu listened to Guo Xiaoman's words and couldn't help but like this ghostly spirit girl, so she reached out and touched her head.

  Who would have thought that Guo Xiaoman lightly shook her head and dodged, saying in a crisp voice: "Sister-in-law, don't touch me, my clothes are dirty, don't get your hands dirty."

  Wu Xiuxiu's heart ached at the words, and she didn't care about Guo Xiaoman's evasiveness, directly pulling her close to her side and stroking her hair which was full of grass clippings and wood shavings. She said softly: "It's not dirty, Xiaoman is clean. Let's go back to the house and see what gifts your sister-in-law has brought for you."

  Then she said to Guo Lao and Guo Liu Shi: "Grandpa and grandma, from now on don't call me big or little sister anymore. I am the daughter-in-law of the Guo family, you can just call me Xiuxiu, my father also calls me that."

  Guo Lao was still vigorously rubbing his hands together, shaking his head repeatedly and muttering to himself about what could be done and what couldn't.

  Guo Liu followed closely behind Guo Lao's back, echoing his words.

  Guo Ye looked at his parents and little sister, listening to the scenes from earlier, his heart felt like a crow's cry, extremely bitter, constantly reminding himself that he must make an effort, he must stand out.

  He knew that Wu Xiuxiu's various performances today had given him enough face, although the other party might not be sincere, and most of them were perfunctory, he was grateful in his heart.

  Then, making excuses for his parents and younger sister, he said: "Father, mother, whatever Xiaoxiao says, you should call her that way. Although I married into the Wu family, my father-in-law has always treated me like a half-son, never treating me unfairly."

  After finishing speaking, he held onto Guo Lao's arm with his left hand and grabbed Guo Liu's arm with his right hand, walking straight towards the thatched hut.

  Wu Xiuxiu stroked Guo Xiaoman's head while casting a glance at Guo Ye, who was entering the house. How could she not know how her father treated Guo Ye? In the eyes of Wu Xiuxiu and her daughter, Guo Ye was nothing more than a figurehead, let alone being considered half a son.

  Wasn't Guo Ye trying to bribe him with a peach and repay him with a plum?

  Wu Xiuxiu didn't have time to think carefully, and instructed Chunxiang not to forget to move the gifts from the Wu family into the thatched hut. Then, she hugged Guo Xiaoman's frail little shoulders and walked into the thatched hut.

  After entering the house, the whole room had only a dining table and a big bed, with just a few stools that could be counted on one's fingers.

  Guo Ye finally understood what it means to be penniless and have an empty home.

  Guo Ye, Guo Lao Han, and Wu Xiu Xiu were chatting in the house, while Guo Xiao Man accompanied her mother, Guo Liu Shi, to the stove outside the house to start making dinner.

  For a moment, the fragrance of rice wafted into the house, making Guo Ye's fingers move with excitement. This fragrance of rice was something that even the luxurious food of the Wu family couldn't compare to.

  After a while, in the house, Wu Xiuxiu asked Guo Laozhuang about this and that. Then, Guo Xiaoman and Guo Liushi mysteriously called him out of the house. Guo Ye didn't know what his father was doing outside.

  After seeing Lao Die go out, there were only two people left in the house, Guo Ye and Wu Xiu Xiu.

  This was Guo Ye's first opportunity to be alone with Wu Xiuxiu since that night in the Wu family's bridal chamber.

  Suddenly, the atmosphere in the house became a bit awkward.

  At first, Wu Xiuxiu and Guo Ye were both sitting on the edge of the bed. After a while, Wu Xiuxiu stood up somewhat uncomfortably and walked over to the dinner table, where she sat down on a round stool.

  Guo Ye's awkward smile, the tofu-eating incident on their wedding night, and today's unintentional mistake in the train compartment all gave Wu Xiuxiu the impression that he was a lecher.

  But he's not surprised either. After all, the two of them were just fake married and had no feelings for each other. Wu Xiuxiu being on guard against him was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

  For a moment, there was no sound in the house, and the atmosphere became even more eerie and awkward.

  Guo Ye had nothing to say and could only say to Wu Xiuxiu: "Thanks for today, I owe you one."

  Wu Xiuxiu slightly opened her pink lips, somewhat surprised, but her face quickly returned to its usual calmness. She shook her head and said, "Don't be polite, nominally you are the son-in-law invited by the Wu family, it's only natural for me to accompany you back home to visit your parents."

  As soon as he heard the two words "female son-in-law", Guo Ye sneered and said: "You know I'm not referring to that."

  Then he pointed to the big and small packages on the dinner table, including melons, fruits, pastries, smoked duck, cured meat, silk fabrics...

  Wu Xiuxiu naturally knew that Guo Ye was referring to her attitude towards the Guo family this time, and she didn't take it to heart. She said casually: "Your parents are not bad, I'm good to them, no need for you to thank me. Besides, last time with Liu Amang's affair, if it wasn't for you stepping in and driving him away, perhaps we would have had to go through a lot more trouble."

  As soon as Liu Amang was mentioned, Wu Xiuxiu probably remembered the time she deceived Guo Ye into marrying into the Wu family and felt that she had been quite unscrupulous. She couldn't help but lower her face, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

  As if afraid of being discovered by Guo Ye opposite him, he didn't lift his head all along.

  Guo Yegang wanted to speak, but was interrupted by a burst of shrill shouting from Guo Xiaoman, which finally relieved Wu Xiuxiu.

  "Dinner's ready, dinner's ready! Brother and sister-in-law, tonight's dinner is really sumptuous. Since I was born, I've never seen our family make so many dishes!"

  After finishing speaking, Guo Xiaoman lifted the curtain at the door and helped Guo Liushi and Guo Laohan bring in dish after dish of food.

  There were chicken and duck, fish and meat, as well as some wild game from the mountains, over ten dishes were served.

  Looking at those plates of different colors and sizes, Guo Ye secretly guessed that Guo Lao might have gone out to borrow plates from the neighbors to hold the dishes.

  In rural areas like this, who would have so many bowls and plates?

  The aroma of dishes filled the whole house, covering up the rice fragrance that had just come from the stove. Guo Ye smelled the mouth-watering aroma and felt truly hungry.

  Guo Lao gave his son a glance and then beckoned to Wu Xiuxiu, "Eldest young lady, no, Xiuxiu, come have some food. There isn't much to eat, I'm afraid we can't treat you well."

  Wu Xiuxiu looked at the full table of dishes and smiled with satisfaction, softly praising: "There's already a lot, Grandma and Grandpa's cooking skills are really good."

  On the side, Guo Xiaoman jumped up and shouted: "And me too, I helped!"

  Wu Xiuxiu brought over two bowls, one with a dish and the other with rice, and handed them to Guo Xiaoman, instructing her: "Sister knows that Xiaoman is capable, so take these two bowls of food to Spring Fragrance outside and let her eat well."

  Guo Xiaoman listened to Wu Xiuxiu's praise, her face showed joy, holding a bowl with one hand and running out of the house with a whoosh.

  No matter how Chunxiang behaves in Wu's family and gains Wu Xiuxiu's trust, her status is still that of a maid.

  So tonight, the declining Wu family is hosting a return banquet for Guo Ye and Wu Xiuxiu, but she doesn't have the qualifications to come in and eat.

  After all, they are a family of husband and wife, son and daughter-in-law, younger sister, no matter what, they are still one family.

  The next meal was eaten with great relish, with one person helping to serve the dishes and another helping to fill the bowls. At a glance, it was a classic scene of a harmonious family with a loving father, filial son, and virtuous daughter-in-law.

  After finishing the meal, Guo Liu's wife got up to clean up the bowls and empty plates. Wu Xiuxiu originally wanted to get up and help with the cleaning, but was pressed down by Guo Xiaoman, who said that her sister-in-law was a noble guest and that she would take care of such rough work.

  Then she helped Guo Liu's family clean and wash bowls and chopsticks.

  Perhaps due to the fatigue of the bumpy road, Wu Xiuxiu, who was sitting upright and chatting with Old Guo, suddenly covered her mouth and let out a yawn.

  Guo Lao Hen is called "old silly", but he's actually very shrewd and has a lot of insight.

  He knew his daughter-in-law might be tired, so he said directly: "It's getting late, you two can sleep in Xiaoman's room tonight, Xiaoman will sleep with me and her mother."

  What?

  As soon as the words came out, Wu Xiuxiu's face showed a look of horror and her whole body was covered in a layer of cold sweat. Even Guo Ye couldn't sit still and almost fell to the ground with a thud.

  Seeing the young couple's surprise, Old Guo hastily explained: "I know that the young lady from a big family likes cleanliness, don't worry, the quilt and mattress in Xiaoman's room are all newly bought by me, brand new, hurry up."

  Then he instructed Guo Ye: "Child, burn some hot water on the stove and bring a basin for your wife to soak her feet later. In the depths of the mountain village, it's easy to catch a chill in the second half of the night. Soaking her feet will make her comfortable and help her sleep."

  Wu Xiuxiu was thoroughly stunned by Guo Lao's words and muttered in her heart, how can this be?

  Guo Ye was also muddled, how could Wu Xiuxiu know what he was thinking? But looking at the attitude of his parents, if he didn't sleep in the same room as Wu Xiuxiu tonight, it would be really hard to explain. How was he going to get through this long and tedious night?