Well, no wonder—in this town, the usual fare was tight-T-shirt upstarts with big H belts crouching by the curb smoking. An eight-out-of-ten handsome man like Gu Xichen was a rare sight indeed, so naturally they stole a few extra glances.
"Xiao Xia, who's this?"
"My boy—" Lian Xia caught herself mid-word, smoothed a strand of hair, and said with easy composure: "My husband."
That effortless pride made Gu Xichen look at her with new respect.
Ximei held her baby and followed close behind, loudly demanding: "When did you get married? You didn't even tell us!?"
Lian Xia stepped through the doorway and eyed her through the gap, her manner distant: "My parents aren't around anymore. It wouldn't mean anything to notify anyone. I have things to do, so let's not chat."
She remembered well how the village gossiped about her—every last one of these older women and young wives had contributed their share.
"Sis, why did you suddenly come back?"
She'd assumed that after her forceful eviction, her aunt would have packed up the whole family and moved out. Instead, they'd settled into her room quite comfortably. She'd cleared it out once, but now her cousin had taken it over. The celebrity posters on the walls had all been torn down and replaced with a wall of dark, vaguely creepy game posters.
The young man, whom she hadn't seen in nearly a year, had already started going through voice changes.
The moment he laid eyes on Gu Xichen, his eyes went wide: "Gu Dashou! You're Gu Dashou!"
Gu Dashou—"Big Hand Gu"—was what fans of the Nightmare series called their beloved game creator. On Weibo, they occasionally called him Shoushou—"Little Hands"—too.
Gu Xichen, long used to this, gave a measured nod and glanced around: "You're a fan of our products too?"
Was that even a question?
Little Lian Dong was already blushing to the ears, tears glistening, practically ready to drop to his knees and sing odes of conquest.
"I knew it! Your Weibo avatar is my sister after all!"
"So you can call me brother-in-law. No need to call me Big Hand."
To show his warmth, Gu Xichen planted a large hand on the boy's fuzzy head and ruffled it vigorously. Judging by the way the kid cradled his skull afterward, he probably wouldn't wash his hair for days.
"Oh right, my mom's at my sister's shop. I'll go call them back right now!"
Lian Xia tried to stop him, but the boy was already through the door, legs churning like windmills as he pelted down the concrete road outside.
"Ahem... you really don't want to tell anyone?"
In truth, they'd come back partly to collect her household register, and partly to give word of the wedding date. In Gu Xichen's expectation, even on the conservative side, Lian Xia would want to invite at least ten tables' worth of guests.
She looked down and fell silent for a moment: "Let's not. I'm afraid..."
The village's family networks were tangled and tight-knit—pull one root and the whole clump came up. If they saw Gu Xichen's family was well-off, today one relative would show up, tomorrow another would visit. Just entertaining relatives whose names she couldn't even remember would be headache enough.
Gu Xichen respected her decision.
Lian Xia retrieved her household register, packed some of her old clothes, and took out a cracked photo frame from the back of a drawer. The man naturally reached over and took it from her hands, carefully tucking it into a bag.
"A photo like this will get damaged. Let's get Dad a new frame later, alright?"
No need to say it—had her father been alive, he surely would have been immensely pleased with such a thoughtful son-in-law.
She smiled and nodded.
Chapter 60
Knock knock.
Gu Xichen went to answer the door. A slightly portly middle-aged man stood outside, peering around curiously: "Is Xiao Xia here?"
The girl hurried to invite him in and offer him a seat, brewing tea with due ceremony before introducing the guest.
"This is the former village chief of our Xu family village—now he's the town mayor."
In the village, most people adhered to one principle: girls didn't need much education.
Back then, when she was young, her family had barely managed to put her through high school. All the relatives around her declared that university was unnecessary—she should just go work in the city (dressed up as "going out to make something of herself"). Lian Xia's father was ill and hard-pressed, but the mayor had stepped in, advanced her tuition, and helped their household apply for the minimum living allowance. That was what had given her the chance to continue her education.
Repay kindness with kindness, repay grievance with justice—she was naturally deeply grateful.
Gu Xichen quickly shook the man's hand. The mayor seemed to find him familiar: "Hmm, have we met somewhere? You were with an important official at the time..."
"Yes, I came down with my father to distribute relief supplies."
"My, how time flies!"
The mayor—formerly village chief six years ago—shook his head with literary flourish, holding onto his hand and unwilling to let go, chatting away with great warmth.
When he'd finally talked himself out, he turned to Lian Xia: "Xiao Xia, since you're back, there's something I need to tell you about."
"The past few days, an investor has been negotiating with the village to acquire land for a factory. The paperwork has come down from above, but I haven't notified the village yet. Every household has brothers and sisters..." He sighed. "Once word gets out, it'll be like a wave of spring thunder."
The mayor's speech had a strong 1970s flavor, but it grew on you after a while.
"Some villagers are old-fashioned, still holding to the old almanac—saying land passes to sons, not daughters, and all that business about widows' property going to the husband's family. You have a homestead plot and this house—conservatively worth two or three million in demolition compensation. But I'm worried about your aunt..."
He hadn't finished speaking before Gu Xichen's arm was already around her shoulder: "She doesn't understand. You can tell me."
"We're getting married soon. What's hers is mine."
Lian Xia: ????
"Oh, that makes things much simpler. Much simpler."
The mayor was delighted, shaking the man's hand again: "Xiao Xia, we've watched her grow up—a good kid, honest and decent. You two have fate, and that's wonderful!"
"You're the new son-in-law. With you shielding her, her aunt won't be able to push her around!"
Not long after the mayor left, word must have gotten out—the village immediately started setting off firecrackers.
Since employment opportunities in the town were scarce, most residents had been desperately awaiting demolition. Paint a big "demolish" character on a brick wall, and suddenly every family's marriage prospects brightened.
The reverse was equally true—it was easy to end up perpetually single. Xu Family Village was famous for being a bachelor village—fewer than a thousand people, yet over thirty older unmarried men.
Upon hearing this tremendous good news, Aunt Yuan Fendi dragged Lian Qiu back in high spirits, even splurging on two jin of rib meat from the pork vendor on the way. But when they arrived at Lian Xia's house, they found their family's clothes and bundles stacked neatly outside the door. A young man was still moving things out, clearly intent on showing the whole family the door.
"Hold on, what's the meaning of this, Lian Xia?"
"This is my house. Auntie, you've stayed long enough. Time to move out."
Lian Xia's hands were shaking where they stood with hands on her hips. Gu Xichen found it rather amusing. He stood right beside her, one hand resting on her shoulder, staking his claim with unmistakable clarity.
The older woman and the younger one across from them couldn't help stealing glances at him.
No helping it—the man was broad-shouldered, long-legged, young and striking. Standing beneath the eaves, he was like a human light source, impossible to ignore.
At the same time, they received the same unspoken message—
Little Lian Xia had grown her own wings and found herself a man. In the particular context of Xu Family Village, finding a man meant finding a backer.
"You... you don't want your own family anymore?"
"No need. Move out sooner rather than later. I can handle my own affairs."
Aunt Yuan Fendi knew full well that once she left, she wouldn't see a single cent of the homestead compensation. Her entire vigor drained on the spot. She toppled backward and within a second had rolled several times in the mud!
"Murderous heavens!"
"The ancestral home going to outsiders, my brother-in-law won't rest in peace!"
That one howl echoed from one end of the village to the other, serving as a rallying cry that swiftly assembled a crowd of women, young and old, and bachelor men.
By the time the mayor arrived, she was being supported by two middle-aged women, sobbing with snot and tears, crying like she'd lost her entire family.
"Without your brother to stand up for you, you'll have plenty to cry about, let me tell you, Lian Xia!"
"Yuan Fendi!"
The mayor's roar scattered the onlookers. Aunt Yuan Fendi's eyes darted left and right, her carefully rehearsed wail stuck in her throat.
"Let me tell you something, Yuan Fendi—Xiao Xia has her own family now. Stop bullying her for being orphaned and alone!"
"I'm just worried about an outsider swallowing my niece's property..."
"You're thinking of your niece? Your hand's reaching too far! You think she's young and naive, her parents gone early, so you can dig into her pockets!"
With that, he pushed Gu Xichen forward: "Her husband has a business worth tens of millions. You think he wants to swallow your niece's property?"
Tens of millions was an understatement, but it was enough to put the fear of God into Yuan Fendi.
Gu Xichen, at the center of the crowd, stepped forward at just the right moment, holding up his phone for all to see. His tone was calm: "Enough talk."
"I've already called the police."
The mayor was indeed experienced at crowd work. He pivoted smoothly: "The police are coming. If you want a criminal record, go ahead and make trouble. But if Lian Dong gets a record, he can forget about ever finding a wife!"
At the mention of police, Aunt Yuan Fendi froze, blinking.
Facing the mayor, Lian Xia made a pointed statement: "If anyone climbs over my wall or breaks into my house again, that's burglary. While I'm not in my hometown, I'd appreciate it if my neighbors would help me call the police."
Then she pulled Gu Xichen back inside and slammed the door shut behind them.
The farce was finally over.