When Su Liyan's mother, who was standing to the side, heard what her husband said,
she immediately smacked his arm and shot him a reproachful look.
Su Liyan's father knew he had misspoken.
He waved his hand sheepishly and fell silent.
Su Liyan's mother, however, hurried into the house. She knelt before a blank portrait hanging in the center of the main hall and began to chant:
"Your Majesty the Empress, please don't be offended... Your Majesty the Empress, please don't be offended...
I will remember your kindness forever...
..."
After finishing her muttering, Su Liyan's mother finally rose to her feet.
She turned around to see the courtyard bustling with activity.
Over a dozen torches cast a bright glow as a group of men carried sacks of rice and flour in and out of the small courtyard.
Such a lively scene naturally attracted the other villagers.
They all stared at the scene before them, their faces filled with astonishment.
"It can't be... The Su Family's daughter... she really married into a good family, didn't she?"
"Tsk, what's there to even say? Just look at all that pork they're hauling into the house, like it's free.
We haven't eaten that much in our entire lives...
How much oil could you render from all that fat? How many years would it take to eat it all...?"
The villagers watched from outside the Su family's gate, their faces full of envy and jealousy.
They had heard before that Su Liyan had gotten married.
And at the time, a few girls from the neighboring village had gone with her.
They all came back saying Su Liyan had married well. That the man was handsome, refined, and a scholar.
Most importantly, he was exceptionally good to Su Liyan, taking her to a restaurant in town right after she arrived.
He even bought her many things.
But no one really believed it.
Why would he?
She's just a Snake Woman, even if she is a bit prettier than most.
Don't wealthy families have to care about their reputation? What rich family would marry a Half-Demon?
But now, seeing this scene, they had no choice but to believe it...
At that moment, watching the scene in the courtyard, Su Liyan's mother's eyes suddenly reddened, and she murmured:
"Wonderful... This is wonderful..."
In truth, Su Liyan's mother hadn't believed it at first, either.
Even after sending her little messenger spirit to inquire, she was still half-convinced.
It was mainly because her son-in-law's circumstances were just too good...
Her little messenger spirit had returned and said that her son-in-law lived in a brick-and-tile house.
It had three whole large rooms, and even the courtyard was paved with stone bricks.
The kitchen was filled to the brim with rice and flour—all white flour, without a speck of cornmeal in sight.
Beyond that, and even more extravagantly, the kitchen was full of meat.
The spirit also said that her son-in-law had a good temper, spoke pleasantly, and doted on her daughter.
He was just a little afraid of Xingzi and the like...
Her little messenger spirit had come back with a piece of candy in her mouth, chattering and mumbling nonsensically.
Although she had relayed the information, it didn't feel entirely reliable.
She had been worried sick these past few days.
But now, the weight in her heart had finally been lifted.
It's true!
Xiao Yunyun was right about everything, absolutely right~
"Old Brother, Old Sister, who's in charge here?
We've stacked the sixty jars of Nu'er Hong in the corner for you. Please count them and take a look.
If there are no problems, please sign the delivery slip for us so we can report back."
A shopkeeper approached the old couple and said with a broad smile.
Snapping back to their senses, Su Liyan's parents nodded repeatedly. Her mother then turned to a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth beside her and said:
"Quick, go get your brush and ink. I'll sign the slip for them."
Su Changliang, Su Liyan's own younger brother, immediately nodded and ran quickly to his room to get the brush and ink.
Normally, the head of the household was supposed to sign for such things.
However, Su Liyan's father was illiterate and couldn't write, not even his own name.
So, it was up to Su Liyan's mother to do it.
While they were getting everything ready, some of the shopkeepers who had finished unloading came over to wait for the slip to be signed.
They all wore beaming smiles and offered auspicious words:
"Old Sister, the son-in-law your daughter married is so generous! This banquet spread is truly magnificent!
With a son-in-law like him, you're set to enjoy great fortune in the future~"
Hearing these auspicious words, Su Liyan's mother was absolutely thrilled.
The radiant smile on her face was impossible to hide.
Still, she waved her hand and said with a laugh:
"Aiyo~ What fortune is there for me to enjoy? Once a daughter marries, she belongs to her husband's family.
As long as she's living well, that's all that matters~
I won't ride on her coattails~"
Su Liyan's father was squatting on the doorframe, taking slow puffs from his long-stemmed pipe.
Su Liyan's father was an honest and simple man, not skilled in conversation, so at times like this, he could only let his wife do the talking.
But even though he wasn't speaking, the joy on his face was just as plain to see.
Meanwhile, Su Changliang, who had returned with the brush and ink, looked at the lively courtyard and broke into an honest, simple smile, happy for his sister.
After all, whatever outsiders said about his sister was all nonsense.
As her own brother, how could he not know what his sister was really like?
Su Changliang had truly been afraid that his sister would end up just as people had gossiped, married off to some crippled old man, or to a family so poor they didn't even have a roof over their heads.
A husband who would get drunk and take his anger out on her.
Su Changliang felt that would have been too pitiful for his sister.
Seeing things now, he was truly relieved...
...
「Meanwhile.」
「In Taiping City, at the Zhao Family residence.」
A group of people was having a meal in the main hall, which was brightly lit by several Spiritual Lamps.
"So how did you two meet? How did you end up getting married?"
Zhao Qiao'Er asked as she placed a large piece of meat into Lu Yuan's bowl.
Zhao Qiao'Er had known for a while that Su Liyan was a Snake Woman.
She found out the day the old butler returned.
He had even said that Su Liyan was a Snake Woman who could undergo atavistic regression, and that her stare after doing so had sent a chill down his spine.
Zhao Qiao'Er didn't pay it much mind. Such Half-Demons were different from normal people to begin with, so it was only natural for them to have some strange qualities.
Zhao Qiao'Er was just curious.
'How did my sweetheart end up marrying a Snake Woman...'
After all, her sweetheart was handsome, with thick brows and large eyes, and he wasn't disabled in any way.
What's more, his family was quite wealthy.
His grandfather had even been the County Magistrate of Taiping City.
Logically speaking, with her sweetheart's qualifications, forget about the village girls—
he could have had his pick of any girl in Taiping City.
So why did he choose a Snake Woman?
Of course, Zhao Qiao'Er wasn't saying she looked down on Su Liyan. After all, the two were already married.
That made Su Liyan her own niece-in-law, and part of her family!
Zhao Qiao'Er was simply curious.
She'd been holding it in for a long time and finally couldn't resist asking.
In response to Zhao Qiao'Er's question, Lu Yuan gave a very honest and simple grin and said:
"It was nothing much. She was brought to our village for matchmaking.
I took a liking to her the moment I saw her. You could say it was love at first sight.
Then we paid respects to the ancestors and got married."
Lu Yuan's words truly moved the two women at the dinner table.
'My own nephew is truly the dream lover of every woman,' Zhao Qiao'Er sighed with emotion.
'Just listen to how sweet that sounds—love at first sight.'
'In today's lingo, how romantic is that?'
As for Su Liyan, sitting next to Lu Yuan, her reaction was even more pronounced.
Right now, Su Liyan's beautiful, soul-snatching eyes, glistening like autumn pools, were fixed on her husband.
The love in them was practically overflowing.
...
Meanwhile, Su Liyan's mother, who was in the middle of signing the delivery slips with a huge smile on her face, suddenly thought of something.
'Oh, dear.'
'My son-in-law is wonderful in every way, but he's a bit of a coward. He's afraid of seeing Xingzi.'
'That won't do. I'll have to go out and shoo them away.'
Changliu Village might not have much else, but it certainly has a lot of Xingzi!
'And the crucial thing is, I'm the one who raises all those critters...'