Xiao Zhen had this thought and imdiately went to find his precious daughter, who was famous for her beauty. Though an old legend made him especially fond of her, he doted on this daughter. When he reached her room, he found his daughter still awake, staring blankly at her notebook.
"Why aren’t you asleep yet, Yiyi? Do you have sothing on your mind? You can talk to Dad about it. I’ll definitely help you solve it. Don’t keep things bottled up and make yourself unhappy."
Xiao Zhen felt heartbroken seeing his daughter frowning, and Xiao Keyi, upon hearing her father’s voice, turned around and finally gave a small smile.
"Dad, it’s nothing really. It’s just that Grandpa ntioned my fiancé would be coming over as a guest soon, but I don’t even know what he looks like. Should we welco him or prepare a gift for him?"
Xiao Keyi, at only twenty, is full of expectation for the future, and is even in awe of the mysterious fiancé that Grandpa talks about, not knowing that her fiancé is currently a re rural villager surviving in impoverished Taohua Village.
Xiao Zhen, upon hearing his daughter, felt even less kind towards Xu Ke, whom he hadn’t t.
For Xiao Zhen’s daughter is destined to marry a man worthy of her, so how could a rural man be good enough? And thus, Xiao Zhen’s expression turned grim, which Xiao Keyi naturally noticed.
"Dad, what’s wrong with you?"
Xiao Zhen, hearing his daughter inquire, imdiately held his head. "The doctor said my health isn’t great this year. Dad’s busy with the company and can’t pay attention to your affairs right now, which makes a little ashad. But since Yiyi is still young, let’s not rush these matters."
Hearing her father’s words, young Xiao Keyi felt guilty for troubling him, but she insisted, "Grandpa’s words must be good for Yiyi, so he will definitely co, right?"
Seeing the expectation in his daughter’s eyes, Xiao Zhen nodded under pressure, though inwardly he loathed the yet-unseen Xu Ke for stealing away the daughter he raised for more than twenty years.
After Xiao Zhen left, Xiao Keyi’s smile disappeared and she sent the house staff away.
She stared at the moon outside, aware that her father would never agree to this marriage.
Though she knew from a young age that she had a fiancé, she never took it seriously.
Until one day when she overheard her father arguing with her grandpa about rejecting her fiancé while her grandfather insisted.
Torn between her beloved father and her revered grandfather, Xiao Keyi didn’t know how to choose.
If only her fiancé were sowhat outstanding, maybe her father wouldn’t have opposed like this, she thought. But she trusted her grandfather’s words more.
Recently, life had gradually improved, but Xu Ke knew that the biggest challenge facing this family was poverty.
The poverty of this family exceeded his understanding of hardship.
He thought there might still be food, but after just a few days, Wang Cuixia was staring at the empty rice jar, frowning and sighing softly. Looking over, Xu Ke saw only a handful of rice grains left in the jar.
"Don’t worry, I saw a few wild hens on the mountain the other day, and since it rained, mushrooms might have grown there. I’ll check today; you stay ho and wait."
After saying this, Xu Ke set off with a basket, as he had indeed seen lots of wildlife in the mountains, though they proved elusive with keen survival instincts that made them hard for anyone to catch.
The air here was incredibly fresh, so Xu Ke took several deep breaths and saw a wild rabbit dart past him.
After picking a basketful of mushrooms, Xu Ke left his basket under a tree, sure that no one would steal it because this place was deserted.
He was lucky to find a few birds’ eggs and gathered them along the way.
But hunting ga proved challenging.
Initially, Xu Ke tried catching them by force, but he couldn’t manage it, feeling a bit helpless.
He ended up making a simple slingshot with tree branches and stones, surprisingly achieving almost perfect accuracy, hitting two wild rabbits before stopping.
With these rabbits, tonight’s al was assured.
Besides the rabbits, they needed seasoning, so Xu Ke picked so Sichuan pepper.
When he finished, the sun was already up, and his stomach growled with hunger.
Carrying his basket and rabbits, he returned ho. Despite being worn out, Xu Ke prepared the al himself because Wang Cuixia’s cooking was unpalatable.
Wang Cuixia picked two spring onions in the yard, added so garlic, and finally managed to stir-fry braised rabbit.
Since rice and noodles were absent, Xu Ke also made mushroom soup to offset the greasiness of the braised rabbit.
At this ti, Xiao Zhen realized that the old man Xiao hadn’t changed his mind, so he resolved that if things stayed that way, Xu Ke would have to disappear; otherwise, his daughter would inevitably suffer.
When the old man Xiao learned of this from a subordinate’s whispers, he was so upset he could barely hold himself back from kicking his son.
But that was still his son, so he sighed lightly, wondering why his son couldn’t understand him. Besides, wouldn’t marrying a decent man be good? Those noble fellows might not suit their Yiyi.
"You’re just too reckless! Why not discuss things with ? Anyway, you haven’t even t the young man, so why dismiss him outright? He might be particularly outstanding; you really infuriate ."
It was too late for these words now, but the old man Xiao instructed his subordinates, hoping they could rescue him.
anwhile, the people sent by Xiao Zhen had reached the edge of Taohua Village and frowned at its poverty.
Taohua Village was unexpectedly poor and rundown, with its scattered houses all over the mountain, making it hard to search.
They could only check house by house, but it grew increasingly tiring.
At the Xiao Family, upon hearing the news, Xiao Keyi grew anxious, feeling that while the man might not be exceptional, he was still a life.
"Dad, how can you do this? Aren’t you considering my feelings at all?"
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