Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 71 - 47: Nearly Exposed (Part 2)

The mother and son headed home.

Just their luck.

They had just reached the mouth of the alley when they saw a group of busybodies sitting together, gossiping about the affair in Zhao Village.

In fact, it wasn’t just this alley. A look around the entire county town would reveal that wherever people gathered, you could hear the story of "one girl promised to two families."

But as the story spread from person to person, it began to change. A single walk around the county town, and you could easily hear a hundred different versions.

One version claimed the Chen family had already made arrangements with both families: the older granddaughter would marry the older son-in-law, and the younger granddaughter the younger one. That way, there would be no confusion in address, making greetings easier. Another said the younger Chen granddaughter was a beauty capable of eclipsing the moon and making flowers blush, a face that could charm the fish and make wild geese fall. Mr. Li of the Li family had only seen her once before he was utterly captivated, and so he had his mother propose marriage, promising a huge betrothal gift to win the beauty for himself. Yet another story painted the Zhao family as the most cunning. Their son already had a betrothal, but he didn’t care for his fiancée, having eyes only for her older cousin. The two were even having a secret affair. So, they schemed to bring in the Li family to intervene. This way, they could get what they wanted without bearing any blame—a family of truly deep and calculating minds...

The Li family lived in the alley, and to get home, they had to walk nearly its entire length.

Mrs. Li had never been one for joining in on gossip, but when she ran into her neighbors, it would have been improper not to greet them.

After exchanging greetings, the mother and son continued toward their home. The busybodies, while remarking "the Li family’s son is such a fine young man," went right back to their juicy tales about the girl promised to two families.

A young wife then said with a laugh, "’Li’ really is a common surname. There are so many people with that name. Even in this affair, there’s a scholar, a Mr. Li."

Hearing this, Mrs. Li’s back instantly stiffened, and she couldn’t help but stand up straighter.

Even Li Cun couldn’t stop his feet from pausing as he listened to what these elders were saying.

"I don’t know if the Mr. Li in this story is talented or not, but our Cun right here in this alley, he’s got a gift and is willing to work hard. If he doesn’t pass the Scholar exam, I’ll be the first to protest. It’s just that Cun is a bit shy, and Mrs. Li is so formidable. I wonder what kind of wife he’ll end up with."

"As long as he becomes a Scholar, what kind of wife couldn’t he get? Forget beauties like the sisters from Zhao Village—even if he wanted the Lord County Magistrate’s daughter, the Lord County Magistrate might see his potential and take him as a son-in-law."

"Cun, don’t walk around in a daze! Watch your step. Goodness, child, our front gate has a threshold. You’ve crossed it countless times, how could you still trip over it?"

Li Cun stumbled, and only avoided falling because his mother luckily caught his arm. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

But in his panic and confusion, he pushed his mother away with a bit too much force.

He was so distraught at that moment that he was completely oblivious to it.

Hearing the commotion, Li Qiaoxin ran out from inside. The little girl held a needle and thread in one hand and a handkerchief in the other; she had been doing needlework just moments before.

"Brother, Mother, you’re back! Why are you so late? Did something happen on the way?"

It was the anniversary of their father’s death, so Li Qiaoxin should have gone to pay her respects as well. But Mrs. Li had said she was a girl, and there was no sense in girls visiting graves. So, Li Qiaoxin had simply burned a sheet of paper money and poured out a cup of simple wine in the courtyard, considering that her way of honoring her father.

She couldn’t stand being cooped up at home and wanted to go out and play. With the county town being so lively recently, it was as if she had ants in her pants and couldn’t sit still.

"Mother, since you’re back, I’m going to go out for a walk."

"A walk? What walk? You’re a girl of marriageable age; you should be practicing your needlework. Starting today, you’re not going anywhere. You can go out again when you can earn money by embroidering your own handkerchiefs."

Li Cun paid no mind to the chatter between his mother and sister.

He returned to his room in a daze, mechanically picked up his book box, and turned to leave again.

Just as he reached the courtyard gate, Mrs. Li hurried after him. "Cun, don’t forget to take the policy essays you wrote. You’re a little weak in that area, and your teacher told you to write and practice more. You mustn’t slack off."

Li Cun replied woodenly, "Mother, I have everything. I won’t slack off. I will definitely study hard and earn an imperial title for you. Mother, you shouldn’t be on your feet too much. Please go back and rest."

Mrs. Li followed a few more steps. "It’s already a bit late. You’ve missed half a day of class; who knows how much you’ve fallen behind. Oh, Cun, don’t dawdle on the way. Hurry back to the private school, and don’t make your mother and teacher worry."