Kissed and Seduced By the Most Rough Man in the Village-Chapter 173: Su Xiaoxiao, Who Has Been Spoiled Like a Child
Moreover, what she had said to Aunt Guo was not meant to comfort her. Leaving aside the chaos that the market would experience when transitioning from collective farming to individual management, there was another important consideration. In a few years, she would be taking the college entrance exams, and by that time, any child she had now would still be a toddler. She couldn’t possibly rush into motherhood. Managing deliveries and payments all over the country without trustworthy and reliable people would surely attract the attention of various local bigwigs and powerful figures.
"You are Yexun’s partner, and it’s only natural for him to do these things."
When Aunt Guo heard her future daughter-in-law’s praise for her son, she was almost too delighted to close her mouth. But the words that came out of her mouth continued to support Su Xiaoxiao.
Aunt Guo firmly believed that only by pleasing her daughter-in-law could her son have a happy life.
The next morning, Su Xiaoxiao woke up a little after 8 am, amidst the noise and scolding coming from the neighboring room. She saw Jiang Yexun carrying a basin of water and pouring it into the neighboring room.
"Ah! You’re courting death! How dare you splash water into our yard?" shouted Hu Yuezhen from the neighboring room.
Jiang Yexun picked up a stone and threw it, saying, "Keep making noise, and I’ll come over to teach you a lesson."
The people across the way suddenly went quiet as if they had been strangled.
Aunt Guo and Jiang Yexun then turned their attention to Su Xiaoxiao, who had just woken up, rubbing her eyes.
"Is the noisy neighbor bothering you during your rest? If you want to sleep a bit longer, we promise she won’t dare to make a fuss again this time," Aunt Guo cooed, fearing her nap would be disrupted.
Su Xiaoxiao shook her head. "No need, I’ve had enough sleep. Besides, Yexun and I made plans to go deliver gifts to our friends today. It’s already late, so it wouldn’t be polite to go to their houses during mealtime."
Now that everyone was struggling with a food shortage, it was considered impolite to visit someone’s house during mealtime, especially when most of them were living together.
"Alright, then quickly put on a few more layers of clothing. I’ll go warm up some water for you," Aunt Guo said, worried about Su Xiaoxiao, who was wearing just a thin nightgown. It was currently about 5 or 6 degrees, and coming out from under the warm blankets made one susceptible to the cold.
Aunt Guo didn’t need to say much. Once she mentioned it, Su Xiaoxiao suddenly felt a chill all over and almost couldn’t help but shiver.
To prevent Aunt Guo and Jiang Yexun from worrying, she changed into a thick white wool coat and then went outside.
Jiang Yexun took the basin from her and went to fetch hot water. Su Xiaoxiao followed him.
"Yexun, what time did you come back last night? You’re up so early. Did you get enough sleep?"
"I came back a little after midnight. Don’t worry, I’ve hidden everything well, and I even caught a fat rabbit on the way back. I’ll cook braised rabbit for you at lunch," Jiang Yexun glanced at Su Xiaoxiao and couldn’t help but smile at the concern in her eyes.
While she was brushing her teeth, he prepared some warm water for her to wash her face. After she finished washing, he took the items from her and placed them back in the house.
Then, he fetched a bright red woolen scarf from inside and casually draped it over a chair. Without a moment’s rest, he went to wash some cups and prepare instant wheat milk for her.
Su Xiaoxiao, still a bit drowsy, finished her breakfast, and Jiang Yexun helped her fasten the scarf before carrying the bamboo basket filled with gifts and heading out the door.
In the broad daylight at the village square, many people had come out to socialize, and their curiosity was piqued by the commotion at the Jiang family’s home the previous night. As a result, they had intentionally risen early today.
From a distance, they saw Jiang Yexun walking with Su Xiaoxiao, and everyone was captivated by Su Xiaoxiao’s charming appearance. Her white woolen coat, combined with the pure red, made her fair face even more radiant, like a piece of snow.
Especially with the soft morning light falling upon her, her face seemed to shine with the radiance of ivory. Everyone had always known that Su Xiaoxiao was exceptionally beautiful, but now her watery almond-shaped eyes, along with her long, curled eyelashes, made her look like a delicate porcelain doll displayed in a prestigious department store window.
Her upturned lips had a sweet and endearing curve, which was more charming than what they had expected.
The sight of Su Xiaoxiao left the onlookers in awe, and even Jiang Yexun couldn’t help but furrow his brows in annoyance. He moved closer to his little partner, attempting to shield her from the curious gazes.
Seeing the uncomfortable expressions on their faces, the people finally realized that Jiang Yexun was not in the mood for small talk. Nevertheless, someone couldn’t resist their curiosity and asked, "Yexun, how did Educated Youth Su’s family react when you visited them? Have they agreed to your marriage?"
"Her brother is quite fond of me. He’ll come back with us for the Lunar New Year, and he’ll help us talk to Su Xiaoxiao’s parents.”
“Didn’t you go to visit Educated Youth Su’s parents this time?"
Everyone looked at them with puzzlement.
They had only seen Educated Youth Su’s brother during their month-long absence, which seemed quite cumbersome. Moreover, during this past month, every day, they had to send two people to the wild lands at the foot of the mountains, and even the educated youths had to go there as well. Their outing had been a respite from hard work.
"When we went over there, we happened to find my brother injured and hospitalized. We took care of him there until he recovered and returned to the army. That’s when we came back," Su Xiaoxiao explained hurriedly.
These villagers had heard from the Jiang family’s eldest daughter-in-law that Su Xiaoxiao’s brother served in the military. As soon as they heard about his injury, they immediately shifted their tone from jealousy to concern and inquired, "Is your brother’s health fully recovered? Will it have any long-term effects?"
In this day and age, people held a great deal of respect for soldiers in the army. Serving in the military was a matter of great pride for an entire family, not just a mere slogan. The only people who couldn’t appreciate this were usually the ones who had ulterior motives.
