Chapter 31: Changing confidants? !

The evening sky was tinged with a faint orange hue. Just as Qian Weimin was about to take a closer look at the name on the letter, the old wooden door in front of him was opened.

“Are you Comrade Xie Gui? There’s a letter for you.” The village chief nodded in confusion. He glanced at the mailing address on the envelope and nodded again, “Yes, that’s me.” His gaze stayed fixed on the envelope, seemingly puzzled about why the Chang family would suddenly send a letter. Could it be that the village affairs had already spread over there?

As the mailman walked away and the village chief was about to close the door, he noticed a burly man with a resolute face standing nearby. Although dressed plainly, his posture and physique clearly showed he had military training. Since the Xie family had a soldier among them, the village chief recognized this immediately.

He sized up Qian Weimin and then slowly spoke, “Comrade, who might you be?”

“Hello, Village Chief. I’m the newly appointed scorekeeper for our village, here to report!” Qian Weimin said as he took out a letter of introduction from his pocket and handed it to the chief.

The village chief nodded repeatedly, motioning for Qian Weimin to come inside.

Just then, Zhao Xiulan came out from the kitchen carrying a basket woven from straw. Seeing the visitors, she asked, “Old Xie, who’s here?”

The village chief glanced at Zhao Xiulan and replied, “It’s the scorekeeper sent from the town.” As he said this, he handed the letter to Zhao Xiulan and instructed, “Xiulan, give this letter to Jianguo and have him see what it’s about.” He was too busy to handle it himself, and since Zhao Xiulan couldn’t read, it was better for Jianguo to take a look.

Zhao Xiulan glanced at Qian Weimin, then turned to go to Xie Jianguo’s room. Her son had been lying at home all day without saying a word. She was worried that if this continued, Jianguo might really fall ill…

Meanwhile, as the village chief and Qian Weimin were in the main room dealing with the formalities and filling out tedious paperwork for the scorekeeper position, a sudden cry pierced the quiet sky like summer thunder.

The village chief’s expression changed; he stopped writing and looked toward the door, a bad feeling rising in his chest. He hurried to Jianguo’s room and found Zhao Xiulan sitting on the ground, slapping her thighs, tears and snot smeared all over her face, crying heart-wrenchingly.

“What happened?” the village chief said as he quickly approached and tried to help her up.

Between sobs, Zhao Xiulan complained, “Old Xie, you have to stand up for Jianguo! The Chang family… they want Jianguo to marry Chang Sui Sui instead of the originally agreed Chang Meili!”

The village chief was stunned, clearly not expecting a letter about changing the marriage arrangement.

“I don’t like Chang Sui Sui! Nor do I like Chang Meili! I think Jianguo’s bad luck all comes from those two sisters! I don’t want either of them in our home! You have to cancel this marriage!” Zhao Xiulan’s voice was sharp and harsh, her crying making the village chief’s head ache.

The village chief frowned deeply, full of helplessness. But since others were around, he squatted down and tried to keep his tone calm, “Xiulan, marriage is a big matter, it can’t be based just on our personal likes and dislikes. I’ve met Chang Sui Sui a few times—she’s indeed a good girl, hardworking, kind, and sensible. If Jianguo marries her, it will be good luck for him!”

Compared to marrying Chang Meili, he hoped more that Chang Sui Sui would become his daughter-in-law. With that thought, he glanced at Jianguo sitting on the bed, holding the letter about changing the marriage, and showing no sign of objection. It seemed his son wasn’t entirely opposed to Chang Sui Sui either. If so, once she married in, their life might improve.

Hearing this, Zhao Xiulan was furious. She suddenly stood up from the ground and shouted angrily, “I don’t agree! Both those educated youth sisters are bad luck! If Jianguo marries either of them, he’ll be worse off!”

The village chief’s face darkened immediately. “Bad luck?! Watch your mouth! Do you want someone to report you for superstition? Are you trying to get locked up?”

Startled, Zhao Xiulan immediately fell silent. She certainly didn’t want to get arrested!

Seeing her quiet, the village chief softened a bit and said patiently, “This is Jianguo’s marriage. As long as he’s willing, we have to respect his choice.” Whether it’s Chang Sui Sui or Chang Meili, if he’s decided, they must respect it.

“Is he willing? What does a child know? He’s been bewitched by that fox spirit!” Zhao Xiulan shouted emotionally.

The village chief’s headache worsened. Seeing Zhao Xiulan was stubborn, he gave up on persuading her.

“Alright, I understand. Tomorrow I’ll talk to Chang Zhīqīng in person and see what she thinks.” After all, Jianguo had openly made a move on Chang Zhīqīng in the field, so now that the marriage was being changed to her, it was unclear if she would agree.

Xie Jianguo had remained silent the whole time. Chang Meili had previously said that Chang Sui Sui wrote a letter to their grandmother to get the marriage switched. Jianguo did believe her, but seeing the letter in person felt different. He suddenly found the idea of a beautiful woman willing to do anything for him quite interesting. He didn’t mind giving her a chance.

Hiding in the shadows, Qian Weimin had been quietly listening, eating his popcorn. But when he heard the name “Chang Zhīqīng,” his expression suddenly changed.

What did he just hear? A letter about changing the marriage?!

What should he do? Their team leader seemed to have a special affection for Chang Sui Sui. If the village chief went to talk to her, their team leader might be left with unrequited love. No! To be precise, their team leader would end up single! That couldn’t be allowed!

Night fell, and the sky was completely dark.

A petite figure appeared at Xie Yu’s home, carrying a heavy load of bags.

“I’ve got quite a lot this time; I can’t climb in through the window,” Chang Sui Sui said with a playful smile as she entered, her beautiful apricot-colored eyes curved like the crescent moon, sparkling like stars.

Though Xie Yu was mentally prepared, he still felt a heavy thump in his chest, as if something inside was breaking through the soil, taking root and sprouting.

He slowly suppressed the emotions in his eyes and calmly asked, “Why did you bring so many things over?”

Chang Sui Sui stacked the things beside him and blinked mischievously, “Didn’t I say yesterday I’d bring you some tasty treats?” Most importantly, she wanted to test the extent of her supernatural powers… or rather, how mutated they had become…