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The next day.
Jiang Youfu, Yang Shi, Jiang Youcheng, Liu Shi, along with several relatives and acquaintances from the family, including uncles of Jiang Xiaoxing and Jiang Mixia, headed to the Hong family’s village.
Upon their arrival, they found Hong Sanbao lying in bed. His legs and arms had been broken, rendering him immobile, like a disabled person.
Upon hearing that Jiang Youfu and the others had come to call off the marriage, Hong Sanbao, lying in bed, cursed and ranted, accusing Jiang Xiaoxing of being materialistic and Jiang Youfu of being shallow, claiming that they were only in a hurry to call off the marriage because he was facing difficulties.
The uncles of Jiang Xiaoxing, who had accompanied the group, couldn’t bear his offensive remarks. They each gave him a few slaps, leaving Hong Sanbao with a swollen face, unable to utter another word.
Once they had dealt with Hong Sanbao, Jiang Youfu and the others spoke directly about the purpose of their visit.
The bride price was returned, and Jiang Xiaoxing’s betrothal letter was reclaimed, signifying the end of any association between the two families.
Initially, Hong Sanbao’s parents were infuriated upon discovering their son’s gambling habits and were inclined to sever ties with him. However, they also empathized with the fact that his lack of a family might have led him astray.
Once Jiang Xiaoxing married into their family, they believed that having a wife would help straighten out Hong Sanbao, and they would be able to move forward. Moreover, they had already given away the betrothal gifts, and retracting the marriage at this point, especially from their side, risked losing a substantial amount.
Thus, Hong Sanbao’s parents chose to remain silent on the matter, treating it as if nothing had happened, and waited for Jiang Xiaoxing to marry into their family, knowing that it would be too late for any regrets.
When the Jiang family approached them, Hong Sanbao’s parents, realizing their fault, agreed to return the betrothal letter, effectively calling off the marriage, as suggested by Jiang Youfu and the others.
With this, the matter came to a temporary conclusion.
Of course, the sudden cessation of the wedding preparations for Jiang Xiaoxing would undoubtedly raise questions and curiosity among those aware of the impending marriage.
Jiang Youfu and Yang Shi’s response was that Hong Sanbao had developed a gambling addiction, causing their family to lose everything and accumulate a mountain of debt. They couldn’t bear to push their daughter into such a dire situation, so they decided to call off the marriage.
They refrained from further elaboration.
The people in Jiang’s village naturally understood and even felt united in condemnation, cursing the Hong family for their despicable behavior.
The younger generation in the village, well aware of the nature of the girls from the Jiang family, knew that these girls were highly sought after in terms of marriage proposals. Therefore, the decision to call off the marriage must have been due to some unforgivable actions committed by the other party, forcing the elders to sever ties, even at the cost of their reputation.
In any case, it was definitely the fault of the other party. Joining in the condemnation of the Hong family was the only natural response.
Seeing that there were no rumors or gossip circulating in the village but rather a unified condemnation of the Hong family, Jiang Youfu and Yang Shi breathed a sigh of relief, but they also felt concerned for Jiang Xiaoxing.
With winter passing and spring emerging, Jiang Xiaoxing had turned seventeen. She was reaching an age where discussing another marriage proposal might become complicated.
Moreover, having called off the engagement with the Hong family…
However, what worried Jiang Youfu and his wife the most was Jiang Xiaoxing’s current state. Since calling off the engagement with the Hong family, she behaved as if nothing had happened—eating, drinking, and working as usual, as if the matter had nothing to do with her.
If Jiang Xiaoxing had been visibly upset for a couple of days, it would have been less concerning for Jiang Youfu and his wife. But her silent composure made them extremely worried, fearing that she might be struggling inwardly because of the situation.
Jiang Xiaotao and Jiang Xiaoli had each visited Jiang Xiaoxing to console her, claiming that she didn’t seem troubled, which eased the concerns of Jiang Youfu and Yang Shi. However, the elderly couple still couldn’t shake off their worries and sought out Jiang Mixia, hoping she could persuade Jiang Xiaoxing.
Jiang Mixia and Jiang Xiaoxing were of the same age and had grown up together. Despite Jiang Mixia’s past absentmindedness, the two had always been very close. Now, with Jiang Mixia’s increased competence, Jiang Xiaoxing admired her even more.
Jiang Youfu and Yang Shi believed that if Jiang Mixia could offer some comforting words, it would make a difference.
When tasked with this responsibility, Jiang Mixia, after some thought, called on Jiang Xiaoxing to help at home. She explained that Liu Shi’s arm had been hurting severely these past few days, and after consulting a doctor and applying medication, she needed to rest for several days, requiring Jiang Xiaoxing’s assistance with cooking.
Jiang Xiaoxing gladly went to help. While assisting with the cooking, she found it amusing to watch Jiang Mixia making clay figurines and decided to give it a try herself.
However, due to her limited skills, she couldn’t replicate the clay figurines or the clay dishes and bowls made by Jiang Chunyu. Instead, she began crafting small round watermelons, tiny apricots, apples, and pears.
“No wonder you’re good in the kitchen. It seems your mind is always on food,” Jiang Mixia teased as she observed Jiang Xiaoxing’s creations.
“Seems like it,” Jiang Xiaoxing chuckled as she looked at her handiwork. “It’s all about food. Originally, I didn’t know what to make, so I just randomly started shaping things and ended up with these.”
“Perfect! Later, we can use the clay bowls that Chunyu makes to hold all these fruits. It will look great in a big bowl,” Jiang Mixia suggested.
“Sure,” Jiang Chunyu nodded. “I’ll have to make the bowl a bit larger, or it won’t hold everything.”
With that, Jiang Chunyu took the clay and began shaping it into a long strip, then coiled it to form a bowl shape, smoothing out the protrusions inside and out. In no time, a large clay bowl took shape, resembling the real thing.
“Not bad,” Jiang Xiaoxing nodded, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
“Hey, Fifth Sister,” Jiang Mixia nudged Jiang Xiaoxing with her elbow and asked softly, “Are you upset about something?”
“Huh?” Jiang Xiaoxing looked a bit puzzled. “Why would I be upset?”
“Is it about calling off the engagement…?” Jiang Mixia didn’t mince words and directly inquired, “Uncle and Aunt have been worried that you might be upset. They wanted me to ask you and offer some advice. You know me, I’m not great with words, so I thought I’d just ask you directly…”
Jiang Xiaoxing looked at Jiang Mixia’s earnest expression and remained silent for a while.