Chapter 3: The Heart of a Well-Behaved Family

A few light words shocked everyone present.

“No way… Lianhua has lost her virginity?!”

“That’s a matchmaker who’s seen many girls, she knows people best!”

“I noticed Lianhua’s face was flushed tonight, could it be… she was with someone just now…?!”

The whole room erupted in commotion, and the shock lingered in the air.

Amidst the rustling voices, only one person remained completely clear-headed. Her eyes were fixed on the money pouch, gathering strength as she charged toward the matchmaker. Four strong bearers of the sedan chair blocked her way, preventing Mrs. Shi from getting any closer.

“The silver! It’s my silver!”

Xiang He suddenly felt a headache coming on. She had never seen someone so greedy for money…

At this moment, still fixated on the silver, the old man of the Xiang family blushed in embarrassment. He slammed his hoe down again, shouting, “Enough! Are you trying to disgrace us?”

“It’s my silver, what disgrace!”

“Shut up!”

Mrs. Shi was still cursing, but the matchmaker and the others were already walking away, carrying the sedan chair. With her chest tight with anger, Mrs. Shi recalled the matchmaker’s words and became so furious that she gasped for breath. She turned and stomped toward Xiang Lianhua, raising her hand to slap her.

“You little slut! Is what that woman said true?!”

Xiang Lianhua, shocked, felt her legs weaken and she dropped to the ground, but her pride wouldn’t let her admit it. “No, it’s not true, Grandmother! They’re slandering me! It must have been Xiang He and the matchmaker plotting against me! She even exchanged glances with the matchmaker earlier! They’re slandering me!”

Mentioning Xiang He made Mrs. Shi’s fury burn even hotter. She snatched the hoe from her husband’s hand and stormed toward Xiang He. “What kind of scheme are you planning, you little wench?! You’ve made me lose twenty taels of silver just like that!”

Xiang He spread her hands, stood up, and began to move slowly toward the door with the three people behind her. “What scheme could I possibly be planning? Originally, I thought I could just exchange a bride and get the silver, but unfortunately, Second Sister is no longer pure. The matchmaker won’t even look at her. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“I didn’t!” Xiang Lianhua gripped Mrs. Yu’s wrist tightly, her eyes flashing with panic. She pointed at Xiang He, angry and embarrassed. “Mother! She’s slandering me!”

Xiang He smirked coldly, pushing Mrs. Su closer to the doorframe. “Do I need to slander you? Why don’t we have someone take a look at your body? Your wrist… oh right, those marks on your neck, they’re almost impossible to hide.”

Suddenly, all eyes fell on the mark on Xiang Lianhua’s neck. Her cheeks instantly turned bright red, and her neck followed suit, flushing with warmth. She hurriedly pulled her collar tighter, shaking her head forcefully. “I really didn’t! You’re just slandering me!”

Mrs. Yu was standing right next to her and could see clearly with just a turn of her head. At that moment, Xiang Lianhua was holding her collar, but her sleeve had slid down, revealing the suspicious red mark on her wrist.

Her eyes widened in shock, speechless at first, but quickly reacting, she grabbed Xiang Lianhua and pulled her behind her. “My Lianhua is completely innocent! Father, Mother, you mustn’t believe that vile girl’s words! Lianhua is so well-behaved, how could she do such a thing!”

Her grip on Xiang Lianhua’s hand was trembling, and Lianhua, hiding behind her, also couldn’t stop shaking.

The onlookers outside didn’t care to keep their distance and leaned in to get a better view. “The matchmaker’s words aren’t just random, if she were really innocent, why be afraid of someone looking at her?”

“Exactly,” Fourth Aunt adjusted her sleeves and stepped over the door threshold. “Fourth Aunt isn’t an outsider, I can vouch for your innocence.”

Seeing Fourth Aunt walking toward them, Xiang Lianhua’s heart nearly jumped to her throat.

The old man of the Xiang family understood the situation and had been holding back his anger.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Shi was seething with rage. Not only had she lost twenty taels of silver, but now she had no outlet for her frustration. She was blinded by anger and, finding an opening, rushed toward Xiang Lianhua, intending to grab her. The old man quickly snatched the hoe from her hand, slammed it down, and pulled her away. “Stop causing trouble!”

“What trouble am I causing!”

The old man glared at her with fiery eyes. The noise from outside continued, and Mrs. Shi struggled to hold back her frustration. She stormed to the bedside and sat down.

Clearing his throat, the old man waved his hand to Fourth Aunt. “Enough! This is our family’s matter. Lianhua has always been obedient and would never do something so immoral.”

Xiang Lianhua’s uncle stepped in front of her and her mother, his large frame fully shielding them. “It’s getting late, everyone should go home now. There’s nothing more to see here.”

Seeing how they were desperately defending Xiang Lianhua, the people outside were eager to rush in and find out the truth. Meanwhile, Xiang He and her group had already successfully crossed the threshold.

Taking advantage of the distraction as everyone focused on Xiang Lianhua, she pulled Xiang Yang closer. “Go to the kitchen and hide some food, especially the meat.”

Xiang Yang paused for a moment, but quickly understood, then ran toward the kitchen.

Xiang He instructed Xiang Yun to help Mrs. Su, knowing that the conflict would soon reach them, and they needed to be fully prepared.

Fourth Aunt, who was eager to get to the bottom of things, wouldn’t let up. She raised her hand and pointed at Xiang He. “He girl and that matchmaker saw everything clearly. If our Xiang family has a daughter like this, it’s an immoral act, and she should be thrown into the pig cage!”

As expected, everyone’s gaze shifted back to Xiang He. Mrs. Shi looked around the room, only to find that Xiang He and the others were already outside. Her anger, which had been building up, flared even more at that moment. Her face turned purple with rage as she grabbed the broom by the door and headed towards Xiang He.

Xiang He didn’t dodge. She simply waited for Mrs. Shi to approach, broom in hand, ready to strike.

Xiang He raised her hand and easily caught the broom’s handle. “Old woman, you’re so old—don’t be so violent, or you might hurt your back.”

As she spoke, she exerted force, trying to grab the broom away from her, but to her surprise, Mrs. Shi was surprisingly strong. They stood there in a standoff, with Mrs. Shi continuing, “You vile girl! You’ve made me lose twenty taels, and now you’re spreading rumors about my granddaughter! What exactly are you trying to do?!”

As she spoke, her yellowed teeth showed, and with her harsh words, her mouth gave off a foul air.

Xiang He scoffed repeatedly. Feeling the strength in her hands still holding firm, she suddenly loosened her grip. Mrs. Shi, not reacting quickly enough, was unexpectedly pulled backward, along with the broom, stumbling several steps.

No one came forward to help her. Xiang He brushed the dust off her hands, stepped aside to support Mrs. Su, and straightened her posture, coldly saying, “What am I trying to do? Indeed, our third family has decided… we are going to split off from you all.”

“What…?”

Mrs. Su, who was standing beside her, was stunned. Everyone else present was also taken aback. Only the old man of the Xiang family reacted first. Holding the hoe, his face red with anger, he shouted, “Say that again!”

Xiang He remained calm, just as before. “Split off. Didn’t you hear me?”

Mrs. Su, now snapping out of her shock, tightened her grip on Xiang He’s wrist, asking in a trembling voice, “He girl… do you want to discuss this with your father…?”

“No need, Father will definitely agree.”

At this moment, the father, who had not been seen since Xiang He’s return, was supported by Xiang Yang as he came out. His leg was heavily bandaged, and his arm was in a sling, indicating serious injuries.

He nodded several times with determination in his eyes, showing that he fully supported the decision to split the family.

Xiang He felt a sense of relief, her gaze drifting to the front door, where a faint, ethereal figure was floating. Only Xiang He could see it.

The figure, with the same appearance as Xiang He, smiled at her. Its lips moved as if saying—

“Thank you.”