Chapter 19 – Xia Yang Comes to Visit

“I, I’m getting married. Mom asked me to come tell you, and I also wanted to see how you’ve been doing,” Xia Yang scratched his head, sneaking a glance at Shen Nian as he said the last part.

Shen Nian raised an eyebrow. Ah, so he’s worried I’ll bully his sister!

“Big brother, you’re getting married? Is the date set?” Xia Tian was quite happy. “When’s the wedding?”

“It’s set for the 18th of April,” Xia Yang said, feeling a bit shy.

Xia Tian counted, “That’s only a few days away!”

“Yes,” Xia Yang responded.

“Has everything for the wedding been prepared at home?”

Xia Tian felt touched. Although this older brother of hers didn’t talk much, he did care for his younger siblings.

Usually, when the old lady in the house cut back on the food for the younger ones, Xia Yang would secretly give them the small bits of bread he’d saved.

“Yes, everything’s ready,” Xia Yang replied.

“Sister, will you be able to come that day?” Xia Yang asked, feeling a little nervous. He was afraid his sister might resent the family and not want to come.

“Of course, I’ll come. How could I not come to my own big brother’s wedding?” Xia Tian reassured him.

Xia Yang glanced at Shen Nian again, and Xia Tian immediately understood. “Don’t worry, big brother, Shen Nian treats me well. See, I’ve even gained some weight!”

Xia Tian stood up to show Xia Yang.

Xia Yang looked closely at Xia Tian. Indeed, she looked much better than the skinny, pale version back home, and her face had a bit more fullness now.

Xia Tian turned to Shen Nian and asked, “Shen Nian, will you be going too?”

Shen Nian shook his head. “You go ahead.”

He wasn’t comfortable going out just yet, for fear of attracting unwanted attention or trouble.

Xia Tian thought for a moment and agreed. Shen Nian’s health wasn’t good, and he was quiet anyway. He probably didn’t enjoy large crowds and would dislike the socializing.

Whenever Sister Yao came to chat with Xia Tian, she never came all the way into the house, preferring to talk in the yard. Xia Tian thought it was kind of funny back then.

She believed Shen Nian had a good temper and had never gotten angry with her, even if they barely spoke much. Perhaps it was because they had become more familiar, otherwise, she might have been nervous too.

Xia Tian explained to Xia Yang, “Big brother, Shen Nian’s health isn’t good, and he doesn’t go far. He just sits in the yard usually. He won’t be going that day, but I will.”

Xia Yang understood. He couldn’t ask too much of Shen Nian, after all, the whole family knew how they felt about marriages.

The three of them chatted for a while, and when it was noon, Xia Tian decided it was time to start cooking lunch. She told Xia Yang to stay and have lunch before leaving.

Xia Yang had intended to leave before lunch, but Xia Tian insisted he stay and eat. Seeing that her husband didn’t object, he stayed.

Xia Tian quickly prepared lunch, and the three of them ate while chatting.

The main conversation was Xia Tian asking questions, with Xia Yang answering, while Shen Nian listened quietly.

After they finished eating and the conversation about the family was more or less settled, Xia Tian began to “brainwash” Xia Yang.

“Big brother, once you’re married, you can’t just work all the time. You need to think more about your own little family.

You can’t rely on our parents, you need to stand on your own now.

You’re the pillar of the second branch, and you’ll need to support your younger sisters in the future.”

When Xia Yang nodded, Xia Tian continued.

“The second branch isn’t treated well by the grandparents, and why is that? Isn’t it because we’re too easy to bully? They say a crying child gets milk, but look at Uncle and Third Uncle, and even Xia Shan and the others—they’re all grown, but the moment they hit the fields, they start scheming and cutting corners.”

“Now, I’m not saying you should be dishonest, but you don’t need to be so honest,” Xia Tian added.

“I’ll just work a little more,” Xia Yang said earnestly.

Xia Tian felt like she was going to be driven crazy. Was it really about working more or less?

Seeing Xia Yang’s wooden expression, she realized he probably didn’t understand, so she patiently explained again.

“Brother, it’s not about working more or less. What I’m saying is, don’t just work hard, think about your own family’s future too.”

Xia Yang, seeing how frustrated Xia Tian was, awkwardly scratched his head. He had never thought about it this way. It had always been just family, and he had grown up with the belief that this was the way things were done.

Although he sometimes felt that his grandparents were a bit biased, he had never considered challenging them.

Xia Tian looked at her brother’s innocent eyes and sighed helplessly. She knew that it wouldn’t be easy to change his mindset quickly, but she had to plant the seed, at least. Hopefully, he would stop being so blindly filial.

“And also, now that you’ve brought a wife into the family, as long as she doesn’t act unreasonable, you need to stand by her side and protect her. Don’t let anyone bully her, even if it’s our grandparents or parents.

Women already have a hard life. Getting married is like a heavy rebirth, and you need to let her know that you are her support.”

Xia Yang was silent. He’d never heard such things before. Growing up, his mother and sisters had been mistreated, but his father had never defended them.

He had always thought all women had to live like that, never considering how hard it actually was for them.

But as Xia Tian said, hardship and hardship weren’t the same, and he could at least try to make life easier for his wife and daughter.

Xia Tian noticed that Xia Yang seemed to be deep in thought, so she continued.

“Big brother, in the off-season, you often go hunting, right? When you make money from hunting, make sure to save a little for yourself, don’t hand it all over.”

“What if one day your wife or children need money in a hurry? Can you take it out?”

“Or do you expect Grandma to give you money?”

“You need to understand, the only person who will stay with you for life is your wife. She’s the one you should care about.”

“I’ll remember, don’t worry, four sisters,” Xia Yang quickly promised.

Xia Tian, having laid all of this out for him, let out a long breath.

Xia Yang was stunned, never having been told to do this before.

Xia Tian made sure to emphasize once more, waiting for him to nod in agreement before letting the subject go.

Shen Nian, who had been quietly listening from the side, was also thinking. He had never heard such things about a wife before.

Upon reflection, it made a lot of sense!

While Xia Tian had been focused on “brainwashing” Xia Yang, she hadn’t noticed that Shen Nian had been listening with interest.

After most of the conversation had been absorbed by Xia Yang, Xia Tian took a sip of water and asked, “Big brother, have you and Dad considered splitting the family?”

Xia Yang was still processing everything she had just said and hadn’t quite recovered yet.