Chapter 58

As he spoke, Xie Tingyu scooped her up and helped her upstairs.

Only when a click came from above, the door shutting behind them, did Xie Dongmei snap out of it.

She looked at the steaming food on the table, then glanced upstairs, her eyes widening in disbelief. “Brother, he…”

Xu Maofang’s gaze flickered slightly. “Wash your hands and get ready to eat. Your father should be back soon.”

Upstairs, Xie Tingyu gently laid Ye Qingshui on the soft bed.

Ye Qingshui touched her own face, unsure what expression she was making. She felt that something about Xie Tingyu had changed. It wasn’t until she was laid on the bed that she snapped out of it.

A cooling sensation gradually spread from her ankle as the medicated patch relieved the burning pain.

Xie Tingyu knelt on the floor, carefully tending to her foot.

His cool voice fell softly beside her ear. “Does it hurt?”

“You’re quite fierce with me, but you don’t lose your temper with others.”

The white incandescent light illuminated his face. Unlike the dim kerosene lamps of the countryside, the bright lighting highlighted the sharp, handsome features of the man. His increasingly well-toned muscles radiated a masculine allure.

And now, without hesitation, he held her foot in his arms. Her bare foot rested on his chest, and through the soft fabric, she could faintly feel the firm muscles beneath.

Ye Qingshui abruptly pulled her foot back and tried to apply the patch herself. “No, no need to trouble you.”

Xie Tingyu snatched the patch back. “Why so polite?”

He actually enjoyed applying medicine for her. Her feet were small, round, and soft, pinkish white, and felt nice to the touch. He held her foot in his hand, his gaze growing darker.

A ticklish feeling spread from her foot as his calloused fingertips lightly brushed her skin. Ye Qingshui’s face turned red and pale in turns. Embarrassed, she muttered, “Why did you do that?”

Xie Tingyu glanced at her and said seriously, “I brought you home for New Year’s, not to let you be wronged.”

Her heart skipped a beat at those words.

In her past life, what was it like when she first came to the Xie family? Did Xie Tingyu ever stand up for her? Ye Qingshui had thought for a long time that he hadn’t. But now, looking into his sincere and gentle eyes, she suddenly wasn’t so sure.

She could never guess what Xie Tingyu was thinking.

Lowering his head while she was dazed, he suddenly kissed her.

The warm kiss landed on the corner of her lips. Her skin was as tender as a peach—just a light press and it seemed juice would spill, sweet and irresistible.

After the kiss, Xie Tingyu swiftly bolted from the room. His voice came clearly through the gap in the door: “Come down and eat. My grandparents are here too. Time to meet the ‘ugly daughter-in-law.’”

Then he let out a low chuckle, faintly teasing and flirtatious. “Every ugly daughter-in-law has to meet the in-laws sooner or later.”

“Shuiya, make sure to behave yourself.”

Ye Qingshui heard him and sat holding her knees for a while before finally putting on her shoes and heading downstairs.

Xie Tingyu’s grandparents were already retired, enjoying a peaceful and leisurely life. In her past life, Ye Qingshui had only met them a few times and always felt they were hard to deal with.

Especially Grandpa Xie, the patriarch of the family—he was a stern, serious man, always wearing a cold, expressionless face that made him hard to approach.

Grandma Xie, Yan Chun, was much kinder, but it was a polite, distant kind of kindness. Her attitude toward a granddaughter-in-law was lukewarm, as if she was just there to observe.

Ye Qingshui took a deep breath and walked down.

She silently went to the kitchen to fetch bowls and utensils to serve everyone. But just as she passed the table, Xie Tingyu pressed her down.

“You sit. I’ll do it.”

As Xie Tingyu was laying out the bowls and serving rice, the door to the Xie house opened, and in came quite a crowd. One by one, black-haired heads peeked inside. The sight made Ye Qingshui feel a wave of pressure.

“Come in and eat. Tingyu brought his wife home today,” Xu Maofang said with a smile.

Xie Jun helped the elderly inside. His colleagues took off their hats and entered as well, one of them joking, “The food smells amazing. We’re lucky tonight.”

Two younger men followed in.

One of them was Shen Weimin, whom Ye Qingshui recognized. The other was a sturdy, square-faced man. Both of their gazes immediately landed on her.

They looked her up and down before withdrawing their gazes.

Their initial curiosity, anticipation, and concern were now replaced with clarity: so this was the new wife Xie Tingyu had brought home.

The new bride wore a V-neck sweater—slightly old—and a collared white shirt underneath. Black pants on the bottom, two neatly braided pigtails, and thick, shiny black hair. Her bright eyes reflected the incandescent light like a clear spring, and her red lips and white teeth made her look full of spirit. Though she wore no makeup or adornment, she looked pure—like water.

Her outfit was a bit outdated, not as fashionable as girls from the capital, but this kind of simple, clean girl was likely to win the elders’ favor.

The square-faced man was named Xu Wei. Shen Weimin had written to him before about the wife Xie Tingyu had married in the countryside.

Seeing her now in person, he froze for a moment, stunned.

He nudged Shen Weimin with his elbow and asked in disbelief, “ Ugly girl?”

Xu Wei raised an eyebrow, feeling tricked.

If this was considered ugly, then there weren’t many beautiful girls left in the world.

Xu Wei nudged him again and glanced sideways, only to find Shen Weimin completely frozen.

Expressionless, but Xu Wei, who knew him well, could tell he was dumbfounded—his eyes fixed on the new bride, wide and stunned. Only when Xu Wei let out a heavy cough did Shen Weimin snap out of it.

Beside the men stood a girl with skin so fair it seemed to glow. Her face was smooth and supple, with no redness or chapping. Her hair was black and shiny, her moist eyes sparkled in the light like stars. Shen Weimin hadn’t been to the Xie house in a long time and hadn’t seen Ye Qingshui again. Now that they suddenly met, it was like a thunderclap in his heart, like being thrown into a battlefield, ears ringing.

Shen Weimin quickly averted his gaze.

Grandpa and Grandma Xie sat down, followed by the younger guests.

Then Xie Tingyu brought out dishes kept warm in the steamer: radish steamed with sausage, squirrel mandarin fish, a vegetable-egg soup, and stir-fried greens. Though there weren’t many dishes, the three dishes and one soup looked exquisite.

The snow-white radish slices were paper-thin, paired with diagonally sliced red-and-white sausage. The rich aroma of the sausage filled the room. The squirrel fish was coated in a shiny glaze of orange-yellow sauce that gave off a warm glow, making mouths water.

This… didn’t seem like food made by the housekeeper.

Nor by Xu Maofang either.

Xie Tingyu smiled. “Grandpa, Grandma, please eat.”

Grandpa Xie, Xie Min, scooped a bowl of soup and took a sip. His bronze face visibly relaxed.

Grandma Xie, Yan Chun, observed her granddaughter-in-law carefully, then quietly picked up a piece of sausage to eat. The red-and-white sausage glistened with oil and looked incredibly appetizing.

The sausage burst with flavor in her mouth—rich and sweet, with a hint of pinewood aroma. Every fiber of meat seemed packed with taste, making it irresistible.

Everyone ate quietly for Xie Tingyu’s first meal home. But the atmosphere wasn’t tense—just quiet.

Because… everyone was too busy eating.

The plate of sausage was gone quickly, the fish reduced to bones.

The rather generous meal was gone in under fifteen minutes. If Ye Qingshui hadn’t known how large a portion she made, she might’ve doubted herself.

In her past life, this dinner ended quickly too. Xu Maofang hadn’t told her there would be so many guests. Her modest meal had been a laughingstock.

This time, Ye Qingshui hesitated. “Did I not make enough?”

Grandma Yan Chun pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and said calmly, “It’s enough.”

Everyone was satisfied. After the meal, Xie Jun silently saw his comrades out the door.

Grandma Yan Chun pulled a jade piece from her pocket and handed it to Ye Qingshui. “This is for you.”

Ye Qingshui hesitated to take it, but the moment it landed in her palm, she saw Xie Dongmei’s stunned expression—

—and Xu Maofang’s twisted, discolored face.

Ye Qingshui felt oddly satisfied and accepted it.

Only then did Grandma Yan Chun’s polite gaze soften. “This is a gift from Grandma.”

She didn’t say much else, just sighed and added, “Tomorrow, have Tingyu take you to get some things for New Year. I heard you two didn’t buy anything for the wedding.”

Then she handed over a red envelope.

“This was meant for your elders, but since they didn’t come, you take it.”

The old woman said blandly, “Use it to buy yourself some decent jewelry. Looking so plain makes the elders uncomfortable.”

After that, her face turned solemn. She glanced at her grandson. “The sausage was really good. Got any more?”

Xie Tingyu chuckled, understanding, and packed some dried sausage in a woven bag for her.

“I figured you’d like it, Grandma. But sausage is heavy in oil and salt. Just eat it occasionally—you shouldn’t have too much.”

“Dinner’s over, we old folks won’t nag you anymore.”

Grandma Yan Chun shot a look at her grandson and left with Grandpa.

The room, once full, quickly emptied out.

Ye Qingshui looked at the messy table, then touched the warm jade in her palm, feeling conflicted. This wasn’t quite like her past life.

It was… over just like that?

She had thought tonight would be a mess, something hard to endure.

She exhaled and began tidying up the table.

Xie Tingyu helped, stacking dishes and bringing them to the sink.

This simple act stunned everyone.

Was this really Xie Tingyu?

One trip to the countryside, and he seemed to shed all his arrogance—now willing to set aside pride and quietly support a girl.

Xu Wei watched this unexpected scene with interest. It even felt a little heartwarming—men and women working together made the task easier.

Shen Weimin looked at Ye Qingshui, and in his mind appeared Liu Yiliang’s flushed face as he stammered out explanations, and the annoying words of the male educated youths from the commune.

He wiped his face.

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