Volume 1, Chapter 6 – I Am Your Daughter-in-Law (Part 1)

Chapter 6 – I Am Your Daughter-in-Law (Part 1)

As the instigator, Qu Zhen’s face didn’t show the gloating smile of someone who had succeeded in her scheme. Instead, she looked caught off guard—because she realized just how tall this “vixen” was when standing up. The woman towered over her by at least a head and a half. A woman of such height was rare not just in Ping’an County, but likely the entire Huangtian Prefecture.

Qu Zhen’s pride took a heavy blow, but she refused to accept defeat. There had to be another way to humiliate her.

“Oh my, miss, your scarf is so pretty! Where did you buy it?”

She forced a smile, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. In her eyes, the way this “vixen” was desperately covering her neck could only mean she was hiding some flaw—perhaps a skin disease.

At her words, the entire courtyard turned their attention toward them.

Huang Qi’s mind was still blank with shock, unable to process anything beyond the absence of his Adam’s apple. He kept running his fingers over his neck, searching in vain for what was no longer there.

“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you? Let me see!”

Qu Zhen, unsatisfied, seized the opportunity to forcibly pry Huang Qi’s hands away.

Still dazed, Huang Qi offered no resistance. His hands were easily pulled aside.

The onlookers stared.

His neck was flawless—smooth, jade-like, without a single blemish. Not only was there no skin disease, but there wasn’t even a visible pore. The delicate skin made even his fine clothing seem dull in comparison. It was, without exaggeration, a swan’s neck.

Qu Zhen had never expected this. The contrast was so stark it made her look like an underdeveloped monkey.

Her face darkened. She threw the scarf back at Huang Qi and stormed off without another word.

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“Is this woman insane?”

Huang Qi was baffled, but he had no time to dwell on her antics. He hastily sat back down and frantically examined his reflection in the basin of water in front of him.

The water was still and clear, mirroring his neck perfectly.

“No Adam’s apple… It’s really gone!”

Disbelieving, he touched his neck again. Not only was it smooth, but the skin had also become as soft as fine silk—exactly like the texture of the Human Skin Mask on his face.

“Dammit, the mask must have spread.”

Realization struck. He tugged his collar slightly and confirmed his suspicion—the mask had extended down to his collarbone. The skin above was milky-white, while below remained rough and oily. The difference was like night and day.

Huang Qi never imagined that in just half a day, the mask would have completely covered his neck. He’d been too preoccupied with his journey to notice.

“My earlier guess was right. If left unchecked, this mask will eventually consume my entire body. Worse, it seems to have side effects—like erasing my Adam’s apple.”

Fear of the unknown made his heart pound wildly, yet there was nothing he could do about it.

“Whatever. At least I don’t feel any discomfort. If the Adam’s apple is gone, it’s gone. At least playing the role of my ‘fiancée’ will be easier now.”

After a long silence, Huang Qi resigned himself to the situation.

With no need to hide his neck anymore, he discarded the stifling scarf, feeling instantly more at ease.

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The atmosphere remained relatively peaceful, but Huang Qi couldn’t shake his irritation. His two cousins had been lounging in the courtyard all afternoon, flirting with their girlfriends instead of helping. Meanwhile, his parents—elders who should have been resting—were sweating from labor.

“Grandfather is your grandfather too. Even outsiders are putting on a show of helping, but you two can’t even pretend? Fine, those ‘sisters-in-law’ of yours aren’t married in yet, but what gives you the right to sit around like emperors? Just because you found girlfriends? Since when does that make you superior?”

He gritted his teeth. Mocking him for being single was one thing, but neglecting their grandfather’s birthday proved they were unfilial brats.

Huang Qi despised unfilial people. He ached to walk over and kick them both, but in his current disguise, he had no justification to do so.

As the sun began to set, Huang Qi’s grandfather—the birthday celebrant, Huang Xinghu—emerged from his room, leaning on a cane. He stopped every person he passed to ask:

“Has my eldest grandson, Huang Qi, returned yet? I heard he found a partner. I wonder if it’s true.”

Receiving only vague answers, the old man trudged to the gate and gazed down the mountain path, eyes filled with hope.

Huang Qi’s heart swelled. His grandfather had been waiting for him all along.

“Father, go back inside. It seems he isn’t coming. Aren’t your other two grandsons here?”

Huang Qi’s second uncle, Huang Kaiyou, spoke with poorly concealed jealousy.

Huang Xinghu ignored him, choosing instead to sit patiently by the gate. His favoritism had reason—after his wife’s death, his two sons were supposed to take turns caring for him. But the younger son’s family had driven him out with endless excuses. If not for his eldest son’s kindness, he would have been left to fend for himself.

Huang Qi felt a vindictive satisfaction. “Serves you right for being an unfilial family from top to bottom.”

Meanwhile, Li Fen’s suspicions grew. Dinner was approaching, yet this mysterious girl still hadn’t presented her gift. Her luggage sat untouched in the main hall, foiling Li Fen’s plan to peek at its contents.

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“Did she forget?”

Li Fen could only assume so. But as the host, she couldn’t outright remind a guest about gifts. She could only fret in silence.

Just as dinner was about to be served, Huang Qi’s patience ran out. Some people didn’t know when to stop—and their audacity gave him the final push he needed.

“Auntie, didn’t you say Big Brother was coming back? And that he found a wife? Where are they? I was so looking forward to meeting her!”

Huang Bo suddenly targeted Huang Qi’s mother. For him, having a girlfriend was a crowning achievement. If he didn’t flaunt it and belittle others, he felt like ants were crawling under his skin.

“They’ll be here soon! Any moment now!”

Li Fen forced an awkward smile.

“The sun’s about to set. Forget a ‘sister-in-law’—we haven’t even seen him. Could it be he can’t even be bothered to return for Grandfather’s seventieth birthday?”

Huang Bo’s tone was dripping with sarcasm.

“Auntie, you are lying, aren’t you? There’s no need for that. Coddling Big Brother will only harm him. If he can’t find a wife, he needs to face it—otherwise, your lineage will end with him.”

Huang Long joined in the mockery.

“That’s right. The Western Radiance Dynasty mandates that unmarried men over thirty must enlist. With our country at war, who knows if he’ll return alive from the battlefield? Then your branch really will die out.”

Huang Bo “kindly” reminded her.

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“We were even planning to introduce him to someone after he returned. Sure, she’s a widow with two kids, but she’s more than a match for him.”

Xie Mei pretended to offer helpful advice.

“Exactly. Raising another man’s children is better than dying in battle, no?”

Qu Zhen added with a sneer.

Li Fen’s smile froze, but she couldn’t retort.

“You should’ve done this sooner! Both of his cousins have partners, yet he’s still single at his age. How embarrassing!”

“Maybe that’s why he didn’t dare come back!”

“If I were him, I’d hide in shame too.”

Encouraged by the cousins’ lead, the villagers joined in the ridicule. Those already married and with children were the loudest, basking in their superiority.

“Why are some people so deliberately asking for a slap in the face?”

Huang Qi smirked in disdain. He had wanted to stay low-key, but circumstances left him no choice.

Slowly, he rose to his feet.