She led the whole village to prosperity by raising koi fish.

Chapter 49 Late-Life Wedding

A new week began, the sun shone brightly, and the weather was fine. Xinghua Village held its first-ever wedding for senior citizens, and the village chief, team leader, and villagers all came to celebrate!

The village chief set up a table in front of the village, prepared some wedding candies and melon seeds on a plate, and also a gift list.

After that, he would write down the name of each guest who came and put the monetary gift in the basin.

With a clattering sound, the number of copper coins in the small basin clearly increased.

At this moment, the woman and the village chief's wife are helping Sun Lan, the bride, with her makeup and hair done.

Sun Lan replied embarrassedly, "I'm already so old, is it appropriate for me to dress up like this? Won't the old folks in the village laugh at me?"

The woman retorted, "Today you're the bride, of course you should dress up beautifully! What's wrong with that? On this joyous occasion, everyone's thinking about the wedding wine and candy, who would dare to gossip?"

The village chief's wife chimed in agreement, "That's right, no one will say anything. Don't worry! The village chief and I will both be attending the wedding; we'll take care of things for you and Lao Zhou!"

"Thank goodness you're all here, otherwise I would have been really scared," Sun Lan replied with a smile.

When the auspicious hour arrived, the young people in the village set off firecrackers at the village entrance, making a loud crackling sound. The atmosphere in the village became lively.

"Today is an auspicious day. Mr. Zhou Fuxing and Ms. Sun Lan will officially become husband and wife on the morning of the tenth day of the tenth lunar month. Welcome all guests to the wedding. The wedding ceremony will now begin!" the village chief announced with a smile.

"Great!" The villagers burst into enthusiastic applause!

Then, Old Zhou made a dazzling entrance with his heavily made-up wife. "Hello everyone! This is my wife! Don't you think she's beautiful?"

"Beautiful!" everyone responded in unison.

Sun Lan lowered her head shyly, "Thank you for the compliment."

"Both elders said there's no need for the wedding ceremony, since they're both getting on in years. But a wedding should be lively, so I suggested that the bride and groom perform for everyone. What do you all think?" the village chief asked with a smile.

Everyone applauded and cheered!

Old Zhou stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. But his wife was quick-witted and immediately started singing an opera. It was a well-known opera, "The Couple Returns Home Together," which Old Zhou happened to know. So the two of them sang and sang in harmony to complete the performance.

"Alright, everyone find a place to sit down, get ready for the feast!" the village chief announced with a smile. The villagers nodded in agreement and then found their seats. Afterward, the chef arranged for his men to bring out the dishes: sweet and sour fish, braised prawns, braised pork knuckle, four-happiness meatballs, roast chicken, cold preserved eggs, beef and mutton, etc., all of which were hearty dishes.

Although the villagers were very poor, they were still quite particular about how they did things. Old Zhou and his wife went from table to table toasting the villagers, who returned the toasts and gave them money, ranging from ten to twenty coins.

"I'm so sorry, my family's situation is just average, and I can't afford to give you too much money as a gift. I'll give you six copper coins as a token of my best wishes for your happiness and a long and happy life together!" Stone said with an embarrassed expression.

Old Zhou accepted the gift money and replied with a smile, "It's alright, it's good that you came! It's the thought that counts! Eat and drink well, and have a happy feast!"

"Yes, definitely!" Stone nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, the village chief and his wife returned the wine and presented their gifts: a bag of broken silver and a pair of jade pendants symbolizing their love.

The village chief deliberately asked Zhou Xi and Zhou Dong, "Children, do you like Aunt Lan? Would you like her to be your stepmother?"

Zhou Xi readily nodded in response, "Of course! She's gentle and hardworking, I like her very much! And she takes such good care of Father, I'm truly grateful to her!"

“I used to call her Aunt Lan, but I’ll have to change that from now on. She’s like a mother to me!” Zhou Dong replied with a smile.

"Oh my, this child has such a sweet tongue!" the village chief's wife teased with a smile. "Since today is your father and Aunt Lan's big day, do you dare to call her 'Mother' in public?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Zhou Dong curled his lip, then walked up to Sun Lan, mustered his courage, and shouted.

"Mother!"

"Oh! Good child!" Sun Lan responded with emotion, then pulled Zhou Xi over as well, wanting her to call her "Mom" as well, but she was too embarrassed to say so, and could only smile awkwardly.

At this moment, Zhou Xi also shouted loudly, "Mother!"

"Oh! My good girl!" Sun Lan's eyes welled up with tears of excitement. Zhou Xi quickly offered her a toast and said a few auspicious words, which made Sun Lan smile from ear to ear.

On their way back, Su Yuning and her older brother and sister-in-law passed by Golden Beach again. This time, they happened to arrive at high tide, so they patiently waited for the tide to recede before heading out to beachcomb with smiles on their faces.

"The ebb and flow of the tide is truly amazing, and there's so much seafood!" the woman exclaimed.

"Yes, low tide is the best time for beachcombing. Let's split up and try to get more!"

"Okay!" The older sister-in-law readily agreed, then picked up the crabs with her small bucket.

My older brother went to Stone Island. Although the terrain is rugged, there are lots of oysters and scallops there. You can even catch crabs inside by lifting up the big rocks. It's really fun!

Su Yuning prepared some salt water. She sprinkled the salt water on the beach while catching razor clams. In no time, she had caught half a bucketful.

At this moment, her sister-in-law caught up and asked curiously, "Little sister, what kind of sea creature is this? It looks quite unique. Can we eat it?"

Su Yuning smiled slightly, then explained to her sister-in-law, "These are razor clams. They can be braised, steamed, or made into spicy razor clams. Razor clams are very nutritious; eating them can replenish energy and also beautify the skin!"

"Really? Then I want to try some!" The sister-in-law's eyes lit up, and she joined Su Yuning in catching razor clams.

Meanwhile, the two of them found fresh, high-quality ingredients such as conch, shells, crabs, and shrimp.

As the sun was about to set, Su Yuning shouted loudly into the distance.

"Brother! We should go back! It's getting late!"

The eldest son of the Su family seemed not to hear, not only not turning around, but also continuing to busy himself catching crabs. Beachcombing is just an ordinary thing for fishermen, but for the villagers in the mountains, it's a very interesting activity, and the eldest son of the Su family was having a great time!

Seeing that the eldest son of the Su family was unwilling to return, the two girls had no choice but to sit in the carriage and wait for him.

However, after a while, the tide came in, and the eldest son of the Su family was too focused on beachcombing to notice the unusual situation. When the seawater reached his waist, he realized that he was trapped in the sea!

"Help!" His instinctive reaction was to shout for help, but then he thought, how could two frail women save him? So he swam with all his might to escape his predicament.

Back on shore, the eldest son of the Su family was soaked to the bone. He was trembling with nervousness. The two girls rushed to his side. One girl used a blanket to wipe the water off him, while the other brought him a set of clean clothes.

After the eldest son of the Su family changed his clothes and got into the carriage, his first words were,

"I'm never coming back!"

"But, Big Brother seems to really enjoy beachcombing, so why isn't he coming anymore?" Su Yuning said this deliberately, which angered the eldest son of the Su family.

"This is a one-time exception, and there will be no next time! Humph!"

At this moment, the eldest sister-in-law gave Su Yuning a look, and Su Yuning quickly apologized.

"Okay, I was wrong. I shouldn't have joked with you. I'm sorry, big brother!"

The eldest son of the Su family nodded in satisfaction, "That's more like it. Let's continue on our way!"

"Okay!"

Then, the eldest son of the Su family drove the carriage, and the two girls sat inside, continuing their journey home.

In Xinghua Village, Lao Zhou and Sun Lan got married. Sun Lan took care of the housework, while Lao Zhou took his son out to work and earn money. As for Zhou Xi and Yang Yuxuan, they originally wanted to go hunting in the mountains together, but the village chief persuaded them to give up.

Afterwards, Zhou Xi went to Sun Lan to say goodbye, "Mom, Yang Yuxuan and I are feeling quite bored in our hometown, and we want to go back to Yangjiaping."

Sun Lan replied reluctantly, "Won't I be even more bored at home alone after you leave? Why don't you stay a few more days?"

However, Zhou Xi didn't want to stay at home for a moment longer. Seeing her thoughts, Yang Yuxuan suggested...

“Mother-in-law, why don’t you come with us to Yangjiaping for a while? The scenery there is beautiful, and the market is very lively. My mother is free anyway, so you can go out for a stroll together!”

Zhou Xi had expected her stepmother to refuse, but to her surprise, she nodded in agreement.

"That's great! Having my sisters with me makes me happy just thinking about it! I'll go back with you all!"

“Okay, let’s set off tonight and arrive at our destination around tomorrow!” Yang Yuxuan nodded in agreement.

And just like that, the next day had arrived in the blink of an eye. Zhou Xi and her elder brother and sister-in-law went home, while Zhou Xi, Yang Yuxuan, and her stepmother went to Yangjiaping.

When the woman told Su Yuning that Old Zhou, the hunter in the village, had gotten married and that the bride was a beautiful woman, Su Yuning clamored to see the bride. However, the woman told her...

"Unfortunately, they went to Yangjiaping last night. We'll have to wait at least ten days to two weeks to see them."

"Alright then, see you again sometime," Su Yuning replied with a helpless expression.

In the city, Nangong Xue'er realized that distance does not create beauty, but rather something else entirely.

Just then, Nangong Xue'er returned home and found that the same female employee had come back and was openly eating at the same table as Zhao Shouyi.

Nangong Xue'er was so angry she had a headache. With a serious expression, she questioned, "Zhao Shouyi, what's your relationship with this woman? Why is she eating with you?"

Zhao Shouyi was only focused on drinking and eating, completely ignoring her.

The woman gave Nangong Xue'er a smug smile, then continued drinking and chatting with Zhao Shouyi.

Nangong Xue'er's first thought was to ask the Empress for help, but she was worried that the Empress would say she was too jealous, so she had to find another way to solve the problem.

Nangong Xue'er went alone outside the palace, deliberately fell to the ground, and then notified the guards to summon the Empress. The guards, unaware of the reason, immediately went to find her. When the Empress returned…

Nangong Xue'er responded with a wronged tone, "Mother, there's something I'm not sure if I should say. I tripped and fell because I was in a hurry."

The Empress responded with concern, "You, you, how could you be so careless? Is it serious?"

Nangong Xue'er shook her head, "It's alright, it's nothing serious. But..."

The Empress was getting a little anxious, so she quickly replied, "Just say what you have to say, don't hesitate, speak up."

Nangong Xue'er told the Empress everything she had seen and heard. This time, the Empress did not blame her, but listened carefully to her opinion and then hurriedly led her people to the restaurant.

When the shop's young maid saw the Empress arrive, she was so frightened that she knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a single word. Zhao Shouyi, on the other hand, responded with an indifferent expression.

"Mother, Nangong Xue'er and I have been living a long-distance relationship for a long time, and we've gotten used to it. Now I have a new love, and my life is much more colorful. From now on, let Nangong Xue'er stay in the palace, and it would be best if she never came back!"

This enraged the Empress. She grabbed a feather duster and beat Zhao Shouyi mercilessly, then proceeded to severely beat the shop's female employee.

"Shameless! What were you thinking? You dare to provoke a prince? You're incredibly audacious!"

The female shop assistant responded tearfully, "I'm sorry, I was wrong. It was Young Master Zhao who took the initiative to be with me."

"How dare you talk back? Guards! Take her to the authorities and punish her properly!" the Empress said sternly.

The others looked at Zhao Shouyi, then at the Empress, somewhat caught in a dilemma. "What, are you not listening to me anymore?"

"Yes, sir!" The men immediately took the female shop assistant away.

At this point, Zhao Shouyi became unhappy and openly argued with the Empress.

"Mother, what did this girl do wrong? What right do you have to punish her?"

The Empress replied slowly, "Her biggest mistake was being with you."

"What do you mean by that?" Zhao Shouyi asked angrily.

The Empress smiled gently, "Since you've decided to marry Nangong Xue'er, you should stay with her faithfully instead of being fickle."

"Is being law-abiding a man's job? Don't you think that's ridiculous?" Zhao Shouyi said, both amused and exasperated. "Which man doesn't have multiple wives and concubines? Why should I be expected to live with a pampered young lady?"

"I don't care what others do, but you are my son, and a prince at that. You must behave yourself properly, or don't blame me for being ruthless!" the Empress replied sternly.

"Heartless? What can you do? Tell me!" Zhao Shouyi deliberately said this, which made the Empress even angrier. She raised her hand and slapped him.

"You bastard! You've really disappointed me!"

Then, the Empress turned and left with her entourage, leaving Zhao Shouyi standing there, weeping sadly.

At this moment, the old servant who had been by Zhao Shouyi's side came over to comfort him.

"Sixth Prince, don't be angry. The Empress has high expectations for you. She hopes you can assist the Emperor and have a bright future. Besides, Miss Nangong is carrying your child. If you upset her and cause her any harm, it won't be good for anyone."

"Then what do you think I should do?" Zhao Shouyi asked, looking confused.

At this moment, the old servant whispered something in Zhao Shouyi's ear, and Zhao Shouyi thought it made sense and quickly nodded in agreement.