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

Chapter 48 Reunion and Joy

The most wonderful thing is for the whole family to be together. The day after Zhou Xi returned to the village, his father and younger brother also came home. His father also brought back a middle-aged woman and asked the two children to call her Aunt Lan.

Afterwards, Zhou Xi started the fire, and Aunt Lan washed the vegetables and cooked. Although the two knew they would become a family in the future, they were not very familiar with each other yet, so they remained silent.

Just then, Yang Yuxuan returned. He brought the gift to Lao Zhou and then ran to the kitchen to help.

"Auntie, Zhou Xi, how can I help?"

"No need for your help, go wait for dinner!" Zhou Xi and Aunt Lan responded in unison, then looked at each other and smiled. Yang Yuxuan had no choice but to go back inside to chat with his father-in-law and brother-in-law.

"Aunt Lan, how did you and my father meet?" Zhou Xi asked curiously.

Sun Lan responded, "I wash vegetables and dishes at a restaurant in Beijing. Your father was in charge of tending the fire when he came. We saw each other all the time and became friends."

Zhou Xi laughed and joked, "You decide to get married and live together just because you cook together? I don't believe it. You two must have many more interesting stories to tell, right?"

Sun Lan smiled and said, "There really is. Once, when we had a meal together at the restaurant, everyone else brought their wives and children to eat with them, but he awkwardly ate his rice in a corner. As for me, I also live alone in Beijing and don't have much to talk about with others, so I just served tea and water to everyone. The joking manager suggested that I eat with Lao Zhou, so we ate and chatted, and our relationship grew deeper and deeper."

Zhou Xi added firewood to the stove, then spoke his thoughts, word by word.

“Aunt Lan, my brother and I grew up without a mother. Our father raised us all by himself. We long for someone to love us. But the old folks in the village all say that all crows are black, and stepmothers are not to be trifled with. They say that having a stepmother means having a stepfather. I’m alright, I’ll get married this New Year. I’m worried that my brother will suffer if he stays with you and my father.”

Aunt Lan listened patiently to her story, then gently replied, "You must have heard the story of the little horse crossing the river, right? The squirrel said the river was deep, and the ox said it was shallow. If the little horse had listened to others, it might have stayed on the bank forever. But the little horse didn't stop; it tried it out, and the water was just right, so it waded across. Our relationship is the same. I can't make empty promises or give any advance instructions. Let time be the judge."

“Okay, fine. I’ll get to know you slowly. And you’ll get to know me slowly too,” Zhou Xi replied in agreement.

"As for your brother, he works in Beijing and goes to restaurants every few days. Basically, after the restaurants close, I cook him late-night snacks. I also have children, but I haven't taken them with me since the divorce, so I treat your brother like my own child. I criticize him when he makes mistakes and praise him when he has strengths. I won't pretend to be nice; I'll only treat him sincerely," Aunt Lan replied earnestly.

Just then, Zhou Dong came into the kitchen. He immediately ran to Sun Lan's side and pleaded in a coquettish manner,

"Aunt Lan, I want to go out and play for a while. Could you please ask my father for permission?"

"But it'll be time for dinner soon, and your dad will be angry if you come back late," Aunt Lan replied worriedly. "Why don't you eat first and then go?"

"No, no, no, I'll go now. I won't leave the village, I'll be back in no time," Zhou Dong replied.

"Alright then, come back soon!" Aunt Lan had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Seeing their mother-son-like relationship, Zhou Xi was astonished. "My goodness, this kid has an aunt now. He doesn't even respect his own sister anymore. I'm speechless!"

"Don't worry, I'll treat you well too," Sun Lan replied with a kind smile.

Soon, the meal was ready, and Sun Lan went inside to discuss it with Lao Zhou.

"What should we eat for lunch? At home? Or at Old Su's house?"

Old Zhou replied happily, "Of course we're going to Old Su's house. Pack the food into the lunchbox, and we'll go to Su's house in a bit."

"Okay, whatever you say." Sun Lan went to the kitchen to get busy.

At this moment, Yang Yuxuan stood up and replied, "Uncle, since you are having a meal together, I will take my leave now. I will come to see you again when I have time."

At this moment, Lao Zhou grabbed his arm. "What's wrong? You're already planning to marry Zhou Xi, are you still afraid to face people? You're not allowed to go anywhere today. Be a good girl and have our reunion dinner with us!"

"Alright then, I'll do as you say." Yang Yuxuan obediently followed behind Lao Zhou and headed towards Lao Su's house.

Lunch was incredibly lavish; there were double portions of stir-fried chicken, double portions of braised fish, and even two buckets of rice. The reason was that the woman had already prepared the meal at home, and then Zhou Xi and Aunt Lan cooked an extra portion, resulting in double the food.

At the dinner table, the adults drank and chatted happily, while the younger people ate in silence, unsure how to join in the conversations of the older generation. A baby lay fast asleep on the bed nearby.

"Mrs. Zhou, what's your name?" Sun Lan asked with a smile.

The woman smiled gently. "Song Shufen. And you?"

Sun Lan replied, "My surname is Sun, and my given name is Lan, the Lan of orchid. I'm forty-six this year, ten years younger than Old Zhou. I wonder how old Zhou's wife is?"

The woman smiled slightly, "I am five years older than you."

Sun Lan, having worked in the city, was well-informed and articulate, and responded with a beaming smile.

"You look only forty years old, you don't look old at all."

Upon hearing this, the woman laughed happily, "Not at all, I'm already a grandmother, how could I still be young?"

Later at the dinner table, Lao Su suggested, "Brother Zhou, since you're not too busy lately, why don't you and Sun Lan get married? That way, someone will take care of the household chores for you, and you can work and earn money with peace of mind."

Old Zhou responded modestly, "No rush, it's not too late to get married in a few years. Anyway, Sun Lan and I work in the same place, so we can see each other every day."

At this moment, the woman kindly reminded her, "Although you two get along very well now, it's not proper for you to be married yet. Your eldest daughter is getting married this New Year. How will Aunt Lan come to help her with her dowry? If the villagers see Aunt Lan busy with all this without any proper status, they will eventually gossip."

At this moment, Zhou Dong urged, "Dad, you should get married to Aunt Lan soon. That way, there will be someone to take care of things when my sister and I get married, and Aunt Lan can also help take care of the children when our two families have children in the future."

"Shut up! You're not allowed to interrupt adults!" Old Zhou scolded angrily. Zhou Dong was unhappy to hear this and immediately left the table to go for a walk to clear his head.

"Alright, you should change your bad temper too. The child meant well by saying that, why are you criticizing him?" Old Su scolded Old Zhou.

"Besides, what the child said makes some sense. Although it's still early for them to get married, some things should be planned in advance."

At this moment, Sun Lan actually burst into tears, "Old Zhou, if you don't like me, just say so. Why make things difficult for a child because of our issues?"

The woman beside her quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe Sun Lan's tears and comforted her warmly, "Alright, alright, don't be sad. Old Zhou is just a bit stubborn, he's not cunning, he won't dislike you."

Then, Zhou Xi added, "That's right, Aunt Lan. If my dad didn't like you, why would he bring you out to eat? He's the slow-to-warm-up type. He's a bit cold at first, but he's not like that once you get to know him. Although we've only met once, from your clothes and mannerisms, I can tell you're a down-to-earth person. I also hope you and my dad get married soon!"

At this moment, Old Zhou asked incredulously, "Daughter, do you really want the two of us to be together?"

Zhou Xi nodded affirmatively, "Yes."

Old Zhou asked with delight, "I asked you about this before, and you were quite unhappy about it. Why has your attitude changed now?"

Zhou Xi sighed and replied helplessly, "Alas, although I don't want to live with my stepmother, my brother and I will eventually have to start our own families. When you get old and live alone, who will cook for you? Who will keep you company? Who will take care of you when you are sick? Thinking about it this way, it's suitable for Aunt Lan to marry you. This way, the two of you can keep each other company, and your lives will definitely get better and better."

"Zhou Xi has grown up and become sensible," the woman praised with a smile.

Stubborn Old Zhou finally nodded in agreement, "Since my daughter has spoken, I'll find someone to help me check the wedding date and get the wedding done as soon as possible!"

"Alright! We're all looking forward to the wedding feast!" Old Su replied with a smile.

"Don't worry, there will be wedding banquets and drinks!" Old Zhou replied confidently.

Back in the northern desert territory, Ye Beichen racked his brains for days, but still couldn't remember who Xiao Doukou was. The name sounded so familiar, so he summoned a guard and asked.

"I have a question for you. Whose daughter is Xiaodoukou?"

The guard scratched his head and replied sheepishly, "Young lord, I don't know either. Why don't you ask the lord?"

Ye Beichen waved his hand in response, "Alright, alright, then you may leave."

"Yes, sir!" The guard bowed respectfully and withdrew.

Then, Ye Beichen went to his father's tent. "Father, I have something to ask you."

"Yes, go ahead and ask," the lord, who was lying in bed reading a book, nodded in response.

"Whose child is Xiaodoukou?" Ye Beichen asked bluntly.

“Little Cardamom? Isn’t she Little Pea’s younger sister? The third daughter of the Nangong family,” the lord replied. “Why do you ask that?”

“Oh, I knew it was her,” Ye Beichen replied. “Her parents wanted her to get married, but she disagreed and ran away.”

The lord was both amused and exasperated. "This Master Nangong is really looking for trouble. He never lets the children have a moment's peace!"

“Yes, I heard from Xiaodoukou that her parents wanted her to marry someone more than ten years older than her. If her father hadn’t accepted such a generous dowry, he definitely wouldn’t have done such a thing,” Ye Beichen replied in detail.

"Why do you care so much? Nangong is quite annoying, so don't meddle in his family's affairs," the lord replied impatiently.

"Uh, I've already taken care of it. I sent Xiaodoukou to study at the Nomadic Academy," Ye Beichen replied casually.

"Oh dear, why didn't you say so sooner?" the lord couldn't help but scold. "If Nangong finds out, he'll definitely scold you. Quickly send Xiaodoukou home! Don't cause any trouble, understand?"

Ye Beichen nodded, "Understood." He then bowed and withdrew.

When Ye Beichen arrived at the Nomadic Academy, he learned that Xiaodoukou had already gone home, and had even gone home secretly. Since that was the case, he was relieved and went back to attend to his own business.

At the Nangong residence, Master Nangong was furious. "You brat, are you trying to drive me crazy? There are plenty of good men in the world, why do you insist on marrying Ye Beichen? Do you know that he doesn't even like your eldest sister or your second sister, and his father makes me so angry! Let me tell you, even if the sun rises in the west, I will never agree to you marrying him!"

“But he’s very kind and handsome, I like him a lot,” Xiaodoukou replied.

"Nonsense! Do you even know what 'like' means?" Old Master Nangong retorted angrily. "I advise you to obediently marry the jewelry store owner, or I'll kick you out of the house and leave you to fend for yourself like Nangong Xiawu!"

Little Cardamom smiled mischievously, "Hehehe, okay, okay! If it weren't for your expulsion, my older sister might not have the good life she has now. You'd better get rid of me quickly so I can live a carefree life and never have to listen to your nagging again."

At this moment, Madam Nangong walked over sternly, "You brat, how dare you speak to your father like that? Quickly bow your head and admit your mistake!"

Little Cardamom replied reluctantly, "I shouldn't have made you angry, I'm sorry."

At this moment, Master Nangong directly told his wife that Xiaodoukou was going to marry Ye Beichen.

This enraged Madam Nangong. She picked up a feather duster and was about to hit Xiaodoukou. In an instant, the two of them ran and chased each other, bickering and fighting in the mansion like a monkey show.

"Don't run away, you naughty girl! You're too naughty! If I don't beat you today, I'm not Madam Nangong!"

"I'll run away, or you'll beat me until I cry!" Little Bean replied playfully, then dashed off in a flash. Madam Nangong was so angry that she stopped chasing her.

Afterwards, Master Nangong, still worried, instructed, "Why don't you go out and look for her? What if she's lost?"

"Go if you want! She's a big girl now, how could she get lost?" Madam Nangong retorted angrily, leaving Master Nangong with no choice but to go out and look for her himself.

After searching around without finding it, and exhausted, Master Nangong simply rested in the living room while drinking tea.

"I reckon the young lady has gone to look for Ye Beichen. You should go and find her!" Madam Nangong reminded her.

Master Nangong slapped his thigh, "Oh dear, how could I forget? I'm going right now! Wait for me!"