Beisitian, as usual, practiced calligraphy during the day when there was nothing to do, herded sheep around four in the afternoon, and did some work in the evening, seemingly completely unaffected by those words.
The next day, Qin Hongmei found a private moment with Luo Xuhua.
"Huazi, I want to discuss something with you," Qin Hongmei rarely greeted with a smile.
Luo Xuhua, not knowing what was happening, nodded and went to the east room with Qin Hongmei.
Old Mrs. Luo sat cross-legged on the kang, eating vegetable pancakes and thinking about how Beisitian’s earnings could buy soft cakes. The pancakes in her mouth tasted bland, and she wished Beisitian could marry over by tomorrow.
"What do you want with me?"
Since Luo Xuhua returned, he hadn’t shown much enthusiasm towards Qin Hongmei, always remaining indifferent, but he also didn’t start any arguments with her like before.
This was why Qin Hongmei could tolerate this period of time.
He had indeed grown up a bit, understanding more about people.
"Sit down, are you thirsty? Auntie will pour you some water," said Qin Hongmei, but her rear stayed firmly on the kang.
"No need, just say what you have to say," Luo Xuhua thought warily.
A weasel giving a chicken a gift surely harbors ill intentions!
"It’s ..." Qin Hongmei briefly explained the situation to him, "You see, you’re not young anymore. You’ve seen the state of our family. Your younger brother just got married a few years ago, and the debts haven’t been cleared yet. But your dad and I can’t watch as you remain without a wife, so we discussed with your grandma and thought Beisitian was quite suitable."
Seeing this, Qin Hongmei quickly added before he could speak, "Think about your Uncle Luo Er and Auntie’s current situation. If you two were together, you could offer some care. How could you forget how much your Aunt loved you when you were young? Doing this would surely make your dad happy. Besides, we should consider Little Tian’er. It’s said she’s Dongzi’s wife, but without a wedding ceremony, what kind of wife is that? Do we really want her to remain a widow forever?"
Luo Xuhua remained silent.
If Beisitian were here, she couldn’t help but commend how Qin Hongmei knew exactly how to approach people, saying the right things to hit their weak spots.
"Have you guys discussed this?" Luo Xuhua asked back.
Seeing that he hadn’t rejected outright, Qin Hongmei knew there was hope. No man in his twenties or thirties would resist having a wife!
"We’ve talked, but your Uncle Luo Er and Auntie disagree. They just can’t see past it. You say one is blind, the other is paralyzed, you can’t expect their daughter to care for them forever, can you? What is this!" Qin Hongmei sighed repeatedly.
Seeing Luo Xuhua saying nothing, Qin Hongmei prepared to add more pressure, "I guess your Uncle is also afraid of people gossiping. They insist on waiting until Ping’an is older to arrange a marriage for Beisitian, but you know that’s nonsense. How old should Ping’an be before marrying? That child is not yet six! Little Tian’er is about to turn twenty!"
"My meaning, and your grandma’s, is that if you two are together, Little Tian’er won’t be a widow, and you’ll have a family. Your Uncle and Aunt will have someone to help take care of them, and when Ping’an marries, you can move out. How great is that!" said Qin Hongmei.
Luo Xuhua remained silent.
Qin Hongmei was thinking, if Luo Xuhua wasn’t moved by now, he would be a fool. There was really no downside for him, just a change in residence. As for taking care of his second uncle and aunt, Little Tian’er had been doing that and would continue to even after marriage.
After a while, just when Qin Hongmei was getting impatient waiting, Luo Xuhua finally spoke, "I’ll go ask Uncle Luo Er and Auntie about this first; don’t get involved just yet."
What does ’involved’ mean?
Qin Hongmei ignored that and thought it was fine as long as he was willing to go. It showed he accepted the idea. Even if they disagreed, she’d have other strategies later on, and he’d be less resistant.
The past few days have been relatively quiet. Beisitian knew they were definitely trying to find a way over there, so she wasn’t surprised when she saw Luo Xuhua coming.
Luo Xuhua was certainly the first target Qin Hongmei and Old Mrs. Luo aimed for.
"Brother is here, come in and take a seat," Beisitian greeted as usual.
Luo Xuhua glanced at her and went into the east room.
This time, when Luo Anguo and Mrs. Qin saw him, they weren’t as warm as before, both looking gloomy and their gazes filled with scrutiny.
"Uncle, Auntie, seems you already know why I’m here today. Qin Hongmei has talked to me; what do you think?" Luo Xuhua asked directly when he saw Beisitian had come.
"We disagree!" Luo Anguo was the first to speak.
On usual matters, Luo Anguo rarely expressed an opinion, feeling that he was a burden to the family and didn’t have the right to voice too many opinions.
Mrs. Qin also kept a stern face, "Huazi, are you siding with Qin Hongmei now?"
Luo Xuhua smiled, "If I were siding with her, I wouldn’t have come today."
"Then what do you mean?" Mrs. Qin’s expression softened a bit.
"If Uncle and Auntie disagree, I surely won’t think otherwise. But I think Qin Hongmei is right about one thing: what’s going to happen with Sitiang?" Luo Xuhua said.
When Beisitian saw the conversation shifting to her, she focused and listened. She had thought about this issue too.
Luo Anguo glanced at Beisitian, then at Mrs. Qin, and said to Luo Xuhua, "When Ping’an is older, we’ll consider it like we’re the maternal family and find Little Tian’er a good husband."
Luo Xuhua showed no surprise, as he had heard this once already from Qin Hongmei.
Beisitian, however, was taken aback, and her heart filled with warmth.
Outside, she was the unofficial wife of Luo Er’s family without a wedding affair, lacking a proper name, but only a few knew she was the child bride bought by Luo Anguo and Mrs. Qin.
Even without the title of daughter-in-law, she was still a part of Luo Er’s family.
She wasn’t going to be let go her whole life by Luo Er’s family, and she would spend her life as an old maid in Luo Er’s family—of course, that was for the original protagonist.
"When Ping’an gets older, how old is appropriate?" Luo Xuhua continued to ask.
On this question, both Luo Anguo and Mrs. Qin fell silent, having discussed it but never reaching a conclusion. Mainly because Luo Anping was still too young, they simply couldn’t do without Beisitian.
Though still nominally a daughter-in-law, in the hearts of Luo Anguo and Mrs. Qin, she was no different from their own daughter. As long as they had a bit of self-care ability, they wouldn’t delay Beisitian.
Luo Anguo finally sighed.
Just as Beisitian was starting to feel a bit touched, she couldn’t help but smile bitterly, not about when these two would let her go, but seeing them actually being persuaded by Luo Xuhua right in front of her!