Three people hired an ox cart and hurriedly returned home. Xiaoxiao was thrilled to ride in it, reminiscing about how it had been over a decade since she had left the countryside in the modern era at the age of a teenager. Ah, how nostalgic! Ancient times had no cars, which conveniently solved her problem of getting carsick! Riding in the cart was fast; they soon reached the entrance of the village.
It was already afternoon by then, and outside there were quite a few villagers milling about, which was rather odd in such cold weather. Seeing the wives of the Yang Family returning in the ox cart, loaded with all sorts of goods, they began to gossip.
"That must be the new bride of Yang Family's third son!"
"I heard she's lazy and squanders money. It seems it's true, she's already wasting away on her very first day entering the home!"
"My daughter-in-law is from the same village as her. They say that girl is spoiled rotten at home, doesn't do any work, and likes to spend. Plus, her personality isn't that great either. She's pretty fierce. What's the saying again? Oh, right, 'lays down the law without making sense.'"
"This bride is going to be a handful for the old Yang Family to deal with. Just watch, if it were me, I'd say their house won't have peace. Didn't you see? Yang Family's third son left early this morning! He's dissatisfied with his new bride! Who knows, he might not even come back tomorrow!"
"You guys are just jealous. They have money, if you had money, you would also buy, buy, buy!"
Overhearing the villagers' comments, Xiaoxiao, a popular young woman of the 21st century, felt her face turning red with embarrassment. It was the first time she had been gossiped about . Feeling somewhat embarrassed and a bit naive at the situation, she resolutely decided nothing could bring her down; she would prove them wrong and make them green with envy.
"Yang Ming!" The person who had arrived was none other than Yang Ming's good friend Chu Lian, also the pale-faced scholar who had noticed Xiaoxiao. Being a year older and from the same town, the two had become close at the Academy, looking out for each other. Chu Lian was humorous and witty in contrast to the somewhat wooden Yang Ming. Their differing personalities made it odd they were friends, yet they indeed were.
"What's the situation, didn't you just get married yesterday? How's the little sister-in-law? Come on, tell me!"
"Heh, heh, I kinda don't remember what she looks like. I only saw her briefly," Yang Ming said with a helpless expression, as he truly hadn't gotten a good look.
"Hahaha, I think you didn't dare to look! Hahaha," Chu Lian laughed, holding his stomach.
"Speaking of looks, today at the town's bookstore, I did see a girl who was, how should I put it, quite unique and interesting! I'd really like to get to know her."
"Another girl caught your eye! You don't even care for the daughter of the master," Yang Ming said truthfully. Chu Lian, handsome and from a family that owned shops in both the town and county, had many women wanting to marry him, yet he looked down on them all. His mention of a specific woman today must mean that she had something special. At that moment, Yang Ming could not foresee his wife being the object of interest, and would later regret countless times not extinguishing this budding interest. It led him down many winding paths in his quest to win his wife over!
"It's not easy to catch my eye, unlike you, forced into marriage!" Watching Chu Lian's amused face, he patted his shoulder, reflecting on his own predicament with a look of sheer dejection and yet unaware of just how far down the path of self-destruction he was heading!