Chapter 377 Child Bride?
"Good—"
With those words, Chen Xuan had already vanished like smoke. From afar, through the window, Chen Xuan could be seen leaping into a car, which he then drove like a cannonball.
Alliance Leader Long chuckled, "With Mr. Chen's assurance, we can all return home for the New Year with peace of mind..."
At this moment, Alliance Leader Long suddenly noticed that Mayor Huang and Chairman Qi's expressions were not quite normal: "What's wrong? You don't even trust Mr. Chen anymore?"
The atmosphere in the room turned somewhat awkward.
Mayor Huang stated solemnly, "I trust Mr. Chen, but I believe we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket!"
Chairman Qi nodded in deep agreement, "Alliance Leader Long, the fate of Jiangzhou is a matter we must approach with caution!"
Alliance Leader Long was finally persuaded. He had to admit, what they said made sense.
Chen Xuan's assertion was a bit too bold.
After all, in Jiangzhou today, a master of Inner Force was at the pinnacle of existence. What level would someone approaching the Grandmaster of Inner Force be at?
Due to his absolute trust in Chen Xuan, Alliance Leader Long hadn't thought much of it. But now, reflecting on it, it indeed seemed a little unstable.
...
Chen Xuan rushed back to Aunt Tang's residence. Su Yunxi was preparing to set off fireworks. Despite being a strong businesswoman, Su Yunxi seemed a little apprehensive looking at the fireworks.
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she were mustering great courage. With a final grit of her teeth, Su Yunxi nervously stepped forward.
"Let me do it!"
Just then, a familiar voice sounded, and a large hand reached out, about to take the lighter from Su Yunxi's hand.
"You finally remember to come back?"
Su Yunxi turned her head, saw Chen Xuan, and gave him a sideways glance. She then smoothly tucked the lighter into Chen Xuan's hand.
"Haha, we were chatting a bit too much." Chen Xuan scratched his head.
A moment later, accompanied by a melodious and sharp whistle, an orange-red fireball shot into the sky. At its highest point, it paused, dimmed, and then with a "bang," colorful fireworks bloomed in the sky!
It wasn't over yet. One firework after another shot into the sky.
As if it were the signal for the New Year, neighboring houses also began setting off fireworks and firecrackers. The small town, in this winter, suddenly came alive.
Chen Xuan embraced Su Yunxi, quietly gazing at the colorful sky, inhaling her refreshing fragrance, and looking at the beautiful woman's profile. This life was enough!
The New Year had arrived!
Chen Xuan looked at the sky filled with fireworks, and a thought moved in his heart.
He wondered if his father could see these fireworks in the sky, or the bright moon in the heavens?
In the distance, on a very distant mountain peak, a stone coffin was placed. Two people sat beside it, a campfire burning between them, with two bowls of wine and a plate of peanuts laid out.
"Kinsman, it's the New Year, why aren't you going back? Anyway, you and your son have already met, and he's likely guessed."
"Aren't you not going back either?"
"Duty calls!"
"Hmph, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau is useless, but has plenty of trivial matters. They have too many rules, and every one of them is cunning. Who knows when they'll be betrayed by their own people."
"Stop with the useless talk. If they have children, do you think they'll take the surname Chen or Su?"
"Of course, it'll be Chen!"
"I don't think so. This is an adoption into the family, they should take our Su family's surname."
"If not for… would I let my son be adopted? Your Su family is worthy?"
...
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, early in the morning, the Tang family members all came to Aunt Tang's residence to pay their New Year's respects. It was more bustling than the elders rushing to supermarkets to grab eggs in the morning. The place was swarming with people, almost to the point of being crushed.
Of course, it wasn't about grabbing eggs, but about giving gifts. Piles of gift bags were brought in, and Aunt Tang and Song Ping warmly received them, serving tea and water. It was a lively scene.
Regarding the gifts they brought, Song Ping and Aunt Tang hesitated. They naturally knew this was because of Chen Xuan. If they accepted the gifts, would it be considered a mistake? So, they asked Chen Xuan.
Chen Xuan told them to accept everything without worry. Initially, Chen Xuan had planned to have Song Ping and Aunt Tang move to another place, but now it seemed unnecessary.
Currently, the Tang family was almost ready to worship Song Ping and Aunt Tang.
Only then did Aunt Tang and Song Ping agree to accept the gifts.
Aunt Tang's residence was bustling with people coming and going. It was actually the first time Aunt Tang had celebrated the Spring Festival so lively.
Chen Xuan had come to the countryside hoping for some peace and quiet. With all this liveliness, he wasn't too pleased, so he pulled Su Yunxi out to wander around.
The next day, Tian Feiyang and his father came to invite Chen Xuan as a guest. Chen Xuan couldn't refuse and ended up going.
Finally, it was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Chen Xuan, Su Yunxi, and Xue Chuan packed their belongings and left Daliu Town.
They left quietly, leaving only a note on the table.
As for Tang Yunpeng, after being detained for fifteen days, he was released from prison and was not demoted. This was thanks to Song Ping being accustomed to life in Daliu Town and finding it quite good.
Jiangzhou began to snow heavily again, a rare heavy snowfall, not much less than the one on New Year's Eve.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Xue Chuan suddenly spoke, "It's snowing so heavily, I haven't seen this in many years. Why don't we go pick up Mo Xiaoxue?"
As soon as he said that, Chen Xuan and Su Yunxi both looked at Xue Chuan, blinking.
Xue Chuan looked at Chen Xuan and Su Yunxi, who were staring at each other with wide eyes, with a hint of annoyance. "Hey, hey, why are you looking at me like that?"
"This doesn't sound like you," Chen Xuan said with a smile.
Su Yunxi nodded in agreement, "Agreed!"
"I'm just afraid something might happen to Mo Xiaoxue. After all, you guys pay her a salary every day. If she doesn't work, wouldn't that mean only I have to work? That's not fair!"
Xue Chuan, uncharacteristically, blushed a little and tried to argue forcefully.
Chen Xuan didn't tease Xue Chuan too much. Instead, he turned to Su Yunxi and asked, "Yunxi, do you know Mo Xiaoxue's address?"
Su Yunxi thought for a moment and gave a name: "Shan'ao Village!"
Chen Xuan searched for the name on the map and finally understood why the village was called Shan'ao Village. It was surrounded by mountains, with only a winding mountain road leading into this small village. Now, with the heavy snow blocking the roads, even private cars would have difficulty getting out, let alone buses.
However, this did not pose a problem for Chen Xuan, so they set off towards Shan'ao Village.
Shan'ao Village was a good thirty kilometers away from the town, requiring them to cross a mountain. It would take at least half a day to reach the town.
Therefore, Shan'ao Village seemed like a place forgotten by the world.
The young and able-bodied men in the village had all gone out to work. However, since it was the New Year, they had returned, making the place look a bit more lively. Otherwise, it was difficult to see a single person here on normal days.
The people here were very poor. Seeing a car enter the village, they all acted as if they had seen something rare, running out of their homes in the heavy snow. In their village, even buying a motorcycle would be a topic of conversation for months to come, let alone a rare thing like a car.
"See that logo? It's four rings, an Audi!"
"In the big cities, these cars are very expensive."
"How do you know so much?"
"My boss has one. I even washed it for him once. I secretly sat in it once, it was too comfortable inside! More comfortable than a woman's…"
Many people gathered at the village entrance, watching the slowly approaching car, chattering, their eyes full of envy.
Chen Xuan didn't know the location of Mo Xiaoxue's house. He stopped beside the crowd and jumped out of the car, "Fellow villagers, do you know where Mo Xiaoxue's house is?"
When Chen Xuan asked for Mo Xiaoxue's house location, some people looked left and right but refused to say anything. Finally, after being extorted one hundred yuan, they revealed that there was only one family surnamed Mo in Shan'ao Village, and they lived in the northeast corner.
This echoed the saying that mountain folk are not necessarily simple and honest; they can also be wicked people from poor lands.
Chen Xuan didn't mind the hundred yuan.
Following the villagers' directions, Chen Xuan drove the car, swaying, towards the solitary house in the northeast corner.
As soon as Chen Xuan left, the crowd erupted in discussion.
"What great fortune has the Mo family stumbled upon? First a BMW, and now an Audi?"
"I heard that the Mo family's second daughter, who went missing, has returned. It must be that the second daughter of the Mo family has made a fortune."
Finally, someone who knew the inside story disdainfully said, "Nonsense! What fortune? The Mo family is selling their daughter to be a child bride to a foolish person from the Ge family!"
"A dignified master of Inner Force becoming a child bride for someone else? Hahaha!"
Xue Chuan overheard this. Initially, he felt a bit nervous, but then he remembered Mo Xiaoxue's strength and burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.