San Ni was with child?

The village chief was completely stunned.

The village chief’s second son’s expression changed dramatically, raising his fan-like large hand to strike San Ni.

This shameful, disgraceful, lowly wretch – not only did she engage in premarital affairs, but now she’d even produced an illegitimate child?

How could their family hold their heads up in the village from now on?

“Stop!” the village chief shouted.

“Father, San Ni has gone this far, and you’re still protecting her?”

The wrinkles on the village chief’s face trembled slightly. After a long while, he let out a breath: “What else then? Do you want to beat San Ni to death? She made a mistake, but does making a mistake mean leaving her no way to live? You’re her second uncle!”

Qiao Zhao sighed lightly, no longer interfering in their family affairs, and gestured to Chen Guang: “Bring San Ni into the room.”

If the village chief could say such things, San Ni should be able to survive, shouldn’t she?

San Ni’s madness was cured.

This news quickly spread throughout Baiyun Village, and along with it spread the news that San Ni was carrying San Dan’s posthumous child.

On the day Qiao Zhao’s group left Baiyun Village, San Dan’s mother was blocking the village chief’s door, wailing and making a scene.

“Fellow villagers, judge for yourselves! San Ni is carrying San Dan’s baby in her belly – why can’t she enter our Old Wang family’s door to be San Dan’s wife?”

The village chief’s second son was about to go out when his wife pulled him back: “You fool, what are you getting involved in? Isn’t San Ni embarrassing enough already? I’m already worried about how Fourth Ni will marry in the future, having such a shameless sister like San Ni!”

San Ni’s several sisters-in-law all held back their respective husbands from getting involved, leaving only the village chief and his wife standing at the door dealing with the shrewish San Dan’s mother and the villagers’ pointing and whispering.

“That’s right, since San Ni was involved with the Old Wang family’s boy, and now she’s carrying his seed, she should marry over there. That way the Old Wang family’s boy would have an heir, wouldn’t he?”

“Exactly, if you ask me, San Dan’s mother is already being generous, allowing such a daughter-in-law through the door. If it were me, I wouldn’t be happy about it – how embarrassing!”

The village chief leaned against the door frame, his face livid, but his mouth remained firm: “Our San Ni won’t become a widow.”

“Bah!” San Dan’s mother jumped up and cursed viciously: “A worn shoe that my son already used, and you still expect her to marry and collect a bride price?”

The village chief sneered coldly: “We don’t want San Ni to marry over there, not just because we feel sorry for her having to remain a widow, but mainly because we fear having a mother-in-law like you.”

“What’s wrong with a mother-in-law like me? You think being the village chief makes you so great? The village chief still raised such a shameless granddaughter!” San Dan’s mother rushed over to scratch the village chief’s face.

The village chief’s wife wouldn’t stand for it, grabbing the broom by the door to beat her: “Dare to scratch my old man? I’ll beat you to death, you foul-mouthed woman! Calling my granddaughter shameless? Anyone can say that, but not you! Who doesn’t know your son was a lazy good-for-nothing with only a sweet tongue, who knows how many young girls and young wives he deceived? Our San Ni was tricked by your son’s smooth talk. If your son weren’t dead, we’d still be settling accounts with you!”

A figure rushed out and hugged the village chief’s wife: “Grandma, stop fighting, stop fighting.”

The village chief couple’s expressions changed dramatically: “San Ni, why did you come out?”

San Ni’s eyes were swollen like walnuts – clearly, she had cried a lot in the days since her madness was cured.

“Grandfather, Grandmother, I know you mean well for me, but I want to marry over there.”

“What are you saying?” The village chief trembled with anger.

San Ni kept wiping her tears: “San Dan-gege promised to marry me, and I agreed to marry him. Now I’m carrying San Dan-gege’s baby – if I don’t marry San Dan-gege, who else would I marry?”

“But San Dan is already dead!” the village chief said sternly.

His granddaughter was only fifteen years old – how could she live the rest of her life as a widow?

“In life I belong to San Dan-gege, in death I’m San Dan-gege’s ghost!” San Ni knelt and kowtowed several times to the village chief couple: “Grandfather, Grandmother, please fulfill San Ni’s wish.”

The village chief gritted his teeth, trembling with anger.

San Dan’s mother sneered: “Village Chief, see that? Your granddaughter is eager to marry into our Old Wang family, so why are you desperately blocking it? How annoying! Don’t worry, when San Ni gives birth to a son, we’ll come to announce the good news.”

The village chief closed his eyes.

“Grandfather, San Ni begs you.” San Ni kept kowtowing.

The villagers’ discussions reached the village chief’s ears word for word, making the old man look even more dejected. He opened his eyes, looked at his granddaughter kneeling on the ground with disappointment, and sighed: “Fine, do as you wish. You’re grown up, Grandfather and Grandmother can’t control you anymore.”

The village chief couple supported each other as they turned to go inside, closing the courtyard gate.

San Dan’s mother glanced at San Ni with disgust: “Stop kneeling, what if you hurt my grandson? Come with me quickly.”

San Ni stood up, her eyes blankly surveying the surroundings, then said to San Dan’s mother: “Please wait a moment.”

She suddenly ran toward the roadside.

San Dan’s mother was startled and shouted: “Where are you running, you little slut? Still not embarrassing enough? If you hurt my grandson, see how I’ll deal with you!”

San Ni ran quickly to Qiao Zhao’s group.

Shao Mingyuan frowned in displeasure.

San Ni dropped to her knees before Qiao Zhao with a thud.

Qiao Zhao’s eyebrows moved slightly.

She had witnessed the village chief couple’s protection of San Ni, as well as San Ni’s choice, and now her feelings toward this girl were particularly complex.

San Ni kowtowed several times: “Miss, San Ni thanks you for your great kindness and virtue. San Ni has nothing and no way to repay you, so I can only kowtow more to you, wishing you longevity and smooth sailing in the future.”

The young general’s sword-like eyebrows knitted even tighter.

She only wished for those things – even the village chief knew to wish Zhaozhao a beautiful marriage!

“Get up quickly, be careful not to hurt the child in your belly.” Qiao Zhao said flatly.

Hearing Qiao Zhao’s reminder, San Ni quickly stood up, instinctively protecting her abdomen.

Qiao Zhao saw this and sighed inwardly.

Regardless of whether San Ni’s previous behavior was appropriate, her feelings for that man were genuine.

Perhaps moved by San Ni’s instinctive protective gesture toward her child, Qiao Zhao added: “San Ni, if you ever feel you can’t go on, go to Baiyun Town and find the Xie family living in Sparrow Alley. The Xie family and Qiao family are old friends – mention the Marquis Guanjun and they’ll help you.”

After leaving Baiyun Village, Shao Mingyuan found an opportunity to privately ask Qiao Zhao: “Zhaozhao, why are you so kind to San Ni? I thought you’d find that girl disgusting.”

To bring him up for San Ni’s sake – what would Uncle Xie think? What if he suspected he had some tender feelings for San Ni? That wouldn’t be good.

He didn’t want Zhaozhao’s uncles and elders to think Master Qiao hadn’t chosen a good grandson-in-law.

Qiao Zhao had no idea about someone’s petty thoughts and smiled nonchalantly: “I wouldn’t call it being kind – it’s just a small effort. I just feel that when the same mistake is made, women always bear a much greater cost than men.”

That’s why she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Marriage was truly a thankless effort.