Yu Chuan listened to Nian Jiaojiao's words, smiled gently, and after a moment of silence, said,
"What Wife says is reasonable. Yu Chuan did wrong in this matter."
Nian Jiaojiao nodded slightly, remaining silent, waiting for him to continue.
Yu Chuan slowly began again,
"Does Wife wish to bring Bai Qingqing in as the fifth husband?"
Nian Jiaojiao was taken aback. Before she could speak, Yu Chuan answered himself,
"Actually, Yu Chuan does not dislike Bai Qingqing. Although there were some unpleasantries before, the husbands have different personalities, and it's inevitable to have friction when living together. It's like this in every household..."
Nian Jiaojiao listened with a wry smile.
Was this Yu Chuan a saint?
He could tolerate Bai Qingqing's disposition?
In the original body's memories, she couldn't count how many times she had brought Bai Qingqing back to flaunt in front of the other husbands...
Bai Qingqing had even incited her to scold Yu Chuan and the others, just for his own amusement.
As Nian Jiaojiao was thinking, Yu Chuan suddenly changed the subject:
"However, I still believe Wife is not suitable for Bai Qingqing."
"Wife currently lacks the support of her maternal clan, making her rather weak on her own."
"The Bai family has many members, and none of them are easy to get along with."
"Previously, when Wife was merely pursuing Bai Qingqing, life at home was already difficult to maintain."
"If Bai Qingqing were to marry into the family now, the Bai family would have even more justification to demand from us."
"Now that Wife is striving to learn and the imperial examinations are approaching, Yu Chuan does not wish for Wife to be burdened again because of this..."
Nian Jiaojiao shook her head, stopping Yu Chuan from continuing. She already understood what he meant.
She really didn't understand. Given her previous reputation, even if she proposed marriage to Bai Qingqing, the Bai family would certainly not agree. These three husbands were being overly worried.
Furthermore, she felt that her confrontation with Bai Qingqing that day was merely seen as "unrequited love breeding resentment" in the eyes of the husbands...
Nian Jiaojiao touched her forehead with a sense of speechlessness, but she felt it was necessary to clarify the matter. So she looked at Yu Chuan and said,
"It's a misunderstanding, all of this is a misunderstanding. I truly don't like Bai Qingqing anymore. What I said to him before was to ensure we wouldn't be entangled with him in the future!"
Hearing Nian Jiaojiao's explanation, Yu Chuan still looked somewhat doubtful.
Nian Jiaojiao had no choice but to continue explaining:
"My eyes were truly covered in crud before, to think that I found Bai Qingqing handsome. I truly don't know why. Perhaps it was because I had a serious illness. I feel like the world around me has brightened, and looking at Bai Qingqing now, there's only one word: common! Unbearably common!"
As she spoke, Nian Jiaojiao smiled and looked at Yu Chuan, saying,
"Besides, Bai Qingqing is not even a tenth as good-looking as you, Chuan'er~"
Yu Chuan looked at the smiling Nian Jiaojiao, his heart skipping a beat. He quickly turned his head away to avoid her gaze.
Seeing Yu Chuan remain silent, Nian Jiaojiao assumed he agreed with her. She secretly rejoiced,
Nian Jiaojiao, you truly are a little genius! No, a little actor!
...
On the other side.
The Xuan Yi brothers were sitting by the bedside, talking.
As there was no oil lamp in the room, they could only see each other's outlines by the moonlight.
Xuan Yi was full of questions and asked first,
"Second brother, third brother, while I was away these past few days, did anything happen? The atmosphere at dinner earlier felt off."
Eldest brother Xuan Yi appeared to be a rough man, but he was observant despite his appearance.
Third brother Xing Yun, though usually timid in front of Nian Jiaojiao, was like a little sparrow in front of his elder brother, immediately recounting Nian Jiaojiao's behavior over the past few days.
Xuan Yi remained silent for a moment after listening, then said,
"So, you think she still likes Bai Qingqing?"
"Mm! Mmm!"
Even though he knew his elder brother couldn't see him, Xing Yun nodded vigorously in agreement.
Unexpectedly, Xuan Yi offered a different opinion:
"She probably doesn't like him anymore."
Xing Yun immediately argued:
"How could that be? She personally said she wanted to marry Bai Qingqing that day, but Bai Qingqing didn't agree. Moreover, it was because Bai Qingqing refused that Wife, Wife got angry and made Bai Qingqing pay back the money. You should have seen Bai Qingqing's expression then, it was so funny!"
By the end, Xing Yun was somewhat gleeful.
In the past, Bai Qingqing would bully him every time he visited. He even targeted second brother's poor eyesight, placing obstacles in his path, causing him to fall and sustain a long scratch on his leg from sharp objects on the ground, which still left a scar.
Recalling this, Xing Yun felt indignant and said to Nan Qing,
"Second brother, didn't Bai Qingqing look funny that day? I think he was really crying!"
Nan Qing, however, was lost in thought.
He was not stupid. On the contrary, he was the most meticulous and deep-thinking among the three brothers.
But he had lost his judgment due to the previous actions of Nian Dabao and had been viewing her with prejudice.
Thinking about it now, Nian Dabao had clearly angered Bai Qingqing on purpose that day...
However, he didn't intend to say these words to Xing Yun.
Even if that idiot Nian Dabao suddenly came to her senses, so what?
It couldn't erase the past mistreatment Nian Dabao had inflicted upon them!
Last time, their third brother was pushed into the river by her and almost lost his life!
Besides, it was possible that Nian Dabao was just acting on a whim now and might revert to her old ways any day.
Therefore, it was better for his third brother to remain vigilant...
"Second brother? Second brother?"
Xing Yun's calls reached his ears. Nan Qing came back to himself, "Hm?"
"Second brother, why aren't you speaking?"
Nan Qing let out a light laugh:
"Hehehe, third brother, your happiness comes too easily."
"Of course, I'm happy to see Bai Qingqing in trouble!"
Nan Qing gave a noncommittal reply and then sternly cautioned Xing Yun,
"Eldest brother, third brother, no matter what, we must not treat Nian Dabao the same way we did before. We cannot lose our vigilance because of her temporary change."
Xing Yun seemed somewhat unconvinced:
"I think Wife's personality has improved a lot. Ever since she recovered from her illness, she hasn't scolded us anymore. Even when second brother deliberately provoked her before, she didn't mind..."
Nan Qing frowned, "Xing Yun!"
Seeing that his two younger brothers were at a stalemate, Xuan Yi, as the eldest brother, intervened:
"Both of you, don't argue."
Upon hearing Xuan Yi's words, they immediately fell silent.
The two younger brothers respected their eldest brother the most. The three of them had become orphans in childhood and relied entirely on their eldest brother to raise them.
Therefore, their eldest brother was like a brother, father, and mother to them.
Seeing them quiet down, Xuan Yi sighed and first spoke to Nan Qing,
"Nan Qing, marrying Nian Dabao was our own decision. We cannot blame others for living poorly; we must bear the consequences of our choices."
"Besides, you were not unaware of the circumstances back then."
"Our Great Yue law stipulates that all unmarried men and widowers aged 22, if conscripted, must answer the call to serve in the army."
"At that time, I was already 22. If she hadn't married me, I might have become a military prostitute in the barracks. Who would have taken care of you all..."
Hearing Xuan Yi's words, Nan Qing fell silent.
That's right. From this perspective, Nian Dabao had saved their eldest brother, and indeed, their entire family.
In that situation, no one was willing to marry their eldest brother. Even if her intentions were impure, she had shown them kindness.