As they walked along the village path, a couple approached from the opposite direction. The man squinted into the distance.
When he recognized Xu Yinchen, his brows lifted in surprise. "Xu Yinchen? Heading home already? Don't you usually stay at the pig farm till late?"
Then his gaze shifted to the young woman walking a few steps behind. The moment he saw Qin Lian, he froze, clearly stunned.
There wasn't a woman this beautiful in their village. No—forget this village, even the neighboring ones had never seen someone like her.
His wife was quicker to recover. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Qin Lian, curiosity already flaring with a spark of gossip. "Eh? Who's this pretty girl?" she asked bluntly, not bothering to lower her voice.
"Xu Yinchen, what's going on? Weren't you engaged to that girl from the Mu family? Didn't that engagement get cancelled?"
Before Xu Yinchen could get a word in, the woman clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.
"No, no, that can't be right," she said, shaking her head. "I've seen the Mu family's daughter before, and she wasn't this good-looking. One look at this one, and you can tell she's got vixen looks. Don't tell me… You brought another woman home?"
Her voice rose, drawing out the last words with a sharp edge, the kind meant to stir up trouble.
The man beside her stiffened, clearly embarrassed by his wife's bold tongue. "Gu Lin! Watch what you say!" he scolded, frowning.
After all, the man standing in front of them was Xu Yinchen—the very one who sold pork to the village at discounted prices. Cheaper than anyone else, too. Picking a fight with him?
They couldn't afford that.
But Gu Lin, completely unbothered, waved him off. "Why are you yelling at me? What did I even say? I'm just asking! We live in a decent village, and he's a single man raising children on his own."
She turned her sharp gaze back to Xu Yinchen. "Xu Yinchen, I know you're desperate and still unmarried, but that doesn't mean you can just bring home any woman you like! At least have some shame!"
She scoffed, then added with a dramatic sigh,"If you were in such a hurry to get married, you should've taken up my offer back then."
"I told you to marry my cousin! Yes, she's two years older and divorced twice, but that's no reason to look down on her. She's a good, virtuous woman!"
"It would've been your gain, not hers! She doesn't have any children, and you…" she said, pointing her chin at him, her voice rising, "—you already have three bast…. I mean, children to raise!"
Ever since Xu Yinchen rejected her proposal outright, Gu Lin had been holding a grudge.
She had been doing him a favor, and not only was he ungrateful, but he had the nerve to reject her cousin on the spot. What right did he have to act all high and mighty?
Now, seeing such a beautiful girl walking behind him, Gu Lin couldn't hold back. Her anger surged again, and she finally found a perfect excuse to mock him.
Xu Yinchen's expression turned cold. His sharp gaze cut through the night air like a blade, making the woman shrink slightly.
He opened his mouth, about to speak but before he could, Qin Lian stepped forward.
Her expression remained calm, yet cold. She crossed her arms and looked Gu Lin straight in the eye, her voice steady and razor-sharp.
"If your cousin is truly such a virtuous woman, then why would you try to marry her off to a man you clearly believe isn't good enough? Do you hate your cousin that much?"
Gu Lin, who had just been spewing fire a second ago, suddenly froze. The girl's face looked soft and pleasant, but her words cut like a knife.
It caught her completely off guard.
She turned to her husband in a panic and tried to save face."You… Of course not! Why would I hate my cousin? I was just saying—"
But before she could finish, Qin Lian's voice rang out again, sharp and clear."Then maybe you hate Xu Yinchen? You said your cousin is divorced twice and older, and yet you think she's somehow doing him a favor?"
"Xu Yinchen hasn't even been married. In what way was he gaining anything here?"
Her eyes didn't waver."And the children? So what? Having kids doesn't make him less of a man. It only proves he's more responsible than most."
Gu Lin's face turned beet red. She had been publicly put in her place by a young woman who was not only prettier than her but also sharper with her tongue.
"You….You sharp-tongued vixen!"
"Sister-in-law!" Xu Yinchen's voice thundered across the path.
His sharp tone made Gu Lin shrink back in fear, he had never raised his voice like that before.
Even her husband was startled. Seeing the tension rise, he stepped forward awkwardly.
"Xu Yinchen, calm down. My wife was out of line. I'll speak to her later. Don't take her words to heart."
Xu Yinchen's jaw tightened, his glare icy and silent.
Seeing him holding back and swallowing his anger, Qin Lian raised an eyebrow. She understood that it wasn't appropriate for a man like him to argue with a woman in public.
But… she could.
Unlike Xu Yinchen, who stood there silently with a glare sharp enough to kill, Qin Lian smiled coldly. "Well, thank you for the compliment," she said with a faint sneer.
"Not everyone has the looks and charm to be called a vixen, after all. But since you're so insistent, I'll take it as praise."
She shamelessly added, "I know I'm pretty. You don't have to praise me so much."
The man blinked, surprised. No one had ever talked back to his wife like that, not even him. Yet this girl...she was fearless.
Qin Lian didn't notice Xu Yinchen's stunned gaze. She simply straightened her back and looked Gu Lin in the eye."If you're so eager to play matchmaker, go do it somewhere else."
"But don't you dare try to introduce another woman to my husband right in front of me. That's not matchmaking, it's being a hooligan in public."
Xu Yinchen froze.
"H-Husband?" the man repeated, eyes widening. "You… You two are married? But—what about the Mu family girl?"
Xu Yinchen looked conflicted, but before he could answer, Qin Lian stepped forward again, her voice calm and steady.
"I am the Mu family's daughter," she said. "Mu Ruoyu and I were switched at birth. She's returned to her biological parents, and I've come to fulfill the engagement. From today onward, I'll be living here as his wife. Please take care of me."
She ended with a polite smile to the man, her words clear and composed.
Gu Lin stood there, stunned. So much drama? And worst of all, Xu Yinchen ended up with someone better than Mu Ruoyu!
How did a man like him get a girl like that?
But this time, Gu Lin didn't dare utter another word. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she was forced to mumble a half-hearted apology before her husband hurriedly dragged her away.
Qin Lian watched as they disappeared down the road. When she turned back, she caught Xu Yinchen staring at her.
She blinked, touching her face instinctively. "Do I have something on my face?" she asked, her voice quieter—gentle and soft, so unlike the cold tone she'd used just a moment before.
Xu Yinchen snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head. "Nothing."
He quickly looked away. "Let's go," he said, before turning and striding ahead. However, he couldn't help but feel strange in his heart as the scene kept replaying in his head.