A beautiful summer night

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Xie family opened their ancestral hall for a ceremony of offering incense and kowtowing.

Read the family genealogy and listen to the family instructions.

Furthermore, starting today, Xie An's name will be officially removed from the family genealogy.

Xie An is no longer Xie An; the Xie family will no longer have Xie An.

The ancestral hall was full of people, mostly unfamiliar faces. Xia Wanzhi, as the eldest granddaughter-in-law, was positioned relatively close to the front, with a group of people standing behind her, all seemingly focused on her.

The gaze was as scorching as a sweltering summer day, yet as chilling as the first day of the lunar new year.

This was the first time Xia Wanzhi had met these collateral relatives of the Xie family. Not only did she not recognize them, but even Xie Qiyan, the person in charge of the Xie family, was completely unfamiliar with them.

Xie Qiyan had been abroad for too long and looked down on the Xie family. After returning to China and taking over the Xie family, he used methods that were feared by all. Even if the Xie family's relatives wanted to curry favor, they couldn't find an opportunity.

Everyone knows that he dislikes everyone in the Xie family except Xie Tan.

Emerging from the ancestral hall, Xie Tan held Xia Wanzhi's hand tightly. Perhaps because he had witnessed the old man removing Xie An from the family genealogy, he was unusually sullen and unhappy.

Putting everything else aside, Xia Wanzhi knew that Xie Tan and Xie An had a brother-sister relationship.

"What are you thinking about?" Xia Wanzhi didn't follow the group. She secretly took Xie Tan's hand and led him back to the South Courtyard. The Xie family valued rules, but she cared more about Xie Tan's feelings than about following the rules.

There were many people around earlier, so Xie Tan kept a straight face without any expression. But now that there was no one on the way back to the South Courtyard, the ten-year-old girl couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.

Xia Wanzhi stopped and gently hugged her.

"When my eldest brother wasn't back, only my fourth brother was kind to me. My father and stepmother scolded me, but only my fourth brother helped me..."

"But Fourth Brother isn't Fourth Brother."

"Sister Wanzi, I no longer have a fourth brother..." Xie Tan sobbed, trying to hold back her tears as she adhered to the principle of not crying during the New Year.

But the tears wouldn't listen.

Xia Wanzhi gently patted Xie Tan's back to help her catch her breath, pursing her lips without saying a word.

That was the truth; she couldn't say anything to comfort Xie Tan.

Xie Tan knew in her heart that she had only cried for a short while before stopping: "I will never see Fourth Brother again, will I?"

Xia Wanzhi led her forward slowly, and after a long while, she nodded: "Perhaps, Hou Mengqiu probably won't bring him back."

Xie An is not a descendant of the Xie family. This fact has spread online, and probably half of the people in Beicheng know about it.

Only Xie An himself was unaware of this.

Hou Mengqiu couldn't possibly let him know.

Ultimately, it is the children who pay the price for the mistakes of adults.

Xie Tan mumbled, "I know."

They didn't even say goodbye.

The two of them stayed in the south courtyard and ate half a bag of candy to dispel their gloom. Just as they were getting ready to tidy up and go to the front courtyard, Xie Qiyan called.

"Is Xie Tan done crying?" Xie Qiyan's words hit the nail on the head.

Xia Wanzhi asked in surprise, "How did you know Xie Tan was crying?"

Xie Qiyan sighed softly: "Children don't hide their feelings on their faces. I guessed it. Let her cry it out and then bring you back. Otherwise, I'll be the one crying."

"What's your rush? The head of the family shouldn't be busy entertaining all the relatives. You're a grown man, yet you're still clinging to my sister-in-law every day." Xie Tan was indignant. Ever since these two got together, she had fewer opportunities to play with Xia Wanzhi. Taking advantage of her current bad mood, she figured Xie Qiyan wouldn't hold it against her, so she launched into a tirade against him.

"Your sister-in-law?" Xie Qiyan was amused and retorted, "Your sister-in-law is my wife. What are you talking about, you little brat? Can't I be with my wife? Bring her back to me right now."

Xie's extended family and relatives were all incredibly boring. Without his wife by his side, his anger only escalated.

Especially for Xie Nan.

After hanging up the phone, Xie Tan grumbled, his forehead wrinkled, "Is he still my older brother? How can someone be so shameless? And he actually called me 'little one'? Has he become this blatant in commenting on my height now...?"

Xia Wanzhi was used to it. She pushed Xie Tan's shoulder and walked out, scolding her with practiced ease: "That's right, that's right, don't you even have any humanity?"

Xie Tan felt much better: "He wasn't human to begin with; he was a living Yama."

Xia Wanzhi: "Yes, yes, yes..."

Back in the front yard, Xia Wanzhi was about to stand next to Xie Qiyan when the old man called her over loudly. The old man introduced her unilaterally: "This is Ayan's wife."

She is the eldest grandson's wife of the Xie family and also the wife of the person in charge of the Xie family.

There are too many relatives, so the old man doesn't require Xia Wanzhi to get to know them. What he wants is for the entire Xie family to know Xia Wanzhi from this day forward and to know that Xia Wanzhi is a member of the Xie family.

After the introduction, a group of people started calling her by all sorts of names, but Xia Wanzhi didn't recognize them and just smiled and nodded.

The hall was very noisy, and Xia Wanzhi suddenly understood why Xie Qiyan was in such a hurry to summon her back.

To Xie Qiyan, these people were no different from strangers. No one in the Xie family had ever treated him well, and he wouldn't treat these people well for no reason now.

The Chinese New Year is all about the festivities, but it should also be a joyful celebration.

In Xie Qiyan's eyes, this situation is probably no different from a social engagement.

He could at least muster his energy for social engagements, but Xia Wanzhi could tell that Xie Qiyan's patience was gradually running out.

After lunch, the group gradually left as evening approached. Xia Wanzhi had never seen so many relatives in her more than twenty years of life. She took a deep breath, took Xie Qiyan's hand, and was about to leave the Xie family, but the old man called her away again halfway through.

Xia Wanzhi and Xie Tan exchanged glances. Since they had nothing else to do, Xia Wanzhi suggested, "Why don't we go see your little sister?"

Xie Tan shrugged and led the way for Xia Wanzhi, saying as they walked, "There's nothing to see. I've seen it; it's ugly."

Xia Wanzhi joked, "You weren't good-looking when you were first born either."

"But I look good now." The little girl has a clear understanding of her own beauty.

Xia Wanzhi was amused: "Yes, yes, our Tan sister is so beautiful that fish would fall from the sky, geese would fall from the sky, the moon would hide its face, and flowers would blush with shame."

"Ahhh, don't say it..." Xie Tan felt embarrassed by the teasing.

As they passed through the corridor, they were about to reach the north courtyard of Xie's third uncle. The two, who had been chasing and playing around, stopped simultaneously upon hearing a sharp curse.

Xie Nan spoke to Xie Lin without any shame: "I don't believe you're not jealous of Xie Qiyan."

Sherlin snorted: "What do I have to be jealous of him for?"

"I'm jealous that he married a woman with a powerful background. To be honest, if Xie Qiyan hadn't come back, that position in the Xie family would have been yours sooner or later. As for Xia Wanzhi, she and I were on good terms when we were kids. If Zhou Yu hadn't been so sycophantic, sticking to her like a leech, I would have made my move on her long ago..."

A pillar in the corridor was punched hard, and Xie Tan poked his head out menacingly: "You're finished!"

Xia Wanzhi remained expressionless, walking out calmly, ignoring Xie Nan's fleeting panic followed by a forced smile.

"Don't be angry, sister-in-law. Third brother just drank a little too much..." Xie Lin explained.

Xie Nan, feigning drunkenness, nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes!"

Xia Wanzhi smiled and said, "Third brother, how are you going to make your move? Don't go, let's chat together during the New Year."

Xie Nan didn't dare to say a word: "..."

Xia Wanzhi approached slowly, loosened her wrist, and still maintained a harmless expression.

Xie Nan swallowed hard: "Sister-in-law, I..."

"Slap—" The loud slap sounded much better than the noise in the front hall just now.

Crisp and loud.

"Tsk." Xia Wanzhi rubbed her numb palms. "It hurts a little."

Xie Tan's mouth was wide enough to fit an egg, and it took him a while to react before he clapped his hands in a burst of applause.

Xia Wanzhi's eyes were indifferent as she warned, "Since you call me sister-in-law, it's only right that I, as your sister-in-law, teach you a lesson, isn't it?"

Xie Nan covered her face, which was quickly turning red and bearing a handprint, and suppressed her anger: "Sister-in-law is right to teach her a lesson."

"Watch your mouth. I'm quite delicate now and can't stand being wronged. If I hear anything I shouldn't hear again, I might as well not bother with you." Xia Wanzhi sighed slightly and chuckled. "I've been tattled lately. Whether I tell Grandpa or Xie Qiyan depends on my mood."

No matter who she tells, the lesson Xie Nan learned will be no less severe than the slap she received today.

Xie Nan clenched her fist, gritted her teeth, and glanced at Xie Lin, who remained silent the whole time.

"Xie Tan, let's go, this feng shui is bad." Xia Wanzhi reached out to Xie Tan, who stepped forward energetically, took her hands, and breathed on her aching palms.

Back at the South Courtyard, Xie Tan saw Xie Qiyan and immediately launched into a vivid account of Xia Wanzhi's heroic deeds.

Xie Qiyan smiled enigmatically: "Didn't they say that hitting someone during the New Year is unlucky?"

Xia Wanzhi said matter-of-factly, "I think the sound of slapping is quite auspicious."

Xie Qiyan said thoughtfully, "According to you, a little red would be more festive."

Xia Wanzhi: "..."

"Cough, don't be impulsive," Xia Wanzhi advised.

Xie Qiyan remained unmoved.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Xie family still had many visitors coming to pay their respects.

Xie Nan stood out abruptly in the crowd with her face red, swollen, and chapped.

Xia Wanzhi took a deep breath, and officially witnessed the ruthlessness of the legendary King Xie.