Quick Transmigration: Leisure

On Qingming Festival.

Wangjia Village, on the hillside where I often gathered firewood in my childhood.

Xia Youmi and Dahuang sat quietly, the setting sun casting a golden glow, the evening clouds merging into a perfect harmony. (1)

Perhaps it was because he was overworked during the years he was borrowed to solve cases.

In the original storyline, Da Huang was supposed to live until Xia Youmi was eighteen. However, now, before even turning sixteen, Da Huang has already shown obvious signs of weakness. His second brother says he's not doing well and might not make it through the year.

Xia Youmi took Dahuang and left Chang'an, temporarily returning to the old house in the village.

After a few quiet days, the entire clan returned to the village one after another, and everyone began preparing for the Qingming Festival.

There were also two special guests: Yang Silang and Yang Jiuniang. Yang Silang's fiancée and Yang Jiuniang's elder brother who accompanied her.

Walking slowly down the mountain path, a person and a dog strolled along.

"Big Yellow, I think this place is nice."

"Wang!"

Over the past few days, they revisited all the places where they used to play as children. Xia Youmi let Da Huang choose a spot he liked so he could be laid to rest there in the future.

They understood each other's meaning and stopped running away.

In the evening, we went to my uncle's house for dinner.

This was a rare and joyous reunion; amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, it seemed as if much sorrow had been swept away.

"Yanlang is so promising!" Auntie exclaimed repeatedly.

Looking at his youngest son, Wang Shaoyi, he was overwhelmed with emotion. The alcohol took effect, and he couldn't help but show his resentment.

"Yi'er, we've been delayed! That Zheng family, they've gone back on their word!"

"Mother, stop talking!" the eldest brother said, his face showing impatience.

Wang Shaoyi's martial arts master had initially held him in high regard and was actively grooming him. He had even hinted at arranging a marriage between him and his master, hoping that if Wang Shaoyi passed the provincial martial arts examination and received an official position, he would be successful.

My elder brother excels in martial arts, physical strength, and military leadership.

But unexpectedly, amidst the chaos caused by the other candidates' archery and horsemanship, the eldest brother, in an attempt to save someone, was trampled over by a horse. As a result, he was left with chest tightness and coughing, making it impossible for him to rise to a military post again, and he was only given a sinecure.

The eldest brother felt he had failed his mentor and was too ashamed to face his master and Zheng Qianjin, so the marriage was called off.

The eldest aunt, unaware of the true situation, assumed that the other party had abandoned her son who had lost his future.

"I'm being long-winded. What about Yanlang and Mi Niang?" The eldest aunt changed the subject, but the topic couldn't be separated from marriage.

"It's my second brother who's going to have a lot of good news," Xia Youmi corrected.

“Yes, her two brothers will both be fine and find good husbands,” Wang Xiu chimed in from the side.

Once everyone returned to their polite manners, they began to tease Wang Shaoyan and Yang Jiuniang.

In this rural clan, the separation of men and women wasn't so strict. The whole family, including the guests, sat facing each other at the table.

Perhaps because they were more familiar with each other, or perhaps because they were a little drunk, the two people at the center of the conversation started to drag others into the discussion.

"I heard that my younger sister is also getting married soon."

The speaker was Yang Jiuniang, with a gentle smile. She possessed the demeanor of a noblewoman, yet was also very approachable. In their several conversations, she was the one who initiated the interaction with Xia Youmi.

"Ninth Sister is joking."

Xia Youmi was determined not to handle the matter vaguely and to stick to the facts. However, she didn't mention the verbal engagement with the Song family to anyone in her family. Why was everyone implying that something was amiss when she returned home this time?

His gaze swept over the Yang siblings, devoid of any warmth.

"Don't be shy, little sister. It's all over the capital." Yang Jiuniang still smiled with a tolerant and amused expression.

"Young Master Song sincerely requests your hand in marriage. You are a perfect match, both talented and beautiful, and deeply in love!"

Wang Xiu looked unwell, but she didn't want to make a scene during the meal.

"?"

"What rumors? In the few days I've been away from Beijing, have they been spreading such lies?"

Xia Youmi looked completely bewildered and firmly denied it.

It really shouldn't have been admitted; it was obviously a scam. Something from six months ago was being brought up and spread, and during that time, she and Song Heng had barely met alone.

The eldest brother was the first to react. Since he began studying martial arts, he had rarely been home. But he was somewhat aware of the power and influence in the capital. Were these influential people people he could easily curry favor with? Although his younger sister was very kind, the gap between them was not small.

"I told you it was a rumor. How could you believe something so absurd?"

The elder brother wasn't very clear about the affairs of the county government. Therefore, he only knew that Xia Youmi had saved the princess.

“Indeed, some people have ill intentions,” the eldest uncle said, offering his opinion.

He was in the county government office and knew more about the situation, but he hadn't noticed anything amiss. It would be more credible to pass the news on to County Lieutenant Zhao.

Zhao and Xia: Bah!

"I don't believe it either," Wang Xiu said firmly.

"If someone wants to marry you, they will go directly to your parents' home to talk to them, instead of making a scene and spreading rumors throughout the city."

Wang Xiu was very unhappy because the rumor deeply slandered her daughter. It said that she was a scheming person who spent her days showing her face in public, associating with hooligans, behaving crudely, having a masculine build, coming from a poor family, and wanting to climb the social ladder.

Because of the special nature of the second uncle's tragedy, the family has never publicly mentioned the benefactor.

Now we've run into the line of fire.

The second brother's face was extremely pale; years of grief and repression had all manifested in his indiscreet words.

"If you weren't intentional, why would you spend all your time with that group of people?"

"You dare say there was no proposal?"

"Yes, you've benefited from all of this. Not only have you been able to befriend the powerful and wealthy, but you've also received instruction from renowned masters."

"The Lady of Qi has publicly praised you, so this is still just a rumor?"

"Second brother!"

Xia Youmi looked at Wang Shaoyan, whose face was flushed. Was he using this as an excuse to vent his dissatisfaction?

Was it that he had witnessed his interactions with the Song family, or was someone stirring things up?

Let's turn our attention back to the Yang siblings. They both look awkward, as if they don't want to hear too much about other people's business.

Xia Youmi had originally planned to have a proper discussion with her second brother about the Yang family's situation. But now wasn't the best time. They were present; could she really expose their secrets to their faces?

“Explain it clearly to everyone, and explain it clearly to your second uncle.”

“I’ll tell you this in private.”

Xia Youmi couldn't think of a way to avoid the Yang family's arguments. She could only gently tell her second brother to calm down, that they shouldn't be arguing like this.

"You are the most heartless person."

"You don't care about anyone except your eldest aunt. You could marry your enemy and hurt your own family without batting an eye, couldn't you? As long as you're doing well, you don't care about your brother's life or death, do you?"

Wang Shaoyan almost burst into tears, his eyes filled with disappointment and indignation. Just as he had said, only he was suffering the pain of losing his loved ones. Everyone else was doing well, even becoming more and more harmonious. They could even maintain close ties with their enemies, even going so far as to kneel and fawn over them.

"I......"

Xia Youmi was somewhat at a loss for words. Honestly, she didn't care about many people. But that didn't mean she would despise the hatred of her own family. Her association with the Song family stemmed from two reasons: first, her connection to the "golden finger" (a powerful ability to manipulate others) and the county government; and second, her understanding that the root of the hatred wasn't the fault of just one person.

"Six months ago, when I saved the princess, the Song family asked if I was willing to get married. I made it clear at the time that I would never marry in this life."

"This matter has never been mentioned again."

"Now that rumors are suddenly spreading, I'm afraid there are other motives behind it."

"Second brother, let's talk after we've calmed down."

Wang Shaoyan collapsed, powerless.

Xia Youmi was very calm, but it was this calmness that made him realize whether she really cared about her family's criticism.

He did not wrong anyone.

At this moment, Xia Youmi was deep in thought.

It's likely that the Yang family heard about the marriage and felt that the Wang family had some value to them.

That's why they stirred things up.