The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

Where are my maternal grandmother and my mother?

"They are all inside the house."

Du Mingxian went inside, and Madam Zhou, having heard the noise, had already gotten up. Seeing her coming over, she was surprised, "Didn't you just go back? Why are you here again? Is something the matter?"

How is Grandma?

"The doctor said that with the changing seasons and the weather gradually getting warmer, it's normal for the elderly to get sick."

Du Mingxian noticed that Old Mrs. Xu's eyes were closed and asked softly, "Is she asleep?"

"Yeah, I didn't sleep much last night. I just managed to fall asleep for a little while. Let's go outside and talk."

The two of them came out and stood at the door, not daring to go far.

Madam Zhou deliberately lowered her voice and asked, "Why did you come here? Didn't you just go back?"

"Yes, there is something. Did you see Wang Qi when you went home last time, Mother?"

After thinking for a moment, Madam Zhou asked, "Is it that young master who's older than you and keeps calling you 'sister'?"

"Yes, he is from the Wang family in Nandi City. His family is in business. His father wanted to adopt me as his goddaughter, and I agreed when I was in Nandi City. He is already in the village now."

Madam Zhou frowned but did not reply.

Du Mingxian knew Da Zhou Shi quite well; her mother's expression clearly wasn't angry, but rather worried.

"What is Mother afraid of?"

"Don't you find it strange that such a wealthy family wants to adopt you as their goddaughter without asking for anything in return?"

"Is Mother afraid that the Wang family has ulterior motives?"

"Ah."

Du Mingxian didn't want to tell Madam Zhou that everything in the family workshop was something she had created, since no one knows a daughter better than her mother, and she had been raised by her mother since she was a child.

No matter how clever she is, she can't possibly know how to brew wine or make sauce out of thin air.

“It’s just that Wang Qi is too difficult to manage. However, Wang Qi listens to me, so Uncle Wang felt that I could control her. He thought of adopting me as his goddaughter, so that we would be brother and sister in name only, and people wouldn’t gossip if we walked together.”

“Without a proper title, as a married woman, I would always be the subject of gossip and rumors, which is a form of protection for me.”

The eldest Zhou family breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as they don't have any other intentions towards you, that's fine. It's just because of Wang Qi. After all, having a nominal title makes many things easier."

"Yes."

When will it be held?

"Uncle Wang said he wanted to check the auspicious date, and Dad went to check it this morning. Tomorrow is an auspicious day."

"Okay, I'll go tomorrow."

"I don't know if my grandmother will be able to go tomorrow."

Mentioning this Zhou family member makes me worried. "She was fine just a couple of days ago, but suddenly she fell ill. She's old, and it's really pitiful to see her like this."

Du Mingxian did not respond.

Suddenly remembering something, Madam Zhou pulled Du Mingxian's arm, drawing her closer, before whispering, "I saw your cousin yesterday afternoon, and she... she was chatting and laughing with a strange man on the street."

"Du Mingwei?"

"Ah."

"What man?"

Madam Zhou shook her head. "I really don't know. Anyway, the way that man looked at your cousin was strange, and your cousin was acting oddly too. It's hard to say."

Du Mingxian recalled the news Chen Ming brought back last time: Wu Daniu might have gone to join the army, leaving no man in the house. Who was the man with Du Mingwei?

"It's possible they were just traveling with someone they knew."

"I don't know, it just felt strange. I don't know who she came to the county with. I looked around, but I didn't see Wu Daniu."

He's in the army; it would be a miracle if he could even see it.

"Never mind, we'll see if we run into them. If something really happens, gossip will always spread."

"Correct."

Du Mingxian came with her second and third sisters-in-law, so naturally she couldn't stay. She went in and took another look at Old Madam Xu, who was still unconscious and looked unwell.

She went into the kitchen, added some spiritual water to the water tank, and then added some more to the well before leaving.

They found two women on the street, and the three of them walked around for a while, buying everything they needed before going home.

The family reunion banquet was to be held, but Du Mingxian didn't want to make a big fuss about it.

After discussing it, the family decided to invite their relatives over for a meal, and then, with the family members as witnesses, Du Mingxian kowtowed to Wang's father to acknowledge him as her godfather.

Among the family members who came were Ling Silang's entire family, making quite a few people in total. Finally, Ling Da and Ling's father's brothers also arrived, along with their families.

There were quite a few people here, and even with six tables set up for the banquet, it was still a bit of a squeeze.

Only Zhou Shi and Xu Dazhuang came from the county. Xu Tingting didn't come; she stayed home to take care of Old Lady Xu.

The meal was cooked by the women of the Ling family themselves, and the table and everything else were moved from the workshop. Soon the food was served.

In front of everyone, Du Mingxian knelt down in front of Wang's father and offered him tea, saying, "Father, please have some tea."

"Alright." Father Wang chuckled as he took the tea and finished it. He then took a small box from a servant and said, "This is a gift from your father to mark your marriage."

"Thank you, foster father."

“From now on, we’ll be family. If you need anything, just come to me. I’ve already had the housekeeper prepare a special courtyard for you to live in.”

Du Mingxian was surprised and touched by Wang's reaction. At her age, even her own father didn't value her as much as a godparent she had taken in later in life.

“I know the chances of you going are slim, but your godfather just wants to keep it for you, so you know that it is your home too.”

"Yes."

Next, it was Ling Silang's turn to serve tea.

As husband and wife are one, after Ling Silang recognized his relatives, Wang's father also gave him a gift, which was also packed in a box.

The two kowtowed, and the family reunion was completed simply.

Everyone started eating and drinking. Because it was a simple gathering with few people, it was quite lively.

After everyone finished eating, Wang's father and Ling's father felt like they had known each other for a long time. They got drunk and went to the workshop together with their arms around each other's shoulders.

Ling Dalang was worried and followed behind.

The men were clearing the table, while the women had already gathered the dishes and chopsticks together and poured several basins of water to wash them.

Du Mingxian was also helping, but her family wouldn't let her help. They only let her accompany Ling Silang inside so that he could rest well, as they were afraid he would fall ill again after all the exertion he had during the day.

Du Mingxian accompanied Ling Silang into the room, and Ling Silang went to bed by himself.

Just then, Wang Qi knocked on the door, "Sister."

Du Mingxian turned around and frowned.

Under Du Mingxian's gaze, Wang Qi forced a smile and said, "Now that you acknowledge my father and godfather, we're like brother and sister. I'm a few years older than you, so I'll call you 'sister'..."

That's not suitable.

"Oh, who was it that said they would call me 'sister' for life? Turns out, it was all just empty talk."

Wang Qi chuckled, "Fine, fine, I'll just call you 'sister' then. If I'm embarrassed, I'm embarrassed."

Du Mingxian had the air of a teachable scholar.

Wang Qi felt a chill run down his spine. Before they became godparents, his sister was strict with him. Now that they were godparents, wouldn't his sister be even stricter with him?

Du Mingxian: Definitely.

As the two were talking, Xiao Zhou's voice came from outside, "Fourth sister-in-law, fourth sister-in-law."

Xiao Zhou's voice was urgent. Du Mingxian hurriedly got up and went to the door, "What's wrong, Second Sister-in-law?"