Striving for a monthly ticket, fighting for a new book's monthly ticket top ten, hanging on the tail of the list.

  ***

  "Sixteen," Xia Qiao, carrying a lantern, walked ahead, and when he heard his brother and sister talking, he turned back, "Later, no matter what mother says or does, sixteen, you endure it, don't argue with mother. I will persuade her."

  "Sister, don't be afraid." Xiaoshu held Summer's hand, "If mother beats you, I'll take the beating for you. Mother won't dare to hit me hard, hehe." Then, he suddenly remembered something. "Ah, how could I forget to go find Uncle?"

  The little tree then consulted with Xia Zhi, asking her to go back and find Xiao Hei Yu. "I'll just go with big brother to pick up mother. With Uncle Lao around, mother won't dare do anything to you."

  "You're so clever." Xia Zhi patted the top of Xiao Shu's head. This child was now very close to her and had learned to consider her well-being. She wasn't unaware that she should go find Xiao Hei Yu for protection, but in the end, she didn't do so.

  She can't always rely on Xiao Hei to deal with the Tian family. Although the timing is not yet fully ripe, she will have to get through this pass eventually.

  "It's right not to look for Old Uncle." Xia Qiao nodded, "The more you look for Old Uncle, the more awkward it will be with our mother. Sixteen, later you should apologize to our mother. She is our own mother, we can't let her lose face..."

  Xia Zhi glanced at Xia Qiao and smiled without saying a word. Xia Qiao's temperament was indeed very similar to Xia Xiucan's.

  As I walked to the village entrance, I saw Mrs. Tian standing under a big tree. She wasn't alone, Old Cui was beside her. When Old Cui saw the child from the Xia family arrive, he said something to Mrs. Tian and then drove his cart back home.

  Xia Qiao hastily walked to Tian's side and called out, "Mother, you're back."

  "Yes, I'm back, didn't die outside as you had hoped." Tian Shi walked out of the tree shadow, saying viciously. Her words were directed at Da Qiao, but her gaze passed over her two sons and fell on Xia Zhi's face.

  Xia Zhi glanced at Tian Shi without making a sound. Tian Shi had a small package tucked under her arm, and she was still dressed in the same attire as when she left home that day. However, compared to when she left home, she seemed to have become much more haggard.

  These days in Xiaowang Village, Tian's days must have been unbearable. As for now coming back and being able to let Lao Quai's car take her all the way home, but instead insisting on Daqiao coming to pick her up, is really worth pondering.

  Xia Zhi had guessed what was going on in her heart, of course she wouldn't say it out loud, and just followed Xiao Shu Er to call for their mother.

  "Mother, don't say that. We all miss you," Xia Qiao said, and then went to take the small package under Tian Shi's arm. "Mother, let's talk about it when we get home."

  Tian's family could have arrived home while it was still light. But she didn't enter the village, instead letting Lao Guai stop the cart in a secluded spot. Not until night had fallen did she let Lao Guai go to the village to summon Da Qiao to come and fetch her.

  She left home in a very inglorious manner this time.

  If it were Xia Xiuzai who came to pick her up, she would definitely swagger into the village. Coming back in this manner, she didn't want to run into people from the village. Letting Daqiao come pick her up was also a precaution against running into someone. Having her son come pick her up, she could still say two words and save face.

  With such thoughts in mind, she naturally wouldn't make a fuss or scold Xia Zhi outside, so after hearing Xia Qiao's words, she didn't say anything more.

  Xia Qiao held a lantern in one hand and supported Tian Shi with the other, walking ahead. Xia Zhi and Xiao Shu'er followed behind them. The few people all tacitly didn't speak, until they entered the house.

  Tian saw Sun Lan'er and was shocked.

  Sun Lan'er came forward to welcome Tian Shi, warmly calling out "Auntie" and saying: "I made a bowl of soup for you, Auntie, and baked two pancakes. Wash your face and eat!"

  Tian's family was always quite polite to Sun Lan'er: "Lanzi, how can we trouble you with this?"

  "Mother, my mother asked me to keep you company for a while." Sun Lan'er said, busy pouring water for Tian Shi, and Xia Zhi set up the table on the kang with Da Qiao, putting the soup and roasted pancakes on it.

  Being served like this, Tian Shi couldn't lose her temper in front of Sun Lan'er on the summer solstice. She was really hungry and washed up to eat pancakes and drink soup on the kang, chatting with Sun Lan'er at the same time.

  Sun Lan'er answered every question, and would have liked to mention Xia Zhi's good words in every sentence.

  No one asked Tian about how she came back or mentioned her trip to Xiao Wang Zhuang.

  As they talked, the topic somehow shifted to Xia Ershu's family and mentioned Tian Lai Bao. Tian Shi had been away from home for more than half a month and was thinking of understanding what had happened during these days. When she learned about Tian Lai Bao's family background and heard Xia Zhi occasionally reveal a sentence that revealed Xia Ershu's intention towards Tian Lai Bao, she put down her chopsticks and asked carefully.

  Before Xia Zhi could even open his mouth, Xiao Shu had already told Tian Shi everything from start to finish.

  "Second Uncle and them also made Second Brother say bad things about my sister, not letting Bao Ge play with my sister together. Because of this, they even quarreled with my grandfather."

  "Is that so......" Tian's eyes seemed to be deep in thought as he gazed at Xia Zhi for a moment longer.

  Xiatill didn't say anything, she and Sun Lan'er together put away the dinner table, with her back to Tian Shi, she smiled at Sun Lan'er. Her plan so far has been quite smooth. In a while, she will add more fuel to the fire, and Tian Shi shouldn't be giving her a hard time anymore.

  As soon as Xia Zhi and Sun Lan'er went to the main house, Tian Shi called Xia Qiao over and asked him a few questions in a low voice. When Xia Zhi came back, Tian Shi's gaze towards her was even more different: gone was the vicious look from before, replaced by a few hints of consideration and profundity.

  "Summer Solstice..." Tian called out to Xia Zhi, opening his mouth as if he wanted to ask something. After thinking for a moment, however, he didn't ask anything. "Let's all get some rest early."

  Xia Zhi responded with a "yes" and then went back to the west wing to rest with Sun Lan'er.

  "Sixteen, I didn't say anything wrong or do anything wrong, did I? If we do it this way, won't Big Auntie stop bothering you?" Sun Lan'er asked Xia Zhi in a low voice.

  Xia Zhi smiled: "Lan Zi sister, thanks a lot today. What you said and did are both great."

  "That's good." Sun Laner finally let out a breath of relief, "I was so nervous just now, afraid that something would go wrong..." Can't help Xia Zhi.

  The lights have gone out in both houses.

  Tian lay on the kang, her body very tired, but she couldn't sleep, tossing and turning. After a while, she finally couldn't help but sit up and called out to her eldest son: "Daqiao."

  "Mother, what's wrong?" Xia Qiao also had something on his mind and couldn't sleep. Hearing Tian Shi call him, he quickly sat up too.

  Tian didn't speak immediately, but instead glanced at the little tree sleeping beside him. The little tree was snoring softly at this time. Tian listened carefully again and didn't hear any movement from the west wing, only then did he feel at ease.

  "Big Bridge, you tell your mother about Tian Lai Bao's matter. In your opinion, what is Grandfather's true intention?" Tian Shi spoke in a low voice to her eldest son, "Is he really opposed to your uncle and aunt's idea or just pretending?"

  "My grandfather must be really disapproving, not just pretending." Daqiao answered very honestly.

  "Oh," Tian thought for a moment and then asked, "Is Tian Lai Bao close with Xia Zhi?"

  Xiaqiao immediately sensed that there was something else implied in Tian Shi's words, so she replied even more cautiously: "Mother, Tian Lai Bao and Sixteen are just children. Sixteen is close to Old Uncle, Tian Lai Bao plays with Old Uncle, and is happy to bring Sixteen along."

  "Your second uncle and aunt probably don't think so." Tian said, pausing for a moment, "Daqiao, do you know how your mother came back?"

  "Mother..." Xia Qiao felt a little guilty for not being able to stop Tian Shi from going to Xiao Wang Zhuang to work, and also for not going to pick her up.

  "It was your grandfather and your eldest uncle who went to Xiao Wang Zhuang to bring me out," Tian Shi told Xia Qiao.

  "Why didn't my grandfather and uncle come back with mother?" Xia Qiao asked.

  "What are they coming back with me for? They're looking at your face, the Lao Xia family, with such a low and humble attitude?" Tian's tone was filled with resentment.

  "Mother..."

  Tian's intention was not to shift the blame to her eldest son, she slowed down and then told Xia Qiao: "Your grandfather and your uncle didn't know that your father had sent me to Xiao Wang Zhuang. It was your second uncle who found someone to send a message to Kao Shan Tun, so your grandfather and uncle knew."

  "Ah!" Xiaqiao was startled.

  The little tree seemed to have also let out a cry, but he immediately turned over and continued to snore softly, as if the previous sound was just a murmur in his sleep.

  Tian looked at his younger son, but didn't take it to heart and continued talking to his older son. "I heard you guys mention Tian Lai Bao and Wu Yue, I think I understand what your second uncle is after. Ha ha, Da Qiao, your second uncle is not a simple person. Although he's the biological brother of your father, he hasn't made things easy for us. That's why I said this time he was so kind! They want me to come back and take care of Xia Zhi! What they're thinking is really beautiful!"

  "Daughter," Xia Qiao said cautiously, "I think my father's intention is that our Xia family will not be marrying into the Tian Lai Bao family. They are wealthy and we are poor, it's not a suitable match. Even if they were willing, I'm afraid people would talk."

  "Big bridge, you're quite clear about your grandfather's temper." Tian Shi sneered, "He's just that kind of old-fashioned person who wants to control everything! As for Xia Zhi's marriage, in the end, it's still up to me to decide, not him!"

  Xiaqiao wanted to persuade Tian Shi, but for a moment didn't know how to persuade her.

  The next morning, Xia Zhi came out of the west house and saw Tian Shi getting up earlier than her. Tian Shi's face still had a tired look, but she was busy going in and out as usual. She asked Sun Lan'er to stay for breakfast and told Xia Zhi to hurry up and wash her face so that she could rinse the rice and cook it in the morning.

  She treated Xia Zhi as if nothing had happened before.

  Nothing unusual happened on the summer solstice either.

  The Tian family finished their breakfast. Mrs. Tian then sent Xia Qiao and Xiao Shu out, and called Xia Zhi over to her side. She didn't say a word, first sizing Xia Zhi up and down several times.

  "What's going on with Tian Lai Bao now that it's summer?" Tian Shi asked as soon as he opened his mouth.

  Xia Zhi had already received a secret report from Xiao Shu early in the morning, and she answered the question skillfully, roughly consistent with Da Qiao's statement. Tian Shi listened and nodded: "I was not at home, you several people did not understand some things, so you suffered losses."

  "Little Shu told me that Tian Lai Bao's child is quite good to you. Xia Zhi, you're twelve this year and not young anymore, you should grow up a bit more. You are my daughter, your father is a scholar, among the girls in the Xia family, no one can compare to you. You must live up to expectations!"

  "Sister, what do you want me to strive for?" Xia Zhi asked.

  "Haven't you made any progress these days? How can you not understand such a simple thing?" Tian raised his eyes, "Tian Lai Bao is a good kid, catch him for me. If those few maids in the backyard snatch him away, I'll skin you alive!"

  Hehe, Xia Zhi sneered in her heart. Tian Shi had never seen Tian Lai Bao before, so why was she so sure he was a good person?

  "Mother, I'm alone, the backyard has Second Uncle and Second Aunt, May Sister, July and Second Column, they are all of one mind. They're still waiting for you to come back and take me in, what can I snatch from them? Can I even snatch anything?"

  "Do you think I'm a fool, just to satisfy them? Your affairs, I'll settle with you slowly later, not at this moment." Tian Shi said that the meaning of these words was that he would not settle accounts with Xia Zhi for the time being.

  "What's your intention, still angry with me?" Xia Zhi slowly sat down in front of Tian Shi.

  Tian's eyes narrowed as he stared at Xia Zhi, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity with this young girl. He vaguely felt that if he couldn't subdue Xia Zhi today, he would never be able to control her again. "Xia Zhi, did I let you sit? Am I being too kind to you? Have you forgotten what you've done?"

  Xia Zhi sat still, smiling at Tian Shi. "Mother, you want me to fight for what, I roughly understand. If you want to be happy, some things, you have to follow my lead."

  "Summer solstice, are you going to turn the sky upside down?!" Tian Shi glared at Xia Zhi fiercely.

  "Girl, you've only been to Xiao Wang Zhuang for half a month. You're back, and Grandpa and Uncle in the backyard don't even know yet." Xia Zhi remained unmoved, her tone calm and composed.

  Mrs. Tian's face was clouded with gloom, and she could naturally hear the threatening tone in Xia Zhi's words. Since marrying into the Xia family, her days had been going very well. In this more than half a month, she had eaten bitterness that she hadn't tasted in years. She knew in her heart that Xia Zhi was capable of making Old Man Xia send her back to Xiao Wang Village again, or even further away to an even more bitter place.

  At that time, perhaps her parents and brothers couldn't find a way to take her out. And this time she was able to be taken out because others knew that Old Man Xia wouldn't abandon his daughter-in-law, knowing that she was still the wife of a scholar and the daughter-in-law of the Xia family.

  "How dare you? I'll beat you to death first, believe it or not?" Tian's family gritted their teeth.

  "I believe, but even if I die, what's in it for you?" Xia Zhi's face still wore a smile. "You just want to save face, right? But I have a way to make you unable to even breathe."

  "I'm going to live with my grandfather, do you think he'll agree? Will you still care about me in the future?"

  Tian's eyes were staring at Xia Zhi, almost spewing fire.

  "Girl, think carefully. My grandparents need money badly. Are you going to send me to the backyard or keep me here?"

  Tian's family fell silent for a while, and then she said viciously: "You were born by me, don't think about going anywhere!"

  She spoke fiercely, but Xia Zhi genuinely smiled. "Mother, you're right, I won't go anywhere, I'll stay at home and make money for Mother, to support you."

  "You earn money and support me!" Tian's eyes narrowed as he looked at Xia Zhi.

  "Yes. Mother wants me to make a good showing, but that's for later. For now, as long as you agree to some things, I can help share your worries. Mother, aren't you still saving up money for my maternal grandparents' household?"

  **

  (。)