The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 48: Raising the Roof Beam

Father Xu thought about how he had previously betrothed his daughter to Jin Zijun, only for her to be treated poorly and grow into a spinster. Not to mention, it had dragged down his two sons, leaving them skinny and malnourished. He was still filled with regret!

Looking at Li Er’gou in front of him—dark-skinned, dull-witted, and with a foolish grin on his face—he thought, What kind of trash is this?

Compared to Jin Zijun, one was the dregs of society, and the other was mud from the ground!

Neither was any good.

His daughter was now so outstanding. What kind of person was Li Er’gou? And they had the nerve to say she “barely” matched him!

In his heart, he thought, Your Li Er’gou isn’t even fit to carry my Zhizhi’s shoes!

But since this was his mother-in-law, he politely declined: “Such a fine young man is too good for my Zhizhi. My daughter has bad luck. Please, Mother-in-law, don’t bring this up again.”

Although his tone was polite, his expression was dismissive.

Old Lady Li and Aunt Sun were instantly furious.

Aunt Sun glared at Father Xu, wanting to curse him out, but she remembered the feast they would have tomorrow.

She thought she’d wait until after the meal tomorrow to ask that brat directly. If she refused, they’d find another way.

Old Lady Li spoke up immediately: “Dagen, what do you know? Whether someone has good luck or not isn’t for you to decide. It’s up to the heavens. Look at your family now, building such a big house. It’s all because Zhizhi has great luck. I think she’s a blessing to her family and her husband. Combined with our Er’gou’s good fortune, it’ll be even better. We’ll treat Zhizhi well. You can rest assured letting her marry into our Li family.”

Aunt Sun glanced sideways at her mother-in-law, never having known she could speak so eloquently.

Father Xu realized that his in-laws were after his daughter’s ability to earn money.

As a craftsman, he had traveled far and wide. He was no stranger to people coveting his family’s wealth.

But to want to marry his daughter for money? He wouldn’t stand for it!

“Dani, talk some sense into your husband. Your mother knows what’s best for you,” Old Lady Li turned to her daughter with a smile.

Mother Xu was flabbergasted. Her mother had never smiled at her in her entire life!

In her heart, she thought her nephew Er’gou was quite good. He was even two years younger than her daughter. She had been worried that her daughter, being older, wouldn’t find a good match.

Mother Xu said to her husband, “Husband, my mother is right. Er’gou is really good. I think he and our daughter are a great match.”

Father Xu was stunned. He hadn’t expected his wife of nearly twenty years to not understand his refusal!

He was deeply questioning his life choices.

“Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law, you’re too late. My Zhizhi is already betrothed,” Father Xu said.

Everyone in the room was shocked.

Aunt Sun thought, *How could they be late again?*

Old Lady Li wondered if her son-in-law was lying.

Mother Xu thought, When did this happen? I didn’t know!

Li Er’gou finally realized that his grandmother and mother wanted him to marry his cousin. Thinking of his cousin’s pretty face, he hadn’t even finished feeling happy before his hopes were dashed!

“Who is she betrothed to?” Old Lady Li quickly asked.

“Someone from town. Zhizhi said they’d come to propose in a few days,” Father Xu lied for the first time.

Old Lady Li thought, If they haven’t come to propose yet, it doesn’t count. Her daughter always listened to her. Since her son-in-law was being difficult, she turned to her daughter with a kind expression:

“Dani, you have to believe me. Our family will treat your daughter well.”

Mother Xu opened her mouth to say something.

But Father Xu cut in: “My Zhizhi is really betrothed. After we finish building the house and the autumn harvest, we’ll hold the wedding. We’ll invite the whole Li family to the celebration.”

Seeing Father Xu’s firm attitude, Old Lady Li shut her mouth.

She thought, I’ll find another way after we go back.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had similar thoughts.

[They were determined to make Zhizhi their daughter-in-law.]

No one continued the conversation, and they all went to sleep.

Old Lady Li squeezed into the room with her grandsons, sharing the space with Xu Daniu and his brother.

Aunt Sun went to sleep in Xu Zhizhi’s room with her daughters and nieces.

As soon as she entered, she rummaged through the room but found nothing valuable.

Xu Zhizhi’s clothes were ordinary, but Aunt Sun still picked out three sets for her two daughters and a niece to wear tomorrow.

Early the next morning, the workers carried all the roof beams to the construction site.

There were many rooms and many beams, so it took a long time to carry them all. They had come early.

After breakfast, Xu Zhizhi brought Xu Daniu and her two cousins, carrying baskets of freshly heated buns and a large bucket of lean meat porridge for the workers.

The workers had never eaten such porridge before. Meat could be used to make porridge? Zhizhi was truly amazing.

After eating, the workers felt even more energized.

By noon, Qiu Dixian arrived to set off firecrackers.

At the same time, the workers lifted the main beam, tied with a large red cloth, into place.

Many children had come to watch the excitement, waiting to grab the flower-shaped buns.

As the firecrackers crackled, the person scattering the buns began tossing them down.

Both adults and children rushed to grab them. The more people, the better—it symbolized future prosperity.

The person scattering the buns hadn’t expected the Xu family to be so generous, preparing so many.

The courtyard was packed with people, more lively than ever before.

Basket after basket of flower-shaped buns were scattered.

Everyone was as excited as if it were New Year.

After the beams were raised, it was time to eat.

The banquet was set up, and everyone quickly found their seats.

Xu Dahu and Third Uncle had made several trips to town yesterday, transporting food.

The dishes were not only plentiful but also generous in portion. As the aroma wafted through the air, everyone gripped their chopsticks and waved their arms. As soon as a dish was served, it was swept clean in an instant.

They piled food into their bowls and devoured it, not even minding how hot it was.

When the soup dishes were served, they scooped it into their bowls and slurped it down.

Everyone was thinking, The Xu family used to be so poor they couldn’t even afford chaff. They were all skin and bones. Now, not only can they eat their fill, but they also have such large portions of meat.

They hired workers every day, providing meat and paying wages.

The villagers couldn’t help but look at Xu Zhizhi with a mix of awe and respect.

“I say, the Xu family’s big house and all this delicious food are all thanks to Zhizhi!”

“Exactly. If it weren’t for Zhizhi being enlightened by the gods, Father Xu’s leg wouldn’t have healed, and the whole family might have starved to death.”

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out from outside the courtyard.

“Is the Xu family’s girl here?”

Hearing the voice, Xu Zhizhi’s eyes lit up, and she hurried out to greet them.

“Manager Li, Physician Shangguan, what brings you here?”

Old Physician Shangguan smiled and said, “Your family has built such a big house. Of course, we had to come to congratulate you! And we’re not the only ones who came. There’s someone else too!”

With that, Old Physician Shangguan stepped down from the carriage, making room for the person behind him.

Xiao Jing珩 stepped out, dressed in a dark blue robe, tall and handsome, his stunning face wearing a gentle smile as he gazed intently at her.

“Young Master Xiao.”

Xu Zhizhi’s face lit up with surprise.

“Miss Xu, it’s been a while,” Xiao Jingheng’s deep, magnetic voice replied.

(End of Chapter)