She led the whole village to prosperity by raising koi fish.

Chapter 46 Feeling Very Favorable

When Nangong Xiawu arrived at the Nangong residence arm in arm with the leader of the grassland alliance, carrying an exquisite gift box, Master Nangong asked, looking bewildered,

"Daughter, who is the person who came with you? They look a little unfamiliar."

Nangong Xiawu replied with a smile, "This is the leader of the grassland alliance, Kaide. He wants to marry me, and I've come to ask for my father's opinion and blessing."

Master Nangong was an opportunist; upon hearing that the other party had an important background, he immediately responded with obsequious bows and scrapes.

"Welcome, leader of the grassland alliance! Your arrival brings great honor to the Nangong Mansion."

The leader of the grassland alliance smiled slightly, "Master Nangong, you are too kind. I came here today to inform you that I am taking Nangong Xiawu to the grassland to get married. From now on, she will be the rightful wife of the leader and will be settling down on the grassland for a long time."

"Oh, sure, then, should my wife and I attend your wedding?" Master Nangong asked.

"There's absolutely no need for that," the leader of the grassland alliance flatly refused.

"It can't be that bad. I am Nangong Xiawu's father. It is only natural for me to go. How can I not go?" Master Nangong looked at the leader of the grassland alliance with a puzzled expression and asked.

"You're just a nobleman from the northern desert, not some high-ranking official. Why should we let you pass? Besides, you've treated Nangong Xiawu badly. The marks from whipping her are still there. So you're not welcome at our wedding," the grassland leader replied curtly.

"So, I can't even attend the wedding of the daughter I raised with such hardship. I'm such a failed father," Old Master Nangong complained angrily.

"Anyway, we've delivered the message, we should be going!" As soon as he finished speaking, the Grassland Alliance Leader pulled Nangong Xiawu away, preparing to leave.

At this moment, Master Nangong hurriedly came over to stop them, saying, "You've come all this way, it's not easy for you, at least have a meal before you leave."

The leader of the grassland alliance and Nangong Xiawu exchanged a glance, and then nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, Nangong Xiawu's mother, younger brother, younger sister, and the entire Nangong family came to the dining table. Nangong Xiawu happily introduced them to everyone.

"This is the leader of the grassland alliance, Cade. He is an incredibly brave and heroic man!"

At this moment, the underling responded disdainfully, "He's just the guy who was defeated by the new leader, what's so great about him?"

"What do you know? Children shouldn't talk nonsense." The mother quickly stopped her youngest son from speaking rudely.

“Your brother-in-law encountered a similar situation before, but he later gathered manpower and resources and regained the position of leader of the alliance,” Nangong Xiawu quickly spoke up for her future husband.

"King of the Grasslands, make yourself at home here. Eat whatever you like and don't be shy!" Master Nangong greeted politely.

"Okay, thank you."

"I never imagined that my daughters would be so outstanding! Xue'er is now an imperial concubine, and Wu'er has become the wife of the alliance leader. I am so proud!" Master Nangong was overjoyed and drank three cups of wine in a row before he was satisfied.

“My lord, we also have a young son and a young daughter, who need to be raised well as well,” Madam Nangong replied with a smile.

Master Nangong nodded in agreement, "That's right, that's right. They should all be nurtured well so that they can grow up to be successful people."

"By the way, brother-in-law, are you engaged to Princess Wan'er? It's said that Princess Wan'er gave up her dowry and went back to her hometown after not seeing you." The younger sister deliberately mocked, "Brother-in-law is not very lucky. He hasn't even seen his own fiancée. He's really incompetent."

"Bang!" The leader of the grassland alliance slammed his fist on the table in anger, then stood up to argue.

"Do you think I wanted this to happen to me? Do you think I wanted this? You're so young and you already know how to ridicule and mock others. You won't have a good ending when you grow up. Shameless!"

"Hey, how dare you talk to my child like that? This is the Nangong Manor, not your grassland! Apologize to my daughter right now!" Nangong Xiawu's mother angrily rebuked.

At this point, Master Nangong could no longer bear it and shouted loudly,

"Enough! Can you please say less?!"

Now, Madam Nangong's tone softened, "Master, look at this prospective son-in-law. His attitude is terrible! This is still at his in-laws' house, yet he's so rude and unreasonable. Why don't you say anything to him?"

"He's the leader of the grassland alliance, don't you understand? Even our lord shows him deference. What right do we have to lecture him? And you're supposed to be the legal wife of the Nangong family? You have no sense at all!" Master Nangong retorted angrily, then put down his chopsticks and left.

"I can't eat anymore either, you all hurry up and eat," Madam Nangong replied angrily.

"Eat quickly, eat your fill so we can continue our journey," the grassland leader said, serving food to Nangong Xiawu. The two children nearby looked at each other, realizing it was inappropriate to watch them display their affection, so they chased and played around as they left the table.

In Xinghua Village, Su Yuning, her brother, and sister-in-law set off together by carriage. The woman, holding her infant grandson, stood at the door with Old Su to see them off. Only after the carriage disappeared from sight did they reluctantly return home.

"Old woman, you've worked so hard, taking care of the children, washing clothes, and cooking," Old Su said with a pained expression.

The woman smiled nonchalantly, "What's wrong with that? It's only natural to look after your own grandson. Besides, with you here, you can help take care of the child. What would you like to eat today? I'll go cook."

Old Su replied, "It's been a long time since we've had dumplings. Why don't you go and make some dumplings for us?"

"Is it filled with chives and eggs? Or with cabbage and tofu?" the woman asked carefully.

"Cabbage and tofu, I guess, something milder," Old Su replied, taking the child and heading towards the room.

The woman, naturally, couldn't stay idle. She first went to the market and bought a large cabbage, then a piece of hot tofu. Seeing a vendor selling sweet potato noodles—homemade sweet potato noodles—she bought a small bundle of them. Then, she happily went home with a basket full of ingredients.

Back in Yangjiaping, Zhou Xi was out of sorts all day, either dozing off or spacing out. Old Yang noticed she seemed preoccupied, so he called her to the door and asked her what was wrong.

"Zhou Xi, what's wrong with you today? You seem out of sorts."

"Yes, a little," Zhou Xi said honestly.

"What's wrong? Did my son upset you? Tell me what happened, and I'll definitely stand up for you!" Old Yang replied earnestly.

Zhou Xi replied calmly, "He didn't make me angry, I just miss home."

"I see. Then I'll have Yang Yuxuan accompany you back tomorrow, and you can stay for a few more days before coming back."

"Ok, thank you."

"Don't mention it, we're not strangers," Old Yang replied with a smile. "It's market day today, why don't you have your mother-in-law accompany you to the market to buy some gifts to take back with you?"

“Alright, let’s go to the market to relax.” Zhou Xi nodded in agreement, then went home to find her mother-in-law.

The bustling market was a dazzling array of goods. There were fresh fruits and vegetables, lively fish and shrimp, and fragrant roasted meats and steaming buns and dumplings, among other delicacies; there were exquisite silk fabrics, magnificent jewelry, delicate ceramics, and practical farm tools and other daily necessities. Zhou Xi and her mother-in-law chatted and laughed together, feeling much happier.

Knowing that Zhou Xi was going home and would definitely want to dress presentably, Madam Yang not only bought Zhou Xi a beautiful coat and skirt, but also new socks and shoes.

"Thank you for your kind offer, you've gone to so much trouble," Zhou Xi replied gratefully.

"Silly girl, it's only right to thank your mother-in-law," the woman replied with a smile. Afterwards, the mother-in-law bought her daughter-in-law bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry, and even a whole set of rouge and face powder.

"I don't need any of the makeup products, you're too kind," Zhou Xi said with a smile. "How about you keep the cosmetics? I'm used to washing my face with just water."

“How can that be? You’re a grown woman now, how can you be so careless about details? From now on, you should put on makeup and dress up beautifully every day,” the woman instructed.

Su Yuning replied with a troubled expression, "But I've never studied makeup, so I don't know how to use these things at all."

"What's so difficult about that? Blush is for the face, lipstick is for the lips, and powder is for applying to the face. Makeup isn't difficult at all. I'll teach you later!"

"Okay, sure," Zhou Xi nodded in agreement.

The flower section of the market not only has roses, osmanthus, and other flowers, but also precious medicinal herbs and tonics, such as ginseng, deer antler, and lingzhi.

The generous Mrs. Yang bought a pair of Ganoderma lucidum mushrooms, packed them up, and handed them to Zhou Xi. "Ganoderma lucidum is great for making soup. You can let your father eat some later. It's nourishing and good for his health."

“Okay,” Zhou Xi nodded in agreement.

As they walked, they came to the dried goods section, where Mrs. Yang selected red dates, longans, peanuts, and roasted chestnuts.

Zhou Xi kindly reminded him, "You've already given us enough gifts, so please don't spend any more money."

Madam Yang smiled slightly, "Alright then, let's stroll around a little longer and then head back."

In addition, the market also offers handicrafts such as paper cutting, wood carving, and embroidery, as well as local snacks like candied hawthorn and sugar painting. In short, it has everything imaginable, a truly dazzling array.

Madam Yang and Zhou Xi ate some steamed buns at the market, each drank a bowl of soy milk, and then went home with bags and bags of gifts.

Su Yuning chatted and laughed with her older brother and sister-in-law all the way to the beach. Su Yuning and her sister-in-law carried buckets to collect seashells, while her older brother caught some crabs and small fish.

Since there were no restaurants by the sea, they had to make do with some seafood.

The eldest sister-in-law responded with self-reproach, "It's all my fault. I didn't think things through before we went out and didn't bring enough food and water for everyone. I must be more careful about what I bring next time we go out."

"It's alright, it's alright. The drunken crab that Big Brother made is quite delicious. Sister-in-law, eat more. We'll go somewhere else later and buy some more food for a snack," Su Yuning replied with a smile.

The eldest son of the Su family looked at her with a gentle expression and replied in a very mild tone, "It's not your fault. My sister and I didn't expect it either. Don't feel too much pressure when you're out having fun. I'm here, so don't worry!"

"Okay, sure," Yang Yuyan replied with a smile.

"I must say, the scenery here is quite nice. The sea and sky meet, seagulls fly freely, and there are seashells on the beach that sparkle like stars. It's practically a tourist attraction!" the eldest son of the Su family exclaimed.

At this moment, Su Yuning looked around and found a tall coconut tree. She shook the tree, and a few coconuts fell down. She asked her older brother to help open the coconuts so that her sister-in-law could taste the fresh coconut juice.

"What kind of fruit is this? Is there juice inside?" Yang Yuyan asked curiously.

“I’ve seen this in fruit shops in the city before. It’s called a coconut. It has delicious coconut juice inside, and it also has coconut meat that tastes good. Sister-in-law, try it and see if the coconut juice is good?” Su Yuning told her in detail.

Yang Yuyan took only one sip of coconut juice and happily replied, "It tastes great! It's refreshing and sweet, coconut juice is perfect for cooling down in the summer!"

Upon hearing his wife's high praise for the coconut juice, the eldest son of the Su family couldn't wait to open a coconut and gulp down all the juice.

"Great! The coconut juice is delicious! It's thirst-quenching and tasty!"

"Big brother, can you open a coconut for me too?" Su Yuning asked kindly, and the eldest son of the Su family offered to help.

Afterwards, Su Yuning also drank the refreshing coconut juice.

“I remember Princess Wan’er saying that coconuts can also be used in cooking. She’s had coconut chicken before and thought it was delicious. She even made the dish herself. Why don’t we bring her a few fresh coconuts when we go back? She can make juice or use them in cooking.” Su Yuning suggested with a smile.

“Why bring more back? Let’s pick a few more this time and put them in the car. They can be used as drinks on the way, and the remaining coconuts can be given as gifts,” the eldest son of the Su family replied.

"Okay, go pick some coconuts!" Su Yuning suggested.

The eldest son of the Su family wasn't stupid. How could he climb such a tall coconut tree? He imitated Su Yuning and shook the tree. Soon, coconuts fell down, and he just picked them up.

After harvesting more than a dozen coconuts, Su Yuning and her sister-in-law collected two sacks of seashells. Then the group continued on their way because they needed to go to the rice paddies to collect discarded straw. Although it would be a long walk, it would save money and provide an opportunity for sightseeing, so why not?

At this moment, the Su family had already started cooking dumplings. While his wife was cooking the dumplings, Old Su prepared vinegar, garlic cloves, and even two soup bowls to hold the dumpling soup.

Afterwards, the woman put the dumplings on a plate, one for each of the elderly couple. Old Su wanted to eat the dumplings with garlic, but the woman stopped him, saying, "You're just recovering, the garlic is too spicy for you to eat."

Old Su said helplessly, "Alright then, I guess I can eat dumplings with vinegar, right?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, that's fine."

The little one next to them watched them eat dumplings, smacking his lips with envy, but he was too young and could only have rice porridge.