Chapter 167: with translation of chapter title: 167

167 "Now we can relax!"

Inside the car, Tushan Jiu covered her face.

She turned to Xie Shiyu and said, "Get ready to be the center of attention; the elders in the village are quite enthusiastic, I might not be able to handle it."

Xie Shiyu froze, then glanced through the rearview mirror at the villagers who had already drifted away but were still looking around, and instantly understood what was happening.

He laughed, pulled her close, gave her a quick peck on the lips, and chuckled lowly, "Anything you can't handle?"

Tushan Jiu's face flushed, "No matter how many ghosts come, I can handle them, but with people it's not so certain."

Xie Shiyu smoothed her hair, "Don't worry, I've already prepared."

"'Already prepared?' Tushan Jiu tilted her head, looking at him quizzically."

Xie Shiyu played with the ends of her hair, "You'll find out soon."

This is Tushan Jiu's hometown, where they say distant relatives are no match for close neighbors.

Moreover, she had lived here for many years; this place was also her maternal home in a sense, and the villagers were like her maternal kin, so naturally she brought some gifts and small red envelopes to show her affection.

The car stopped at the village entrance of Lotus Village; at the fork in the road lay an entire lotus pond, and because of this natural pond the place got its name Lotus Village.

After crossing the bridge, this is a T-shaped intersection.

To the left is the path up the mountain; to the right is the village entrance.

The car stopped.

Because many people were already gathered at the village entrance.

Not far away, someone was running toward us while hopping to adjust their shoe heel.

"'Little Jiu, you're back?'"

"'Where? Where? I heard that little Jiu brought her son-in-law back?'"

"'Let me see, let me see, move out of the way, you're blocking my view!'"

Seeing this scene, Tushan Jiu had actually anticipated it.

The Tushan Family's status in Lotus Village is not ordinarily high.

After all, among the villagers, anyone with a minor ailment or misfortune goes up the mountain to find the Tushan Family's knife-handler for help.

Now, in the whole village, at least half of the households' kitchen knives were borrowed from the Tushan Family.

As for how many generations this has been passed down, Tushan Jiu doesn't know.

Tushan Jiu and Xie Shiyu got out of the car.

The driver also got out, walked to the rear of the car, and opened the trunk.

A group of villagers surrounded Tushan Jiu and Xie Shiyu.

Among them, the elders stood in front, while behind them children pushed forward, shouting, "Miss Jiu! Miss Jiu!"

The man from Granny Wang's family had been saved by Tushan Jiu's grandfather, and his relations with the Tushan Family are very good.

The day Tushan Jiu left home, she gave the keys to Granny Wang; there is still a courtyard on the mountain, and she asked Granny Wang to look after it.

Granny Wang and the other elders said nothing, merely sizing up Xie Shiyu with scrutinizing gazes.

Tushan Jiu has no blood relatives left, but that doesn't mean she lacks maternal kin.

When she departed, they were uneasy and considered sending two people to escort her to Nan Cheng.

But later Tushan Jiu persuaded them otherwise.

She said that with her ability, a single punch could fell a bull, so if anyone were to suffer a loss there, it wouldn't be her.

After thinking it over, they agreed: in literary matters she's a divine calculator, in martial arts she's invincible, so they relaxed and decided not to send an escort.

Xie Shiyu was not uneasy; he wore a sincere smile and introduced himself to everyone, "Good day, villagers. I am Xie Shiyu, the fiancé of Jiujiu. I'm sorry it took me so long to come here and meet you."

He took Tushan Jiu's hand and rubbed it twice, saying, "Had I not come, I wouldn't have known that Jiujiu's hometown is so full of talented and spirited people. I'm delighted to have this chance to accompany Jiujiu back to her maternal home, and I have prepared a small token for everyone, thanking you for all your care of Jiujiu over the years."

As Xie Shiyu spoke, Tushan Jiu turned her head to look at him, the smile in her eyes fully revealed.

So this is what he meant by being prepared.

From the moment we set out until now we've been together, so preparing along the way was impossible; he must have thought of this beforehand and had people get it ready.

She also hadn't expected him to value the villagers of Lotus Village so highly.

Tushan Jiu's palm was scratched, she snapped back to attention, and saw the driver approaching with things in hand, clutching a large stack of red envelopes to distribute to everyone; the children received red envelopes as well as individual toys.

She glanced back at the business car; no wonder they were using a business car today.

Granny Wang's face also showed a smile, but it was because she saw the faint surprise and happiness in Tushan Jiu's eyes.

When a woman goes to her husband's family, you can tell from her eyes whether she's doing well.

Moreover, love or lack thereof, for people like us who have been through it, you can see it at a glance.

She and her husband, along with a few other elders, exchanged a glance; their prepared questions went unsaid.

All they wanted was for him to treat Jiu well; they asked for nothing else.

Granny Wang murmured, "Now we can relax!"

The sun was still about to set; Granny Wang invited Tushan Jiu to eat at her house, and after she left the mountain, things were still unpacked—who knows when they'd be finished.

They all knew Tushan Jiu could eat a lot; although she could cook, her culinary skills were just average.

In the past, whenever any family made something delicious, they would send a portion up the mountain, or else call her down to come eat.

Tushan Jiu thought the same, saw no need to stand on ceremony, and brought Xie Shiyu to Granny Wang's house to mooch a meal.

As the sun set westward, a crowd escorted Tushan Jiu and Xie Shiyu into the village.

A group of children each clutched a large toy box, running ahead happily.

Behind them, the driver also got into the car, slowly following, and drove into an open space in the village to park.

The village roads are still quite spacious, and their construction quality is not bad.

Xie Shiyu had originally thought that, if there were any places needing investment and construction after his arrival, as the son-in-law of the Tushan Family he would naturally contribute his share.

But along the way, he found that the various facilities in Lotus Flower Village were quite well built.

Everything that should be there is present; even the asphalt road underfoot leads to every household, unlike other villages where only the village entrance is accessible and the interior roads are narrow stone slabs so difficult that even a single vehicle struggles to pass.

He asked Tushan Jiu, and she said it wasn't just Lotus Flower Township; three other townships were the same.

Because He Qian had originally been in Lotus Flower Township, where he had stayed for several years.

After leaving, he donated money to the township and repaired the roads.

Not only this road, but some of the village's basic infrastructure was also funded by him.

According to her grandfather, that sword was the result of He Qian and his father being desperate, with the whole family issued a kill order, leaving only the two of them to flee to Lotus Flower Township.

At that time, He Qian's father also inexplicably fell seriously ill; upon learning that a sword-borrower lived on the mountain, He Qian asked the Tushan family for a prophecy and borrowed a sword, but all he got in return was an ominous saying.

When hidden virtue is exhausted, good deeds fill the void; renounce contamination, live half a lifetime longer, and when your household faces extinction, the sword-borrower will come to collect the debt.