Chapter 142: The Xu Family Has Spawned a Golden Phoenix (Guaranteed First Update)

As Wang Cai finished speaking, a sharp “crack” echoed through the room.

The old Xu woman, who had been pouring water for the guests, had lost her grip—her thermos slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor, scattering hot water and glass shards everywhere.

Xu Shuxiang didn’t care about her brand-new thermos; she rushed over to help her mother up: “Mama, are you alright?”

Xu Yunyun quickly grabbed a broom and dustpan to clean up.

The old woman shook her head, but the groom’s mother grew angry, clutching her pounding chest: “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

Xu Cunmao was also deeply stirred; he called to his nephew: “Xiaoyang, come with me to meet your second aunt. Mama and Big Sister, stay here and wait.”

“Wait a minute!” the groom’s mother protested. “We’re in the middle of arranging the engagement—now you’re walking out? What kind of thing is that? Let’s settle this first, then we’ll go home, and you can welcome your kin.”

Xu Cunmao hesitated: “Nannan’s Mama, my sister’s been missing for twenty years—let me go see her first.”

“Twenty years? You’ve got a lifetime of stories to catch up on, then? How long are we supposed to wait? No way—we’re settling this now.”

Xu Cunmao’s wife quickly interjected: “Nannan’s Mama, how about I handle the discussion with you?”

“You? Is this your household now?” Nannan’s Mama sneered, staring at the woman’s limp leg.

Seeing her attitude, Xu Cunmao grew angry too: “We’ll talk after I bring back my second sister. You can talk—or not.”

Nannan’s Mama chuckled: “Fine, you said it. With our family’s standing, you’ll never find another match even if you search with lanterns!”

The groom, Nannan, tugged at his mother’s sleeve—he still really liked Xu Yunyun.

His mother shot him a glance: I’m playing hard to get. Don’t worry—they’re desperate to marry off their daughter. Once we leave, they’ll chase after us.

As they pretended to leave, the matchmaker tried to intervene: “I know you want to pressure the bride’s side, but don’t overdo it—I still want to collect my fee today!”

Still hovering at the door, Xu Cunmao grabbed Wang Cai and turned to leave, then remembered something and told his wife: “Wife, get some food ready.”

The old Xu woman asked: “Secretary, how many people came with Shufen?”

“Oh, five—the son-in-law, the kids, the whole family.”

Hearing her second daughter had married and had three children, the old woman’s eyes welled up with tears of relief.

Xu Cunmao, however, worried—so many people? He weighed the household grain reserves, then gritted his teeth: “Wife, kill a chicken!”

His wife, though reluctant, nodded. Their two younger children overheard and burst into joy—they hadn’t eaten meat since New Year’s, and now they’d get some after it?

Thank you, Second Aunt!

Xu Cunmao asked: “How old are your children?”

“One’s about Yunyun’s age, the other’s about Xiaoyang’s.”

“And the third? You said five people.”

“Right—your sister, her husband, two kids,” Wang Cai suddenly smacked his forehead—he’d been so distracted by the drama he’d forgotten the most important detail: “Oh, and a driver.”

“Driver?”

“Driver!”

The entire matchmaking party froze mid-step outside the door.

Wang Cai raised his voice: “That’s right, Damao—your sister’s no ordinary woman! She arrived in a Jeep! You know, the kind the provincial leaders drove when they inspected the town last year!”

Hearing Xu Cunmao’s second sister had arrived in a Jeep, the entire village erupted in murmurs—who could afford to ride in a car? What kind of person was she?

Clearly, Xu Cunmao’s brother-in-law was no ordinary man—definitely wealthy or powerful.

After Xu Cunmao, confused, left with the secretary, the matchmaking party turned around under Nannan’s mother’s lead and stormed back—her attitude flipped 180 degrees. She even smiled and offered to help Yunyun’s mother kill the chicken.

On the other side, the Jeep stopped at the village committee—the road ahead was too rough to drive further; they had to walk.

Luckily, Xu Shufen recognized the secretary’s wife, Cai Feng, as a childhood playmate. Though they were the same age, Xu Shufen had been raised well by Wei Jiefang—she looked ten years younger than Cai Feng.

Overcome with emotion, Cai Feng told her husband to hurry to Xu Cunmao’s house and notify them. Wei Ming wanted to follow, but Wang Cai’s short legs moved too fast—they couldn’t keep up.

Cai Feng warmly took Xu Shufen’s arm, studying her new clothes: “Shufen, I know you’re eager, but don’t rush—tell me, where have you been these past twenty years? What does your husband do?”

She noticed Wei Jiefang’s fine attire and the pen peeking from his shirt pocket—he clearly carried himself like an official.

Xu Shufen had no interest in answering—her heart was already racing home to her family.

“Let’s walk and talk on the way—don’t make my husband and the others wait,” Xu Shufen said, pulling Cai Feng to lead the way.

Cai Feng said: “Your husband passed away years ago.”

“Ah!”

Wei Jiefang, who had been rushing ahead to catch Wang Cai, turned back immediately and supported his wife. Wei Ming stopped chasing.

The news struck Xu Shufen hard. Supported by Wei Jiefang, she asked: “And my mother?”

“Oh, your mother’s still strong,” everyone sighed in relief. Wei Ming was especially glad—his past life, they’d searched too late; his grandmother had already passed. This time, at least, he’d made up a little.

Cai Feng continued: “Your brother and sister are both well. Today your niece is meeting a potential groom—and now you’ve returned! It’s double joy!”

Xu Shufen caught the key detail: “My brother and sister are fine? What about my sister Shujie?”

Cai Feng sighed: “When your parents fled with you three siblings, they only brought your brother back. The villagers even said your parents sold you two girls.”

“They weren’t like that—I got lost on my own!” Xu Shufen quickly clarified.

Cai Feng immediately assured her: “I never believed it—I defended them! Watch your step, the path’s rough.”

Every household in the village sat at a different elevation, unevenly scattered across the terrain—this was utterly novel to Wei Jiefang and his family, raised on flat plains.

Of course, it made walking difficult—no wonder they couldn’t catch Wang Cai.

As they walked, Cai Feng suddenly slapped her thigh and laughed: “Oh! Your brother’s come out to meet you!”

Xu Shufen looked ahead and saw a thin middle-aged man, stooped like an old man, his hair mostly white.

!

“Big Brother?”

“Shufen!”

Xu Cunmao recognized his sister at once—his elder sister provided a reference; the three sisters looked alike, but the second sister seemed far younger than the eldest, though they were only two years apart.

But Xu Shufen hadn’t recognized him at first—he was nothing like the twenty-year-old boy she remembered.

Only when Xu Cunmao lifted his hair and pointed to a crescent-shaped scar on his forehead did she remember: “Do you remember? When you had a fever as a child and our parents were away, I carried you to the doctor and fell, scraping my head on a rock—this scar.”

Memories flooded back. Xu Shufen burst into tears, gripping her brother’s hands tightly.

“Big Brother! I’ve finally found you!”

Seeing her mother cry, Wei Hong joined in—she couldn’t imagine being separated from her brother for twenty years.

Seeing her daughter cry, Xu Shufen set aside reunion for now and introduced her family one by one.

“This is my husband, Wei Jiefang. This is your nephew Wei Ming, nineteen. This is your niece Wei Hong, fourteen. I settled in Hebei after I left.”

“Oh! You married before me!” Xu Cunmao wiped his tears, then felt someone tugging his sleeve—he turned: “Oh, this is your elder sister’s son, Long Xiaoyang.”

Long Xiaoyang was slight and short, about Wei Hong’s height, though he was already sixteen. He was sharp and energetic, greeting them all: “Second Aunt, Second Uncle, Big Brother Ming, Little Sister Hong—I’ll carry your bags.”

Both Wei Jiefang and Wei Ming were carrying bags.

Among his maternal relatives, Wei Ming knew Long Xiaoyang best—he was capable, later becoming a well-known local breeder specializing in ecological farming, always treating Wei Ming to good food and drink whenever he visited.

But Xu Shufen was puzzled—she remembered her sister-in-law’s surname wasn’t Long.

Her elder sister had already married before they fled, so she hadn’t traveled with them.

Xu Shufen set the question aside for now and pulled her brother: “Let’s go see Mama first.”

Wei Ming began handing out cigarettes.

“Uncle, have one. Secretary…” He offered to every male present, even those he didn’t know.

They took the finely made cigarettes but didn’t dare smoke them—they usually rolled their own tobacco.

Noticing Long Xiaoyang’s hopeful gaze, Wei Ming handed him a Big White Rabbit candy—he wasn’t old enough for cigarettes.

It was a candy Long Xiaoyang had never seen; even through the wrapper, he could smell the milky sweetness.

He didn’t eat it right away—he tucked it into his pocket.

Seeing this, when Wei Ming met his uncle’s son Pingping and daughter Fangfang, he peeled the wrappers and popped the candies into their mouths. The two kids squealed: “So sweet! Thank you, Big Brother!”

Wei Ming then stuffed more into their pockets—milk candies and Sutang , all beautifully wrapped, unlike anything they’d ever seen. The watching children nearby swallowed hard with envy.

After introducing the two children, Uncle said: “I have an eldest daughter named Yunyun—she’s meeting a groom from the next village today, but they just left.”

Yet when they returned home, he found the matchmaking party still there—enthusiastically helping kill the chicken and stoke the fire. Nannan was hovering around Yunyun.

Yunyun blushed deeply.

This version of Cousin Yunyun was nothing like the one Wei Ming remembered from his past life—her eyes still sparkled.

Twenty years later, she’d be numb, dragging three children while enduring her useless husband and domineering mother-in-law.

Seeing the boy shorter than Yunyun, Wei Ming grinned—so today’s the matchmaking day? I arrived just in time!

(End of Chapter)