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The news of Fan Changyu marrying Su Ning spread like wildfire throughout the town in the morning.

In less than half an hour, the threshold of the Fan family's house was almost worn down by the crowd.

Neighbors carrying eggs, noodles, and even two old hens all flocked to the Fan family's courtyard.

Everyone had smiles on their faces and said auspicious words, such as "a perfect match" and "may you have a son soon," making the Fan family's courtyard packed with people.

Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua were so busy that they barely had time to breathe, pouring tea and serving pastries, their smiles never stopping.

Among the crowd, Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao from next door were the most enthusiastic.

After all, they had the best relationship with the Fan family.

In the original drama "Chasing Jade", after Fan Erniu and Meng Lihua committed suicide, Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao took care of Fan Changyu and Fan Changning.

Aunt Zhao grabbed Meng Lihua's hand and shouted in a voice that could be heard throughout half the courtyard: "Oh, Aunt Meng! Congratulations! I knew our Yu'er was lucky. This young man, Su Ning, looks like a down-to-earth person. He's handsome and energetic, a hundred times better than that Song family boy!"

Uncle Zhao chimed in, patting Fan Erniu on the shoulder: "Erniu! You've done a great job as a father-in-law! You have a sharp eye! The Song family's annulment of the engagement was their loss. The family our Yu'er has found now is a truly good one!"

Fan Erniu's face was all wrinkled from smiling, and he nodded repeatedly: "Yes! Yes! Thanks to everyone, thanks to everyone."

Meng Lihua was also happy. While serving Zhao Da Niang melon seeds, she said, "Sister-in-law Zhao, please sit down. Don't stand there talking. I can finally put my mind at ease now that Yu'er has found a good home."

Just as the courtyard was bustling with activity, a sarcastic laugh suddenly came from the gate. "Hey, second brother, is your family celebrating a happy occasion? Why didn't you tell your elder brother so I could share in the joy?"

The lively atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly cooled down.

Everyone turned around and saw Fan Erniu's older brother, Fan Da, leading his wife, slowly strolling in through the door.

Fan's wife held a handkerchief in her hand, her eyes darting around the courtyard before finally settling on Su Ning, who was pouring tea for a guest. She curled her lip, revealing a hint of disdain.

Fan Erniu's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned to normal, though the smile was noticeably fainter.

"Big brother, big sister-in-law, you've arrived," Fan Erniu greeted them, his tone somewhat perfunctory.

Meng Lihua was even more direct, not even glancing at them, and turned to go to the kitchen to serve tea.

Fan Da and his wife didn't feel awkward at all, and found an empty seat to sit down.

Fan's eldest daughter-in-law, with her legs crossed, spoke sarcastically: "Second sister-in-law, you've got some nerve. The Song family just broke off the engagement, and you've already married off your daughter? This Su Ning... where is she from? How many acres of land does she own? How many rooms? Have you even asked?"

These words immediately created a subtle atmosphere in the courtyard.

The neighbors all knew what kind of people Fan Da and his wife were; they loved to take advantage of others, and Fan Da was a gambling addict.

Because Fan Erniu's family had no sons, they had always been very active in this regard.

Fan Erniu was furious, but he suppressed his anger and said, "Brother, sister-in-law, this is Yu'er's own business. Su Ning is a good person and treats Yu'er well, that's enough."

"A good person? Can being a good person put food on the table?" Fan's eldest daughter-in-law rolled her eyes, her voice becoming shrill. "I say, second brother, are you out of your mind? You don't have a son, why don't you find a son-in-law to live with you? What, you expect this outsider to take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die? When he leaves, where will you go to cry?"

Fan Da chimed in, taking a sip of his tea and saying slowly, "Yes, Second Brother, it's not that I'm criticizing you. But we can't let our Fan family's business fall into the hands of outsiders, can we? Even if you don't want to take in a son-in-law, you should still discuss it with me. Although the Song family has broken off the engagement, I can still help Yu'er find a good match."

Upon hearing this, Fan Erniu's anger flared up instantly.

He slammed his teacup on the table with a loud "bang," spilling tea everywhere. "Brother! Explain yourself! What do you mean by 'benefiting outsiders'? Su Ning is the son-in-law I chose, the one I invited into our family! When did it become your place to interfere in our family affairs?"

Meng Lihua came out of the kitchen carrying a tea tray. Upon hearing this, her face darkened.

She walked up to Fan's eldest daughter-in-law, put the tea tray on the table, and said coldly, "Brother and sister-in-law, if you've come to celebrate the wedding, you're welcome. But if you've come to cause trouble, please leave! Who our Yu'er marries is up to us, and it's none of your business."

Fan's wife was speechless after Meng Lihua's words, her face turning pale and then red.

She jumped up and pointed at Meng Lihua's nose, yelling, "Meng Lihua! Don't push your luck! We're doing this for your own good! You two don't have a son, what will happen to this huge family business? We're trying to help you, and you're complaining that we're meddling?"

"We don't need your kindness!" Fan Erniu also stood up, blocking Meng Lihua's way, glaring at Fan Da and his wife. "We'll handle our own family matters! If you keep causing trouble here, don't blame me for not showing any brotherly affection!"

Seeing this, the neighbors in the courtyard all began to try to mediate.

"Oh dear, Mr. Fan, today is a joyous occasion, let's not talk about these unhappy things."

"That's right, that's right. Erniu's family is doing just fine, so you shouldn't get involved."

"Let's go, let's go, don't delay them from doing their business."

When Fan Da and his wife saw that everyone was speaking up for Fan Erniu, they knew that if they stayed any longer, they would not only fail to gain any advantage, but would also become a laughing stock.

Fan's eldest daughter-in-law glared at Su Ning, muttering, "Hmph, what good can come of a wild boy of unknown origin? We'll see!"

After saying that, she grabbed Fan Da, turned around angrily, and left without even saying goodbye.

Fan Erniu finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the two dejected figures disappear into the alleyway.

Then he turned to his neighbors, cupped his hands in greeting, and put on a smile again: "I'm sorry everyone, I've made a fool of myself in front of you. Come, come, have some tea and pastries, don't take it to heart."

Meng Lihua smiled again and urged everyone to continue.

Suning stood aside and watched all of this.

He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and a barely perceptible sneer appeared on his lips.

It seems that the troubles of the Fan family are not limited to those outside.

These "relatives" in the family are no pushovers either!
However, since he had promised to protect this small Fan family, he would not let these clowns cause trouble.

……

After seeing all the guests off, Fan Erniu's smile completely vanished. "Pah! What are they! Coming to our house and pointing fingers, they don't even know their own limitations!"

Meng Lihua slammed the tea tray down on the table with a loud bang. "They're just jealous! They're jealous that our family is doing well, jealous that Yu'er found a good son-in-law! What 'no son, family fortune benefits outsiders'? Aren't they just eyeing our butcher shop and our meager assets? Dream on!"

Fan Erniu snorted coldly and plopped down on the bench. "Big brother has become more and more outrageous these past few years! Before, he would only take advantage of us in small ways, but now he's directly eyeing our family fortune! Does he think we're senile? Yu'er is our daughter, and we should decide her marriage ourselves. Who are they to interfere?"

Meng Lihua walked over to him, sat down, and said with disdain, "Exactly! If they really cared about Yu'er, why didn't they help when the Song family broke off the engagement? Now that Yu'er has found a good match, they come here to nitpick, saying we don't take in live-in sons-in-law. Humph! Take in live-in sons-in-law? We'd rather not take in any at all than bring back an ingrate like the Song family! Su Ning is so much better; he's not only our savior, but he's also sincere towards Yu'er. He's a hundred times better than that glib-tongued brat of theirs!"

Fan Erniu nodded, his anger still burning: "They just can't stand to see us doing well. They think they can bully us because we don't have a son, and they want to take everything from us. Dream on! Even if I, Fan Erniu, give all my assets to Yu'er and Su Ning, I won't let them get a single penny!"

Meng Lihua chimed in, "That's right! Why should we give them the family fortune that my husband and I worked so hard to build? If they hadn't caused this mess, I would still have some brotherly affection for them. But now, they've completely ruined things. They can forget about ever stepping foot in our house again!"

Fan Erniu slapped his thigh and stood up: "If they come again, just kick them out! Don't be polite to them! Let's live our lives and let them be envious!"

……

In the dead of night, the Fan family compound was quiet, save for the occasional bark of a dog.

Fan Changyu had already fallen asleep contentedly, a sweet smile still on her face.

Su Ning, however, was sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the west wing, not sleeping.

With his eyes closed, his consciousness, like an invisible net, silently covered the entire town of Lin'an.

As a Taiyi Loose Immortal, even in this lower realm where spiritual energy is scarce, his perception is terrifyingly powerful.

Suddenly, when his divine sense swept across the vicinity of the dilapidated temple on the west side of the town, he caught a faint, almost extinguished aura.

Su Ning frowned and instantly focused his divine sense on that direction.

In the dilapidated temple, nestled among the rotten grass, lay a young man.

The man was dressed in brocade robes, but they were now tattered and covered in blood. A broken arrow was stuck in his back, indicating that he had suffered a very serious injury and was about to die.

Suning "saw" the person's face clearly.

With sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, and a high nose bridge, even though his face was covered in blood, one could still tell that he was an extremely handsome young man.

The plot of the original drama "Chasing Jade" flashed through Su Ning's mind instantly.

"Ha! Xie Zheng." Su Ning's lips curled into a cold smile.

This is the male protagonist of "Chasing Jade," the Marquis of Wu'an who later wielded immense power. In the TV series, Xie Zheng looks like a woman, fair-skinned and clean-cut. Later, he pretends to be a sickly son-in-law, engaging in a marriage of convenience that blossoms into love, and is constantly entangled with Fan Changyu, all lovey-dovey and clingy.

Especially the performance of a heavily made-up general, riding a warhorse and swaying his head...

Suning felt disgusted just thinking about that scene.

A grown man, acting like a pretty boy, lacking any masculine vigor, is utterly disgraceful to men.

"Now that I'm here, the script needs to be revised."

Su Ning opened her eyes, a hint of disdain flashing in them. "If I keep this kind of trouble around, what if she gets involved with my Yu'er in the future? Wouldn't that just be making trouble for myself?"

Su Ning was too lazy to get up and remained seated on the kang (a heated brick bed).

He simply raised his right hand slightly, brought his index and middle fingers together, and gently tapped the air.

"Boom—"

The once clear night sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds.

A bolt of purple-gold lightning tore through the sky without warning, carrying a world-destroying force as it headed straight for the dilapidated temple in the west of the town.

Su Ning only used 10% of his strength in this attack.

For an ordinary person, let alone 10%, even 0.1% would be enough to reduce them to ashes.

Inside the dilapidated temple, Xie Zheng, who was severely injured and unconscious, seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes...

Before I could even see the sky clearly, the lightning bolt had already struck.

"boom!"

A loud bang, and dust flew everywhere.

Before he could even scream, this chosen one from the original story, the Marquis of Wu'an of the Dayin Dynasty, was completely silenced by this bolt of lightning.

Su Ning withdrew his hand as if he had swatted a mosquito, closed his eyes again, and continued his cultivation.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Old Liu, who sells tofu at the west end of the town, was carrying his load past a dilapidated temple when he suddenly smelled a burnt odor.

"Who's burning things so early in the morning?"

Old Liu curiously went over to take a look, and what he saw startled him so much that he cried out "Oh my god!" and dropped his load, falling flat on his backside.

At the entrance of the dilapidated temple, a dark, humanoid object lay.

That wasn't even human anymore! It was practically a charred corpse!

His entire body was covered in soot, his hair was burned off, and wisps of black smoke were rising from it, making him look quite gruesome.

Old Liu shakily got up and scrambled towards the town, shouting as he ran, "Someone's dead! Someone's dead! Someone was struck by lightning and burned to a crisp!"

That shout caused an uproar throughout the entire town.

"Where? Where?"

"Old Liu, what are you yelling about?"

"It's in that dilapidated temple! You guys need to go check it out, it's terrifying!"

Before long, the entrance to the dilapidated temple was crowded with onlookers.

People pointed and whispered among themselves, discussing the matter animatedly.

"Oh dear! What terrible thing must have happened to him to be struck by lightning like this."

"Does it look like a man? The material of these clothes is quite nice! He doesn't seem to be from a poor family."

"Tsk tsk, what a terrible thing, he must have done something heinous and committed a crime to deserve divine retribution."

"Who cares who he is! Dead is dead. It's just really unlucky this early in the morning."

Although everyone was discussing it animatedly, no one really took it to heart.

These days, it's not uncommon for someone to die, let alone be struck by lightning.

Everyone thought it was just bad luck or that God was taking him away, so no one dared to interfere.

"Officer Wang is here! Officer Wang is here!"

The crowd parted to make way, and Officer Wang, accompanied by two constables, walked over with a dark expression.

Last night, Fan Erniu woke me up to handle the household registration, and this morning I was woken up again to perform an autopsy. I was already annoyed. "What are you all doing here! Disperse! What's so interesting!"

Officer Wang waved his hand impatiently, walked over to the corpse, and glanced at it.

Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but frown. "Hiss... how big of a lightning bolt must it be! It struck so hard that even its own mother wouldn't recognize it."

The constable next to him covered his nose, looking disgusted: "Boss, this smell is too strong, get it away quickly! Don't ruin the town's feng shui."

Officer Wang squatted down and kicked the charred corpse with his toe, only to find it was already stiff and lifeless. "Alright, stop looking. It was definitely a stranger. He didn't have any travel permits. He probably ran into trouble while passing through."

Head Constable Wang stood up, dusted off his hands, and instructed the two constables, "Find a tattered mat, roll it up, and bury it in the mass grave on the back mountain. Don't make a fuss about this, lest everyone panic."

"Alright, boss."

The two constables responded, found a tattered straw mat, and dragged away the body of the once arrogant "male protagonist" like a dead dog.

When the onlookers realized there was no more excitement to be had, they dispersed.

"Let's go, let's go home and have dinner."

"What bad luck to see this this morning."

"Hey, Old Liu, are you still selling your tofu?"

The crowd dispersed, and the entrance to the dilapidated temple returned to its deserted state.

Xie Zheng, who was supposed to have a "marriage of convenience followed by love" story in the Fan family, ended up as a mound of yellow earth in a mass grave, without even leaving a name behind.

……

In the Fan family courtyard.

Suning had just finished washing up and was sitting at the table drinking porridge.

Fan Erniu rushed back from outside, putting down his carrying pole as he said, "Have you heard? Someone died at the west end of town!"

Meng Lihua was serving porridge when she casually asked, "What happened?"

"They say he was struck by lightning! Tsk tsk, he was struck so badly, he looked like a piece of charcoal." Fan Erniu said, shaking his head. "Captain Wang dragged him away early this morning, saying he'd take him to a mass grave to be buried."

Su Ning, holding the bowl, smiled slightly and said casually, "Oh, struck by lightning and died? Looks like he was punished by heaven."

Fan Erniu nodded: "That's right! I think so too. Alright, let's not talk about this unlucky thing anymore. Where's Yu'er? Hasn't she gotten up yet?"

"You're up, combing your hair inside," Meng Lihua said with a smile.

Suning put down the bowl, feeling exceptionally relaxed.

With that annoying "pretty boy" gone, his and Yu'er's lives will be much more peaceful from now on.

...(End of this chapter)