My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 38 Part 4

However, despite lowering his status, no one came forward to negotiate. Furious, You Lingxiao finally realized just how deeply his past actions had affected him.  

But life had to go on. For survival, he had no choice but to seek merchant patronage, even reducing his usual fee by ten percent.  

After much effort, he completely discarded the dignity of a scholar and barely managed to strike deals with two families, just enough to repay the family’s debts.  

While the You family languished in decline, the Ji family was bustling with joy.  

Fortunately, Ji Yangzong had sent Daniu early to reserve poultry and fresh fish—otherwise, with so many year-end celebrations, they’d have had to scramble for banquet ingredients.  

The Ji family was busy, and Huo Shu was even busier. Besides preparing for the wedding and overseeing the banquet, he still had his own work to attend to, leaving him no free time.  

When Ge Liang found out Huo Shu was now working as a butcher, he referred all the village’s livestock-slaughtering requests to him, forcing Huo Shu to run between two villages.  

At the start of the twelfth lunar month, Butcher Qiao returned to Tongzhou with his wife and children from Nanyu County.  

As the year’s final month approached, festive atmospheres began to emerge in lively areas, with occasional firecracker sounds.  

On the way back from the county town, he passed many families holding weddings, which left him rather envious.  

Upon returning, he cheerfully visited the village.  

"Butcher Qiao’s back! How’s your father-in-law’s health?"  

"Still holding on, he pulled through another crisis."  

"That’s good news. You’ve returned just in time, there’s a feast in the village!"  

Butcher Qiao ran into familiar villagers who handed him a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds and chatted for a bit.  

Hearing about the banquet, Butcher Qiao cracked a seed and asked curiously, "Which family’s celebrating?"  

"The village head’s! His ger's getting married!"  

"Well now, that’s a big occasion for our village!"  

Butcher Qiao grinned. "Which family’s son is the lucky one?"  

"The Zhao family, the one Yuan niangzi’s adopted son belongs to."  

"Who?!"  

Butcher Qiao’s smile froze, and the pumpkin seeds in his hand suddenly lost their flavor.  

"Huo Shu, the one who apprenticed under you."  

The villager laughed. "You’re his master, you’ll be seated at the main table for the feast!"  

"That disciple of yours is impressive. Rumor has it he paid a hundred and twenty taels in betrothal gifts, the village head was overjoyed."  

A big stone seemed to roll over Butcher Qiao’s heart. He hastily excused himself and rushed to the Ji residence.  

At first, he hadn’t believed it, but from afar, he could see the courtyard scrubbed clean and decorated with lanterns—clearly, a wedding was imminent.  

"Ah! Lao Qiao’s back! Everything go smoothly?"  

Ji Yangzong spotted the wide-eyed man at the gate and went to greet him.  

"The village head’s place is lively. I just got back and already heard about the wedding."  

Butcher Qiao said sourly, "If I’d returned two days later, I might’ve missed it."  

"Don’t be like that. The eighth was the most auspicious date, so we had to move quickly. Our ger is not getting any younger."  

Butcher Qiao spoke bluntly. "I’ll be frank, Lao Ji, this is downright unfair! I told you I wanted Huo Shu as my son-in-law, and then you swoop in and take him? What kind of logic is that?!"  

Ji Yangzong, feeling slightly guilty, replied placatingly, "Now, now, ‘take’ is too strong a word. Marriage is about mutual consent. Huo Shu said he wanted to marry our Xiao Taozi. If the ger's willing, how could I, as his father, refuse?"  

"If you wanted Huo Shu, you should’ve talked to him, not me."  

Butcher Qiao knew that was true, when two families wanted the same man, one would inevitably lose out.  

But logic aside, he was still furious. "If I hadn’t been away from Tongzhou, would this marriage have happened? That’s not just taking, that’s outright poaching! Well played, you sly old fox."  

"Hey, now you’re just being rude!"  

The two people almost got into a fight before villagers hauling goods intervened and pulled them apart.  

Butcher Qiao stormed off, and Huo Shu happened to arrive just then. Unaware of the conflict, he said, "Master Qiao, you’re back. Come for the wedding feast on the eighth."  

Butcher Qiao glared at Huo Shu, his anger flaring, but he couldn’t find the right words to vent. In the end, he spat out: "Fine. You’re all just fine."  

He pointed a trembling finger at Huo Shu, but faced with the man’s impassive expression, he couldn’t bring himself to argue further, it would’ve been embarrassing.  

After all, Huo Shu hadn’t done anything wrong.  

So he huffed, clasped his hands behind his back, and strode away.  

Huo Shu, frowning, turned to Ji Yangzong in the courtyard. "What was that about?"  

"Don’t mind him. He’s just stubborn."  

Two respectable families fighting over one son-in-law became the village’s latest gossip. Who’d have thought Huo Shu would become such a hot commodity?  

Then again, with his hefty betrothal gifts and willingness to live with his in-laws, who wouldn’t want him?  

Though this minor conflict arose, it didn’t dampen the wedding spirit. Preparations continued as planned.  

On the seventh, the banquet organizers Ji Yangzong hired from town arrived, setting up tents and prepping ingredients in an orderly, bustling manner.  

Before dawn on the eighth, firecrackers woke up the sleeping villagers, who dressed and headed to the Ji residence to join the celebrations.