Chapter 177: The Little Fool in the Group Favorite Story (End)

“Such a big matter, and you kept it from your father. Ning Ning really has grown up.”

After saying that, Xie Hui let out a sigh, looking deeply hurt. His expression gave Ning Ning, who had just been secretly proud of himself, quite a scare. He panicked so much he didn’t know where to put his hands.

“Dad, I… I didn’t mean to…”

“Oh? Didn’t mean to what?”

Just a moment ago, this little rascal had pushed the silver into his hands with his tail practically wagging in the air. Now, flustered and hanging his head, he looked completely lost, unable to explain himself. Xie Hui couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“Dad… I’m not trying to act like I don’t need you anymore.”

Hearing that, the smile on Xie Hui’s lips softened. He beckoned him over, and when Ning Ning came close, he gently ruffled his hair, just like he used to when Ning Ning was little.

No matter how many times he did it, Xie Hui never got tired of ruffling his son’s hair. He especially loved the way Ning Ning would unconsciously show a look of attachment and affection every time he did.

“If one day Ning Ning really grows strong enough to fly on his own, Dad will be very happy.”

“Huh?”

Just moments ago, Ning Ning had been afraid his father might scold him. But with that one sentence from Xie Hui, all his defenses melted away.

“It’s like those baby birds you used to watch. When their wings aren’t strong enough to fly, it’s their parents who take care of them.”

Ning Ning had always loved observing small animals. Whenever he sat under the eaves, he would rest his chin on his hands and look up at the swallows nesting there. Now, he nodded with a thoughtful look, as if he understood.

“But when they grow up and their wings are strong enough to fly, their parents don’t have to work so hard anymore, right?”

At those words, Ning Ning suddenly understood the deeper meaning behind his father’s words.

His eyes lit up, and he stood on tiptoe to wrap his arms around his father’s waist, resting his cheek against his chest.

“Then once Ning Ning grows up, Dad won’t have to work so hard anymore.”

“It’d be better if you said that when you’re a bit older. Dad’s not that old yet, it’s not time for that.”

Raising a child was a joyful journey. Watching Ning Ning grow from that silly little fool into the obedient, thoughtful young man he was now filled Xie Hui with a deep sense of satisfaction and happiness that far outweighed all the hardships along the way.

Now that everything was out in the open with his father, Ning Ning no longer had to sneak around like before. When the Village Chief’s youngest son came by, he could do so openly and without hiding.

As the boy visited more often, Xie Hui inevitably learned more about what was going on with the Xie family.

When Xie Kangli reached marrying age, her parents, unwilling to support her any longer, hastily arranged a marriage with some random family.

Unlike last time, this husband was far from decent. When Xie Kangli tried to use her old tricks to resist, the groom’s family made a firm promise in front of the Xie family’s Old Madam.

“Don’t worry. Even if your girl’s a handful now, once she’s in my house, I’ll make sure she’s properly dealt with.”

The Xie family had had enough of Xie Kangli. Hearing that, they didn’t argue. They just wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible, afraid she’d be a bad influence on the other children.

Before sending her off, they explained her situation to the groom’s family in full. They didn’t ask for a single coin of bride price. In fact, they even sent some dowry along, just to make sure there’d be no ties between them in the future.

After Xie Kangli was married off, Xie Hui rarely heard anything about her again.

Without the bond of blood to hold things together, no one was willing to put up with her bad temper anymore.

Back in the Xie family, no matter how badly she behaved, they still tolerated her because she was family. But once she married out, she still acted like she was above everyone else, treating others like ants beneath her feet.

Even after she left, the Xie family didn’t settle down. Having grown used to laziness, they kept pushing their work onto others.

No one tended the fields properly. Come harvest season, it was easy to see who had worked hard and who hadn’t.

They had only themselves to blame for the mess they made of their lives.

Though Xie Hui felt a bit of schadenfreude watching them struggle, he still made sure to stir things up whenever it looked like they were about to turn things around.

He would encourage laziness in those who wanted to work, and quietly save those who were so desperate they wanted to take their own lives.

The Xie family had always been like this—struggling endlessly in desperation, with no end in sight. Each day was a repeat of the last, with no hope in sight.

Meanwhile, Ning Ning was growing up day by day, and his craftsmanship was becoming more refined.

If only he were a bit more outgoing, he could probably earn a lot more silver. But unfortunately, he was still the same as he had been as a child—unwilling to socialize.

After finishing his work, he would ask the Village Chief’s youngest son to sell it for him. The two had maintained this working relationship for years.

Seeing how much Ning Ning enjoyed burying himself in the things he loved, Xie Hui didn’t push him to do anything else. In fact, he even suggested they formalize the arrangement and split the profits evenly.

Since the client hadn’t made any special requests, Xie Hui didn’t pressure him about marriage either.

He had thought that, given Ning Ning’s obsession with wood carving, the boy would probably spend his life with nothing but wood and flowers for company. But then, a wealthy young lady who loved flowers came to ask him to plant one for her grandmother’s birthday, and Ning Ning fell for her at first sight.

The young lady was considered well-off in the county town. While Xie Hui’s family lived in a village and their blue-brick, tiled-roof house was impressive by local standards, it didn’t quite measure up in the county.

Fortunately, the young lady’s parents didn’t look down on Xie Ning because of that. They even prepared a generous dowry.

As someone who had once raised a daughter himself, Xie Hui could guess what they were thinking.

Back then, he had also preferred to marry his daughter off to someone with fewer advantages. In the beginning, love might be genuine, but people change. No one could guarantee that things would stay the same after ten or twenty years.

If the son-in-law’s family was less well-off, and the daughter was wronged, at least her parents could still step in and support her.

On the day of the wedding, Xie Hui threw a grand celebration in the village, making it clear to all the guests how much they valued the bride.

After the wedding, Ning Ning remained the same—quietly focused on his work. Aside from spending time with his wife, he devoted himself to carpentry.

Originally, Xie Ning was more passionate about wood carving. But because his wife loved flowers, he began devoting half his attention to gardening.

No matter how rare or difficult a flower was to care for, it would flourish under his hands.

The young lady had expected that marrying into a rural household would come with its share of hardship. She had even thought about how she might discreetly hire some maids and servants without drawing her father-in-law’s ire for wasting money.

But to her surprise, after the wedding, it was Xie Hui who personally brought in some housemaids.

Before, it had just been father and son in the house. They could manage things on their own, so there was no need for extra help.

But now that there was a new daughter-in-law, things had to change. It wouldn’t do to have a young lady who had grown up surrounded by servants suddenly forced to do heavy chores herself.

News of Xie Kangli came again—it was the news of her death.

In the original storyline, she had saved a general who was on the run. At the time, the general had been exposed for plotting rebellion. While fleeing, he encountered Xie Kangli.

Relying on the Qi Luck she had absorbed from others, she stayed by his side and helped him safely get through that difficult period.

But now, just as she became entangled with that rebellious general, she was caught by the authorities. Tied to a traitor, she was executed on the spot.

When the Xie Family’s Old Madam heard the news, she actually felt a rare pang of sorrow. After all, Xie Kangli was the granddaughter she had raised with her own hands.

But the grief didn’t last long. There was still work to be done.

In the village, most elders her age were already enjoying a peaceful life at home. Only she, left with nothing but old bones and unfilial descendants, still had to toil in the fields.

On her way home, Old Madam Xie overheard someone mention that her abandoned second son now had a household full of servants. Still young, he no longer needed to farm and spent his days playing with his grandchildren.

She lifted her head and looked toward the grand tiled house in the distance. The sun was so hot it made her dizzy, and she collapsed right there on the road. Lying on the ground, gasping for breath, she began to reflect on her life.

Her eldest son, whom she had favored most, turned out to be ungrateful. No matter how much she gave, he always thought she ate more than her share.

Her youngest, the one she loved most, blamed her for not curing his leg. He cursed her daily, calling her a wretched old hag.

The second son, the one she had cared for the least, turned out to be the most filial. But by then, she had already broken his heart.

Tears of regret slipped from the corners of her eyes. Her gaze remained wide open, fixed in the direction of Xie Hui’s home as she took her final breath.

When Xie Hui received word of the Old Madam’s death, he simply instructed a servant to send incense and candles. He did not attend in person.

Holding a rattle drum, he brought it close to his little granddaughter and gave it a gentle shake. Watching her grin with her toothless gums, he couldn’t help but smile faintly himself.

People who no longer mattered didn’t need to be tangled with any further.

When this life ended and he returned to the System Space, the previous Client had already departed. The System, perfectly in sync with Xie Hui, watched him sit down and pour tea. Seeing no sign of weariness on his face, it let the next Client enter.

———Arc End———

“Hello.”

Xie Hui pushed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of the man. Judging by his bearing, it was clear he came from a well-off background, at least materially.

“Hello. Before coming here, I already understood the situation. I want your help… to guide my daughter back onto the right path.”

“I just can’t understand. She’s educated, yet she still believes that if a man is outstanding enough, he deserves to have multiple wives. As long as he loves her the most, that should be enough.”

The man spoke in an organized, composed manner. Though he tried to restrain himself, the commanding tone of someone used to being in control still came through.

“If that’s all it is, you could’ve handled it yourself. I assume you saw there was a chance for rebirth before you came here.”

At that, the man gave a bitter smile and shook his head. After taking a sip of tea, he slowly explained:

“I… I couldn’t bring myself to let go.”