Chapter Ten: I Agree—Let’s Get Married Right Away

The Xia family's reception hall was enclosed by four expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the room in brilliant light. Its decor was lavishly appointed, exuding a luxurious vintage charm.

After settling onto a sofa, Fang Nian was served a pot of tea by the butler.

“Mr. Fang, the master is currently in a meeting. Please wait a moment.”

Fang Nian nodded and began sipping his tea at leisure. After all, important people were always busy—this was something he could understand.

Since the great catastrophe, the world had become unbearably noisy, survival the very melody of civilization. To sit here now, enveloped in such rare tranquility, made Fang Nian wistful for the time that had slipped away.

Time slipped by swiftly. Fang Nian had finished three pots of tea and made eight trips to the restroom, yet still no one from the Xia family appeared.

“All crows under heaven are equally black,” he mused. “These grand mansions are never easy to enter. Before you even meet the people, you’re made to feel their airs.”

He did not know how much more time passed before a somewhat aged voice rang out.

“Fang Nian.”

Looking up, Fang Nian saw an old man striding in from the courtyard, followed by a handsome middle-aged man in his forties.

He hurried to his feet.

“You must be Grandfather Xia? I am Fang Nian, here to pay my respects. And this gentleman?”

Truth be told, the old man seemed remarkably vigorous, his steps firm and sure, with no sign of his advanced years.

Xia Hong laughed heartily, then motioned for Fang Nian to sit.

“Good, good. The first time I saw you, you were but a babe in swaddling clothes. More than twenty years have passed, and now you’re all grown up.”

Turning to the distinguished man beside him, Xia Hong introduced, “Fang Nian, let me present your future father-in-law, my second son, Xia Junyi.”

It came to this so quickly? Fang Nian was caught off guard—he was, after all, here to ask for their daughter’s hand.

“Good day, Uncle Xia.”

“By the way, Grandfather Xia, I came in a hurry and brought little with me, but I picked up a couple of health supplements on the way. I hope you won’t mind.”

Xia Hong laughed, waved for the butler to accept the gifts, then invited them both to sit and ordered another pot of tea for Fang Nian.

“Fang Nian, you must have had a hard journey coming all this way.”

“I appreciate your concern, Grandfather Xia. It wasn’t too bad.”

Xia Hong smiled and sipped his tea. “Here, try this tea and tell me what you think.”

Fang Nian nodded, took a sip, and said, “Very nice. While I’m no expert, the liquor is a clear, ruby red, with a delicate orchid fragrance. The taste is mellow, lingering on the palate, with a depth of flavor—each sip feels almost dreamlike, as if ascending to the clouds. Truly, this is a tea among teas.”

Both Xia Hong and Xia Junyi were rendered speechless—such flattery bordered on absurdity; neither thought it tasted quite so wondrous.

Xia Hong smiled awkwardly, poured another cup, and handed it to Fang Nian. Puzzled, Fang Nian drank it down, but his brow furrowed.

“This tea…why is it rather bitter?”

Xia Hong set down the teapot, his expression growing solemn.

“This tea is called Lushan Mist, a renowned tea of Huaxia. The reason one cup is sweet, the other bitter, is not the tea itself, but the vessel. A fine tea, paired with exquisite ware, reveals its essence. Brew it in purple clay, and its flavor is unmatched.”

He lifted the second cup, filled it, and continued, “But pour that same fine tea into a coarse cup, and all that remains is bitterness. Fang Nian, I know about your grandfather. Before Old Fang passed, he entrusted you to me, and I will do all in my power to protect you.”

With that, he took a leather case from the butler. Opening it, it revealed a chest full of Hope Coins. By Fang Nian’s estimate, there were at least a hundred thousand—an enormous sum in an era when the average low-tier salary was less than five hundred coins.

You old fox…

Fang Nian wasn’t foolish. From the moment the old man waxed poetic about tea, he understood the message: he was the coarse cup, and Xia Hong’s granddaughter was the fine tea. Pour her into him, and her value would be squandered.

Why not just say it outright—putting a flower on a pile of manure? All these elaborate metaphors… Truly, the cultured can be shameless in the most literary ways.

And now, this chest of money—he was trying to buy him off? Did Xia Hong think he was a pushover? If it came to shamelessness, Fang Nian was confident he’d not lose.

“What does Grandfather Xia mean by this?”

Xia Hong’s smile faded, replaced by a hint of sorrow.

“Fang Nian, during the great catastrophe, my family was forced to flee. If not for your grandfather’s shelter, the Xia family would not have survived. I owe him a debt I can never repay, which is why I arranged your engagement to Yan’er all those years ago.”

“But after more than two decades, though we have established ourselves in District 16, dangers and misfortunes still beset us.”

Fang Nian smiled slightly. “I understand. Grandfather Xia wishes to break off the engagement, is that it?”

Xia Hong and Xia Junyi’s expressions changed—they hadn’t expected Fang Nian to be so blunt. Yet, perhaps it was for the best; no more need to talk in circles.

But Fang Nian gave them no chance.

“I don’t agree.”

Of course he didn’t—he had finally found such a powerful connection; why give it up so easily?

“You…”

Xia Junyi was losing his composure, but Xia Hong held him back, letting Fang Nian continue.

Fang Nian shrugged, dropping all pretense.

“Grandfather Xia, I’ll be honest with you. You may not know me well—I have many flaws. I like getting something for nothing. I’m selfish, and a bit of an opportunist.”

“Let me put it this way: when you use a sheet of toilet paper, only ten percent of it is for the actual business—the other ninety percent is just to keep your hands clean. And I? I’m part of that ninety percent—mostly useless, yet still wanting to stand tall and alone.”

“So, marrying your second daughter is my chance to soar—my shot at becoming a phoenix. As the saying goes, ‘casting a long line to catch the big fish.’ I’ve heard Xia Moxian is the pillar of your family. Marrying her is far more tempting than a mere hundred thousand coins. Don’t you agree?”

Xia Junyi was incensed—this boy was even more shameless than his own brothers.

“You little punk, don’t push your luck. If you really anger me, forget those coins—you’ll get nothing. Don’t think I don’t know what you are—a useless peddler from District 4, dreaming of marrying my daughter. Keep dreaming.”

Fang Nian hadn’t imagined his first meeting with his future father-in-law would go like this.

“Uncle Xia, I do enjoy dreaming. Let’s see how things play out.”

With that, Fang Nian got up to leave.

“You…”

Before he could go, a gentle yet resolute voice called from behind.

“Fang Nian, wait.”

He stopped, startled, and turned. His eyes went wide.

A tall woman was descending the staircase from the second floor. She wore a flowing Bohemian dress, her long, fair legs glimpsed tantalizingly beneath. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, framing porcelain skin and exquisite features—she was breathtaking beyond belief.

“My god, this is Xia Moxian? There’s no way I’m letting this marriage slip away.”

Before he could recover from the shock of her beauty, Xia Moxian dropped a bombshell that nearly floored him.

“Fang Nian, if you agree to join the Xia family as a live-in son-in-law, I will marry you.”

At this, Xia Hong and Xia Junyi were both stunned speechless. Before they could object, Fang Nian replied in less than a heartbeat.

“I accept.”

He stared at Xia Moxian in awe. He’d never understood the meaning of ‘beauty enough to topple a kingdom,’ but in his eyes, Xia Moxian embodied exactly that.

Yet, perfect encounters are always met with discordant notes. Just as Xia Hong and Xia Junyi seemed about to object, a voice rang out from outside.

“No. I object.”

Xia Moxu stormed into the room, shouting at Xia Hong and Xia Junyi.

“Grandfather, Father, what are you thinking? Just because of our family, you’d marry my sister off to anyone? Do you even know anything about this Fang fellow? I don’t care, I absolutely refuse.”

Xia Hong and Xia Junyi exchanged glances, a flicker of delight in their eyes. The boy always opposed them, but this time, he was finally on their side. Given how close the siblings were, with his help, perhaps they could persuade Xia Moxian.

“Xiao Yu?”

Xia Moxu hadn’t noticed who else was in the room, but when someone called his childhood nickname, he froze. In District 16, only his sister—and one other—called him that.

“Nian?”

Since meeting Fang Nian, Xia Moxu had practically lived at the inn where Fang Nian was staying. Never did he expect to run into him here—and to discover…

Xia Moxu looked from Xia Moxian to Fang Nian and instantly understood.

“Nian, you’re the fiancé my sister was betrothed to?”

Fang Nian smiled wryly. He hadn’t foreseen this twist—his newly acquired little brother-in-arms was actually his brother-in-law.

Before Fang Nian could say anything, Xia Moxu’s attitude flipped entirely. Turning to Xia Hong and Xia Junyi, he declared,

“Grandfather, Father, I approve. Let them marry at once.”

This time, Xia Hong and Xia Junyi weren’t the only ones stunned—Xia Moxian herself was dumbfounded. What on earth was going on with her brother?