It might make sense for others to call Su Yuexi ugly, but Mei Xiaofang was her own mother; Sikong Jing couldn't understand it.
At that moment, Su Yuexi grabbed his hand and pleaded, "Sikong Jing, please don't say anymore."
"You, you, you..."
Mei Xiaofang, furious, had her chest heaving, suddenly burst out, "So I disdain her ugliness! I call her a jinx, I call her an ugly freak, what can you do about it?"
"Fine, Su Yuexi, you think you're capable now? Having a criminal for a husband, you want to anger me to death, is that it?"
Hearing this, Su Yuexi quickly stood up and said, "Mom, it's not like that, I..."
"Go away, you're killing me. I don't want to see you, you ugly freak," she snapped, and then Mei Xiaofang slammed the door as she left.
"Mom..." Su Yuexi cried out, about to run after her.
But just then, a cough sounded; it was the sickly Su Zhenglong.
He just said, "Yuexi, don't chase after her."
Stopping in her tracks, Su Yuexi asked, "Dad, mom is so angry, won't it affect her health?"
Su Zhenglong shook his head, chuckling, "Heh, she didn't hit you, that definitely means she's fine."
Then looking towards Sikong Jing, he casually asked, "Ah Jing, it's okay for me to call you that, right?"
"Don't blame Yuexi's mom, she's mostly worried about my health. She knows Yuexi was nearly beaten to death, she's actually very heartbroken, just too proud to say it out loud."
Sikong Jing froze, watched Mei Xiaofang's departing figure, and nodded thoughtfully.
Then, Su Zhenglong added, "Yuexi, show Ah Jing your room."
Su Yuexi's expression stiffened, and she instinctively looked at Sikong Jing, then gingerly pinched the corner of her clothes, appearing quite shy.
Thus, Su Yuexi led Sikong Jing to her room, and from then on, it would also be Sikong Jing's room.
It was a simple room; the furnishings were hardly what one would expect of a daughter of the Su Family.
"Is it just as I said, hardly better than a pigsty?" Su Yuexi asked with a laugh, showing a hint of helplessness.
Sikong Jing looked around, frowning, "The Family Head of the Su Family is your grandfather, right? I can understand him disliking you for being ugly, even disliking that you married me, a criminal, but why is your father in the same situation?"
That the Patriarch Su treated his son this way perplexed him.
"I can't understand why my grandfather is so heartless either; maybe because dad has lost his value,"
Su Yuexi's voice carried distress and grievance.
They had lived here for ten whole years, just because her father was seriously injured and became useless to the Su Family.
Sikong Jing fell silent, took a deep breath, and said, "I will get you out of this plight."
Laughing, Su Yuexi didn't take his words seriously. Sikong Jing was an exiled criminal, how could he possibly alleviate their hardships?
"I will also help you recover your appearance," Sikong Jing emphasized again.
Upon hearing this, Su Yuexi stood there dumbfounded, then let out a bitter laugh; such a thing was even more impossible, something she had long since given up hope for.
Sikong Jing, saying no more, knew this would be the biggest surprise he would give to Su Yuexi.
After a while, a house servant called them for dinner!
The two returned to the courtyard hall and, to their surprise, found a table laden with rich dishes and wine.
Su Zhenglong, weakly sitting on a large chair and wrapped tightly in clothes, smiled and said, "Please sit down. This was carefully prepared by your mother, consider it your wedding feast."
Su Yuexi, unable to believe it, covered her mouth and asked, "Mother, she..."
"Nonsense, this is clearly for replenishing your body. If it's not finished, it can only be thrown away. This criminal and ugly monster are just eating incidentally." Mei Xiaofang came out carrying a platter, her face cold as she retorted.
Su Zhenglong chuckled and said no more.
Meanwhile, Sikong Jing gradually showed a look of realization; it seemed he had misunderstood his mother-in-law Mei Xiaofang before.
Just as they were about to sit down, Mei Xiaofang suddenly said, "Wait, kneel down both of you."
Su Yuexi, panicked, stammered, "Mother, what did I do wrong again?"
Then she looked at Sikong Jing, knowing with his bad temper he definitely wouldn't kneel and afraid it might start another argument with her mother.
But at that moment, Sikong Jing did something that utterly surprised Su Yuexi—he actually knelt down.
In disbelief, Su Yuexi quickly knelt beside Sikong Jing.
"Kowtow three times and apologize for offending me," Mei Xiaofang commanded again.
Sikong Jing, looking at his mother-in-law before him, found it somewhat amusing.
She was indeed too stubborn. This was clearly a wedding ceremony prepared for him and Su Yuexi, and now they were taking their wedding vows.
Having recognized Mei Xiaofang's character, Sikong Jing naturally did not reveal it.
Meanwhile, Su Yuexi still seemed bewildered, wondering why Sikong Jing had suddenly changed.
Just as they were about to kowtow, Mei Xiaofang suddenly pulled out a piece of red cloth, threw it over Su Yuexi's head, and grumbled, "Even with a veil, you're still so ugly. Use this to cover your face."
Instantly, Su Yuexi saw nothing but red before her eyes, and she finally realized what was happening... her eyes blurred with tears.
Bang bang bang...
After three kowtows, Sikong Jing helped Su Yuexi to rise and picked up the wine already set on the table.
"Father-in-law and mother-in-law, I drink first as a mark of respect."
After drinking with Su Yuexi, the plain wedding concluded like that, and Sikong Jing gently lifted the red cloth off Su Yuexi's head, seeing the unstoppable tears in her eyes.
Sikong Jing silently vowed in his heart, "From today onward, I, Sikong Jing, will protect her for all my life!"
A family of four, sat down to eat.
After a while, Mei Xiaofang, visibly worried, asked, "My lord, Yue Xi staying in the pig farm were that old man's orders. By bringing them back like this, how do you plan to explain it to him?"
The "old man" she referred to was Su Yuexi's grandfather, Su Xuefeng!
This was no small matter, especially with the interference of Su Zhengtao's family.
After thinking it over, Su Zhenglong said coldly, "I have decided. If father still blames us, I will disable Su Zhengtao."
As soon as he finished speaking, a man's laughter suddenly came from outside, "Uncle need not worry, my dad has already pleaded with grandfather, and they will not dwell on Su Yuexi and the criminal leaving the pig farm."
Su Zhenglong and Mei Xiaofang abruptly looked up, and exclaimed lowly, "Su Yang!"
Just then, a man and a woman strode in through the door; the woman was Su Yun, and the man was her second brother, Su Yang.