She had no intention of greeting this elder who had just arrived, at times like now she simply didn't feel like speaking.
By modern definitions, a girl like Su Nanzhi might be considered slightly autistic.
But autism, in modern society, is something almost everyone has, and its occurrences are intermittent; one gets used to it.
"Dad, this is the Su family's young lady who has just returned, right?" Mrs. Zhao obviously feigned ignorance.
"Yes," the old Mr. Zhao replied as he looked at Su Nanzhi, "Zhizhi, this is your grandfather's daughter-in-law, you can call her Mrs. Zhao, and that's Zhao Qingheng, my grandson."
Su Nanzhi seemed to hesitate for a moment but still called out, "Mrs. Zhao."
Her voice was barely audible; truly like that of a shy young girl, she didn't even look at the youth with an air of arrogance.
Mrs. Zhao frowned slightly but it was only for a moment, then she sat down with a kind smile already on her face.
"Zhizhi, right? It's been so many years since we've seen you, and you've become more and more beautiful."
Mrs. Zhao was talking nonsense with her eyes open, how could she speak of "becoming more beautiful" when she'd never seen her for over a decade?
The old Mr. Zhao, seeing his daughter-in-law appearing to make decisions for her son, cleared his throat; his word was law in the Zhao family, and Mrs. Zhao immediately fell silent.
"Qingheng, why don't you show Zhizhi around our home?"
The young man named Zhao Qingheng, with neatly kept black hair and phoenix eyes that could captivate young girls, walked over to Su Nanzhi reluctantly after hearing his grandfather's words.
"Su Nanzhi, right? Come on, I'll show you around," his tone was indifferent, perhaps because the one who could control him was present, so he restrained himself a bit.
Su Nanzhi followed.
The elders intended for them to have a clear conversation on their own, so naturally, she would cooperate.
The Zhao family's back garden was ablaze with colors, Mrs. Zhao seemed to have a particular interest in flowers and had hired a gardener to take care of them.
The young man in front suddenly stopped, turned around, and with a pair of defiant eyes, he seemed to confirm through her demeanor that she was an easy target.
She must be the soft type, and that's what he found most annoying.
Women are truly troublesome.
"I want to divorce you," young Master Zhao said to her sternly.
Su Nanzhi wanted to nod, but after thinking it over decided to remain silent, her wordless demeanor resembling that of the autistic girl.
Zhao Qingheng suddenly felt it was a bit tricky.
He wasn't sure if this foolish girl would take a toast without drinking only to be forced to drink as punishment; anyhow, this marriage had to be called off.
Just one month earlier, he had found out he had been betrothed for many years to a girl raised in some remote mountainous area.
He had always thought she would be a soot-faced country bumpkin, and his first reaction was to call off the engagement, of course.
How could Zhao Qingheng marry a girl from the countryside? They weren't from the same world, how could they be a match?
But to his surprise, upon seeing her now, she turned out to be a delicate young lady with fair skin, even if she did seem a bit dim-witted.
Sure enough, she had been raised silly in the countryside.
Silly and foolish.
Perhaps Zhao Qingheng's gaze was too intense, for Su Nanzhi paused for a moment before she emotionlessly raised her eyes to look at the boy in front of her.
Yes, young Master Zhao was seventeen, a year younger than Su Nanzhi.
"Okay." This answer was also barely audible, and Zhao Qingheng could even hear the trembling in the girl's faint voice.
He suddenly felt as though he was bullying someone.