Sheng Xiao had mentioned before that he would try to find out whether his Third Brother wanted to escape his arranged marriage, and if he did, he would try to bring Third Brother and his parents out of the Sheng family.
Nonetheless, Third Brother promptly turned him down. “Taking precedent in your departure from the family, the old man now holds a deep grudge against betrayals towards the Sheng family. Sure, I could escape his clutches, but my parents aren’t really keen on changing their lifestyle. That’s why I’m not risking it, and there’s nothing bad about marrying a halfwit. Who knows, maybe my life would become easier after that?”
“Third Brother…” Mu Qiqi called out to Third Brother over the call as well. “It concerns the rest of your life. Are you sure about this?”
“Actually, you should think about it this way: isn’t Miss Hu a little innocent in this too? She has to jump into the big pit that is the Sheng family.”
“Forget it…” Sheng Xiao promptly retorted. I worried over you for nothing.”
Third Brother laughed calmly over the other end in response. “Everyone else could laugh at me for marrying a halfwit, but you two must never bully my little wife.”
“Is yours littler than mine?” Sheng Xiao shot back.
Mu Qiqi promptly punched Sheng Xiao on the chest—her man never really praised her.
Either way, Third Brother had refused to run away.
Even though Mu Qiqi found it a shame, but everyone has their own choices.
“Maybe things aren’t as bad as we think, since Miss Hu isn’t born a halfwit. Who knows if she would recover sometime in the future?”
Mu Qiqi still held out hope.
It was something rare that Sheng Xiao found in her. Even if she had seen all the ugliness the world has to offer, she still maintained the pureness in her own heart.
There was no telling if that positivity came from Shen Jianchuan.
Still, one has to admit that the heavens seemed to be biased towards the optimistic.
Two days later, Old Sheng arranged for Third Brother to meet the young lady of the Hu family.
Because of her special needs, Miss Hu required her servants’ escort whenever she left the house, but this occasion was different. Moreover, the Hu family wanted to see if Third Brother could accept Hu Ran and take care of her, and therefore only had their servants escort her halfway.
On the other hand, Old Sheng was too worried to let Third Brother go alone because he was afraid that his grandson would run away. He therefore instructed his butler to follow along and bring Miss Hu back to Sheng residence as a guest, so that the family could get acquainted with her sooner too.
Third Brother did not protest, and let the butler drive him all the way to the Hu family’s gates.
Soon, members of the family left the steel gates.
The servants were leading Hu Ran by the hand and greeted Third Brother in the car, “Third Young Master… we’ll be leaving the young lady of our family with you. She does not particularly have any dislikes, but she would show you when she does not like something.”
After all, no matter how broken she was, her intellect was equal to an eleven year’s old and not a toddler’s.
Third Brother nodded in response, and got off the car to personally escort his future wife aboard.
Even so, Hu Ran had pretty looks and a small face with delicate features. Though touched in the brain, she did not have much problems with her clothes.
“Young mistress, you will be playing with this brother here, alright? I’m very busy today, so I couldn’t sew skirts for the princess with you.”
Hu Ran turned to glance at Third Brother, blinked a few times and nodded. “Well… brother, do you know how to sew skirts?”
“I don’t, but you could teach me.” Third Brother promptly replied.
Hu Ran thought about it and agreed to it. “Okay… but don’t be busy for too long, Xiu.”
“Butler, drive.” Third Brother instructed.
Even though Miss Hu did appear to have the intellect of a young child, it was obvious that she was neither sly nor headstrong. If that was all there is to it, Third Brother thought that he could fully accept a little wife like her.
Meanwhile, the butler watched the pair with the rearview mirror. To speak the truth, he pitied Third Brother.
Over the last two days, news of the arranged marriage between the Sheng family and Hu family had spread like wildfire. Now, everyone knows and were mocking Third Brother that the young master of an important family would have to look after a halfwit daughter.
He had such a great life ahead of him, but that was now forfeit just because he made the old man a little upset.
“Young master… perhaps you should apologize to old master when you return. This marriage… is really…”
“Shush.” Third Brother silenced him flatly. “Save those things when we’re alone. Miss Hu hasn’t done anything wrong.”
The butler sighed but nodded.
“Are you talking about me, brother?” Hu Ran asked Third Brother naively, while holding her favorite toy.
“What cloth do you need for the dress? I don’t know, but you can tell me so that we get it now, alright?” Third Brother politely diverted Hu Ran’s attention, because he wants to treat her as a patient and not a dullard. That was why he did not speak to Hu Ran like an adult but as an equal, or he would only widen the distance between them in his head.
“Alright, I’ll take you there.” And just as expected, Hu Ran’s attention was diverted away.
“Well, what else do you like to do, aside from making clothes for the princess?”
“Manga!” Hu Ran promptly raised her hand in reply. “And… handicrafts!”
Naturally, it is all stuff girls would like.
Nonetheless, Third Brother nodded and told the butler, “Go somewhere we could get some good manga and handicraft materials.
“Oh.” The butler sighed. “Got it.”
“Save it. I’ll go pick them myself when we get there.”
Meanwhile, Hu Ran appeared to pay Third Brother no heed, and acted as if she did not hear the men’s conversation.
Still, her first impressions with the Third Young Master was quite satisfactory. At least, he did not act all high and mighty, not to mention that it was already too rare that he did not humiliate her upon their first meeting.
That being said, Third Brother could simply be putting up an act in their first meeting.
And so she decided to put on a stunning performance when they reach the Sheng residence to test the man’s true nature, and uncover whether he was on the side of the angels or demons.
After all, human nature was not easily concealed when it comes to sudden circumstances.
Soon, they returned to the Sheng residence.
Although the Sheng family appeared to be welcoming her, they were all thinking the same thing: did the have to put on such a warm welcome for a halfwit?
Still, no one dared to speak out with Old Sheng there with them.
As Third Brother and Hu Ran alighted, she hid behind him by reflex when she saw so many people at Sheng residence. “Why are there so many people, brother?”
“It will be alright. We won’t be seeing them.”
Third Brother promptly led her to the golf course, and Hu Ran appeared delighted at the sight of the borderless grass fields. She promptly sat down, and took out the manga Third Brother bought her. “Can I read here for a while, brother?”
“Of course. Tell me right away if you feel cold.”
Hu Ran smiled and nodded…