Auntie's Allure

[Complete] (I) The year Huachou went to the capital with her mother to seek help from distant relatives, she arrived at the Xi residence and suddenly found herself with a higher rank in the family and a tiny, adorable nephew. Her little nephew would give her all the monthly allowance he'd saved up, chasing after her skirts and clinging to her as he called, "Auntie, don't rush to get married. Wait until I grow up, and I'll marry you." Huachou humored him, never taking his childish words to heart. That is, until before her wedding, when her usually carefree nephew fell gravely ill and couldn't see her off. Not long after she married, trouble struck the Xi family. Hearing that her nephew was drinking himself into oblivion every day, Huachou thought it over and, against her husband's family's objections, came to fetch him with a bamboo switch in hand. "Huan'er, come home with your aunt." Xi Huan said nothing. He watched her with a carefree smile, like a hunter eyeing prey that had walked right into his trap. (II) Xi Huan had been raised in luxury, and after entering officialdom, power and beautiful women were easily within his grasp. Only one delusion had always eluded him. No one knew that from the day Huachou knocked the butterfly from his hand, he'd decided she owed him a butterfly. Perhaps she was that beautiful butterfly herself, and belonged to him. So, on the day Huachou married, he hid among the crowd, sick with fever, and followed her bridal sedan chair for a long time. The red scraps of firecrackers filling the sky seemed to be sending him off to his own funeral. His butterfly had flown away, and he probably wouldn't live much longer either. When Huachou finally heard that he was lost in drink and lust and came to fetch him, he at last kissed her fragrant red lips, gazing at her obsessively. "Now that you've come, you'll never get away again." [Reading Guide] Cautious young aunt × obsessively restrained young nephew The male and female leads are beyond the five degrees of mourning and are not blood relatives Happy ending --- Preview of "Nurturing a Calamity" --- (I) Xiao Niang was born to be a servant, but she was determined to become an official's wife. When seducing her master didn't work, the mistress sold her to a gambler as his second wife. A few days later, the gambler died. Fortunately, her stepson had potential, so she decided to cultivate him. If she couldn't become an official's wife, then at least she could become the mother of an official. Xi Ling was handsome as a jade mountain, solitary as a lone pine. Xiao Niang thought he seemed a little sly, and the way he looked at her was as greedy as a wolf's. She endured it, fed him well, and chewed on leftover steamed buns herself as she drilled the idea into him: "If it weren't for you, I'd have remarried. When you make it big one day, you must be filial to me." A heaven-sent opportunity came along: the young lady of the Ding'an Marquis's household was waylaid while visiting a temple on the mountain. Xiao Niang handed Xi Ling a kitchen knife. "My boy, your day has come. Rescue the beauty, win the favor of the powerful, marry into the marquis's family, and secure your future!" Later, the marquis's family agreed to take Xi Ling as a live-in son-in-law, on one condition: he had to enter the household alone. Xiao Niang accepted her fate. Just as she was wondering whether to marry a blacksmith or a peddler, Xi Ling, cold as ice, pinned her down on the table, his gaze seeming ready to devour her. "Who else do you think you can marry besides me?" (II) Xi Ling had been cold-hearted and single-minded since childhood, with nothing on his mind but his official career. That was until his father bought a woman and brought her home. At night, her quiet sobs came through the mottled wall, disturbing his sleep. He had almost forgotten how his father died. He only remembered Xiao Niang's tears, honey dripping from the tip of a knife. He wanted to bend down and lick them. She wanted to rise to the top in one step, so he would be the stepping stone. She wanted him to marry into a powerful family, so he would win the marquis's favor. At the last moment, they both regretted it. Rumors said the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel was committing an outrage against morality: the woman he wanted to marry had once belonged to his father. Xi Ling laughed arrogantly and disdainfully, taking Xiao Niang's hand and kissing it. "Even if you belonged to an immortal, I'd still defy heaven and fight for you." Recommended completed novel: "Tempting the Official" Theme: Cut through the brambles and keep going until you reach your goal