Chapter 8 : Exchange Marriage

The next day, the Fu family came to propose.

Jiang Ting, wary of Jiang Yu, got her out of bed early and told her to go outside for a while.

Jiang Yu felt that her sister was seriously overdoing it. “They’ll be having lunch at home. If I go out now, how will I get back in time for lunch?”

In the end, Jiang Ting gritted her teeth and shoved two dollars into her hand, telling her to eat outside.

Reluctantly, Jiang Yu agreed and called Wang Yunshan to go eat two bowls of noodles at the commune.

After wandering around the commune for a while, they strolled back home.

“This weather is really hot. If it weren’t for food, I wouldn’t have come out with you,” Wang Yunshan complained, her face flushed from the sun.

Jiang Yu looked even more exaggerated, her cheeks showing signs of sunburn.

When they returned to Nanghe Village, they ran into the Fu family at the village entrance.

Jiang Yu immediately recognized Fu Xiangyang. Their eyes met, and the admiration in his gaze was unmistakable, he looked momentarily dazed.

Jiang Yu didn’t linger and quickened her pace toward home.

Before she reached the door, her younger sister Jiang Xin came running out.

Wang Meili had wanted another son after giving birth to Jiang Hao, which is why they had little Jiang Xin.

Jiang Xin was ten years old and still in elementary school.

“Eldest sister!”

“What are you doing, running so fast?” Jiang Yu caught her.

Jiang Xin tugged at her, leading her toward the back mountain, signaling that she wanted to share a secret.

Wang Yunshan followed behind, curious to hear.

“Eldest sister, I heard that Brother is dating someone!”

Jiang Yu didn’t react much. Jiang Hao had been dating since middle school, and they hadn’t broken up despite not getting into high school.

At nineteen, Jiang Hao was at the age to get married in the countryside, so it wasn’t surprising.

“And then? Are they getting married?”

Jiang Yu’s words turned out to be prophetic as Jiang Xin nodded vigorously.

“I heard that Brother’s girlfriend is asking for a bride price of three hundred!”

Wang Yunshan was dumbfounded. “That’s quicker than robbing a bank!”

Three hundred was enough to marry a fairy!

Jiang Yu frowned. “Mom would never agree to that, we don’t have three hundred.”

She remembered Jiang Hao’s girlfriend was named Du Juan and was also from the countryside, it seemed unreasonable for her to demand such a high bride price.

“They said if they don’t get it, she won’t marry.”

Jiang Yu rolled her eyes. “If she doesn’t want to marry, then fine. Who’s begging her?”

Jiang Xin replied, “But Brother is begging! He says he can’t live without her.”

Jiang Yu had always looked down on Jiang Hao and wasn’t interested in his affairs. But as Jiang Xin continued, she realized this matter involved her.

Wang Meili felt sorry for Jiang Hao and usually indulged him, whenever he made a fuss, she would worry.

But the family didn’t have three hundred, and even if they pooled together Jiang Ting’s fifty, it wouldn’t be enough.

Just then, Jiang Ting came out and said, “What if we exchanged brides? Marry Jiang Yu off, and then bring Du Juan here, that way, there wouldn’t be any bride price.”

Wang Meili frowned. “But Du Juan has two older brothers, both married. How could we exchange brides?”

However, Jiang Ting’s suggestion struck a chord with Jiang Hao, who had been thinking along those lines.

He stepped up to say, “Mom, Du Juan has an uncle whose wife passed away. They said that if you marry off my eldest sister, Du Juan won’t need a bride price.”

Wang Meili immediately rejected the idea. “No way! How old is her uncle? Marrying Jiang Yu off would just make our family a laughingstock!”

Having the younger daughter marry a city dweller and the older daughter marry a widower sounded ridiculous. Jiang Hao immediately threw a tantrum “What’s more important, face or your son? I see you don’t care about me at all! I might as well just die!”

With his outburst, even if Wang Meili disagreed, she had no choice but to agree.

From start to finish, no one cared whether Jiang Yu would agree or not.

It seemed her only value was whether she could be exchanged for money.

Wang Yunshan spat angrily and kicked a nearby stone.

“Just like my parents, no better than animals!”

Jiang Xin, looking pitiful, took out the two dimes she had saved up for a long time and handed them to Jiang Yu.

“Eldest sister, please escape! Don’t marry that uncle of Sister-in-law.”

At first, Jiang Yu felt genuinely cold-hearted, these were her own mother and brother.

But then she thought, they were always like this, so it wasn’t surprising.

Seeing Jiang Xin’s reluctant but determined face as she forced the money into her hand, the last bit of Jiang Yu’s displeasure faded away.

No one was planning for her, she had to plan for herself.

Not just for herself, but also for the still-young Jiang Xin.

If she ended up being sold off by Wang Meili, Jiang Xin absolutely could not follow the same path.

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” She pushed the two dimes back to Jiang Xin and turned to head home.

After taking a couple of steps, she paused and looked back at Wang Yunshan.

“Yunshan, your parents are just like mine, no good at all. Instead of waiting for them to bargain for you, it’s better to find someone yourself, someone you like, and just get married, far away.”

Wang Yunshan stood there, her eyes red, stubbornly refusing to cry.

“What will you do?”

Jiang Yu feigned nonchalance “I still have my aunt to back me up. What do I have to fear?”

Wang Yunshan nodded, “Go find your aunt. If in the end, it’s still some old and ugly man, you might as well find a city dweller.”

Jiang Yu chuckled, waving her hand.

“Don’t worry.”

She was good at self-regulation, if she were a more sensitive and melancholic person, she might have been driven to despair by Wang Meili’s words.

Jiang Yu hummed a little tune as she entered the house, only to see the smug face of Jiang Ting.

Jiang Ting, seemingly showing off, deliberately walked in front of Jiang Yu.

“I’ve set the date with Fu Xiangyang.”

Jiang Yu replied with a nonchalant “oh,” not particularly interested.

Not seeing the reaction she hoped for, Jiang Ting followed Jiang Yu, eager to brag.

“His parents are very satisfied with me and are looking forward to my coming in. But don’t worry, your marriage will be settled soon too. When Mom and Dad tell you, you’ll be very happy.”

Jiang Yu fell silent, unable to understand why Jiang Ting hated her so much.

The two sisters didn’t have the closest relationship, but they shouldn’t have deep-seated hatred either.

Jiang Yu rubbed her palm, feeling a bit itchy, then suddenly turned and slapped Jiang Ting across the face.

Jiang Xin was stunned, this was the first time she had seen Jiang Yu hit someone.

Jiang Ting, in disbelief, covered her face, but the pain served as a reminder that Jiang Yu had really hit her.

Jiang Yu rubbed her reddened palm and spoke in a cold, detached tone “I just saw Fu Xiangyang at the village entrance. He was so mesmerized by my looks. Jiang Ting, tell me, if I went to the city to find Fu Xiangyang right now, would he want to marry you or me?”

Tears hung in Jiang Ting’s eyes, a strong, unshakeable hatred evident in her gaze.

With a twisted expression, she shouted, “You wouldn’t dare!”

Jiang Yu looked down, casting a scornful glance at her.

“It’s not about whether I dare, it’s about whether I want to. You’ve pushed me into a dead end, and now I’ll make sure you have no way out. Let’s see in the end who ends up swapping with Du Juan, you or me.”