Chapter 1 : She won’t marry, then i will

“Say that again? You seriously want my Qiaoqiao to marry that idiot from the Xiao family? A toad trying to eat swan meat, pah! Let them keep dreaming. There’s no way that’s happening.”

In a small courtyard surrounded by mud walls, a woman in her forties stood with her hands on her hips, cursing like a shrew and spitting with every word.

Standing in front of her was another woman of similar age, clearly a matchmaker.

Behind them a girl, about sixteen or seventeen, glaring at the matchmaker with an extremely disdainful look and anger.

The matchmaker looked uncomfortable and instinctively stepped back a little. She had come today with a marriage proposal and money. Even though the Jiang mother and daughter were fierce, she had to deliver the Xiao family’s message.

“Sister-in-law Jiang,” she said cautiously, “please don’t shout at me. Your husband agreed to this marriage years ago, when the kids were just little. The plan was for them to marry once the fourth son of the Xiao family turned eighteen. Look, here’s the engagement agreement. The old village chief wrote it himself, and both families stamped it with their fingerprints.”

She pulled a yellowed, wrinkled paper from her sleeve and unfolded it and it read:

“On the third day of the third month, in the spring of the third year of Jingzhao during the Qingli period, Jiang Qiaoqiao, daughter of Jiang Dayong from the Jiang family of Xianhe Village, and Xiao Hechuan, fourth son of Xiao Cheng of the Xiao family, are hereby betrothed. They will be married once the groom turns eighteen, and the union shall last for life.”

At the bottom were the shaky signatures of Jiang Dayong and Xiao Cheng, each next to a faded red fingerprint that had now turned dark brown with time.

Aunt Jiang’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the paper. She instinctively reached out to grab it, but the matchmaker quickly tucked it back into her sleeve, too quick to be caught.

“This was written by the old village chief himself, it’s legit. He’s ninety now, still sharp as ever, and people respect him. Just the other day, he brought this up himself. So, Sister-in-law Jiang, it’s all written in black and white. Don’t you want to reconsider?”

The old chief of Xianhe Village held considerable sway in the village. Even at his age, he remained clear-headed and was often called upon to witness and validate important matters.

Aunt Jiang was visibly unsettled, and at that moment, Qiaoqiao burst into tears, clinging to her mother’s arm and throwing a fit.

“I don’t care! I won’t accept this! Xiao Hechuan is a fool, he’s not worthy of me at all! I’d rather die than marry him!”

Seeing her daughter cry broke Aunt Jiang’s heart. She couldn’t bear the thought of her lovely, well-behaved girl marrying a fool.

So she steeled herself and switched back into her aggressive mode.

“Pah! So what if there’s an engagement letter? That was years ago! My husband’s dead now, those are his fingerprints, not mine. Why should I recognize it? And back then, no one knew that Xiao Hechuan would turn out to be a fool. Who would let their daughter marry someone like that? If you think it’s such a great match, Matchmaker Liu, why don’t you marry your own daughter off to him, huh?”

Aunt Jiang’s words were clearly unreasonable and now she was dragging in someone else’s daughter by name. Matchmaker Liu’s expression instantly turned sour.

“This is between your Jiang family and the Xiao family,” she snapped. “Why are you dragging others into it? Fine. I’ll go fetch the old village chief and the Xiao family. You can talk things out face to face.”

In her mind, Matchmaker Liu sighed bitterly: ‘Money is hard to earn, and dealing with this kind of mess is worse. If the second son’s wife of the Xiao family wasn’t her relative, she wouldn’t have touched this affair with a ten-foot pole.’

So, half an hour later, the Jiang family’s courtyard was packed with people. The old village chief had arrived, and the Xiao family had come along as well.

Father Xiao brought his three sons with him. They were led in by the old village chief, along with a large crowd of villagers who had come to watch the drama unfold.

The old village chief had white hair and a white beard, his back was hunched, and his face was covered in age spots. He was helped into a chair by his great-grandson.

Aunt Jiang cast a glance at Father Xiao and the three Xiao brothers, rolling her eyes in contempt. Her face showed nothing but displeasure.

The old village chief had barely sat down when Aunt Jiang jumped in.

“Since you’re here, old village chief, let me make myself clear. There’s no way my Qiaoqiao is marrying the fourth son of their family. I suggest certain people give up on that idea right now. Why should my Qiaoqiao such a good, smart girl be married off to a fool?… Don’t come at me waving around some old engagement letter. If you’ve got something to say, say it to me. Dayong passed away years ago, and now I’m the head of this household. Don’t think you can bully us just because we’re a widow and an orphan!”

Father Xiao knew their side was in the wrong, so he didn’t try to argue. The marriage had been arranged back in the day because he and Jiang Dayong were close friends in their youth. They’d had a few drinks and, feeling cheerful, casually decided on the match. At the time, Xiao Hechuan, his fourth son, could already write his full name before the age of two. Everyone in the village knew it and praised him, saying he had the face of a future scholar, someone destined to pass the imperial exams. The story spread far and wide.

Because of this, Jiang Dayong saw potential in Hechuan and made the match early, hoping to secure a bright future for his daughter.

But then tragedy struck. A few years ago, Xiao Hechuan had climbed a mountain, slipped, and hit his head. Since then, he had become mentally impaired, with the mind of a child.

The Xiao family, worried about his future, started to think about what would happen after they were gone.

Only then did they remember this old engagement. They thought maybe it was worth a try. If the Jiang family was unwilling, they wouldn’t force it. They’d just talk it out.

The old village chief let out a sigh. He looked at furious Aunt Jiang, the tearful Qiaoqiao, and Xiao Cheng, who stood silent with his head lowered. He thought to himself, ‘Maybe it’s better to let this go.’

After all, how could a good girl be forced to marry a fool? That would be like pushing her into a pit of fire. Though old, the village chief still had a clear and rational mind.

He was just about to speak, when suddenly, a young female voice cut in, high and clear, with a slightly childish tone. “I’ll marry him. If Jiang Qiaoqiao won’t marry, then I will!”

Everyone turned in shock toward the source of the voice and saw a frail, delicate girl walking out from the woodshed in the Jiang family’s courtyard. She looked so thin, it seemed like a strong gust of wind could blow her over.

It was none other than the Jiang family’s adopted daughter, Jiang Sui.

Jiang Sui raised her hand and walked step by step toward the old village chief, her expression determined.

The old man rubbed his eyes in disbelief, staring at her. The crowd was stunned, and Aunt Jiang’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

“You wretched girl! What are you doing coming out here and sticking your nose into this?”

Jiang Sui ignored her completely and walked straight to the old village chief, not even glancing her way.

The old man, struggling to hear clearly, leaned forward and asked, “What did you just say, girl? Say it again.”