Chapter 2 : Jiang Sui

“Old Village Chief, Jiang Qiaoqiao doesn’t want to marry Xiao Hechuan, but I, Jiang Sui, am willing. Although I’m just the adopted daughter of the Jiang family, I still carry the Jiang name. If my father hadn’t taken me in back then, I might not even be alive today. He passed away early, he was an honest man. I don’t want his name to be tarnished even after death, so I’ve decided to marry Xiao Hechuan in Jiang Qiaoqiao’s place!”

Jiang Sui looked steadily at the old village chief and finished her words without a trace of hesitation, as if she had rehearsed them beforehand.

After speaking, she glanced at the old chief’s face, then turned to observe Father Xiao’s expression. As expected, everyone was stunned, Jiang Qiaoqiao even stopped crying.

“You really want to do this?” someone asked.

Jiang Sui nodded firmly, her mind made up.

Speaking of Jiang Sui, fifteen years ago, Jiang Dayong had found her swaddled in cloth at the Earth God Temple at the foot of the mountain. Out of pity, the kind-hearted man brought her home.

Unexpectedly, Aunt Jiang strongly opposed it, and the couple had a huge argument. Why Aunt Jiang later gave in, no one knew.

What people did know was that when Jiang Dayong was alive, Jiang Sui could still get enough to eat. But after his death five years ago, Aunt Jiang treated her terribly. Jiang Sui never had a good life and was tortured every day, which was why she was now so thin she looked like she’d blow away in the wind.

The situation had turned so suddenly that the crowd watching couldn’t help but get more excited as they whispered among themselves.

Some said Jiang Sui must be crazy, willingly jumping into a fire pit. Even if Aunt Jiang treated her badly, surely they could find her a normal husband someday so her life wouldn’t be completely hopeless.

But others said Jiang Sui was actually very smart. Maybe marrying a fool was her way out. Leaving the Jiang household might be better than staying and being bullied by Aunt Jiang forever. After all, judging by how Aunt Jiang treated her, any future husband arranged by her likely wouldn’t be much better than a fool. At least the Xiao family was decent, with strong laborers and enough to eat.

Father Xiao and his sons were still in shock. None of them had expected this sudden twist.

While they were still processing, Jiang Sui walked up to them and said “Uncle Xiao, if you’re willing, I’m ready to marry Xiao Hechuan. Please give me your opinion.”

For a moment, Father Xiao didn’t know what to say. But his third son was the first to react, he tugged his father’s sleeve and smiled at Jiang Sui.

“Jiang Sui, give us a little time to talk things over. We’ll give you an answer soon.”

With that, Father Xiao and his two sons stepped aside to discuss.

Eldest Son Xiao: “Dad, what’s going on? Did Jiang Sui lose her mind or something?”

Second Son Xiao: “Yeah, maybe we should go back and ask Mom first?”

Third Son Xiao: “Actually, I think it could work. Jiang Sui might be small, but she’s got all her limbs and can work. It’s better for fourth brother to have a wife than none at all.”

All three sons talked at once, and Father Xiao felt overwhelmed. But after thinking for a bit, he realized the third son had a point. Still, he didn’t want to make such a big decision on his own, better to go home and discuss it with his wife.

After a while, Father Xiao returned with a smile and said to Jiang Sui

“Sui girl, how about we go back and talk it over, and I’ll give you a proper answer tomorrow. Is that alright?”

Jiang Sui understood that marriage was a serious matter, so she quickly nodded in agreement.

At that moment, the old village chief chuckled and stroked his beard

“Xiao Cheng, I think this girl Jiang Sui is pretty good, smart, well-mannered, and blessed-looking too. I’d say she’s a good match. It’s rare for a girl not to mind marrying into your family, right?” The old chief was clearly pleased. Jiang Sui’s words had touched him deeply, he saw her as a thoughtful and capable young woman who knew how to look out for herself.

Seeing this, the crowd began to buzz with chatter

“Xiao Cheng, what are you still hesitating for? If you miss this chance, you won’t get another one!”

“That’s right, Jiang Sui is more than good enough for your fool of a son!”

Xiao Cheng smiled awkwardly and left with his three sons. The old village chief also got up and walked away. As the excitement died down, the villagers slowly dispersed, but everyone remained curious about what would happen next.

Only Aunt Jiang and her daughter Jiang Qiaoqiao were still standing there, stunned. After everyone had gone, Aunt Jiang finally snapped out of it.

She turned to Jiang Sui, who was still standing in the yard, rolled up her sleeves, and stormed over, ready to grab her by the arm while cursing

“You little brat, you’ve really grown some guts, haven’t you? What kind of heartless act is this, rushing to marry a fool? I raised you for years, and this is how you repay me?”

Aunt Jiang was livid. She had always planned to raise Jiang Sui just long enough to exchange her for a decent dowry. Back then, she had been completely against Jiang Dayong’s decision to bring the girl home. They’d fought bitterly over it, she even ran back to her parents’ house. It was her mother who persuaded her to keep the child, saying it wouldn’t cost much to raise her, and she could help with chores as she grew. Even if she was a girl, she could still be traded for a good dowry someday. Wealthy families were generous.

Now, this wretched girl was trying to marry herself off in a rush, and to the Xiao family of all people. How much could they possibly pay in dowry? Raising her all these years, was it all for nothing?

Just as Aunt Jiang was about to twist her arm, Jiang Sui grabbed her wrist and pushed her backward. No one knew where she got the strength from, but Aunt Jiang, who was quite heavy, stumbled back several steps.

“You ungrateful girl!” Aunt Jiang shouted and raised her hand to strike again but froze when she saw Jiang Sui’s expression.

Gone was the timid look she was used to. Jiang Sui’s eyes were now cold, like they’d been chilled by ice. Normally, she would flinch and tremble even before Aunt Jiang raised her voice but not today.

Aunt Jiang felt a chill run down her spine. Then Jiang Sui spoke again, calmly

“I’m doing this for your own good, unless you want to be drowned in the villagers’ spit. And I’m thinking of Jiang Qiaoqiao too. Isn’t she in love with that Mr. Zhang from the next village? If word about this childhood marriage spreads and he finds out, he being a proud scholar who values honor and virtue might turn against her. But if I take care of this mess now, the villagers will quiet down, and the gossip won’t reach Mr. Zhang’s ears. It’ll even become a respectable story. So ask yourself, do you want some silver, or do you want Jiang Qiaoqiao to have a chance at marrying Mr. Zhang?”

At the mention of Mr. Zhang, Jiang Qiaoqiao immediately panicked.

She had long dreamed of marrying a scholar. In the Qing Dynasty, scholars were held in high esteem. In a remote village like theirs, scholars were rare and greatly respected. The government even provided them with food and money every month. Jiang Qiaoqiao had worked hard to win Mr. Zhang over, believing that marrying him would guarantee her a bright future and a respectable life. If luck was on her side, maybe Mr. Zhang could even rise further and become a juren a recognized scholar with high status.