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Such fierce and brazen words tumbled out of Zhao Ruhua’s mouth like a string of firecrackers, leaving the entire Li family speechless.
It wasn’t until she finished speaking and the air quieted again that they finally came back to their senses.
“What kind of compensation are you demanding?” Li Hongyun asked, his tone clearly losing momentum.
Zhao Ruhua stepped forward a few paces and sneered coldly. “Ten taels of silver—not a single coin less.”
She wasn’t entirely sure how much ten taels could buy, but she’d seen enough dramas to know that for many rural families, that amount was no small sum.
The Li family: “……”
Ten taels of silver?!
Zhao Ruhua actually had the nerve to ask for that?
Her Father and Mother were already frozen in shock, not knowing how to react.
They had originally thought it would be enough to hold their ground a little and reject the Li family’s “filthy silver.” Who would have thought that Zhao Ruhua wouldn’t just ask for compensation—she’d go so far as to demand more?
Ten taels of silver!
Could the Li family even afford that?
Both her Big Brother and Second Brother looked at Zhao Ruhua as if she’d gone mad.
Asking for ten taels of silver right off the bat? That was practically forcing the Li family into a corner.
But then again…
Why did they like it so much?
Look at their dear younger sister—so full of backbone. Even after being pushed to this point, she still managed to strike back without hesitation.
The engagement had already been called off, and she’d laid out her terms. Now it was up to the Li family to decide how to respond.
The Li family wasn’t foolish, of course—they weren’t about to hand over ten taels of silver just like that.
The moment Li Hongyun’s Mother heard Zhao Ruhua’s demand, she pointed a finger at her nose and screamed, “Zhao Ruhua, have you gone money-crazy? How dare you ask for ten taels of silver?!”
Zhao Ruhua lifted her chin, spine straight and voice cold. “That’s right. I’ve gone money-crazy—so what? I listened to your sweet-talking lies and waited eighteen years for your son. Eighteen years of youth, gone to the dogs. And now you’re saying I don’t even deserve ten taels of silver to mourn the funeral of my wasted youth?”
The onlookers were stunned.
Wasted youth? What in the world was that supposed to mean? Why had they never heard anyone say that before?
Zhao Father hesitated for a moment, then cautiously leaned in and reminded her, “Daughter… you should speak more gently. And don’t refer to yourself as ‘Old Lady’… You’re still an unmarried girl…”
He trailed off mid-sentence, unable to go on.
At this point, who still cared about being a proper unmarried young lady?
As long as the Li family didn’t get the upper hand, that was good enough.
If the Li family dared make them suffer, then the Zhao family would make sure they suffered just as much.
Want to call off the engagement? Fine—bring out the silver and pay for it.
Eighteen years of waiting in exchange for ten taels of silver—was that too much?
Not at all!
Once Zhao Father thought it through, he even felt that ten taels might’ve been too little.
Still, Zhao Ruhua had calculated this well.
Asking the Li family for ten taels of silver would be painful enough for them to feel the sting.
If she asked for more and they flat-out refused to pay, it would be a waste of breath.
Hearing Zhao Father’s reasoning made the two daughters-in-law behind him want to burst out laughing. But when they thought of the current situation, they forced the laughter back down.
Zhao Ruhua turned to Li Hongyun with a mocking tone.
“Li Hongyun, why are you so quiet? What now? Have you suddenly fallen for my beauty and don’t want to break off the engagement anymore? Let me tell you—if you’re a real man, then break it off. Toss those ten taels of silver right in my face, so hard I don’t even dare breathe.”
“But here you are, playing dumb and pretending you don’t know what’s going on. What’s that supposed to mean?”
The Li family members looked at one another in utter confusion.
They wanted to act tough—but they couldn’t.
Ten taels of silver wasn’t something they could just pull out of thin air.
Zhao Ruhua had gauged them perfectly. The Li family could come up with ten taels of silver, but it would hurt—and they’d feel that pain for a long time.
Their silence wasn’t out of guilt, but hesitation. They were still weighing it—should they really hand over that silver to Zhao Ruhua?
Yes, they ran a business and had some money on hand, but ten taels wasn’t something they could earn back overnight.
“Zhao Ruhua, don’t push your luck! Our entire family came here today to break off the engagement and give you some dignity, but you refuse to take it! It’s just a broken engagement—fine, it’s broken! But then you open your mouth and demand ten taels of silver? Who do you think you are?”
“You want silver? Not a chance. If you insist on clinging to this, then cling all you want. I’m not marrying you. Even if you cling until you’re old and gray, it has nothing to do with me. As for the compensation you’re asking for—don’t even dream of getting a single coin from me.”
Li Hongyun was clearly trying to play the scoundrel now.
Back then, both families had agreed: once Zhao Ruhua came of age, and once the Li family’s business stabilized, the two would marry.
That wait had dragged on, and now Zhao Ruhua was already eighteen—an “old maid” by the standards of the surrounding villages. Meanwhile, the Li family had grown wealthy. Not only did Li Hongyun refuse to marry her, he’d gone and fathered a child with another woman.
He was the one who broke the promise—and yet now he had the nerve to say Zhao Ruhua wasn’t good-looking enough to be worthy of him?
The more the Zhao family thought about it, the angrier they became.
Zhao Ruhua stared at Li Hongyun’s so-called refined and gentle face.
Only one word came to mind:
Scum in scholar’s clothing.
Good thing she never liked this kind of man—otherwise, her whole life would’ve been ruined in his hands.
“Fine, then let the magistrate handle this.”
Zhao Ruhua didn’t bother entangling herself with Li Hongyun any further.
If something couldn’t be settled properly, then leave it to someone who could settle it.
“We can’t let the magistrate handle it!” Li Hongyun’s Mother objected immediately.
Their family’s business had only just begun to stabilize. If the authorities got involved, wouldn’t everyone within a hundred miles know her son had abandoned his fiancée before they even wed?
That kind of scandalous reputation couldn’t be allowed to spread.
If word got out, their business would take a hit—and Li Hongyun’s future would be completely ruined.
“Mother, you…”
Li Hongyun looked toward his Mother.
The rest of the Li family also turned to look at her.
After staring at Zhao Ruhua for a long moment, Madam Chen clenched her teeth and said, “Fine. We’ll give you ten taels of silver. From this day on, there will be no ties between our two families.”
“Mother! How could you—”
“That’s ten taels of silver! How can you just hand it over like that?!”
“Enough! All of you, be quiet.”
The Li family finally fell silent.
Zhao Ruhua stood with her arms crossed, face cold and unreadable, not a hint of sorrow or heartbreak on her expression.
“Zhao Ruhua, you’d better keep your word,” Li Hongyun’s Mother said darkly.
Zhao Ruhua scoffed. “Of course I’ll keep my word.”
She couldn’t wait to be rid of Li Hongyun—only then could she truly begin living her own quiet, peaceful life.
“We didn’t bring that much silver with us today. We’ll go back first. Once we’ve gathered the ten taels, we’ll return and hand it over.”
Madam Chen stood up, and her daughter-in-law stepped forward to support her as they left with full airs of dignity.
The Zhao family remained seated where they were—no one got up to see the Li family out.
Once they were gone, Zhao Father let out a long, heavy sigh. “Everything was fine before. How did Li Hongyun suddenly end up with a child by another woman?”
Big Brother Zhao Rushan’s face was full of resentment. “We shouldn’t have let them leave so easily. We should’ve beaten him up first—only then could we vent this anger!”
Zhao Father replied, “Laying a hand on someone means a lawsuit. If the injuries are serious, we’d end up in jail.”
Zhao Rushan fell silent.
It was true. Beating someone up could get them sued.
If one day their family truly rose to success, and the Li family came back to stir up trouble by digging up old grievances, things would get messy fast.
Since the other side was willing to pay ten taels of silver, it was better to let the matter rest. Dragging it out any longer would only hurt their own side.
Madam Hu, thinking of Zhao Ruhua’s future prospects, burst into tears again. “What will Ruhua do from now on? She’s already eighteen. Now that Li Hongyun has come to break off the engagement, if this gets out, her reputation will be ruined. What decent family would still want to marry her?”
“My poor child… She was about to marry into a wealthy household, and our family would’ve finally had some prestige. And now—this happens.”
Zhao Ruhua frowned. “Why are you still obsessing over that?”
Madam Hu doted on Zhao Ruhua, but that didn’t stop her from yearning for wealth and status.
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