Chapter 2: The Provocateur

Mama Li was furious that someone would dare utter such words on her Miss’s wedding day. When had her Miss ever endured such verbal humiliation?

Though resentful, she dared not slap Gou Er. If he was the village bully, how would her Miss ever live peacefully here? Besides, the He Family was utterly useless; who would protect her in the future?

Su Yi’an stopped walking. After waiting a moment and seeing no villagers intervene, she understood their attitude.

They must think that because she was marrying into the He Family—a defenseless young woman with a weak husband’s family—they could let others bully her. Su Yi’an refused to believe the villagers would tolerate Gou Er speaking to other brides this way.

If she let this slide once, it would happen again. She wouldn’t let herself be bullied in the Su Family, nor would she tolerate it in Yongyang Village.

Moreover, the Su Family’s wedding escort wasn’t just for show. Any villager with sense would know they were from the Su Family in the city. She doubted anyone would dare demand an explanation from the Su Family if she struck Gou Er today.

With a plan forming, she turned to Mama Li. “Mama Li, you know how to deal with such ill-mannered people.”

Mama Li hesitated for a moment, then perked up when she heard her Miss speak. She was delighted to see that her Miss had truly changed. Ever since waking from her near-fatal illness, she was no longer frail and sickly, and her temperament had undergone a remarkable transformation.

Without dwelling further on it, Mama Li turned and strode into the crowd, approaching Gou Er directly. She raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

The villagers were stunned by this brazen act. How dare she strike him so openly? It was utterly outrageous! After all, Gou Er was one of their own, and she was merely a slave sent to accompany the bride.

“You… you!” Gou Er clutched his stinging cheek, pointing a trembling finger at Mama Li. “I was being generous by speaking to you like that! Don’t you know your place? You’re nothing but a sacrificial bride!”

Beneath her veil, Su Yi’an scoffed coldly. “Generous? You dare claim to be generous to me?”

The surrounding villagers fell silent, the atmosphere growing eerily tense.

Su Yi’an turned to face the crowd. A gust of wind lifted a corner of her red veil, revealing the upward curve of her lips beneath.

“Hmph, an unmarried woman with such poor manners? Then I’ll teach you some proper etiquette on behalf of your future husband’s family!” Gou Er, accustomed to bullying the villagers who avoided him, couldn’t bear being humiliated in public by this young woman.

Before Gou Er could step forward, the bride unexpectedly lifted her veil in full view of the crowd.

Her willow-leaf eyebrows framed crimson lips, and her almond-shaped face was flushed with peach-blossom cheeks. Her deep, mesmerizing eyes dared anyone to meet her gaze.

“You…” Gou Er froze mid-sentence, his remaining words dying in his throat.

“What? Does the Su Family keep you around just to watch the show?” Su Yi’an cast a cold glance at the sedan chair bearers, her voice laced with authority.

The servants escorting the bride dared not linger for entertainment. Several stepped forward to shield Mama Li, their posture radiating a defiant “Try to get past us.”

Suddenly, Gou Er yelped in pain.

A towering man had seized Gou Er and slammed him to the ground. The surrounding villagers merely retreated a few steps, none daring to intervene.

“You, you, what are you doing? I, Gou Er, have never wronged you!” Gou Er struggled futilely against the man’s grip, finally resorting to desperate babbling. “You wouldn’t be siding with the He Family, would you? Don’t you fear bringing bad luck to the village?”

Gou Er’s mind raced. Mentioning the bride would gain him no sympathy, but invoking the universally despised He Family…

As expected, the villagers’ expressions shifted at the mention of the He Family, but still, no one dared to rescue Gou Er.

“Zhuang Shan,” a woman called out softly from the edge of the crowd, approaching with a bamboo basket. “Let him go.”

A smile flickered across Gou Er’s face, his heart leaping with relief. But the woman continued, “Go home and wash up immediately. Look at you, getting your hands dirty again.”

The tall man glared fiercely at Gou Er before rising to address the villagers. “I didn’t strike him for the He Family’s sake today. You all heard the vile things Gou Er said. If word of this reaches other villages, which girl would ever want to marry into our community?”

Zhuang Shan deliberately twisted the villagers’ earlier mockery of the He Family’s lack of male leadership, using their own logic against them.

With that, he took the woman’s hand and strode away from the crowd.

The villagers, their curiosity satisfied, dispersed in small groups.

Su Yi’an watched the departing couple, raising an eyebrow. This village drama was far more intriguing than she’d imagined. She wondered how the He Family managed to survive here.

“Auntie, can we go inside now?” He Xingchen, still shaken from the earlier commotion, whispered once the crowd had dispersed.

“Alright,” Su Yi’an replied, sensing the child’s nervousness. She let him lead her through the door.

Inside the He Family residence, those who could stand had long been waiting anxiously by the door, their hearts pounding with each passing moment until the door finally swung open from the outside.

The bride entered, led by the He Family’s grandson, resplendent in a crimson wedding gown. Though she wore no red veil, the family members showed no disapproval. Her arrival was all that mattered, especially given the circumstances.

“Miss Su,” Mother He’s voice trembled slightly as she extended a hand, then quickly withdrew it. She couldn’t bear to face her.

Years ago, the He Family had arranged a marriage with the Su Family. But now, with the He Family’s fortunes in ruins, they were no longer a suitable match for the Su Family. Miss Su could have married into any prosperous family in the city, a far better prospect than joining the He Family.

Yet Mother He, blinded by desperation to save her Second Son, had taken the marriage contract to the Su Family. She had demanded that they honor the agreement, threatening to report them to the authorities if they refused. With the contract in hand, the Su Family had no choice but to comply.

Now that her plan had succeeded and Miss Su had indeed married into the family, Mother He was filled with dread. She had dragged this young woman into a pit of fire. If Miss Su harbored resentment toward her, Mother He would have no defense.

Overwhelmed by these thoughts, Mother He suddenly fainted.

“Mother!” The youngest daughter of the He Family cried out in alarm. Fortunately, she was nearby and managed to catch her mother before she collapsed to the ground.

“Let’s get her onto the bed first. She should be alright.” Su Yi’an hurried forward and checked the bride’s breathing. Reassured by her steady breaths, she finally relaxed.

The youngest daughter of the He family pursed her lips, looking troubled but too embarrassed to explain to the bride.

“What’s wrong?” Su Yi’an asked, puzzled.

“Auntie, there’s no room on the kang in the inner room. Grandma can’t lie down,” He Xingchen murmured, glancing inside before lowering his head.

Su Yi’an had expected something serious, but it turned out the problem was simply lack of space. She surveyed the room and sighed inwardly. The He family’s poverty was even worse than she’d imagined.

The only wooden table was missing half a leg, propped up by stones. The two chairs had uneven legs, threatening to wobble if anyone sat on them. There wasn’t a single cabinet, making the small room feel strangely empty.

“Then let’s help her to another room,” Su Yi’an suggested, turning to the woman beside her. Her protruding belly suggested she was five or six months pregnant—likely He Xingchen’s mother.

With just two adults, a child, and a pregnant woman, moving the bride to another room would be difficult.

Fortunately, Mama Li hadn’t left the courtyard. Hearing Su Yi’an’s call, she hurried over to help, supporting her as they led her to the adjacent room.

The room was small, with a mud-brick kang dominating the space. The thin quilt covering it was even thinner than those used by the Su Family’s servants. Mama Li glanced at it and quickly averted her eyes.

When will this hardship end? she dared not even imagine.

“Mama Li, the city is far from here. You should return while it’s still early. You might be able to rest in town,” Su Yi’an said, secretly pulling out half a tael of silver and slipping it to her when no one was looking.

Mama Li hesitated, but mindful of her Miss’s dignity, she accepted the money. As she left, she discreetly tucked the silver beneath Mother He’s bedding.

The silver wasn’t much to her, but for the He Family in their current state, every meal counted. She hoped it would ease Miss Su’s suffering.

Once everything was settled, Mama Li led her group away from the He residence. Only after they had left did Su Yi’an realize that everyone in the room was staring at her.

Though no one spoke, their faces betrayed their unease.

“Now that I’ve married into the family, I won’t leave,” Su Yi’an reassured them.

Hearing this, the group finally smiled, oblivious to the loophole in the earlier statement.

It wasn’t until a fit of coughing echoed from the inner room that they remembered there were still two people inside.

“Auntie, my uncle is very ill,” He Xingchen said, head bowed and hands clasped tightly. “Grandma said to wait for you to come before giving him his medicine.”

The youngest daughter of the He family quickly added, “The medicine is already brewed and warming on the stove.”

She had started brewing the medicine when He Xingchen went to greet the guests, expecting the bride to feed it to her second brother. But the commotion had made them forget their original purpose.

Su Yi’an understood immediately: they were trying to ward off misfortune by bringing in auspicious energy to rouse the bedridden man.

It wasn’t a difficult task—just feeding medicine.

“Second Young Master He is lying down in the inner room, and his elder brother, whose legs are injured, is sitting there too,” He Xingchen’s mother explained hastily, as if afraid Su Yi’an might hesitate.

“It’s no trouble,” Su Yi’an replied, following her inside. She lifted the curtain and was immediately enveloped in the pungent aroma of traditional Chinese medicine, her brow furrowing slightly.

The men inside had been waiting for some time. When they heard voices outside earlier, the eldest son of the He family had tried to get up to see what was happening, but his broken legs refused to cooperate, leaving him frustrated.

Seeing someone enter, the eldest son of the He Family quickly asked, “Wanxu, how is Mother?”

“Mother is fine,” Wanxu replied. “She just fainted from excitement. She’ll be fine after some rest.” She stepped aside to make room for Su Yi’an and introduced her: “This is Miss Su from the Su Family.”

Su Yi’an nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the earthen kang bed.

The eldest son of the He Family, though unable to move his legs, looked relatively well. The second son, however, lay motionless, his face deathly pale, as if on the verge of passing away.

“Miss Su,” the youngest daughter of the He Family said timidly. Unlike her brother He Xingchen, she lacked the courage to address Su Yi’an directly.

“Let me handle this,” Su Yi’an said, taking the medicine bowl from the girl’s hands. She gently stirred the dark, viscous liquid with a small spoon.

Once it had cooled, she began feeding He Yunhuai, who lay on the kang, spoonful by spoonful.

Su Yi’an didn’t believe this “auspicious marriage” ritual could revive him. But seeing the He Family’s desperate hope, she couldn’t bear to shatter their illusion. If feeding him medicine brings them comfort, then so be it. Even if he doesn’t survive, at least they’ll know they did everything they could.

Every possible measure had already been taken.

As spoonful after spoonful of the herbal decoction went down, the fever in the man on the bed began to subside. Though he remained unconscious, it seemed he might cling to life for another day or two.

Mother He woke up shivering from the draft seeping through the cracks in the door. Dazed, she sat up, momentarily forgetting where she was.

As her mind cleared, anxiety gripped her heart. She feared Miss Su might have left, or worse, that her Second Son might be gone.

She hurried down from the earthen kang, rushing to the adjacent room without even putting on her padded coat.

When she pushed open the door and saw Su Yi’an still inside, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“How is Second Son now?” Mother He asked. Though the grim faces of the others had already told her Second Son was likely out of danger, her anxiety demanded verbal reassurance.

“Mother, Yi’an gave Second Son medicine earlier, and his fever has broken,” Wanxu replied, glancing at Su Yi’an.

Mother He nodded, her joy bubbling over as she took Su Yi’an’s hand and patted it gently. “Good, good. With Yi’an here, Second Son will be alright.”

Su Yi’an wasn’t accustomed to such intimacy, but she felt too awkward to pull her hand away, letting Mother He pat it twice.

The fever’s gone, but whether he’ll truly survive is another matter, Su Yi’an thought, but she kept the thought to herself, knowing this wasn’t the time to voice such doubts.

Knock, knock, knock! A sudden knock echoed from the tightly shut door. The faces that had just been bright with hope now darkened with apprehension.

“Mother…” He Ningwen, the youngest daughter of the He family, seemed terrified, half-hiding behind Mother He.