Chapter 22.2

The matchmaker smiled and said, “You don’t know, the Xiang family and Shi family are celebrating together—marrying off daughters and sons-in-law. Xiang Dalang is marrying Shi family’s third daughter, and Shi family’s young master is marrying our Xiang family’s fifth daughter.”

“Fifth daughter?” The villagers were stunned. “Who is the fifth daughter of the Xiang family?”

“The Xiang family doesn’t count the big branch’s daughters, so it’s probably Xiang Laosan’s daughter. Is it that Xiang Lotus?”

“I heard that Shi family’s son is both lame and ugly. Xiang Laosan is at least a scholar. How could he bear to marry his daughter off to Shi family in exchange for a match?”

“Xiang Laosan has been studying outside all these years, using the money from his parents. He had to help the family, so marrying off his daughter to exchange for a match with his nephew was the right thing to do.”

Today, his nephew is getting married, and Xiang Laosan brought his son back from the city. He had just heard the villagers gossiping when he felt unhappy and sternly said, “The match isn’t for my daughter, it’s for the eldest branch’s Xinghua.”

Everyone was stunned, and the discussion erupted.

“No way, Xinghua is only eleven years old. How can she be married?”

“I just saw Xiong, she didn’t mention her daughter was getting married?”

“I also saw Xinghua and Pear Blossom heating water in the back. If today is Xinghua’s big day, why didn’t she go get dressed?”

“This child is so young, and there are so many granddaughters in the Xiang family. Xiang Jinhua is already fifteen, Lotus is at least thirteen. How did it end up being Xinghua?”

“Exactly, last time Mrs. Xiang sold Pear Blossom, and now she’s giving Xinghua to marry off to exchange a match with Xiang Dalang. How can a little girl marry a lame and ugly man? It looks like they’re pushing the big branch into the fire.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, they’re worse than pigs and dogs.”

Xiang Laosan usually didn’t come back to the village. When he did, he relied on his status as a scholar to look down on the villagers. But today, when he came back, he noticed that people no longer fawned over him and instead looked at him with disdain. He didn’t know why, but hearing the villagers’ gossip about his family made his expression even worse.

Especially the Liu family in the village, who had produced a talented scholar. Liu’s eldest son, at nineteen, had already passed the scholar exam. Xiang Laosan was still a student at thirty. They used to be on the same level, but now Liu’s family had completely surpassed the Xiang family, which made him feel ashamed.

What he didn’t expect was that Liu’s family also came to the feast. Liu’s eldest son, Liu Qiming, was standing nearby. 

Hearing the gossip, he couldn’t help but sneer, “Xiang Laosan is really unlucky. How did he end up in the Xiang family? He’s been a soldier for almost twenty years, and his two daughters have been sold off by their parents to help out their brothers’ families. So tragic.”

His scholar son, Liu Qiming, looked at Xiang Laosan with a half-smile, full of disdain.

Xiang Laosan felt terribly embarrassed under the young man’s gaze. Hearing the others’ gossip, his face turned green and pale, and he was about to go behind to question his mother. But the wedding procession was already urging them to hurry and bring the bride to the sedan.

What they didn’t know was that a tug-of-war was unfolding in the back yard.

Mrs. Xiang heard that the bridal sedan had arrived, but the two daughters-in-law still hadn’t dealt with Pear Blossom, so she had to abandon everything else and try to chase Pear Blossom away to get Xinghua into the sedan.

But Pear Blossom stubbornly clung to Xinghua. Seeing that they were being pushed closer and closer, she dragged Xinghua and ran from the back yard to the front hall, mingling with the guests who had come for the feast.

When Mrs. Xiang saw what was happening, she didn’t care about anything else. She hurriedly followed with her two daughters-in-law and several granddaughters.

Pear Blossom, seeing where the Qin family was standing, quickly pulled Xinghua along and smiled as they walked over to greet the villagers.

The villagers, noticing this, quickly asked, “Pear Blossom, what’s going on? We heard that the Shi family came to pick up a bride, and it’s your sister Xinghua. Is that true?”

Pear Blossom loudly replied, “That’s not true. My sister is only eleven years old, and I haven’t heard of anyone coming to propose!”

“Your third uncle just said that the Shi family is marrying your sister Xinghua. It can’t be wrong.”
At this moment, Mrs. Xiong also came out, saying, “That’s not true. If they were marrying my daughter, I, as her mother, would surely know about it.”

The villagers looked at each other and started whispering.

“What’s going on here? Who is the bride in this marriage exchange?”

The matchmaker from the Shi family looked around for Mrs. Xiang. When she saw her rushing ahead with her daughters-in-law and granddaughters, she quickly stopped her and asked, “Mrs. Xiang, what’s going on? Where’s the bride?”

Mrs. Xiang quickly grabbed her hand and comforted her, “She’s up ahead. Wait for me, I’ll go get her and bring her to the bridal sedan.”

The matchmaker was confused. Shouldn’t the bride already be dressed up in her bridal attire, waiting in the inner room? Why was she up ahead? Unable to understand, the matchmaker reluctantly followed Mrs. Xiang.

Mrs. Xiang, seeing the two sisters, Pear Blossom and Xinghua, crowding together, was so furious that she gritted her teeth. She wanted to tear Pear Blossom to pieces. They could have quietly shoved the girl into the bridal sedan, but because of this foolish girl, she feared things would get worse.

What a troublesome little brat!

But since things had already come this far, she could only order her two daughters-in-law to stop Pear Blossom while she personally went to pull Xinghua.

Pear Blossom, seeing these people coming with ill intentions, shouted loudly, “What are you trying to do?”

The two daughters-in-law didn’t care about anything else. They rushed forward from both sides to grab Pear Blossom. But Pear Blossom, staying alert and strong, quickly grabbed her smaller sister and held her tightly in her arms.

While questioning, she tried to hide behind the villagers. Mrs. Xiong quickly blocked their way, shouting, “What are you trying to do with my daughter?”

Mrs. Xiang couldn’t pretend anymore and said harshly, “Today is Xinghua’s wedding day. The bridal sedan has already arrived at the Shi family’s house. Xinghua needs to quickly put on the wedding gown and get in the sedan.”

Mrs. Xiong, upon hearing this, was struck as if by thunderclap. She pretended to collapse, sitting on the ground in shock, and immediately began to cry loudly, “Our family is so unfortunate, oh my god—how can this be—this cruel mother-in-law sold off my eldest daughter and now wants to sell my second daughter too.”

The cheerful atmosphere of the occasion was instantly shattered by Mrs. Xiong’s crying. The villagers quickly gathered around.

Mrs. Xiong cried, “This mother just found out that today’s bride exchange involves my little daughter, Xinghua. My poor Xinghua is only eleven years old!”

The villagers were in an uproar, gossiping among themselves. The looks they gave the Xiang family were now full of suspicion.

The people who came to pick up the bride were also upset. “Didn’t we agree that we were here to pick up a bride? Why is everything changing now?”

The matchmaker pushed through the crowd and questioned Mrs. Xiong, who was still crying on the ground, “When I came here before, we all ate together. Mrs. Xiang said you agreed to this marriage.”

Mrs. Xiong cried, “My mother-in-law said this was just to introduce the match to the eldest son, and we were just having a meal together. She never said anything about marrying off my Xinghua. From beginning to end, I had no idea about this.”

Mrs. Xiang stepped forward, sternly saying, “Xinghua is my granddaughter. If I say she’s getting married, then she will. You’d better go inside and stop embarrassing yourself here.”

Mrs. Xiong glared back, shouting, “Xinghua is not getting married. You can marry whoever you want, but as her mother, I don’t agree!”

The village head, who was watching the scene unfold, scratched his head. The Xiang family was always causing trouble like this, and he didn’t want to get involved. 

But since he was the village head, he couldn’t just ignore it. Someone quickly pushed him forward, saying, “The village head is here, the village head is here.”

The Shi family’s wedding party also included Shi Laizi’s second uncle, Shi Erye, who saw the chaos and stepped forward to ask what was going on and why the bride still hadn’t gotten in the sedan.

Xiang Laotou hadn’t expected his wife to make such a mess, and he quickly sought out his second and third sons to discuss a solution.

Shi Erye stepped forward to ask, and the village head, unwilling to back down, said firmly, “Although I am the village head, I don’t know the full details. I came here just to drink the eldest son’s wedding wine and haven’t heard anything about marrying off a daughter.”

Shi Erye furrowed his brows. “The Xiang family originally said the fifth daughter would be married. Where is she? Why isn’t she in the sedan?”

A villager quickly added, “This marriage was arranged by Mrs. Xiang and her husband. They said it was the second daughter from the eldest branch, but the eldest daughter-in-law had no idea and won’t allow her daughter to get in the sedan.”

Shi Erye’s face darkened. “Since everything was agreed upon, our daughter may have already gotten in the sedan to leave, and yet you haven’t brought the bride back? Are you trying to make our Shi family suffer? That won’t do! Where is that girl? Whether she likes it or not, she must get in the sedan.”

Mrs. Xiang, hearing this, agreed, “Don’t listen to their nonsense. I already talked about the marriage with the eldest branch, but I don’t know what the eldest daughter-in-law is doing, refusing to let her daughter get in the sedan. Since it’s my granddaughter, I have the final say. I’ll just shove her into the bridal sedan.”

She waved her hand, signaling for the marriage party to come over and force the bride into the sedan.

Pear Blossom tightly protected Xinghua behind her and said, “Today, no one is taking my sister.”

The Qin family and Zhang Laowu quickly stepped forward to stop those attempting to steal the bride.

As both sides were about to clash, Mrs. Xiong shouted, “Xinghua has already been sold by me. She is no longer a member of the Xiang family, so none of you can marry her.”

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent and turned their attention to Mrs. Xiong.

Mrs. Xiong then pulled out a contract from her sleeve and handed it to the village chief, saying, “Uncle Village Chief, this is the contract for selling Xinghua. It’s written in black and white, and she is no longer a member of the Xiang family. The Xiang family can’t marry her off!”

The village chief widened his eyes and carefully examined the contract. Indeed, it was clearly written, with the fingerprint of the intermediary, Qin Laohan. He immediately understood what was going on and turned to Qin Laohan, saying, “Old Brother, since you were the intermediary in selling Xinghua to the wife of the village’s Fubao, tell everyone what happened.”

Qin Laohan cleared his throat and spoke, “A few days ago, Dagen’s wife came to me and said that Erniu was sick but had no money for treatment, and the in-laws were unwilling to help. They had no choice but to sell Xinghua. 

Fubao’s Mother from the village was willing to pay five taels of silver to buy her. Since both parties agreed, and the price seemed reasonable, I agreed to act as the intermediary. Now, the transaction is complete. Xinghua is indeed no longer a member of the Xiang family. Just like Pear Blossom, she is now Fubao’s.”

Qin Laohan’s words were like cold water poured into a boiling pot, causing an uproar in everyone’s minds.

Mrs. Xiang nearly went mad trying to grab the contract but was stopped by the village chief, who pointed at Xiang Laosan and said, “Xiang Laosan, you’re a scholar. Come and take a look at what’s written on this contract.”

Xiang Laosan reluctantly stepped forward, took the contract, and glanced at it. The neat handwriting clearly indicated that it was a contract for the sale of Xinghua.

He had no choice but to nod in resignation.

Mrs. Xiang couldn’t read, but she understood the significance of the contract. She lunged to tear it up, but Zhang Laowu, quick-witted and swift-handed, snatched it away and said, “This contract comes in two copies. Fubao’s Mother still has one. If you destroy this copy, Xinghua won’t come back. But if she decides to report this to the authorities, you’ll be in trouble.”

Hearing this, Mrs. Xiang hesitated, but upon remembering that the Shi family was waiting, she gritted her teeth and lunged again. However, Zhang Laowu, being tall, blocked her and put the contract out of her reach.

At this moment, the village chief could no longer stay silent and stepped forward, saying, “Xiang Kui, you can sell your grandchild, but as a parent, you also have the right to sell your child. Your daughter-in-law has indeed sold Xinghua, and according to the contract, she is no longer a member of the Xiang family. 

You have no say in her marriage. If you continue to cause trouble, the Shi family will report you to the authorities, and you’ll be facing punishment and imprisonment.”

The Xiang family had never expected such an outcome. Mrs. Xiang couldn’t hold back and charged at Mrs. Xiong, angrily cursing her for acting on her own.

Mrs. Xiong, already furious, gritted her teeth and began fighting with the old woman.

However, the Shi family was not pleased.

“What about us? We agreed to exchange brides. Our daughter came, but you’re not sending anyone over. What’s going on?”

At this moment, the welcoming party for Xiang Dalang had returned. The sedan chair was heavy, and it seemed the bride had been fetched smoothly.

Seeing the Shi family’s wedding party still gathered at the door, Xiang Dalang rushed to ask what had happened. When he found out that Xinghua was not going to marry, he panicked. He had seen Shi Lai’s sister and thought she wasn’t bad. Now, at 20 years old, if he didn’t marry soon, he would be left a bachelor. He had finally found a bride, and he couldn’t let this problem ruin everything.

Seeing the Shi family preparing to take the bride away, Xiang Dalang snapped. He grabbed a kitchen knife from the side and held it to his neck, threatening, “If I can’t get married today, I’ll die right here in front of you!”

This move immediately startled everyone, and his mother, Zhou, clung to her son’s leg, crying uncontrollably.

What had been a joyous wedding turned into an uproar.

Shi Erye, the second master of the Shi family, was also furious, shouting, “Are you treating the Shi family like monkeys? Listen up, today, no matter what, we will get a bride. If not, not only will we take our bride back, but from now on, the Shi family and the Xiang family will never be at peace!”

The villagers were already familiar with the reputation of the Shi family, and hearing Shi Erye’s harsh words, the Xiang family trembled in fear.

Xiang Dalang looked at his sister beside him, grabbed her, and pushed her forward, saying, “You want a bride, right? It doesn’t matter who she marries, just let her marry.”

Hearing this, Xiang Juhua screamed in fear, quickly hiding behind her father, Xiang Lao Er, and shouted, “No, I don’t want to marry that ugly beggar!”

Shi Erye’s eyes turned dark and cold as he glared at her, saying, “Who are you calling a beggar?”
Xiang Juhua, terrified, dared not speak.

Mrs. Xiang, not caring about anything anymore, dragged Xiang Juhua from behind Xiang Laoer and said, “She’s the one. Our eldest daughter, fifteen years old, is more than suitable for your Shi family.”

Shi Erye sneered, “Since you’ve chosen, hurry up and get her to the sedan chair.”

Xiang Juhua couldn’t believe that just moments ago, she was mocking Xinghua, and now the same misfortune had befallen her. 

She refused to marry that crippled, ugly beggar. She didn’t want to go through with the marriage exchange. She screamed and struggled to run away but was caught by her older brother, who held her by the neck and pushed her into the sedan chair.

Xiang Laoer watched helplessly, feeling a mix of regret and helplessness. This was his daughter, but for the sake of his son getting a wife, there was nothing he could do. He could neither stop it nor allow it to continue, so he could only watch his daughter being forced into the sedan chair.

Zhou, Xiang Laoer’s wife, cried uncontrollably, her wailing filling the air.

The villagers whispered to each other, “You were fine when you exchanged another family’s daughter for your own son, but now that it’s your own daughter, you act like the world is ending.”

“This family is truly terrible, they’ve done nothing but harm. From now on, no one should marry their daughters into this family.”

“Heart as venomous as a snake’s, how could there be such people in Daliushu Village? It’s truly embarrassing.”

A group of people watched gleefully as Xiang Laotou’s face, which had been so proud, was now thoroughly humiliated by these continuous incidents.

When they saw someone inside the sedan, Shi Erye yelled for the sedan to be lifted, and only then did the group of people carry the weeping and wailing Xiang Juhua, marching forward in a grand procession.

The remaining villagers of Daliushu Village looked at the absurd scene before them, feeling that this banquet, meant to be a joyous occasion, was not enjoyable at all. They dispersed in groups, unable to stomach the situation.

Xiang Dalang looked at the empty space around him, his long-awaited joyous day turning out this way. He slammed tables and chairs, cursing loudly, even shifting his anger to the main house. He grabbed a wooden stick and was about to strike Xinghua, but was stopped by Pear Blossom, who seized the stick and took it away from him.

“We, the two sisters, are no longer part of the Xiang family. If you dare to lay a hand on me, I won’t show any mercy!”

Xiang Dalang had a violent temper, but after the previous incident at the village’s end with the Zhen family, he knew he couldn’t beat Pear Blossom. The stick was taken from him in one move, so he could only spit bitterly on the ground and storm off to his room.

Pear Blossom wanted to take Xinghua to Dong Yun’s house, but since Daniu wasn’t home and she was worried about her mother and brother being bullied by the Xiang family, she decided to stay for the time being.

To celebrate Xiang Dalang’s wedding, Xiang Laotou’s wife had even slaughtered a pig. Now, since none of the villagers stayed for the meal, she had worried the food and wine wouldn’t be enough. But now, no one could be invited to eat, and the place was empty, with only the Xiang family remaining.

Xiang Laotou looked at the scattered tables and chairs, his face darkened as if it were a pot bottom. He hurried over to Xiang’s wife and slapped her across the face, shouting, “Look at the mess you’ve caused! Now look at this, Juhua is gone, and the whole village is laughing at us. 

How will Erlang and Sanlang find wives now? How will people look at our Xiang family?”

Xiang’s wife, stunned by the slap, felt dizzy and muttered in protest, “At the time, you agreed to the marriage with the Shi family, and now that things have gone wrong, you come here and curse me.”

Before she could finish, her husband kicked her to the ground with a howl that sounded like a slaughtered pig.

She still wasn’t done protesting, struggling to get up and rushing toward Xiong, shouting, “It’s all your fault, you vile woman. You took it upon yourself to sell Xinghua, and now look at this mess. You’re a wicked woman! We should never have let Dagen marry you.”

But before she could get close to Xiong, Pear Blossom pulled her mother aside, and Xiang’s wife fell flat on the ground.

Mrs. Xiong shouted, “You’re always scheming against my daughter! My daughter is only eleven years old. My husband has served in the military for twenty years for this family, and you… you want to sell my daughter quietly at home. What do you think of our family? Isn’t Dagen your son? Aren’t Pear Blossom and Xinghua your granddaughters? Why do you have to torment us like this?”

All the accumulated grievances of Mrs. Xiong finally exploded. She was no longer the patient woman who had endured in silence. After the fight with this old witch, she was emboldened and was no longer afraid. She stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for her to come and strike her.

When Xiang’s wife heard this, her face twisted with fury. She no longer cared but was dragged by Xiang Laotou by her hair and pulled backward. He scolded, “At this point, you’re still making a fool of yourself! Go back to your room.”