Chapter 10

Liu Xiaolan started fighting with Mother Fang again.  

The Captain didn’t even want to intervene anymore.  

Let them fight. As long as no one died, it’s okay.  

He quickly turned to Xu Mo again.  

“Xu Mo! Do you or do you not want to marry Educated Youth Shen?”  

If Xu Mo agreed to marry Shen Jiaojiao, it would solve a huge problem for him. When the wedding came, he would definitely contribute double the usual gift money.  

Xu Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He glanced at Shen Jiaojiao before quickly looking away.

“I do.”  

Those two words were firm and decisive. Although he didn’t say them directly in front of Shen Jiaojiao, her heartbeat inexplicably sped up.  

She let out a breath of relief.  

At last, this matter was finally settled.  

But it wasn’t over yet.  

Shen Jiaojiao sniffled, placed her hand on her thigh, and pinched herself hard. The sharp pain instantly brought tears to her eyes.  

“Captain, although Xu Mo doesn’t mind that my reputation is ruined, I can’t let him suffer because of me. My dowry must be provided by the Fang Family. Otherwise, I’ll hang myself right beside Mother Fang’s bed.”  

Mother Fang, who was currently pulling at Liu Xiaolan’s hair, heard this and had no choice but to agree through her tears.  

“I’ll give it, I’ll give it! I’ll provide your dowry!”  

She might as well treat it as sending off a plague.  

Liu Xiaolan was still struggling to process everything.  

What? Since when was there suddenly another daughter-in-law in the family?  

Shen Jiaojiao added another condition.  

“My dowry won’t include pots and pans. Everything must be converted into cash—fifty yuan in total.”  

“What? Fifty yuan! Are you robbing me?!” Mother Fang was so shocked that her voice cracked.  

“If you don’t give it, I’ll hang myself by your bed.”  

Tears streamed down Mother Fang’s wrinkled face. “Fine, fine! I’ll give it to you, isn’t that enough?”  

Fang Qinghe was furious, his rage nearly bursting through his seven orifices. “Shen Jiaojiao! You can’t marry Xu Mo!”  

He rushed forward, wanting to take Shen Jiaojiao away.  

But the Xu family’s men were not to be trifled with.  

Brother Xu and Second Brother Xu immediately stepped in, blocking Fang Qinghe’s way and dragging him away.  

“Shen Jiaojiao, didn’t you say you liked me? You can’t marry… him…”  

As he was taken away, the surroundings instantly quieted.

Captain let out a deep sigh of relief.  

That was close—someone might have died in this village today.

Fortunately, Xu Mo was a decent kid, solving a huge problem for him.  

At this moment, Captain looked at Xu Mo differently, almost wanting to recognize him as his godson.  

Then, he turned to the commune members and Educated Youth who were gathered around watching the commotion. “Stop standing around here. Go home and cook lunch. After eating, get ready for work in the afternoon.”  

Hearing this, everyone slowly dispersed and headed back to their homes.  

Ye Huan shot a glare at Xu Mo, sneering coldly in her heart.  

Shen Jiaojiao, I’m so happy that you’re marrying a country bumpkin! From now on, you’ll probably never be able to return to the city. You might as well settle down and be a village woman for the rest of your life!  

As for me, I will definitely return to the city.  Not only will I return, but I will marry someone better than you. I will become a rich lady. When that happens, it will infuriate you to death.  

With this thought, Ye Huan walked away, full of determination.  

When most of the crowd had dispersed, Captain finally had time to warn the two women who were still fighting.  

“You two, don’t go too far. That’s enough. If you keep fighting, I’ll deduct your work points.”  

Since Shen Jiaojiao was closer to Liu Xiaolan, she quickly helped her up.  

For a moment, Liu Xiaolan was stunned as she looked at Shen Jiaojiao.  

Was she dreaming?  

Such a beautiful girl was going to marry her son?  

“Thank you.” she said, momentarily losing her usual sharp tongue, not knowing what else to say.  

Mother Fang, on the other hand, was covered in bruises. She had been waiting for someone to help her up, but in the end, no one came.  

Even her own family members had disappeared somewhere.  

At that moment, she suddenly felt extremely wronged. She was so angry that she wanted to cry.

At this moment, the Captain spoke again. “Since everyone has agreed to this marriage, we should settle it as soon as possible. Educated Youth Shen, hasn’t reached the legal marriage age yet, so I’ll report the situation to the Village Committee and get you a marriage certificate. Also, you should hold a banquet at home to invite the villagers for some celebration. Once that’s done, the marriage will be considered official.”  

“A wedding can’t be taken lightly. I’ll pick an auspicious date for you, and once it’s decided, I’ll let you know.”  

Then, he gave a stern reminder. “You lot are under special attention in the village, so don’t go causing any more trouble. Wang Erniu, did you hear me?”  

Still feeling wronged, Mother Fang nodded weakly. “I heard you.”  

“Then hurry up and prepare the dowry money.”  

Mother Fang pulled a face as if she had just swallowed a fly.  

But she didn’t dare say anything more—she was truly afraid that Shen Jiaojiao would actually hang herself by her bed.  

So, with a snort, she got up from the ground and ran off.  

Captain turned to Liu Xiaolan and instructed: “Liu Xiaolan, you have a wild and fiery temper, but once Shen Jiaojiao marries into your family, you’d better treat her well. She’s a city girl—don’t make her do too much farm work.”  

After earnestly advising them, Captain finally made his escape, feeling utterly relieved.  

Today had been way too nerve-wracking.  

He was sweating all over from the stress.  

Now, only Shen Jiaojiao, Xu Mo, and Liu Xiaolan remained on the threshing ground.  

The three of them stood together, and suddenly, an awkward silence settled in.  

Shen Jiaojiao glanced at the pork in her hands and then handed it to Liu Xiaolan.  

“Mom, this is for you.”  

The word “Mom” rolled off her tongue so naturally that even she didn’t realize it at first.  

It was mostly because, in her past life, after marrying Xu Mo, Liu Xiaolan had unexpectedly taken care of her for half a month despite their initial grudges.  

During that time, Shen Jiaojiao had called her “Mom” every day.  So now, she couldn’t shake the habit.  

Xu Mo’s ears instantly turned red.  

Hearing Shen Jiaojiao call his mother that way before she had even officially married into the family stirred something strange in his heart.  

It was a ticklish, teasing sensation that made him feel inexplicably flustered.  

Liu Xiaolan felt even more awkward.  

She looked at her son.  

What should she do now?

Xu Mo stopped Shen Jiaojiao. “Our family got a good share of wild boar meat too. If you give this to us, what will you eat? Take it back with you.”  

Shen Jiaojiao hesitated and mumbled weakly: “I don’t know how to cook… If I keep it, it’ll just go to waste.”  

Xu Mo clicked his tongue. As expected, she was spoiled.  

Liu Xiaolan, seeing no need to be polite, directly took the pork from Shen Jiaojiao’s hands.  

“Alright then, I’ll take the meat. Once it’s cooked, I’ll have Xu Mo bring some over to you.”  

Then she added: “From now on, we’ll send you meals every day until you officially marry into our family.”  

“Thank you, Mom.” Shen Jiaojiao flashed a sweet smile.  

That smile completely melted Liu Xiaolan’s heart.  

This city girl really was beautiful.  She looked like someone who would bring good fortune.  

Old Third was truly lucky.  

Xu Mo couldn’t hold it in anymore and let out a light cough. “Shen Jiaojiao, you’re not married yet—you can’t call her ‘Mom’.”  

If someone overheard, it would ruin her reputation even more.  

Shen Jiaojiao froze.  

Then, she realized she had accidentally brought over a habit from her past life.  

Her face turned slightly red.  “I… I understand.”  

Liu Xiaolan glanced at her son and felt that he was as dense as a wooden block—completely clueless.  

The girl was already willing to change how she addressed them, yet he, a grown man, was still acting all hesitant and fussy.

No wonder he was this old and still hadn’t found a wife!