Chapter 3 : Finding a Way Out

When Jiang Qiaoqiao heard this, she thought to herself, ‘It’s true. If Mr. Zhang hears about my past, he might resent me and refuse to associate with me. Wouldn’t that ruin my dream of becoming the wife of a juren (a scholar who passed the provincial exam)?’

She couldn’t let that happen. So she quickly pulled her mother aside and said “Mom, Jiang Sui is right. We can’t let Mr. Zhang know about this. If she wants to marry a fool, let her. The Xiao family might not be wealthy, but they have many sons who can earn money. They still need to prepare bride prices for their sons to get married. Do you expect something for nothing? Even if the bride price is a bit less, do you really want to see your daughter miss out on Mr. Zhang and end up marrying a farmer, digging in the fields for the rest of her life?”

As she spoke, Jiang Qiaoqiao looked like she was about to cry again. Aunt Jiang had only ever given birth to this one daughter, and she cherished her dearly. She pinned all her hopes for the family’s future on her. How could she bear to see her daughter cry? So she immediately softened and coaxed her gently

“All right, all right, good girl, we’ll do whatever you say, okay?”

Only then did Jiang Qiaoqiao smile. Then Aunt Jiang turned and glared viciously at Jiang Sui

“Don’t be so quick to be happy. It’s not even certain if the Xiao family wants you. If they don’t, just wait and see…you’ll end up as someone’s concubine!”

After saying that, Aunt Jiang took her precious daughter back into the house, leaving Jiang Sui alone in the yard, enjoying the breeze.

Jiang Sui let out a long breath and returned to the woodshed, closing the drafty door. The room was full of firewood, with only a small wooden bed in the corner, covered by a thin blanket.

She sat on the edge of the bed, feeling uncertain.

Just a few days ago, Jiang Sui had caught a cold and come down with a high fever at night. But that damn Chen Jinhua refused to give her any medicine. As a result, Jiang Sui fell into a feverish coma, had convulsions, and died.

At the same time, a Jiang Sui from the 21st century accidentally drowned, and her soul ended up in this body.

She had finally come to terms with the fact that she had transmigrated. But just now, she heard the name “Xiao Hechuan,” which instantly reminded her of a romance novel she had read before her accident. The title was something like “A Dark and Overbearing Prince Falls in Love with Me.”

In the novel, Jiang Sui didn’t even have a name, she was just a background character. But Xiao Hechuan was different. Although not the male lead or even the second male lead, he still played an important role and later became a strong supporter of the main couple.

Because he was so popular, the author had written a special character bio for him. Born into a peasant family, he was gifted from a young age, able to write his full name before the age of two, reciting poems by three, and writing the Thousand Character Classic by four. He was a reading prodigy.

Unfortunately, genius often comes with misfortune. When he was a teenager, he accidentally fell off a hillside and injured his brain, leaving him mentally impaired, like a child a few years older. But when he turned eighteen, he suddenly recovered and resumed his scholarly path. By the age of twenty-two, he topped the imperial examinations and was admitted to the prestigious Hanlin Academy.

His bio also mentioned a childhood betrothal, but because the girl was unhappy with the match, the engagement was quietly annulled and barely mentioned.

But this information was enough for Jiang Sui. She was originally the adopted daughter of the Jiang family. After her adoptive father passed away, she suffered greatly under her adoptive mother, Chen Jinhua also known as Aunt Jiang. In recent years, the villagers had come to call her Widow Chen.

Over the past few years, Chen Jinhua had beaten and scolded her daily. Jiang Sui had to handle all the household chores, washing clothes, cooking meals, and even working in the fields. Meanwhile, Jiang Qiaoqiao lived comfortably like a proper young lady.

Jiang Sui was about to turn fifteen. Not long ago, Chen Jinhua had been planning to marry her off. There were a few wealthy landlords in the town and county who liked to keep concubines, some even had disturbing fetishes but they paid handsomely. From the start, Chen Jinhua had made up her mind to trade Jiang Sui for a large betrothal gift, and was actively looking for the highest bidder.

Jiang Sui didn’t have any kind of “golden finger” (a cheat-like advantage). In this unfamiliar world, she had no one to rely on. She had to find her own way out. And right now, marrying Xiao Hechuan was her best option. Her household registration documents were in Chen Jinhua’s hands, if she didn’t find a way to get out from under her control, even if she managed to run away later, as an identity-less orphan, she wouldn’t be able to survive in this strange world.

It wasn’t divine pity that had thrown her a lifeline, she just needed to cling tightly to Xiao Hechuan’s leg and wait for better days. She didn’t even have to work hard to become the wife of a future official.

As for love? Who cared. In any world, if a person didn’t fight for their own future, they were doomed. Worst case scenario, if Xiao Hechuan became successful in the future and took a liking to someone else, she wouldn’t mind him taking another woman in. As long as she had enough to eat, enough to drink, and some money to spend, that was enough.

Based on the timeline, Xiao Hechuan was already eighteen years old now. It wouldn’t be long before he returned to normal. She just needed to marry him before that happened, manage the relationship with the Xiao family properly, be a virtuous wife and a good daughter-in-law, and secure her own future.

But for now, no one knew what the Xiao family was thinking. Whether they would agree or not was still up in the air. Thinking about it made Jiang Sui’s heart race. If things didn’t go her way, she couldn’t just sit around waiting to die, she’d have to run away and become an undocumented person. Even that would be better than marrying a perverted landlord.

—

At the same time, the Xiao family had already held a discussion. After hearing the whole story, Xiao’s mother had already made up her mind. Before anyone else could speak, she slapped the table and said decisively

“I agree to this marriage!”

Everyone was stunned, as no one had voiced their opinion yet. But while Xiao’s father might be the family’s face to the outside world, within the household, all decisions were ultimately made by Xiao’s mother. She was the true head of the family.

“Mom, aren’t you going to think it over?” the third son asked, doubtful.

Mother Xiao shook her head firmly and replied: “Just because Jiang Sui doesn’t mind my son being foolish, she’s already worthy. No need to wait until tomorrow, let’s go find Widow Chen right now!”

With that, Xiao’s mother stood up, grabbed her husband by the sleeve, and marched out. She was so determined that not even ten oxen could stop her.

Soon, they arrived at the Jiang household. The three of them sat down and started negotiating the marriage between Jiang Sui and Xiao Hechuan.

Chen Jinhua asked for a bride price of ten taels of silver. Ten taels! That was enough to build several houses. For a peasant family, that was outrageous.

Many families wouldn’t have ten taels even if they scraped together all their savings.

But Mother Xiao didn’t flinch: “Five taels. That’s it. Ask around, who can afford to marry a daughter-in-law at that price?”

Inside the room, the three adults were locked in a stalemate. Outside, Jiang Qiaoqiao was eavesdropping nervously. Jiang Sui wasn’t idle either, she listened carefully and analyzed every word. Every sentence they spoke mentioned Zhang Xiucai. Jiang Qiaoqiao was terrified that her promising marriage might be ruined.

After arguing for a long time, the two families parted unhappily, neither willing to compromise. Chen Jinhua insisted on ten taels, and Mother Xiao refused to back down.

In the end, Jiang Qiaoqiao had another huge fight with her mother crying, screaming, even threatening to kill herself. Chen Jinhua had no choice but to take the initiative and go find Mother Xiao to negotiate a compromise.