Chapter 6.1

System: Let Old Lady Xu’s three sons act together, and the eldest son will force himself on you. Old Lady Xu will bring people to witness it, making it a public affair. Whether you agree or not, you’ll have to marry.

Luo Lan: Beast.

Luo Lan muttered these two words as a conclusion, starting to ponder how to counteract this. The system was as excited as if it were New Year. This melon seemed to be quite big and might help it achieve its goal.

Old Lady Xu had an affair with Old Wang, and Old Lady Wang was always thinking about how to bully her daughter-in-law. Luo Lan smiled secretly and the next day, while working with the fourth daughter-in-law of the Wang family, she leaned close to her and whispered something to her during the break.

“Do you want to see your mother-in-law get so angry she’ll blow her top?”

“How?”

Luo Lan explained, and the fourth daughter-in-law, eyes sparkling, nodded continuously. They put their heads together to discuss the plan, and in the afternoon, as soon as the work was done, the fourth daughter-in-law hurried home to make preparations.

Washing up, changing clothes, her excitement left her without any appetite. Just as she was ready to leave, she bumped into her older brother. He was turning a water tank, the outside smooth and without hoops, clearly a good tank.

“Where are you going?”

Instead of answering, she asked, “Where did you get the tank?”

“It’s an extra one from home, for you to use.”

“Did my sister-in-law give it to me?” Everyone’s life is tight, I don’t want a tank to cause a quarrel between you two.

“Yes, your sister-in-law gave it to you.”

“Oh, then put it inside. Place it next to the trunk.”

Opening the shed door, her brother maneuvered the tank, which could hold three buckets of water, inside and placed it next to the trunk. For the uneven parts, he went outside to get some dirt to stabilize it.

After making sure it was steady, he stood up and patted his hands. “You’re done with work and not cooking, where are you going all spruced up? Didn’t our sister say she’d arrange the match after the wheat was harvested? Did the schedule change?”

“No, I have other matters to attend to.”

“What kind of matters could you have?” Her elder brother was concerned about her living alone as a single woman. “Live your life well, don’t get involved in messy situations. Avoid unnecessary trouble and spectacles, or you might end up in trouble.”

Her elder brother’s philosophy of life was the same old thing. She kept silent, not saying much. While minding one’s own business is a valid approach, he seemed to forget that sometimes it’s better to take initiative than to be passively attacked.

“What are you having for dinner?” Her elder brother worried she might be out of food. It was impressive she managed to bring some provisions from her in-laws. If his sister were the type to only cry and be weak, he would be the one fretting with a headache. He blamed himself for not being more capable, for wanting to do more but being truly powerless. No matter what, he couldn’t let her go without even thin porridge.

“Just porridge.”

“Do you still have enough food?”

“Yes, don’t worry, elder brother. I have enough food.”

“If you run out of food, say something. I know you’re not willing to share a bed with me and my wife, but as long as I have something to eat, I won’t let you go hungry.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Seeing her take out some coarse flour, her brother felt relieved and went home. Once she got rid of him, she hurriedly started cooking. Everything would unfold after dinner. It was no use arriving early.

With a bowl of porridge and some mustard greens her sister had brought, she managed a simple meal. Such meals were common, which is why obese people were rare in those days. People believed that being fat was a sign of prosperity, indicating a well-off family.

After eating, she quickly washed the dishes and cleaned up, locking the shed as she left. When she thought it was time, she went back to the stacks of wheat at the threshing ground from the previous day.

There was still only one lantern hanging at the threshing ground, barely illuminating a small area. Old Wang was on watch again tonight, and she didn’t hear any conversation, so she hid in a dark corner. She hid among the stacks of wheat straw, where no one would find her.

“Hey, why are you so late today?” Old Wang’s voice came. She peered out from behind the wheat straw. As expected, it was the same two people, with Old Lady Xu dressed in clean clothes.

“I’m a woman, I had to feed my three boys. Do you think everyone has it as easy as your wife, who hasn’t had to cook since your daughter-in-law moved in?”

“You should hurry and find a wife for your son, so you can take it easy once the daughter-in-law moves in.”

Old Lady Xu, not yet fifty, was much younger than Old Lady Wang. But she had been widowed early and raised four children alone, and no man dared to take on such a burden.

Over the years, people said she was quite capable, having raised three of her four sons. Rumors about her had circulated, but Luo Lan hadn’t paid much attention. She hadn’t expected such a close relationship between Old Wang and Old Lady Xu. Their familiarity suggested this wasn’t a recent affair.

Old Lady Wang was tough, and she’d often say it was normal for men to be unfaithful. Now that Old Wang had been unfaithful for years, Luo Lan wondered how she would respond.

“I have no support in my old age, and I’m worried my daughters-in-law might mistreat me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll marry you as soon as that old woman dies.”

“Don’t lie. You’ve been saying that for years, and you’re still trying to fool me.”

“I’m not lying. I haven’t wanted my wife for a long time.”

“What are you doing?”

“You dressed up today, what do you think? Everyone’s tired from harvesting wheat. Once it’s over, my plan will work. Soon, you’ll have a daughter-in-law to serve you.”

“Don’t touch me. I’ve already spoken to my three sons. They’ll act tomorrow night.”

“There’s still time.”

“You old devil, even at your age, you’re not behaving.”

Their voices became more flirtatious, making Luo Lan cringe. These two old scoundrels had this plan. Since they were waiting for the right moment, she decided to act first.

She could hear the sound of clothes being removed. Luo Lan smirked coldly and executed her plan again. With everyone wearing light clothes in the summer, once she took them, they wouldn’t have anything left.

“Old man, old man!”

Old Wang’s fourth daughter-in-law had brought her mother-in-law, and Luo Lan placed the clothes on another straw stack, hiding nearby to watch the show. This was the path the two would have to take to escape, and she was ready to act at the crucial moment.

Old Lady Wang’s shouting made the two inside panic. They started scrambling for their clothes. But the more they rushed, the more mistakes they made, especially since it was so dark.

“Hey, that’s mine!”

“No, it’s mine!”

Their voices were low, and Luo Lan began banging on a nearby rock to make a loud noise. The fourth daughter-in-law, leading her mother-in-law, headed toward the noise.

“Dad, so this is where you are.”