Chapter 5

Yan Qingqing hurried to explain:
“Eight hundred yuan is no small sum. In our Old Sow Village, a normal bride price is just a few dozen yuan. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely get the bride price back for you! Then your family won’t be in such difficulty.”

Gu Chi frowned slightly.
“Paying a bride price when marrying a wife is normal. Our Gu family gave it willingly.”

Yan Qingqing paused for a moment, surprised he would say that.

Gu Chi’s deep eyes fixed on her.
“You said your birth mother and foster mother beat you?”

Yan Qingqing nodded.
“They really did hit me.”

“Do you still want to have contact with them?”

Yan Qingqing quickly shook her head.
“They’ve never truly cared about me. I don’t want any dealings with them!”

The man spoke firmly and without hesitation:
“In that case, take this eight hundred yuan as severing all ties with them. Since you’re already my wife, I won’t let you lack food or clothing.”

Wife? Yan Qingqing’s cheeks flushed red!

She had married him just to ward off ill fortune—did this mean she really had to be Gu Chi’s wife in truth?

“If you don’t want to, you can divorce. We didn’t even register a marriage certificate. I only came to drive away bad luck for you…”

Gu Chi didn’t hesitate. He spoke directly:
“I’m willing! Are you not willing?”

His voice was sonorous and resolute, his gaze unwavering, his face as cold as ever—so much so that Yan Qingqing didn’t dare refuse.

She bit her lip, not knowing how to answer.

If she said yes, she wasn’t sure she was ready to truly live with Gu Chi. But if she said no—she had already married him!

In truth, what she wanted most was to leave this place as soon as possible, strike out on her own somewhere far away, and cut ties with both her birth mother and foster family forever.

Seeing her hesitate, Gu Chi felt a twinge of disappointment, but he spoke calmly:
“I’ll give you a month to think. If after a month you’re unwilling, I’ll let you go anytime. But if you’re willing, then we’ll be husband and wife for life.”

Yan Qingqing could only nod.
“Alright.”

For some reason, talking to this man—her “husband,” though they weren’t close—made her face burn, and she couldn’t calm down at all.

Finally escaping from Gu Chi’s room, she took a deep breath. Since she’d decided to stay at the Gu household for now, she needed to plan their meals first.

Sorghum porridge, even sweetened with brown sugar, wasn’t very appetizing.

She had to think of something!

She couldn’t always eat in secret from her magical space.

The Gu family was simply too poor, and she couldn’t bear to watch them live like this.

With that thought, Yan Qingqing walked to the doorway and saw Madam Gu digging garlic sprouts in the family’s vegetable patch.

Glancing around and seeing no one else nearby, she quietly pulled a live chicken from her space and set it down in the garden.

Madam Gu’s eyesight wasn’t great, but she sensed movement. When she saw it was a chicken, she pounced in excitement.

“Oh my! A chicken!”

Madam Gu was overjoyed!

Yan Qingqing smiled to herself.

That single chicken brought color to the whole household. Madam Gu slaughtered it—half was traded at the village shop for eggs and two jin of cornmeal, and the other half was stewed into chicken soup to nourish the family.

Both drumsticks she gave to Yan Qingqing.

“Good girl, you’ve had a hard time. Eat these drumsticks!”

Yan Qingqing hadn’t expected Madam Gu to give her both. She quickly said:
“Better give them to Tiantian. I’m fine with just some soup!”

But Madam Gu insisted:
“You married into our family and we’ve treated you poorly. Since we’re lucky enough to have a chicken, the drumsticks are for you! If not for you, Second Son wouldn’t have woken up, and my eyes wouldn’t be feeling so much better!”

After much polite pushing back and forth, Yan Qingqing ate one drumstick and gave the other to Gu Tiantian.

While Madam Gu wasn’t looking, Yan Qingqing secretly slipped extra meat from her space into the soup, making Madam Gu wonder in confusion:

“Wasn’t this just half a chicken? How come there’s so much meat?!”

At least that meal left Father Gu, Gu Chi, and Madam Gu completely satisfied.

Even more surprising—after drinking the soup and napping, Gu Chi woke without dizziness and was able to get out of bed!

Madam Gu worried aloud:
“Second Son, the doctor told you to rest more!”

Yan Qingqing didn’t explain—the soup was cooked with spiritual spring water and secretly supplemented with ginseng. Gu Chi had fainted from a head injury, but now that he was awake and otherwise unhurt, it was normal he could stand.

With gauze still on the back of his head, Gu Chi simply said:
“Mother, I’m no longer dizzy. I need to go ask around about what happened when I fell from the mountain.”

That day, he’d killed a wild boar on the mountain and was carrying it down when someone attacked him from behind, sending him tumbling down and knocking him unconscious.

That person—he would never let them off!

Not only would he retrieve the boar, he’d beat the attacker half to death if necessary!

Without further comment, Gu Chi turned and walked out.

Madam Gu, a bit embarrassed, turned to Yan Qingqing:
“Second Son has a stubborn temper, but a soft heart. Don’t worry, girl, he won’t dare bully you. If he ever does, I’ll throw him out myself!”

Yan Qingqing pressed her lips together. Gu Chi really did seem cold and hard to approach.

After some thought, she decided to go to her birth mother’s house—the Sun family—and demand the full four hundred yuan of bride price back, plus every penny she’d previously given Sun Taohua!

After telling Madam Gu she had an errand, Yan Qingqing headed for the Sun household.

By now, Qin Hongying—Yan Qingqing’s birth mother—had been cursing her nonstop since last night.

“That little slut Yan Qingqing! That shameless whore! If I’d known, I’d never have given her away—I’d have drowned her in a piss pot as a baby! That bride price money should all be mine! And she dared hit me!

Taohua, go find her again today! Drag her here and make her kneel and apologize! If not, I’ll go raise hell at the Gu house and at the brigade office. Let’s see how she keeps her face then!”

Her lower back still throbbed from where Yan Qingqing had smashed her with a brick, and her bitter face was full of hatred.

Sun Taohua added angrily:
“Mom, I coaxed Yan Qingqing for so long, and she only agreed to give four hundred yuan—and then that money disappeared. If she didn’t steal it, who did?

If you ask me, scolding her won’t get us a cent. Better lure her over, knock her out, and sell her! We can get a few hundred yuan—and then demand even more from the Gu family. If they won’t pay, we’ll make them!”

Qin Hongying’s eyes lit up.
“Good idea! We can’t let that little tramp live well. What if she someday affects Wanqiu? Wanqiu’s doing fine in Shanghai now—she can help us later!”

Sun Taohua grinned.
“Then I’ll lure Yan Qingqing over today. Don’t worry, I know someone who loves buying pretty young girls like her—they sell them deep in the mountains, and she’ll never escape for life…”

As the mother and daughter shelled peanuts and plotted, the front gate suddenly banged open—

Bang!

They looked up in shock to see Yan Qingqing standing there herself.

Sun Taohua hurried to her feet. Seeing Yan Qingqing’s fair, delicate features and naturally striking beauty, a flash of jealousy rose in her heart.

But she forced a smile and stepped forward, grabbing Yan Qingqing’s hand:
“Third Sister, why are you here? I was just about to come find you!”

Yan Qingqing jerked her hand away—then smack! slapped Sun Taohua across the face.