Wang Dazhuang took the lead, and his brothers quickly surrounded the yard, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Zhang Landi hid behind Lin Huan.
Lin Huan stepped back, pointing his smoking pipe at Wang Dazhuang. “What are you doing, bringing… so many people?”
Wang Dazhuang rolled up his sleeves. “Of course, I’m here for the bride price!”
Lin Huan tugged at Zhang Landi’s sleeve and retreated along with her.
“I already told you!”
“The bride price was taken by Lin Fengxia!”
“We… we don’t have any money!”
Zhang Landi pointed to the table. “Look at what we’re drinking — coarse rice soup and corn buns. Where would we have money?!”
“If Fengxia hadn’t taken it, why would she hide in the army and not come out?”
Wang Dazhuang kicked over a stool. “Are you really trying to treat me like a fool?”
“When I took Lin Fengxia away that day, she had nothing on her!”
“And she even said the bride price was meant for Zhang Gou Dan!”
“Return the money quickly, or I’ll wreck your house!”
More villagers gathered, murmuring among themselves.
Zhang Landi slapped her thigh. “Oh, this is bullying!”
“Our family is dirt poor, we have no money!”
“Someone, make a decision!”
Most villagers were just there for the spectacle and didn’t step forward to help.
Wang Dazhuang declared, “This is a personal feud between me and the Lin family. Nobody intervene!”
Since he claimed it was a personal matter, no one dared to get involved.
Seeing this, Zhang Landi went pale.
“The bride price — will you give it or not?”
Lin Huan almost cried. “We really have no money!”
Wang Dazhuang kicked over the table, scattering food everywhere.
Zhang Landi screamed and hid in Lin Huan’s arms, and Lin Huan pushed her into a corner.
Wang Dazhuang, of course, didn’t intend to harm him. He and his brothers ransacked the Lin house, taking all valuables and smashing the worthless items.
No matter how Lin Huan and Zhang Landi begged, they didn’t stop.
In the end, the Lin household was left in ruins. All valuables had been taken, and only then did Wang Dazhuang leave with his men.
Zhang Landi and Lin Huan clung to each other, crying bitterly.
Zhang Gou Dan wandered back outside and, seeing the mess, became furious.
After learning what had happened, he wanted to gather some cronies to confront Wang Dazhuang.
Zhang Landi stopped him, crying.
“You can’t fight against greater strength. We were in the wrong anyway; causing trouble would only make things worse.”
The key was that Wang Dazhuang’s brothers weren’t easy to provoke — there was no need to tempt fate again.
Zhang Landi’s eyes were red as she gritted her teeth. “Blame Lin Fengxia!”
“If that little brat hadn’t taken the bride price and stirred up trouble in front of Wang Dazhuang, how would things have gotten this far?”
Lin Huan looked around at the ruined house, his face full of grief.
This was the fortune he had accumulated all his life, and it was all destroyed.
And Lin Fengxia, the culprit, was enjoying herself in the army!
“Even if Lin Fengxia dies, I’ll make sure her body ends up in Wang Dazhuang’s hands!”
Lin Huan’s eyes were fierce.
That afternoon, with some free time, Lin Fengxia took Qin Jianguo to the wild vegetable field to check the terrain.
They found a small clearing. Lin Fengxia first took out a corn bun for Qin Jianguo to try.
Qin Jianguo bit into it, and his eyes lit up.
He held the corn bun, looking at Lin Fengxia in surprise.
Lin Fengxia smiled sheepishly. “I made it. Tasty, right?”
She had indeed made it herself, though she had passed it through her space once.
Qin Jianguo took another bite.
He had eaten plenty of corn buns before, but this one made by Lin Fengxia was unlike anything he had ever tasted.
Lin Fengxia began preparing the meal together.
Once the water in the iron pot boiled, she threw in mushrooms and wild vegetables.
Soon, the aroma of mushrooms and vegetables filled the air.
This time, she only added a pinch of coarse salt and a drop of sesame oil, enhancing the flavor even more.
“Here, try it.”
The porcelain bowl steamed as Qin Jianguo took a small sip. The sweet, fresh, and savory taste instantly awakened his taste buds.
Both the mushrooms and vegetables were unexpectedly delicious.
Soon, the small bowl of mushroom and vegetable soup was empty.
Lin Fengxia served him another bowl. “There’s plenty, take your time.”
She also drank a bowl, and warmth spread all over her body.
It was incredibly comfortable and delicious.
Lin Fengxia felt a satisfaction she had never experienced before.
After they were full, Lin Fengxia took Qin Jianguo to the wild vegetable field again.
By evening, they returned to the base.
From a distance, they saw three figures standing at the gate.
The smile vanished from Lin Fengxia’s face.
“What are you here for?!”
Lin Huan, scowling, was ready to lose his temper, but seeing Qin Jianguo’s upright military presence behind Lin Fengxia, he immediately fell silent.
Zhang Landi wiped her tears, stole glances at Qin Jianguo, and cried even harder.
“Fengxia, hurry and hand over the bride price! Wang Dazhuang destroyed our house!”
“I know you have grievances against us, but you can’t be so heartless!”
As she cried, Lin Fengxia hadn’t yet said anything when Qin Jianguo stepped forward, standing in front of her.
He coldly stared at the tearful Zhang Landi and the heartbroken Lin Huan.
“I haven’t come looking for you, and yet you’ve already shown up.”
“Now it’s New China, and you’re still forcing arranged marriages!”
“Are you promoting feudal ideas?!”
Lin Huan and Zhang Landi were rural folk. They had heard of new ideas but only had a superficial understanding.
“Comrades, this is tradition — parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words,” they said.
Qin Jianguo sneered, mocking, “So you two having unapproved sex is also tradition?”
Lin Huan and Zhang Landi’s faces turned dark.
They had nothing to say. Qin Jianguo said, “Don’t use tradition to cover up your selfishness!”
“Now is a new society, and people like you who forcefully sell their daughters will not be tolerated!”
As a soldier, his commanding presence made Lin Huan and Zhang Landi shiver.
“This… this is our family matter,” Zhang Landi tried to argue.
Qin Jianguo glanced sharply at her, and she immediately went blank with fear.
“If it’s a family matter, why not go to the police?”
“Lin, if you report to the authorities, can you guess what will happen to you?”
Zhang Landi’s face turned pale as paper.
Lin Huan realized he couldn’t take Lin Fengxia away today, and smiled tightly. “Comrade, we’re just farmers. We don’t really understand new ideas. We apologize, we know we were wrong. Fengxia staying here is good — she can learn about new ideas and serve the country in the future.”
He turned to leave.
Qin Jianguo stepped in front of him, blocking the way.
His smile was false, his eyes sharp: “Where do you think you’re going?”
Lin Huan’s smile froze.
“You want to do some ideological education? Wait a moment.”
Qin Jianguo called two subordinates to bring Wang Dazhuang to the village for ideological education as well.
As the victim, Lin Fengxia would naturally also attend.
Seeing the soldiers in uniform, Lin Huan and Zhang Landi dared not say a word and followed along meekly.
Even the normally arrogant Zhang Gou Dan fell silent.