“Break off the engagement? Are you insane?”
In the Jiang family courtyard, Jiang A Yao’s arm was viciously pinched by her own mother, Lin Qinghua, who then said in a fluster, “You’ll be eighteen after the new year. If you don’t have a betrothal, the government will force you into a marriage.”
This spring, a pockmarked girl from the next village who failed to marry was matched with a beggar chief, a story that nearly made the entire village laugh their heads off.
Moreover, if a family had a daughter who was still unmarried at eighteen, the marriage prospects of the other girls in the family would also be affected.
She wanted to break off the engagement with just a word, but what was the rest of the large Jiang family supposed to do?
Jiang A Yao pulled her arm from Lin Qinghua’s grasp, her expression resolute. “Zhang Chun and I have been engaged for two years, but now that he’s passed the exam to become a Xiucai, he’s latched onto someone else. He didn’t even show his face, just sent someone to announce the breakup. Such an ungrateful and faithless person—the mere sight of him would make me sick. I don’t want him.”
“Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged men aren’t? Why must I hang myself on this one tree in the Zhang family?”
“Jiang A Yao, what nonsense are you spouting?”
This outburst made Lin Qinghua’s voice rise in anger. She stared at Jiang A Yao in shock, finding it hard to believe those words had come from her daughter’s mouth.
Jiang A Yao looked coldly at the matchmaker who had come to break the engagement. “The Zhang family can break off the engagement, fine. But they must compensate my family and follow the rules set during our betrothal.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll go have them prepare it right away.”
After the matchmaker spoke with a joyful face, she turned to leave. Lin Qinghua shouted at the top of her lungs, “I haven’t agreed yet.”
The matchmaker said with a smile, “It doesn’t matter if you agree or not. It’s enough that your daughter has. Besides, I’ve already agreed to everything your daughter said. What do you have to object to?”
With that, the matchmaker left directly, not bothering to linger.
Lin Qinghua wanted to chase after her, but Jiang Dagen, who had been sitting there smoking his long-stemmed pipe, suddenly spoke up. “What are you chasing for? Isn’t this embarrassing enough?”
Lin Qinghua whipped her head around to look at him, fuming. “What’s embarrassing? It’ll be embarrassing when your daughter can’t get married! She’ll be eighteen after the new year, and winter is almost here. Where are we supposed to find a suitable family?”
“A Yun will be seventeen after the new year, and she’s supposed to get married next autumn. A Yao is the eldest sister. If she doesn’t get married, how can A Yun and A Yuan get married?”
This rapid-fire barrage of words left Jiang Dagen unable to say a single thing, and he meekly went back to smoking his pipe.
Furious, Lin Qinghua grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at Jiang A Yao. Jiang A Yao failed to dodge, and the cup struck her on the forehead, breaking the skin.
She touched it with her hand. There was blood.
Lin Qinghua saw it too, but there was no trace of concern on her face. Instead, she pointed at Jiang A Yao and raged, “You go to the Zhang family and get this marriage back. If you can’t get married after the new year and ruin your sisters’ marriage prospects, you can go throw yourself in the river and die.”
Jiang A Yao took a deep breath and looked up at the person before her.
In the end, it was never for her own good. They were just afraid she would hinder others.
Even if the Zhang family was a pit of fire, she had to marry into it.
No wonder the original owner had killed herself after learning that Zhang Chun was with someone else. She must have known what kind of situation she would face once the engagement was broken.
In this man-eating world, a woman turning eighteen was like an offense against all the gods and buddhas.
She looked at the original owner’s mother and said in a heavy voice, “Fine. If I cannot get married, I will go throw myself in the river. I will absolutely not make things difficult for Father and Mother.”
Hearing this, Jiang Dagen’s mouth fell open in surprise. “A Yao…”
Jiang A Yao walked straight out of the room without looking back at the people behind her.
…
As Jiang A Yao walked out onto the road, the passing villagers all stared at her.
It turned out that the matchmaker had been spreading the news of Zhang Chun breaking the engagement all along her way. The moment she left, everyone in the village knew that Jiang A Yao had been jilted.
There were ill-intentioned gazes, sneers of ridicule, and even some busybody women who swarmed her, trying to push a widowed gambler on her.
Jiang A Yao refused with a cold face, only to be mocked by one of the women. “You’ll be eighteen after the new year, and you’re still being picky? Do you really think you’re fated to be a Xiucai’s wife?”
“Why don’t you open your eyes and look at yourself? You’re as skinny as a praying mantis; you probably can’t even bear a son. At least a widower wants you now. After the new year, you might only be matched with some crippled, blind beggar.”
Jiang A Yao could bear it no longer. She spun around, strode up to the woman, and slapped her across the face.
“You dare hit me?”
“Your mouth is foul. You deserved to be hit!”
The woman wanted to retort but was frightened by Jiang A Yao’s cold glare.
“I am a person, not livestock for you to manipulate as you please. Understand?”
After speaking, she forcefully shoved the woman away.
The woman staggered back several steps before regaining her footing, looking at her as if she were a madwoman.
Jiang A Yao ignored her and turned to continue on her way. The woman turned and ran back, shouting as she went, “Heavens, the Jiang family’s eldest daughter has gone mad after being jilted…”
Hearing this, a trace of mockery flashed in Jiang A Yao’s eyes as she kept walking.
Just then, a man walked toward her and stopped in front of her.
“Miss Jiang!”
His tone was indifferent, with no deliberate distance.
Jiang A Yao looked up at him. The man wore faded, dark gray clothes. He was very tall, with broad shoulders.
His features were especially striking. His sword-like brows were thick, and his eyes were deep, holding a profoundness that made him look different from the ordinary, dirt-tilling men of the village.
With just one glance, Jiang A Yao’s mind immediately searched for memories of him.
This person was the Hunter from the village mountain. He had moved here a few years ago, and the villagers all called him Lu Da.
“Is something the matter?”
“This is for you.”
Lu Da handed over a small paper packet that looked like it contained pastries or something similar.
Jiang A Yao did not accept it, her eyes watching him with a hint of vigilance.
Lu Da didn’t mind her wariness and said in a deep voice, “You saved Mingzhu last time. She told me I must thank you in person.”
Lu Da had a younger sister whose health was very poor, keeping her at home year-round.
Jiang A Yao often went to the back mountain to gather medicinal herbs. When she passed by Lu Da’s house, she would sometimes chat with Mingzhu for a while.
The last time Mingzhu had fainted in the courtyard, it was by chance that she had seen her. She had helped Mingzhu into the house, given her water, and stayed with her until Lu Da returned.
So it was to thank her. She had thought he’d heard the village gossip and was about to offer himself as a husband.
Just then, Lu Da saw the wound on her head. “You’re injured?”
Jiang A Yao shook her head to show she was fine. Her eyes burned as she stared at the paper packet he was holding out. On a sudden impulse, she blurted out, “I don’t want your gift of thanks. If you truly want to thank me, then marry me!”
“What?” Lu Da paused, thinking he had misheard.
The words were already out. Jiang A Yao simply steeled herself and repeated, “I was just jilted by the Zhang family. I’ll be eighteen after the new year. If I can’t find a husband’s family, I’ll be forcibly matched by the government. If you are truly grateful that I saved your sister, would you marry me?”
Hearing this, Lu Da’s brows instantly furrowed. He thought she was joking and said with a serious expression, “Miss Jiang, I’m sure you know my family’s situation. If you marry me, life will be hard.”
“I know.”
Although Lu Da was a capable hunter, his sister was gravely ill. The villagers called her a walking medicine pot, and her medicine cost a lot of money all year round.
Even though Lu Da was good-looking and could earn money from hunting, not a single girl in the village dared to marry him.
“A hard life is fine. Being alive is better than being dead.”
Jiang A Yao looked at him and said, word by word, “I dare to marry. Do you dare to take me?”
Lu Da stared at her, his hand holding the pastries tightening, nearly crushing the paper packet.