As Lin Ruihai stood to the side watching Lan Sisi cry weakly, his heart felt as if it had been pricked. Even though he knew she was acting, he still could not stop himself from feeling distressed for her.
Lai Qiang’s eyes widened. If he had not just experienced firsthand how fierce this woman could be, he might have believed her.
“This is outrageous! Such audacity!” the Village Chief roared in anger. “You are treating the law of the country as nothing, and treating me, the Village Chief, as nothing. Speak, who else is involved!”
“Village Chief, that’s not quite right. This was mutual consent. Those five hundred yuan I paid were a bride price. What, is finding a partner illegal now?” Lai Qiang said casually, trying to brush off the accusation placed on him.
“Besides, I made the arrangement with her grandmother. Once the gift is accepted, she’s my wife. Now she refuses to marry and is entangled with some pretty boy. That won’t do. My money can’t just be wasted.”
By now, villagers who had heard the commotion had gathered around to watch. Hearing Lai Qiang’s words, their gazes toward Lan Sisi and Lin Ruihai began to turn strange.
“What pretty boy? He is a relative from her mother’s side, a university student, and an Educated Youth in our village. Don’t talk nonsense,” the Village Chief quickly explained, afraid that Lan Sisi’s reputation would be damaged.
Lan Sisi was not surprised at all. As expected, this was Liu Guihua’s doing.
“What is promoted now is free love. The old ideas of parental orders and arranged marriages are feudal thinking. This kind of transaction that disregards the person’s own will is human trafficking. And you even tried to break into her home with ill intent. Fortunately, I arrived in time to stop you. Otherwise, it would have led to a serious crime. This is a blatant disregard for the law, a beastly act,” Lin Ruihai said angrily.
“Oh, so reading a bit makes you impressive? Isn’t this how every household does things? Go ahead and ask these villagers, is it wrong for a grandmother to arrange a marriage for her granddaughter? I was worried about my fiancée and wanted to check on her. What’s wrong with that? Even if you are her relative, you have no right to interfere in matters between husband and wife,” Lai Qiang argued stubbornly.
“What husband and wife? Who is your fiancée? Stop talking nonsense. I said it already, whoever took your money, go find them. I will not marry you,” Lan Sisi said, frowning. This Lai Qiang truly lived up to his name, shameless beyond measure.
More people had gathered, and hearing Lai Qiang’s words, some began to hesitate. After all, many families operated the same way. Parents and elders arranged marriages, and on the appointed day, daughters or granddaughters were married off. It had been this way for generations. How had it suddenly become wrong?
“Girl from the Lan family, could it be that you misunderstood your grandmother? After all, five hundred yuan is not a small amount. That family is not bad,” someone in the crowd said.
“Yes, when my daughter got married, the groom’s family only gave fifty yuan.”
“I think the man’s behavior isn’t proper, but the sincerity is there. Giving that much money shows he values this marriage.”
“Your parents are gone, so of course your grandmother has to arrange things for you.”
…
The tide of opinion began to shift.
Lan Sisi watched coldly.
Everyone seemed to ignore Lai Qiang’s attempt to force his way into her home and violate her. It could only be said that money was indeed powerful.
“Village Chief, you must stand up for this old woman! I kindly arranged such a good marriage for her, and instead of being grateful, she blames me. My second son, take me away with you, so I don’t have to suffer from your daughter’s anger!” At that moment, a familiar wailing voice came from behind the crowd.
Yu Shi and Lan Meili helped Liu Guihua forward. Liu Guihua skillfully sat down on the ground and began crying loudly, slapping her thighs.
“Stop crying, aren’t you embarrassed? Every time something happens, this is all you know how to do. Speak properly,” the Village Chief said angrily. Liu Guihua’s crying abruptly stopped.
“Village Chief, please don’t be angry. My mother is just upset. Sisi, this time you are the one in the wrong. Your grandmother only wanted to find you a good match. I even wore out my legs going back to my hometown for this,” Yu Shi added from the side.
“If it is such a good opportunity, why didn’t you give it to your own daughter?” Lin Ruihai asked.
“Yes, if it is so good, why not give it to Third Cousin?” Lan Sisi asked.
“I don’t want to marry him!” Lan Meili shrieked, stealing a glance at Lin Ruihai.
Yu Shi quickly pinched her secretly and forced a smile. “We just care about you more. The good things are naturally saved for you. Your cousin is not in a hurry.”
Lin Ruihai frowned, about to speak, but Lan Sisi stopped him.
“Since Grandmother and Third Aunt truly care about me, how much dowry have you prepared for me to take along? I have no parents, so only money in hand gives me security,” Lan Sisi said deliberately.
“Impossible!” Liu Guihua immediately clutched her pocket. “You are just a girl, what do you need money for? If they can pay five hundred yuan, they won’t treat you poorly. Once you marry, you’ll enjoy endless blessings.”
Yu Shi nodded quickly in agreement. Why would they give her any dowry? If they did, Guangming would get less.
“Well, they paid five hundred yuan as bride price. What’s wrong with you giving some dowry?” someone in the crowd objected.
“Are you really her grandmother? Not even preparing a dowry, won’t she be looked down upon after marriage?”
“You say you care about your granddaughter, but it looks more like you only care about money.”
Voices of doubt began to rise.
Seeing this, Liu Guihua stopped pretending to cry and stood up, hands on her hips, arguing loudly.
“What do you people know? She’s my granddaughter. I’ll give money if I want, and I won’t if I don’t. What’s it to you? Did you feed me? Mind your own business!”
“You’re talking nonsense! This man is Lai Qiang from Yu Family Village. He gambles, drinks, visits prostitutes, and beats people. His last partner even had her leg broken by him. This family is truly vicious. Enjoy blessings? If she marries him, she’ll be lucky not to lose her life,” an older woman in the crowd who knew Lai Qiang spoke up.
The crowd erupted in shock. Was this family or enemies?
“Who asked you to speak! Think you’re the only one with a mouth?” Liu Guihua, embarrassed and angry, tried to rush forward and hit her, but was stopped by others.
“Beating shows affection, scolding shows love. What do you know?” Lai Qiang said disdainfully, showing no remorse at all, indirectly confirming the woman’s words.
“Everyone in Yu Family Village knows about him. Yu Shi went back to her hometown and chose this kind of person. What a grudge.”
“Liu Guihua!” The Village Chief finally could not hold back any longer. “Isn’t Aimin your biological son? Aren’t Sisi and Sinian your own grandchildren? What did Aimin and his wife ever do to wrong you? How can you be this vicious?”
Liu Guihua moved her lips and retorted, “Five hundred yuan! Who gets that much for marrying off a granddaughter? If she marries him, that money can be used for Junsheng and Guangming’s marriages. This was money her father should have provided anyway. Even if she gets beaten, she’ll still be living well.”
“If this blessing were given to you, would you want it?” Lan Sisi thought silently.
“You’re not marrying her off, you’re selling your granddaughter. This is beyond saving,” the Village Chief said, pointing at Liu Guihua.
Criticism from the crowd rained down on the three of them. Lan Meili, thin-skinned, was already on the verge of tears.
“Make way.”
At that moment, several men in police uniforms pushed through the crowd.
“We received a report that there was illegal trespassing and human trafficking here,” the leading officer said sternly.
“It’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding,” Liu Guihua said, her legs going weak at the sight of the police.
Lai Qiang’s expression changed. He tried to slip away quietly, but Lin Ruihai grabbed him and pinned him in place.
“It’s not a misunderstanding. Officer, I am the person involved,” Lan Sisi stepped forward and clearly explained everything, without exaggeration.
“This Lai Qiang is a well-known troublemaker. He’s been to the police station many times. Your family is truly confused. Such actions are strictly prohibited now. Don’t worry, if everything is true, we will deal with it severely.”
In the end, Lai Qiang, along with Liu Guihua and Yu Shi, who were already trembling with fear, were taken away. The crowd gradually dispersed.
Lan Meili stood there alone, staring blankly in the direction they had been taken. After a long while, she burst into tears and ran home.
“Are you alright, sis?” Lan Sinian ran over, concerned, sweat still on his forehead. “Brother Ruihai told me to go report it. I ran all the way to town. That bastard didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
“I’m fine. Why did you run so fast? Look at all this sweat,” Lan Sisi said, feeling distressed as she wiped his forehead.
“It’s alright now. You all go back first,” the Village Chief said, waving his hand tiredly. Liu Guihua’s antics had given him a headache. He could not understand why, at such an age, she still caused so much trouble. Sisi and Sinian were good children. Treat them well and they would repay it tenfold, yet this simple truth seemed beyond them.
“Thank you, Village Chief, for your help,” Lan Sisi said again before leaving with Lan Sinian and Lin Ruihai.
“These two children are truly pitiful. Their parents are gone, and they’re bullied like this. If Aimin and his wife knew, how heartbroken they would be,” the Village Chief’s wife sighed as she came out.
“This child is not so easy to bully,” the Village Chief said knowingly.
After returning home, Lan Sisi first boiled a pot of water and told Lan Sinian and Lin Ruihai to bathe. While no one was watching, she added some spiritual spring water into it. She had also been secretly adding it to their food and drinking water, so their health had improved significantly.
Lan Sisi went into the kitchen, took out a freshly sheared sheep from the farm, and pulled a few radishes. She planned to make a pot of mutton soup.
Just after setting the soup to simmer, she heard movement in the courtyard. When she stepped out, Lin Ruihai had already finished bathing and was wearing the wool sweater she had just made and left outside his door. The white sweater made his figure look tall and refined, his features softer and more gentle.
When he looked at her, his eyes curved slightly, filled with warmth and affection.
Lan Sisi’s heart suddenly began to beat rapidly.