After hearing Wang Zhuzi bring it up, Zhou Fang let out a helpless sigh.
She explained everything to her husband and son, including Liu Cuihua’s claim that Song Miaomiao was pregnant. She especially emphasized that the child was supposedly carrying the Wang family’s bloodline. Being held hostage by that claim left her feeling extremely frustrated.
As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Zhuzi frowned.
“Mom, don’t you think they might be lying to you?”
“It’s only been a few days. How could she already know she’s pregnant?”
“Maybe… maybe the child isn’t even mine.”
When Zhou Fang had first heard Liu Cuihua say that Song Miaomiao was pregnant, she hadn’t thought much about it. She had only wanted to hurry up and bring Song Miaomiao into the Wang family.
“No.”
“I have to ask them clearly.”
“This isn’t something we can be careless about.”
After thinking it over, Zhou Fang turned and hurried toward the Song family’s house.
Afraid his mother might be taken advantage of, Wang Zhuzi followed after her.
At the same time, the Song family was in complete chaos.
Especially Song Bao.
He hadn’t eaten breakfast and was now rolling around on the ground, crying and throwing a tantrum because he was hungry.
Liu Cuihua felt sorry for her son.
Thinking that Song Wanning still had some grain, she was just about to take Song Bao to demand some food from her when she happened to run into Zhou Fang and Wang Zhuzi.
Seeing them arrive, Liu Cuihua assumed they had agreed to her demands.
After comforting Song Bao and telling him to bear with it a little longer, she waited for Zhou Fang and Wang Zhuzi to come over.
Song Miaomiao also noticed them.
The moment she saw them at the door, her heart skipped a beat.
She instinctively felt that nothing good could come from this visit.
Walking over to Liu Cuihua, she asked quietly,
“Mom… why are they here?”
“You’ve got the nerve to ask?”
“It’s because of that shameless thing you did.”
“Now that everything in our house is gone, we’ll marry you into their family, collect some bride price, and at least make sure our Bao doesn’t starve.”
Hearing those words, Song Miaomiao’s face turned deathly pale.
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out.
As soon as Zhou Fang and Wang Zhuzi came close, Zhou Fang shouted loudly,
“Liu Cuihua, are you trying to fool me?”
“I actually believed your nonsense earlier!”
“You even said Song Miaomiao was pregnant.”
“It’s only been a few days since she got together with my Zhuzi. How could she already be pregnant?”
“Could it be your daughter fooled around with some other man, got pregnant, and now wants my son to clean up her mess?”
Her booming voice immediately attracted all the nearby neighbors once again.
Lately, the Song family had been arguing every other day, providing endless entertainment for the idle villagers.
Most of those remaining in the village were elderly people who stayed home to watch their grandchildren instead of working in the fields, and they loved gossip more than anyone.
Before long, a crowd of old men and women had gathered.
“Oh, Zhou Fang, can’t you lower your voice?”
“Do you have to shout like that?”
“My daughter’s reputation matters!”
Liu Cuihua protested.
“Ha! Reputation?”
“What reputation does your daughter still have?”
“The whole village already knows.”
“Everyone knows she slept with my Zhuzi!”
After the huge commotion involving Song Wanning, the entire village had already learned that Song Miaomiao had gotten together with Wang Zhuzi and had even tried to make her older sister marry him in her place.
Liu Cuihua sighed helplessly.
There was no point trying to hide it anymore.
The entire village already knew.
She had to marry Song Miaomiao off as quickly as possible.
If no one had known before, perhaps there would still have been other marriage prospects.
But now everyone deliberately kept their distance from Song Miaomiao.
Who would still be willing to marry her?
The only option left was to marry her to Wang Zhuzi and at least collect some bride price.
“Zhou Fang, come inside.”
“Let’s talk indoors.”
Liu Cuihua didn’t want to argue at the front gate.
Her husband cared deeply about saving face.
Lately, however, their family had lost every bit of dignity they had.
Because of this, he had beaten her the previous night, slapping her twice.
If another scene broke out today, she might get beaten again tonight.
“No need.”
“We’ll settle this right here.”
“Where’s Song Miaomiao?”
“Call her out.”
“I want to see which wild man she’s been fooling around with!”
Standing outside the gate without seeing Song Miaomiao, Wang Zhuzi was furious.
No wonder he hadn’t seen any blood the night they slept together.
So it hadn’t been her first time after all.
“Wang Zhuzi, do you even have a conscience?”
“When have I ever been with another man?”
“If I hadn’t accidentally taken that drug that day, do you think I’d ever have slept with you?”
“Take a good look at yourself.”
“You know exactly what you look like.”
“Tell me, which girl in this village would willingly marry you?”
“And now you’re accusing me?”
“I was a perfectly respectable young woman.”
“Being ruined by you was humiliating enough.”
“And now you’re slandering me?”
“Are you trying to force me to die?”
Song Miaomiao could no longer endure it.
She had truly given her first time to Wang Zhuzi.
Yet he was still insulting her.
“Tch!”
“You shameless slut!”
“How could it have been your first time?”
“My mom said there would be blood the first time.”
“But there wasn’t any!”
“Stop pretending to be innocent!”
The crowd outside gasped.
Everyone looked as though they had just heard the biggest piece of gossip imaginable.
How exciting!
They couldn’t wait to go home and tell their families all about it tonight.
“Wang Zhuzi!”
“How can you say something like that about me?”
Song Miaomiao’s eyes reddened.
She had never imagined that after taking advantage of her, he would humiliate her like this.
“Whether I’m right or wrong…”
“You know the answer yourself.”
Seeing the two of them quarreling at the entrance, Liu Cuihua couldn’t stand it anymore.
Everyone was still hungry.
If they kept arguing, how were they supposed to eat?
“Enough!”
“Both of you, stop talking.”
She turned to Zhou Fang.
“About what I said earlier—that she was pregnant—I lied.”
“But no matter what, your Zhuzi and my Miaomiao have already been together.”
“They have to get married.”
“If your family doesn’t agree…”
“Fine.”
“I’ll just support my daughter for the rest of her life.”
“But your Zhuzi is already getting old.”
“No girl in the village is willing to marry him.”
“You’d better think this through.”
“As for lying to you earlier…”
“Fine.”
“I’ll lower the bride price by ten yuan.”
“But that’s my final concession.”
“I won’t reduce it any further.”
Liu Cuihua knew perfectly well why Zhou Fang had come.
She simply wanted to negotiate a lower bride price.
Reducing it by ten yuan was already the greatest compromise Liu Cuihua was willing to make.
Not another cent.
Zhou Fang remained silent.
She was also thinking about Wang Zhuzi’s future.
Both she and Wang Tiegang were already getting old.
They wouldn’t be able to work for many more years.
Wang Zhuzi was lazy and hated working.
He needed a wife who could do the labor and support him.
Song Miaomiao actually seemed like a suitable candidate.
She was still young.
By the time Wang Zhuzi grew old, she would still be capable of supporting him.
Having made up her mind, Zhou Fang pulled Wang Zhuzi behind her and cautiously asked,
“…Could you lower it a little more?”
“How about twenty yuan less?”