The village chief thought for three seconds before making a decision.
He deliberately softened his tone and looked at Lin Jingwan reassuringly.
“Jingwan, Sister Qiushuang had something going on at home yesterday, so I went over to help her. I had no idea that you had been forcibly sent to the Gao family.
“Now that I know what happened, since you don’t want this marriage, I’ll make the decision. We’ll return the bride price, and we’ll consider this matter settled. How about that?”
Looking at the village chief’s ingratiating face, Lin Jingwan immediately understood what was going on.
But she was no longer the timid pushover the original owner had been.
“Village Chief Uncle, I can’t agree with that.
“I never agreed to this marriage in the first place, and I never even saw the so-called one hundred yuan bride price.
“They only bullied me because my father had died and my mother had disappeared!
“Last night, I was terrified. I’m injured, emotionally traumatized, and mentally exhausted.
“This matter cannot simply be swept under the rug.”
The village chief understood immediately.
She was clearly demanding compensation.
He looked at Old Madam Gao, who seemed on the verge of fainting, and tried to appeal to Lin Jingwan’s emotions.
“Jingwan, look at Old Madam Gao in this state. She’s already learned her lesson. We’re all from the same village. Why don’t we just let this matter go?”
“No.”
Lin Jingwan refused without hesitation.
“She insulted me first, and she tried to forcibly buy and sell me into marriage. If we simply let this matter go today, then in the future, could I also pick some girl from another family whom I think is easy to bully, tie her up, and sell her for some spending money?”
Uh…
Was it really that serious?
The village chief was rendered speechless by her argument.
“How about this? We return the bride price, have the Gao family publicly apologize to you, and compensate you ten yuan for medical expenses. How does that sound?”
After saying this, the village chief looked at Li Zhaoye expectantly.
Li Zhaoye’s expression remained calm and impassive. He said nothing, but his eyes remained fixed on Lin Jingwan.
“One hundred yuan,” Lin Jingwan suddenly said.
“What?!”
If Old Madam Gao had been able to move, she would probably have jumped to her feet.
“This, this, this little slut! How dare she demand so much money! I, I, I…”
Before she could finish, another crisp smack! rang out.
Lin Jingwan had put her full strength into that slap.
Everyone watched as two yellow teeth flew out of the old woman’s mouth.
Lin Jingwan calmly shook her hand.
“Village Chief, I just remembered something else. The Gao family maliciously spread rumors that my mother had killed someone. My grandmother believed those rumors and sold me to the Gao family because of them.
“Now I seriously suspect that my second uncle and his entire family were actually killed by them.
“I want to report this to the police! I’ll accuse them of deliberately committing murder for the purpose of forcibly taking me as their daughter-in-law!”
“Bull, bull, bull! Bullshit!” Old Madam Gao cursed incoherently. “That Lin Er’s family clearly died because of ”
Before she could finish, a large, rough hand suddenly clamped tightly over her mouth.
It was Gao Daniu’s father, Gao Jinniu, who had covered Old Madam Gao’s mouth.
On his way there, he had already heard that the village chief’s wife had brought people to catch someone in the act.
He had also heard what the village chief had just said. It was obvious that the village chief was wary of Comrade Li. He could also tell that Li Zhaoye was deliberately putting pressure on the village chief to vent his anger over what had happened to him.
The village chief was selfish to begin with. Now that his own family’s dirty business was involved, there was no way he would continue taking their side.
And this man…
He was tall and imposing. Gao Jinniu could tell at a glance that he would never be able to beat him.
Forget it.
They would just have to swallow this loss today.
Gao Jinniu was the only veterinarian in the village and frequently traveled to the town and commune. He considered himself more worldly and knowledgeable than the average villager.
He composed himself and looked at Li Zhaoye, whose presence was cold and imposing.
“Jingwan, things really aren’t that serious. It was wrong of us to force you into marriage. It’s just that you’re such an outstanding girl, and my son Daniu likes you very much.
“My mother has already been beaten into this state, so I’m sure you’ve vented some of your anger. Uncle also knows that we were wrong.
“How about this? We accept your proposal. We’ll personally go to Old Madam Lin and demand the bride price back ourselves. As for the one hundred yuan compensation, I’ll give it to you personally. Would that be acceptable?”
Afterward, he ingratiatingly looked at Li Zhaoye.
“Comrade Li, this is an internal dispute within our village. We’ll settle it privately and properly. There’s no need to involve the police or cause everyone any trouble!”
Lin Jingwan’s eyes flickered slightly.
She had heard Old Madam Gao’s slip of the tongue just now clearly the word “because of…”
Gao Jinniu hurriedly defended himself.
“Jingwan! Your mother’s matter really has nothing to do with us. That day, your grandmother was going around crying and shouting that your mother had killed your second uncle’s entire family.”
“Oh? You didn’t actually see my mother kill anyone?”
“No. We never saw it happen.”
“Since that’s the case, then let’s put it in writing and have everyone sign and seal it as proof.”
“What? What do you mean, sign and seal?”
“If you truly weren’t the ones who spread the rumors, then write it down and provide proof. That way, no one can come back later and keep dragging this matter out.”
My mother is missing right now, so I’ll help clear her name first.
Lin Jingwan turned toward Li Zhaoye beside her.
“Comrade Li, can you write?”
Li Zhaoye slightly raised his narrow eyes.
He had already figured it out.
Lin Jingwan was his target the daughter of Jing Shuning!
She was also the woman the village chief had mentioned as having gotten married yesterday.
What a remarkable twist of fate!
Since that was the case, there was no harm in helping her a little more.
“All right. Not only will I write it out for you, but I can also serve as your witness right here.”
A smile curled at the corners of Lin Jingwan’s lips.
This man knows how to play along. Last night wasn’t a waste after all!
“Since that’s the case, everyone present, please serve as witnesses as well!”
The onlookers: “……”
Weren’t they here to catch someone cheating?
How did this farce suddenly turn into everyone giving testimony about whether Jing Shuning had committed murder?
But seeing the intimidating aura surrounding Li Zhaoye, along with the village chief frantically nodding and signaling them to cooperate, no one ultimately dared to refuse.
The testimony was quickly written out.
The rumor that Jing Shuning had committed murder had originated from Old Madam Lin.
The Gao family members had never witnessed the murder themselves. All the older women and relatives present also unanimously testified that they had never seen Jing Shuning commit any act of violence. They also witnessed and confirmed that the testimony given by the Gao mother and son was truthful.
At the end were the village chief’s handwritten signature and Li Zhaoye’s verification.
Lin Jingwan looked at the statement in her hands and was very satisfied.
She then turned to Gao Jinniu.
“Uncle Jinniu, now that the facts have been clarified, for the sake of us being fellow villagers, I won’t pursue the matter any further.”
“Good, good, good! I’ll go home and get the money right away!” Gao Jinniu hurriedly agreed.
The moment Old Madam Gao thought about the hundred yuan, she didn’t even feel the pain in her teeth anymore. She was just about to speak when her son hoisted her up.
“B-b-b ”
“Shut up! Let’s go!”
Seeing this, the village chief hurriedly dispersed the crowd as well.
“All right, all right! Everyone, go home!”
The crowd dispersed, leaving only the village chief, his wife, Li Zhaoye, and Lin Jingwan in the room.
The village chief glared at his wife.
“Why are you still standing there? Hurry home and cook!”
“Comrade Li, you two take your time talking!”
With that, he hurried away. He didn’t want to stay another second.
Once the outsiders had left, Lin Jingwan could no longer hold herself up. Her strength suddenly gave out, and her body began sliding downward.
Li Zhaoye reacted quickly, grabbing her arm and catching her in time.
The sharpness she had displayed during the confrontation was completely gone now. Like she had no bones left in her body, Lin Jingwan weakly leaned against Li Zhaoye’s chest.
“Are you all right?” Li Zhaoye’s voice had softened considerably, losing the coldness it had carried earlier.
“No.”
Lin Jingwan didn’t try to tough it out at all. She complained bluntly.
“I was exhausted after what happened all night yesterday, and then I just got into a fight. My whole body aches, and I feel like I’m falling apart.
“You… have really good stamina. You’re incredibly capable!”
Li Zhaoye: “……”
Incredibly capable?
He had heard plenty of crude talk in the army, but he had never heard such a blunt compliment before.
“I’ll help you lie down and rest first.”
He helped her onto the kang bed.
“I’ll go find you something to eat.”
“I want some brown sugar water, and I need some ointment too.”
“Ointment?”
Li Zhaoye paused, then turned toward her in confusion.
“Where are you injured?”
Lin Jingwan raised an eyebrow.
“You tell me!”
“Your hand?”
He really is innocent!
“That place is chafed.”
Li Zhaoye: “……Ahem. I’ll go get it right away.”
With that, he hurriedly left the room.
Lin Jingwan watched his retreating figure and couldn’t help letting out a quiet laugh.
“Hehe!”
People from this era really are so innocent!
In the apocalypse, when two people were attracted to each other, having a casual fling was perfectly normal. But the customs here were completely different so conservative that it seemed like simply holding hands could lead straight to getting married!
Still, the tall and strong soldier standing before her seemed like a pretty good partner to have by her side.
(Wishing all continued reader’s a raise, students extra points on their graduate-school entrance exams, best friends to happily pick up the bill, job seekers million-yuan salaries, and husbands who gift cars and gold!)