“Leave. I will not let you marry my son.” Mother Zhou refused firmly.
Jiang Tingting looked at Mother Zhou, who wore old clothes washed until they were pale yet still couldn’t hide her air of nobility, and couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart.
Who would have thought that Mother Zhou, though thin now, still in good spirits, would die a tragic death not long after, leaving not even a complete corpse?
Jiang Tingting suppressed the bitterness in her heart with a face full of anxiety and spoke urgently: “Auntie, I must marry your son. Only if I marry can my mother not sell me to the matchmaker.”
Mother Zhou gasped in shock: “Your mother is going to sell you?”
“Yes.” Jiang Tingting said bitterly, “The matchmaker is already at our house. Now, if I don’t want to be sold, marriage is my only way out.”
Mother Zhou looked at Jiang Tingting with sympathy, her face full of sorrow: “Girl, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but my son—my son is dead! If you marry a dead man, wouldn’t that ruin your whole life?”
Jiang Tingting’s heart ached, the pain like an electric shock, swiftly striking through her limbs and bones, making her tremble slightly. Yes, Zhou Qinghao was already dead at this time.
That Zhou Qinghao, who had accompanied her through countless worlds, doing tasks and accumulating points together, waiting to be reborn together, had died in the last mission world to protect her, devoured by the power of darkness, leaving no remains and his soul scattered.
She had been reborn to take revenge on those who had harmed her in her past life, but that was secondary. The most important thing was that she had come to protect his family in his place.
In her past life, she hadn’t known that Mother Zhou, who had only moved here a few months ago, was his mother. If she hadn’t met him in the mission world, she wouldn’t have known such a coincidence existed in the world.
During breaks between tasks, they often talked about the regrets of their past lives and imagined what they would do after rebirth. Unfortunately… after returning from rebirth, he was no longer by her side.
Jiang Tingting sniffled, her eyes reddening: “Auntie, if I don’t marry and go with the matchmaker, with chaos and famine outside, I’m afraid I… won’t survive.”
Mother Zhou knew Jiang Tingting spoke the truth. She spoke honestly, laying out her family’s situation: “Girl, my family only has me and my youngest son. Our life… you’ve seen it, we have nothing. If you marry into this family, you’ll only suffer hardship.”
Jiang Tingting smiled. Sure enough, Mother Zhou was exactly as Zhou Qinghao had described—a kind-hearted person: “Auntie, I can work. I can support our whole family.”
Mother Zhou quickly said: “My embroidery is good. I can earn money with it.”
How could she expect a girl to support her and her youngest son?
She couldn’t take advantage of someone in their time of need!
“But, girl, if you want to marry my son, your parents must agree.” Mother Zhou thought of the most difficult matter now. “If your mother wants to sell you to the matchmaker, she will never let you marry my deceased son.”
With parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words, how could children decide their own marriages?
“Auntie, this matter is easy to handle.” Jiang Tingting knew Mother Zhou had agreed. She directly pulled out a silver ingot from her bosom. “Auntie, go propose to my grandmother, have the village head write the marriage contract, and it’ll all be done in less than half an hour.”
Mother Zhou glanced at the silver in Jiang Tingting’s hand. Though surprised, she didn’t ask more, only nodded: “Alright, I’ll go find the village head now, then propose to your grandmother.”
“The marriage is settled then. From now on, you’ll be my Zhou family’s daughter-in-law.” Mother Zhou knew their current situation wasn’t good, but at least if Jiang Tingting married in, she wouldn’t be bullied and abused like she was by her own family.
“Later, when the time is right, I’ll write a letter of divorce on behalf of my son, return your freedom, and you can find a good match again.”
“Tingting, wait at home.” Mother Zhou stood up, took the silver from Jiang Tingting, tucked it into her bosom, and went out directly.
A smile lingered on Jiang Tingting’s lips. She turned and looked at the memorial tablet carefully maintained inside the shabby mud-brick house.
She gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar name on it, and cold tears slid past the corners of her slightly raised lips.
In the mission worlds, they had both been attached to the bodies of their mission hosts.
Even now, she still didn’t know what he originally looked like, but that didn’t stop her from becoming his wife as they had agreed.
“Don’t worry. From now on, this family has me. No one can bully them!” A flash of determination crossed Jiang Tingting’s eyes as she made her promise to the memorial tablet.
A sudden knock on the door interrupted Jiang Tingting’s sorrowful reminiscence. She quickly wiped away her tears, went out, and looked suspiciously through the wicker fence at the dusty, travel-worn man outside: “Who are you looking for?”
She knew everyone in the village. She was certain this man wasn’t from the village.
Her experience across countless worlds let her see at a glance that this man was a martial artist, and his skill was far from low.
“Miss, my father and I have fled here from famine. I’d like to ask where the village head’s house is, to see if we can settle in the village.” The man stated his purpose politely, while slightly stepping aside to reveal the wheelbarrow he had been blocking.
Jiang Tingting saw an elderly man lying on the wheelbarrow. From the old man’s breathing, she could tell he was indeed unwell.
Clearly, the man wasn’t lying.
However, Jiang Tingting was somewhat surprised. Their Xixia Village was poor enough as it was, yet people were still fleeing here. How dire must conditions be elsewhere?
In her previous life, at this time, she had already been sold by her mother to a matchmaker, so she had no idea whether this father and son had settled in the village.
Jiang Tingting simply gave the man directions earnestly: “As for the village head’s house, just follow this road straight ahead…”
The man noted it down, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, “Thank you, miss. May I ask your name?”
“My husband’s surname is Zhou.” Jiang Tingting said with a smile.
“So you’re Sister Zhou.” The man immediately changed his address, and added with surprise, “Unexpectedly, we share the same surname. If there’s anything in the future, I’ll surely trouble Brother Zhou.”
Jiang Tingting spoke with a sorrowful tone: “I’m sorry, but my husband has already passed away.”
“Ah.” The man was taken aback, flustered and apologetic: “I’m sorry, Sister. I didn’t know… Sorry, sorry!”
“It’s fine.” Jiang Tingting smiled slightly. “I won’t keep you from finding the village head.”
With that, Jiang Tingting turned and went inside.
The man outside the door returned to the handcart, utterly bewildered.
Zhou Fu, lying on the wheelbarrow, looked at his son, who seemed as if he’d seen a ghost, and asked curiously, “What happened?”
The man looked up, his face full of disbelief: “Dad, I’ve gotten married!”
“What nonsense?” Zhou Fu excitedly sat up abruptly, but it aggravated his injury. He let out a muffled groan and lay back down.
“Dad, be careful!” The man hurriedly whispered.
“When did you get married?” Zhou Fu asked in confusion, enduring the pain. Not to mention getting married, his son had been on the battlefield with him all year round and had never even looked at a girl.
“How would I know?” The man was just as full of questions. “That girl just now said her husband’s surname was Zhou and that he had already passed away. I saw clearly—the memorial tablet enshrined in that house is for the two of us.”
“If that girl’s husband isn’t me, then is it you, Dad? I can’t possibly mistake my own mother, can I?” Zhou Qinghao felt his whole world turn upside down. He had been reborn and barely managed to save his own and his father’s lives, only to suddenly have a wife appear out of nowhere.
This was too strange.