“Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!”
A series of urgent knocking sounds rang out.
Ye Jin frowned, a bad feeling rising in her heart.
Could Wang Fengqin really be so arrogant? She had only just returned, and they were already making a move?
Ye Jin did not want to respond, but the knocking grew more and more urgent. She picked up a stick and slowly walked out.
As she moved, a small bottle in her right trouser pocket faintly came into view. This was the confidence she had against Wang Fengqin.
Ye Jin carefully opened the door.
A shadow flashed in like a gust of wind. Ye Jin quickly stepped back.
“Jinjin, you’re back! You’re finally back!”
A thin and dark skinned girl rushed forward and hugged Ye Jin tightly.
The newcomer was Ye Xiaoli, Ye Jin’s best friend. They had grown up together and attended the same school.
As a child, Ye Jin had excellent grades, often praised by teachers in class. She was also beautiful, so classmates liked to be around her.
Ye Xiaoli, on the other hand, was thin, dark, and had poor grades. She was also very insecure and often bullied.
Ye Jin did not mind at all. She took the initiative to befriend her.
Ye Jin had many friends, but Ye Xiaoli only had her.
Later, after Ye Jin’s mother died and Wang Fengqin entered the family, Ye Jin suffered abuse and gradually became quiet and cold.
Other children said she was a motherless child, looked down on her, and distanced themselves from her. Only Ye Xiaoli stayed by her side.
“Xiaoli, I’m back.”
Ye Jin leaned against Ye Xiaoli’s shoulder. The frozen coldness in her heart slowly warmed.
It turned out she was not completely alone. She still had a friend who never abandoned her.
But this girl was too honest. Life at home was not good for her. Her parents looked down on her, and her siblings bullied her.
Soon, her father would sell her to an old bachelor in the neighboring village to raise bride price money for her brother’s marriage.
The old bachelor was ugly, old, bad tempered, and somewhat perverted. Having spent his wealth to finally marry a wife, he naturally treated her harshly.
Within a few years, Ye Xiaoli would be tormented into a hollow shell of herself, eventually going missing after giving birth to a child.
Ye Jin had once wanted to find her, but at that time she could barely protect herself. She could only watch her good friend suffer helplessly.
The two hugged tightly for a long time before Ye Xiaoli suddenly remembered something.
She had not yet checked whether Ye Jin’s eyes were still intact.
“Let me see your eyes. Are they still as pretty as before?”
Ye Xiaoli held Ye Jin’s face in both hands.
The two were very close.
Only then did Ye Jin realize that although Ye Xiaoli’s skin was dark, her facial features were delicate. If she were given better nutrition and a little care, she would be a beauty.
“Let me see your little face too. Is it still as charming as before?”
Ye Jin smiled and pinched Ye Xiaoli’s chin.
The two smiled at each other and held hands tightly.
“Good. Your eyes are still fine, still as beautiful as before. I really like your watery big eyes. You look even prettier when you smile. Unlike me, I’m just an ugly duckling in front of you.”
Ye Xiaoli laughed at herself. There was envy in her expression, but no jealousy.
“You silly girl, you’re also very pretty. If you just brighten your skin a little, you won’t be any worse than me. I don’t know why you are so insecure.”
Ye Xiaoli kept shaking her head.
“No, no. My mom says my eyes are small and my skin is dark. She says I’m ugly and might not even get married in the future.”
The mindset instilled by her parents made Ye Xiaoli extremely insecure.
When even one’s own parents looked down on them and constantly mocked them, even a strong heart would eventually begin to doubt itself.
Now Ye Xiaoli had completely lost confidence, always seeing others as better and herself as worse.
“Your mother is talking nonsense. If you believe her, she will definitely marry you off to some old bachelor in a mountain village where you will be abused and live a life worse than death.”
“No way… my parents may not like me, but they wouldn’t do that, right?”
Ye Xiaoli had always trusted Ye Jin, but still believed her parents would not harm her.
“I’ve already turned eighteen. You are the same age as me. In a few days you will also be eighteen. Maybe your father is already arranging your marriage.”
Ye Jin spoke half jokingly, but she was guiding her toward the real issue.
“That won’t happen. I told my mom I don’t want to marry so early. She shouldn’t force me.”
Ye Xiaoli was still innocent.
“You have two older brothers, right? If I remember correctly, your eldest brother is twenty six and still unmarried. Your second brother is twenty four and already has someone he is seeing.”
“Yes, yes. Jinjin really remembers everything so well.”
“Both of your brothers will need money to get married. With your family situation, can your parents afford it?”
Ye Jin’s words struck at the core of reality, leaving Ye Xiaoli completely stunned.
“It seems like they really can’t… but…”
Before she could finish, she already understood.
If the family needed to choose a daughter to exchange for bride price money, it would definitely be her.
“Don’t worry too much. I’m just reminding you to be careful. If your parents introduce someone to you, make sure you ask clearly and have the man come to the house first.
Actually, forget it. People they introduce probably all want bride price money anyway. None of them are reliable. You should find your own partner in the future, but you must let me help you check him first.”
Ye Jin playfully winked at her.
Ye Xiaoli laughed out loud, then suddenly her expression changed and she began crying in panic.
“Oh no, oh no, I just remembered. My father told me yesterday that he’s taking me to meet someone in a neighboring village. Could it be a blind date?”
“Don’t panic. Go back and ask which village. I heard that in Zhang Family Village there are old bachelors in their fifties and sixties who still haven’t married. Those men either smoke and drink, gamble, or beat people. None of them are good. You must avoid that village.”
Ye Jin said this casually.
But Ye Xiaoli was terrified and cried even harder.
“My dad said… my dad said… he is taking me to Zhang Family Village. What should I do?”