Fang Yao finally laid down an ultimatum, giving Xu Manjiang’s family half a day to come up with the money, before heading back to the inner courtyard with Wang Hua.
All the dowry items Li Xuemiao had brought over yesterday were kept here. Fang Yao had already sorted them out in advance; once the family brought the money, they could take everything away together.
Xu Qingzhou opened his eyes at the sound of the door opening. He hadn’t been sleeping deeply, and had vaguely heard the commotion out in the front courtyard, yet he hadn’t gotten out of bed.
Stretching lazily and yawning, he asked casually, “What were you doing out in the front courtyard? Why were you gone so long?”
Fang Yao walked over just then, stacking the quilts at the foot of the bed and tying them together with a red silk ribbon. She glanced at the robust, well-built man beside her waste not, want not.
“Don’t just sit there,” she said. “Carry all these over to the table. When they come later to take Li Xuemiao’s things away, they’ll be ready.”
Xu Qingzhou moved to help instinctively. His lean, powerful arms made light work of the bundled quilts Fang Yao had struggled to lift, placing them easily onto the table.
Fang Yao straightened up and answered his earlier question. “I was out there demanding compensation from them. One thousand for you, one thousand for me just like you said. I manage all the money in this household now.”
Xu Qingzhou paused for a moment. He bowed his head slightly, then grinned, revealing a set of neat white teeth; his lips held a soft pink hue beneath, his narrow, deep eyes tilted upward at the corners, and his nose was straight and strong giving his entire face sharp, well-defined features.
“Fair enough. Second Aunt is known far and wide as a miser; getting even a single copper out of her clutch is no small feat. Nicely done.” Admiration rang clear in every word he spoke.
What he didn’t say was: ever since yesterday, when he’d watched her fly into a rage right here in the yard and chase Xu Manjiang scrambling for cover he’d known then that this girl had fire in her blood. Fascinating!
“You make it sound easy!” Fang Yao shot him a glare. “I argued with them until my throat was parched. And you? You just lazed away in bed fast asleep!” She piled the remaining items onto the table, then held out her hand toward him. “Now make good on what you said yesterday. Hand your money over to me too.”
“In such a rush? Fine but you won’t get my money for nothing.” Xu Qingzhou reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a marriage application form, setting it down on the empty space of the table.
He then opened a drawer, taking out a fountain pen, an ink pad, and a locked iron box, lining them all up neatly side by side.
“Fill this out, and I’ll give you the key.”
Fang Yao wasted no time. She filled in every section of the form with her name and personal details, finishing by pressing her thumbprint onto the signature line.
Xu Qingzhou waited until she was done, slid the key across the table toward her, then picked up the pen to fill in his own portion.
Fang Yao unlocked the box with the key. Inside lay two passbooks and several brand-new Great Unity banknotes she counted seven in all. She opened the passbooks and saw they held a substantial sum too: one listed 1,500 yuan, the other 900 yuan.
“You’re quite the saver,” Fang Yao remarked, closing the lid with satisfaction. “Even after paying the bride price, you still have this much left.” She noted to herself that he surely kept a spare key to the padlock somewhere; better safe than sorry she’d buy and fit a brand-new lock of her own later.
Xu Qingzhou folded the completed form and slipped it back into his coat pocket, then neatly returned the pen and ink pad to the drawer true to his tidy, disciplined habits.
“One passbook holds my service pay, the other my bonuses,” he explained. “I enlisted at sixteen. The army covers all my food, clothing and board, so every penny I earn goes straight into savings.” He stood up, walked to the bedside and picked up his heavy army coat, slipping it on and buttoning it up perfectly.
“I’m taking this marriage certificate over to the army unit for processing now. The sooner it’s reviewed, the sooner it’s approved. Wait for me here at home and leave the door unlocked tonight.”
Fang Yao gave a soft “mm-hmm”. She’d slept poorly last night. Since a new bride wasn’t expected to cook during her first few days in the household, she decided to climb back into the still-warm bed and catch a little more sleep.
Li Xuemiao had been feigning unconsciousness all this time. She didn’t dare actually rest until she heard Xu Manjiang and his parents step out of the house.
In a daze, voices drifted over from the main gate. Wang Cuilian had been shouting insults the moment she stepped through the door first seething with hatred for Fang Yao, then berating Xu Jianshu for being spineless and failing to stand up for her in the old lady’s room. Before long she was blaming Xu Manjiang for having no mind of his own, and even dragging Li Xuemiao into her rant; every word dripped with scorn and contempt.
Li Xuemiao burned with rage her carefully laid plans had been completely derailed by Fang Yao, all the way to the point where she’d been forced to crash her head against a pillar! She bit her lip until she tasted blood.
In her past life, Fang Yao had married Xu Manjiang and allowed Wang Cuilian to bully her into total silence. Now the woman had seized a tiny leverage and was acting as if she held absolute power demanding compensation from them?
Li Xuemiao clenched her hands tight. When Xu Manjiang walked into the room, she quickly smoothed her expression and struggled to sit up.
“Uncle…”
Xu Manjiang had shared her bed the night before. Seeing her now, head wrapped in bandages and looking so frail and vulnerable, his heart softened instantly. He hurried to her side.
“We’re husband and wife now. Why do you still call me that?” Xu Manjiang said tenderly. “Remember, Manjiang is fine I’m your husband.”
“Y-yes… Manjiang.” Li Xuemiao corrected herself at once. Of course she’d addressed him that way on purpose just to remind him where his true place and loyalty lay.
Wang Cuilian and her husband had been helpless against Fang Yao for no other reason than that the old lady was backing her. Since this two thousand yuan had to be paid anyway, Li Xuemiao wasn’t about to let a perfect opportunity to win Xu Manjiang’s heart go to waste!
In her memories of her past life, Xu Manjiang’s maternal uncle had been childless and doted on his only nephew showering him with money, taking him into business, and living a life of untold comfort and prosperity.
And before long, Xu Qingzhou would be crippled and useless. No matter how much money Fang Yao managed to extort, she’d be a widow in all but name for the rest of her life forced to look on helplessly while she lived in luxury!
“Is Fang Yao really demanding payment from us, Manjiang?” Li Xuemiao spoke softly. “What happened last night wasn’t your fault alone I bear part of the blame too. Pay her whatever she asks for. I don’t want the dowry originally meant for me from Fang Yao. All I ask in return is that you stand by me from now on, and that we build a good life together as husband and wife.”
The bride price Xu Qingzhou had paid for her had come to 1,500 yuan in total. If she returned that amount to Fang Yao, then the extra eight hundred yuan Fang Yao was demanding from Xu Manjiang would also go straight into her hands and Li Xuemiao would turn right around and give it back to him. She was simply offering him his own money back as a gift. She would come into this marriage with nothing of her own, yet suffer no real loss whatsoever.
What she truly wanted was to secure Xu Manjiang’s devotion and with it, food on her table and warm clothes on her back for a lifetime.
Xu Manjiang was utterly moved by her words. “Xuemiao, you are so kind and understanding! Marrying you is the greatest blessing life has ever granted me. I only regret that I didn’t meet you sooner! I swear to you here and now I will work harder than any man alive, and one day you shall live a hundred times better than Fang Yao!”
Having poured his heart out to Li Xuemiao, Xu Manjiang stepped outside and told Wang Cuilian to stop gathering funds.
When Wang Cuilian learned that Li Xuemiao was willing to return her entire dowry, her attitude toward her new daughter-in-law shifted instantly. Taking into account that Li Xuemiao was the village chief’s daughter, Wang Cuilian hurried into the room and fussed over her with great solicitude.
Shortly afterward, she had Fang Yao’s dowry items packed up, marched them over to the inner courtyard together with the compensation money, and banged loudly on the door.
Fang Yao rose and opened the door only to have a stack of banknotes nearly slapped straight into her face.
Wang Cuilian stood with hands planted firmly on her hips, back held stiff and straight, looking every bit like a warrior marching into battle.
“Take your stinking money!” she shrieked. “Fang Yao, my son must have been blind to ever take a liking to you! You are not fit to hold a candle to Xuemiao! As for Xu Qingzhou wanting to marry a curse like you? He must have lost his wits entirely! Mark my words sooner or later he’ll weep tears of bitter regret, and find no shoulder to cry on!”