“What did you say?” Cui Ling thought she had misheard, glancing sharply at Jiang Yu. “You’re going to give him to me?”
“Yes. I’ll give him to you.” Jiang Yu nodded confidently.
“Are you out of your mind?” Cui Ling stared at her in disbelief.
She thought Jiang Yu’s brain must have gone awry—otherwise, how could she say something so outrageous?
Jiang Yu leaned closer, putting an arm around her shoulder like close sisters do. “Tell me, do you like Xiao Lingzhou? Do you want to marry him?”
Cui Ling’s ears warmed, a flush creeping over her delicate face. She stammered, “I… I…”
She repeated “I” twice before realizing something was off.
Why was she getting led along by Jiang Yu’s rhythm?
In a flash, her eyes widened in anger. “Who I like, who I marry—that’s none of your business!”
Jiang Yu didn’t bother arguing. She extended a single finger. “One hundred taels.”
Cui Ling blinked in confusion.
Jiang Yu winked and said in a crisp voice, “One hundred taels, and I’ll give you Xiao Lingzhou. I’ll even tell you all his hobbies. How about it?”
Though Cui Ling didn’t fully understand Jiang Yu’s madness, her heart started to stir. But she hadn’t completely lost her mind yet. “One hundred taels? Why don’t you just take him for yourself? And why would you give someone as wonderful as Xiao Lingzhou to me?”
Jiang Yu thought to herself that Cui Ling, despite liking Xiao Lingzhou, was still fairly clear-headed.
Hooking her arm around Cui Ling, Jiang Yu lowered her voice. “You do know, he’s worth every bit of that—and more.”
“And look at him now—he loves me. If I don’t voluntarily step aside, no one can unseat me.”
“Considering we’ve been in the same village for over two years, I’ll let you in on a secret as a sign of sincerity. Then you can decide if you want to pay the hundred taels, deal?”
Cui Ling’s curiosity was piqued. “What secret?”
Jiang Yu’s lips curved. Seeing her hooked, she began to spin her tale.
“Actually… Xiao Lingzhou’s true identity is that of the heir of a wealthy family.”
“His biological mother died early. His stepmother mistreated him terribly when she married in.”
“Later, when he grew up, the stepmother even tried to have him killed so her own son could inherit the family fortune.”
“He came to Zhangjia Village to hide from her, but soon he’ll return to claim what’s rightfully his.”
Cui Ling’s expression was shocked, though still half-doubtful. “Is that true?!”
“Of course it’s true!” Jiang Yu emphasized, leaning in. “Think about it. Could a mere ordinary scholar have such extraordinary looks and demeanor?”
She pressed her advantage further. “Think about it—he suddenly appeared in Zhangjia Village. The villagers only know he’s a distant relative of the village head, a scholar, nothing more. What else do you know?”
Cui Ling shook her head, eyes wide and clear.
Jiang Yu clapped her hands. “Exactly! That proves it! Xiao Lingzhou is hiding here to escape his stepmother’s pursuit.”
“In a family like his, a single jade pendant could sustain an ordinary person for life.”
She pulled a double-fish jade pendant from her neck to show Cui Ling. “Look at the color and quality. Guess how much it could fetch at a pawnshop?”
“Maybe… three hundred taels?” Cui Ling estimated, already falling for the story.
“Wrong! Completely wrong!” Jiang Yu led her to a shady spot, sitting down and holding up five fingers mysteriously.
“Fifty taels?”
“Guess again. Be bold.”
Cui Ling covered her mouth, shocked. “Five hundred taels?”
“This jade pendant is premium jadeite, priceless in the market—at least…”
Holding Cui Ling in suspense, Jiang Yu finally stated a number: “Five thousand taels!”
Cui Ling froze, staring at the pendant in disbelief. “That expensive?”
Five thousand taels—enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for a lifetime.
“So, do you still think I’m lying?” Jiang Yu teased, studying her astonished expression.
Cui Ling swallowed, eyes fixed on the pendant.
The more she looked, the more covetous she became.
Her family was moderately wealthy for Zhangjia Village standards.
Her second uncle ran a business in town; they could easily produce a thousand taels.
Even her own savings over the years totaled over a hundred taels.
But five thousand taels? That was unimaginable.
If she were to marry Xiao Lingzhou, that pendant could be hers.
A handsome husband, unimaginable wealth…
Even imagining it made her heart race.
“Are you really willing to give me Xiao Lingzhou for just one hundred taels?” she asked, grabbing Jiang Yu’s arm.
“Of course.”
Hearing her confirmation, Cui Ling’s heart raced.
Yet doubts lingered. “He’s so rich… why would you give him to me?”
In other words: with such fortune for herself, why let it go?
Seeing her desperate gaze, Jiang Yu sighed theatrically, feigning sorrow, and wiped nonexistent tears. “I’ll be honest. I’m terminally ill.”
Cui Ling’s mouth fell open in shock.
Jiang Yu choked, “The doctor said I won’t live long, and I can’t bear children. I don’t want to burden Xiao Lingzhou, so I’m finding someone trustworthy for him before I go.”
“I know you like Lingzhou. Instead of letting some other girl marry him, I’d rather it be you.”
“You and I know each other well. You’re kind and gentle; having you take care of him makes me feel at peace even when I’m gone.”
To make it convincing, Jiang Yu pinched her own thigh, forcing herself to cry.
But in her mind she thought: “Buddha above, please forgive this fib. Please don’t take it seriously…”
Seeing her sincere act and knowing she’d been childless for half a year, Cui Ling believed her completely.
She even felt a bit of pity…
But that pity quickly gave way to greed.
Her eyes flickered, and she faked consolation: “Don’t be sad. Maybe the doctor misdiagnosed you.”
In her heart she thought: Please, don’t be misdiagnosed. If you don’t die, how can I marry Xiao Lingzhou and become a wealthy lady?
Xiao Lingzhou was supposedly the heir of a wealthy family.
For a rural girl like her, even if she were pretty, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
She could rise above the other village girls, who would live a life of toil and suffering, obedient to mothers-in-law and disdained by husbands.
If she were plain, she would have accepted her fate.
But the heavens had given her decent looks.
Beauty was her ticket out.
Now, a perfect chance had come—she couldn’t let it slip.