The discussions around them grew louder and louder. Every eye present was fixed on Qiu Yinong, especially those hot-blooded young men. None of them had known such a heavenly beauty had arrived in the village. If they had known earlier, they would definitely have made their move immediately instead of letting Cheng Yuanche pick up such a bargain.
Cheng Yuanche heard everything they were saying. In all his years, he had never seen such a beautiful girl before. The moment she had jumped down from the tree trunk earlier had already been deeply imprinted in his mind.
Was this girl… a fairy descended from heaven specifically to save him?
He stared blankly at her without moving, but Cheng Yuanche’s parents were far more excited than he was.
This outsider girl was much prettier than Yao Yulan. Her looks and temperament completely surpassed hers. At first glance, she looked educated and cultured, and with just a few words she had managed to suppress Old Madam Huang’s foul mouth. The two elders looked at her with satisfaction and delight.
Still, the good fortune had arrived too suddenly. It all felt somewhat unreal and unreliable.
Mother Cheng’s lips trembled slightly as she stepped forward, her eyes fixed on her.
“Qiu… Little Qiu, are you serious? Or are you teasing our Yuanche?”
“I’m serious. I’m already an adult and of marriageable age, and I’ve considered finding a man to marry and start a family with.”
“I watched the entire farce of today’s wedding procession. I think your family is quite united and harmonious, with very upright family values. Comrade Cheng Yuanche’s personality also suits my taste. Most importantly, he’s a soldier hero who protects the country and its people. He deserves my respect and admiration.”
Although it had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, Qiu Yinong truly did have a favorable impression of him. She especially liked how decisive and straightforward he had been when breaking off the engagement earlier. She felt their personalities were similar, and perhaps they could try developing a relationship.
She answered very directly, without a trace of a young girl’s shyness or coyness. Her gaze was open and frank as she met his eyes gracefully and confidently.
Cheng Yuanche had remained silent earlier, but his eyes had never left her for even half a second. After hearing her words, the light in his eyes grew even brighter, and his throat bobbed several times.
“Yuanche, why are you still standing there in a daze?”
Cheng Yuanyuan nudged him. They were twins and she knew her younger brother well. With just one look at his expression, she could tell he had fallen for her at first sight.
This girl was prettier than Yao Yulan and clearly no ordinary person. She definitely wasn’t some muddy-legged country bumpkin from the mountains.
Besides, there was a comfortable aura about her. Standing together, the two of them gave off an indescribable sense of compatibility.
As though they truly were a match made in heaven.
“Yuanche, what do you think?” Cheng Yuanche’s parents were anxious beyond measure, even more impatient than he was.
Cheng Yuanche’s tense body finally relaxed slowly. He nodded to his parents and siblings, revealing a smile from the bottom of his heart. Then he looked at Qiu Yinong solemnly.
“Comrade Qiu Yinong, thank you. Thank you for saving me at my most miserable moment. I will never betray you in this lifetime. I will protect you even at the cost of my life.”
Qiu Yinong liked straightforward and open-hearted people the most. She flashed him a bright, radiant smile.
“Deputy Battalion Commander Cheng, please fulfill the only condition I requested right now.”
“Alright.”
The suffocating gloom that had weighed on Cheng Yuanche’s heart completely vanished at that moment.
For the woman who had stirred his heart at first sight, and for the humiliation he had suffered today, it was time to settle accounts with the Yao family.
“Cheng Yuanche, how dare you!”
Yao Yulan had been standing to the side the entire time. She truly hadn’t expected the situation to develop further, nor had she imagined another woman would suddenly appear willing to marry him without asking for a bride price.
She had been stunned the entire time, and now her mind was in chaos. Especially after seeing Qiu Yinong’s fairy-like beauty, jealousy ignited inside her like wildfire meeting oil. She practically wanted to rush forward and scratch that flower-like face to pieces.
“Big Brother, go help prepare it. Feed both the mother and daughter together.”
Cheng Yuanche ground his teeth as he spoke, his gaze toward Yao Yulan as cold as a winter wind.
“Cheng Yuanche, don’t forget you’re a soldier! If you really do this today, I swear I’ll report you to your army unit. Even if it costs me my life, I’ll strip that uniform off you!” Yao Daqiang shouted harshly.
“Yuanche, you and Little Qiu stand aside. Leave this matter to your mother. Don’t dirty your hands.”
Mother Cheng was already full of pent-up fury waiting to explode. She immediately began directing her children.
“Boss, Second Brother, hold down Li Guihua and Yao Yulan. Yuanyuan, Yuanshu, go fetch a basin of shit and let your Aunt Yao and her daughter enjoy a good meal. Today we’ll make sure they eat and drink their fill.”
The Cheng siblings had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Now they were more excited and exhilarated than anyone else, immediately dashing off to carry out the task.
“Let go of me! Let go!”
“Get lost! All of you, get lost! Dad! Big Brother! Save me!”
Mother Yao had already been beaten twice and was half-dazed from the blows, completely forgetting the bet she had angrily made earlier.
Only when they came to restrain her did she finally snap back to reality. The blood drained from her face in an instant, leaving it white as paper. Panicked, she struggled desperately to shake them off.
“You dare?! I was only joking! You can’t actually do it!”
“Cowards who dare to say things but not take responsibility for them!”
Mother Cheng cursed angrily. Seeing some branches of the Yao family hesitate as though wanting to intervene, she immediately raised her voice first:
“Today it’s Yao Daqiang’s family that went too far bullying others. I’m only taking revenge on their household—it has nothing to do with the other Yao relatives. But if any of you can’t think straight and dare interfere, don’t blame me for splashing piss and shit all over you too!”
In these days, even human waste was valuable fertilizer that outsiders normally couldn’t get.
Cheng Yuanyuan and her sister sprinted all the way home and brought back their family’s reeking manure bucket.
The sisters truly didn’t hold back. They filled more than half a bucket, completely unbothered by the smell—not even covering their noses. Carrying the manure bucket, they raced back at full speed, afraid of ruining today’s “important event.”
“Get away! Get away! Get away!”
“Captain, the Cheng family has gone lawless! Are you just going to stand there and do nothing?!”
“Cheng Yuanfeng, let go of me! If you really do this today, our Yao family and your Cheng family will become irreconcilable enemies!”
Yao Daqiang, his wife, and their two children were all restrained. No matter how fiercely they struggled, they couldn’t break free from the Cheng brothers’ grip and could only howl helplessly at the top of their lungs.
Cheng Yuanfeng punched Yao Haiyang hard in the shoulder, making his face twitch in pain.
“When you humiliated my younger brother and slapped the Cheng family’s dignity in the face, didn’t you think the feud between our families had already become irreconcilable?”
Cheng Yuanchi copied his brother’s example and kicked Yao Haibo hard in the backside.
“From today onward, our Cheng family and your family will never associate again. We are mortal enemies forever!”