“What?” Chen Xiuying shrieked. “Have you lost your mind?”
She had originally been worried that her daughter would be bullied by her mother-in-law after marrying into the Xiao family. So she had secretly set aside one hundred yuan from the bride price Jiang Runsheng had given them, along with two new quilts and various household necessities, intending to prepare them as her daughter’s dowry.
Now Qiao Qingyan was demanding double that amount.
She might as well be asking for Chen Xiuying’s life.
“No way!” Chen Xiuying refused through gritted teeth. “I’ll give you one new quilt. That’s it. You’re getting nothing else.”
“Then I won’t marry.”
Qiao Qingyan showed no intention of backing down.
“Mom, don’t be angry.”
Chen Xiaomeng hurriedly grabbed Chen Xiuying’s arm and pulled her into the inner room. Leaning close to her ear, she whispered,
“Just agree for now. Once she’s married into the Xiao family, we’ll think of a way to get everything back from her.”
Chen Xiuying lowered her voice.
“Things that have already gone into someone else’s hands aren’t so easy to take back.”
Her daughter had already told her the truth about the Xiao family’s circumstances. She knew Qiao Qingyan would suffer endlessly after marrying into that household. Her future would never compare to her biological daughter’s.
But giving her double the dowry?
That was out of the question.
Chen Xiaomeng continued persuading her.
“Let’s get her married first. Otherwise, how are we supposed to explain things to the Xiao family? What if they come making trouble?”
Chen Xiuying’s face alternated between pale and livid. She couldn’t say a word.
Returning the bride price was impossible.
Giving a double dowry was equally impossible.
As for Chen Xiaomeng…
There was no way she was going to cancel the engagement with the Xiao family.
In her previous life, she had truly suffered in that household—enduring endless hardship, cold indifference from both her husband and mother-in-law.
Meanwhile, Qiao Qingyan had enjoyed a happy, loving marriage with Jiang Runsheng.
This lifetime…
She would make Qiao Qingyan endure every ounce of misery she herself had suffered.
The Xiao family was a bottomless pit of poverty.
After all those years living there, that man barely gave her enough each month to survive. Whenever she asked where the rest of the money had gone, his answer was always the same—
He had spent it buying medicine for his mother.
Even if Qiao Qingyan brought some money with her when she married in, it wouldn’t change the Xiao family’s reality.
Besides, with her spoiled young-lady temperament, insisting on only the best food and finest things, she’d burn through that money in no time.
Then what awaited her would be years of emotional neglect and endless hardship, both physically and mentally.
Chen Xiaomeng couldn’t very well tell her mother that she had been reborn.
Who would believe something like that?
So she continued coaxing her.
“Your daughter is about to marry Jiang Runsheng—the village chief’s son. He’s a government employee. Once we’re married, all his wages will come to me. I’ll make sure to take good care of you. Even if Qiao Qingyan doesn’t repay you, I will. Don’t you trust your own daughter?”
“And besides, you know Brother Runsheng likes her. If she keeps staying here, who’s to say she won’t seduce him? My marriage would be at risk. Only after she’s married off will Brother Runsheng finally give up on her. Mom, for my happiness, we have to send her away.”
After hearing her daughter’s reasoning, Chen Xiuying thought it over for a long time before finally nodding.
She patted her daughter’s hand.
“Fine. I’ll do as you say.”
The mother and daughter returned to the dining table.
“Qingyan,” Chen Xiaomeng said with a smile, “Mom agrees to the dowry you asked for.”
Qiao Nianshan was stunned.
Then he put on a stern face and said to Qiao Qingyan,
“Look at how well your mother treats you. Your sister’s been speaking up for you this whole time. If you had even a little gratitude, you’d treat them better.”
“Then I suppose I should thank you all.”
Qiao Qingyan’s voice was icy.
“Two hundred yuan. Don’t be short even a single cent.”
A meaningful smile curled at Chen Xiaomeng’s lips.
【What’s two hundred yuan? Little sister, once you’re married into the Xiao family, you’ll finally learn what it’s like to live as a widow with a husband who’s alive. Xiao Jinye is useless as a man. You’ll spend the rest of your life suffering until it kills you. Meanwhile, Brother Runsheng and I will live happily ever after. You’ll have nothing left to do but envy me.】
Qiao Qingyan arched an elegant brow.
Useless as a man?
That was wonderful news.
She had no desire to sleep with a man she didn’t love anyway.
Chaiyuanling
The mountain air was chilly.
Xiao Jinye wore a camel-colored suede jacket over fitted black trousers that emphasized his exceptionally long legs. A pair of worn leather hunting boots covered his feet. At his waist hung a long hunting rifle and several different hunting knives.
The mountain wind swept across his sharp brows and eyes. His high nose stood as proud as the ridgelines behind him.
Everything about him radiated untamed masculinity.
At that moment, he crouched silently in the tall grass, bow in hand, lips pressed into a thin line.
His hawk-like black eyes were fixed on a large, well-fed wild boar feeding in the distance.
Completely unaware of the hunter watching it.
Without making a sound, Xiao Jinye drew an arrow from the quiver behind his back.
His powerful arm pulled the bowstring taut, veins bulging beneath bronzed skin with explosive strength.
Closing one eye, he aimed just behind the boar’s front leg.
He knew exactly where to shoot.
That was where the vital organs were concentrated. A hit there would quickly cause blood loss and oxygen deprivation. The boar would lose consciousness within thirty seconds to a few minutes.
Suddenly—
Whoosh!
The arrow shot through the air, slicing through the grass before striking the boar with deadly precision.
The animal let out a few agonized squeals before collapsing, barely breathing.
Xiao Jinye rose to his feet.
His tall, broad frame was solid with muscle.
Leaping effortlessly from the brush, a faint smile appeared on his usually stern face.
Grabbing the boar by both front legs, he effortlessly hoisted the nearly two-hundred-pound beast onto one shoulder and strode confidently back toward camp.
Halfway up Chaiyuanling stood a small wooden cabin built by his father years ago.
Hunters often had to spend the night in the mountains, and the cabin served as their shelter from the wind and rain.
Xiao Jinye planned to stay there overnight before checking the snares and traps he’d set at dawn. If he’d caught any other game, he’d carry everything down the mountain together.
As he approached the camp, he noticed smoke rising from the cabin’s chimney.
His brows twitched slightly.
He quickened his pace.
“Whoa, quite the haul this time.”
Fang Zhijie had just opened the cabin door when he saw Xiao Jinye returning with the massive wild boar slung over his shoulder.
Xiao Jinye entered, dropped the boar into a corner, and asked in his usual deep voice,
“What are you doing here?”
His voice was naturally cold, and his face rarely showed much emotion, making him sound detached even in casual conversation.
Fang Zhijie leaned lazily against the doorway and jerked his chin toward the table.
“Your mom was worried you’d go hungry. She steamed some cornbread buns and asked me to bring them to you.”
Xiao Jinye walked over to the small faded wooden table.
A cloth bag sat on top, filled with steaming yellow cornmeal buns that smelled wonderfully fragrant.
Besides the buns, there were homemade pickled vegetables and steamed cured pork prepared by his mother.
“Thanks.”
He pulled over a low stool and sat down.
Picking up a bun, he stuffed it into his mouth, biting off nearly half in one bite.
The dry bun nearly choked him, so he grabbed his military canteen, tipped back his head, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water.
Sunlight streamed through the small window, illuminating his face.
His jawline was sharp as though carved by a knife.
His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed with each swallow.
Droplets of water rolled down his rugged neck and disappeared beneath his collar.
Every hard line of his body exuded raw masculine charm.
“I’ve got good news for you.”
Fang Zhijie clicked his tongue against his cheek.
For some reason, just thinking about what he was about to say filled him with mischievous delight.
After a pause, he continued,
“Bet you don’t know this yet. Your mom arranged a marriage for you.”
Cough! Cough!
Xiao Jinye choked on his water.
His hoarse voice sounded unusually strained.
“What did you just say?”
“I said your mother arranged a marriage for you. Want to guess whose daughter?”
“Whose?”
Fang Zhijie grinned.
“Chen Xiaomeng from Shidianzi Village. You know… that dark-skinned girl…”
Xiao Jinye’s expression immediately darkened.
He remained silent.
“Hey, what’s with that face?”
Fang Zhijie walked closer.
“You’re about to get yourself a wife. Aren’t you going to say something?”
“Who told you this?” Xiao Jinye asked.
“My aunt—I mean, your mom. She said she’d been keeping it from you because she knew you didn’t want to marry. So she secretly arranged everything. The bride’s family already accepted the bride price. It’s settled.”
Xiao Jinye’s face grew even colder.
He stared at Fang Zhijie, trying to find some hint that this was all a joke.
There wasn’t one.
So…
It was true.
He stuffed the unfinished half of his bun back into the cloth bag, stood up, and paced around the cabin several times.
“Qiao Nianshan really hit the jackpot this time,” Fang Zhijie continued enthusiastically, eager to share the latest village gossip.
“What do you mean?”
“The elder daughter is marrying you, and the younger daughter is marrying Jiang Runsheng from their village.”
He chuckled.
“The younger one is Qiao Qingyan. Remember her? That soft, delicate little princess…”
Once Fang Zhijie started talking, he simply couldn’t stop.
“That Qiao Qingyan is easily the prettiest girl in all the surrounding villages…”
“Honestly, it’s no surprise Jiang Runsheng’s marrying her. Sure, he’s not quite as handsome as me, but he’s still a good-looking fellow. Unlike rough guys like us, they’re both educated—he’s a broadcaster, she’s a schoolteacher. Whether it’s looks or personality, they’re perfectly matched.”
“They’re a made-for-each-other couple.”
“Just imagine if they have a child someday…”
“That kid would probably be extraordinary…”
Xiao Jinye stood silently by the window, his eyes lowered.
His face was hidden in shadow, making his expression impossible to read.
Only the subtle flicker in his dark eyes betrayed him.
With every word Fang Zhijie spoke…
Those eyes grew darker and darker.