Luo Yanran marrying out could buy five years of rent exemption.
For the majority of the villagers in Xianhuang Village, this was an incredibly cost-effective deal.
First, they wouldn’t need to lift a finger or do a single thing.
Second, Luo Yanran wasn’t originally from Xianhuang Village, nor was she related to any of them.
Moreover, even though Liu Jinshan’s son was a fool, his family was wealthy.
Marrying into the Liu family meant Luo Yanran would be enjoying a life of luxury, not suffering.
Other people wouldn’t even have the qualifications for such a good thing.
In that moment, the villagers wavered, their gazes turning toward Luo Yanran one after another.
Luo Yanran and Zhang Rou clearly sensed the crowd’s intentions.
Zhang Rou gripped Luo Yanran’s hand tightly, apologizing, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have called you over!”
Luo Yanran shook her head.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Don’t worry.
Even if I have to risk everything, I won’t let you marry him!”
As the two women spoke, Liu Jinshan chimed in with a laugh.
“This condition is undoubtedly the best solution for both your Xianhuang Village and our Liu Family Village.
“Xianhuang Village is full of the old, the young, and women.
If you have to pay rent year-round, you definitely won’t be able to save any money.
If you go out to find work, no one will hire you, and if you have no land to farm, you’ll probably all starve to death!”
Liu Jinshan had clearly seen through the villagers’ thoughts, so he laid out the stakes once more.
Undoubtedly, these words solidified their resolve.
One of the villagers stepped forward, looked around, and then said to Luo Yanran, “Yanran, I actually think Liu Jinshan has a point.
“Yeah, if you marry him, he won’t mistreat you.
You’re a young lady from the city to begin with.
Staying in Xianhuang Village only means suffering with us.
You might as well marry into the Liu family; at least you’ll live a very comfortable life.
“This is not just a good thing for you, but for both Xianhuang Village and Liu Family Village…”
“Enough!” Zhang Rou suddenly shouted, interrupting the clamoring villagers.
Pointing at them, she yelled, “Do you have any conscience left?
Since Yanran arrived in Xianhuang Village, maybe she hasn’t helped every single household, but eighty percent of you have received her care.
Now that Xianhuang Village is in trouble, you want to push her out to face it alone?”
“It’s not that we want to push her out, but this is the only solution!”
“We know we’re doing Luo Yanran a disservice, but we can make it up to her.
Since she’ll be marrying out of Xianhuang Village, the whole village will pitch in to prepare her dowry.”
Zhang Rou’s expression turned incredibly grim as she looked at the villagers who had spoken up.
She couldn’t help but turn to Granny Tan.
“Granny, do you think this way too?”
Though she didn’t say a word, it was clear she was wavering.
Seeing this, before Zhang Rou could speak, Liu Jinshan added, “Luo Yanran, you see?
This is the consensus of all the villagers in Xianhuang Village.”
As he spoke, the lecherous look on Liu Jinshan’s face deepened.
He beckoned to Luo Yanran.
“Since we have a deal, please come to the Liu Residence, Miss Luo, so we can discuss the wedding details.”
“Go on, the Liu family won’t treat you poorly!”
“Yes, we’ll go back and prepare your dowry.
You’re marrying him for the sake of Xianhuang Village, so we won’t let you be wronged.
From now on, all of Xianhuang Village will be your maiden home.”
The villagers’ words pierced Luo Yanran’s heart like sharp thorns.
At this very moment, she realized that many things had already exceeded her expectations.
Furthermore, they were completely out of her control.
Human nature was fickle.
She believed these villagers were inherently kind, but faced with this situation, it was inevitable that they would be swayed by their own self-interest.
Right now, she only had two choices.
The first was to agree.
What she would face next was marrying a fool.
From then on, she would no longer be Luo Yanran; she would merely be the wife of the fool from Liu Family Village.
She would be mocked and reviled, spending the rest of her life in that toxic environment.
But in exchange, she could save the entirety of Xianhuang Village.
The second option was to go back, pack her things, and leave Xianhuang Village with Fang Mei.
The life or death of the people here would have nothing to do with her.
But if she just left like that, where else could she go?
If she had had a choice back then, she wouldn’t have come to this cursed village in the first place.
Moreover, she had already worked so hard here for so long.
If she moved somewhere else, she would have to start from scratch all over again.
For a moment, Luo Yanran slowly pulled her hand free from Zhang Rou’s grasp.
However, the instant she prepared to step forward, another large hand firmly grabbed hers.
She paused slightly.
“You!”
“Relax, I’m here.”
Luo Yanran wanted to say something, but Jiang Chen cut her off.
While her heart was slightly stirred, Jiang Chen pulled her behind him.
He then stood in front of the crowd, looking straight at Liu Jinshan.
“You want to stop this?” The lecherous look on Liu Jinshan’s face faded slightly, replaced by a trace of disdain.
Jiang Chen glanced at Liu Jinshan, then smiled and nodded.
“Hahaha!”
His action caused Liu Jinshan and the Liu Family Village villagers behind him to burst into roaring laughter.
As everyone knew, Xianhuang Village had many women and few men.
Even the men who managed to survive in the village were sickly.
In terms of strength and the like, they couldn’t even compare to the women.
In their eyes, Jiang Chen—a man weaker than a woman—stepping up to resist the entire Liu Family Village was undoubtedly the biggest joke of the year.
Liu Jinshan pointed at Jiang Chen with a laugh.
“You think you can stop us all by yourself?”
Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
“Why not give it a try?”
Liu Jinshan gave a mocking sneer.
“What an arrogant fool!” As he spoke, he glanced over his shoulder.
“Liu San, go teach him a lesson!”
The large man called Liu San flexed the muscles beneath his dark skin and rolled his fists, which looked like heavy sledgehammers.
He grinned.
“You got it!”
“Go easy on him.
Men are precious treasures in Xianhuang Village.
If you break one, those vixens will be heartbroken for years!” someone jeered.
“Don’t worry, I’ll just snap an arm and a leg!”
With that, Liu San strode straight toward Jiang Chen.
Although the resentment in Luo Yanran’s heart toward Jiang Chen hadn’t entirely dissipated, he was, after all, standing up for her at this moment.
Seeing Liu San’s burly figure, she couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.
She tugged at his arm, but before she could speak, Jiang Chen said, “Don’t worry!”
Flashing Luo Yanran a slight smile, Jiang Chen turned his attention back to the muscular Liu San.
Truth be told, no one was optimistic about this.
The villagers of Liu Family Village were all manual laborers.
Never mind fighting techniques; just their raw brute strength was beyond what ordinary people could match.
Jiang Chen looked frail and scholarly.
He would likely struggle to withstand even a single punch from Liu San…