At first, when she saw someone smearing dirt on Jiang Ning, Old Madam Jiang secretly felt pleased.
If Jiang Ning’s reputation was ruined, she could sell her off later without being criticized.
But now these people were actually suggesting marrying her to that unlucky Scholar Lu—how could that be allowed?
What if that ill-fated man actually became an official someday? Wouldn’t that benefit that wretched girl?
Old Madam Jiang’s objection stood out sharply amidst the previously supportive crowd. Zhuang Fugui frowned, clearly not expecting this.
“Why is that?” he asked in confusion.
Although Lu Huaian had no parents and was poor, he was still a scholar—a decent match.
Old Madam Jiang sneered:
“Who doesn’t know that Scholar Lu is an ill-omened person? If he becomes my Jiang family’s grandson-in-law, our whole family will suffer misfortune. Are you trying to harm us?”
“This…” The villagers fell silent.
It was true. Although Lu Huaian was a scholar and his knowledge rivaled Zhuang Yunqing’s—even ranking higher when they both passed the exam at sixteen—his reputation wasn’t good.
Many villagers believed he was a bringer of misfortune.
This was because Lu Huaian wasn’t born into the Lu family—he had been abandoned as a child and later adopted.
Unfortunately, when he was twelve, his adoptive parents both passed away.
Because of this, rumors spread that he was born under an unlucky star—bringing death to anyone close to him.
Superstitious villagers kept their distance, afraid of being affected.
“There’s no need for everyone to worry about Ning girl’s marriage. I know what I’m doing and won’t let the village’s reputation suffer,” Old Madam Jiang said firmly.
Seeing this, Zhuang Fugui felt helpless but could only nod.
After all, Jiang Ning was her granddaughter—even as village head, he couldn’t forcibly interfere.
He was about to disperse the crowd when—
His youngest son, Zhuang Yunshu, who studied in the county, came running over in a panic.
“Father! Something terrible has happened!”
“What is it? Why are you so flustered?” Zhuang Fugui scolded.
His wife hurried over, patting their son’s back. “Don’t rush—speak slowly…”
Zhuang Yunshu steadied himself and quickly recounted everything that had happened at the academy gate.
The villagers were stunned—this was far more dramatic than they had imagined.
They even regretted not witnessing it firsthand.
Finally, Zhuang Yunshu added:
“Now in the county, people are selling paintings of Scholar Lu rescuing a girl in his arms. There are also rumors that the two scholars from our village fought over a woman.
“And that the academy head’s daughter got jealous of Sister Ning and tried to run her over with a carriage… all kinds of rumors! This is really bad for our village—that’s why I rushed back. Father, you must think of something!”
At the academy, he could hardly hold his head up anymore.
Every classmate would ask him, “Isn’t that from your village…?”
He was fed up!
Now all the villagers became anxious. Who cared about unlucky stars anymore? This was affecting the whole village!
“Village head, they must get married! If there are already paintings, then it’s practically confirmed!”
“That’s right!” someone turned to Old Madam Jiang. “You never liked Ning girl anyway. Just marry her to Scholar Lu. If the families don’t interact afterward, how could he bring misfortune to you?”
Another quickly added:
“Exactly! Her reputation is already damaged—it will also affect your granddaughter Xiu’s marriage. Better to marry her off.”
Old Madam Jiang, seeing the situation shift again, inwardly cursed these meddling villagers.
But she couldn’t think of a rebuttal.
Sure enough, Zhuang Fugui spoke.
Previously, there had been no solid basis. But now that it truly affected the village, as village head, he could make a decision.
“Since the matter is already established, I, as village head, will decide—they will be married today.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a hoarse voice suddenly cut in from outside:
“In-laws, is my granddaughter at home?”
The speaker stood smiling on a carriage outside the crowd, looking down at Old Madam Jiang.
The moment she saw the seemingly kind but actually scheming old man, Old Madam Jiang grew annoyed.
Back when the marriage was arranged, she had thought his family would provide support.
But they had never liked Liu Shi and had ignored the Jiang family completely.
So she didn’t bother being polite and pointed toward the backyard.
“She’s in the back—go find her yourself!”
Zhuang Fugui recognized the man as Jiang Ning’s maternal grandfather, Liu Chunsheng. He cupped his hands in greeting.
“Shopkeeper Liu, are you here about the academy incident? We also need to speak with Ning girl—let’s go together.”
“Very well.”
Meanwhile, Jiang Ning staggered into the Jiang residence.
Not seeing anyone, she followed her memory, passed the brick house in the front yard, and headed straight for the thatched hut in the back.
Pushing open the rickety wooden door, she looked around and couldn’t help clicking her tongue.
“This ‘transmigration treatment’ isn’t much different from camping outdoors…”
The dilapidated room contained only a crude bed made of wooden planks and a broken chest beside it.
She walked over and lay down.
How hard had the original girl hit her head?
At that moment, Jiang Ning felt dizzy, nauseous, and had ringing in her ears. She wondered if she had a concussion.
The wound on her forehead was still bleeding. She found a relatively clean strip of cloth and tied it over the wound.
Sigh… If she had known she’d end up here, she wouldn’t have argued with her parents.
Helping repay a mortgage was still better than this place.
But she never expected that her unwillingness to suffer losses would one day lead her to transmigrate.
She had just graduated and was ready to start her career—
When her parents suddenly told her they had bought a house for her younger brother and wanted her to help pay the mortgage.
She had exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, arguing fiercely before slamming the door and leaving.
Then… she got into a car accident.
And that was the end of that.
Her chest suddenly felt warm. Jiang Ning’s heart stirred. She quickly loosened her collar and saw a crescent-shaped birthmark.
She remembered having the same mark in her modern body—was it just a coincidence?
The mark, originally faint, now seemed to emit a soft white glow.
Startled, she looked closer—but the glow disappeared.
Just as she wondered if it was a hallucination from her injury, she suddenly recalled what had happened at the academy before her transmigration.
The original girl had gone there because her cousin Liu Ruomei had instigated her.
And when she tried to stop the carriage, it didn’t slow down—it sped up toward her.
That meant Liu Xueying truly intended to kill her.
Not only had Liu Xueying stolen her fiancé, she also wanted her dead—she was clearly her greatest enemy.
But when the carriage suddenly swerved, it seemed aimed at Lu Huaian’s position—
That thought startled her.
Wait… could it be that this wasn’t just Zhuang Yunqing’s scheme?
Was someone else involved too?