Grandma Jiang watched helplessly as the marriage arrangement seemed to be settled and felt a surge of unwillingness in her heart. She spoke up, “Hold on, if he wants to marry my granddaughter, he needs to settle the betrothal gifts first. I’ve raised this child for so many years, how can she be given away for free?”
Grandma Jiang was calculating that as long as Lu Huaian didn’t offer the right amount, the marriage would be off.
But Jiang Ning wouldn’t let her have her way.
She could marry a handsome man and escape from the Jiang family—this opportunity couldn’t be missed.
With a smile, she looked at Grandma Jiang and said, “Grandma, whatever betrothal gifts you ask for, I must get double the dowry. Not a penny less!”
The betrayal made Grandma Jiang furious. She raised her hand to slap Jiang Ning, but Jiang Ning deftly avoided it.
“Enough, Aunt Jiang, don’t make things worse—”
Zhuang Fuqi wasn’t concerned with Grandma Jiang’s thoughts. Compared to the reputation of the village, her petty schemes meant nothing.
Besides, didn’t Ning girl still have ten taels of silver in her hand?
In the end, Grandma Jiang would probably take it as the betrothal gift.
After speaking, Zhuang Fuqi turned and instructed his wife, Li Shi, to take out the marriage contract.
The government had official marriage contracts, and every village head would keep some in stock for emergencies.
The contract had a designated space to fill out the names, ages, and origins of both parties, as well as the information of the witnesses. After everything was filled in, both parties and their elders, as well as the witnesses, had to sign and stamp it to confirm.
Afterward, the village head would take the completed contract to the government office to be sealed with an official stamp. The government would keep a copy and also transfer the woman’s household registration to the man’s family.
Li Shi hurriedly handed him the contract and ink.
The village head took it and sat down at the desk beside Lu Huaian’s bed, writing quickly.
For those who couldn’t read, the names were written for them, and once everyone had stamped their handprints, Zhuang Fuqi spoke again: “The contract will need two taels of silver to be processed at the government office. Please give me the money.”
Lu Huaian reluctantly handed over the silver and also gave two hundred wen in wedding money to Zhuang Xipo.
With that, the matter was settled.
Lu Huaian closed his eyes and ushered them out. After all, Jiang Ning had brought this upon herself—it had nothing to do with him.
Zhuang Fuqi breathed a sigh of relief and asked Jiang Ning, “Ning girl, are you staying here, or coming back with us to the village?”
Jiang Ning naturally preferred to return to the village. After all, staying here with Lu Huaian, staring at each other, was hardly appealing.
She hadn’t forgotten the murderous look he had earlier.
It was terrifying!
However, she could understand—being forced into marriage was no reason to be happy.
After everyone left, Lu Huaian opened his eyes abruptly.
He opened his robe to reveal his chest, where a faint crescent-shaped mark was imprinted. It was the same shape as the sword wound that should have pierced his heart when the “Wuyue Sword” had struck.
He remembered clearly that he didn’t have such a birthmark, and the shape of the sword seemed to match the crescent moon exactly.
So, he really had returned. Everything that had just happened was real?
Lu Huaian clenched his fists tightly, a dark and ruthless gleam flashing in his eyes.
In his past life, his fate had been harsh. He had been picked up by adoptive parents while still an infant, never having known the warmth of family. Before he turned twelve, both adoptive parents suddenly passed away, and the villagers considered him unlucky, distancing themselves from him.
After becoming an orphan, his life grew even harder.
He studied hard and finally passed the scholar exams, which should have been a bright spot in his life. But unexpectedly, it led to disaster.
Xue Qingling, the daughter of the richest man in the city, suddenly approached him, demanding that he marry her. When he firmly refused, she threatened him, saying he would never be able to sit for the imperial exams if he didn’t comply.
At first, he didn’t care. But soon, someone was sent to break his leg before the exams. When he was recovering, they came again to break his other leg.
This time, his leg was permanently damaged, and his future career as a scholar was shattered.
In the midst of endless hatred, he learned the art of poison.
For five years, he endured countless humiliations, but eventually, he uprooted the entire Xue family.
He personally fed that woman to poisonous insects, watching her suffer in agony until her last breath.
But when his revenge was complete, and he was left without direction, someone suddenly stabbed him through the heart with the “Wuyue Sword.” He didn’t even know who did it.
Before he died, he heard the person coldly say, “You’re the only one to die under the Wuyue Sword. Consider it a blessing!”
Being able to relive his life was indeed a blessing.
Thinking of Jiang Ning still being alive, Lu Huaian’s expression was complicated.
This time, it seemed similar to the previous life, but different at the same time.
Jiang Ning and Grandma Jiang returned home when the sun had already set.
It had been a tiring day.
The two walked through the door one after the other. Before Jiang Ning could catch her breath, the door slammed shut behind her.
Immediately after, Grandma Jiang’s sharp scolding voice came.
“Damn girl, you stop right there! Ungrateful little hussy, how dare you steal my silver—”
Jiang Ning was extremely tired. She rubbed her face, trying to wake herself up, then turned around to face Grandma Jiang, who was looking furious, her face dark with anger.
Grandma Jiang continued to rant, her spit flying everywhere, her finger almost poking Jiang Ning’s face.
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and give me the silver. You’ve become so bold, stealing money and even hugging a man. It’s disgraceful—shameless!”
“Deaf? Hurry and hand it over!” Grandma Jiang said, raising her hand to slap Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning slightly tilted her head, instinctively raising her hand and grabbing Grandma Jiang’s wrist with precision.
Looks like practicing military boxing every day had some use after all.
This was a technique she had learned during military training, thinking it would be a good self-defense measure when she was alone. She made it a habit to practice it every day, and now it came in handy.
She tightened her grip on the withered wrist, and in Grandma Jiang’s shocked gaze, she squeezed harder. Grandma Jiang screamed in pain, her face contorted in agony.
“Grandma, you can lose your hand, but not the silver!”
What a joke—life without money was hard to live.
In her past life, she had used every minute to earn extra money, otherwise, with the meager living allowance from her parents, she would have starved to death.
Jiang Ning’s words made Grandma Jiang grit her teeth, her face twisted in fury as she glared at Jiang Ning.
“You little wretch, how dare you treat me like this?”
Jiang Ning squeezed her wrist even tighter, and Grandma Jiang’s voice suddenly shot up. “Unfilial granddaughter, you’ve stolen from the family and dare to lay hands on your elder. Are you rebelling?”
Jiang Ning replied coolly, “Grandma, it’s okay to eat poorly, but you can’t say whatever you like. I didn’t steal any silver. That was my compensation for being broken off from the marriage, my… do you understand?”
Jiang Ning emphasized the word “my,” then threw Grandma Jiang’s wrist aside.
“You… you…” Grandma Jiang collapsed to the floor, too angry to speak, trembling as she pointed at Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning blinked innocently, looking at Grandma Jiang, then asked, “Grandma, are you pointing at me because you want me to help you up?”