Under Liang Hui’s deep, dark gaze, Yu Yao felt like none of her thoughts could stay hidden.
This man wasn’t just hard to deal with—he was also hard to fool.
Yu Yao decided to drop the act.
She slowly sat up, rubbing her sore bones, and let out a cold snort.
“Spending 2,800 yuan to marry me—isn’t that a hundred times better than giving the money to your cousin so he can hand it over to Feng Xueqing as a bride price? What are you feeling wronged about?”
Liang Hui denied it. “Who said I feel wronged?”
He just felt like he’d been led around by the nose by this woman, and that annoyed him.
Yu Yao smiled sweetly, her eyes curving into crescents.
“No need to feel wronged. I’ll prove to you that your 2,800 yuan was absolutely worth it.”
Feng Xueqing couldn’t stop Liang Hui from marrying Yu Yao, couldn’t get Yu Yao sold to the old bachelor, and couldn’t obtain the blood jade bracelet. She was so anxious it made her teeth ache.
Her teeth hurt, her cheek hurt, her head hurt—everything hurt.
She had always been smooth-sailing in life. When had she ever been this unlucky? And now, misfortune kept piling on.
She wanted to go back quickly and discuss things with her family, then wait for Liang Haifeng to return the next day so they could figure something out together.
She declined Zhao Chunhua’s attempt to keep her and walked out, preparing to ride her bicycle home.
But… her bicycle was gone!
“Who stole my bicycle?!” Feng Xueqing shouted in panic.
Hearing that her future daughter-in-law’s bicycle was missing, Zhao Chunhua rushed out, yelling loudly, “Which damned thief stole my daughter-in-law’s bicycle?!”
Her grandson, Gou Dan, pointed toward the west room and said quietly, “I saw Fourth Aunt push the bicycle into that room.”
“What?!” Zhao Chunhua’s eyes widened, and she immediately started cursing. “You woman from Laosi’s family, get out here—!”
Creak—
Yu Yao pushed open the door to the west room and walked out together with Liang Hui.
Yu Yao admitted it openly, “I moved the bicycle into the west room—because it was mine to begin with.”
“Bullshit!” Zhao Chunhua stomped furiously. “It was clearly Xueqing who rode it here—how did it become yours? You’re a thief!”
Yu Yao turned to Feng Xueqing. “Say it honestly—whose bicycle is it?”
Feng Xueqing froze, unable to deny the truth.
The bicycle had been left by Yu Yao’s mother—it was indeed hers.
But since Feng Xueqing had been using it for so long, she had subconsciously treated it as her own.
“Yao Yao… although the bicycle is yours, I still need to return to the village. It’s over ten li away—could you lend it to me?” she asked cautiously.
“No,” Yu Yao refused without hesitation. “What if you ride it back and don’t return it? Besides, my husband needs it for work every day.”
She blinked at Liang Hui.
Liang Hui’s lips curled slightly.
Feng Xueqing pleaded, “I’ll definitely return it! Yao Yao, please…”
“Well, I’m a married woman now. I should ask my husband about everything,” Yu Yao said, turning to him with a virtuous expression. “Husband, should we lend it to her?”
“No,” Liang Hui refused decisively.
Feng Xueqing: “…”
She felt like she had come here just to suffer.
First physically, then emotionally.
Zhao Chunhua hadn’t expected the bicycle to suddenly become Yu Yao’s. Both distressed and angry, she opened her mouth to curse—
“Say one more word and see what happens!” Liang Hui stepped forward, as if about to smash the water vat in the courtyard.
“I paid for that vat, and I paid to dig the well. If I smash it, no one drinks water!”
Zhao Chunhua immediately swallowed her insults.
Liang Manchang snapped, “Enough! Stop making a spectacle of yourselves!”
He had begun to feel dissatisfied with Feng Xueqing.
Everything she did today fell short and only made her look ridiculous.
She used to be like a little lucky star—pleasing in everything.
But today, she seemed full of bad luck.
After coming to Hukeng Village, Feng Xueqing had been slapped, scolded, failed to get the bracelet, and even lost a bicycle—she was furious.
Covering her face, she started sobbing.
Zhao Chunhua called over her eldest son. “It’s getting late. Ride a bicycle and take Xueqing home.”
Liang Dajun hesitated. “It’s not appropriate for a brother-in-law to escort his future younger brother’s wife.”
The second son was working in the forest farm, and the third son, Liang Haifeng, was in town.
Liang Dajun refused, and Liang Hui definitely wouldn’t go.
They couldn’t possibly have the father-in-law escort her.
Zhao Chunhua had no choice but to suggest, “Why don’t you stay in Haifeng’s room tonight? Tomorrow when he comes back, you can discuss the family split.”
Feng Xueqing had accomplished nothing today and even lost the bicycle—she wasn’t willing to leave like this.
She nodded. “Alright.”
Maybe she could find a chance tonight to steal the bracelet back.
Yu Yao successfully got her bicycle back and was very pleased with Liang Hui’s support.
She generously said, “Husband, you can ride this bicycle from now on!”
“This is my dowry!”
Let’s see who dares say she didn’t bring a dowry now.
Liang Hui remained unmoved. He stared into her eyes and asked slowly:
“Do you really treat me as your husband? Or just as a stepping stone?”
Yu Yao inwardly sighed—the villain was too shrewd to fool easily.
She blinked her watery eyes, looking sincere. “As the saying goes, marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. Since I’m with you, I’ll sincerely live my life with you.”
“You’d better not play tricks with me,” Liang Hui warned. “If I find out you’re saying one thing and meaning another, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Yu Yao shook the blood jade bracelet on her wrist. Its rich red glow looked especially beautiful against her fair skin.
“You personally put this on me—your mother’s keepsake. That means you’ve chosen me. I won’t let you down.”
If Zhao Chunhua and Feng Xueqing hadn’t been eyeing the bracelet, and if Yu Yao hadn’t whispered something to him, he wouldn’t have given it to her so easily.
What she had whispered was:
“If you give it to me, it’s still yours. At least they’ll stop coveting it.”
As husband and wife, their interests were tied together.
Giving it to her was the best choice.
Liang Hui nodded slightly. “Fine. Since you’ve chosen me, as long as you live properly, I won’t treat you badly.”
He handed her the remaining money after paying the bride price.
“Keep this for me. I’ll go get something—tonight the whole family will have a meal together.”
With that, he pushed Yu Yao’s bicycle and left.
Yu Yao stood there holding the money, feeling dazed in the wind.
This villain… trusts me that easily?
Isn’t he afraid I’ll run off with the money?