Old Man Chen and his three sons came back carrying bundles of firewood on their shoulders.
At the gate, Chen Zhanshan overheard every word his mother had said — and his heart filled with bitterness.
All these years, he had worked like an old ox, never shirking any farm work.
When the fields were idle, he went to Qingshui Town to do hard labor.He had never spent a single copper coin of his own earnings — everything went toward funding his third brother’s education.
And yet, in his mother’s eyes, he was nothing but a mud-legged peasant.His daughter, in her opinion, was born to be lowly.A wave of bitterness spread through his chest.
He set down the firewood on his shoulder, frowned, and stepped forward.
“Mother, Ruolan is your granddaughter, and so is Qing girl. How can you speak of her like that?”
Chen Qingqing looked over at her father — thin and tall, his face tanned dark from years of labor under the sun.
He was only forty, but looked much older than his age.
Old Madam Chen’s throat tightened for a moment before she forced a dry laugh.“Ah, Eldest, good timing! Your precious daughter has turned the heavens upside down. I finally had Matchmaker Zhao find her a fine marriage, but she chased the woman off and said she wouldn’t marry! Tell me, isn’t that infuriating?”
Chen Qingqing’s eyes turned red.
She slowly lifted her head and, when she saw the love in her father’s eyes, her heart trembled.
She hadn’t meant to cry — but this emotion came from the blood bond between the original owner and her father, a deep, instinctive trust and dependence.
She wiped her tears. “Father, Grandma wants to marry me to Li the butcher from Qingshui Town… I’m scared.”
“Don’t be afraid,” her father said, voice low and firm. “Father won’t let you marry that man.”
When Chen Zhanshan saw the blood on his daughter’s face, her tear-filled eyes and trembling body, his heart nearly broke.
He had never dared defy his mother before, but this was his daughter’s life — her happiness — and he had to take a stand.
“Mother, since Qing girl doesn’t want to marry, then let’s forget this whole matter.”
Old Madam Chen immediately raised her voice, “Forget it? Easy for you to say! If she doesn’t marry, what will we all eat? What will we drink?”
Old Man Chen came in right after, seeing his wife’s dark face. “What’s going on? Why are you all yelling in broad daylight?”
Old Madam Chen slapped her thigh. “Old man, you’re back just in time! Matchmaker Zhao came by earlier and found a good match for Qing girl. But this ungrateful wretch — I’ve talked till my tongue’s gone dry — she flatly refuses to marry! And I’ve already accepted the bride price. Now what do you say we do?”
Chen Zhanshan said quietly, “They’re not married yet, and there’s been no ceremony. Just return the bride price, that’s all.”
Old Madam Chen shot her eldest son a glare. “Return it? Easy to say! It’s famine year now — so many mouths to feed, and your third brother’s exam coming up. If we give the money back, how will we live?”
Old Man Chen sighed deeply. “Zhanshan, your mother’s not wrong. Your third brother needs money, and there’s barely grain left for the pot. You can’t just let the family starve, can you?”
The third son, Chen Zhancai, felt a wave of relief that their father agreed.
If his eldest brother had opposed it, things might have fallen apart — and how would he sit for the county exam then?
If he didn’t pass, he’d be a commoner all his life — never a scholar, never a gentleman.
Smugly, he said, “Eldest Brother, it wasn’t easy finding Qing girl a match. How can we just cancel it?Besides, she’s not young anymore. They say, ‘Keep a grown daughter too long and you’ll keep resentment too.’ Sooner or later she has to marry — early or late, it’s the same. I think this match is good. Once she’s married, she’ll live in comfort.”
His wife, Liu Fengjiao, chimed in with false sweetness, “Exactly! Mother was worried Qing girl might suffer hardship, so she especially asked Matchmaker Zhao to find her a good family. Everything’s already settled — how can we go back now?”
Chen Qingqing’s palms grew sweaty.
She was afraid — afraid her father’s filial obedience might make him give in.
If he agreed, she would have no escape.
Even if she refused, the Chen family could force her hand.
She stared at Chen Zhanshan, frozen.
If he agreed, she would have to make another plan.
Even if she married Li the butcher, she could still find a way to run — after all, she was trained in medicine.
To disable a man, she thought grimly, was child’s play.
At that moment, Chen Zhanshan’s heart sank lower and lower.
He knew Li the butcher’s reputation well — everyone in Qingshui Town did. The man was violent and had beaten several wives to death.
Now his own family wanted to marry his daughter to that monster?Wasn’t that pushing her straight into a fire pit?
His face darkened. “Third Brother, since you and your wife think this marriage is so good, and Qing girl won’t go — why don’t you send Ruolan instead?”
Madam Lin let out a quiet sigh of relief. With her husband taking their side, their daughter’s betrothal could be broken.
She said coldly, her tone edged with resentment, “Third Brother, I think your eldest brother makes sense.Mother accepted the bride price only to fund your studies. If anyone’s daughter has to be sacrificed, it shouldn’t be my Qing girl. Ruolan is your own daughter — it’s only right she help her father’s future.”
Chen Zhancai’s face flushed dark red, unable to speak.
His wife Liu clenched her teeth in fury.
She had thought that as long as the old woman agreed, the deal would go through.
She’d worked hard to convince Matchmaker Zhao to arrange it — that way her husband would have money for the exam and they wouldn’t have to eat husks and bark anymore.
She hadn’t expected the dull, obedient eldest brother to suddenly grow a spine and protect his daughter like this.
Hearing her father’s words, Chen Qingqing was deeply moved.
How wonderful it was to have parents who truly cared.
As long as they stood by her, she wasn’t afraid. She believed she could lead them to a better life.
“Father, Mother… thank you.”
Chen Zhanshan gently patted her shoulder, eyes resolute.“Qing girl, don’t be afraid. As long as I live, no one will dare marry you off.”
Old Madam Chen was so furious she almost spat blood.She began beating her chest and wailing.
“You unfilial wretch! Are you trying to drive your mother to death?How dare you defy me — I raised you for nothing! You’re forcing me onto a dead end!”
With a thud, Chen Zhanshan dropped to his knees.“Mother, please calm down. It’s all my fault. I’ll take the blame.”
Old Man Chen’s face darkened, eyes filled with anger.“Zhanshan, your mother’s just desperate. If Qing girl doesn’t marry, what will the family eat or drink? How can your brother attend the academy or take the exam? If he fails this year, his future will be ruined!”
Chen Zhanshan lowered his head.“Father, Li the butcher is not a good man. If Qing girl marries him, it will cost her life. She’s my only daughter — I can’t just stand by and watch her walk into the fire pit.”
Old Man Chen knew his eldest son’s temper — once he made up his mind, even three oxen couldn’t drag him back.But if the marriage didn’t happen, how would the family survive this famine?
If he’d known studying took so much money, he’d never have let the third boy go to school in the first place.All the silver and grain they’d saved through the years could have seen them safely through this drought.
But now, everything was gone — and their only hope was the third son.
If he could pass the xiucai exam this year, they’d be exempt from taxes and corvée labor — and even receive stipends.
Only then could their family survive this famine.