Lu Ye had originally intended to ignore this couple.
But just as he was about to lose his temper, the little girl in his arms shrank back fearfully, clinging to him in a gesture that begged for protection.
Though still unconscious, the girl trembled all over, looking utterly pitiful.
Lu Ye didn’t know what came over him, but his heart, hardened for years, suddenly softened at that moment.
He glanced at the pitiful girl in his arms, then at the greedy couple before him.
Lu Ye felt that if he didn’t marry Su Qianqian, this little girl would likely have no way out but death.
Since he had already saved her, protecting her for a lifetime wouldn’t be a problem. After all, he was alone and had already decided to live a simple, peaceful life. Having a sweet, soft little wife didn’t seem so bad either.
With this thought, he nodded and agreed to the couple’s demands, but he set one condition.
He could give them silver, but it wouldn’t be a bride price—it would be money to sever Su Qianqian’s ties with the Su family.
From then on, whether Su Qianqian lived or died, she would belong to Lu Ye alone, with no further connection to the Su family.
If the Su family agreed, they were to invite the Clan Elder and the Village Chief of Daoxiang Village to witness the agreement. If they refused, then so be it.
Lu Ye had assumed that no matter how unreasonable the Su couple might be, they would still care about their reputation. After all, his proposal was clearly about buying Su Qianqian, not marrying her.
If they agreed, whether Su Qianqian became a servant or a maid would be entirely up to Lu Ye.
Such terms, if accepted, would surely earn them scorn and ridicule for a long time.
But he had overestimated them. People who would steal their niece’s marriage and then try to sell her for a good price—what kind of dignity could they possibly have?
They were even overjoyed, immediately declaring that as long as Lu Ye paid the silver, he could take Su Qianqian away right then and there.
This couple truly broadened Lu Ye’s horizons. But in this world, a woman’s marriage was decided by her parents or, in their absence, by the closest elder in the family.
Women themselves had no say in the matter.
Lu Ye looked down at the girl in his arms, unable to bear the thought of handing her over to this couple.
And so, things unfolded naturally. He spent ten taels of silver to buy himself a little wife.
But now, this newly-wedded wife wouldn’t let him touch her. What was he supposed to do?
He hadn’t even done anything serious yet, and she had already fainted from fear. If he were to actually do something to her, would she try to drown herself in the river?
What kind of situation was this?
He even began to wonder if he had lost his mind back then. How could he have softened just because of a little girl’s unconscious, protective gesture?
But it was too late for regrets now. He had already married her, and all he could do was take things one step at a time.
His gaze lingered slightly on the glimpse of skin revealed by his little wife, but when his eyes fell on her face, he noticed that even in her unconscious state, she was frowning uneasily. The stirrings of desire faded away.
Lu Ye sighed helplessly. In the end, he walked over, pulled the blanket over her, and gently wiped away the tear stains at the corners of her eyes.
After finishing these tasks, Lu Ye climbed back onto the wooden bed. This time, however, he did nothing further, nor was he in the mood for anything. Still dressed, he simply lay down and fell asleep.
As for Su Qianqian, she slept very poorly that night.
In her dreams, she saw her past life, reliving the pitiful and wretched existence she had once led.
In her past life, she was also named Su Qianqian, a resident of Daoxiang Village. Just like in this life, her parents had passed away early due to an accident.
However, her past life was even more tragic than her current one. Although she was also a pitiful soul in this life, she was fortunate to be born in an era governed by law, where food and clothing were never a concern.
Even though her death in this life was untimely, it was due to her own carelessness—a slip that led to her demise.
But in her past life, after her parents passed away, her cousin snatched away her engagement. Not only that, but her marriage arrangements fell entirely into the hands of her uncle and aunt.
Because her engagement had been broken off, her aunt claimed she could no longer find a good match. After Su Qianqian reached the age of ji ji, her aunt planned to marry her off to an old widower who worked as a butcher.
In her past life, the education she received emphasized obedience—to her father before marriage and to her husband after. Her mind held no concept of resistance.
Even if she wanted to resist, in such an environment, a young woman like her had no room for defiance.
In the end, unable to bear the pressure, she chose to drown herself in the river.
But by a twist of fate, she was rescued by a hunter who had recently moved to Daoxiang Village, and the incident was witnessed by others.
When she regained consciousness in her past life, she only knew that her marriage had already been arranged—she was to marry that newly arrived hunter whose origins were unknown.
Since moving to Daoxiang Village, the hunter had rarely interacted with outsiders. As a landless and rootless outsider, no local girl dared to marry him.
Timid as she was, Su Qianqian naturally feared him even more.
She had used up all her courage in her attempt to drown herself. Now, having failed to die and being forced into marriage with a man of unknown background, she felt nothing but anxiety and fear.
Her aunt even told her that the reason she was being married off to the hunter was because he had ruined her reputation. If she didn’t marry him, no one would ever want her again.
They claimed everything they did was for her own good, to spare her from being gossiped about by society. As for the moral coercion to demand ten taels of silver from Lu Ye, it was to secure a safety net for her.
This way, if the hunter were to leave the village without a word, she wouldn’t end up with neither a husband nor money.
Su Qianqian in her past life was merely timid and weak, not foolish.
First, her uncle’s family had stolen her engagement, then they controlled her marriage arrangements. The few belongings left by her parents had also been taken by them. Now, they were essentially selling her off. How could she possibly believe their words?
But what could she do even if she didn’t believe them? As her aunt said, she had first been jilted, then her reputation had been tarnished. No respectable family would want to marry her, and she would likely end up as someone’s concubine.
Her attempt to drown herself had exhausted all her courage. Having experienced the struggle on the brink of death, she no longer had the will to take her own life.
So, in the end, she muddled through and married him.
On their wedding night, before she could even get a clear look at her husband’s face, she was so exhausted that she had to stay in bed for three days straight.
That single experience left her utterly terrified of her new husband. Even the slightest glimpse of his shadow would make her tremble in fear, too afraid to even lift her head.
Perhaps because her behavior had dampened his interest, it only happened that one time, and he never touched her again, nor did he even share a room with her afterward.
She feared Lu Ye, yet she also feared that he might divorce her, so she diligently fulfilled the duties expected of a wife in daily life—cooking, washing clothes, and managing household chores—all arranged meticulously.
Later, Lu Ye attempted to approach her a few times, but each time she reacted the same way. As a result, he likely lost patience or grew tired of her, and from then on, he seldom returned home, spending most of his time in the mountains.
Only occasionally would he send some food or supplies back, and even when he did, he tried his best to avoid appearing before Su Qianqian.
Thus, until the very end, she never managed to figure out what her husband, Lu Ye, actually looked like.
Lu Ye’s behavior only made Su Qianqian more fearful, convinced that he would eventually divorce her. Though she wanted to improve their relationship, she simply didn’t dare.
After living in such trepidation for several months, her aunt found her and said there were some of her parents’ belongings at home that they wanted to return to her, asking her to come back and collect them.
Though she wondered why her aunt would suddenly be so kind, the temptation of her parents’ belongings was too great to resist. In the end, she foolishly followed her aunt back to the Su family home.