Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Outside the old Zhong family residence, villagers gathered to gossip, endlessly speculating about whether this marriage arrangement would succeed.

Those who thought it would succeed were in the majority, for a simple reason: Pei Mu appeared determined to make this marriage happen at all costs, and how could the widow and orphan of the Zhong family dare to refuse Pei Mu, the Jinx?

The other faction believed that no matter how down-and-out the Zhong mother and son were, they had come from the prefectural city and were different from the locals; perhaps they weren't afraid of Pei Mu.

Everyone chattered away enthusiastically. Zhong Yizhu had naturally been the center of gossip lately, but Pei Mu's story was even more sensational than Zhong Yizhu's. The sudden pairing of these two was so intriguing that people would rather risk a beating to eavesdrop.

Though everyone talked about it, naturally no one actually went to eavesdrop. However, someone did end up taking that beating for them.

When Pei Mu's group emerged from the Zhong family courtyard, Zhang Guihua was already quarreling with Liu Fulang.

The cause was that Li Jian, upon hearing that someone else had proposed to the Zhong family, felt his promising marriage had been snatched away and insisted his father and grandparents fight to get it back.

The group had dragged themselves over, only to learn upon arrival that the proposer was Pei Mu.

Liu Fulang and his in-laws immediately backed down, ceasing their quarrel and unanimously urging Li Jian to let it go, but Li Jian refused to give in.

He had grown up hiding behind his family, never having to face anything himself—he only needed to make demands.

So, although he was also afraid of Pei Mu, he couldn't bear to let such an easy life slip away. The villagers all said Pei Mu was too poor to marry and couldn't afford much of a bride price, so couldn't they just offer more?

Liu Fulang, despite his doting nature, was driven to heartache by his son's unreasonable tantrum. Not only had the previous day's rejection by Sun Yunniang made it clear their family had no chance, but even without that, how could their family of old and weak dare to contend with the Jinx Pei Mu?

His in-laws were still trying to coax Li Jian, but Liu Fulang now regretted everything bitterly. Irritated, he looked away, only to see Zhang Guihua watching the spectacle with a smile. Remembering the chain of events that started it all, he found an instant outlet for his pent-up anger.

"What are you laughing at? Your own son wasn't good enough to be chosen, so you spread rumors that the family thought the bride price too low, and you still have the nerve to stand here laughing? Shameless trash, pah!"

Zhang Guihua's smile froze, her face darkening as she retorted, "Who are you calling that? What rumors did I spread? Wasn't your family rejected too? I've said all along that they look down on us village folks, but you insisted on throwing yourself at them, and now you blame me?"

Having endured a day and more of being caught in the crossfire, losing face, losing the marriage prospect, and dealing with his clueless, rowdy son, Liu Fulang finally found an outlet. Enraged, he abandoned all pretense and tore into her directly.

"I'm talking about you! When did the Zhong family ever agree to marry into your family? Do you have proof? You've been eyeing what's in their pockets, thinking everyone's a fool? And you even claim you offered five taels of betrothal money and the Zhongs thought it too low—would you really part with five taels, you miser? When you can't have something, you ruin other people's reputations. Watch out for sores on your mouth!"

Zhang Guihua hadn't expected the fire to turn on her. Liu Fulang, in his fury, was willing to drag his own family down just to expose her little schemes, and everything he said was true.

After days of spinning tales about the Zhong family, Zhang Guihua had almost convinced herself. Now that everyone's eyes were on her, she felt a pang of guilt.

Panicking, she raised her voice and tried to deflect. "Who ruined whose reputation? If that young man was really so fine, would he have been driven from the prefectural city to the village? Acting all pure and aloof—if I hadn't hit the mark, why would he be afraid to even show his face? If you ask me, he's just a seductive little... Ouch!"

Before Zhang Guihua could finish, something struck her forehead sharply. Startled, she grabbed at the air beside her to steady herself.

Still shaken, she touched her forehead and winced in pain—a huge bump!

"Who hit me?!" Zhang Guihua spat angrily, glaring in the direction from which the object had come.

Pei Mu calmly withdrew his hand, making no effort to hide his action. He looked up indifferently, meeting Zhang Guihua's gaze.

Zhang Guihua hadn't expected to find Pei Mu, the Jinx, at the end of that line of sight. Her heart quailed, and she quickly looked away, her bravado evaporating.

"What's going on here?" Matchmaker Feng emerged from the courtyard to find a crowd gathered as if quarreling. Before he could discern the subject, he saw someone clutching her forehead and crying out, bewildered.

Everyone had been focused on Liu Fulang and Zhang Guihua, only now noticing that the Zhong family gate had opened and Pei Mu's group had come out.

The crowd's attention shifted away from the quarrel. Few even noticed Zhang Guihua's injury. All eyes were on the group at the Zhong family's doorstep.

Pei Mu's face revealed nothing; Wang Ping'an and his husband looked dazed and confused. Sun Yunniang's expression was calm, yet this reaction was far from what the crowd had anticipated.

One bold soul, unable to contain their curiosity, called out from the crowd: "Matchmaker Feng, did the proposal succeed?"

Matchmaker Feng, forgetting the quarrel, beamed with joy. "It succeeded, it succeeded! A match made in heaven—how could it not?"

The crowd exchanged glances. Truly, the best matchmaker in town—his ability to lie through his teeth was unmatched.

But no matter how glib he was, betrothals were not things to be spoken of lightly. So had Pei Mu, the Jinx, and Zhong Jia Xiao Ge'er actually gotten engaged?!

With such earth-shattering gossip, no one had the patience to stay. They quickly made excuses to disperse. The Liu family fled fastest; despite his earlier bluster, Li Jian cowered once he saw Pei Mu resort to violence without hesitation, and his father coaxed him away with promises of another good match.

Zhang Guihua, still melodramatically clutching her forehead, saw the tide turning and hurriedly turned to flee as well. If all the villagers left and Pei Mu decided to hit her again, what would she do? She couldn't take it.

Though she had been struck while badmouthing Zhong Yizhu, she didn't believe Pei Mu was defending him. Men all cared about face; now that he had secured Zhong Jia Xiao Ge'er, he was protecting his own dignity.

After all, this was a man who disowned his parents and broke his own brother's leg—cold-hearted and devoid of any tender feelings.

Matchmaker Feng stood there utterly confused, unable to understand why the villagers reacted this way. Instead of offering congratulations, they acted as if they'd witnessed something extraordinary.

But since the marriage was settled, these matters were no longer his concern. Glancing at the sky, he was about to bid farewell to Pei Mu's group when he saw an old woman approaching with several people.

When she spotted Pei Mu beside him, the old woman's eyes blazed with intense hatred, a chilling sight.

She pointed a trembling finger at Pei Mu, her body shaking with pent-up emotion. Gasping for breath, she addressed the middle-aged man beside her in a loud accusation.

"Village Head, you heard that! That bastard Pei Mu forced Zhong Jia Xiao Ge'er into marriage! He's ruthless and lawless, a scourge who should be driven out of our village!"

Her shrill, broken voice pierced the air like sharp thorns, making one instinctively want to frown.

Though Matchmaker Feng didn't fully grasp the situation, he immediately interjected. "Auntie, don't slander people. Pei Langjun hired a proper matchmaker and offered betrothal gifts with both parties' consent. How is that coercion?"

"Pah!" The old woman spat at Matchmaker Feng. "He hired you, so of course you speak for him! Taking money from such a cursed man—you'd better watch for retribution!"

Pei Mu pulled Matchmaker Feng back just in time to avoid the spittle. Red-faced with anger, Matchmaker Feng stepped back and snapped, "Madwoman! A complete madwoman!"

Pei Mu stood cold-faced, not deigning to spare her a glance. This only incited Wang Dou Po further; she looked as if she wanted to tear his flesh and drink his blood, spewing venomous curses.

The village head's arrival drew back the dispersing crowd. Seeing the frantic Wang Dou Po, many showed unsurprised expressions. Newly married women who didn't understand were quietly filled in by those nearby about the grudge between the two parties.

In the 29th year of the Yuanjing era, the imperial court conscripted soldiers. Every household with more than one able-bodied man of age had to send one to enlist. For village households, the conscription range was men aged 14 to 50. Those who didn't want to send a person could pay a fee in lieu of service.

Pei Mu was conscripted that year. He had just turned 14, barely meeting the threshold. The Pei family claimed he brought calamity to his parents and needed military discipline to curb his baleful aura, so they pocketed the five taels and pushed him out.

The Pei family had money but chose to send a person, while most other village families were unwilling to let their men go. Everyone knew the border was fierce; those who went might never return alive, and even if they did, no one knew how many years it would take.

Most families in Liushan Village scraped together silver to pay for exemption. A dozen or so families either couldn't afford it or had too many men and chose to send someone.

Wang Dou Po's household had few able-bodied men: a lazy son, Liu Dashan, and a grandson, Liu Shitou, both within the conscription age range. So her family also had to send one.

No one knew how the decision was made, but in the end, the conscription officers forcibly dragged Liu Dashan away from home.

Last year, when the conscripted soldiers returned victorious from war, Wang Dou Po waited at the village entrance every day from the moment she heard the news, only to learn of Liu Dashan's death.

Of all Liushan Village, only Pei Mu came back alive from the battlefield.

A fortune-teller told Wang Dou Po that Pei Mu had a hard fate. In a twisted logic, she blamed Pei Mu for her son's death.

While others feared Pei Mu, she seemed oblivious to fear. Sometimes she blamed him for being cold-blooded and failing to protect an elder from their village; other times, she blamed his hard fate for killing her son.

Last year, she made a huge fuss twice, calling Pei Mu a jinx and demanding he be driven out of the village, but Liu Youzong suppressed it each time on the grounds that Pei Mu hadn’t committed any serious wrongdoing.

Wang Dou Po had been waiting resentfully for over half a year, and today she finally had leverage. She hurried to find the village head, determined to drive Pei Mu out of the village once and for all.

Gradually, the crowd fell silent, making Wang Dou Po’s curses especially clear. Wang Ping'an and his husband spoke up indignantly in Pei Mu’s defense, but Wang Dou Po acted as if she hadn’t heard, her murky eyes fixed on Pei Mu.

Her expression was unnaturally frenzied, and in the end, she kept repeating the same sentence in a mutter: “Why didn’t you die, why isn’t it you…”

Pei Mu had remained expressionless until now, but suddenly he raised his eyes.

He curled the corners of his mouth, his face filled with a viciousness like a demon out for revenge.

“I won’t die.”

“Not only did your son die before me, but you will die before me too.”

“Ah—”

The moment Pei Mu uttered these two sentences, the crowd gasped in shock, and Wang Dou Po was sent into a rage.

The previous two times Wang Dou Po had stirred up trouble, Pei Mu had been cold and indifferent, saying nothing and offering no defense. So when he suddenly spoke like this, Wang Dou Po froze for a second, then went berserk, charging forward to tear at Pei Mu.

Pei Mu sidestepped, and Wang Dou Po was restrained by Zhou Shaofen and a few other older women.

Wang Dou Po cursed hoarsely until her voice gave out. Liu Youzong frowned and barked, “Enough! If you’re going to keep this up, I’ll just leave. Call me when you’ve reached a conclusion.”

Wang Dou Po, still remembering her goal, gradually stopped struggling, though her gaze remained venomously fixed on Pei Mu.

Only then did Liu Youzong speak: “State your case. Wang Dou Po, what evidence do you have that Pei Mu has been bullying and oppressing others?”

Wang Dou Po panted heavily for a long moment before rasping, “Everyone in this village is proof! Which family would willingly marry their daughter or son to him? The Zhong family isn’t desperate—they’d have to be insane to choose him! Are they tired of living?”

Wang Ping'an and his husband immediately took offense. Although they had been caught off guard by how smoothly the proposal went today, they still defended Pei Mu at once.

They had seen with their own eyes—the Zhong family had no reluctance. Yet Wang Dou Po, relying on mere assumptions, slung mud at them, clearly consumed by hatred for Pei Mu.

Before they could finish, Wang Dou Po said to Liu Youzong, “Village head, everyone in the village knows they’re close with the man surnamed Pei. They’re bound to lie for him.”

Liu Youzong didn’t respond to her; instead, he turned to the other party in the engagement: “What do you say, Madam Sun?”

Sun Yunniang had originally come out to see the guests off, never expecting to be drawn into this. She didn’t know the background, but taking things one step at a time—since the engagement was settled, she told the truth: “We were not unwilling, and Hunter Pei did not coerce us.”

Liu Youzong nodded and looked at Wang Dou Po: “Both parties to the marriage have acknowledged it. This proves Pei Mu did not bully anyone. Let’s end this here.”

Wang Dou Po hadn’t expected Sun Yunniang to lie for Pei Mu. Unwilling to let the matter drop, she plopped down on the ground and began wailing.

“Impossible! Pei Mu must have forced her! Make her say she agreed willingly! It’s impossible!”

Her hair was disheveled, her face smeared with tears and snot. Her mind could hold nothing else; she only knew that with such a perfect opportunity today, she had to avenge Da Shan and drive Pei Mu out forever.

Liu Youzong, who knew the full story of that conscription, had no sympathy for Wang Dou Po and wouldn’t tolerate her making trouble in the village like this.

Without needing any instruction, Zhou Shaofen started dragging Wang Dou Po away. Wang Dou Po, wailing loudly, shouted at the onlookers, “Everyone, judge for yourselves! Am I wronging him?”

Zhang Guihua had been about to run off, but when she saw someone causing trouble for Pei Mu, she snuck back and blended into the crowd to watch.

The lump on her head throbbed, and she had lost face in front of so many people. She bore a grudge against Pei Mu and feared he might hold a grudge against her too. If she could get him driven out of the village, she wouldn’t have to worry anymore. With that thought, she quickly chimed in.

“Exactly! If he had any choice, who would choose him? He clearly forced her!”

With her leading, others joined in one by one, emboldened by the crowd and the presence of the village head.

“That makes sense.” “I think so too.”

Pei Mu had a fierce reputation in the village, and the fortune-teller had said he was cursed. The other villagers, thinking as they themselves would, thought it unlikely that the Zhong family had agreed willingly. They didn’t really want to drive Pei Mu out like Wang Dou Po did; they were just carried along, voicing their opinions.

Liu Youzong frowned. The villagers were caught up in their emotions; if he cracked down too hard, it would backfire. He looked at Pei Mu, hoping Pei Mu would say something, but his gaze suddenly passed over Pei Mu and fixed on someone behind him.

Zhong Yizhu walked out from the gate and calmly said to the chaotic crowd, “I'm the one who wants to marry him.”

The crowd instantly mostly fell silent. Those who heard him turned in disbelief, then a buzz of whispering arose, everyone checking with each other what they had heard or asking what Zhong Yizhu had said.

Zhong Yizhu took Sun Yunniang’s hand, which she had extended in worry, as if gaining courage from her touch.

He patted Sun Yunniang’s arm reassuringly, then looked at the people gathered at the gate, with quiet dignity: “Thank you all for your concern, aunties and uncles. I'm the one who wants to marry Hunter Pei. No one forced me, and no one bullied anyone.”

This time everyone heard him clearly, and they were all stunned. Even Zhang Guihua looked at him as if he were crazy.

On the other side of Sun Yunniang, Wang Ping'an nudged Pei Mu with his elbow, his face showing a look of sheer admiration that Pei Mu found too silly to bother with.

Pei Mu shifted slightly, his peripheral vision capturing a slender figure. His expression, which had remained cold and indifferent even after being publicly slandered, finally changed.

To grow up pampered and spoiled rotten and still develop such a responsible character—truly surprising.

Zhong Yizhu successfully turned the topic to himself, but before the crowd could react, he redirected his attack directly at Zhang Guihua, who had been stirring up trouble everywhere.

“But there’s one thing I want to ask you, Aunt Zhang. Our families have no prior connection, and my mother never agreed to an engagement with your family. So what exactly are you scheming by spreading rumors everywhere?”

Zhang Guihua, already exposed by Liu Fulang and now confronted publicly in front of so many people, couldn’t think of a new excuse to cover her lies. After stammering for a while, she finally blurted out, “Now that you're engaged to someone else, of course you can say whatever you want.”

Her implication was that Zhong Yizhu, having found a better match, was trying to sever ties with her family, stubbornly refusing to admit that she had been making everything up from the start.

“If that’s the case, since the whole village and the village head are here, I’ll send someone right now to fetch Matchmaker Liu and get the truth out in front of everyone. Let’s see whether she actually mentioned the betrothal gift then. My mother clearly refused when she heard it was your family, but you twisted it into us refusing because the gift wasn't enough. How about that?”

With those words, Zhong Yizhu took out five copper coins from his pouch and asked if anyone would be willing to go find the matchmaker.

Just a short run for five coins, and the chance to watch the drama—several people immediately volunteered.

Seeing this, Zhang Guihua panicked completely. She grabbed the arm of the person about to take the money, forcing an awkward smile.

“No, no, don’t waste everyone’s time. I… I might have misunderstood. It’s just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding…”

Her reaction made everything crystal clear to the crowd.

Some of the aunties who had believed her and indignantly cursed the Zhong family looked away in embarrassment. Others, who had originally wanted to marry into the Zhong family but stepped back because of her lies, were furious and shouted loudly, “Bitch! You’re the one who should be driven out of the village!”

Accusations and curses started springing up from all sides, and even the fence-sitters turned on Zhang Guihua, joining the criticism.

“Oh, my head hurts—” Seeing the tide turn, Zhang Guihua quickly clutched her forehead and pretended to faint, swooning toward the woman surnamed Liu standing beside her.

But Liu stepped aside, letting her fall straight to the ground.

Zhang Guihua’s face twisted for a moment, but she firmly kept her eyes closed, lying motionless, pretending to be out cold.

Finally, Liu Youzong put an end to the farce: “Now that everything is clear, don’t stand around here. Go about your work—tend your fields.”

He glanced at Wang Dou Po, who was sitting on the ground, expression numb, and warned her once more, though he knew she'd probably ignore it.

Back then, Wang Dou Po herself had personally submitted Liu Dashan's name on the rolls, and when the day came, she made her grandson go out and hide, so that the constables could only seize Liu Dashan to fill the quota.

With Liu Dashan gone, her family had actually done a bit better in recent years, but perhaps out of a guilty conscience, or maybe because she felt that her lazy son had changed his ways after the war, she started hoping again that her own son would come back from the campaign.

But the outcome never went as she wished.

Liu Dashan died on the battlefield, never to return.

She couldn't accept her son's death and refused to admit the part she played in it, so she could only find someone else to hate.

Liu Youzong shook his head to himself, then turned his gaze to Zhang Guihua lying on the ground. Now that she had fainted, he couldn't even scold her, but there was nothing else he had the authority to do.

He looked at Zhong Yizhu, and Zhong Yizhu was looking back at him.

Their eyes met, and Zhong Yizhu gave a knowing nod, signaling that he would not pursue the matter further.

At this point in the show, his goal had been achieved.

From the start, he hadn't believed that such a mistake could actually get Zhang Guihua into trouble. This kind of thing was a gray area, and neither he nor his mother had suffered any actual loss, so punishment was naturally difficult.

Having the chance to clear up the rumors was enough for him; he didn't plan to make things hard for the village head by troubling him any further.

The crowd began to disperse. Liu Youzong was about to ask someone to take Zhang Guihua home, but Zhong Yizhu stepped forward first, pulling out some copper coins and calling over the woman who had previously cursed Zhang Guihua along with the person next to her.

He said it diplomatically: "It's not right to leave Auntie Zhang lying in front of my door. Others who don't know might think we did something to her. Please, you two, help send her back."

Zhong Yizhu gave each of them five copper coins. Both happily took the money and praised, "Zhu Ge'er is truly generous and kind-hearted. After all the things that bitch made up about your family, you're still kind enough to send her back. Don't worry, leave it to us."

Both women had the strength from working the fields. They stepped forward, each taking one side of Zhang Guihua, and dragged her toward the village. But somehow, they purposely took the rocky path. Though it was bumpy, they held on steady, holding Zhang Guihua tight without letting go.

The excitement died down, and everyone cleared out. The area in front of the Zhong family's gate suddenly opened up.

Matchmaker Feng had really seen a show today, but he had another matchmaking appointment in the afternoon and needed to hurry back to town, so he had no time to linger. Thus, only Sun Yunniang and her son, Wang Ping'an and his husband, and Pei Mu remained at the gate.

Before coming out, Zhong Yizhu had heard clearly what was happening outside. He knew Pei Mu had come to help at his request, and he couldn't let Pei Mu be criticized because of him.

Once such mud gets thrown on someone, it's hard to wash off. Even if the village head was fair and wouldn't make things hard for Pei Mu, the gossip among the villagers could twist into something ugly.

To break the rumors, the best way was to confront them face-to-face in public. No one’s word would carry more weight than his, since he was the one directly involved.

Zhong Yizhu steeled himself and came out to say those words, then shifted the topic and forced Zhang Guihua to admit her lies.

Earlier, when the crowd was large, his mind had been full of the urgency to clear things up and the tension of not saying the wrong thing. Now that only a few remained, recalling the daring words he had spoken, Zhong Yizhu's face instantly turned red.

He didn't dare look at Pei Mu, only nodded to Wang Ping'an and his husband, then said softly to Sun Yunniang:

"I'm going back inside, Mother."

"Slow down, don't trip," Sun Yunniang reminded him as she watched his hurried retreat, but it only made Zhong Yizhu run faster.

Sun Yunniang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As she turned around, she met Pei Mu's gaze, just withdrawn from watching Zhong Yizhu.

Her emotions were mixed, but in the end, she said solemnly:

"Hunter Pei, I'm entrusting my Zhu Ge'er to your care."

Under her gaze, Pei Mu gave a nod.

There were no oaths or vows; he just answered calmly.

"Mm, I will protect him."

Author's note:

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Next chapter: the wedding! Finally got to it!