Lin Yu's life of traveling through time

At this time, the witch in the village was still playing tricks in the village ancestral hall, confusing right and wrong, and scaring the ignorant people.

"Chief, so many people died in this river, and it alarmed the river god. That's why those children weren't captured by the water ghosts and used as substitutes. But we can't just ask the river god to bless us for nothing. If it goes on for a long time, won't it seem like we're not sincere enough?"

The old patriarch stared at the witch with dim eyes and said, "Witch, what should we do to make the river god protect us forever?"

The old woman known as the Goddess smiled slightly, and the two of them understood each other tacitly. She said loudly: "A river god has appeared in the river, and that's why the drowning people were rescued. The river god's presence can bless the people in our village to be healthy. But if we want the river god to protect us forever and bring us good weather and good harvests, we must bind the river god to our village."

"Goddess, just tell me what to do!"

A nosy man said this. He was not young at all. Last year, he had justifiably drowned his eldest daughter, whom he had divorced and sent home.

It's funny to say that the man was infertile and his daughter took the blame. He even made his brother commit the scandal of defiling his sister-in-law just to have a child. After the child was born, he started to say that the woman was unfaithful and forced her to divorce him. Then the man married his cousin.

When this happened, the father, instead of seeking justice, was disgusted by his daughter's loss of face and insisted on having her drowned. How absurd!

The witch said in a mysterious way, "Of course we have to offer sacrifices. We should pray sincerely, offer three kinds of animals, and prepare rich offerings to the river god. However, if we want the river god to bless us forever, there are some things to pay attention to."

She glanced at the young and old men below and continued, "The River God also needs a wife. I'm an old woman, but I'll say something you can understand. Everyone knows the power of pillow talk, right? So, every year our village needs to select a beautiful, pure, and kind woman to marry the River God. She should be around fifteen or sixteen years old."

The people below were whispering, and the fortune-teller doubled down, saying, "Think about it, every year at this time the river floods and submerges the village and farmland. This year, not only did no disaster occur, but the river god even saved eight people. If we don't offer sacrifices to the river god, he'll be angry and won't bless us anymore."

"Goddess, how do you know this? Marrying one woman every year is too..."

"The affairs of the gods cannot be discussed, ordinary people like you don't understand. As for the girl, the adopted daughter is also from our village! But we can't neglect the chosen family. After all, they are marrying a girl, so there should be a betrothal gift. This should be shared by everyone. It can also be regarded as compensation for this family."

Finally, the clan leader made the final decision, and they all agreed to marry the river god. The clan leader also asked: "Goddess, is this an auspicious day?"

"Three days later, on the fifteenth day of the full moon."

The clan leader looked at the villagers below and said, "I've heard everything, so let's start choosing people! Thank you for your help, Godmother."

"It's okay. This is my duty as a fairy. I will pray to the gods tonight and I will get the result tomorrow morning. But I still need to make sacrifices, so..." The witch didn't say it directly, but everyone understood that this would cost money.

"I asked every household in the village to exchange the money. This is a big event for the village. Don't worry, not a single cent will be lost."

Lin Yu was furious as he watched Lao Liu's screen recording. Damn it, if there wasn't some benefit exchange, he wouldn't be called Lin. This clan leader wasn't a good guy either.

"Sixth Brother, is this witch also involved in other activities, such as being a human trafficker?"

Lao Liu asked doubtfully, "Weren't there human traffickers in ancient times who specialized in buying and selling people?"

"Oh, this witch is definitely not one of them. You can check it out. And who is the girl he finally chooses? Tell me."

"Okay, leave it to me, I'll help you monitor it."

Late at night, every household in the village talked about this incident. Those who had daughters didn't know what to do. After all, not everyone was so cruel.

"Master, we only have this one daughter, and she is the apple of our eyes. What will we do if she is chosen?" The woman complained in tears, hugging her daughter.

The man rubbed his face and said, "Well, there's nothing I can do even if I disagree. We don't have much say in the village. If you want to blame someone, blame me, your father, for being incompetent. And we can't leave the village these days."

"Boss, let's report it to the police! This..."

"Qiuniang, it's useless to report to the authorities. We can't withstand the power of an entire clan."

"Then what do you say we should do? Let me watch my daughter die with my own eyes? I can't do that."

"Mom...I'm scared!"

"Don't be afraid, mother won't let you go."

"Hey! What are you talking about? It's not like they'll choose our daughter. But, hey!" The man thought for a while and made a decision. "Qiuniang, take out the money from the bottom of our box. I'll go find that fortune teller. After this is over, you quickly find a husband for our daughter and let her get married."

The woman asked uncertainly, "Is it possible?"

"Let's try! We can't really let our child get chosen!"

"Okay." The woman quickly stood up and took out the silver from the bottom of the box and handed it to her man.

The man took the money and rubbed his daughter's hair. He hadn't touched her head so intimately since she was seven years old. Now he had to protect his daughter at all costs. After all, his daughter was just fifteen years old. He had wanted to hold a coming-of-age ceremony for her at the age of fifteen, but it was a pity that she encountered such a bad thing.

Families who loved their daughters as much as this man did all took money to find a fortune teller. No matter how much, they all wanted to save their daughters.

Of course, there are also families who want to be compensated for the betrothal gift, and they look so happy when they see their daughters.

"Girl, you've grown up and it's time for you to get married." Wang Er said as he looked at his daughter while smoking a pipe.

"Dad, my daughter is still young." Wang Xiaohua was very nervous. Her father had never treated her well before. She was so abnormal today that it was probably not a good thing.

Wang Er tapped his pipe and said, "You're fifteen now. It's time for you to contribute something to the family. I wanted to marry you off two years ago, but your mother couldn't bear to let you go, so she kept you for two more years."

Wang Xiaohua knew that this was a warning to her not to resist, but she wasn't reluctant. It was simply because her family was poor and needed a laborer to take care of her newborn baby brother that she wasn't sold to someone else as a wife. It was also because the other person disliked her skinny size and was unwilling to pay a high price.

Wang Xiaohua's mother coaxed her child at the table and asked, "Dad, which family did you find for Xiaohua?"

Wang Er smiled and said, "That family? They're much better than those people. Today, the witch said she wants to find a wife for the river god to ensure safety and bring good weather to the village. The chosen family will receive a betrothal gift as compensation."

"His father, are you going to let Xiaohua go?"

"Yes, I've raised her for fifteen years. It doesn't matter who she marries. Marrying her to the river god will earn her respect, and we can earn money. It's time for the eldest son to get married. Now that we have money, we can arrange it. We can also hold our grandchildren sooner, and our youngest son can eat well and go to school in the future."

"Well, that's good. But how much is the compensation?"

"I'll ask the witch later."

"Okay! I won't do it if you give me less!"

"I know, I know. Please keep an eye on Xiaohua for me and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"I asked Dahu to lock her up in the room. Go and ask her."

Wang Xiaohua was stunned when she heard the news. She thought at worst her parents would sell her to an old widower or someone with a higher salary. Who knew they would actually want her to marry the river god? Wasn't that like exchanging her life for money?

Wang Xiaohua knelt down and kowtowed to her: "Mother, please, don't let me marry the river god. My daughter will die. I can marry someone else. Mother, please, please!"

Wang Xiaohua's mother let go of Xiaohua and took her hand, saying, "Didn't you hear your father say this was decided by the clan? You're old enough, so marrying anyone is fine. Marrying the River God is a blessing. It's lucky you got this chance. It's best not to make trouble for me. Xiaohua, you should also feel sorry for me. I was stabbed in the back by the Wang family for giving birth to a daughter like you. I couldn't even hold my head up when Dahu was adopted into our family. It took more than ten years before I gave birth to your brother. I've protected you all these years, and now you're not willing to contribute to the family?"

Wang Xiaohua stared blankly at her mother's mouth opening and closing. She knew that no matter how much she begged, no matter how diligent she acted, it would be useless. She had known that long ago, hadn't she? Resigned to her fate, Xiaohua stood up and walked into the house in a daze, awaiting her fate's judgment.

"Da Hu, keep an eye on him. Don't let anything go wrong. When I have enough money, I can find you a wife."

"I know, mother!"

On the other side, the witch who received the filial piety was naturally pretending to be good. She was just thinking about who to choose when she saw Wang Erle coming over happily.

"Goddess, have you decided on this candidate?"

"What? What's wrong?"

Wang Er rubbed his hands and said, "Well, I just want to ask. How much betrothal compensation will the chosen family give?"

The witch understood what was happening and said, "It seems you're actively trying to marry your daughter to the river god? Ahem. Let me see your daughter's birth date and horoscope. It's not something that anyone can just wish for."

"Oh! All right, Wang Xiaohua. Born on February 15th, I'm fifteen years old this year."

The witch closed her eyes, counted on her fingers, and nodded, saying, "Not bad, not bad. It's a match made in heaven. Your Xiaohua is suitable."

"Then...this compensation! No, how much is the betrothal gift?" Wang Er smiled very flatteringly.

"The clan leader said that he would give the chosen family twenty taels of silver."

Wang Er held out his hand and exclaimed, "Twenty taels? Great, great. Thank you very much, Goddess. I'll go back and buy my daughter a wedding dress, and make sure she's dressed beautifully for the wedding."

"Well, that's good. Clean it up properly so the river god won't dislike it."

Wang Er nodded in agreement quickly and returned home excitedly.

"Damn it, I'm back. Pour me a glass of water quickly." Wang Er knocked the mud off his shoes and walked into the main room and said.

"Boss, how about it? How much do you give?"

Wang Er gulped down a large mouthful of water, stretched out his hand and said, "This is twenty taels! Hehehe!"

"Really? Oh my goodness, twenty taels. It would only take three or five taels to marry Da Hu off. The rest would go towards repairing the house. We could even send Xiao Hu to school. Master, did you really choose our little flower?"

"Yes, they've been chosen. Our horoscopes match, and it's a match made in heaven. Take care of Xiaohua these next two days, don't let her do any work, and make her a wedding dress overnight so she can be sent off in style. Don't anger the river god, we can't afford it."

"Oh! Got it. I'll go right away."

In the space, Lao Liu silently recorded the video and observed a two-second silence for these people.