Ugly girl only wants to farm

Seeing that a lot of people had come to watch the excitement in the courtyard, Xu Chaoyan quickly hung up her veil. She didn't want to become the laughing stock of everyone.

Grandmother Meng huddled there like a quail. It was indeed she who had made that promise back then. She thought that Xu Chaoyan would have plenty of money after she married into the family, and she was in a hurry to use money at the time, so she made the promise casually.

Seeing that the crowd was growing, she felt embarrassed and walked over to scold her daughter-in-law sternly: "This girl is of marriageable age. I think the young man from the He family is hardworking and honest. Why don't we marry this girl off to him? We don't need to return the five taels of silver as a betrothal gift. Our family won't lose out."

Li San Niang never expected her mother-in-law to say such a thing. For the first time, she spoke loudly and defied her mother-in-law: "Don't you know what kind of family the He family is, Mother? You still want to push Xia'er into a fire pit. Aren't you ruining her life?"

The woman from the He family jumped up and pointed at Li San Niang, cursing, "What's wrong with my family? How is my He family not good enough for your girl? Is your girl made of gold? This five taels of silver is the highest dowry in the village."

"It's only to give your daughter face. It's already a disservice for her to marry into my He family. Your Meng family only produced one scholar, so you're just bullying us? Everyone, help me find the village chief to come and settle this matter. You'll have to pay back the money today, whether you like it or not."

Meng Taohua stood aside with her mother, watching the commotion, and whispered, "Mother, what do you think about Meng Jiuxia marrying into the He family? I just heard that they're giving us five taels of silver as a betrothal gift. Why don't you ask Grandmother to give us that five taels of silver? Our house needs to be renovated, and you should also help me gather some dowry."

Because they arrived a little later after hearing the commotion, they had no idea what the five taels of silver were all about; they only heard that it was a betrothal gift of five taels of silver.

Meng Taohua stood there, a calculating look in her eyes as they arrived a little late because of the commotion. Her mother had always favored her brother, and while she had never skimped on food and clothing, she had left her very little dowry. She didn't want to marry with two tattered quilts and be looked down upon.

Aunt Meng's second wife thought for a moment and realized that five taels of silver was indeed not a small amount. Her son was of marriageable age, and her daughter was right.

She patted her daughter's head: "Peach Blossom, you're so good at coming up with ideas. I'll talk to your grandmother in a bit and say that we'll find a marriage for your brother first, and then we'll start saving up for your dowry."

The mother and daughter were busy calculating their next move, causing quite a commotion inside. Xu Chaoyan originally didn't want to get involved in this matter, but Grandmother Meng had a silver bracelet and a silver hairpin in the cabinet, which would be enough to pay off the debt.

Grandmother usually hid away, but that day she happened to pass by the door and saw her take out the bracelet and hairpin, wipe them carefully with a handkerchief, put them on her wrist, and then hide them in the cabinet.

She winked at Meng Jiuxia, signaling her to quickly follow her back inside. Being stared at by that menacing woman, seeing her greedy expression, was utterly repulsive.

Upon receiving her message, Meng Jiuxia slowly inclined backward. Seeing this, the He family woman quickly grabbed her leg, saying, "Don't run away! If you don't pay these five taels of silver, you're my daughter-in-law."

Meng Jiuxia was terrified when the woman grabbed her foot. She was also a little scared, so she instinctively kicked the woman away. The woman then let go of her hand, and Meng Jiuxia ran behind Xu Chaoyan to hide.

The woman began to scream uncontrollably: "They've killed someone! The Meng family won't pay back the money and they're going to beat me to death! Oh no, they've broken my leg! Everyone come quick and see! Hurry up and get my husband and son here! If this keeps up, the Meng family will beat me to death!"

After she finished speaking, she suddenly slammed her hand against a nearby stone when no one was paying attention. Xu Chaoyan happened to see this and wiped her bloody hand, crying even louder.

Li San Niang was completely at a loss. She had never encountered such a situation before, not to mention that she could never win an argument with a woman. Seeing her throwing a tantrum, she looked at her mother-in-law standing to the side.

Grandmother Meng shrugged helplessly and said, "It is true that we are in the wrong and owe others money. Why don't we let Xia girl marry into the family? She's just a girl who eats and lives at home for free."

Just then, the door opened, and Meng Jiudong, his small body supported by his father, hopped out. Seeing her husband get out of bed, Li Sanniang quickly ran over to steady him: "Dad, why did you get out of bed? Do you still want your leg?"

The man reassured her, "I heard a commotion outside, so I came out to check it out."

He calmly addressed the woman from the He family, saying, "We will repay the money we owe you. Please don't make things difficult for my daughter. Five taels is fine. Please give us a little more for the sake of our fellow villagers."

The woman from the He family wiped the blood from her face with her sleeve and spat, "Without an explanation from your Meng family, people who don't keep their word, this won't do."

Just then, her big, simple-minded son and the man stormed in, carrying sticks and shouting angrily, "Who bullied my mother?"

After saying that, she swung the stick down. Grandmother Meng pulled her daughter-in-law in front of her to shield her. Just as the stick was about to fall, Xu Chaoyan reacted quickly and pushed them aside.

The stick didn't land on Li Sanniang's head; that blow would have smashed her head open. Suddenly, the big, simple-minded boy threw down the stick, grinning foolishly as he pointed at Meng Jiuxia: "Mother, I want her to be my wife! I want this wife; she's much prettier than the one whose leg I broke last time."

Meng Jiuxia shrank back, her eyes red and tears streaming down her face. Her voice trembled as she said, "Father, I don't want to. I don't want to marry this idiot."

Seeing that the crowd was growing, the He family brought in many more people. Judging from their posture, they were determined to take Meng Jiuxia away if she didn't pay back the money today.

After the village chief was invited over, the He family insisted that the five taels of silver were a betrothal gift, and that the Meng family was breaking their word and trying to renege on the marriage and find a better match.

The families who were on good terms with the He family also chimed in, saying that was exactly what happened.

This was the first time Xu Chaoyan had witnessed the power of gossip and the distortion of the truth. She was so angry that she laughed. Pointing at the woman, she said calmly, "You say this five taels of silver is a betrothal gift, but can you provide any evidence? If you don't speak against your conscience, heaven is watching, so be careful you don't suffer retribution."