Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

"He'er, what are you doing here? Hurry up and go home." A middle-aged man squeezed out of the crowd, walked over and grabbed Xiuhe's arm, asking.

"Father, I..."

Before Xiuhe could speak, Zhou said to the man, "Since the village chief is here, let's make this matter clear today. I sent someone to your house to propose marriage back then, but your family refused. Now that my grandson is married, why is your daughter still bothering us and bringing up the matter from back then?"

“Yes, village chief, many people in the village know what happened back then. What’s the meaning of this today?” Wang Cuiying also questioned the village chief angrily.

"This... Aunt Zhou, sister-in-law, I'm really sorry. It's just that my Xiuhe is being unreasonable. I'll send her back right away. I promise she won't bother you again. I'm so sorry."

The village chief knew he was in the wrong and quickly apologized sincerely.

The village chief wholeheartedly supported this marriage back then, and he valued Mu Nan highly.

Unfortunately, his daughter hesitated and ultimately refused the marriage proposal, leaving him with no other choice.

He felt that although the Mu family had accumulated a lot of debt, with Mu Nan's abilities, it wouldn't be long before they could pay it off.

Over the years, the Mu family has indeed paid off most of their debts by selling grain and vegetables, and with Mu Nan going hunting in the mountains.

Wang Qing'er's arrival enabled the Mu family to pay off their debts ahead of schedule, and they lived happily ever after.

"Father, I..."

Xiuhe wanted to say something more, but then she heard the village chief shout angrily, "Get back here right now! Stop making a fool of yourself here!"

The village chief scolded his daughter as he pulled her toward his home.

"Wang Qing'er, don't be so smug. You and Mu Nan had no betrothal or marriage agreement. You're just a cheap wife you got by trading her mute sister. You probably don't even have a marriage certificate, and you weren't even registered with the authorities, were you? Hahaha, if you can't give birth to a son, you'll be kicked out of the Mu family sooner or later... Waaah..."

"Shut up right now!" The village chief covered his daughter's mouth tightly with his hand.

Xiuhe was being dragged home by her father, but she didn't forget to turn back and say these words to provoke Wang Qing'er.

She herself couldn't find happiness, nor did she want to see others happier. In any case, after her divorce and return to her parents' home, she was already infamous and became the laughingstock of others, so she didn't care anymore.

During this time, her parents have been looking for a suitable family for her.

A few days ago, Wang, the matchmaker from town, came to my house and said that there was a scholar in town whose wife had died.

This scholar, surnamed Liu, taught at a private school in town. He was just over thirty years old and had only one daughter.

Liu Xiucai's elderly mother, Yang, anxiously approached Wang the matchmaker and earnestly expressed her desire to find a second wife for her son.

Matchmaker Wang gave a detailed introduction to several suitable candidates for Liu Xiucai that she had in mind, and then introduced them to Yang Shi in detail.

After careful comparison and deliberation, Yang felt that Xiuhe and her son were a good match.

Madam Yang thought that her son was already quite old, and since this was his second wife, regardless of whether she was a divorced woman, the best course of action was to marry her as soon as possible to continue the family line.

Matchmaker Wang rushed to Xiuhe's house and explained the situation in detail. After hearing this, the village chief also thought the two were a perfect match.

Liu Xiucai's first wife died young due to illness, and several years have passed since then. He has never remarried.

The village chief didn't just listen to the matchmaker's side of the story before marrying his daughter off. He also consulted with acquaintances and learned that apart from being a little older, there were no other problems.

Xiuhe's mother said with great joy, "Being older makes one more considerate, which is perfect."

My daughter has been divorced and returned home for several years. Although her three daughters-in-law don't say anything, they have long harbored resentment.

The couple knew they couldn't protect their daughter for life, so they wanted to find her a good home while she was still young.

Over the years, they have been asking matchmakers everywhere to help them find a husband for their daughter, but they have never been able to find her a suitable husband.

As a result, they offended several matchmakers.

Having finally found someone with quite good conditions, they were naturally eager to settle down as soon as possible, but their daughter resolutely refused.

Not only that, the daughter also begged the village chief to go to the Mu family, claiming that she was willing to marry Mu Nan, and even threatened that if the village chief refused to go and deliver the message, she would go to the door herself to say it.

The village chief and his wife thought their daughter was probably possessed, and they became even more eager to marry her off as soon as possible.

These past few days, the village chief's wife has been staying by her daughter's side without leaving her side. She didn't even attend the Mu family's banquet, only saying to others that she was feeling unwell and resting at home.

However, just today, in the brief moment it took to go to the outhouse, Xiuhe secretly ran away.

When Xiuhe came out, she happened to pass by Muxia's bridal sedan chair.

By sheer coincidence, he spotted Wang Qing'er in the crowd and called her over.

"Hurry up and go inside, the feast is about to begin!" Someone shouted loudly as they saw the village chief dragging Xiuhe away, and there was no more excitement to watch.

The crowd surged into the courtyard like a tide, whispering and gossiping as they went.

"This Xiuhe is so shameless, what kind of things has she done?"

"Who says otherwise? If word gets out, all the unmarried girls in our village will suffer. Who would dare to marry a girl from the village in the future!"

"That Xiuhe, really, if she had known this would happen, why did she do it in the first place? Sigh!"

"She even said she divorced her because her ex-husband beat her, but who knows, she was probably beaten because of her indecent behavior!"

"Let's go, let's go, the banquet is about to start inside."

……

In front of the village chief, these people were all silent and dared not speak out of turn, but now that the village chief was not around, they were like the gossipy Zhang Xianglan, saying the most unpleasant things possible.

"Qing'er, today is Muxia's wedding day, let's go eat first, and then we'll explain this to you when we get home," Zhou said to Wang Qing'er with a face full of guilt.

What kind of mess is this? It's all her fault for recklessly arranging a marriage for her great-granddaughter in the first place, and now she's really sown the seeds of future trouble.

Zhou felt guilty, hoping that this matter would not affect the relationship between her grandson and Qingya.

"Grandma, I'm fine, let's go inside quickly." Wang Qing'er forced a smile and took Zhou's hand as they walked into the courtyard.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't angry. Who could remain calm in the face of something like this?

Hearing what Xiuhe said next was like a sharp blade piercing Wang Qing'er's heart.

Xiuhe is right. She and her husband had no betrothal or marriage ceremony. Not to mention holding a banquet, they hadn't even bowed to heaven and earth. What difference was there between her and a concubine who was carried into the house?

And what about the marriage certificate? She had no idea what a marriage certificate looked like in this era. She probably didn't have one!

Today is her special day, and she really doesn't want to be disturbed by this.

So he took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed his dejected mood.