The Path to Another World

Seeing the domineering matchmaker Wu and the joyful parents, the two were too embarrassed to refuse directly. They could only exchange a glance, smile awkwardly, and take the photos, which weighed several kilograms, and began to look through them with feigned seriousness, thus beginning the selection of a concubine.

As soon as they turned to the first page and saw the familiar figures in the photo, Ye Fan and Tian Jun's eyes widened in horror. The steamed buns they had just put in their mouths suddenly got stuck in their necks due to their excitement. The two of them waved their arms and legs for a long time, drinking water and trying to swallow the buns, leaving the adults somewhat bewildered.

Looking at the figure in the photo, wasn't it Xiaodie, their childhood sweetheart who always said she wanted to be their wife? If it were any other girl, they wouldn't be so shocked, but Xiaodie was Wu the matchmaker's daughter, about the same age as them. However, her appearance was truly unappealing. Being short wasn't so bad, but she was almost as wide as she was tall, with sparse, blond hair and a face so fat it almost obscured her small eyes. From a distance, she looked like a pig's head, exactly like Wu the matchmaker in her youth. Truly, mother and daughter are alike. They say girls change a lot as they grow up, becoming more beautiful, but this didn't apply to Xiaodie. While not pretty as a child, Xiaodie had some delicate features, but in just a few years, she had become so horribly unsightly. Seeing the questioning looks on everyone's faces, Ye Fan clutched his neck and painfully pointed at the photo, asking, "Aunt Wu, isn't this your daughter, Xiaodie?"

The matchmaker glanced at the photo and answered matter-of-factly, "Yes, it's Xiaodie. Do you know that this girl has liked you for many years? When she was little, she always said she wanted to be your wife. She now runs a butcher shop in the county. If she knew you were back, she would be overjoyed. Before, when you went to school, she wanted to visit you alone several times, but luckily I stopped her each time."

Upon hearing Wu the matchmaker's words, Tian Jun almost choked on his laughter as soon as he came to his senses. Looking at Ye Fan's sullen face, he couldn't laugh out loud and could only hold it in, silently mourning for Lin Fan in his heart. "Are you sure you want to register Xiao Die too?" Ye Fan asked with difficulty, ignoring Tian Jun and swallowing hard.

"Yes, she's the same age as you, neither of you is married, what's wrong with that? She's good at farm work and housework, and her butcher shop makes a lot of money every year. Whoever marries her will be very lucky. Although she's not the prettiest looking girl, with technology so advanced these days and your family not short of money, take her to South Korea, and she'll definitely come back a top-tier beauty, won't she? Besides, we've been neighbors for so many years, and Xiaodie likes you so much. If you marry her, you don't need any dowry or anything, I'll even give you an extra 50,000 yuan, how about that? It's a win-win situation, both financially and in terms of beauty." Matchmaker Wu was making outrageous boasts, completely oblivious to Ye Fan's face, which was almost as dark as Bao Gong's, desperately trying to control his urge to vomit.

Hearing Matchmaker Wu's words, Ye Fan seemed to see himself lifting the bride's red veil, only to be confronted with a terrifying pig-headed face. A chill ran down his spine. "Damn it, a double win of money and sex? Giving away 50,000? Even 500 million wouldn't be enough for me!" Tian Jun, standing nearby, covered his mouth, his face contorted with laughter. "Oh, Aunt Wu, I was just asking. I'll look at other options before making a decision," Ye Fan said, almost in tears. He secretly gave the heavens the middle finger behind his back. This was too much!

"Alas, the goddess is willing, but the king is not; the falling flower is willing, but the flowing water is heartless. You should really reconsider." The domineering matchmaker Wu suddenly threw out a few classic lines of poetry, so shocking that Ye Fan, who was about to look at other photos, almost stumbled to the ground. If it weren't for his good self-control, he probably would have already spat out a mouthful of blood, or chased the matchmaker Wu out.

Ye Fan, suppressing the urge to vomit blood, reluctantly began flipping through the photos. They were mostly girls around two years his age, quite a few in number, but the quality varied greatly. Aside from the shocking first photo, there were many oddities later on, whether due to malnutrition or genetic mutation, leaving the couple utterly astonished. They couldn't help but admire the matchmaker, Wu, for managing to gather so many people together. It took about half an hour to finish looking through all the photos. Five minutes were spent looking at the pictures, while the other twenty-five minutes were spent the two quietly discussing the reasons for their appearances—whether it was congenital or acquired. Watching their heated debate, Ye's parents, bewildered, breathed a sigh of relief; finally, they had found a girl they liked.

Seeing that the two had finally finished looking through the photos and the argument had stopped, Wu the matchmaker asked smugly, "So, did you find a girl you like? This is information I've collected over a year. Just organizing the girls who match your age kept me up all night."

Ye Fan and Tian Jun exchanged a wry smile. Ye Fan then took out a 1,000 yuan red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into Wu the matchmaker's hand, awkwardly laughing, "I'm sorry, Aunt Wu, maybe my standards are too high. These aren't very good...hehe..."

The matchmaker, Wu, beamed as she accepted the thick wad of RMB in Ye Fan's hand, though she still tried to refuse, saying, "How can I accept this? I haven't even found someone you like yet, I can't accept this without having done anything for you!"

"Hehe, it's alright, our family doesn't lack this little bit of money. You've done your best, this is what you deserve." Ye Fan waved his hand and laughed. His first priority now was to get the matchmaker away as soon as possible, afraid that she might cause some trouble. His heart couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, thank you very much, Young Master Ye. I'll go back and tidy it up again. Next time I come, I'll definitely pick a good one for you." Matchmaker Wu was also a shrewd person. She had already noticed that Ye Fan was losing interest, so she took the initiative to say goodbye and leave.

Hearing that Ye Fan hadn't chosen the girl he wanted, she was a little disappointed. She quickly saw Matchmaker Wu to the door, repeatedly urging her to see it through. After receiving Matchmaker Wu's assurance, the two returned to normal. Just as they reached the door, a figure as swift as the wind, exuding a masculine aura, rushed to Matchmaker Wu and anxiously asked, "Mom, has Brother Ye Fan returned?"

The two were still relieved that they had finally fooled the matchmaker, Wu, when they were jolted awake by the earth-shaking commotion. "An earthquake?" Just as they were about to go out to see what was happening, they saw a burly figure and heard what he was saying. They exchanged a glance: "Xiao Die? Oh my god, run! We'll be too late!" Thinking aloud, they took off running towards the back door and towards the nearby mountains. No sooner had they left than a burly figure burst in, frantically searching around and calling out, "Brother Ye Fan, where are you? I miss you..." Ye Fan, who had just run outside, heard Xiao Die's voice and immediately fell face-first to the ground, scrambling and continuing to run. In moments, the two disappeared into the street, leaving only their calls behind...

;