A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the speaker was a well-dressed woman with a pretty face.

The woman was surrounded by three men, all dressed in fine clothes, and behind them stood four burly servants and two maids.

Huang Zhenzhu's heart skipped a beat, "Sister?"

Huang Yijie and Huang Datao both looked at Huang Xiuxiu with some surprise. Why was she in the village?

When Nie Qianqian heard Huang Zhenzhu call this woman "sister," and then looked at the three men and servants behind her carrying two gift boxes with red ribbons tied to them, she roughly guessed the purpose of this group's visit.

Huang Xiuxiu smiled and replied, leading the three people behind her to Liu Yan and Huang Zhenzhu. Looking at Liu Yan's attire, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. "Yan, do you remember me? I am Zhenzhu's older sister, Huang Xiuxiu."

Huang Xiuxiu and Liu Yan had met before because of Huang Zhenzhu.

Liu Yan was puzzled as to why Huang Xiuxiu had come over, but she still replied politely, "I remember, of course I remember."

Huang Xiuxiu: "I heard from my son that your new house is about to be completed and you're having a housewarming party, so I came to congratulate you and wish you double the joy!"

Liu Yan asked in confusion, "Double happiness?"

Huang Zhenzhu felt a sense of foreboding and quickly grabbed Huang Xiuxiu's sleeve, whispering, "Sister, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you last time that this won't work?"

Huang Xiuxiu flung Huang Zhenzhu's hand away, lowered her voice, and said impatiently, "Whether it works or not is not up to you."

Huang Xiuxiu got straight to the point, "I'm here to act as matchmaker and propose a good marriage for you. This is Brother Wu Tongguang, a longtime friend of my husband. He is a man of noble character, kind, and wealthy. He just wants to find a reliable and lovable person to settle down with. I thought you, Yan, would be a perfect match, so I brought people here to propose marriage. Look, I've even brought the betrothal gifts."

These words caused an uproar among the crowd.

"Here to propose marriage to Liu Yan?"

"This group of people looks like they are from a wealthy and noble family, not an ordinary one. Why would they come to our village to propose marriage?"

"Liu Yan is different now. Look at her appearance and temperament, even city people would be interested in her."

After saying that, Huang Xiuxiu introduced Steward Zhou, "This is Brother Wu's nephew. He works as a steward for the Jiang family in Fulin County. The Jiang family is extremely wealthy. If they are not the richest in Fulin County, they are definitely among the top three. Steward Zhou is very busy with important matters, and he specially accompanied me to propose marriage. Yan, you can see Brother Wu's sincerity."

The servant beside Steward Zhou had already pulled up a clean stool for him to sit down, and the maid next to him handed Steward Zhou a hand warmer to warm his hands, showing great pomp and circumstance.

"The steward of a wealthy family, huh? No wonder he looks so noble."

"These conditions are exceptionally good."

"If she marries him, she'll be living a life of luxury."

"What incredible luck!"

Nie Erzhuang was initially intimidated by the group's attire and demeanor, remaining stunned for a long time. But now that he understood Huang Xiuxiu's group's purpose, he was instantly enraged and burst into a tirade of curses:

"So that's why you didn't want to get back together with me! Turns out you've been hooking up with a rich family in the county town all along! You shameless woman, you adulterous couple, you should both be drowned in a pig cage!"

No wonder Liu Yan remained unmoved even when he softened his stance; she had other ideas.

Hearing these unpleasant words, Butler Zhou frowned and said, "So noisy."

The two servants immediately understood what Steward Zhou meant. They stepped forward and stopped the gesticulating Nie Erzhuang, one grabbing his arm and the other covering his mouth.

Wu Tongguang's good mood vanished the moment he stepped off the carriage and saw Nie Erzhuang making a scene at the banquet. He felt it was bad luck and even wanted to turn back home. However, when he saw Liu Yan's appearance in the distance and remembered the endless stream of customers at Liu's restaurant, he did not change his mind.

He loathed Nie Erzhuang to the extreme and wanted to show off his power and influence, so he shouted, "That stinking mouth of his has ruined this wonderful day. He deserves a slap and stuff his mouth shut with something else."

Upon hearing this, the two servants looked at Steward Zhou. Seeing Steward Zhou nod, they began to slap Nie Erzhuang more than ten times. The servants were extremely strong, and they made Nie Erzhuang's mouth bleed, with obvious handprints on his cheeks, which were raised high. After slapping him, one of the servants took off his shoes and socks and stuffed the socks into Nie Erzhuang's mouth.

The moment the servant took off his shoes, a stench filled the air, and the people around him wore masks of pain from the stench.

These feet haven't been washed in so many days...

Nie Erzhuang was so dizzy from the beating that he lost all feeling in his face. His nose was filled with a foul stench, and a sock was suddenly stuffed into his mouth. The smell and taste almost made him vomit. He was hit with a critical blow and immediately struggled desperately like a fish out of water.

Unfortunately, the two servants were no pushovers; both had some martial arts skills. They used their hands to press Nie Erzhuang's head firmly to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust. Nie Erzhuang was pinned down and unable to move, his heart filled with immense humiliation and rage.

He never imagined that coming to the roof-raising banquet would end up like this.

Not only did Liu Yan reject him, but he was also humiliated in front of Liu Yan and the people from the next village. He felt like dying.

Huang Xiuxiu: "Don't let this kind of person ruin today's good thing. Let's get back to the marriage proposal."

“Yan, Brother Wu’s family is truly well-off, and he’s a kind person. Why don’t you agree to it in front of your brother and sister-in-law today?”

Liu Xiong frowned deeply. What was Huang Xiuxiu up to? She just barged in with people like this without informing anyone beforehand. How could she propose marriage like this? Besides, Liu Yan had never had any intention of remarrying.

Liu Xiong: "Yan has never thought about remarrying, what are you all doing?"

A slight, dismissive smile appeared on Huang Xiuxiu's lips. "How could a grown man like you understand a woman's thoughts? What woman doesn't want to find a good man?"

Li Rong spoke to Liu Xiong with an air of superiority, saying, "As the older brother, you can't stop your sister from getting a good marriage."

Huang Xiuxiu then said to Nie Qianqian, "Is this Qianqian? She's really beautiful. I'm sure you, as her daughter, would want your mother to be happy and have someone to take care of her, right?"

Nie Qianqian watched the spectacle unfold before her with cold eyes.

Huang Xiuxiu appeared warm on the surface, but her eyes were full of calculation, like a wicked weasel.

Wu Tongguang looked like he was destined to die young; his dark circles were practically drooping to his mouth. He was said to be kind-hearted, but when he ordered Nie Erzhuang to be dealt with, his eyes were full of malice. He was definitely not a good person.

Steward Zhou was putting on airs in every gesture, acting even more arrogant than Magistrate Tang of the county. He was a typical example of a petty person who had achieved success.

If three people like these come together to propose marriage, it would be a miracle if this marriage were a good one.

A mocking smile spread across Nie Qianqian's lips. "Of course I hope my mother finds happiness."

Huang Xiuxiu smiled and said, "Qianqian is a sensible girl. Brother Wu has already brought the betrothal gifts. Yan, you should accept."

"This seems like a good match."

"It's so good that you married into the city, Yan, you're so lucky."

Liu Yan felt very uncomfortable. She was a person, not an object. Why should she agree to a marriage proposal when they brought her betrothal gifts?

Moreover, she really doesn't want to get married again.

She lives a free and easy life with Qianqian, Tuantuan, and her family, and she never wants to step into the cage of marriage again in her life.

Huang Xiuxiu urged, "Yan, give us an answer!"

Liu Yan looked at Nie Qianqian, who gave her an encouraging smile. She understood her mother's thoughts and didn't need to say anything more.

Liu Yan faced Huang Xiuxiu and her group with a firm attitude: "I will not agree."