SLH | Chapter 3

Let’s See Who Dares!

Lianxi Town, Yunxi Village.

“Isn’t Liu Dasheng’s Huzi supposed to get married today? The sun’s almost setting, and there’s still no sign of them.”

“Probably called off. She’s a young lady from the prefectural city, always wearing gold and silver. It’s no surprise if she doesn’t fancy a small family like the Liu’s.”

“I heard that when the marriage was arranged, the Song family hadn’t made it big yet. Both families signed the marriage contract, with the village head as a witness. If the Song family backs out now, what will happen to their reputation?”

“True that—hey, there’s a sedan chair coming into the village, and several big red boxes following it!”

“The clothes and the style don’t look like village folk, and there’s a red ribbon on top of the sedan chair. Could it be that Miss Song has arrived?!”

A few women holding tofu watched curiously.

“Lingzhi, your second sister-in-law is here. Hurry back and call your second brother to welcome the bride!”

Liu Xiaomei, Liu Lingzhi, was squatting under a withered tree, doodling in the snow. Hearing the commotion, she looked up to see the sedan chair entering the village and quickly got up to run home.

“Mom, Dad, Second Brother, the sedan chair is here!”

Ruan Xiulian was in the kitchen with a few women preparing the feast. Hearing this, she quickly wiped her hands clean, took off her apron, and saw her second son still wearing his patched clothes, which made her furious.

“Go back and change your clothes quickly!”

Today was her second son Liu Hu’s wedding day. Ruan Xiulian had told him earlier that he didn’t need to work today, just patiently wait for the wedding. But he was used to working, couldn’t sit still, and spent the morning cleaning the chicken coop and pigsty, chopping wood, and getting all sweaty. His already dirty clothes looked even worse.

It was too late to wash now, so Ruan Xiulian had her second son change into clean clothes, then used wormwood to mask the smell. Only when she couldn’t smell anything did she lead the family out to greet the bride.

“They’re here, they’re here! Just the dowry alone is several big boxes. The Song family is really generous!”

“Huzi is so lucky to marry a young lady from the prefectural city.”

“Who wouldn’t agree? The Liu family got such a good marriage. How could their future days not be good?”

“The Song family actually sent her here! Liu’s second son is a big, simple-minded guy. Who knows where his luck came from.”

“The Liu family is so poor, yet they managed to hire a band.”

“The Liu family has no money, but the Song family does! Hiring a band is nothing. Those boxes are filled with silver!”

“Silver? I bet they’re just stones. If the Song family was satisfied with this marriage, why didn’t Song Xing’an come himself? Just sending a matchmaker, what does that mean?”

The villagers, watching the excitement, were all envious and jealous.

Meanwhile, Matchmaker Jiang was directing the wedding procession, stopping amidst the sound of drums and gongs.

She pointed at the men carrying the boxes. “Be careful; you can’t afford to break anything.”

Everyone was shocked by her words. What kind of dowry did the Song family prepare that they treasured it so much?

The Liu family, having been warned by Ruan Xiulian, remained calm.

“Mom, why is there only the matchmaker? No one from the Song family came.” The eldest daughter-in-law, Tang Chunxing, whispered behind her mother-in-law.

Ruan Xiulian noticed too. Although she didn’t show it, she was a bit displeased.

“Why didn’t the in-laws come?”

Liu Dasheng was a man of few words, so his wife Ruan Xiulian handled both their sons’ weddings. Naturally, she spoke up now.

Matchmaker Jiang squeezed her chubby face, looking Ruan Xiulian up and down. “Master Song is so busy with his many shops, he couldn’t find the time. With the New Year just over, the household is preparing to entertain relatives and friends, which needs Madam’s personal attention.”

Her tone was strange, making people uncomfortable.

Seeing the Liu family’s displeasure, and the villagers whispering, she quickly changed her tone, taking Ruan Xiulian’s hand warmly. “Sister, you don’t know, the Song family’s business hasn’t been too good lately. The master and madam are stuck in Ning’an Prefecture and can’t come until the snow clears. They were worried about missing the auspicious time, so they sent me ahead with the servants. The master and madam will come later.”

Ruan Xiulian’s expression softened a bit. It was almost time for the wedding, and it didn’t look good with the bride’s parents absent.

Matchmaker Jiang pressed on, “Let’s proceed with the ceremony. It’s not good to miss the auspicious time.”

“How can we proceed? Not a single elder from the Song family is here.”

“Such a big event as a wedding and they don’t even show their faces. Clearly, they look down on us villagers.”

“The Song family has made it big, enjoying the good life in the prefectural city. How can they still care about us poor folks?”

The crowd murmured.

Matchmaker Jiang, waving her handkerchief, said, “Auntie, you shouldn’t speak carelessly. The master and madam wanted to come, but they were held up.”

Turning to pat Ruan Xiulian’s hand, she smiled warmly. “Sister, let me be frank. The Song family is big and influential in the prefectural city. If they really looked down on villagers, why would they marry their child here? They could have just canceled the marriage.”

Ruan Xiulian thought this made sense.

Although the marriage contract was made years ago, the families had little contact. If they hadn’t accidentally found the contract while cleaning, it would have been forgotten.

After some inquiries, they learned that the Song family’s status had changed. They considered tearing up the contract but feared the Song family might ask about it later, damaging their past friendship.

Her second son was already of marriageable age and couldn’t wait any longer, so they shamelessly asked for the marriage. If the Song family had hesitated even a little, they would have dropped the matter.

She remembered clearly that Song Xing’an was delighted on the day and immediately called for Matchmaker Jiang to set the date.

If the Song family wanted to back out, why would they go to such lengths?

Thinking of this, Ruan Xiulian felt completely at ease.

Matchmaker Jiang, being smooth and eloquent, spewed a bunch of sweet words and reasoning, leaving the simple-minded villagers dizzy and nodding in agreement.

“The auspicious time is here!”

Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone quickly stepped aside, dozens of eyes fixed on the sedan chair, eagerly anticipating.

“Hurry and help her out, don’t miss the auspicious time!” Matchmaker Jiang turned to instruct the two young men with her, then turned back to the Liu family with a smile. “Sister, don’t mind. Miss Song didn’t rest well last night and caught a cold. She’s not feeling well.”

“It’s alright, as long as she’s okay.”

Ruan Xiulian knew city folks were delicate, needing bed rest for minor illnesses. Moreover, her second daughter-in-law came from the prefectural city, so she’d need special care in the future.

While they spoke, the two young men had already helped the person out of the sedan chair.

“Oh, this Miss Song is quite tall!”

“She has a bigger frame than most girls. Looks like she’ll be good at having kids. I bet in a few months, Sister Xiulian will be holding grandkids.”

“But something seems off. I haven’t seen anyone with a cold who can’t even walk. Why can’t Miss Song even move her legs without help?”

“What’s the big deal? She’s from a big family and doesn’t want to walk.”

The villagers, simple-minded, didn’t think more of it, assuming the city girl was just being delicate. Little did they know, under the veil wasn’t Miss Song, but an unappreciated illegitimate son.

Song Tingzhu felt weak all over, his head a mushy mess. He was groggy as he was helped out of the sedan chair, listening to the buzzing chatter around him. He finally regained some clarity but still felt weak. The two young men beside him were strong, and he had no choice but to follow their lead, struggling to move his legs.

Where is this… He seemed to hear drums.

Shaking his muddled head slightly, waiting for the dizzy feeling to pass, he remembered being drugged and stuffed into a sedan chair before dawn, sent out of the city.

His body was numb, and he didn’t know how long they traveled before reaching Yunxi Village.

“Miss, watch your step.”

A reminder came to his ear, and Song Tingzhu struggled to lift his foot.

His mind wasn’t fully clear yet, and at this moment, he was like a puppet on strings, only knowing to follow commands. When the ceremony reached “bow to each other,” he suddenly stopped, motionless.

“Second Young Master, are you thinking of backing out?” A young man beside him threatened in a low voice, “Don’t forget Granny Liu is still at the house. If you back out, Madam won’t spare her.”

With that, he exerted a little force, and the body under his hand turned with him.

“Ceremony complete, send to the bridal chamber—”

“Congratulations, Da Sheng’s family, on getting such a good daughter-in-law. You’ll enjoy a good life from now on.”

“Huzi, hurry and lift the veil so we can see what the young lady from the prefectural city looks like.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve never seen anyone from the prefectural city. I’ve only seen young ladies and masters from the town. They’re as fair as white buns, so good-looking.”

“What white buns? It’s called fair and tender!”

The crowd laughed and joked.

Song Tingzhu found the noise unbearable. He frowned slightly, and with the help of the two young men, he walked towards the bridal chamber. Just as he was about to step over the threshold, a cold wind blew, lifting the veil from his head.

“Ah!”

The two young men exclaimed, and before they could pick up the veil, the onlookers gasped, “It’s a young man?!”

“I thought something was off. I figured the Song family fed a girl into a young man’s body.”

“Da Sheng’s family, what’s going on? How did a girl turn into a young man? And he looks quite sickly. Did the Song family want to back out and just stuffed someone into the bridal sedan?”

The Liu family didn’t know what was happening. The eldest son, Liu Meng, quick-tempered, saw it wasn’t the Song Rui’er they met before and roared, “You damn Matchmaker Jiang, you swapped people!”

Seeing things had come to this, Matchmaker Jiang stopped being polite, her words full of sarcasm and disdain.

“What nonsense, they’re all Song family children. How is it a swap?”

Ruan Xiulian vaguely recalled when they inquired about the Song family, they did mention the Song family had three children. The second son was an illegitimate child, often bedridden, rarely mentioned.

But the marriage was for the eldest, Song Rui’er, not the second child.

Matchmaker Jiang didn’t want to say more. With the job done, she wanted to leave.

Ruan Xiulian shouted, “Stop her!”

Liu Meng and a few burly men blocked her path.

Matchmaker Jiang raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean by this, sister?”

Ruan Xiulian was furious, “We agreed on the eldest, Song Rui’er. Now sending a sick young man, what does this mean? If you don’t give an explanation today, don’t even think about leaving!”

Matchmaker Jiang wasn’t fazed, “Sister, you must be confused. The eldest Miss Song is already engaged to the Cui family. The one you have a contract with is the second young master. Though he’s an illegitimate child, the master and madam love him the same. He’s just been sickly since childhood, a bit gloomy and cold.”

The villagers started whispering.

“So it’s the second young master. They’re all Song family children. It doesn’t matter who marries in.”

“Doesn’t matter? Didn’t you hear she’s an illegitimate child and sickly? I bet not just sickly, his face is so pale, coughing and wheezing. I bet this happy event will turn into a funeral soon!”

“Spit, spit, spit! Your family’s happy event turns into a funeral!” Granny Liu Cuie shouted, hands on hips. “The Song family is too much. We can’t let this slide. Eldest, second, gather some strong men, we’re going to the prefectural city to call off the marriage!”

“Yes, call off the marriage!”

“And get an explanation from the Song family. Song Xing’an promised this marriage himself. If they want to back out, fine. But sending a sickly young man to fool us, do they think the Liu family is easy to bully?!”

The Liu family clamored to call off the marriage, and the villagers, eager for drama, cheered along.

Song Tingzhu, exhausted, leaned against the door frame, his head buzzing. He was pale, lips tightly pressed, just hoping this farce would end soon.

“He’s my wife.”

Amidst the chaos, a deep, slightly rough male voice sounded.

Everyone fell silent.

The Liu family was the first to react. Granny Liu hit her grandson Liu Hu’s back, cursing, “Fool! What wife? Just a dying sickly young man. Your wife is the eldest Miss Song Rui’er. The Song family is shameless, sending a sickly young man to replace the eldest sister. They have no face left! Don’t worry, Huzi, even if I have to use this old body, I’ll go to the Song family in the prefectural city and have a good talk with them!”

Liu Hu’s second uncle, Liu Ersheng, was also angry, “Your grandma’s right. Song Xing’an did this wrong. If it weren’t for big brother saving him from bandits back then, he wouldn’t have today’s good life. Now that they’re rich, they want to burn bridges. How is that fair? If they want to back out, fine. But with our losses, if they don’t pay a hundred taels, we’ll spread the word about this swap and make sure he can’t show his face in the prefectural city!”

Liu Old Master had no opinion, but hearing they could get compensation, he agreed, “Yes, do as the second said!”

Granny Liu ordered her daughter-in-law, “Second daughter-in-law, hurry and tie up that sickly young man!”

“Aye!” Cui Yulan, following orders, went to the kitchen and came back with a thick rope.

Ruan Xiulian glanced at it but didn’t stop her.

Her parents-in-law were greedy, but despite saying it for money, they weren’t wrong. The marriage could be called off; this grievance must be vented!

Song Tingzhu covered his mouth, coughing lightly, feeling he was about to be released. His body probably wouldn’t last until he returned to the Song family, and he would die.

That was fine, saving him from further suffering.

Today the weather was fine, and Song Tingzhu lifted his chin slightly, gazing at the distant sunset.

But before he could enjoy the beautiful scene, a tall figure blocked his view.

“Let’s see who dares!”

Liu Hu, tall and broad, stood at the door, completely overshadowing Song Tingzhu.

He scowled, his dark eyes fixed on his second aunt, Cui Yulan.

Cui Yulan was intimidated but then remembered this nephew was usually a simpleton, emboldening her.

“A simpleton even protecting him. This sickly young man isn’t your wife.”

Liu Hu turned a deaf ear, his tone firm, “We bowed to each other, so he’s my wife. I don’t want any eldest Miss Song. I just want him.”

Song Tingzhu felt no waves in his heart, but when Liu Hu said this, he couldn’t help but look up at the man.