Most of those who heard the news—as long as they weren’t busy with work—went to see the commotion. Wan Dongyang and Liu-ger—they were a pair as different as night and day!

“They’re connected, all right. Didn’t people in the village say a while back that there was something going on between them?” The round-faced woman blurted out this remark out of the blue, and the villagers, who had been hurrying excitedly toward the Liu household, suddenly remembered.

Everyone started chattering away about the two of them.

“That’s right—I think it was that old rascal Liu Quan who said it.”

“All right, stop talking nonsense. How long has Liu Quan been spouting nonsense anyway? A while back, didn’t Xu save the Wan family’s only child? Maybe he’s repaying the favor. Don’t the operas say that a life-saving debt is repaid with one’s own body? We can’t very well let the Wan family’s daughter marry that ger—it has to be the Wan family’s third son who marries him.”

“Wow, that ger’s really lucky. Who would’ve thought he’d end up marrying into the Wan family?”

“You’re absolutely right. Let’s hurry over and see what kind of gifts the Wan family gave—I bet there are plenty of good things.”

A crowd rushed over to join the commotion and offer their congratulations to Old Man Liu. They all felt that with his son marrying into the Wan family, the grandfather and grandson were in for a good life from now on.

But what they didn’t expect was that the Wan family had indeed come to propose in person, bringing quite a few gifts—and the gifts they’d brought today weren’t even listed on the betrothal gift registry; they were all given as free gifts. They said they’d provide the official betrothal gifts separately once the family agreed to the match. But what surprised everyone even more was…

The bride’s family refused to agree to the match.

“Get out! Take your junk and get out of my house! My ger would rather marry a pig or a dog than your Wan Dongyang!”

A few villagers had originally come just to gawk, but they never expected to witness such a real spectacle.

When they arrived, they happened to catch Xu Shifan and his wife chasing the matchmaker and Lin Qiuyue out of the house.

The Liu family didn’t have high courtyard walls, so even without stepping inside, everyone could see what was happening. Xu Shifan and his wife were hurling insults at Lin Qiuyue and the matchmaker, shocking the crowd outside—they all wondered if the couple had lost their minds.

“How could they possibly turn down such a great match?”

“Exactly!”

It was a rare spectacle in the village. People usually stopped to watch even when they just heard a few arguments, so with such a big commotion, it was no surprise that a crowd had gathered.

Now, even those who had initially thought the marriage proposal wasn’t worth watching had come to join the spectacle.  

It was a rare occurrence for the Wan family to be scolded like this—once this moment passed, it wouldn’t happen again, and they’d never see it happen again.

The crowd gathering outside the Liu household grew larger and larger, and Liu Congxiang and her husband grew increasingly anxious, even going so far as to start shooing people away. It was at this very moment that Grandpa Liu emerged from the house.

“Mrs. Wan, I agree—this old man agrees to this match.”

“Grandpa Liu, are you really saying you agree to let my third brother marry your ger Shuang?” Lin Qiuyue spoke loudly and deliberately glanced at the crowd outside, as if to make sure they could hear her.

As soon as Lin Qiuyue finished speaking, Grandpa Liu quickly nodded in agreement, but Liu Congxiang, standing nearby, immediately dragged him back into the house—even when her father stumbled a few times and nearly fell, she paid no heed.

As for Xu Shifan, he had already started cursing.

“What’s there to agree to? Marriage is a matter for parents to decide—he has no say in the matter! Get out of here right now! My family doesn’t approve of this match! Get out, get out!” No sooner had Xu Shifan finished speaking than he stopped talking and started shoving people.

It seemed this was the first time the matchmaker had encountered parents like these. She tried to persuade them further, but was shoved so hard she stumbled. So enraged, she forgot all about the matchmaker’s rule of always greeting people with a smile and stormed off, cursing under her breath.

As soon as the matchmaker left, Lin Qiuyue followed suit, joining several villagers who had come to gawk at the spectacle. The onlookers, however, hadn’t all left yet; they exchanged a few more words with Xu Shifan. Finally, Xu Shifan, flustered and angry, grabbed a broom to shoo them away, and only then did everyone leave.

Only after all the outsiders had finally left the house did Xu Shifan finally give in to the urge to settle the score with his son!

When Xu Shifan entered the wood shed, Liu Congxiang was pointing her finger at the mother and daughter and berating them. As soon as he walked in, he yanked Liu Congxiang aside and, pointing at Liu Qishuang, shouted, “You good-for-nothing!“Did you go and flirt with that Wan Dongyang? Did you go and flirt with him? How can you be so shameless? How old are you, anyway, that you’re already getting involved with men? And you even had the nerve to ask someone to come propose marriage—have you really gotten that big for your britches?!”

Once Xu Shifan pieced everything together, he was so enraged he could no longer pretend to be a loving father.

He wasn’t a fool; he knew full well that the Wan family wouldn’t come to propose marriage out of the blue. It was almost certainly that good-for-nothing brat who had begged them to—there was absolutely no other possibility!

He never imagined that his son—who was usually as timid and cowardly as a mouse—could pull off something this big!

So was he really that timid? Didn’t that meek and submissive demeanor he usually displayed mean it was all an act?!

Xu Shifan currently believed that Liu Qishuang had used her debt of gratitude for saving his life to persuade the Wan family to propose, but Liu Congxiang suddenly understood everything because of what he said.

No wonder!

“No wonder you said you wouldn’t marry Wan Changqing, you little brat—so you actually wanted to marry Wan Dongyang?” Thinking back to how she’d sent people to the Wan family to curry favor earlier—and how many opportunities she’d given him to get close to Wan Dongyang—Liu Congxiang felt like slapping herself twice!

She’d actually been played by that little rascal!

“Grandpa!” Liu Qishuang crouched down beside his grandfather, his mind spinning faster than a windmill. “Father, it was Mom who told me to go curry favor with Wan Dongyang and Wan Xiaohua.” Liu Qishuang had previously tried to stir up a fight between his parents with a few well-chosen words, and now the same idea had popped into his head.

“Grandpa, I didn’t know their family would come to propose marriage. I haven’t been to the Wan family’s house since I saved Xiaohua—you know that, you know that!”

Liu Qishuang’s words left the couple dumbfounded.

As soon as he said this, Xu Shifan’s expression turned strange, and he immediately glared at Liu Congxiang. “Is that little brat telling the truth?”

“That was before!” Liu Congxiang was also bewildered, because for a moment she couldn’t quite tell whether it was her son who had actively flirted with Wan Dongyang, or whether Wan Dongyang was so blind and deluded that he mistook her son’s attempts to curry favor for romantic interest—and had actually developed other intentions, leading him to come propose marriage.

Seeing that his words had had an effect, Liu Qishuang pointed at her grandfather and said to her father, “Grandfather knows—it was Mother who told me to do it. She told me to go and curry favor with Wan Dongyang. Mother said Wan Dongyang and Wan Changqing are as close as two peas in a pod. If I curry his favor, he’ll put in a good word for me with Wan Changqing, and then I’ll be able to marry into the Wan family.”

“How long ago was that?” Liu Congxiang retorted.

Liu Qishuang also spoke up in his own defense, “I haven’t been to the Wan household in ages.” As mother and son argued back and forth, Xu Shifan’s mood suddenly lifted.

As far as he was concerned, what had happened earlier no longer mattered. After all, back then Shunzi hadn’t met with any misfortune, and Wan Changqing could still be considered a decent match. What mattered most right now was the feelings of the young ger in his household.

“All right, Father wronged you. As long as you weren’t the one who went looking for trouble, that’s fine.” Xu Shifan put his anger aside and resumed his role as a loving father.

He thought to himself that since he’d already rejected the match—and had even driven the suitor away—the Wan family surely wouldn’t have the nerve to propose again.

This match was out of the question now.

Since that’s the case, there’s no need to hold a grudge against that good-for-nothing brat—but that old geezer!

“Do you even have a say in this household? Why are you meddling in something the three of us have already decided? Your consent—your consent means absolutely nothing! You old fossil!”

Xu Shifan stopped scolding his son, but with his anger still boiling, he naturally needed to take it out on someone.

As he spoke, he moved to attack Grandpa Liu, but Liu Qishuang naturally rushed to block him. “Father! You can’t hit Grandpa Liu. As long as you stop hitting him, I’ll do whatever you say.” Liu Qishuang stood in front of Grandpa Liu to shield him. By now, Grandpa Liu’s face was streaked with tears—not because he was afraid Xu Shifan would hit him, but because he was utterly disillusioned with his daughter.

“You’re even willing to sacrifice Shuangshuang’s whole life for this—are you even human? Are you human?” Grandpa Liu no longer knew why he was still alive. The Wan family was the only one who could protect his child, but now it was over—it was all over.

His Shuangshuang had no future to look forward to—and neither did he.

He had endured humiliation and scraped by all these years just to see his child marry into a good family. Now that such a family had been found, the marriage could never happen.

“Shuangshuang, Grandpa is so sorry, so sorry!”

Grandpa Liu had never wailed like this before. The couple grew tired of listening, but seeing their son shielding him, they knew the old man couldn’t move right now, so they turned and walked away.

“Shuangshuang, you’re so foolish! How could you turn down such a good match with the Wan family?” Grandpa Liu wished he could just die right then and there, so that the child wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore.

Liu Qishuang glanced cautiously outside to make sure his parents weren’t there, then gently tugged at his grandfather’s sleeve and whispered, “I lied to them.” Liu Qishuang had indeed lied to her parents.

He knew that if he stood her ground today, he and his grandfather might end up beaten to a pulp. His grandfather was old; a beating like that could cost him his life. He couldn’t win this argument, so he had no choice but to back down for now.

After all, his mother had deceived him and his grandfather more than once; it was a two-way street, so he could deceive them too.

They’d known all along that the match wouldn’t go smoothly. He’d known his father wouldn’t agree, but he’d gambled that his mother and grandfather would give their consent—leaving his father with no choice. Now that neither parent agreed, he’d have to come up with another plan.

Liu Qishuang couldn’t figure out why his mother had suddenly given up on the Wan family. Although things with Wan Changqing hadn’t worked out, Wan Dongyang was clearly a better match—but right now, he had no heart to think about that.

After all, it was a fact that his mother had chosen the Xu family; as for why she’d chosen them, it no longer mattered—she’d sided with the Xus more than once before.

Right now, he had only one thing on his mind: finding an opportunity to speak with Wan Dongyang and ask him what to do next.

That day, under the pear tree at the Wan family’s home, Wan Dongyang had already told him that if his family didn’t agree to their marriage proposal, he’d find another way.

As soon as the Mid-July Festival arrived, the villagers—who had been idle all summer—became busy once more; the most crucial time of the year had arrived. It was harvest time.

Starting on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the maize in the fields had to be brought home, and during these days, the fields throughout the village were filled with the busy figures of the villagers. But no matter how busy they were, there was always time for a quick chat.

The story of the Wan family’s rejected marriage proposal had become the talk of the village; whenever workers crossed paths, they’d always exchange a few words about it. But now there was an even bigger buzz in the village—and, of course, this new development also involved the Wan family.

“The Wan family sure moves fast—they were just rejected by the Xu family, and now they’ve already arranged another marriage.” 

“They were humiliated by the Xu family, so they’re trying to save face. They want everyone to know that Wan Dongyang isn’t unmarriageable.”

Liu Qishuang, carrying a back basket of maize, happened to overhear this as he passed a resting bench beside a cornfield.

The two women who had been discussing Wan Dongyang’s marriage saw him, but instead of looking embarrassed, they wore expressions of regret.

“Young Xu, why doesn’t your mother let you carry a lighter load? Can you even manage such a huge back basket?” One of the women said, her gaze fixed on the oversized back basket, skillfully changing the subject.

But Liu Qishuang didn’t take her up on it; instead, he picked up on what they’d been saying earlier.

“Auntie, is it true what you just said—that Wan Dongyang is engaged?” Liu Qishuang sounded a bit skeptical; he didn’t believe Wan Dongyang was the kind of person to go back on his word.

He had said they would be married by the end of the year at the latest.

“Of course it’s true! You live at the foot of South Mountain and don’t socialize much with the villagers these days, so naturally you wouldn’t know.”

A voice tinged with schadenfreude suddenly rang out; Liu Qishuang didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was.

Without saying another word, Liu Qishuang got up and walked away, though as he walked, his back hunched even more than before.

Wang Qiushuang plopped down right where Liu Qishuang had been resting. The sweat hadn’t even dried on her forehead yet, but a smile had already spread across her face as she continued chatting with the two women about Wan Dongyang’s marriage—and she was talking with unbridled enthusiasm.

When Wan Dongyang’s family went to the Liu household to propose marriage, his relatives were nearly driven to fury! Only then did they realize why Wan Dongyang had been constantly helping that poor ger all along—it turned out the two of them had already been seeing each other.

He hadn’t expected the Liu family to reject the proposal, and it made him furious.

What right did the Liu family have? Did they think their son was some kind of celestial being, that he could actually turn down the Wan family? Still, the fact that that good-for-nothing didn’t end up marrying Wan Dongyang was ultimately a good thing, and the two Wang brothers quickly cheered up again.

But before long, news of Wan Dongyang’s engagement spread, and the two brothers could only put on forced smiles. Only then did the two brothers realize each other’s true intentions—it turned out they’d both had their eyes on Wan Dongyang.

In front of outsiders, the two brothers had always appeared to get along very well. But their parents were biased, spoiling only Wang Chunyu, while Wang Qiushuang had to do all the chores. Wang Qiushuang harbored a secret determination: he was set on marrying better than his brother so he could outshine him after marriage.

Because of this, the two brothers had been at odds with each other, but when they realized that Liu Qishuang was completely out of the running, their mood improved slightly.

Even from just a glimpse of his lonely silhouette, Wang Qiushuang felt a surge of energy, and he happily set off for home, carrying a large back basket full of maize on his back.

On his way back, Liu Qishuang ran into a few villagers again. He plucked up the courage to ask them about Wan Dongyang’s engagement. Once he confirmed that Wang Qiushuang hadn’t been tricking him, he began to make excuses for Wan Dongyang in his mind.

It must have been because his family had been humiliated on the day of the marriage proposal; the Wan family was furious, which is why they immediately arranged a marriage for Wan Dongyang.

“That’s it—it must be that,” Liu Qishuang thought to himself. No matter how hot-tempered Wan Dongyang might be, he was still a child raised by his parents, and his marriage was a matter for them to decide.

His parents had every right to arrange the marriage for him without even informing him.

He kept reassuring himself that it probably wasn’t Wan Dongyang’s idea, but whether it was his idea or not no longer mattered. He was engaged—that was a fact.

He had never felt so lost before, but by the time he made his way from the village back home, Liu Qishuang had already pulled himself together. In his situation, he had no right to wallow in sadness.

Taking advantage of the fact that his parents were busy working in the cornfield, he hurried to their room, grabbed two taels of silver, and set off for the Wan family’s house.

Since his marriage to Wan Dongyang was off, he didn’t want the silver Wan Dongyang had given him either.

“It’s okay—I’m still young, after all. I’m sure I’ll find someone suitable eventually,” Liu Qishuang kept telling himself, doing his best to calm his nerves.

He thought to himself that, if worst came to worst, he’d just have to swallow his pride and approach Ma Cuilan, asking her to help set him up with the person she’d mentioned earlier. After all, Wan Dongyang wasn’t his only option—there had to be a way.

With all sorts of jumbled thoughts swirling through his mind, he reached the Wan residence in the blink of an eye.

After standing in front of the Wan residence for quite some time, Liu Qishuang sniffed to steady his composure and knocked on the door.

The Wan family’s courtyard gate wasn’t bolted during the day—it was merely left ajar. As soon as he knocked, the gate swung open slightly. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.

The Wan family had been busy these past few days. As soon as he stepped through the courtyard gate, he saw huge piles of maize husks stacked at the doors of both Wan Dongyang’s house and his second older brother’s house, while the women of the Wan family were busy husking the maize.

Mother Wan called him over and brought out some food for him, but Liu Qishuang didn’t touch it; he simply said he was looking for Wan Dongyang.

“The third son went out to the fields. Wait a moment—he should be back soon.”

Mrs. Wan was as kind as ever, and for some reason, Liu Qishuang felt she had grown even warmer toward him.

Wan Dongyang did indeed return shortly afterward. He looked somewhat surprised and pleased to see Liu Qishuang, but before he could say anything, Liu Qishuang pointed to the paulownia tree in his family’s courtyard and motioned for him to come over there to talk.

The Wan family’s paulownia tree was enormous; it wasn’t quite late autumn yet, so the foliage was still quite lush.

Liu Qishuang looked up at the canopy that almost blocked out the sky, then deliberately hid behind the tree trunk. Just as he was reaching into his pocket for some silver, Wan Dongyang came up beside him and said with an annoyingly smug smile, “You’re right on time. I was just thinking about coming to find you these past couple of days.”

“No need to look for me. Here, take it.” What did he want with him anyway? Hmph! He wasn’t that thick-skinned—he wasn’t about to take his cash. He’d just give it right back! Liu Qishuang shoved the silver into the other man’s hand and was about to walk away when Wan Dongyang quickly grabbed him, realizing almost immediately why he was angry.

“Don’t be upset. Come here—I’ll explain.” Wan Dongyang knew the man had misunderstood, so he didn’t dare delay. Using a deft touch, he pulled him back and pressed him against the tree trunk, then leaned in close to his ear to quickly explain the key points.

“That’s exactly how it is.” Having finally finished explaining, Wan Dongyang waited expectantly for praise, hoping to see the person who had just wrongly accused him give an embarrassed smile.

But instead of praise or a smile, all he saw were tears streaming down the other person’s face.

“You big jerk! Why didn’t you tell me sooner!”

He was so scared he thought he was going to die! He was so scared he thought he was going to die!

He really thought—he really thought he’d been betrothed to someone else, and that they could never get married.