Chapter 22: Bride Price
"Mama, I couldn’t find Brother Ying."
My heart skipped a beat when I heard Yuen’er’s words.
"What do you mean you couldn’t find him?" I asked, my voice rising without meaning to.
"I checked everywhere, Mama," he said nervously, "the room, the yard, even behind the shed... he’s not there."
Aunt Lu smirked immediately, folding her arms like she had just won. "See? I told you! That man was nothing but a liar. He ran off the first chance he got, just like I said he would."
The twins started laughing, pointing fingers at me. "Hahaha, Lin Xu’s husband ran away!" they chanted, their voices sharp and childish but cutting me like a knife.
I clenched my fists. "Shut up!" I snapped at them, making their mother gasp.
Uncle stepped forward, his face smug and shameless. "Lin Xu, stop wasting everyone’s time. If he’s gone, then let’s just end this nonsense. You have no husband, no money, and no way to pay back the bride price. Hand yourself over to Big Man Lou and we’ll all be done with this."
Yan Mei frowned and quickly stood beside me, whispering, "Don’t listen to them, Lin Xu. Hold on a bit more."
But how? My chest felt heavy. I was still short thirty taels, with no chicken, no grains, and now... no Mo Ying in sight.
Village Chief Yan spoke calmly, but his eyes looked sharp. "Lin Xu, the truth will come out today. If your husband is real and capable, he should be here by now."
My lips trembled, but I forced myself to stand tall. "He... he will come."
Aunt Lu scoffed so loudly it made some of the villagers laugh. "Don’t embarrass yourself, girl. He’s already gone. Maybe he never even planned to stay. You were just stupid enough to believe him."
The humiliation burned deep in my stomach, but before I could say anything more—
The yard door creaked again.
Everyone turned their heads at once.
And there he was.
Mo Ying stepped in, his dark hair tied back, his face calm like he hadn’t just kept everyone waiting. He was carrying something wrapped in a cloth, his steps steady as if the entire world wasn’t ready to bite him apart.
The yard went completely quiet. Even Aunt Lu’s mouth froze mid-word.
He stopped right in front of them all, then slowly placed the bundle on the ground before unwrapping it.
My eyes widened.
Silver.
Neatly stacked silver taels, enough to blind everyone standing there.
Gasps echoed through the crowd.
Village Chief Yan’s brows lifted. Aunt Lu’s smug face twisted like she had swallowed a fly. The twins stopped laughing.
And I... I just stood there frozen, staring at him.
Mo Ying looked up finally, his calm eyes sweeping over everyone before landing on me.
"The bride price," he said simply, his voice steady, "paid in full."
-
Aunt Lu’s eyes went wide, her whole body stiff as she took the pouch of money from Mo Ying’s hand.
"This... this can’t be..." she whispered, her fingers trembling as she quickly untied it.
Everyone held their breath as she poured the silver taels into her palms and began to count with shaky hands. Her lips moved, her voice stammering as the clinking sound filled the yard.
"One... two... three..."
She kept going until her face turned pale. Finally, she raised her head, her mouth slightly open.
"It’s... it’s complete."
The villagers gasped, even I couldn’t hide my shock. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at Mo Ying’s calm figure.
Uncle Lu stuttered, his face red as he asked, "Th-the... the chicken... and the grains... what about those?!"
Just then, the sound of wheels creaked at the gate. Everyone turned their heads as a huge wagon rolled into the yard. My jaw nearly dropped as I saw what was on it, ten live chickens tied neatly in cages, ten large bags of rice, ten large bags of grains stacked high, and even a strong black horse pulling the wagon.
Fuhan sat at the front, but this time he was dressed more normally, blending in much better than before. He gave a small bow before stepping down.
Mo Ying glanced at the wagon before turning to everyone. "Those are the remaining things."
Gasps echoed from every direction as villagers crowded closer, whispering among themselves. I could feel their stares burning into me and Mo Ying, like they were desperate to know what was going on.
Then Mo Ying did something that made my chest tighten, he turned his head slightly and gave me a small smile. Not cold. Not distant. Just a simple smile.
Aunt Lu blinked, her eyes darting between the wagon and the silver in her hand. "H-how... how did you get so many things in such a short time?" she blurted out, her voice full of suspicion.
Before Mo Ying could answer, Yan Mei suddenly stepped forward with her usual boldness. "Aunt Lu, mind your business. You asked for the bride price, you got it. What else do you want? Isn’t your shameless demand already fulfilled?"
Laughter rippled from some of the villagers, while Aunt Lu’s face turned dark.
Uncle Lu quickly cut in, pointing at Mo Ying. "Village Chief! Look at this. We don’t even know who this man is, and now suddenly he wants to marry Lin Xu? What if he brings trouble to our village?"
The chief, who had been silently observing, finally nodded thoughtfully. He turned his eyes to Mo Ying, his expression calm but sharp.
"Mo Ying, was it?" the chief asked slowly. "You’ve given the silver, the chickens, the rice, the grains, and even a horse. All very impressive. But the village cannot simply accept this without knowing, who exactly are you?"
At his words, everyone fell quiet, all eyes turning to Mo Ying.
Now that he even talked about it made me realize that I myself didn’t really know who Mo Ying was. The cost to know his identity is way too expensive.
And all these things, there’s no way he’s an ordinary person.
"Cat got your tongue, why aren’t you answering?" Lu Fei questioned with her sub face.
As Mo Ying finally answered.
"I’m...."