Chapter 28: DOUBLE WEDDING 1
Big Man Lou pushed Lu Fei off him. She fell hard to the floor, weak and shaking.
"You tricked me! I thought you were Lin Xu!" he shouted.
The villagers gasped.
"What?!"
"He mistook her for Lin Xu?"
"So Lu Fei sneaked in here?"
Lu Fei suddenly screamed, pointing her shaky hand at me. "It was Lin Xu! She’s the one who planned this! Where is she?!"
Her words turned all eyes toward the door. That was when I stepped inside.
I stood tall, dressed in a white robe, my gaze sweeping over the shocked crowd.
"Enough lies, Lu Fei," I said clearly. "If not for Fuhan and Mo Ying, I would be the one on this floor today. You tried to drug me, ruin me on my wedding day, and take my place. But Heaven does not sleep. Look at you now, in the very trap you set for me."
The villagers burst into angry murmurs.
"So she really tried to harm Lin Xu?"
"Unbelievable! How wicked can one be?"
"She deserves this shame!"
Lu Fei’s face turned pale. She shook her head wildly, tears running down. "No, no! Mother, Father, help me!"
Before Aunt Lu could move, Big Man Lou’s booming voice cut through the air. "Lu family! Pay me back my bride price! I gave you 500 taels for Lin Xu, and now you try to trick me with this one?!"
The whole courtyard went silent.
"Five... hundred taels?" Yan Mei whispered in shock.
Even I was stunned.
The village chief, Yan, quickly stepped forward. His sharp eyes landed on Aunt Lu and Uncle Lu. "Is this true? Did your family take 500 taels from him?"
Aunt Lu and her husband froze, their faces drained of all color. At last, Uncle Lu stammered, "W-well, he did give us the money but how were we supposed to know that Lin Xu would be so unfilial and marry someone else."
"Where is the money, pay him back!"
Hesitating, Uncle Lu finally admitted, "The... the money is gone... We don’t have it anymore..."
The villagers erupted.
"They used it all?"
"Shameless! To take such a fortune and still try to cheat?"
"What kind of family is this!"
Aunt Lu, trembling, quickly pulled out a bundle from her sleeve. "This... this is 150 taels. The money Mo Ying gave us for Lin Xu’s bride price. Please... take this back!"
I scoffed, "Aunt Lu, who would have thought that the same money you used to threaten and ruin me happened to be used as your way of escape from debt. Don’t you think it’s mesmerizing?"
"Y-you shut up—" she glared at me as Big Man Lou snatched it from her hand, his face still dark. He counted quickly, then spat on the floor. "One hundred and fifty? Pffft... I see where this is going... well, in that case, the rest will be the bride price for your daughter here!"
He jerked his chin at Lu Fei.
Gasps filled the air.
"What?!"
"He wants to marry her instead?!"
"Heavens, this is retribution indeed!"
Shocked, Aunt Lu stepped back, "W-what did you say? M-marry my daughter!?"
Lu Fei let out a shriek, her whole body trembling like a leaf. "No! No, I won’t! Mother, Father, don’t let him take me!"
But the villagers only shook their heads, their eyes filled with scorn and judgment.
Aunt Lu’s face twisted in fear as she shook her head. "No, this can’t be! My daughter cannot marry him!"
Uncle Lu quickly added, "We won’t allow it!" Lu Fong’s face was pale, his voice trembling as he muttered, "We can’t agree to this!"
Big Man Lou crossed his arms, his voice thundering across the courtyard. "Your family took 500 taels from me. You only returned 150. That means you still owe me 350 taels. Since you can’t pay it back, giving me your daughter as my wife is fair enough!"
The villagers erupted.
"He’s right!"
"They owe him, and she’s already ruined. What else can they do?"
"She deserves all this, she tried to hurt her own sister-in-law. This is the best punishment for her!"
I watched as Lu Fei, pale and shaking, forced herself to stand. Her knees wobbled, but she dragged herself forward, clutching her robe as she stumbled toward Village Chief Yan. She fell at his feet, clutching his sleeve.
"Village Chief, please! You can’t let this happen! Save me! I can’t marry him!" she cried desperately.
But Chief Yan pulled his sleeve away, his face stern. "Lu Fei, everyone here has seen your shame. You have already lost your virtue with Big Man Lou, and your family owes him a great debt. What else is there to be done? Marrying him is the best choice. And I have no say in this matter."
His words struck her like thunder. Her body trembled before she collapsed to the ground, defeated.
Then her eyes locked on me. Rage burned through her tears as she crawled toward me. "It’s all because of you, Lin Xu! You brought this on me!" she screamed, charging at me.
My hand moved on its own and I slapped her across the face. The sound cracked in the air, silencing everyone.
"You dug your own grave, Lu Fei," I said coldly. "If not for your greed and your family’s wickedness, you wouldn’t be here. Don’t blame me, blame yourself."
Her face stung red, but she still lunged at me again, screaming. Before she could touch me, Mo Ying stepped forward. He shoved her back firmly and pulled me into his arms, his steady grip shielding me.
"Enough," he said, his deep voice like iron.
Lu Fei stumbled back, glaring at me with wild eyes, but no one moved to help her. All around, the villagers only stared at her with disgust.
"I don’t have all day for this... I’ll marry her whether you like it or not. I WANT TO SEE ANYONE TRY AND STOP ME!"
He said as just then, a group of men arrived, all standing in line... and they all seemed to be his men.
I wasn’t yet satisfied, I wanted to watch Lu Fei’s life get ruined with my two eyes.
Stepping forward, I said to Big Man Lou, "Since you will need Lu Fei instead, then why don’t you both get married today along with me and Mo Ying!"