Chapter 18: "I’ll Marry Her!"
After dinner, I helped clear the table. Honestly, I was still upset, but seeing how satisfied and happy the kids were, I decided to just hold it in.
One thing was certain, he was going to pay me back with interest, or I’d skin him alive.
Sigh...
Yan Mei helped clear the table and washed some dishes. When she was done, she got ready to leave.
"Lin Xu, I’m heading back now. See you later." Yan Mei waved goodbye as she made her way out.
But before she could leave, Mo Ying called out, "Hey! Yan Mei!"
She turned with a smile. "Yes, Brother Ying? Do you need something?"
He paused, then asked, "Earlier... Lin Xu said she was looking for a husband. Do you know why?"
Yan Mei’s smile stiffened. Her grip on the basket tightened, and her eyes shifted nervously. "That’s..."
"Please," Mo Ying pressed, his tone calm but steady. "If something is going on, I need to know. She saved my life, I owe her at least that much."
Yan Mei bit her lip before lowering her gaze. "Lin Xu’s uncle is trying to force her into marriage with an old man from the village. He’s not a good person. He drinks too much, has a foul temper, and everyone knows he beats his wives. If she doesn’t marry soon, they’ll force her into his hands. That’s why she’s desperate to find someone else, to protect herself and the three children."
Mo Ying froze, startled by the truth. He never imagined that could be the reason she had begged him to be her husband.
Yan Mei gave a small nod. "I shouldn’t have told you, but you asked. Please don’t let her know I said anything."
Mo Ying’s expression stayed firm as he nodded. "...I understand."
Yan Mei looked at him one last time, her eyes filled with worry. "Brother Ying, I know you just met her and you’re unsure, but Lin Xu is a good person. She acts tough, but she’s struggling more than she lets on."
With that, she turned and walked off into the night, leaving Mo Ying standing alone.
When the night grew darker, I tucked the kids into bed. They drifted off in minutes, soft breaths filling the small room, but no matter how I turned, sleep refused to come to me.
My chest felt heavy, and the walls seemed too close. With a sigh, I slipped outside for some fresh air.
The night was quiet, the moon hanging pale and gentle over the rooftops. Crickets sang from the tall grass, and the cool breeze brushed against my face. For a moment, I just stood there, hugging my arms around myself, letting the night calm me.
Footsteps sounded softly behind me. I turned, and there was Mo Ying, his tall frame half-shadowed in the moonlight.
He leaned against the wooden post nearby, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the moon. "You sulking out here too?" His voice carried that dry, mocking edge of his.
I frowned. "I’m not sulking. Just needed air."
"Mm," he muttered, as if he didn’t believe me, but didn’t push further.
Silence stretched between us, broken only by the crickets. Then he spoke again, his tone flat but laced with something else. "Earlier... I might’ve said things that sounded harsh. Don’t take it to heart. I’m not good at saying things the... gentle way."
I glanced at him, surprised. It wasn’t exactly an apology, but for someone like him, it was close enough.
He caught my look and smirked faintly. "Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t regret what I said. Marriage isn’t something I take lightly, and I’m not about to tie myself down because of pity or desperation. That’s all I meant."
I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. "And here I thought you’d actually apologize."
"Apologize?" He raised a brow, amused. "That’s not really my style."
Still, there was no malice in his words, only that cold sarcasm he wore like armor.
I turned my gaze back to the moon. "Well... I guess I wasn’t exactly fair either. Maybe I pushed too much. It’s just... things aren’t easy right now."
He didn’t answer immediately, but after a while, his voice came quieter, almost thoughtful. "Life rarely is. You learn to live with the mess and keep moving."
Somehow, those blunt words comforted me more than flowery ones ever could.
The night ended there and the next morning came.
It was around 8 a.m. when Yan Mei came over. I was in the kitchen cutting meat for the day’s sales while Yan Mei helped with breakfast.
The kids were inside playing when suddenly loud voices came from the gate.
I froze. That voice... I knew it too well.
When I stepped outside, Aunt Lu marched in with her daughter Lu Fei and her twin brother Lu Fong. Behind them, some men carried heavy boxes into the yard and dropped them down with a loud thud.
My face turned dark. "What are you doing here?"
Aunt Lu raised her chin high. "What else? I brought the dowry and gifts from Big Man Lou. He has agreed to take you as his wife." She waved her hand, and the men dropped more boxes at my feet.
My heart burned with anger. "Who told you to bring these here? I never agreed to marry him!"
Aunt Lu laughed, her voice sharp. "Stop pretending. You’ve been running around the village begging for a husband. But who would marry you? No one! Big Man Lou is doing you a great favor."
Lu Fei crossed her arms, smirking. "Mother is right, Lin Xu. You should be thankful. Who else wants a woman with three children?"
Her twin Lu Fong snorted. "Exactly. You should stop dreaming and accept it."
Yan Mei’s face flushed red. She quickly came to stand beside me. "Enough! How dare you come here and insult her in her own home?"
I clenched my fists. "Take your things and leave. I don’t want them, and I don’t want that man!"
Aunt Lu sneered. "Lin Xu, stop fooling yourself. You don’t really believe you could ever find a husband in seven days, do you? Tell me, who in their right mind would ever marry you?"
The yard went silent.
Then a calm but steady voice broke through the air.
"I will."
Everyone turned.
Mo Ying walked out from the house, tall and firm, his eyes sharp under the morning light. His words were simple, but they shook the yard.
"I’ll marry her."
Aunt Lu’s smile froze, Lu Fei and Lu Fong’s mocking expressions vanished, and even Yan Mei’s eyes widened in shock.
Oh boy!