Chapter 19: In FIVE DAYS?!
"I’ll marry her!"
Mo Ying said as he stepped out of the room, his facial expression more serious than usual.
I thought I was the one shocked, but my surprise couldn’t beat Aunt Lu and her two twins.
"W-who the heck are you?!" Aunt Lu shouted, taken aback as she assessed him from head to toe.
His black silk hair was tied and held with a headband, and his dark coffee eyes matched his masculine physique perfectly.
"Lin Xu, you have a man living in your house? Aren’t you shameless!"
Lu Fei barked jealously as she flashed seductive glances at Mo Ying, but he answered her with a disgusted look. It was so obvious that even Yan Mei noticed, and we both tried to hold our laughter.
But then, Mo Ying spoke once again, "Me living in her house isn’t a problem since I will be getting married to Lin Xu soon."
Frowning, Aunt Lu refused. "No way I would let you marry her. Who the heck are you anyway? Coming here and claiming to marry this good-for-nothing wench. You think I’m a fool? She’s probably paying you to pretend to marry her."
"Ohoo! Aunt Lu, aren’t you being ridiculous? After all, Lin Xu is so beautiful, which man wouldn’t marry her? Why claim that Brother Ying is lying?" Yan Mei shouted back as Aunt Lu flashed her an annoyed glare.
"Shut it, you brat. Listen very carefully, Lin Xu. You better agree to marry Big Man Lou if you know what’s good for you. Wasting time like this will only make him think badly of you, and when you two finally get married, he may hurt you. We don’t want that, do we?"
"How many times do I have to tell you, you old hag, that I’m not getting married to him? Can’t you see, I already have a husband even before the seven days ran out? Now you have no right to force me to marry that old man. If he’s so good, give your daughter to him instead!"
I replied with a smile as Lu Fei panicked immediately, "Maaa!"
Aunt Lu’s face turned red with anger. She stamped her foot hard on the ground.
"You useless girl! How dare you talk back to me?!" she shouted, then waved at the men who came with her. "What are you waiting for? Grab her! Teach her a lesson so she knows her place!"
Three strong men stepped forward at once. Their footsteps were heavy, making my heart beat fast. I quickly stepped back, holding my sleeve tightly. Yan Mei jumped in front of me and yelled, "Don’t touch her!"
Before they could reach me, Mo Ying moved.
In just a step, he stood in front of me, blocking them like a wall. His eyes turned sharp, cold, and serious.
"Move aside," one man barked, reaching to push him.
That was his mistake.
Mo Ying grabbed the man’s wrist quickly and twisted it hard—crack! The man screamed in pain as his arm bent in a strange way. Mo Ying pushed him away, and he slammed into the wall before falling to the ground.
The second man shouted and swung a wooden stick at Mo Ying. But Mo Ying caught it in midair, pulled it out of his hands, and hit him in the stomach with it. The man groaned and fell to his knees before rolling on the ground.
The last man hesitated but still rushed forward with his fists raised.
Mo Ying didn’t even blink. He kicked the man straight in the chest—bam!—sending him flying across the yard. He landed hard and didn’t get up again.
The whole place went quiet.
Aunt Lu froze. Her eyes widened, and her hand shook as she pointed at Mo Ying. "Y-you... you dare hit my men?!"
Mo Ying threw the broken stick to the ground with a dull sound. His voice was calm but very firm.
"If anyone touches Lin Xu again, I won’t show mercy."
Yan Mei’s eyes widened in shock. Aunt Lu’s twins grabbed her sleeves, their faces pale with fear.
And me? I stood there stunned, my heart beating wildly. Mo Ying had fought three men without breaking a sweat, all because of me.
For the first time, Aunt Lu had nothing to say.
"S-so you really want to marry her? Hah! A woman like Lin Xu should be grateful if anyone even looks her way. She’s nothing but a burden—three children and not a coin to her name. If you really want her, then prove it!"
Her eyes narrowed sharply as she continued, "The bride price will be one hundred and fifty taels of silver, two healthy chickens, and two full bags of grains. No less!"
The entire room went silent.
Even Yan Mei gasped. "Aunt Lu! That’s outrageous!" she protested. "No ordinary family could pay that. Are you trying to sell her off instead of marrying her?!"
Aunt Lu’s chin lifted proudly. "Outrageous? Hmph. For eight years, I’ve fed her and her three hungry brats under my roof. Who bought the rice? Who gave them firewood? Who clothed them? Me! And now you say it’s outrageous? If this man truly wants to marry her, he should repay the cost of all these years. Otherwise, I’ll marry her off to someone who can pay the money!"
Yan Mei’s face darkened. "Aunt Lu, you can’t be serious—"
But Mo Ying cut her off, his deep voice steady and firm. "I’ll pay it."
Everyone froze.
Even Aunt Lu blinked as though she misheard. "What... what did you say?"
Mo Ying stepped forward, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"I said, I’ll pay the bride price. One hundred and fifty taels. Two chickens. Two bags of grains. All of it. Consider it done."
The twins gasped, clapping their hands over their mouths. Yan Mei’s jaw dropped. Even I stood rooted to the floor, staring at him in disbelief. Did he know how much one hundred and fifty taels was? That was enough silver to feed a small household for years!
Aunt Lu, stunned at first, quickly recovered and let out a high laugh. "Hahaha! Fine! Fine then! Since you’re so eager, I’ll wait to see it with my own eyes. In five days, I’ll be back. You must have the money and the goods, and then the marriage will be settled. If not, I’ll find Lin Xu a man who can!"
With that, she turned around and left with her kids, the gifts, and the half-crippled men.
Oh heck no, now how are we gonna get 150 taels in FIVE DAYS!
Faints.