The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: The Decision Was Not Wrong

"Maybe their son is on the brink of death, and they’re just keeping it a tight secret. Once Ximei marries into the family, if he recovers, that’s one thing. But if he dies, it’ll all be her fault. Not only will she be a widow, but she’ll be branded as a jinx who killed her husband. Her life will be ruined."

Widow Xie was stunned by Ji Huan’s description.

Thinking back, she realized the Bai Family had been just like that.

They claimed their young master was just a little sick, nowhere near death’s door. But what happened? He breathed his last before Ji Huan could even marry into the family!

But then, she shook her head.

"That time with you was different. They came all the way from the county seat. They weren’t acquaintances, so no one would know if they lied." Besides, the Ji Family didn’t care if it was a lie or not.

"This time is different. The family is right there in Cao Family Village, very close to Yunyun’s home. They know everything about them, which is why they told us."

’From the same village as Cao Yunyun?’

Ji Huan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Did she propose this herself?"

Widow Xie laughed. "She’s too shy to do something like matchmaking. It was her sister-in-law, Mrs. Wang. Yunyun was just passing along the message. The topic came up this morning when her brother was dropping her off at the stall."

"Are you sure they’ve gotten all the details straight?"

"They told us everything, clear as day. The family’s patriarch is even the village chief!"

No wonder the family was so well-off. No wonder Widow Xie was tempted.

A village chief wasn’t an official government position, but in the eyes of the villagers, it was still a "prominent household."

Widow Xie had always worried that her status and reputation as a widow would affect Hu Ximei. She was afraid Ximei would be looked down upon by her in-laws, and even more afraid that she would end up like Ji Xuelan—slaving away for her husband’s family, overworked, underfed, and poor.

Now, with such a good opportunity right in front of them, if Hu Ximei could really marry into the village chief’s family in Cao Family Village as a daughter-in-law, she would at least be free from worries about food and clothing. Outsiders wouldn’t dare bully her anymore either.

On top of that, since Cao Yunyun’s family had proposed the match, Ji Huan felt powerless to object.

"But Ximei can’t bear to leave home yet..."

"What does she know? She doesn’t know what’s good for her. An adult needs to make this decision for her."

"You just said she doesn’t understand. She’s only eleven! Isn’t getting married at eleven a bit too early? She hasn’t even started her period yet. What if they force her to consummate the marriage after she moves in? Her body hasn’t fully developed yet. The damage would be immense."

Ji Huan said a word like "consummate" so bluntly, without even a blush.

It was Widow Xie who was left feeling a little embarrassed.

"They said the marriage is just to ward off evil and welcome good fortune. Both children are still young, so they’ll let them sleep in separate rooms. They’ll wait four or five years to consummate the marriage."

This was the condition that truly convinced Widow Xie.

Ji Huan, however, was not as optimistic.

’That’s easy for them to say, but once she’s through their door, will Hu Ximei have any say in the matter?’

However, Cao Yunyun’s family had already given their guarantee, leaving her with no angle to find fault.

If she brought up her age, well, people in ancient times generally married young. Although fourteen or fifteen was the norm, it wasn’t unheard of for girls to marry at eleven or twelve.

And if she tried to explain the dangers of underage marriage and childbirth to Widow Xie, the other family had already promised not to consummate the marriage early.

She could only make one last attempt.

"Aunt Xie, I still think we can’t just take their word for it. We should do some digging ourselves. What’s their family’s reputation like? What are they like as people... You know how matchmakers talk. You always have to take what they say with a grain of salt."

Saying this seemed to cast suspicion on the Cao Family.

Ji Huan quickly added, "I’m not saying the Cao Family is being dishonest. I just mean... even though they’re neighbors, there are bound to be things they’ve missed. It can’t hurt for us to ask around more and get a better understanding. This is Ximei’s future we’re talking about, after all. You want to be absolutely sure, right?"

Widow Xie thought about it and realized that made sense.

"Alright then, I’ll have Liangzi ask around some more. If that doesn’t work, we’ll make a trip to Cao Village ourselves."

It was considered improper for the bride’s family to bypass the matchmaker and investigate on their own. But they wouldn’t go to the village chief’s house. They would just act like they were visiting relatives; there was nothing wrong with stopping by their potential in-laws’ home.

Ji Huan breathed a sigh of relief and gave Hu Ximei a reassuring look.

Hu Ximei had been staring at them nervously the whole time, seemingly pinning all her hopes on Ji Huan.

Ji Huan couldn’t forcefully demand that Widow Xie reject the proposal outright, so she had to resort to this roundabout approach.

’No one in this world could withstand the scrutiny of a determined person. If Hu Liang and the others couldn’t find anything, she would go herself.’

’If worst came to worst, she could "find some dirt" of her own. No matter what, she had to ruin this engagement.’

’She couldn’t just stand by and watch a little girl be forced into marriage.’

The Cao Residence.

Granny Cao and Old Man Cao had gone to the fields, leaving the courtyard empty.

As soon as Cao Yunyun returned, she went to the side room where her brother and sister-in-law lived, but Mrs. Wang was not inside.

She had no choice but to wait patiently.

She couldn’t sit still, pacing back and forth at the door of the side room. At the slightest sound, she would crane her neck to look toward the main gate, looking completely agitated.

But she waited and waited, and still no one returned. She figured her sister-in-law had gone off to gossip with some of the village women she knew.

Just as Cao Yunyun was about to go look for her, Mrs. Wang returned.

Cao Yunyun rushed up to her, calling out, "Sister-in-law!" on the verge of tears.

"What’s wrong?" Mrs. Wang asked, pulling her into the room with a warm expression.

Ever since Cao Yunyun had agreed to teach Cao Fugui how to make hot and spicy soup and youtiao, the ice between the sisters-in-law had broken. Mrs. Wang fawned over Cao Yunyun, and her words became exceptionally sweet.

"Did that Hu Liang wrong you? Or did that tactless Ji Huan show up at the stall to annoy you again? You just tell me, and I’ll go teach them a lesson for you!"

As she spoke, Mrs. Wang rolled up her sleeves, putting on a full display of being ready to back her up.

Seeing this, Cao Yunyun felt even more certain that her decision was the right one.

’Her brother and sister-in-law were wholeheartedly on her side, always looking out for her.’

’Not like the Hu Family, not like Hu Liang. Just because Ji Huan’s little brother went missing, they skipped a whole day of running the stall.’

’Even though Hu Liang had barely slept, rushing to town before dawn just to let her know so she wouldn’t be waiting for nothing.’

’But she had already arrived by then.’

’Besides, wasn’t a missing person Ji Huan’s own family’s problem? It was one thing for the Hu Family to help look, but to search late into the night and then miss a day of work over it?’

’Business was so good! How much money did they lose by taking a day off!’

The more Cao Yunyun thought about it, the more her heart ached for the lost money, and the angrier she became.

She had been wavering on whether or not to teach Cao Fugui, but this incident had helped her make up her mind.

"Sister-in-law, don’t worry, just listen to me first." Cao Yunyun grabbed Mrs. Wang’s arm. "It’s not about Hu Liang, it’s about his sister..."

"What about his sister?"

Cao Yunyun said with a hint of complaint, "It’s about that marriage proposal you mentioned to me last time."

Mrs. Wang realized what she meant. "Oh, you’re talking about that!"

Cao Yunyun nodded. "Ximei doesn’t want to."

Mrs. Wang curled her lip. "As long as Widow Xie and Hu Liang agree, who cares if a little brat like her wants to or not? It doesn’t matter."

"But... but Hu Liang..." Cao Yunyun’s face was filled with anxiety.

"What about Hu Liang? Did that little girl talk him out of it? Is he backing out now? I’m telling you, that Hu Liang is spineless. A grown man getting completely controlled by his mother and sister day in and day out, how shameful! Once you marry him, you’ll have to fix that flaw of his..."

"That’s not it, Sister-in-law."

Cao Yunyun was terribly flustered, her anxiety plain to see on her face.

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