After driving away the wolf, Wu Xiaoyu hurriedly went down the mountain. Going up the mountain alone to collect herbs late at night must have worried his parents terribly.
When he got home, it was already midnight. To his surprise, there were five or six electric scooters parked at his house this late at night.
Could it be debt collectors again? Wu Xiaoyu, carrying his medicine basket, stormed inside angrily, only to see three women surrounding his mother, chattering non-stop.
Seeing him come in, his mother Wang Aifeng looked relieved. She quickly came over, took the medicine basket off his back, and said, "Why are you back so late? You had me worried to death!"
He naturally couldn't talk about the Jade Token encounter, so he lied about getting lost. The women, hearing this, said:
"This is your eldest nephew, right? Aifeng, how could you let the child go up the mountain so late? What if something happened, you'd be heartbroken!"
Wu Xiaoyu couldn't figure out their intentions and didn't know what to say, so he just gave a silly smile and went into the kitchen to brew herbs.
As soon as he left, the leading woman, a plump lady, asked, "This child must be in his twenties, right?"
"He's nineteen; he'll be twenty after the New Year," Wang Aifeng replied.
Another woman seized the moment and said, "Nineteen is not young. It's time to find a wife!"
"Are they here to propose a marriage for me?" Wu Xiaoyu couldn't help but wonder.
In the countryside, it's common for people his age to get married. But his family was so poor, who would want to marry him?
Moreover, he still had someone in his heart. If he were really forced to marry someone else now, he wouldn't be willing.
While he was lost in thought, he heard the women in the living room laughing, "If you're willing to marry your daughter to Wang Erma's son, they will not only help you pay off your debts but also arrange a marriage for your son!"
"Exactly! Your Little Yu'er is not getting any younger. You can't keep delaying like this. If you become in-laws with Wang Erma, won't it be easier to find a wife for your son?"
"This...?" Wang Aifeng fell silent. She knew that in the current situation, it would be hard to find a daughter-in-law within three to five years.
But to marry her daughter to that rascal Wang Erma's family, she couldn't bear the thought. Especially since the girl was doing so well in her studies, she might get into a prestigious university.
Two conflicting emotions swirled in her heart: her son on one side, her daughter on the other. She felt uneasy about wronging either of them.
"Um... let me think about it... just think about it!" Wang Aifeng said, trying to appease them. The three women, sensing that there was still hope, continued to fan the flames:
"Aifeng, you must think more of your son. You can't let him go up the mountain every day!"
"If Little Wen married into Wang Erma's family, your Xiaoyu might get a decent job at the paper mill. Then, wouldn't it be easier to find a wife?"
"..."
Faced with their relentless barrage, Wang Aifeng became even more conflicted. She was never one to make decisive decisions. Usually, her husband took care of the big and small matters at home. When did it fall on her to handle such a tough situation?
But her husband's cough had been acting up severely these past few days. How could she let him deal with it? So, she had to stay in the living room to respond to them, but their words were making her waver.
"This is not something I can decide alone. I'll discuss it with Youliang in a couple of days and give you an answer then!" Wang Aifeng said.
The three women wouldn't relent, pushing, "But isn't Youliang at home? Bring him out to discuss it now!"
"He's been coughing badly these days and has gone to bed. I'll discuss it with him in a couple of days and get back to you!"
One of the women continued to insist, "What's the big deal if he's asleep? Wake him up! It's not like he's afraid to see us!"
"We wouldn't have come this late at night if it weren't for the urgency of the matter. Get him up, and let's discuss this together. You need to give us a definite answer tonight!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaoyu couldn't hold back any longer. He had initially planned to wait until the three women left, then discuss with his mother how to turn them down politely. But their rudeness pushed him over the edge. He burst out of the kitchen and shouted at them:
"No need to wake my dad! I'll tell you now, there's no need to think about it. My sister is going to college and won't marry Wang Erma's son. Get out now!"
Seeing this, the three women were initially startled but quickly composed themselves and said to Wu Xiaoyu, "Nephew, don't be angry! Even if Little Wen goes to college, what good will it do? Won't she still end up farming at home?"
"If she married into Wang Erma's family, you'd at least get a decent job, right?" the plump woman tried to entice him.
Wu Xiaoyu found them increasingly unbearable, "Are you leaving or not? If not, I'll throw you out!"
As soon as he said this, the three women began screaming as if they were grievously wronged, "Oh my! Wu Xiaoyu is hitting us! Help..."
Damn it! Did I even touch you? The pig-like cries from the living room quickly woke up Wu Youliang, who had just fallen asleep. He threw on a coat, coughing violently as he walked out of the bedroom.
Entering the living room, he saw the three women surrounding his son, shouting, "What's going on?"
The women, seeing Wu Youliang come out, turned away from Wu Xiaoyu and rushed over, saying, "Youliang, we came to propose a marriage for your daughter, but..."
As soon as Zhang Yousheng heard it was a marriage proposal for his daughter, he was infuriated. His son had already dropped out of school for the family, which pained him greatly. How could he bear to see his daughter drop out too? He roared, "Get out!"
Though Wu Youliang had been sick these years, he was still known as a tough character in the village. The single word "get out" was full of authority and menace, scaring the women into retreating, fearing he might actually hit them.
"You'd better not regret this, Wu Youliang..." the three women threatened as they left.
"Such a big matter... cough... and you didn't wake me!" Wu Youliang coughed and complained, with his wife explaining like a guilty child, "I didn't want to trouble you!"
Just a few minutes later, three burly men barged into the house. Wu Xiaoyu glared at them, "What do you want?"
"What do we want? We're here to inform you that the high-interest debt you owe to Li Qiudong of Li Family Village has been bought by our Prince. If you know what's good for you, marry your daughter to the Prince's son, or face the consequences!" a bald thug threatened.