Chapter 10: This Dead Girl's Brain is Indeed Broken

Mother Xiao and the Clan Leader’s wife had walked some distance before they regained their senses.

The Clan Leader’s wife was filled with confusion. "Wasn't it said that the Shi family was very difficult to deal with? Why were they suddenly so easy to talk to?"

Shangxi Village and Xiaoxi Village were adjacent, and conflicts often occurred between the two.

The two clan leaders had also never gotten along, each looking down on the other.

The wife of the Xiao Clan Leader knew a thing or two about the general situation in Shangxi Village.

Among the families in Shangxi Village that were the most troublesome to provoke, the Shi family was high on the list.

In the past, if they had encountered such a situation, those shrews from the Shi family would have likely cursed them out long ago.

Today’s behavior was just not right!

Mother Xiao was weak, it was true, but she was not stupid.

She recalled that yesterday, Shi Qingluo had taken the initiative to suggest waiving the bride price and had said the Shi family would handle things. Therefore, today’s events were definitely orchestrated by her.

It was then that she realized more profoundly that Shi Qingluo was even more capable than she had previously imagined.

Instead of feeling displeased or wary, she felt happier; her family was just in need of a capable daughter-in-law.

Mother Xiao smiled. "Perhaps they felt they owed Qingluo after the incident with the Wu family."

The Clan Leader’s wife didn't think so. Just now at the Shi house, she had the constant feeling that those people seemed somewhat afraid of Shi Qingluo.

If they really felt they owed her, they wouldn't have almost sent her off to be buried with a corpse in the first place.

"It’s also possible. I saw that the Shi family didn't seem very willing, yet they went along with Shi Qingluo’s own desire to marry into your family."

Yes, just now when they went to propose, the Shi family stated that Shi Qingluo had taken a liking to Xiao Hanzheng, so she was willing to marry into the Xiao family to bring good luck, and they had agreed.

In reality, this was also something Shi Qingluo had intentionally made the Shi family say.

Otherwise, the Shi family would have to be out of their minds to marry their daughter off to the Xiao family so quickly, especially without asking for a bride price.

Moreover, by taking the initiative to marry into the Xiao family when they were at their lowest, it would be beneficial for her reputation.

If she truly needed to divorce Xiao Hanzheng in the future, it would be easier for her to establish her own independent household.

The Clan Leader’s wife couldn't figure it out, but that wasn't important.

"Since the Shi family has agreed, you should hurry home and prepare."

"I’ll head back for a bit, and I’ll bring people over later to help."

The Clan Leader’s wife was so attentive to the Xiao family’s mother and children entirely out of respect for the unconscious Xiao Hanzheng.

Mother Xiao knew this as well, and she said gratefully, "Alright, thank you so much, Auntie, for today."

After returning, Mother Xiao first went to check on the unconscious Xiao Hanzheng.

Finding that the fever he had broken last night had not returned, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Shi Qingluo was the lucky star of their Xiao family. If her son could truly wake up, she would definitely make him treat his wife well.

Following that, Mother Xiao took Xiao Xiaomei and Erlang to clean the courtyard.

She then went to town to buy some meat and vegetables.

Although they weren't holding a wedding banquet, she couldn't let the new bride enter the house on her first day to a cold and desolate scene.

Therefore, she planned to invite the families who had helped them recently to have a simple meal—partly for the celebration, and partly as a gesture of gratitude.

Because the Clan Leader’s wife had brought people to help, the people of Xiaoxi Village basically all knew that Mother Xiao was having Xiao Hanzheng marry to bring good luck tomorrow.

Then, the Shi family also released the news, and the people of Shangxi Village all learned of it as well.

This left everyone completely bewildered.

With Xiao Hanzheng in his current state, and the Xiao family being such a fire pit, someone was actually willing to jump in.

Especially since the new bride was a girl from the Shi family; everyone was even more confused.

The Shi family was a notoriously thick-skinned bunch; they had almost sent their daughter to the Wu family to be buried with a corpse just recently.

Why would they marry their daughter to the Xiao family for good luck now?

Everyone was still guessing how much of a bride price Mother Xiao must have spent to move the Shi family.

But when they heard the inside story from the Clan Leader’s wife, they found it even harder to believe.

No bride price, and they were even providing a few bags of grain as a dowry, and the key was that she was coming to the Xiao family for good luck tomorrow.

Had the people of the Shi family lost their minds?

The Clan Leader’s wife said it was because Shi Qingluo had taken a liking to Xiao Hanzheng, so she was now voluntarily marrying into the Xiao family to bring good luck.

This was the truth, and everyone had no choice but to believe it.

It was just that people from both villages still couldn't quite wrap their heads around it.

If the Xiao family hadn't gone through so much, and Xiao Hanzheng’s health were normal, everyone wouldn't have been so surprised; they would have all been fighting to marry their daughters to him.

After all, Xiao Hanzheng looked very promising; such a young scholar might even pass the provincial examination in the future.

But now, the Xiao family owed quite a bit of debt, and Xiao Hanzheng could pass away at any moment; she might end up a widow immediately after entering the house.

The fact that the Shi girl was coming to bring good luck without a bride price left people not knowing what to say.

At this moment, many people felt a sense of admiration for Shi Qingluo; this young girl had commendable courage!

Moreover, offering help in times of need was the rarest thing. Regardless of what the Shi family was like, this Shi Qingluo was a person of true character.

The facts developed just as Shi Qingluo had anticipated.

Although many people cursed her as a fool behind her back, on the surface, they all praised her for her true character and good nature.

On the other side, at the Shi family.

Shi Laosan and the others had been whipped by Shi Qingluo with a rattan cane and were forced to carry out the coarse grains, soybeans, and mung beans.

They placed them together with the items she had brought down from the Taoist temple.

Shi Laosan rubbed his arm, which was still stinging with pain, while glaring at Shi Qingluo.

"We have fulfilled all the demands you made. In the future, if you marry into the Xiao family and things don't go well, don't expect us to step in for you."

It would be best if she became a widow as soon as she married over.

How could Shi Qingluo not see through their thoughts? "You aren't reliable now, so why would I rely on you in the future? I’m not a fool."

"However, your words have reminded me of something."

Shi Qingluo raised her finger and pointed at Shi Laosi. "Go get some paper and a brush; let’s write this down."

Shi Laosi had also been whipped by Shi Qingluo with the rattan cane once, and now he was both afraid of and hateful toward her.

"Write what down?"

Shi Qingluo said as a matter of course, "Write down what Shi Laosan just said. In the future, no matter how I end up living, I won't need my maiden family to interfere."

"Also, write down that after I marry into the Xiao family, whether I become a widow or get a divorce in the future, my maiden family will not take me back."

"Of course, if I become wealthy in the future, you have no right to take advantage of me either. Write that down too."

With this, there would basically be no problem establishing her own independent household in the future.

The Shi family: "..." This damn girl’s brain was indeed broken, and quite severely at that; no wonder she had been so crazy lately.

She actually proposed such unfavorable conditions for herself.

However, they were more than happy to oblige. Such a jinx—if she suddenly became a widow or returned after a divorce, they would have to deal with her again if they didn't take her in.

But if it were written down and she pressed her own fingerprint on it, if she wanted to return to her maiden family in the future and they refused, and she dared to do anything against them, they could report her to the officials and drive her away.

Old Man Shi made the final decision directly. "Go get it, write it for her."

Sending this jinx away quickly and never having her return was the sensible thing to do.

As for her becoming wealthy in the future, they didn't believe it for a second.

Thus, Shi Laosi wrote three copies, and the elders of the Shi family and Shi Qingluo signed or pressed their fingerprints on them.

They even had the Clan Leader of Shangxi Village act as a witness, and one copy was kept within the clan.

Early the next morning, Shi Qingluo changed into the best set of clothes the original owner had, which, in reality, were still covered in patches.

The better clothes had already been snatched away by Niu Shi when the original owner first returned, to be given to the original owner’s younger sister.

Shi Qingluo had no interest in snatching them back; she found them disgusting.

Soon, Xiao Erlang, accompanied by the son of the Xiao Clan Leader and others, arrived at the Shi house to collect the bride.