Chapter 4: Forced Marriage

Song Liyun wasn't afraid of difficulties piling like mountains, nor opponents formidable as gods, nor even of time dragging on—she only worried about teammates useless as pigs.

She just hoped that eldest brother she hadn't met yet wasn't some stubborn, pedantic fool.

Coming here did have its satisfactions.

The original owner had been sold to a wine shop at age seven as a drudge. The work was grueling, but at least the guests' leftover scraps kept her fed.

Her frame looked frail, but she was actually healthy and sturdy, possessed of remarkable strength.

Just as she began doing backbends and stretches in the room to adapt to this body as quickly as possible, Old Lady Gu also finished her cursing match by the river and returned, huffing with rage.

*Bang!*

The half-closed door was rudely kicked open. Old Lady Gu and her daughter-in-law, Little Lady Gu, burst in wielding wooden sticks.

"You cheap slut! A good marriage offered to you is already giving you face. You dare turn up your nose at it, even tried to run off—now watch me beat you to death!"

Old Lady Gu's wrinkled face was dark, her triangular eyes glaring venomously at Song Liyun.

Back at the river, she'd been stunned by Song Liyun's sudden imposing manner. Surprise quickly turned to fury, but with villagers and Headman's wife Huang present, she hadn't been able to lay a hand on her.

Now with the door shut, she was ready to roll up her sleeves and properly teach this disrespectful little slut a lesson—see who'd come prop her up then.

But though her mouth said she'd beat Song Liyun to death, she didn't move.

Second Son had said not to touch her.

Second Son had already gotten word from Master Xue—once this was done, there'd be fifty taels of silver as bride price.

An ordinary family toiled all year for maybe ten taels. Sending this slut off brought fifty at once—a windfall.

If this slut ran, the fifty taels vanished.

The Xue family could come collect her any day. If she got injured, they'd surely deduct from the money.

Not worth losing silver over a moment's anger.

Facing the ferocious Gu mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Song Liyun showed not a trace of fear.

First, she calmly gathered her waist-length wet hair and tied it up with a ribbon. Only then did she fix them with a cold gaze. "Grandmother-in-law, you say it's for my own good, that an older man would cherish me. Since you're a widow, why don't you remarry and let an old man cherish *you*?"

From the original owner's memories, she already knew the whole story. It was this old woman's "good marriage" that had driven the original owner to throw herself in the river.

The original owner had sent silver home since childhood. Now she could be sold again for a huge sum—so Old Lady Gu generously refrained from calling her "money-losing goods."

But hearing "cheap servant," "cheap slut" one after another ignited a fire in Song Liyun's chest. Her words gave not an inch.

*Grandmother-in-law! Widow!*

An unmarried girl marrying a widower—this was Old Lady Gu's sore spot. She'd never been happy about her own yellow-flower maiden daughter marrying Old Man Song as a concubine.

Now hearing Song Liyun call her grandmother-in-law and widow, she was instantly beside herself with rage, her pointing hand trembling uncontrollably. "You, you..."

Seeing her mother-in-law enraged, Little Lady Gu hurried forward to soothe her. "Mother, don't bother with this little slut. Once she's sent to the Xue family, no one will be around to anger you anymore."

Just now at the river, in front of the villagers, Little Lady Gu had still been pretending, claiming Song Liyun's fall into the water was an accident.

Now the front gate was shut. Song Liyun was a bird in a cage. She dropped the act too, her facial fat quivering as she squeezed out a fake smile. "Liyun, you've always been sensible. This time you must obey too. Otherwise if things blow up, no one saves face.

Marriage is decided by elders. You marry whoever you're told. Serving your husband well is your duty.

Master Xue is older, true, but you're not young either. And working in a wine shop—your reputation isn't clean.

We family believe you're just a lowly drudge. But in others' eyes? They won't think so.

In a wine shop you naturally enter rooms to serve tea and water to young masters—who knows what unseen things you do.

While you've just returned and no one knows what you did outside, hurry and marry into the Xue family.

Rare that Master Xue doesn't mind you. Once through the door, you'll just wait to eat, drink, and enjoy endless fortune.

When you're wanting for nothing later, if you still remember your second grand-aunt's kindness and slip your younger cousins some money at holidays—that's your filial piety."

Little Lady Gu's mouth flew like a matchmaker's, flipping good and bad, pouring basin after basin of filthy water over Song Liyun, leaving her no chance to defend herself.

An ordinary girl would've been shamed to death.

Song Liyun's expression didn't change. She raised an eyebrow and gave a cold snort. "What others know about what I did outside depends entirely on what *Second Aunt's* mouth says.

Second Aunt isn't afraid of losing face—why should I be? Since I'm not clean, my cousin sisters won't land good matches either.

Since marrying Master Xue is such a great thing, leave it for my cousin to enjoy!"

Cousin Song Shuirong was Little Lady Gu's own daughter, already fifteen—prime marriageable age, lovely as a flower.

Seeing her still refusing to yield, even turning the mud onto Shuirong, Little Lady Gu's fists clenched tight, barely stopping herself from slapping her. Last night she'd coaxed and pleaded, and the little slut had only whimpered and cried.

Now she wasn't crying, but this sharp tongue—if not taught a lesson, it truly made one's liver ache.

Her eyes rolled. She turned to Old Lady Gu. "Mother, these white-eyed wolves in the house have grown up, wings hardened. You need to discipline them properly—they even dare disobey you.

And that death-star—fed and clothed for nothing, can't do any work herself, still makes the cripple bring her everywhere. Who knows how much that delays things..."

Song Liyun had stayed at the wine shop until seventeen. The reason she'd never even had thoughts of resistance—the Song family had their leverage.

As long as her two brothers lived, she dared not resist.

Mentioning the brothers now was openly forcing her to submit.

If Old Lady Gu was a snarling, clawing tiger, Little Lady Gu was a snake baring fangs at any moment.

Always playing the virtuous one. Whenever displeased, she'd incite Old Lady Gu to take it out on the brothers.

The power of blood ties was truly unfathomable.

Even though the original owner hadn't returned to Little Stone Village since leaving, had never seen her brothers again—ten years gone, impressions long blurred.

Especially the little brother—the original owner had never even laid eyes on him.

And Song Liyun had never experienced it firsthand. But deep in this body's flesh remained all the feelings for them.

Now hearing the Gu woman threaten to deal with the brothers, her heart spasmed with a sharp, cramping pain. She couldn't help stepping back, falling onto the kang edge, a hand pressing to her chest, sucking in a cold breath.

At Song Liyun's cowed reaction, Old Lady Gu curled her lip. *At the river, with someone backing you, you resisted. Now you finally know fear—too late.*

She snorted coldly. "Second Son's wife, what's the rush? Second Son said—handle this slut first, deal with the rest later.

What are you standing there for? Hurry up and tie this cheap servant up!"

All these years they hadn't dealt with that death-star—only for the money.

Once this slut was sold and the silver in hand, the two beasts at home wouldn't be kept either. Both sent down the mines to earn money—live or die, they didn't care.

Hearing this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law speak so brazenly, so without restraint, killing intent flared in Song Liyun's eyes.

The original owner had never returned to Little Stone Village after going to the county town, couldn't get any news.

But just from Old Lady Gu causing a scene at the funeral hall, trying to kill a postpartum woman—one could infer the brothers' situation.

And at the river, Dali's wife's vague words—confirmed it all.

Thanks to Lianzi Xinku, Feng Yang Huakai, Fanfu Suzi, Yue Man Tianxin, Er Yu and other friends for the recommendation votes!

(End of Chapter)