Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I had brought a fire striker with me. I planned to wait until they were drunk, then set the place ablaze and burn them all to death.

At first, I hadn’t wanted to hurt any innocents. But if scum like that got to keep living, then Heaven truly had no eyes.

But I crouched there for ages, and they just kept drinking. Their tolerance seemed pretty good. They went on and on, chatting about all sorts of nonsense…

I was going to keep waiting, but then one household in their village suddenly lit up from end to end. A moment later, I heard someone wailing in mourning. I guessed some elderly person in the family had died.

One after another, people from other households began coming out too.

There was nothing I could do. I could only sneak away as quickly as possible.

On the way home, I ran straight into someone. It was our village’s only scholar, Gu Yanqing.

He didn’t even glance at me before heading toward the ruined temple on the mountain.

Someone in the neighboring village really had died. According to custom, there would usually be several days of funeral feasts, and at night the villagers would drink and play cards. Someone like Zheng the Cripple would definitely go there to drink too, which made it even harder for me to make a move.

After thinking it over for a few days, I started going to the ruined temple.

If I had to marry someone, then I would marry Gu Yanqing.

At least he was good-looking, and he would have prospects in the future. Even if he only became a schoolteacher, that was still better than marrying one of those penniless wretches in the village who sold their sons, daughters, and wives.

But Gu Yanqing ignored me.

At first, I brought him shoes I had sewn myself.

Both his parents were dead. His house and land had been seized by his uncle’s family, and he had no money to speak of. People said he often went to borrow meals from his classmates in town.

But he refused my shoes.

I brought him food, and he refused that too.

In the end, left with no other choice, I stripped off my clothes in front of him and clung to him with all my strength.

He frowned and pushed me away. “Miss Xu, I am short of money and can barely support myself. I truly would not dare to hold you back.”

That much was true.

I hurriedly said, “I know, but I truly like you. I’m willing to suffer hardship.”

He gave a mocking smile. “You like me? Then two years ago, when my grandmother said she wanted me to marry you, why didn’t you agree?”

“Back then, I couldn’t make decisions for myself at all. My parents wanted to keep me at home so I could earn money for them. Who would give away a hen that lays eggs?”

Then I cried and begged him. “Brother Gu, please. Marry me. My parents want to marry me off to Zheng the Cripple from the neighboring village. I heard him say that once I marry into his family, after he’s had enough fun with me, he’ll make me take clients and earn him fifty copper coins every night.”

Gu Yanqing still refused me.

He said he was like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river-hardly able to save himself-so he truly had no money to marry me.

I said we could make it a done deal. As long as we became husband and wife in fact, for the sake of their reputation, my parents would have to marry me to him.

But he said he was a scholar and could not do something so shameful.

In short, he refused to help.

I went to the ruined temple a few more times. Once, I drugged the wine I brought him. It was something I had bought while selling shoes, an aphrodisiac. But he would not drink it. He said drinking would affect his studies.

In three days, Zheng the Cripple would come to my house to fetch his bride.

Crying, I said, “Brother Gu, do you think I’m not worthy of you? Don’t worry. As long as you marry me and help me solve this problem for now, when you pass the imperial examinations in the future, I’ll leave on my own. I absolutely won’t hold you back from marrying some official’s daughter. Is that all right?”

I added, “I can wash clothes and cook. I can sew shoes and sell them for money. When you go take the exams, you’ll need silver. I can support your studies. You won’t lose out in this deal.”

Gu Yanqing lifted his eyelids and looked at me, but said nothing.

I sighed.

I could only blame myself for not being strong enough to force a man.

But if I were strong, why would I need to fear this world that devoured girls in the first place?