Chapter 45: Marriage Certificate
Zhang Zhaodi felt somewhat uneasy.
Earlier, Su Yaoguang had taught her the characters for “twenty,” so she could accurately find that position on the deed, then drip blood there while Grandma Su and Su Guilan weren’t paying attention, covering up the amount of silver.
She had done as Su Yaoguang said, but she wasn’t sure if she had misread the characters.
It should be fine, right?
She had not only read it dozens of times but also written it dozens of times. After all, it was her first time learning characters, and for such an important matter, she had put her heart into it, so she shouldn’t have made a mistake.
Zhang Zhaodi thought about what she had just done and inwardly mocked Su Guilan and Grandma Su.
They wanted to scheme against her and her daughter, so they must have been very excited and never took her seriously, which was why they were caught off guard and stabbed in the back by her and her daughter.
The Village Head said, “There’s a drop of blood on it, which has exactly stained the amount of silver, so the number above can’t be seen.”
“What?” Grandma Su snatched back the deed.
Sure enough, there was really a drop of blood on it, and it was very thick, completely covering the characters above.
Earlier, she had been too excited and only glanced at the spot where she had pressed her handprint, not paying attention to other places.
Grandma Su widened her eyes and angrily said, “You did that on purpose?”
“Heaven and Earth as witness, Heaven and Earth as witness! You cut my finger, and it bled a lot after such a big cut. I couldn’t control the blood splattering elsewhere!” Zhang Zhaodi said. “Besides, everyone in the village knows I’m illiterate. How would I know what those characters are? I can only say that Heaven has opened its eyes and protected my farmland.”
“Village Head, they’re cheating.” Grandma Su said, “You have to stand up for us.”
The Village Head said coldly, “Earlier you said to go by what’s on the deed. The deed doesn’t show the number, so we can only calculate the money by the market rate. That’s me standing up for you.”
“What about me then? It’s written in black and white that she is to marry my son as his wife; you can’t deny that.” Su Guilan said smugly.
Grandpa Su, Grandma Su, Second Uncle Su, and Second Aunt Su reignited their fighting spirit.
Right! As long as Su Yaoguang got married, Zhang Zhaodi, a mere woman, would have no right to use the Su family’s farmland anymore. If she didn’t know her place, they could stuff a wild man into her life, ruin her chastity, and then she would be at their mercy.
“Village Head, I have a question.” Zhou Wangshu looked like he had something to say but wasn’t sure if he should.
“Say whatever you have to say.” The Village Head said.
“Yaoguang and I have already written the marriage certificate and have a marriage contract. Can she still marry someone else like this?” Zhou Wangshu said as he pulled out the marriage certificate from his bosom.
The Village Head was surprised, took it and looked, his gaze stopping on Su Yaoguang: “You and Zhou Wangshu already have a marriage contract; you are a proper husband and wife. You can’t marry another man. Were you crying so hard earlier because you forgot about this?”
“We haven’t held the banquet yet…” Su Yaoguang asked innocently, “Does this count as husband and wife?”
“Whether you hold the banquet is your own business. The government office records show you are already husband and wife. If one woman marries two husbands, that’s breaking the law.” The Village Head returned the marriage certificate to Zhou Wangshu. “Alright, today’s farce ends here.”
“Su Yaoguang, you did that on purpose. You’ve already gotten married, so what are you making a fuss about here?” Su Guilan shouted, “I’ll tear you apart, you cheap girl.”
“You dare touch my daughter and see?” Zhang Zhaodi pounced over.
The two women grappled together.
Su Guilan’s knee hurt, and she fell to the ground.
Zhang Zhaodi grabbed her hair, straddled her body, and tore at her clothes.
“Ah, my clothes… let go of me… ahh…”
Grandma Su was so angry that her whole body trembled.
She wasn’t stupid.
How could there be such a coincidence in the world?
A drop of blood appeared on the deed, perfectly covering the amount of silver. Su Yaoguang had clearly gone to the government office with Zhou Wangshu to write the marriage contract, yet she was here crying and shouting that she wouldn’t marry.
All of this was the scheming of this mother-daughter pair. They had made a scene, and in the end, got nothing.
Grandma Su couldn’t catch her breath and fell backward.
Grandpa Su hurriedly supported her: “Old lady, old lady…”
Second Uncle Su and Second Aunt Su’s faces also looked bad.
But what could they say?
No matter how they made a fuss, they wouldn’t get any benefits today.
“All the old men and aunties, uncles and aunts, elder brothers and eldest sisters-in-law present have witnessed today’s events with their own eyes and know how ruthless my grandpa, grandma, second uncle, and second aunt are. For that bit of farmland, to marry me off to an idiot, they really pushed our mother and daughter to the brink. The deed of severance of kinship has been written today; our mother and daughter have no relationship with them anymore. From now on, everyone minds their own business without interfering. If they come to harass our mother and daughter again, don’t blame me, the junior, for being disrespectful. My father Su Yaoguang passed away early; we orphan and widow depend on each other. To survive, there’s nothing I wouldn’t dare to do.”
“What a sin, just like that, cutting off all ties?”
“These grandparents are indeed ruthless.”
“If I were Yaoguang girl, I’d do the same. Earlier, they begged them like that, and they didn’t soften.”
Su Guilan was pinned down by Zhang Zhaodi, crying loudly.
“I don’t want to live, I don’t want to live…”
Zhang Zhaodi got back up, smoothed her messy hair, put her hands on her hips, and said: “Then go die! Best if you take your idiot son with you, so he doesn’t harm my daughter.”
Zhou Wangshu supported Zhang Zhaodi and said, “Mother, you’re tired too. Don’t waste time with this shrew; go back and rest first!”
After saying that, he said to the Village Head again: “Village Head, thanks to you upholding justice today, they didn’t directly rob my wife. It’s getting late; why not stay for a simple meal?”
The Village Head now just wanted to go home and have some peace; the woman’s crying made his head hurt.
“No, I’m going back. You all clean up here. Dismissed, all dismissed.” The Village Head said, holding his head as he left.
“Mother, let’s go back.” Su Yaoguang supported Zhang Zhaodi.
Zhou Wangshu walked at the end, his gaze darkly fixed on the few people who looked like defeated roosters.
He lowered his head, leaned close to Su Guilan, and said in a low voice: “Yaoguang is still too kind-hearted.”
Su Guilan sneered: “She’s kind-hearted?”
“If I let you snatch her home and force the wedding, then I report to the officials that someone abducted a married woman, how do you think the government office would rule?” Zhou Wangshu asked with innocent blinking eyes. “By then, you and your precious son would both have to sit in prison for over three years. If she got injured during the wedding ceremony, say bumped her head, how do you think it would be ruled then?”
Su Guilan looked at Zhou Wangshu in shock and fear.
This man smiled so brightly and cheerfully, yet why were those eyes as black as an abyss, making her shiver all over?
“She’s so kind, and you still don’t know to cherish her. If she fell into my hands, what do you think would happen to your family?” Zhou Wangshu tilted his head and flashed a brilliant smile.
