Chapter 39: Entering The Game
Those few people refused to let it go, all for the house and farmland under their names.
The Su family, for that bit of benefit, tried every means to make things difficult for the mother and daughter, not even leaving them a path to live. If the eldest of the Su family were still alive, seeing his parents and brothers treat his wife and daughter this way, who knows if he would tear into them and sever those blood ties?
Su Yaoguang was not her father and did not know what choice he would make. Her choice was to completely break free from them, tear into them, and leave them no power to interfere in her and her mother’s life.
Before, she did not know the Feng family matter was related to them, but now that she knew, of course she could not just let it be.
“Wangshu, let’s go into the city tomorrow! We’ll write the marriage certificate and go to the government office to register the contract.” Su Yaoguang looked at Zhou Wangshu.
Zhou Wangshu nodded: “Good.”
Zhang Zhaodi was overjoyed: “I’ll go with you tomorrow.”
She wanted to witness her daughter’s most important moment with her own eyes.
“Mom, you have to stay home tomorrow.” Su Yaoguang said, “Tomorrow you’ll be like this…”
Hearing Su Yaoguang’s arrangement, Zhang Zhaodi looked at her with worry.
“Daughter, are you still going to find those Feng family people? Today we were lucky to escape, but if we fall into their hands again, we might not have such good luck!”
“Mom, if I can deal with them once, I can deal with them a second time. Don’t worry, they’re no match for me.”
“It’s strange, how did your strength become so great recently? A few days ago when you killed the wild boar, I thought it was good luck. Now it seems it’s not luck, but you have divine power.”
Su Yaoguang raised her arm and made a ‘I’m very strong’ gesture, comforting Zhang Zhaodi: “So, Mom, don’t worry, I’m even stronger than a man.”
Zhang Zhaodi glanced at Zhou Wangshu, afraid of seeing disdain in his eyes. However, Zhou Wangshu’s eyes held only admiration for Su Yaoguang, with no disdain at all.
Zhang Zhaodi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, good.
This little husband worth ten copper coins was handsome, but a bit foolish. Fortunately, he had that foolishness, otherwise how could their family’s Yaoguang be worthy of him?
“There’s a big show to perform tomorrow, so let’s rest early today.” Su Yaoguang pushed Zhang Zhaodi back to her room. “By the way, Mom, let’s sleep together, and leave my room for Wangshu. Wangshu is still growing, and it’s not good for him to keep sleeping in the wood shed. We need to leave a room for him.”
Zhang Zhaodi looked at her with the eyes one uses for an idiot: “You’re registering the marriage certificate tomorrow, so you’ll be a proper husband and wife and should sleep together.”
Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu glanced at each other, both awkwardly turning their heads away.
“Mom, Wangshu and I are still young!”
“You’re fifteen, old enough to wed. Though Wangshu’s age is a bit young, waiting two more years would work too. Forget it, then no sharing a room for now. Wangshu, you sleep in Yaoguang’s room.”
“Actually, I can keep sleeping in the wood shed; it’s pretty good there.”
“What’s good about it? It’s settled.” Zhang Zhaodi said, “You little fool, too honest, always the one to suffer.”
Zhang Zhaodi helped Su Yaoguang move her daily necessities to her room. Afterward, Zhou Wangshu carried his small bundle into Su Yaoguang’s room.
The bottle by the wall now held a different flower arrangement, adding elegance to the room. The room was very clean, with a faint fresh fragrance in the air. Besides the flower scent, there was also the smell of mugwort.
Zhou Wangshu was not at all unfamiliar with the scent of mugwort, after all, Su Yaoguang used mugwort to fumigate the wood shed every day, saying it drove away mosquitoes and insects.
Night had deepened. Zhou Wangshu lay on Su Yaoguang’s bed, the young girl’s body fragrance lingering around his nose.
She spent her days making cosmetics, keeping company with flowers, her whole body wafting with fragrance. All sorts of scents mixed together into a special aroma that was particularly pleasant.
Zhou Wangshu tossed and turned.
Staying here was only a temporary measure. In less than two years, he would definitely leave. But lying on this fragrant bed today, he actually felt a bit reluctant to leave such warmth.
A woman widowed for over a decade, a village girl who had suffered endless bullying from her relatives—they struggled bitterly for a livelihood, the lowliest common people he could never have seen before. Yet from this mother and daughter, he felt warmth and let down his vigilance.
He still had to marry that village girl.
Even if it was a fake marriage, it would still be written with his name, making her his legitimate legal wife.
The next day, Su Yaoguang called Zhou Wangshu’s name from the window: “Get up, little lazy pig.”
Zhou Wangshu, still half-asleep: “…”
He had been insomniac last night, tossing and turning unable to sleep, and just when he finally fell asleep, it was time to get up again.
Zhang Zhaodi said in a lowered voice: “It’s still early, let him sleep, it’s fine to go later.”
“Mom, we have important business today and can’t delay it. Once this matter is handled, he can sleep as long as he wants and I won’t disturb him.”
Ever since Zhou Wangshu agreed to marry Su Yaoguang, Zhang Zhaodi had started spoiling this prospective son-in-law. Look at this fuss—she, the only daughter, was about to lose her status.
In her previous life, after Xiao Yanci wrote the marriage certificate and registered the marriage contract with her, her mother had also done her utmost for him. All the expenses for his studies had been earned through her and her mother’s hard labor.
Once, his classmate mocked him, saying the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone he used were all defective goods, the kind others didn’t want. When he came back, he shut himself in his room and wouldn’t come out even for meals. It was Su Yaoguang who went in to ask what happened, coaxing him with every kind word until he told her about it.
Once he told her, Zhang Zhaodi inquired everywhere for ways to earn money. Besides midwifery, she also took on laundry work—anything that could make money, she took, and with the earnings bought him good writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Yet even so, she still never got a smile from him.
Thinking back now, had she been under some spell, so she couldn’t see that man was an ungrateful person from the start?
Zhou Wangshu waved his hand in front of her: “What are you thinking so intently?”
Su Yaoguang came back to her senses and looked up at Zhou Wangshu in front of her: “Let’s go rent an ox cart.”
Zhang Zhaodi wrapped the freshly baked flatbreads in clean vegetable leaves and handed them to them, saying: “Eat something first, while it’s hot, fill up before going to take care of other things.”
“Mom, we’re heading out first. Stay home, don’t go out, and later do as I said.”
“Got it, you be careful.”
Su Yaoguang went to the village to rent an ox cart, then had Zhou Wangshu drive it while she sat beside him.
“Wangshu…”
“Mm.”
“Once we register the marriage certificate, you’ll be my family’s son-in-law who lives with the wife’s family. You can still back out now if you regret it.”
Zhou Wangshu looked at her strangely: “Will you hit me?”
Su Yaoguang: “…No.”
“Then it’s fine.” Zhou Wangshu gently waved the whip.
Su Yaoguang laughed: “You really are easy to satisfy.”
