Chapter 3: Refusing the Match

“You ungrateful girl, still talking back?! I worked so hard to arrange a marriage for you, and you ruined it! You’ve made me lose face!”

Old Madam Lin wanted to hang Lin Qinghuan up and beat her. That wretched girl even dared to hit her foot with a stick. Absolutely outrageous.

“Grandma, I said I won’t marry Master Liu. If you insist, I’ll have to take it to the yamen,” Lin Qinghuan said in the most innocent tone, delivering the most infuriating words.

Country folk trembled at the mention of officials. Lin Daguo was so startled he nearly dropped his hoe. He looked at Lin Qinghuan suspiciously. ‘Was this really the quiet girl she used to be?’

“Enough! Your grandmother is being stubborn. I’ll make the decision for you. If you don’t want to marry, then don’t.” There were too many onlookers. The Lin family was a respectable household in Peach Blossom Village; they couldn’t be seen as a public spectacle.

“But…” Old Madam Lin wanted to say more, but a glare from Lin Daguo silenced her.

The commotion dissipated. People returned to their homes. Lin Yanhong and Lin Yanlan came back from the vegetable patch, still unaware of what had happened. As always, they bullied Lin Qinghuan.

They threw the vegetables at her. “Hurry up and cook! Are you trying to starve us?”

Just then, Lin Qingyu returned. He had heard people talking about the Lin family at the village entrance and thought his grandmother was beating his sister again. He ran all the way back.

His grandmother had sent him to deliver something to Butcher Ma early in the morning. It was a scheme to get him out of the way.

“Sister, are you okay? Your forehead is hurt?” When Lin Qingyu saw the wound on Lin Qinghuan’s forehead, his eyes reddened. He looked like he was about to cry, which made Lin Qinghuan feel helpless.

“Alright, let’s go back to our room.” Lin Qinghuan cast a cold glance at the main house. From now on, if anyone wanted to bully her, they’d have to answer to her fists first.

“Sister, aren’t you going to…” Make lunch? Lin Qingyu didn’t finish his question. All the chores in the house had always been done by the two of them. His sister was responsible for cooking and laundry, while he did heavy work like chopping wood and cutting pigweed.

“Of course not. If they want to eat, they can cook themselves. From now on, we don’t have to bow to their every whim. Qingyu, do you trust me?”

In her past life, Lin Qinghuan was an orphan. She had never experienced familial love. But with Lin Qingyu, she felt it. So she would do everything in her power to protect him, never letting him suffer harm.

Although Lin Qingyu didn’t understand why his sister had suddenly changed, he always followed her lead. Whatever she said, he did.

They returned to their small room. It was more of a storage closet than a bedroom. Lin Qingyu fetched water to clean her forehead. The weather was scorching hot; if they weren’t careful, the wound would get infected.

Lin Qinghuan lay on the bed, absorbing all of her predecessor’s memories. Since she had transmigrated here, she would live a different life in place of the original owner.

In the main house, everyone was chattering about the incident. Old Madam Lin kept cursing without stopping. “That wretched girl is after her father’s thirty taels. What’s wrong with marrying her off? Master Liu offered a full ten taels as betrothal gift. Where else can you find such a good deal?”

The eyes of the eldest aunt and second aunt lit up instantly. If selling Lin Qinghuan brought such a high bride price, then when their own daughters married, the old lady would surely give them some dowry.

“You shouldn’t be so obvious. If the villagers find out, who knows what they’ll say behind our backs.” Lin Daguo puffed on his pipe.

Usually he didn’t bother with household matters. But when it came to saving face, he wouldn’t stay out of it.

“Let them talk. You think I can’t handle a little girl like her? Tomorrow Master Liu will send someone again. Even if we have to tie her up, she’s going!”

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