Chapter 526

The seventh day since Huaihua went missing.

Apart from the two versions.

A third version also emerged.

The wife-swapping claim.

They said Bangeng's reputation as Chen Shimei had already affected his search for a spouse; many matchmakers, upon learning that the person commissioning them was Bangeng of the Jia Family in the Siheyuan, would immediately refuse.

At that moment they backed out, bluntly saying they could not handle this marriage—a man who, to return to the city, could kick out a widow's wife, a beast they could not bear responsibility for any future mishaps.

Jia Zhangshi, for the sake of the Jia family's lineage, had reached an agreement with an acquaintance.

They agreed to exchange brides.

Bangeng married the other family's daughter.

The other family's son married Huaihua.

However, because the other party was a disabled person with physical defects and seemingly low intelligence.

Huaihua did not agree.

She ran away.

Just like Xiao Dang had done earlier, she fled the Jia family.

At first, no one believed this claim.

It was too bizarre.

But as the parties involved appeared, the wife-swapping claim gained corroboration, also proving that Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, and Bangeng had deliberately forced Huaihua to leave.

The onlooking neighbors.

They all crowded into the central courtyard.

The Jia family's drama.

They wanted to watch.

The Jia family's gossip.

They wanted to feast on it.

Jia Zhangshi, already vexed over Huaihua's running away, saw the neighbors gathering in the central courtyard, her face instinctively darkened, realizing their intent, she bellowed at them a few sentences.

"What are you looking at? What's there to see? All of you, get out!"

The intention was to scare them off.

To avoid the Jia family losing face.

However, over the past few days the neighbors had been holding in their anger, truly unable to stand the Jia family's behavior, and they believed Huaihua had fallen victim to the Jia family's scheme to drive her away.

They had always wanted to speak up for Huaihua.

In fact, the neighbors wanted to take the moral high ground, lecture the Jia family, and leave them helpless, using Huaihua as a pretext.

They would give Jia Zhangshi not a shred of face.

Wang Lao Ju, who was on bad terms with Jia Zhangshi, was the first to step forward.

"Jia Zhangshi, what do you mean? Did your Jia family buy the central courtyard? Produce the relevant evidence; as long as you prove the Jia family bought the central courtyard, even if you beg us to stay, we won't lift a finger."

They extended a hand.

"Come on, come on, produce the evidence; without evidence, what are you arrogantly flaunting? Do you really think it's still more than ten years ago, when Yi Zhonghai's word was law in the great courtyard?"

"You."

Jia Zhangshi, furious and speechless.

Knowing they could not win the argument.

Thus they also lost the desire to contend with the neighbors.

Seeing that friend arrive with ill intent, standing there, they secretly thought, 'Not good.'

They forced a smile onto their face.

Three parts apologetic smile, seven parts fawning.

"Older sister, if you have anything to say, let's talk inside."

Had it been the past, if Huaihua were present, that friend might well have agreed to Jia Zhangshi's proposal.

To speak a heartfelt word.

She really liked Huaihua, and thus had the idea of exchanging brides with the Jia family; she never expected the Jia family to be inhumane, driving Huaihua away.

The woman, however, did not think so; in her mind, the so-called Jia family forcing Huaihua to leave was purely a trap designed by the Jia family: first let her daughter marry Bangeng, then use Huaihua's angry departure as an excuse, thereby ruining her plan to exchange brides.

This amounted to the woman giving the Jia family a daughter for nothing.

What good thing could she be thinking?

If it weren't for Huaihua's outstanding looks, even with any amount of betrothal gifts, the woman could not agree to let her daughter marry Bangeng, whose reputation was ruined and whose name was as infamous as Chen Shimei's.

They heard some rumors about Huaihua, then inquired around the vicinity, confirming that Huaihua was gone.

The crucial point of this matter.

Jia Zhangshi had never told the woman the truth; yesterday afternoon she still lied to her, saying Huaihua was not yet of age, so Bangeng could first marry the woman's daughter.

After a few years, when Huaihua came of age, they would then marry her off.

Even if the woman asked whether Huaihua had run away, Jia Zhangshi stubbornly insisted it wasn't so, bluntly claiming someone was smearing the Jia family.

Today.

The woman deliberately did not enter the Jia family home with Jia Zhangshi; she wanted, in front of the whole courtyard's neighbors, to expose the Jia family's hypocritical facade and let them see the Jia family's beastly nature.

There was a hint of amused playfulness on their face.

They gave a soft chuckle.

"Big sister, this isn't something shameful; let's talk right here—good deeds need not be avoided, taboos bring no good, and they only invite suspicion."

Go back inside and drink some water; having come all this way, you definitely need to drink some water, otherwise people will think we, the Jia family, are mistreating the older sister, that we're so poor we don't even have a cup of hot water.

No, it's not that I don't want to; I'm not thirsty. Yesterday after you told me about that matter, I discussed it with our head of household. Our head of household's opinion is that this matter cannot be handled piecemeal; there are rules for exchanged marriages and rules for weddings. This ancient principle spanning thousands of years cannot be broken in our hands, right? There's also no reason to split the exchanged marriage. Our family's daughter will go into your household, and your family's Huaihua will come into our household.

We can't determine Huaihua's age, but there is that marriage law, so don't let her enter when the time comes.

The unreasonable, shrewish Jia Zhangshi of the Siheyuan.

It's rare that they start talking about the law.

It truly astonished the neighbors.

Even Jia Zhangshi has her obedient moments.

Older sister, the words are like this, the principle is like this, but a living person cannot be held to death by holding urine; Huaihua is underage, that's a fact, but our two families will not destroy the rule of exchanged marriage. Our head of household's opinion is that your family's Huaihua should first get engaged to our family's Bangchu; once engaged, we become one family. As the old saying goes, one family does not speak of two families—you say, isn't that the principle?

Jia Zhangshi secretly groaned in her heart.

She originally thought she could use the marriage law to brush it off.

This was still Jia Zhangshi who, yesterday inquiring about Huaihua's whereabouts, unintentionally heard someone mention it in passing.

She took it to heart, specifically inquired a bit, and thought she could use the marriage law as an excuse; Bangeng marrying the woman's daughter was a done deal.

The plan couldn't keep up with the changes.

They didn't demand marriage, but instead proposed an engagement.

Looking at the woman's expression and tone of voice just now, the engagement matter allows no alteration.

She became anxious.

Huaihua isn't here; how can we get engaged?

Nowadays, an engagement means the man and woman meet face to face, and in the presence of both families' relatives they become one family despite not being one; unlike before, when the man and woman never met, and good or bad depended entirely on the matchmaker's words.

Jia Zhangshi actually wanted to substitute herself or let Qin Huairu substitute for Huaihua to get engaged to the woman's son.

No chance.

One could see Jia Zhangshi's and Qin Huairu's cheeks at a glance.

What made Jia Zhangshi unable to accept was the woman speaking out, which inexplicably ruined her plan to kill two birds with one stone. She had originally intended to have Bangeng scheme against You Fengxia inside the Siheyuan, and outside the Siheyuan, under the pretense of exchanged marriage, to flirt and romance the woman's daughter; then she would wait for the best offer, see who gives a higher dowry, and marry that person.

But the woman's exposé thwarted Jia Zhangshi's scheme to plot against You Fengxia.

There are so many people in the courtyard.

The matter of exchanged marriage simply cannot be hidden.

Just one face.

Dragging on and on.

After thinking it over,

Decided to first protect the woman.

(End of chapter)