Chapter 8: The days that will really make you cry are still ahead~

Lu Yuan just arrived at the main gate.

He saw a middle-aged woman sitting on the ground, clutching another middle-aged woman's thigh, crying and making a fuss.

It goes without saying that the one rolling on the ground is Gao Xushi.

And the other, speechless-faced, is the matchmaker.

It's just after work, so everyone in the compound has returned and gathered in the front courtyard to watch the commotion.

"He's definitely going to run away; no need to think—just giving someone eight bucks, you're not treating them like a person at all."

Pang Kaige squatted on the threshold between the front and middle courtyards, holding a bowl of noodles, laughing as he watched the spectacle, not minding making a big deal of it.

This person is the same age as Lu Yuan, just two months younger, a second-rank forge worker at the Forging Bureau, earning twenty-four silver dollars a month.

He's about to be promoted to third-rank forge worker, and besides, Pang Kaige's parents run a small business, making his family relatively well-off in this compound.

After Pang Kaige finished speaking, the people around nodded.

He was also speechless toward Gao Xushi.

They're about to get a daughter-in-law, yet they're being so stingy.

What's the harm in giving two more dollars?

The current minimum standard is ten dollars, you know.

Who would have thought, as soon as Pang Kaige finished speaking, Gao Xushi, while still clutching the matchmaker's thigh, glared at Pang Kaige and said:

"You know nothing! She's just a country bumpkin—giving her eight dollars is already being generous!"

"For our Gao family to marry her is a blessing she cultivated in her past life!"

However, just as Gao Xushi finished speaking, Kou Yang, leaning against the doorframe, smirked and said:

"Hey~ I saw that person this morning, and she's definitely not an ordinary country girl—she's beautiful, actually a fox woman,

If we went back eighty years, she'd be an official's lady or a military lady,

and you're giving her only eight dollars—of course she wouldn't be happy."

The speaker is also of Lu Yuan's generation, two years younger, now nineteen.

Aside from that, he just looks a bit anxious.

At nineteen he looks like he's thirty-nine.

This person isn't a forge worker; he runs a small eatery next to the Forging Bureau, actually opened by his father.

Life is decent; although the eatery doesn't make much money, there's never a shortage of food.

Whether it's cooking scraps, trimmings, or leftovers from customers, he's got it all.

No matter the era, a cook never starves.

Every few days they can enjoy a meal of white flour noodles; in this compound, Kou Yang's family eats the best—of course, that was before; from now on, it's definitely Lu Yuan.

After Kou Yang finished speaking, those in the compound who hadn't seen Su Liyan this morning looked somewhat startled.

A fox woman?

That's really impressive.

I've heard that a fox woman's physique is somewhat different from a human's.

Lu Yuan also suddenly realized, today Su Liyan's delicate little hand.

If she were an ordinary rural person, even in her twenties and doing year-round chores, her hand would be rough as can be.

But Su Liyan's little hand is different—soft and tender, moreover beautifully formed, slender and fair.

Moreover, Su Liyan is certainly not the type who avoids work, after all Lu Yuan can see the label.

This is the difference between a fox woman's physique and a human's.

I've heard that the biggest difference between a fox woman and an ordinary person lies in bed… hehehehe…

I've heard, I've heard…

Whether it's true or not, Lu Yuan doesn't know either.

Hehehehe…

At this moment, Gao Xushi spat at Kou Yang and said:

"What fox woman, what official's lady, military lady—you know that's stuff from eighty years ago, old and outdated, nobody does that anymore!!"

"She's just a rural person—oh dear, I can't take it, isn't this bullying? A rural person bullying us to our heads, I can't take it……"

The people in the compound looked at each other; while watching the spectacle is fun, they can't keep causing a ruckus like this.

At that moment, the eldest elder of the Siheyuan finally spoke:

"Why don't we just report it to the authorities?"

Basically every Siheyuan has three elders; these three are the most virtuous and respected in the compound, and when a family has a quarrel or domestic dispute that can't be resolved, it's up to the three elders to step in.

They serve as the leaders and heads of the Siheyuan.

Generally everyone listens to the elders.

However, after the eldest elder finished speaking, the matchmaker who had been silent all along gave a speechless look and said:

"What's the point of reporting to the authorities? It's just that they didn't take a liking to her—I told you there's no one like you; we had originally agreed on a betrothal gift of ten dollars, but then you went and knocked it down to eight."

As soon as the matchmaker finished speaking, Gao Xushi immediately gritted her teeth and retorted:

"She agreed to it back then too!!"

The matchmaker immediately gritted her teeth and said:

"What agreement? I haven't even asked her yet!!"

At that moment, another elder beside him continued:

"We should still report it—eight dollars is no small sum, that's half a month's stipend for Tingyu."

After that elder finished speaking, the matchmaker gave a speechless look and said:

What eight dollars? Even if it were eight dollars, they didn't accept it. Besides, when has bride money ever been given directly to the bride? It's always meant for the parents!

Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard was speechless.

Oh, so the bride's side didn't even take the money???

Then what the hell are you shouting for here!!

Everyone still thought the bride's side had taken the money and run!

As it turns out, they didn't even ask for the money??

This just means they simply don't like your family, right??

And you're still making a fuss about this??

The crowd fell into a great silence.

The elder who had come out to speak up also couldn't hold back, and then said:

"I think this matter might have some other reason, little sis, get up quickly—it's cold on the ground.

Maybe there was an urgent matter, and they left first?

If worse comes to worst, we'll just find another one.

Don't make a scene, lest the people in the outer courtyard see us as a joke."

Actually, Gao Xushi meant just that, but Gao Tingyu was unwilling; standing at his own doorstep, Gao Tingyu, with reddened eye sockets, shouted directly:

"Elder, I've taken a liking to Su Liyan."

Gao Tingyu is one year younger than Lu Yuan and of the same generation.

Speaking of which, among Lu Yuan's generation in the Siheyuan, there are just four people: Lu Yuan, Pang Kaige, Kou Yang, and Gao Tingyu.

And among these four, Gao Tingyu is the most useless.

Mainly because Gao Xushi is just too domineering.

Looking at Gao Tingyu's hopeless appearance, he's actually about to cry.

However, Gao Tingyu is crying out of anger—his mother is fine, yet he insists on waiting for the person to arrive before chopping off two pieces, otherwise how could the person run away!

Lu Yuan, looking at Gao Tingyu's state, could also understand.

Leaving aside other things, just speaking of Su Liyan's appearance—it's truly beyond description, the most beautiful under heaven, unmatched in the world; could those labels be fake?

With such a bride-to-be about to be won, who wouldn't cry angrily?

Lu Yuan would probably have to cry angrily as well.

But... cry now?

Crying is so yesterday~

Su Liyan is certainly not just about having the most beautiful face in the world.

This is absolutely a great treasure—her virtue, her character.

The real days to cry are still ahead~

(End of chapter)