Chapter 37: It's Not Your Turn to Worry

Yan Buji appeared frantic, stretching out his hands: "Back then, before I, Yan Buji, had even managed to descend into this world, my mother passed away and left me; and when I had just turned three, my father also died unfortunate. At that time, not a single one of those so-called relatives from our village came forward to help me settle my parents' affairs so they could rest in peace! How pitiful I was, young and ignorant, only able to watch helplessly as my beloved father lay alone on the bed, his body rotting and breeding maggots, exuding a nauseating stench! That despair and helplessness remain deeply etched in my heart to this day."

"Afterwards, the village bully seized our family's land and drove us out of the village! That day I personally saw the bully unleash wild dogs that devoured my father's corpse lying on the bed down to the last bone, then he set fire to our house! It was only thanks to your father's help that I managed to escape with my life!"

Yan Buji's eyes reddened as he recounted his past: "Back then I swore that whoever dared to bully me in the future would be made to wish for life but unable to die, and to beg for death but unable to obtain it. Even following your father, I spent every day scrambling for food with wild dogs. In those famine years, have you ever seen corpses by the roadside? Have you ever seen the starving, red‑eyed gaze of people when they look at us two little kids with our greenish eyes?"

"You haven't!"

"How I and your father managed to survive needs no further explanation from me."

"At fifteen I parted from your father, hoping to find a place to stand in this world. I came to Lin Shan Cheng, begging all day behind caravans, enduring endless scorn and insults; fortunately I later found work as a shop assistant, and finally managed to save my first sum of money in life!"

"I still remember that when I got my wages I bought a jug of liquor and three plain buns with no meat or fish, eating them with tears streaming down my face."

"At twenty I met Rou Er's mother, the most beautiful woman I have ever encountered in my life. She had collapsed by the roadside, on the verge of death; I rescued her and gave her food. Afterwards I lived with her for a while, and we became husband and wife; the following year Rou Er was born."

"But she died! She didn't die giving birth to Rou Er; she died to protect me and Rou Er...."

Yan Buji said up to this point, then suddenly squatted on the ground, clasped his head and burst into wails: "I'm sorry to her, I'm sorry to her! I failed to take good care of Rou Er, but what I owe her I will repay her!"

Yan Buji cried for a while, caught his breath, stood up, and looked at the dazed Xiao Ran.

"You're still young, you don't understand the heartache of us adults. If I had known early on that Zhou Hua was such a despicable person, I would never have entrusted Rou Er to him! But now the mistake is made; all I can do is try to make amends."

Xiao Ran felt the surging, mighty power within Yan Buji's body, and involuntarily drew a deep breath.

"Uncle, even if you don't know Zhou Hua's character, my little sister is still studying at Lingshan Academy—what do you intend to do?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Sigh. For now, to preserve Rou Er's reputation, the only option is to marry her off to Zhou Hua." Yan Buji sighed.

Xiao Ran fell silent, then could not hold back his anger: "What will that little sister think? As her father, can you really bear to watch your daughter jump into a pit of fire and be unhappy for the rest of her life?!"

"Xiao Ran! Don't think that being Xiao Dingtian's son lets you spout off here; let me ask you, if the deflowered Rou Er were to marry you, would you be willing?" Yan Buji said coldly.

From a father's standpoint, Xiao Ran, as an outsider, naturally has no right to blame Yan Buji.

He countered with a question, and he also didn't know how to answer.

"I... I...."

"Since ancient times, parental orders and matchmaker's words—I will have Zhou Hua observe the three betrothal and six rites, and properly bring Rou Er into the house as his wife; isn't that enough?!"

"When did my family affairs become something for you to worry about?"

Xiao Ran remained silent, rose, clasped his fists in farewell, and left.

Yan Buji watched the study door gradually close, the corner of his mouth curling into an arc, then turned his head toward the next room.

"Rou Er, you heard all of that, right?"

"These words of mine were all meant for you to hear."

In another room.

Yan Xirou leaned against the wall with vacant eyes, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

"How could this...."

"How could this...."

"I have been defiled by Zhou Hua?!"

"Father knows about this, yet still wants to marry me to Zhou Hua?!"

For a moment, Yan Xirou's eyes filled with tears as she hugged her legs and began to sob softly.

At this moment, her mind was like a tangled skein, thoughts intertwining, leaving her feeling utterly confused. Deep within her heart endless sorrow spread, as if it were about to devour her. She longed to release this pain by shouting loudly, but her throat felt blocked, unable to utter a sound. Tears swirled in her eye sockets, blurring her vision, and the world before her grew hazy.

"The father I loved most, actually......"

"On the other side."

Xiao Ran returned to his room, sighed, and said: "Looks like I was meddling in other people's affairs."

【Hehe, want to take the moral high ground to blame others? Your conduct really has the air of a righteous cultivator—awesome!】

【Didn't you say he wouldn't tell the truth?】

【He's telling the truth, so what? What do you think compelled him to abandon his family and sell his daughter to go to the capital?】

Xiao Ran frowned, shook his head, and said: "Sigh, I can't see Yan Buji's intention. He clearly appears to love his little sister, yet in this matter he shows such cold indifference."

【That's what a normal person does—after learning that Zhou Hua YJ'd Yan Xirou, to minimize the impact and prevent his daughter's reputation from being ruined, he has no choice but to act this way.】

【Huh? Old thing, you don't look down on Yan Buji, do you? You always thought he was a deeply scheming evil person, so why are you now speaking up for him?】

【Hahaha, people in this world are all pretty much the same. One who can abandon everything for a single cause truly surpasses you, this brat. At least, as I see it, his will is as firm as stone, fully in line with my wishes.】

Xiao Ran scoffed: "If pushing one's own daughter into a pit of fire counts as being a good person, then I'm afraid there are no bad people in this world. Even a tigress won't eat her cubs—I can't understand Yan Buji, but.... I don't want to get involved in this matter."

【He shamelessly uttered those words to Yan Xirou next door, as if he didn't care whether she would hear them or not. Even if he might eventually face the hatred and disgust of his own biological daughter, he still dares to speak like that. Such behavior, while somewhat hard to comprehend, can also be seen as that of an utterly frank and genuine petty person from another angle.】

The old thing chuckled a few times, and Xiao Ran didn't want to think about these matters anymore.

Anyway, let's leave in these few days; it seems the Yan household can't stay any longer.