Chapter 255: Nocking the Bow to Ward Off Evil

Shitou took out a stone from his pocket, nocked the bow, and aimed in a relaxed manner.

He only pulled the elastic band halfway before releasing his hand.

In the blink of an eye, a miserable scream came from outside the crowd.

Looking again, the brown-clothed woman had already fallen heavily to the ground, clutching her right knee and rolling around.

Her whole body trembled, but she couldn't utter a word; each shout grew more shrill.

After the sun came out in the afternoon, with so many people crowded together, it originally felt a bit hot.

At this moment, everyone looking at the brown-clothed woman felt a chill down their backs, and the heat vanished instantly.

How painful it must be!

Just looking at it makes one feel like they'd die of pain.

He Jinglan gave Shitou a quick wink, meaning "Well done!"

She seized the moment and said loudly, "Our family has stayed far away from her; since just now we haven't chased her again, yet no one has touched a finger of hers."

"It's her own fault for not watching where she was walking and falling; please let everyone be a witness."

Not everyone is as ugly and vicious as the brown-clothed woman; many nodded in agreement, indicating their willingness to serve as witnesses.

Moreover, those acquainted with the brown-clothed woman voluntarily said they could escort her home on their way later.

He Jinglan pulled Zhang Shen back to the doorway.

Seeing Gu Xixi lower her head to look at the ground, she showed a puzzled expression.

He Jinglan asked with a smile, "What are you looking at?"

Gu Xixi's gaze swept around for a while, and finally she spotted a gray, angular stone beneath someone's foot.

Besides the village's communal irrigation canal, there are plenty of such stones.

As expected…

Gu Xixi straightened up, smiled at He Jinglan, and said, "Nothing."

She glanced at Shitou, and the little fellow immediately averted his gaze, pretending to look up at the sky.

Gu Xixi subtly turned her gaze forward again, thinking, "Really suspicious!"

Since the incident happened suddenly and under the cover of darkness, nobody else noticed the direction in which Shitou fired his iron slingshot.

But Gu Xixi, standing beside Shitou, observed carefully.

This kid merely pulled the bowstring halfway, which, compared to his usual full-force stance, is inherently suspicious.

Moreover, with the area packed with people, given his usual slingshot aim, there is at least a fifty percent chance of accidentally hurting someone.

To precisely strike the brown-clothed woman's knee from a distance, unless…

Activate cheat mode!

Thinking this, Gu Xixi also felt a chill down her back, as if something unclean were staring at her.

She couldn't help but turn her head to glance at the courtyard, always having an ominous premonition.

Thus she lost the mood to linger here and decided to settle things quickly.

"I am the person you intended to propose to."

"Since you won't listen to Aunt Zhang, I'll speak myself."

"First, my father is known as Gu the Skinflint; I've inherited his stinginess and love of wealth. The previous man sold his position at the government office for a bargain, and I only spent one wen, so the betrothal gift for marrying into my family is just this."

In the night, there were successive sounds of people sucking in cold air.

One wen?

Even the poorest families aren't this stingy when taking a wife, let alone the dowry for marrying into a family, which should be doubled!

Gu Xixi paid no heed to others' reactions and continued, "Second, after marrying in, to avoid regret, one must go to the government office to change the household registration, thereafter taking my surname Gu. He cannot interfere with my outside affairs; he can only stay home to wash clothes, cook, and tend the children."

"Third, I will give him monthly household expenses; the rest of my property I manage myself, unrelated to anyone else."

"Fourth, since he will bear the surname Gu, he must naturally sever ties with his former family; his parents and brothers, whether they die of illness or starvation, will have nothing to do with me."

The scene erupted again.

"Just one wen? You're joking."

"No, no; if we accept this condition, aren't we just getting a strong laborer for free?"

Gu Xixi couldn't be bothered to listen to this nonsense, telling her own family, "Whether they leave or stay, go home."

Several people went inside, bolted the door, and still set out dinner in the courtyard.

As the dishes were served, before Shitou could summon the old doctor, the outside clamor gradually faded.

Zhang Shen finally breathed a sigh of relief, "It's a pity we have no relatives nearby; otherwise, when we first heard Aunt Wu say that, we should have gone out to avoid it earlier."

Gu Xixi smiled lightly, "Can we really be forced to leave home by a few strangers?"

"Knowing what they truly covet, we only need to completely cut off their thoughts, once and for all."

Some wanted to marry off their son in exchange for a betrothal gift to ease the family burden.

Some wanted to let their son marry into a wealthy household, so the whole family would ascend together and share in the glory.

Some eyed Gu Xixi, a lone girl, as easy to manipulate, planning to have their son marry in first; after a few years, whatever happens will still be up to the man.

All these calculations revolve around the character for "profit."

Gu Xixi then told them bluntly, "Marrying into my family won't bring any benefits; you'll only suffer a loss!"

These people naturally saw the difficulty and withdrew.

Zhang Shen nodded, "The method is effective, but I'm afraid it will sound bad if it gets out."

"What if one day you earn enough silver and want to marry again…"

"Nothing to fear," He Jinglan laughed, "Auntie sees how enthusiastic these people are,"

"Even if, years later, Xixi wants to start a family, under generous rewards there will always be brave men; we can replace them with a fresher, more lively batch!"

As soon as the words fell, a sudden crack was heard.

Just then, nobody was speaking; the courtyard was quiet, only the gurgling of Little Flower eating could be heard.

Zhang Shen doubted herself and asked, "Did you hear any sound?"

Shitou pulled Lao Langzhong out from the Houyuan; hearing this, he quickly laughed a few times, "Ha, ha, ha, I smell meat!"

Lao Langzhong, we'll have meat to eat tonight!

However, no one at the table responded.

He Jinglan said, "It sounds like a mouse might have gotten into the main hall."

She turned to Shitou, "Did you just go in and out—did you close the screen door?"

Shitou pointed at Little Flower, "Little Flower is standing guard here; how could we let a mouse in?"

Sister Jing Lan is overthinking, I'm so hungry—let's eat!

Gu Xixi remained silent, only waiting for Shitou to help Lao Langzhong sit down first.

She then gave a half-smile and asked, "Just now, thanks to you hitting that woman, it had a deterrent effect, making the others a bit calmer."

Shitou sat down stiffly, his eyes darting, "Yes, yes."

Gu Xixi's smile deepened, "You're hungry, but isn't your helper hungry too?"

Shitou startled, jumped up, and blurted out, "Sister Xixi, I didn't mean to hide it from you—I—I—I was just afraid you'd get angry. I promise this is the first time; I've never lied to you before! I've always been on your side—even if Mr. Chen suddenly returns, and you dislike him, I will definitely help you, Sister Xixi!"

Gu Xixi lightly pressed Shitou's shoulder, letting him sit down, "Don't panic, I'm not blaming you."

She looked toward the main hall, her gaze turning sharp, "There's no one else around; no need to hide."

Everyone faced the main hall.

The door was pushed open from inside, and a man walked out, dressed in neat black combat robes, his long hair tied high behind his head.

His demeanor was quite different from the scholarly air everyone was familiar with.

Only when he stepped into the light did his stunningly beautiful face, capable of rivaling the moonlight, become visible.

After I left, Boss Gu's love life has been booming.