Chapter 13 Adding insult to injury
Jiang Lin's mother had no choice but to give one or two taels of silver. Qianhuan knew that Jiang's mother was not honest, and this one or two taels of silver was a pleasant surprise.
Jiang Lin canceled the sachet that the original owner had embroidered for him when they were engaged. Liu took the heart-shaped knot that Jiang Lin had given her and tore up the marriage certificate in front of her. The two families thus canceled the engagement.
Jiang Lin saw Qianhuan tear up the marriage certificate. Although he was very upset about being asked to pay one or two taels of silver, he was happy to be able to cancel the engagement as he wished. After canceling the engagement, Jiang Lin took his mother and left the Liang family.
Among the onlookers, some were just there to watch the fun, some felt sorry for Qianhuan, some felt sorry for Liang Laoer's family, and some who had daughters at home had already started to plot against Jiang Lin.
There were also some people who were originally jealous of Qianhuan being chosen by Jiang Lin's mother and getting engaged. After all, Jiang Lin was one of the few educated people in the entire Yunfeng Village, and the first one to pass the county and prefectural examinations. He had a bright future ahead of him. When they saw Qianhuan's engagement being broken off, these people couldn't help but gloat over their misfortune.
Among them was Aunt Li, who had quarreled with Liang Laoer.
"Some people think their daughters can get a good marriage just because they are pretty. Unfortunately, a sparrow is just a sparrow. It is impossible for it to fly onto a tree and become a phoenix. Look, now it is despised and its engagement has been broken off. This abandoned sparrow, let alone becoming a phoenix, may not even have a tree to sit on. It is a foolish dream for it to want to get married again." Aunt Li couldn't help but add insult to injury.
Aunt Li's words were too harsh. Liang Laoer and Liu wanted to protect their daughter, but they were not good at speaking and really didn't know how to refute Aunt Li's words.
Now that their daughter's engagement has been broken off, she has become a laughing stock in the entire village, and her parents are feeling very sad too.
"Auntie, what does it have to do with you whether I get married or not? Whether I eat your rice or drink your water, is it necessary for you to worry about it?" Qianhuan would not be kind to such people who would take advantage of others' misfortunes and like to laugh at others.
"Hmph, a woman like you who is sharp-tongued and has no sense of etiquette deserves to have your engagement broken off. Forget about getting married in your life." Aunt Li was a little frustrated by Qianhuan's retort.
"Don't bother yourself if I can't get married. Who do you think you are? Is it your place to comment on my marriage? Also, it's time for us to have dinner, so don't stand here and be greedy. We haven't cooked for you. The door is over there, so you can leave." Qianhuan pointed at the gate and drove the man away rudely.
"Hmph, just go if you want to. Who wants to stay in your place?" Aunt Li has always been sharp-tongued. She didn't expect that she would be at a disadvantage this time. She could only snort coldly and leave.
When the villagers saw that they had finished watching the fun, they all dispersed.
Only the Liang family was left sitting at the table and continuing to eat.
Liang Wenyong wanted to comfort his cousin, but he couldn't find the right words to comfort her, so he could only lower his head and eat in silence.
Liang Wenzhi was secretly delighted when he saw his cousin's marriage was cancelled. There were only three scholars in the village, him, Jiang Lin and Hu Zhixiong, and everyone liked to compare them. This year, the three of them took the county and prefectural exams together, and only Jiang Lin passed two subjects and became the only Jiang Tongsheng in the village, while he and Hu Zhixiong did not even pass the county exam.
The villagers all praised Jiang Lin and praised him. If Jiang Lin became his cousin's husband, everyone would compare them, and he would be dwarfed by Jiang Lin.
The marriage was called off at a good and wonderful way. As for Qianhuan's reputation being damaged, it was none of his business.
Chen looked at Qianhuan with sympathy. This little niece had just fallen into the water and had a near-death experience a few days ago. She finally woke up, but her engagement was broken off again. It was really a double whammy.
My second brother’s leg injury has not healed yet, and I don’t know how the three of them will live in the future. The third brother is not at home, and I am now living with my son, but I am unable to do so.
Old Man Liang was in a very low mood. His granddaughter's engagement was broken off and her reputation was damaged. It was also a disgrace to the Liang family. He was a man who valued his reputation and face the most. Now that this had happened, he was too embarrassed to go out and see people.
At this moment, Old Mrs. Liang was regretting why she had not agreed to divide the family a few days ago.
Originally, she didn't want to split up the family, partly because Qianhuan already had a fiancé, Jiang Lin. Jiang Lin had always been very good at studying, and now that he had become a student, he was eligible to take the academy examination, and he had a great chance of passing the imperial examination in the future.
If her family had a grandson-in-law who had made a name for himself, she would be able to benefit from it. But now Qianhuan had lost even her fiancé, and she really wanted to separate them as soon as possible.
"Qianhuan, you spent three taels of silver on medicine for your fever. Now the Jiang family has returned one tael of silver to you. Don't you have to return it to Zhonggong as soon as possible?" Old Mrs. Liang had just regretted not dividing the family property, and now she began to stare at the one tael of silver in her hand.
"Grandma, you all know why I fell into the water. If you want the three taels of silver for the medicine, you should ask for it from my uncle's family. I am the victim, and it is not our turn to pay for the medicine. Therefore, we will not return even a single copper coin of the three taels of silver to Master Zhong."
Qianhuan has no intention of paying back the money for the medicine. It’s already good enough that she didn’t ask Cuihua for compensation for mental damage. Now she still wants her to pay back the money?
Old Mrs. Liang was speechless. She felt that her granddaughter had become more and more sharp-tongued and courageous since she fell into the water.
"Qianhuan, you dead girl, how can you talk to grandma like that? Why do you ask my dad for money to take medicine when you fell into the water?" Liang Wenzhi didn't know the truth, and when he heard Qianhuan say that, he got angry.
"Why should I ask your father for medical expenses? Go ask your good sister."
The family members cherished his knowledge and gave in to him, but she would not give in. What was so great about studying for a few years? She had studied for more than ten years.
Cuihua was flustered. She was afraid that Qianhuan would tell what she had done. After all, Sun Wang was still here. If he knew that she had done such a thing before, he would probably dislike her.
"Okay, shut up, everyone. No one is allowed to mention this matter again, and you, old woman, are not allowed to ask the second brother's family for money again. Today is a good day for Cuihua to come back home, and the whole family should be happy. Now eat well." Old man Liang couldn't listen any longer. He didn't want these family trivial matters to affect Wenzhi's studies.
The head of the family spoke, and everyone fell silent and continued to eat without saying a word.
Sun Wang was confused, but luckily he was an honest man and didn't ask any more questions.
But after being disrupted by the Jiang family, how could Liu and Liang Laoer have any appetite? Their mood dropped to the bottom and they could hardly swallow even a mouthful of food.
What should they do after their daughter's engagement is rejected? Once the girl's reputation is damaged, it will be difficult for men to come to propose marriage in the future. Even if there is one, it is probably not a good family. The couple is full of worries.
Qianhuan's appetite was not affected at all. On the contrary, canceling the marriage was a great joy for her.
The sooner I get rid of that kind of man, the sooner I'll feel comfortable. He and his mother are greedy and profit-driven. If I make money in the future, his family will definitely not want to cancel the engagement no matter what. That would be a big trouble.
It’s a pity that the brown rice was too unpalatable, and after all this trouble, the food had gone cold. She didn’t like eating cold rice or cold dishes, so she didn’t eat much.
Her parents thought she was too sad to eat, and they felt even more sorry for their daughter.
Cuihua couldn't hide the joy on her face. It was great. Qianhuan was actually broken off by the Jiang family. She lost such an excellent fiancé. Her reputation in Yunfeng Village would be ruined. It would be difficult for her to get married again. She would become a laughing stock in the whole village.
At this moment, she was unaware that her surname was also Liang. If Qianhuan had a bad reputation, even though she was already a married woman, it would still have some impact on her own reputation.
Zhu was also in a good mood. She usually disliked Liu and Chen and liked to compete with them in everything.
Now that her daughter has married such a good man, Qianhuan has been broken off and has become infamous. How can she not be happy?
The mother and daughter had a better appetite than usual at noon today and both ate very well.
The meal was finished with everyone having different thoughts.