PDLP Chapter 15: I can't marry him!
Chapter 15: I can't marry him!
Upon hearing Qian Junwei's name, Xu Chunsheng's brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
Xu Chunsheng held Xu Yaomei in his arms to comfort her, but he couldn't help feeling a little flustered.
Because he remembered the old story of how his sister was tortured to death after marrying Qian Junwei in his previous life.
He feared that such a tragedy would repeat itself in this lifetime.
But he had to try to calm himself down and then turned to ask Xiaowei's mother what had happened.
"Boss, I'm so sorry, I was only two minutes late. Someone came in claiming to be Yaomei's brother-in-law, but he turned out to be a fraud. If I hadn't been stopped outside, the child would definitely have been bullied!"
Xiaowei's mother kept apologizing, her face full of guilt.
"Brother, I'm fine. Xiaowei even helped me beat up Qian Junwei just now."
Xu Yaomei lifted her head from her brother's shoulder and spoke.
The little guy looked up, completely unaware that his brother's clothes on his shoulders were not only wet but also shiny.
"He just ran over there and knocked Qian Junwei down. That's pretty impressive."
As she spoke, Xu Yaomei gestured her name in her brother's arms.
"It's good that everyone is alright."
Xu Chunsheng patted his younger sister's head and said to Xiaowei's mother, "That man is from our village, a good-for-nothing. Is Xiaowei alright?"
"He wasn't injured; boys are tough," said Xiaowei's mother.
Hearing this, Xu Chunsheng felt relieved and led his younger sister aside to ask, "Qian Junwei told you he wanted to be your brother-in-law?"
"He said that my eldest sister would marry him in the future and that I should call her brother-in-law. If I didn't call her brother-in-law, he would flick my head."
Xu Yaomei pointed to the mark on her forehead as she spoke.
A while has passed since the incident, and there is still a rice-grain-sized mark on the little girl's head.
Xu Chunsheng blew on it with a bit of heartache, saying, "Whoosh, whoosh, the pain is gone."
Xu Yaomei angrily continued to emphasize, "Yaomei doesn't want Qian Junwei as her brother-in-law!"
"Definitely not," Xu Chunsheng assured her.
Just then, the older sister, having finished her shopping, came over and found the brother and sister. "Why aren't you watching the things? What are you talking about over here?"
Xu Yaomei recounted to her eldest sister how Qian Junwei had bullied her earlier, adding at the end, "Elder sister, don't marry Qian Junwei, he's a bad guy!"
After hearing these words, the older sister touched her youngest sister's forehead with some heartache. "Youngest sister doesn't understand. This is an adult matter. Next time you see Qian Junwei, tell your youngest sister to bounce back, okay?"
"Big sister, what does Qian Junwei mean? Is he talking nonsense?!"
Xu Chunsheng swallowed hard, his throat feeling tight.
The eldest sister was silent for a moment, then said, "The Qian family sent a matchmaker to our house to arrange a marriage some time ago."
"To act as matchmaker?"
Did this not happen in your past life, or did it happen in your past life that you are unaware of?
"Why? Did Mom and Dad agree?"
Xu Chunsheng asked.
"I haven't agreed yet. I'm at the age to get married, so I'll meet up with someone suitable first."
The eldest sister did not tell him what she had talked about with her parents the night before; she only said that she should get married.
"No! I disagree!"
Xu Chunsheng suddenly grabbed his sister's hand, his neck veins bulging from the shock, and shouted loudly, ignoring the crowd of people coming and going around him.
This attracted frequent glances and stares from those around them.
Xu Chunsheng suddenly realized he had overreacted. He slowly released his sister's hand and muttered to himself, "No, no, I'm going to find Mom and Dad. This marriage can't go through. You don't know Qian Junwei is a beast. I absolutely can't marry him!"
As they were talking, Xu Chunsheng, still dazed, was about to go home to refuse the marriage proposal. He hadn't even heard his sister say that she hadn't agreed yet; his mind was filled with memories of his sister's tragic later life in his previous life.
"What are you doing!"
The older sister grabbed Xu Chunsheng's arm, "You haven't agreed yet, and you don't want the Ophiopogon japonicus!"
It was only when the older sister pulled him that Xu Chunsheng's mind was pulled out of its daze.
"Didn't agree? That's good, that's good."
"Yes! Ophiopogon japonicus, Ophiopogon japonicus, why hasn't Li Da arrived yet!"
Although Xu Chunsheng's mind was clear, he was still agitated.
He didn't even consider that it takes so long to get from the county town to the town. No matter how early Li Da arrives, it will be almost noon by the time he gets to the town.
"Second brother, what's wrong?"
Xu Yaomei grabbed half of Xu Chunsheng's hand and shook it, looking at him with some worry.
She had never seen her brother with such an expression before. In the past few days, her brother had suddenly done a lot of work and liked to play with her more. She liked her brother now, but she was also a little afraid that he would turn back into the way he used to be.
Feeling the warm touch of his palm, Xu Chunsheng finally came to his senses. "Brother is fine. Big sister, you take little sister to play. I'll stay here and watch over her."
Xu Chunsheng needs to be alone right now.
The eldest sister nodded, coaxed her youngest sister, and led her away.
Xiaowei's mother, who was standing nearby, had been watching her sisters' movements closely. Seeing them talking and even hitting each other, she assumed that she hadn't been watching her youngest sister properly and that she had been bullied, which was why the two of them started arguing.
So when Xu Chunsheng came over, Xiaowei's mother clasped her hands together and kept squeezing them, "Boss, I'm sorry, I should have waited for you to come back before delivering the vegetables."
Xiaowei's mother didn't know what to do. Since her husband passed away, she had to raise her child and take care of her father-in-law all by herself. If she didn't stand up for herself, she would have been bullied by others long ago. She didn't know how to apologize properly and could only dryly say that she was wrong.
"Auntie, it's alright. Besides, Xiaowei helped Yaomei. He's a brave young man."
Xu Chunsheng was still resentful about Xu Yaomei being bullied, but these things had little to do with the mother and son in front of him.
After saying that, Xu Chunsheng reached into his pocket, took his hand out with his palm down, made a fist, and handed it to Xiao Wei. "Boss Xiao Wei, give me your hand."
Xiao Wei, with a serious expression, reached out and solemnly bumped fists with Xu Chunsheng. He had seen many adults do this before, and he thought it was a ritual between men, mysterious and solemn.
Seeing Xiao Wei's serious face, Xu Chunsheng's tense nerves unconsciously relaxed a little.
Xu Chunsheng laughed and said, "Haha, spread your hands out."
A few colorful candies landed in his small palm, the wrappers gleaming in the sunlight, their light shining into Xiaowei's heart.
Xiao Wei swallowed hard, but he remembered his mother saying that he shouldn't take things from others casually, or he would be looked down upon, so he turned to look at his mother.
"That won't do, that won't do."
Xiaowei's mother grabbed the candy and was about to return it to Xu Chunsheng.
These days, although you can buy a saccharin-flavored hard candy for just one cent, it's still a rare treat. Most families only buy a couple of candies for their children during holidays. If someone brings out candy to entertain guests, that's considered incredibly respectable.
Xu Chunsheng, however, directly pressed down on Xiaowei's mother's hand and placed the candy in Xiaowei's palm. "It's nothing valuable, just a taste for the child. That's all."
Xiaowei's mother then gave up.
The candy was something Xu Chunsheng bought on a whim, originally intended as a surprise for his youngest sister, but after what happened earlier, he forgot about it.
All I could hear was my mother and her boss brother chatting away, from how to plant Ophiopogon japonicus to how many eggs their chickens laid a day…
Xiao Wei peeled a piece of candy and put it in his mouth, feeling a sweet sensation in his mouth and a sweet feeling in his heart. He came to a conclusion:
My boss is a really nice person!
The boss's sister is a beautiful woman!
Another half hour passed, and a gas van with the words "Jiang County - Tuanjie Town" on the front swayed and drove into the station. Xu Chunsheng asked Xiaowei's mother to watch his basket for him, and then walked into the station. Calculating the time, Li Da should be arriving soon, and he had to go in to see if he was on this train.
Xu Chunsheng stood outside the railing watching people get off the bus one by one. Finally, he saw Li Da carrying a basket off the bus, and Li Da also saw Xu Chunsheng.
Instead of greeting him immediately, he called out, "Master, wait a minute, I have another basket."
After saying that, he called to Xu Chunsheng, "Brother Chunsheng, come and help carry it."
As Li Da spoke, he got back on the vehicle to get another bamboo basket and a carrying pole.
The two had barely met when Li Dalian, still holding the Ophiopogon japonicus, hadn't even had a chance to put it down.
Xu Chunsheng asked a question that had nothing to do with Ophiopogon japonicus, making Li Da wonder if Xu Chunsheng hadn't woken up properly before going out today.
"Boss Li, I have a question for you. Do you know any reliable unmarried young men in their early twenties who you could introduce to my sister?"