It was already morning by now, and the time displayed in Bai Lixin’s system was a little after eight in the morning.
When he arrived at the village entrance, the ground was littered with red paper scraps, and the air was filled with the scent of burnt gunpowder and sulfur.
The village still appeared small, though it didn’t quite resemble the desolate, uninhabited village from last night. It was almost identical.
A massive red gate stood at the entrance, and atop the red archway were a few words.
Groom: Huang Songwei
Bride: Liang Tingting
Judging by the mess on the ground, the bride should have already entered the village. At this point, they were either going through the marriage rituals or had already completed them.
The village roads were unpaved, rough, and uneven, even bicycles would jolt as they moved along.
Now, there was no one on this main road except for a solitary archway.
Bai Lixin stood at the village entrance for a while, and soon, he heard people speaking in dialect.
Following the voices, he quickly found the family that was in the midst of a wedding ceremony.
Surprisingly, it was at Pan Pan’s house.
So, the people getting married were Pan Pan’s parents?
The village was run-down, and it didn’t have many residents. Most of the people in the village had likely gathered for the occasion. Bai Lixin briefly scanned the area from the alleyway; there were around forty people in the entire village.
Excluding a few elderly and children, there were probably about thirty young and middle-aged individuals.
No one had noticed Bai Lixin, who had silently walked up behind them. All eyes were fixed on the pair of newlyweds bowing and paying their respects inside.
Bai Lixin was tall, and he tiptoed slightly to get a look inside. He saw a man and a woman dressed in red kneeling on the ground.
The woman’s veil had been lifted, revealing her shy and bashful face.
Bai Lixin recognized this face, it was Pan Pan’s mother in Gentle Village. However, the woman appeared much younger now, and even the heavy makeup couldn’t conceal her youthful features.
She seemed to be around twenty-two or twenty-three years old.
Standing beside the woman was a tall man who appeared slightly older, probably close to thirty.
The two were facing a pair of smiling elderly people who sat across from them. At this time, the newlyweds were kowtowing to the elderly couple.
The man appeared gentle, and the woman looked happy.
It looked warm, sweet, and full of love. They seemed to have married for love.
Bai Lixin overheard whispers from two men nearby. “This is a college graduate who came from the city. She’s educated and good-looking. This Huang is really lucky.”
“Hehe, I knew this college graduate wouldn’t leave easily when she came here. It’s just a matter of who will capture her heart. But this Huang Songwei moved quickly, he made the first move before we could even act.”
“Looks like this woman isn’t all that great either. She fell so easily, it probably means she’s promiscuous. Who knows, she might be licentious once she’s married.”
Another man joined their conversation. “This woman is also unlucky. Huang Songwei’s previous wife died just two years ago, right?”
“Yeah, I remember she was beaten to death because she couldn’t give birth.”
“The purpose of marrying a wife is to continue the family lineage. Who asked her not to be able to have children?”
“Alright, enough of that. Please be quiet for a bit,” a woman interjected. “Today is a joyous day for them. If the bride hears these words, she might not take it well. Be careful what you say later. I heard it’s her first marriage. If any news about his previous wife gets to his new wife’s ears, what then?”
“What’s the big deal? She can’t run away, can she? This area is surrounded by mountains and valleys, where could she possibly go? We’ll catch her later, just like we did with you back then. Weren’t you running away too? But now that you’ve had a child, you’ve settled down obediently at home.”
“So, it’s her fate to go wherever her husband goes. No matter how well-off she was before, she’s destined to live the kind of life her husband lives. You guys don’t have the blessing of having a rich life. You’re destined to live a hard life with us.”
The woman’s expression stiffened, her facial features twisted for a moment, and her face turned red as she lowered her head and fell silent.
Bai Lixin: “…”
The scene of bowing and becoming a couple quickly ended. Afterward, the bride was sent into the bridal chamber. There was commotion for some time and when it almost noon, the groom’s family began to host the wedding banquet.
Throughout the event, the bride never reappeared. She simply remained quietly in her room, as if her only task was to cross the threshold.
She was no longer needed when it was time to host guests, which showcased her status.
Because they had to invite everyone from the village, and the courtyard was too small, they chose to set up five tables in the open square.
Ten people sat at each table. Since everyone had come out, Bai Lixin was afraid of being discovered so he chose to find a concealed tree and quietly observed from there.
The wolf cub in his arms opened it’s eyes weakly, enticed by the aroma of food. Bai Lixin promptly took out a piece of premium ham sausage and a bag of goat milk from his backpack and slowly fed it to the cub.
To prevent the wolf cub from choking, Bai Lixin broke the ham sausage into small pieces in his palm. The cub didn’t gobble it down; it seemed to understand that the hand holding the sausage was delicate. It calmly nestled in Bai Lixin’s arms, taking small bites of the sausage.
After feeding the wolf cub some sausage, Bai Lixin would give it some goat milk.
The banquet below was in full swing. The man in red robes had already drunk so much that his cheeks were slightly flushed.
Bai Lixin sat in the big tree and occasionally heard the uproar below.
“Ah Wei, you lucky bastard, marrying such a good wife. I saw it a long time ago, Teacher Liang has a big ass, she’ll definitely have sons in the future.”
“Get lost, you bastard! Teacher Liang is my wife now. You’re not allowed to sneak a peek at my wife anymore! Otherwise, I’ll beat you every time I see you.”
“Hahaha, he’s getting angry! Hey, Ah Wei, now that the wedding is over, when are you going to have a chubby son? Our village’s population is getting smaller and smaller. If you don’t hurry up and have a child, our village might disappear. Hahaha.”
“What do you mean disappear? What are you afraid of? Calculate the days. Those people will come to our village soon. If you all gather thirty thousand yuan, we don’t have to worry about not having heirs anymore. Things that can be solved with money are not a big deal.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve not spent any money at all. She is already completely devoted from the start, no need for adjustments or training.”
“What do you mean ‘completely devoted from the start’? You guys don’t know anything. Do you know how much effort I put into winning my wife over? I was attracted to her round…” The groom swayed in the air and drew a figure-eight. “…I just wanted to hold a son.”
“But what if you can’t have a son?”
“How could that be possible?!” The groom’s face turned red, and he his eyes widened. “I’ll definitely have one. If I can’t with the first one, then I’ll have a second, and I’ll keep having children until I have a son! Otherwise, I’ll beat her to death!”
“Hahaha, I believe you. Our Ah Wei is not someone who hasn’t beaten a wife before. Ah Wei is really something.”
The groom raised his chin, looking very proud.
Bai Lixin: “…”
It turns out Pan Pan’s mother married such a scumbag.
Just from observing this scene, he could already foresee what would happen in the future.
Domestic violence would occur not once but countless times, and this man had beaten his previous wife to death. Pan Pan’s mother was destined to suffer from domestic violence.
It seems Pan Pan’s mother was originally a college graduate who chose to teach in a rural area after graduating. She came here with enthusiasm and knowledge and wanted to impart it to the children.
However, because she was naïve and fresh out of college, she quickly fell for the enthusiastic pursuit of the groom and ultimately stayed in this mountain village for love.
The wild genetic theory in the diary’s later entries also explained her later fate.
After marriage, she gave birth to Pan Pan. In an era where having a son was everything, her future life was destined to be unhappy.
Not only unhappy but also filled with much suffering.
“Ah, it’s like they say, speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao will appear. They’re here!” A voice snapped Bai Lixin out of his thoughts. He lowered his head in the direction of the voice, and he saw the men from the village standing up and walking towards the road, looking towards the village entrance.
Bai Lixin followed the gaze of the crowd and looked towards the village entrance. He saw several people approaching from there.
It was four men and four women, a total of eight people.
The four lwere robust, while among the four women, one was elderly, another was middle-aged, and the last two appeared to be younger, in their twenties.
The elderly woman led the way, with the other three women following behind her with their hands tied up. Behind the women were the four sturdy men.
They seemed very familiar with this village and made their way to the square with ease.
Upon seeing the wedding banquet from a distance, the elderly woman immediately beamed with joy. “Congratulations, congratulations! Congratulations to the groom and bride for tying the knot. Congratulations to the groom for having a son so soon.”
One villager teased, “Hahaha, Auntie Zhang, you’re getting better at speaking. We were just talking about you earlier, and here you are. How does that saying go? ‘Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.’”
“Ha, what ‘speak of the devil, and he shall appear’? It’s ‘speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will appear.’”
“That’s right, ‘speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will appear.’”
The elderly woman had a hunched back, and her fox-like eyes scanned the crowd. “I knew you needed me, so I came to your village right away. How many bachelors are left in your village?”
“There are still ten more,” one villager sighed, “Auntie Zhang, to tell you the truth, our village is poor. No woman wants to marry here. If it weren’t for you, our village would be on the brink of extinction. Who are these three behind you?”
Auntie Zhang’s eyes rolled a few times. “Yes, I’ve brought people for you to choose from. There are three people in total; these two younger ones are a bit more expensive, 30,000 each, and the older one is cheaper, just 20,000.”
One man looked hesitant. “Auntie Zhang, can’t it be a bit cheaper? You see, we’re really in a poor place, and we can’t come up with much money.”
“Haha, you amuse me. This is the bride price, when have you ever heard of a discount on the bride price?” Auntie Zhang chuckled, “If you don’t want to buy, I’ll go to the next village.”
The three women behind her had turned pale.
Auntie Zhang casually pinched the chin of one of the young women and lifted her head. “Look at this face, you won’t find such a beautiful young lady on your own in your lifetime, will you? These three are all from the city, not only beautiful but also educated.”
“Such good catches, if you miss them now, there won’t be another chance. If I manage to find such high-quality catches next time, who knows when that will be?”
While the crowd was still haggling, an elderly man in his fifties or sixties walked out.
This old man had thinning hair and a face full of wrinkles. He spoke with a toothless grin, pointing to his home and then to the middle-aged woman at the back.
The crowd immediately began cheering.
“Mute Uncle finally scraped together the money?! It must not have been easy.”
“Mute Uncle, you’ll soon have a young and beautiful wife. Well done.”
“You didn’t enjoy it when you were young, but now you’re getting your wish in old age? Good things are never too late.”
The men’s cheers continued one after another, while the women obediently retreated to the back, all silent.
The mute who was called “Mute Uncle” blushed in embarrassment. In contrast to him, the middle-aged woman he pointed at had already turned deathly pale.
She shed tears and begged bitterly, but even with so many people here, her pleas fell on deaf ears.
These people were all perpetrators, all their pleas were just an exciting ferment in the ears of the perpetrators.
Seemingly aware of the nature of these people, the middle-aged woman quickly gave up her weakness. She screamed and cursed, trying to escape from here.
Auntie Zhang just gave a signal to the men behind her with her eyes. The men immediately understood and grabbed the middle-aged woman’s collar, raising their hands and delivering several heavy slaps.
After a few slaps, the middle-aged woman’s face was immediately covered in blood.
Mute Uncle appeared somewhat anxious.
Auntie Zhang chuckled, “Mute Uncle, rest assured, I guarantee that I’ll train her well for you, and you’ll have a good wife. Look at you, you’re already worried before the wedding. Don’t worry, we won’t hurt her too badly. We’re used to this, we know where it hurts the most and heals the quickest. Go get the money now, I’ll be waiting here.”
After Mute Uncle left, the four men proceeded to slap the woman.
The two girls standing nearby trembled in fear, huddling together and not daring to make a sound.
——————————–
In the live broadcast room
[Fuck, my blood pressure just skyrocketed.]
[Ah, I’m so angry! Sisters, I just want to kill these human traffickers and scum!]
[Is there something seriously wrong with this village? Extinction? Why keep such a village? It should have been gone long ago!]
[The buyers are damned, but the sellers are even more damned! Ahhh! I’m so furious!]
[Can this copy connect to the King Yama’s Court? We ask Young King Yama to send them all to the 18th level of hell, never to be reincarnated!]
