After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 46: An Extra Little Wife
They only sat down obediently after being pulled by the villagers.

Su Chunlin asked, "Are you all from the same place?"

The man shook his head. "I escaped with some other people from the village. We met other refugees on the road, and we huddled together for warmth. Originally, my family included my father and my daughter, but my father..."

The other two women chimed in, "We are sisters-in-law. Our father-in-law and mother-in-law have died, leaving only the three children in the house."

"Where are your men?" Han asked.

The two shook their heads, wiping away their tears in silence.

Han suddenly realized something, and her eyes welled up with tears. Life was already difficult enough, but it was even more difficult for orphans and widows.

Of the surviving adults, only three were alive. Su Changxi knew some information, but the situation of several other children was still unknown. He could only ask them one by one and learned that the others had all become orphans. The mood of everyone became even heavier.

Huang whispered to Tao and Han, "They're all orphans, and I'm afraid they have nowhere to go. We can ask around in the village for the younger ones who are too young to understand; perhaps someone will be willing to take them in."

Tao said, "There aren't many left. What about the remaining teenagers?"

Without hesitation, Huang replied, "We can take her home as a child bride, which will save on the bride price and give the child a way to survive, but the child has to be willing."

Tao nodded repeatedly, "That is indeed a way out. This way, only a few people will be left. If they are unwilling, they can stay in our village for the time being until the snow melts in the spring."

"Yes!" Huang smiled and hurried to discuss it with Su Changxi.

Han seemed to be deep in thought.

Seeing everyone whispering among themselves, he pulled Su Chunlin aside to talk, "Su Sheng's mother just said that we could take a girl home as a child bride. I think that's a good idea, what do you think?"

Su Chunlin was stunned for a moment, then gave Han a thumbs up, "Wife, you women are really quick-witted. I didn't even think of this. If you really want to take a child bride, you'd better hurry up, or all the good ones will be taken."

"You think this is buying meat, and you're being so picky!" Madam Han was speechless for a while, then tugged at Su Chunlin's sleeve and said, "The child has to be happy too."

"Absolutely! Looking across the whole village, only our family built a big courtyard this year, and the flour they eat is supplied by our family. Anyone with a normal brain would know which family to choose!" Su Chunlin was very confident in his family's strength.

While the couple were whispering to each other, the village chief called all the children out of the house.

After confirming that several children under the age of two were orphans, Su Changxi cleared his throat and said loudly, "While everyone is here, I have an announcement to make. I believe everyone is aware of the general situation of the children our village has taken in."

Since these people have come to our village, they must be connected to our village. They have no parents, and if we don't take care of them, they will definitely not survive. I happen to know that some families in our village do not have children or want to adopt children. If you are interested, go back and discuss it with your family now. If you can adopt, then come and find me.

As for the others."

Su Changxi looked at the slender children and subconsciously softened his tone of voice, "Children, your uncle wants to discuss something with you. If you really have nowhere to go and are willing to marry into our village, then step forward."

We are all respectable families. Those who are interested can choose a family they like. If not, we won't force you. You can stay in the village for now and we'll talk again in the spring.

A group of teenagers breathed a sigh of relief.

In the end, the younger children were all taken home by the villagers. Some were children they had never had and cherished, while others were unable to have sons and urgently needed to raise a son to be their son-in-law so that he could carry on the family line in the future.

During this time, Han and Su Chunlin also selected a thirteen-year-old girl named Ruan Xiaoyu.

The couple chose Ruan Xiaoyu not because of her looks, but entirely because of her filial piety. After Su Changxi finished speaking, the girl stood up and knelt on the ground, saying that she would marry into the family that could help her grandfather buy a coffin for burial.

Many families in the village had originally chosen her, but when they heard that they would have to pay for a coffin and help with the burial, they all fell silent.

These days, even a simple coffin costs several hundred coins, and a better one can cost more than an ounce or even more, enough for them to get married properly.

Although Ruan Xiaoyu was pretty, she had no relatives or friends, and since they were spending the same amount of money, they naturally wanted to find someone of equal social standing.

Han and Su Chunlin didn't care about these things; they valued character more.

The remaining girls who weren't chosen by the villagers were those who had brothers or relatives with them. The villagers weren't well-off to begin with, and they could support one more person, but if the other party had a family to support, they really couldn't afford to.

They were aware of their situation and did not make things difficult for the villagers. They only asked the village chief to take them in temporarily so they could get through the winter.

Su Chunlin also wanted to do something good, so he immediately promised that they could stay in the house until the snow melted in the spring.

After the matter was resolved, Su Changxi personally went to the town to report the situation to Liu Tiechui.

Su Chunlin's family then took Ruan Xiaoyu back with them.

Before leaving, Han gave Ruan Xiaoyu an old jacket. The jacket belonged to Su Tai and was loose and ill-fitting on Ruan Xiaoyu.

Ruan Xiaoyu followed nervously behind them, stepping carefully on the snow. Her helpless eyes froze when she saw the Su family's courtyard.

Seeing her standing motionless at the door, Su Tai reached out and pulled her along. "Go warm yourself by the fire in the kitchen first, and I'll boil some hot water for you to take a good bath later."

Ruan Xiaoyu snapped out of her daze and nervously swallowed.

She had guessed that Su Tai's family was well-off when she lived in the old house, but she didn't expect them to be this well-off! For a moment, she didn't know what to do.

Before she knew it, she was already sitting by the stove warming herself, while Han was busy on the stove. "I'll boil water for you to take a bath now. We don't have any clothes that fit you at home. We'll go to the market in a few days and buy you a new outfit."

"Thank you, Auntie." Ruan Xiaoyu nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, looking very uneasy.

Madam Han glanced at her, smiled, and said, "Now that you're in our family, you're one of us. Don't be so nervous. Just be diligent and attentive to your needs."

"Don't worry, Auntie, I will," Ruan Xiaoyu immediately assured her.

Han's smile deepened, and after a long while, she pondered and said, "Xiaotai's father will go to town soon to buy a coffin for your grandfather and put his body in it. It's too cold to bury him now, we'll have to wait until spring when the snow melts."

"I understand." Mentioning her grandfather, Ruan Xiaoyu's nose tingled, but she forced back her tears and kowtowed to Madam Han before getting up.

Inside the main room, Su Zhan was secretly observing everything happening in the kitchen.

Su Tai whispered to him, "This is the wife your parents chose for you, are you happy?"

She didn't agree with Su Chunlin and his wife's actions, but she also knew that in this world, parents had the final say in their children's marriages, and personal opinions didn't matter. Besides, Su Zhan hadn't said anything just now, so she had even less right to speak.

(End of this chapter)