The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

Chapter 1 No one can save you

The spring chill lingers, and plum blossoms tremble on their branches.

In Xilin Village, a thousand miles away from the capital, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys.

As dawn broke, Yu Tingwan slipped into the kitchen.

She was fair-skinned and dressed like a country girl. She wore a triangular headscarf and kept her eyes down all day, intentionally concealing her beauty and unwilling to go out, yet her looks were unparalleled in the surrounding area. Her eyes were like autumn water, her lips were luscious, and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye added to her captivating allure.

In those days, food was precious, so she dared not put in too much. She grabbed a few handfuls of broken rice, washed them clean, and started a fire to cook porridge.

Behind her, Wang Shi had a sullen face and a critical look in her eyes, and she was extremely harsh towards her niece.

She said with disgust, "The Hu family took you in, not so you could pester Erlang. If you want to marry him, you should consider whether you are good enough for him."

Yu Tingwan paused slightly, her expression filled with absurdity: "What makes you say such a thing, Aunt?"

Wang proudly straightened her back: "My second son is a distinguished scholar, highly regarded by his teacher. He is sure to achieve great things in the future. It's not surprising that you want to climb the social ladder."

She glanced at Yu Tingwan with a sharp and contemptuous look, and spat, "Just give up on that idea."

What's the use of being pretty? She's so effeminate. Just like her mother who died young, she's no decent person.

A chill crept in through the seams of her clothes, and Yu Tingwan shivered from the cold.

If her parents hadn't died early, and she hadn't thought that the world was chaotic and full of wicked people, and that she had no money to rely on, and that she was too beautiful, why would she have come to the Hu family to rely on her uncle and suffer all kinds of scorn from Wang?

She chuckled: "Before my second cousin went to the academy last time, he said he had made up his mind about me."

Upon hearing this, Wang was furious and put her hands on her hips, shouting, "You must have seduced him! You shameless little slut!"

He said he had been in love with me for a long time and that he wanted to marry me.

Wang's eyes widened in anger, a surge of resentment rising within her, and she shrieked, "I will absolutely not agree to this!"

She was furious and grabbed a broom from the kitchen to hit her.

Yu Tingwan showed no sign of panic, nor did she even try to dodge. She concealed the pity in her eyes, parted her red lips slightly, and uttered four words.

"I refused."

Wang hesitated, her ferocious expression faltering, and the broom stopped in mid-air.

"what?"

But he wouldn't give up.

"Try to do something about him."

Yu Tingwan looked at Wang Shi with her big, watery eyes and said sincerely, "This is really annoying."

A metallic taste rose in Wang's throat, and she nearly vomited blood from anger. She understood everything Yu Tingwan said, yet it was as if she hadn't understood a single word.

She actually looks down on Erlang? How dare she?

Wang was breathing rapidly, her chest heaving violently, and two cold laughs escaped her lips: "You're just being stubborn!"

"mother!"

The heavily pregnant Mrs. Xu hurriedly came in from outside: "I heard from the aunt next door that the heavy snow has blocked the roads, and I'm afraid that my eldest son, second son, and father won't be able to come back for the next few days."

Upon hearing this, Wang was extremely anxious.

"What should I do?"

"It's this cold, it'll be even worse at night. Not only will the farmland be damaged, but how many people have frozen to death already? The head of the household and Dalang are tough, a little cold won't hurt them. But Erlang is precious, how can his body withstand it?"

This old hag!
Mrs. Xu was furious.

You, Erlang, are the only gold nugget! Everyone else is just grass!

If it weren't for the fact that the young man was returning home from school in town, and Wang Shi couldn't bear to let him walk, insisting that his father and eldest son drive an oxcart to pick him up, would her husband have had to endure such hardship?

But she dared not reveal her emotions in the slightest; who wouldn't want to benefit from the scholar's status?

“Father has a plan. Seeing that things are not going well, he can’t stay here overnight. He will probably go back to town to wait for news.”

Wang felt much more at ease: "Yes, yes, you're right."

She paced back and forth, frowning: "But things are expensive in town. Lodging and food are all costly. They didn't bring any money with them."

It's almost Chinese New Year, and the school is closed, so we can't get in.

If they had to endure the elements... her second son could never bear such hardship!
Xiao Xu's eyes flickered, and she fell silent. It was cold, and her face was covered in chilblains. As the man left, Xiao Xu gritted her teeth and slipped him the money she had secretly saved for half a year to buy her face cream.

That stupid Dalang, I hope he doesn't turn around and give the money to his father-in-law to raise money for lodging.

Just as the two were each harboring their own secrets and at a loss for what to do, Yu Tingwan, who was tending the firewood, spoke up calmly.

"Bring it."

Wang looked at her suddenly.

"How do you know?"

Because it was she who reminded me.

Yu Tingwan had known for some time that the mountain would be closed, and that it would be closed for a month. Before her uncle set off, she had suggested that since there might be some unexpected events while traveling, and there were no relatives in town, she should bring more money with him.

She also knows...

Yu Tingwan slowly raised her eyes, her gaze lingering on Wang Shi.

She also knew that Wang was greedy for money and would take advantage of her uncle's absence to forcefully marry her off to the sixty-year-old local gentry, Dong.

It's less a marriage and more a sale.

Xilin Village is located in a remote and impoverished area, so there aren't many rules.

Once the betrothal gifts are received and a few tables of food are prepared, the groom can take the woman away.

As expected, Wang's eyes darted around with a shrewd and greedy glint.

She was fed up with the head of the household protecting Yu Tingwan.

Rather than...

Wang suppressed her wildly beating heart, gritted her teeth, and took out two eggs from the locked cabinet. When she passed Yu Tingwan, she pushed her hard because she was in the way.

Unexpectedly, Yu Tingwan seemed to have anticipated this and dodged to the side.

She pushed at empty air and almost twisted her waist.

"you!"

Yu Tingwan: "Oh, I was wrong."

Her attitude was good, but her tone was perfunctory. Her attitude was bad, but she apologized very readily.

A disheveled Wang Shi felt a lump in her throat, unable to spit it out or swallow it down, her entire face turning red. She glared fiercely at Yu Tingwan and strode out.

Once she left, only Yu Tingwan and Xiao Xu were left in the kitchen.

Such a stingy person actually went out with eggs in his pocket!
Madam Xu, a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong, abandoned her meekness in front of Madam Wang and arrogantly flaunted her round belly: "Do you know where your mother is?"

Yu Tingwan watched the flames flickering inside the stove.

Every time I close my eyes, I see the image of her kneeling helplessly before Wang Shi, pleading desperately.

"My aunt loves me dearly, I won't marry her, I won't marry him."

She humbled herself, but the latter acted superior, trying to destroy her hopes.

"I'm doing this for your own good, how could I possibly harm you? Why don't you appreciate it, stepmother? Yes, Grandpa Dong's grandson is the same age as you, but older people are more caring."

There was also Madam Xu touching the gold hairpin given to her by the Dong family in her hair, laughing heartily.

"This snow is good. The mountain is blocked, and your father can't come back. No one can save you. You have to marry him whether you like it or not."

"So what if you're pretty? You're just like your mother, destined to be abused by men."

Neither of these two is a good person.

She felt as if she had stepped into an ice cellar, her whole body numb and stiff with cold. Her arm was grabbed, and the balding gentryman Dong threw Wang a bag of silver and dragged her away.

She struggled frantically, but her violent resistance angered the local gentry, Mr. Dong, who raised his hand and slapped her hard.

"Believe it or not, I'll take care of you right here."

A new book has arrived! Let me see, is anyone still reading it?

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(End of this chapter)