Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

As soon as the wedding carriage entered the village, firecrackers went off in a flurry, and the village children cheered: "The bride is here! The bride is here! Let's go see the bride!"

A group of people followed the carriage to the Lu family's gate. They surrounded the carriage and waited for the groom to help the bride alight from the sedan chair. Lu Yunzhou walked out of the courtyard, looked around, and checked if there was anything amiss.

Master Zhou and his entourage stopped their carriage not far from the Lu family's residence. They stood in the crowd, watching Lu Yunzhou take the bride off the carriage.

The bride, with a red veil covering her face, was helped out of the carriage by the matchmaker. Lu Yunzhou extended one hand to the bride, and she placed her other hand on his. Lu Yunzhou glanced at the delicate white hand in his palm and gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. The bride blushed deeply under the veil.

He Qinglian looked at that slender hand holding hers, feeling the warmth from it, and her heart began to pound faster.

She listened to the villagers' laughter and the children's shouts. "Lu Tongsheng, hurry up and take the bride back. You must treat the girl well. Her family lives far away. You can't bully her or let her suffer any more grievances."

Lu Yunzhou smiled slightly at the people and said, "Thank you for your concern, fellow villagers. Miss He has entered my Lu family today and is now my wife. I will love and protect her and never let her suffer any injustice."

We are husband and wife, one family, sharing both hardship and happiness, never to be separated.

Hearing the man's enchanting voice, and hearing him speak such affectionate words in public, He Qinglian felt moved and warmed. With such a man protecting her, even if life were difficult in the future, at least they would still have love.

"Look, scholars are different. They can say such sweet words. Did all the unmarried people hear this? Write these words down and tell them to your brides in the future."

"Master, should we take action? That scumbag is disgusting to even talk about. He's been lying to Miss time and time again."

"No rush, we'll talk about it when we're inside and during the wedding ceremony."

At this moment, Liu Siyue and the others also arrived. The carriage was parked to the side, and they mingled in the crowd to watch the excitement. When she heard Lu Yunzhou say those words, she felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. This guy really had a thick skin. He was just flirting with those innocent young girls like that.

The bride stepped off the carriage and onto the ground. Lu Yunzhou placed one end of a red silk ribbon tied with a large red flower in the bride's hand and held the other end in his own. The matchmaker helped the bride step over the brazier and into the courtyard. Lu Yunzhou led her towards the main room, where Lu Decai and his wife were waiting.

The people outside followed them to the entrance of the main hall, where the wedding was officiated by Wei Yuanguang, the village chief of Bainiwan Village.

He began to sing the verses: "The newlyweds enter the house and bow to heaven and earth."

No sooner had Wei Yuanguang finished speaking than a discordant voice rang out, "Wait!"

Everyone turned to look at the speaker, and a middle-aged man dressed in silk and satin walked in. When Lu Yunzhou saw who it was, his expression changed, and he gave a smile that was more like a grimace.

"Master Zhou, I'm getting married today. I didn't intend to have a big celebration, so why have you been bothered? Since you're here, please stay and have a drink. We can discuss everything after the wedding ceremony."

"Lu Tongsheng is really lucky with women. I heard that he even begged his ex-wife to get back together with him. He knelt down and wrote love letters. What a devoted man he is."

Only a few days have passed, and he's already married another beautiful woman. I wonder to whom Lu Hongsheng has given his heart?

Hearing Master Zhou's sarcastic remarks, Lu Yunzhou had no words to refute them. He quietly moved closer to Master Zhou and said, "Master Zhou, there is a reason why I did this. Please be lenient and let me finish the wedding today. I will definitely explain it to you tomorrow."

Master Zhou laughed heartily, "Lu Tongsheng, one must have a conscience and a sense of shame. As a scholar, one must understand propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame, and one must not learn from those despicable people."

The master has not come today to hear your grievances, nor to attend your wedding; he has come to collect a debt.

"Your three years of schooling in town cost me a lot of money, and I remember every single expense clearly."

Master Zhou took out an account book, which read, "On a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, 20 taels of silver were borrowed; on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, 50 taels of silver were borrowed; on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, 100 taels of silver were borrowed."

All these things added up to a total of 452 taels.

Everyone present gasped when they heard the number. How could they borrow so much money? Where did it all go?

"Master Zhou, this money was given to me by you, not borrowed by me. I didn't ask you for a single penny."

"You're right, this money was for your education, but as I've said before, I had ulterior motives. Now that what I wanted can't be converted into cash, I'm going to take back the money I gave away."

"Master Zhou, please don't make things difficult for me today. I will definitely give you an explanation tomorrow, and I will keep my promise."

"The master doesn't need your explanation, he just wants his money back."

"Master Zhou, you're asking too much of me. I can't come up with that much money in a short time."

I also know that the instructors and teachers at the county school value me highly. After the academician's passing, I will definitely return this money in full.

If you're willing, I can still keep my word.

"Once I achieve fame and success, I will protect the Zhou family."

"I've heard too much of your empty talk. You have to pay me today, or don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Zhou'er, why did you take so much money from their family? Where did all that money go?"

"Mother, don't ask these questions now. I'll tell you slowly later."

"Master Zhou, I really can't come up with the money today. Please give me a few days' notice so I can have time to go out and raise the funds."

"I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and I'll be waiting outside."

"If you can't come up with the money after the incense stick has burned, I'll demolish your house, or you can offer something as collateral."

Master Zhou led his servants to sit down at the table in the courtyard where a banquet was set out. The table was already laden with food and wine. Master Zhou told his servants to eat whenever they were hungry so they would have the strength to work later.

Once the servants received the order, they began to eat and drink heartily. After finishing one table, they moved on to another. The relatives who were originally sitting at the table quickly got off and kept their distance. These people were obviously not to be trifled with, and the servants were afraid of getting involved with them.

At this moment, Liu Siyue led her men out of the Lu family's courtyard and listened to the commotion outside. Once there was a sound inside, they would rush in, shouting encouragement. They would let Master Zhou handle the smashing and looting, while they would handle the cursing—a harmonious combination of gentlemen and warriors.

He Qinglian was already terrified and her face changed drastically. She quietly tried to hide in a corner to avoid getting hurt. Lu Yunzhou looked at the village chief. He was determined to have the wedding ceremony today, no matter what, and they had to consummate their marriage tonight.

"Uncle Village Chief, let's continue the wedding and finish the ceremony."

The village chief looked at him helplessly. With disaster looming, he still had the mind to go through the wedding ceremony. He really didn't know what he was thinking. First bow to heaven and earth, second bow to the parents, husband and wife bow to each other, then they were led to the bridal chamber. The ceremony was complete.

After the village chief finished singing hastily, He Qinglian was taken to her new house.

He Qinglian sat alone in the bridal chamber, her hands sweating with nervousness. When she heard that her husband owed so much money, she was terrified. What if they ran out of money and had to sell her?

The thought of selling her brought tears to his eyes. He lamented his bad luck, saying he couldn't escape being sold. He hoped they wouldn't sell him to such a filthy place. If it really came to that, he would only have death to live on.