My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

These words were colder than the winter wind, cutting into the hearts of the men like knives.

Several men from Hongshitun walked home along the dirt road, heads down, their steps uneven.

Lin Xiumei's fierce, sarcastic face, and the dazzling new watch on her wrist, kept replaying in everyone's minds.

A heavy weight pressed down on my heart, weighing me down with a sense of stifling frustration, humiliation, and a touch of panic from being deceived.

“Cough… cough…”

The old man walking at the front was the village's third uncle, who was quite senior in the family. He coughed twice from the cold wind and stopped walking.

The others also stopped, their faces, chapped from the wind, filled with confusion.

"That woman... she's a piece of trash."

A young man angrily spat on the ground.

"They have money to buy watches, and they buy polyester ones, but they don't have money to pay us! They even called us poor bastards!"

"What's the point of saying all this now?"

The other man looked dejected.

"Back then, we ourselves were the ones who eagerly handed over the goods to her for that one penny."

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent again.

Yes, the path is one's own choice.

When Lu Qingshan's family received the goods, they paid promptly and settled the payment promptly.

But when Lin Xiumei mentioned giving an extra penny, everyone's interest was piqued, and they all rushed over, leaving the Lu family's purchasing point neglected, afraid that if they arrived late, they would miss out on that extra penny.

Who would have thought that instead of getting a single penny of advantage, they might not even be able to get their principal back?

"Then... what do we do? Are we really just going to let it go? Those hundreds of pounds of wild mushrooms, I picked them myself, with my wife and the baby on my back!"

"My family is still waiting for the money to buy fabric and make new clothes for the kids!"

"Go to the county food factory to ask? I wouldn't dare even if you gave me ten lives..."

Several people talked at once, and by the end, their voices were trembling with tears.

Third Uncle took a couple of puffs of his pipe, and in the swirling smoke, his old face, lined with deep wrinkles, looked even more sorrowful.

"Would a person really sacrifice their reputation for money?"

He tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, raised his head, and looked in the direction of the village with his cloudy eyes.

"The path Lin Xiumei took is a dead end. We have no choice but to shamelessly turn back."

Turn back?

Where to go back?

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and a name popped into their heads simultaneously.

Lu Qingshan.

"No way! I... I can't possibly go back like this!"

One of the men immediately shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.

"How did we treat them back then? For that one penny, we took their kindness for granted. Now that something's happened, we have the nerve to go back and beg them? I can't stand that!"

"Face? Can face be eaten? Can face be exchanged for money?"

Third Uncle's cane slammed heavily on the ground.

"Have you no shame? Who's taking care of your wife's and baby's pregnancies? Who's going to buy them new clothes for the New Year?"

"Besides, although Qingshan is ruthless, his father, Changgui, is someone I watched grow up and he's kind-hearted. He... he shouldn't just stand by and watch someone die."

He said it without much conviction, even to himself.

The crowd fell silent once again.

I felt so embarrassed, my face was burning.

If we don't go, the New Year is just around the corner, and the whole family is eagerly hoping to make money from selling goods. How will we survive?

After a long while, a man muttered something in an almost inaudible voice.

"Give it a try...it's better than staying home and waiting to die. At worst, you'll get yelled at and kicked out."

These words resonated with everyone.

Yes, the worst outcome is just losing face again.

……

The gate of the Lu family's courtyard was knocked on cautiously.

"Thump, thump-thump".

The voice was so soft, as if afraid of disturbing someone.

In the center of the courtyard, Lu Qingshan, shirtless, was chopping firewood in the cold wind.

"clang!"

A heavy blow sent splinters flying.

Lu Qingshan glanced at the people who had entered and understood most of what was going on.

He continued doing the same thing without asking any questions.

The third uncle and the others stood at the courtyard gate, looking at Lu Qingshan's icy expression and the gleaming axe in his hand. Their hearts pounded, and they dared not approach him.

The group looked at each other for a while. Third Uncle gritted his teeth and turned to look at Lu Changgui, who was squatting in the corner repairing the mud wall.

He quickly moved over, a fawning smile plastered on his face:

"Changgui...are you busy?"

Lu Changgui paused, holding a trowel, without saying a word.

Several villagers following behind Uncle San also gathered around, and began to complain all at once:

"Brother Changgui, you have no idea how unlucky we've been this time! We were all fooled by that heartless Lin Xiumei!"

"Yes, Changgui. She made all sorts of promises at first, but now she won't settle our accounts. Our whole family depends on this income; we just can't live like this anymore..."

Several people surrounded Lu Changgui, sighing and wiping away tears, pushing all the blame onto Lin Xiumei.

Lu Changgui stood up, his face dark and grim.

Having lived most of his life, how could he not understand what these people meant?

They simply realized they had been scammed, were desperate, and wanted to turn back to their family for help.

"Now you realize you've been scammed?"

Lu Changgui's face was cold, and his voice was devoid of any warmth.

"My temple is too small to contain such great beings as you. You've come to the wrong person."

For a moment, the courtyard was eerily quiet.

With nowhere else to turn, the villagers could only turn their heads shakily, casting all their hope and helplessness toward the tall figure in the center of the courtyard.

"clang!"

Lu Qingshan brought his axe down again, and the thick log split open instantly.

He kept his back to them, without even turning his head.

Third Uncle forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Green... Green Mountain..."

Lu Qingshan swung his axe again, sending wood chips flying.

Third Uncle's face turned purplish-red. He took two more steps forward, his voice even more humble.

"Qingshan, we've come to apologize to you."

"We were blinded by greed and trusted that heartless Lin Xiumei... It was our fault, we were blind to her greatness..."

"You're too magnanimous to hold a grudge against someone who's so petty."

As he spoke, he bowed to Lu Qingshan, and several villagers behind him followed suit.

Lu Qingshan finally stopped.

He thrust the axe into the wooden stake beside him, the blade embedding itself deeply.

He straightened up, picked up an old cloth draped over the wooden stake, and slowly wiped the sweat from his neck.

After wiping away his sweat, he turned around, his calm gaze slowly sweeping over the uneasy, guilty, and pleading faces before him.

Those whose gaze swept over him instinctively avoided eye contact.

"At the beginning."

Lu Qingshan spoke, his voice flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"When Sister Xiulan went to collect the goods, did she tell you about it?"

"Goods must be clean, and accounts must be settled immediately."

His voice wasn't loud, but it struck the hearts of every villager like a series of heavy blows.

Lin Xiulan did indeed say that.

Not only did they say it, they also did it clearly.

If any of their goods are a little damp, she will patiently pick them out and tell them to dry them before bringing them back.

Every single transaction was weighed on the spot, calculated using an abacus, and the money was counted out one bill at a time before being handed over to the recipient.

But how did they do it?

For the mere penny Lin Xiumei had verbally promised, they completely disregarded all her instructions.

The faces of the group of people went from red to purple, and now to a deep liver color, burning with pain.

"The path you chose is your own."