Chapter 189: Questioning

As the conversation went on, everyone started to notice something was off.

"That’s strange. For something this good, knowing Cai Jinhua’s family and their ways, they’d definitely throw a banquet. Why are they trying to sneak her away like this?"

"And that young man from the Zhou Family isn’t bad-looking. I’ve seen him; he’s perfectly able-bodied. Why would he spend two hundred yuan on a betrothal gift to marry Laidi? I’m not trying to put Laidi down, but any decent girl raised by Cai Jinhua would end up scrawny and dark-skinned, not much to look at. With a two-hundred-yuan betrothal gift, that Zhou fellow could marry a girl in much better circumstances, no problem. So why did he set his sights on Laidi?"

"Yeah, something fishy must be going on here, right? Could it be that the Zhou boy has some hidden illness?"

Listening to everyone’s speculation, the village chief’s expression darkened.

Cai Jinhua grew flustered. "What nonsense are you all spouting? My son-in-law is perfectly fine! He just has good taste and took a liking to my Laidi. She’s just a little dark and a little thin, but she takes after me and has good features. She’ll get fairer and plumper once she’s well-fed..."

The crowd who heard this was speechless...

’Seriously? Have some shame. Do you really have no idea what you look like?’

Many of the villagers rolled their eyes.

The village chief’s voice was stern. "Then why don’t you tell us what Laidi was doing heading to the seashore? Why would she rather leave than marry that boy with the surname Zhou?"

This "leave" was ambiguous. It was unclear if it meant leaving the village or...

The village chief’s heart grew heavy. "Besides Aunt Yun, has anyone else seen Laidi?"

Everyone looked at each other, indicating that they hadn’t.

Yun Jiao propped her chin on her small hand, thinking, ’Don’t tell me Yun Laide actually thought about killing herself by jumping into the sea?’

She wasn’t wrong. The moment Yun Laide learned she was being forced into a ghost marriage, she fell into despair and thought about ending it all by jumping into the sea.

But when she got to the shore, she cried for a while, and the wind cooled her head. Her unwillingness to accept her fate and the desire to escape grew even stronger.

She then followed a deserted path until she was exhausted and hungry, finally hiding behind that haystack.

As the villagers talked, they became more and more convinced that Yun Laide had probably jumped into the sea.

The village chief immediately called over some strong young men to search the nearby waters.

With a life at stake, the villagers were quite united at this moment.

Basically, everyone who had a boat set out.

The village chief turned and sharply questioned Cai Jinhua’s family. "What exactly did you do? Are you really marrying Laidi to that boy from the Zhou Family?"

The chief also sensed something fishy. Otherwise, a girl like Laidi, who had endured her heartless mother’s torment for seventeen years, wouldn’t suddenly try to kill herself right before getting married.

Stared down by the village chief, Cai Jinhua and Yun Dan shrank back, their eyes darting about evasively.

"O-Of course she’s marrying the Zhou boy! The man came to our door to see her, how could that be fake? It’s just that dead girl Laidi, her wings have hardened and she’s become disobedient."

"I raised her through thick and thin, and this is how she repays us? That ungrateful wretch..."

As she spoke, Cai Jinhua actually started cursing.

Yun Jiao’s eyes darted around, and she ran over to Granny Li.

This Granny Li was famous in the village for her feisty personality and her love of gossip.

"Granny Li, Yun Jiao will tell you a secret. The other day, I accidentally overheard two people from the Zhou Family talking. They said, ’Lao San is dead. The poor boy has a wife now.’"

Just as expected, Granny Li, a lover of juicy gossip, perked up at these words.

Her eyes gleamed with excitement. "Really?!"

Yun Jiao nodded. "Mhm, it’s true."

Granny Li didn’t just love gossip; she loved getting the scoop and spreading it around.

Of course, Granny Li didn’t spread just any rumor. She had her own standards; she wouldn’t pass on baseless, messy information that she didn’t believe herself.

For instance, now, even after hearing what Yun Jiao said, she didn’t directly ask Cai Jinhua if she was forcing Yun Laide into a ghost marriage.

Instead, she asked, "Cai Jinhua, I heard your in-laws’ third son died?"

Guilt-ridden, Cai Jinhua instantly panicked, her gaze flickering.

"H-How would I know?"

Granny Li was staring right at her. Seeing her reaction, she knew Yun Jiao’s information was probably true.

She cracked a sunflower seed between her teeth. "Laidi and that Zhou boy didn’t know each other before, right? So why would he suddenly be willing to spend two hundred yuan to marry her? And all hush-hush, too. Tsk, tsk... Who exactly is it that’s marrying Laidi?"

The implication was clear, and anyone quick-witted immediately understood.

In an instant, everyone was staring at Cai Jinhua with expressions of disbelief.

’Is this her real mother? Isn’t this just pushing Laidi to her death?’

The village chief also stared intently at Cai Jinhua and Yun Dan.

"Is what Mrs. Li said true? Yun Dan, are you marrying your own daughter off in a ghost marriage?!"

Already feeling guilty, Cai Jinhua and Yun Dan panicked even more.

"No!"

Cai Jinhua denied it at the top of her lungs. "I’m Laidi’s biological mother! How could I... how could I do something like that!"

"If not, then why are you being so secretive about this marriage?"

The village chief was so angry he pointed at the pair. "Fine, fine... You won’t admit it, is that it? Then I’ll go to Zhou Village myself and ask around! We’ll see if it’s really the boy from the Zhou Family who’s getting married!"

Cai Jinhua was in a complete panic. "Village Chief, I... we were just doing this for Laidi’s own good."

This time, she didn’t deny it.

This was something that could be confirmed with a single trip to Zhou Village; she couldn’t argue her way out of it.

Cai Jinhua switched tactics and started wailing pitifully. "Our family is raising so many daughters! We have no money, we’re poor! Since the Zhou Family could offer a two-hundred-yuan betrothal gift, Laidi would have a good life after marrying over. At worst, she’d just be a widow. She’s so frail and weak, she probably couldn’t even have children if she married a normal man, so it’s better if..."

"You bastard!"

The village chief was so enraged he pointed at Cai Jinhua’s nose and cursed, "You call yourself a mother? Laidi is your own daughter, and you degrade her like this! No wonder Laidi couldn’t bear it! You two heartless dogs! If it’s such a good deal, why don’t you marry him yourself..."

When the little old man got truly angry, his cursing was formidable. He berated them so furiously, spitting as he spoke, that Cai Jinhua and Yun Dan couldn’t even lift their heads.

However, Yun Jiao could tell that the two of them were still far from convinced they were wrong.

Finally, Cai Jinhua lost her patience and said bluntly, "Laidi is my own flesh and blood, my daughter! No matter where you go, it’s the parents who decide who she marries. Village Chief, this is our family’s business, so don’t stick your nose in it. Just find that dead girl Laidi and bring her back to me."

’A two-hundred-yuan betrothal gift... The thought of returning it was heartbreaking.’

"Heartless, just heartless!"

The people around them looked at Cai Jinhua with disapproval, whispering among themselves.

But the couple, Cai Jinhua and her husband, as well as their son, were all incredibly thick-skinned and paid no mind to the comments.

Their daughters, however, clung to each other, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and numbness.

Seeing this, many of the adults just shook their heads and murmured about what a sin it was.