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Ji Yan’s older brother, Ji Qian, had been handsome since he was young. He also had a sweet mouth, so many women and Shuang’ers in the village liked him. Ji Yan’s mother and father also loved him. Who knew that as he grew, he disliked studying even more. Even after studying for a few years, he didn’t learn anything. Instead, all he learned were some cunning plots. He was extremely perverted. His appearance didn’t match his character.
When he was fifteen or sixteen, he had relations with the widow in the village. He also had affairs with several women. That widow’s family caught them in the act and ruthlessly taught him a lesson. Eldest Ji’s wife went to the widow’s family and tried her best to persuade them. Only then was the matter kept under control. However, a lot of people within the village knew about this matter. Afterwards, Ji Qian controlled himself a bit more. Usually, he would just flirt with the people in the village or catcall the women and Shuang’ers to look for a chance to freeload.
Some women and Shuang’ers were extremely disgusted with him, but there were also some who, after seeing his handsome and good looks, were willing to exchange flirtatious glances with him and chat about love and so on…
Eldest Ji’s wife tried to persuade him everyday and couldn’t accept this. He was her precious son, after all. She was reluctant to scold and hit him. A while ago, Ji Qian became even more out of control and secretly had an affair with a married woman from a neighboring village. They were accidentally discovered by the woman’s husband. The cuckolded man caught them red-handed.
The man grabbed a stick and struck Ji Qian. The stick passed through the flesh. The attack was hard and ruthless. How could a weak pretty boy withstand this beating? He cried as he begged for mercy. “That woman is the one who seduced me…” All the blame was pushed to the woman. When the man heard these words, he became even more angry. His attacks became even more ruthless. In the end, he broke Ji Qian’s leg…
When Ji Qian was sent back, he was barely breathing. Li Yue’e cried and shouted as she hugged her precious son. Eldest Ji hurriedly went to find a doctor… In the end, the doctor came, but their family couldn’t afford the consultation fee or the medicine. The Ji family’s three brothers hadn’t divided the family yet. Most of the family’s money was in Old Lady Ji’s hands. Old Lady Ji didn’t like Eldest Ji and disliked his son even more. She even thought about beating him to death…She didn’t want such a disgraceful grandson.
She couldn’t let him affect Ji Xuan and Ji Ru’s reputation. Her grandson was going to pass the imperial exam and become an official, and her granddaughter was also going to marry rich. How could they be affected by Ji Qian, this bastard…
Old Lady Ji was reluctant to take out money for the consultation fee and medicine. Her money was to be kept for Ji Xuan’s study. She also had to save for Ji Ru’s dowry… How could she spend the money on Ji Qian? But in the end, Ji Qian was also her grandson. She couldn’t be too excessive. So she proposed the idea of having Ji Yan get married and use his betrothal money to pay for the medicine…
And so, the Ji family looked for a marriage partner from the village for Ji Yan. In the beginning, the betrothal price Old Lady Ji wanted was very high. She didn’t actually expect Ji Yan to obtain over a dozen taels of silver for a betrothal gift. She deliberatly set the price high, but who knew that there was such a stupid woman like Zhao Liniang who was willing to spend thirteen taels of silver to get a Shuang’er to marry her son.
It was still this amount even if Ji Yan was married off as a concubine… Eldest Ji and his wife were reluctant to let their own child become a concubine. They comforted themselves by saying: Although Lin Lixuan is a fool, the Ji family’s roots were in the village. Even if our son marries him, he’ll have our help, and he shouldn’t suffer too much…
After receiving a deposit of four taels of silver from Zhao Liniang, along with the hard-earning savings from Eldest Ji’s family, they finally paid back the medical fees they owed. They also had money for Ji Qian’s medicine… However, Eldest Ji’s wife learned a heartbreaking piece of news. The doctor told them that after suffering the beating, their son, Ji Qian, would have a hard time having children in the future.
He’d have a hard time having children!!!
What did this mean? It meant his line would die with his children.
After hearing this news, Li Yue’e couldn’t handle the stimulation and fainted.
Because Old Lady Ji was still here, the three sons of the Ji family didn’t separate the family. However, Old Lady Ji would eventually pass with old age, and the family would separate. Ji Qian was his only son. If Ji Qian didn’t have any descendents, then what would happen to them when they were old?
On the other side, Second Ji’s wife, Liu Yufeng, after hearing that Ji Yan would get a thirteen taels of silver betrothal gift, then learning that Ji Qian was injured and might never have descendents, her eyes rolled back and forth and she plotted something in her heart. She hypocritically ran to Li Yue’e and pretended to sympathize with her. Then as her sister-in-law, proposed an idea.
“Yue’e, I have an idea. Take a portion of the betrothal money from the Lin family and use it for Ji Ya to marry. My family will owe you a favor, and in the future, Ji Ya’s firstborn child will be adopted off to Ji Qian to continue the family line. They’re cousins. Does it matter whose child it is between them?”
That was true. If Ji Qian didn’t have any children, couldn’t he just adopt one from his cousins?
Li Yue’e went back and discussed this with Eldest Ji, and in the end, they agreed to Liu Yufeng’s idea.
Liu Yufeng was giddy as she spoke to the couple, “My Ji Ya doesn’t want too much—just four taels of silver is enough. I have already taken a fancy to a family for him. That family said our Ji Ya is honest, and their Shuang’er likes his type. Nobody wants to make anything difficult, so they only want four taels of silver for the betrothal.”
“By the way, you should also find someone for Ji Qian as soon as possible. He went a bit overboard all because he’s not married yet. Find a powerful wife for him who can control him, then he’ll change for the better.”
And so, three days ago, the Ji family’s Shuang’er was married out, and Old Lady Ji’s two grandsons married as well.
A burly woman walked out of the Ji residence’s main building’s side door. She walked to the handsome man in the courtyard and said coquettishly, “Husband, hurry and come back to my parents’ place with me. My parents are definitely anxiously waiting to meet you at home.”
That handsome man was Ji Qian. He only felt disgusted and wanted to vomit. The woman beside him was twice as big as him. She was the wife Eldest Ji and his wife chose to keep him under control.
Song Qiao’er took the basket from Ji Qian’s hand and smiled so much that the fat on her face trembled. She liked her handsome and beautiful husband, Ji Qian. Although she knew her husband had done some dirty things in the past, she didn’t care. She was from a hunter’s family, and she had followed her husband into the mountains since she was young. Most men couldn’t compare to her, but she liked pretty boys like Ji Qian.
Song Qiao’er grabbed her husband’s hand and dragged him out. Ji Qian’s legs hadn’t fully recovered yet, and he still limped when he walked.
On the other side, in the courtyard, Ji Ya grabbed the basket for the first visit home, then walked out of the Ji family’s main gate smiling and laughing with his new Shuang’er wife. He had always been a bit naive, but he looked even more silly when he laughed. He looked at Zhao Qingqing, who was beside him, and was very happy. Before he got married, he was full of resentment. Why were Ji Shu and Ji Qian able to marry wives, but he could only marry a Shuang’er who was only worth four taels of silver. Moreover, he had to give one of his children to Ji Qian.
But when he saw Zhao Qingqing, the accumulated resentment completely disappeared. Zhao Qingqing turned out to be such a well-behaved and good-looking Shuang’er. It was said because he (ZQQ) liked him (JY), he was willing to marry him with only four taels of silver as a betrothal gift.
Ji Ya felt like he was the luckiest man in the world.
After sending the two couples out, the Ji family’s courtyard finally calmed down. Li Yue’e picked up the wicker basket to feed the chickens they raised. Eldest Ji carried a pole with two containers of water on each end and poured it into the water tank. A little boy in shabby clothes ran to Li Yue’e’s side and whispered to his mother, “Mother, will big brother come back today?”
Li Yue’e looked at Ji Yu, who looked very similar to Ji Yan. Her heart was sour. She didn’t know what happened to her Shuang’er after marrying into the Lin family?
“Don’t worry. Big brother will come back today.”
Li Yue’e knew that Ji Yan wouldn’t come back. How could an married Shuang’er return to their home whenever they wanted unless they were accompanied by their husband. But Lin Lixuan was a fool. How could a fool accompany Ji Yan home?
Her pitiful child. She really wronged him, but what else could she have done?
Inside Third Ji’s room, a girl with big eyes, flat nose, and wearing a reddish dress played with the silver hairpin in her hand. She smiled and said to her older brother beside her, “Ge1, aren’t you going to a poetry gathering in a few days? Take me with you.”
Ji Xuan casually flipped through a book and glanced at Ji Ru. “Why would I take you? You can’t even read.”
“I…I want to join in the fun,” Ji Ru said.
“You just want to see Du Feibai, don’t you? Give it up. You don’t match him.”
Liu Li, who sat to the side, frowned. “How can you say that about your sister? What part of your sister isn’t good?”
Ji Ru humphed. “That’s right.”
Du Feibai was the son of the cloth shop owner in the county town. He was studying at the academy like Ji Ru’s older brother. Ji Ru saw him once and fell in love. Du Feibai was handsome, his family was rich, and he was knowledgeable. He’d become a Xiucai this year. He was much better than her brother. If she could marry him…
Ji Xuan saw her appearance of being in love and sighed. How could a scholar like Du Feibai fall for a country girl like Ji Ru? Although his mother, Liu Li, would often buy her silver hairpins and jewelry, and some nice clothes, Ji Xuan didn’t know what to say to them. After all, one of them was his mother and the other was his younger sister. Their tastes were too vulgar. They would wear gorgeous outfits in inappropriate places. Those who had money and education, who would dress like this?
They had no worldly knowledge!
Ji Ru held her cheeks and picked up the mirror again. She inserted the silver hairpin into her bun and felt like she’d instantly become a lot more beautiful. She didn’t mind looking at her flat nose in the mirror either. She smiled and said to her mother, “Third cousin and fourth cousin have taken their wives back to their family’s house. Do you think Ger Yan will come back today?”
Liu Li, who was sewing on the side, put down the needle and thread in her hand and sneered. “How will he come back? Is that fool going to bring him?”
Before Liu Li could finish speaking, she heard Ji Yu’s cheers coming from outside. “Ge, ge, you’re back.”
- older brother. I’ll be using ge when someone is being addressed and the english translation when they’re being talked about in third person. ↩︎
