In these old tis things are done so differently. For instance, when a woman gets married, her in-laws now have full rights over so certain affairs of her life.
Including the act of remarriage. If her husband is dead, her in-laws have the right to keep her or marry her off, so far as they have a good reason for such.
Even at this point, I’m not even sure the village chief could help.
**
"Big Man Lou!"
Uncle Lu announced as his words took everyone by surprise except because I didn’t know who the heck Big Man Lou was.
"WHAT!?" Yan i shouted as she slamd the table hard and stood up angrily, "Y-you you have gone too far, how can you marry her off to that monster!?"
"You brat!" Uncle Lu shouted back as Aunt Lu stood up to face Yan i, "Who asked you for your opinion? What’s your concern here, how dare you speak when your elders are speaking?"
"Pa!" Yan i turned to her dad, as he shouted back, "Shut up! Sit down quietly or go back ho."
"But Pa, how can I be quiet? They want to marry Lin Xu to that monster, I can’t just keep quiet."
Yanking Yan i in her arm, I asked curiously, "Yan i! Who is Big Man Lou and why do you call him a monster?!"
It was as though I had asked the weirdest question as they all turned to look at , taken back.
"Lin Xu, you don’t even know who Big Man Lou is? He is a scoundrel. He is a big fat man who has gotten married to over ten girls already. He currently stays at our neighboring village, all the won he has married have either been killed by him, committed suicide or fled. He is always looking for a wife, marrying him is you going to your death bed."
Her words hit , I should have expected that those two couples wouldn’t want to marry off to anyone good. Such annoying set of people.
"Wow! You both are truly splendid. After torturing both I and my children for eight years, now you want to sell off and call it marriage. Who do you think you are!" I flared up, slamming my fist on the table angrily, as the evil twins on the other side shook slightly.
"S-sell you off? Eh Lin Xu, what do you take us for? We are only doing this for your good. You have suffered so much all alone, marrying Big Man Lou is the best decision for you so don’t even think about refusing!" Aunt Lu said proudly.
Turning to Village Chief Yan, I asked, "Village chief, aren’t you going to say sothing? They want to get married against my will. Please do sothing?"
Sighing, Old Man Yan finally said, "Hmm. Old Man Lu, Lin Xu has a point. Marrying her off to Big Man Lou isn’t a good decision, after all he seems to be a very wild man when it cos to won. You have to find soone better."
"Soone better? We already did! Co, you all think that it’s any easier for us? Lin Xu is already a mother of three children, she’s still young and beautiful yes, but because of her children no man in this entire empire would want to marry her. He is the only one that has actually agreed to marry her, you all should be thankful."
"Yes, yes, my mother is right. And besides, Big Man Lou is very rich, he has such a big house and many fields and livestock. He even has children of his own, so he won’t be bothered about your own children."
Lu Feir said as at that point I felt like ripping her mouth into two.
"If he’s that good then why don’t you get married to him," I said with a smirk.
The whole room went quiet. My words hung in the air like a heavy slap.
"You—!" Lu Feir’s face turned red. She stomped her foot, shouting, "How dare you say that to ! Do you know who you are talking to?"
I leaned closer, my eyes fixed on her. "Yes. I know. I’m talking to a hypocrite. You want to sell off like a goat, but you can’t even imagine marrying him yourself."
"You insolent—!" Aunt Lu barked, lifting her hand to slap , but Yan i quickly stepped in.
"Lin Xu is right!" Yan i shouted, standing tall. "If Big Man Lou is so great, then let your own daughter marry him. Don’t pretend you are doing this for her good. You just want to throw her away."
"You brat!" Aunt Lu snapped, turning to hit Yan i this ti, but before she could, I caught her wrist in mid-air.
Everyone gasped. Even the village chief sat up straighter, his eyes wide.
"Don’t you dare touch her," I said coldly. "You have pushed around for eight years, but it ends here. Try it again and you’ll regret it."
Aunt Lu pulled her hand back, looking shaken. Uncle Lu’s face was dark, but I could see he was unsure now.
"Lin Xu," the village chief finally spoke, his tone firm, "Since you are so determined not to marry Big Man Lou then I’ll give you an alternative. Usually the in-laws are supposed to have a say in who you remarry and the fact that your own maternal parents don’t even live near the village, the only other option is if you find a man for yourself."
"I’ll be giving you ONE WEEK. If in less than one week you don’t find a man who is ready to marry you despite your current situation, then I’ll have no other choice but to agree to your in-laws’ choice. Is that understood?"
He said as I stared, my eyes going from Yan i back to her father but I finally accepted.
"Yes village chief!"
He nodded, "In that case, then this matter for now is paused. In one week we shall all return here and I expect your new husband here as well along with his bride price. Unless... sigh!"
Without finishing his statent, Old Man Yan took his leave.
The mont Old Man Yan left, the air in the room grew heavy again. Uncle Lu’s face turned even darker while Aunt Lu folded her hands, looking proud as if she had already won.
"So, one week," Aunt Lu said with a mocking laugh. "Lin Xu, do you really think you can find a man in just one week? Don’t fool yourself. No man wants a widow with three children. You are only wasting your ti."
"Exactly," Lu Fei added, smiling smugly. "You should just accept your fate and prepare yourself to marry Big Man Lou. At least he has money, and maybe... just maybe... he might just spare your life and that of your children as well."
My blood boiled at her words, but I forced myself to smirk. "Don’t worry about , Lu Fei. Worry about yourself. Because if I fail, then I will make sure your na is the one I put forward to marry Big Man Lou."
"You—!" She gasped, her face turning pale. "Ma, let’s go!" she said as she just dragged her family and left.
Sigh. Looks like more problems just settled in.
A husband? In one week? When I’m not in a flash marriage novel.
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