Although Xu Shengnan's methods were disgusting, they were extremely effective in that era. After all, there was no concept of divorce in rural areas at that time. If the man wanted a divorce, the woman could hang herself or jump into the river, and the man's whole family would be ruined unless they moved away.
At this point, apart from Xu Shengnan and Xu Zifan who knew the future situation, no one else knew what changes would occur in society, so they could only accept their fate.
The Song family looked more like they were having a funeral than a happy occasion. The whole family looked gloomy. The villagers felt sorry for them and could only comfort them by saying that the girl was pretty and good at making money, and that if Song Xin could keep her in check, they could live a good life in the future.
That's what they said, but everyone had their doubts and felt that Xu Shengnan's money came from the wrong place. It was a pity that the whole village was watching but they couldn't find any clues.
Xu Shengnan was particularly enthusiastic about the marriage. The Song family wouldn't give a dowry or hold a wedding banquet, but she was unwilling to marry so shabbily. In a few years, people would laugh at poverty but not at prostitution. She wanted to marry in style and honor, so that when others mentioned her, they would only say she was capable and wouldn't criticize her character. At most, they might make a few sarcastic remarks.
She had seen too much of this kind of thing in her past life, and all she wanted to do when she got married was to leave the villagers with the most glamorous and impressive impression!
She went to the city and prepared a generous dowry for herself: a sewing machine, a bicycle, a watch, a radio, a pair of bright red quilts and pillows, a Lenin suit, three new outfits each for herself and Song Xin, and one new outfit for Xu Dajun and his wife, as well as for everyone in the Song family. In addition, there were dried fruits and snacks, thermos flasks, washbasins, and other daily necessities.
This set of things would cost at least six or seven hundred, and the key is that tickets are hard to come by. Many families want to buy a bicycle but can't because they don't have a ticket. Xu Shengnan actually brought back so many things in one cart, all of which were tied with big red flowers, which shocked the whole village!
Xu Dajun and Liu Xia angrily grabbed Xu Shengnan and questioned her, "Where did you get the money? Where did you get all this stuff? Did you do something wrong?"
Xu Shengnan completely ignored them, only giving them their new clothes and refusing to say another word.
As soon as she put her things down, she couldn't wait to run to Song Xin to get their marriage certificate. Song's mother wanted to delay, but Xu Shengnan wouldn't allow it. Song Xin didn't want any more trouble at home, so he took leave from work, got the necessary paperwork, and went with her.
Song Xin refused to take wedding photos, and Xu Shengnan couldn't persuade him otherwise. She didn't care anyway, since wedding photos these days weren't very attractive, and it would be better to take beautiful wedding photos later.
Once she got the marriage certificate, Xu Shengnan hired ten strong young men to help her carry her dowry. The villagers' quality varied, and Xu Shengnan paid each of them two yuan to do it. Not to mention, there were also some good-for-nothings who didn't care about reputation at all and were happy to be close to such a beautiful girl!
The extremely generous dowry attracted everyone's attention along the way. The people from Team Five had heard before that Xu Shengnan was paying off her debts and buying a house, but seeing all the good stuff in person, they realized just how rich Xu Shengnan was.
The Song family has brought home a golden goose! Just these things alone are worth it! Besides, Xu Shengnan is so beautiful. Song Xin has gained both wealth and beauty. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation.
Team Five is different from Team Four. Team Four had a rotten apple in their team who was so shameless that he brought shame to the entire team. Team Five, on the other hand, had a young man who was practically begging to marry them. Although being schemed against was disgusting, the young man wasn't ugly or disabled, so the others were more pleased than repulsed, and most were just watching the show.
Some of the young men even joked with Song Xin, "Song Xin, you're so lucky! Such a celestial beauty has taken a liking to you. Could it be that the Seventh Fairy has come to repay a debt of gratitude?"
Some people even said sourly, "If Xu Shengnan had taken a liking to me, I would definitely marry her and treat her like a princess."
The crowd burst into laughter, "Are you as tall and strong as Song Xin? As handsome as Song Xin? She's only interested in Song Xin, stop daydreaming, hahaha..."
They all treated Xu Shengnan like a gold digger, so their speech was naturally much more frivolous, making casual jokes without any respect. Some even secretly speculated that Xu Shengnan was pregnant and in a hurry to find someone to take responsibility. Otherwise, why would she be so eager to cling to Song Xin? The Song family wasn't exactly wealthy.
Song Xin remained gloomy throughout their jokes. He had many ideas to deal with Xu Shengnan, but he was afraid of causing trouble and implicating his family, so he did nothing. However, being forced to marry such a wife and being allowed to make jokes at will, he felt that he had lost all face. He would settle this score sooner or later!
Xu Shengnan entered the Song family in a grand manner. The Song family members couldn't help but gasp at the sight of all the items Xu Shengnan brought as dowry. The five hundred yuan that the family had originally planned to give Song Xin for his wedding was now saved. It seemed like the family had gotten a good deal. Song's eldest sister-in-law was the first to change her mind. After all, life was hard, and being able to live a good life was what mattered.
However, the feeling of being annoyed by Xu Shengnan was still there, and no one in the Song family paid any attention to her. Song Xin also had no intention of sharing a room with her at all, and asked Song's mother to clean out the room where her eldest sister lived before her marriage and let her move in.
Xu Shengnan didn't notice at first, but after everything was arranged and the young men from the fourth team had left, she realized that Song Xin's belongings were nowhere to be found in the room.
"Song Xin! We're already married. What do you mean by sleeping in separate rooms from me?"
Song Xin said coldly, "What's wrong? Do you think the police care about this? I feel like throwing up just looking at you. I can't sleep in the same room as you. What's wrong? If you don't like it, go back to your parents' house."
"You! Song Xin! How could you do this to me?" Xu Shengnan's eyes widened. Was this still the man she remembered who was so affectionate and gentle towards his wife?
Song Xin scoffed, "Stay if you want, get out if you don't."
Song Xin is like a dead pig that doesn't fear boiling water. Anyway, they've already gotten their marriage certificate. What can she do now by suing him for indecent assault?
He even added a lock to his room, making it clear that he wouldn't let Xu Shengnan in whether he was home or not, as if he was afraid she would climb into his bed in the middle of the night! The villagers who had been watching the commotion hadn't left yet, and upon seeing this, they started to jeer and laugh loudly, which made Xu Shengnan so angry that she almost fainted, and she had to hold onto the door frame to avoid falling.
Looking at the cold faces of the Song family and the frivolous, mocking gazes of the villagers, she trembled with anger, her hands and feet turned ice-cold, and a huge stone seemed to be pressing on her chest. This was not what she had expected! She had forgotten that even if, a few years later, poverty was ridiculed but prostitution was not, she was living in the present. At this moment, she still had to endure everyone's contempt and disdain. This feeling was too painful, a million times more painful than in the Xu family!
Xu Shengnan could no longer bear it, slammed the door shut, and hid inside.
"Pah!" Mother Song spat towards the door, her face ashen as she glared at her family. "I'm telling you, this slut got her things through some dirty means. None of you are allowed to touch them, use them, or take anything from her. If I find out, you're out of the Song family, you hear me!"
"We heard that!" the Song family members responded in unison, and Song's sister-in-law's little scheme vanished.
The young men surrounded Song Xin, teasing him, "Hey, Song Xin, are you really going to do this? Xu Shengnan is so pretty, why don't you share a room with her? Tonight is your wedding night, why are you wasting it like this?"
"Song Xin did the right thing. What if he gets sick? We have to be careful. Let's wait and see."
"Yes, yes, what if she gets pregnant right away? We'd be in trouble then. Let's wait and see until we're sure."
"But Xu Shengnan is really beautiful. Ten village beauties combined couldn't compare to her. Song Xin, a grown man like you won't suffer a loss. If she really wants to live a good life with you, don't make a fuss. Isn't it great to have gotten a heavenly wife and so many good things for free?"
The crowd started chattering away, making Song Xin feel like he was being cuckolded. His face darkened further. "Alright, is there nothing else you're doing? What are you all talking about? I'm annoyed. How about we fight?"
"No, no, no, Brother Song, let's talk this out. If you really don't like her, well, how about you find someone to torment her? Aren't mothers-in-law supposed to be the best at tormenting their daughters-in-law?"
"Yes, yes, look at that guy from the Liu family, his wife has been tortured by his mother until she's skin and bones. Tsk, I'm afraid she'll fall to the ground if the wind blows her away."
Song Xin said coldly, "Is my mother that kind of person? She wouldn't even do something like deliberately tormenting someone. Alright, stop giving me bad advice and let me have some peace and quiet."
Song Xin felt both ashamed and angry. He was angry at his own powerlessness, that all he could do was marry her, and angry at himself for not being able to do such a despicable thing and for not being able to adopt the bad ideas those boys came up with. So he simply ran off to the mountains to be alone for a while.
Teams four and five were on a mountain. Song Xin walked for an unknown amount of time, and when he looked up, he saw Xu Zifan in the distance, who had just caught a rabbit.
[Shaohua: Host, Song Xin is nearby.]
Xu Zifan glanced at Song Xin, nodded to him, and then went back to tying up the rabbit. [Don't worry about him, he'll come over if he needs anything.]
Song Xin saw that Xu Zifan didn't go over, but he was aimless anyway, so when he saw Xu Zifan leave, he unconsciously followed at a distance. Then he saw Xu Zifan easily shoot down more than a dozen sparrows and two rabbits with a slingshot...
Song Xin's eyes widened in disbelief that a man nearing sixty could hunt so skillfully. He couldn't help but quicken his pace and call out to Xu Zifan, "Grandpa Xu."
After shouting, he didn't know what else to say, and finally said dryly, "You're hunting? So many?"
Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Roasted sparrows are delicious, I love them. I'm taking this rabbit home to raise. Rabbits breed quickly, so if I raise it well, I won't have to worry about food."
Song Xin hesitated and said, "Won't this work? Wouldn't raising too many animals lead to capitalism?"
Xu Zifan patted the chubby rabbit in his hand, "I keep them outside in the yard, who said they're mine? I'm just kindly helping them build a kennel."
"Huh? Aren't they running away?"
"I won't run."
"What if someone steals it?"
Xu Zifan chuckled and said, "Haven't you heard that I can kill a wild boar by myself? Who would dare to steal from my house? Sometimes you have to be assertive. Being kind in general is also a way to make people afraid to mess with you."
Song Xin lowered his head in disappointment, "Sometimes being assertive is useless; you can't help being outmaneuvered."
Xu Zifan tied the sparrows together with a vine and casually said, "Of course, we still need to be careful."
Song Xin's eyes suddenly lit up. "Grandpa Xu, I heard that Xu Shengnan made you faint from anger, but you got rid of her and are still doing so well. You must have a way to deal with her. Can you teach me? I can help you with chores and do a lot of things for you, okay, Grandpa Xu?"