"Big Bull Brother, I want to..." Yang Mimi trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished.
Wang Daniu looked at her captivating eyes and his lips curled up slightly, "I'm always willing to help people out of their troubles."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Daniu's hand whirled around forcefully. They heard a loud crack, followed by Yang Mimi crying out in pain.
"There, that should do it," Wang Daniu said, helping Yang Mimi to her feet by supporting her peachy bottom.
Yang Mimi moved her legs and was filled with surprise delight.
"Oh my gosh, it's like magic! It doesn't hurt at all anymore. Big Bull Brother, how can I ever thank you?"
Yang Mimi, still savoring their recent close contact, gazed at Wang Daniu with lingering desire.
"Don't mistake me for those hooligans. I would never take advantage of someone in trouble. Now that you're fine, we should hurry back to the village."
Yang Mimi felt a hollow sense of disappointment within her. He was just too much of a straight-laced man.
The two climbed up the cliff, one in front of the other. Upon reaching the entrance to Peach Blossom Village, they went their separate ways home.
Wang Daniu sneaked into the house with a guilty conscience. His sister-in-law was nowhere to be seen, but his grandfather, Wang Tiegun, was there with a livid expression, squinting his eyes and taking puffs of his pipe.
"Heh heh," Wang Daniu said, sticking out his tongue tentatively. "Grandpa, you don't look so good."
"Quiet! You've made a laughingstock out of us, embarrassing enough to infuriate a turtle."
Wang Tiegun suddenly stood up, swinging his bronze pipe at Wang Daniu's head.
Wang Daniu knew all too well about his grandfather's temper. Usually, he would dodge swiftly to the side, but this time he did not move.
Bang! The bronze pipe struck Wang Daniu's head so hard it broke in half, knocking the old man to the ground as well.
Blood flowed profusely!
"You fool...why didn't you dodge?"
Wang Daniu had always depended on his grandfather since childhood, holding a deep respect and filial piety for him.
Seeing his grandfather fall startled him so much that his face turned pale, and he rushed forward, falling to his knees before the old man.
"Grandpa, you can hit me or scold me, just please take good care of yourself."
"Cough, what kind of creature did I raise? You've grown up alright, good enough to cause such shameful scenes. I might as well be dead."
Wang Tiegun started slapping his thigh and broke into tears.
"I don't understand. My brother is gone, and my sister-in-law and I have mutual feelings for each other. She's single, I'm unmarried, why can't we be together? Who are we hurting?"
"You dare to talk back!" Trembling, Wang Tiegun raised his hand and slapped himself twice across the face. "I've lost all face."
The old man resorted to crying, making a scene, even threatening suicide, all to keep them apart.
True to his name, Wang Daniu kowtowed twice, stubborn as a mule with his neck stiff.
"Grandpa, I'll lay it out for you today. I've liked my sister-in-law for a long time. If I can't marry her in this lifetime, then... I might as well be dead. Then there'd be no one to attend to you in your final moments."
"You...you're threatening me? You're going to be the death of me."
"Foolish boy, won't you back down until you hit a wall? Do you really think I'm opposing this match just because of some worthless reputation?"
After Wang Daniu made his fierce declaration, the old man stopped his wailing and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"I don't agree to your union because it's for your own good! My grandson, sigh!"
At this, Wang Daniu was completely bewildered. "Grandpa, what are you trying to say?"
Wang Tiegun shook his head, realizing that he must reveal what he had kept secret.
"Your sister-in-law...she is an ill-omened person! Her luck too strong, she overshadowed your brother, and I can't risk losing you as well."
"You are the only line of succession for the Wang family. If you don't leave an heir, even death won't absolve me from facing our ancestors."
Wang Tiegun spoke with a heart-wrenching tone, wiped his nose, and his eyes flashed with a cold light.
"If you dare to be with your sister-in-law, I will bash my old bones to death."
The grandfather's stance was resolute, and Wang Daniu's heart shattered, leaving him silent.
His own grandfather, whom he knew all too well, was truly capable of such a deed, and he certainly couldn't let himself be the reason for coercing his grandfather to death over marrying a bride!
The atmosphere suddenly dropped to freezing point, as the two men stubbornly faced off, and the room became terrifyingly quiet.
Bang! Suddenly, a knocking sound came from the door.
"Who is it!?" both men asked irritably at the same time.
"Oh my, fate truly trumps planning; you both are here, it's Wang Zhaodi."
An acidic peal of laughter came from outside the door.
Matchmaker with a smiley face! What was she doing here?
The grandfather and grandson hurriedly composed themselves, climbed up from the ground, tidied up the battlefield from moments ago, and said, "Please come in."
The matchmaker, dressed in a floral gown, sashayed in, her face beaming with festive joy, her eyes staring straight at Wang Daniu.
"Wowee, your family is about to run into some peach blossom luck, hahaha..."
These words, of course, were directed at Wang Daniu, but with thoughts of his sister-in-law still on his mind, he couldn't help but frown.
"What are you doing at my house?"
The matchmaker Wang looked at Wang Daniu with a giggly expression and even rubbed his bicep.
"I'm here, of course, to bring good news; someone has taken a liking to you."
"Not seeing them," Wang Daniu flatly refused.
"My, such a temper, young man, don't be so haughty. With your family's shabby conditions, someone asking for my match-making services should make you secretly delighted. If you miss this chance, you might just remain a bachelor for life, ending the Wang family lineage."
These words struck the old man Wang Tiegun deep, and sure enough, Wang Tiegun spoke up.
"Auntie Wang, never mind the child; we don't know who the other family is, tell us about them."
Wang the matchmaker, with a hand over her mouth, trembling in laughter, said, "Your family should light high incense for this; the girl is incredibly pretty. I've brought her along, wouldn't you like to meet her?"
"Meet, let's meet," Wang Tiegun said decisively, "quickly bring the young lady in," as Wang Daniu sighed deeply.
The matchmaker's arrival was indeed timely amidst the stalemate between the grandfather and grandson; Wang Daniu didn't wish to conflict directly with his elder anymore.
Now with a buffer zone, it was for the better, since his heart only belonged to his sister-in-law, and he would not marry anyone but her in this lifetime.
Other women simply could not catch Wang Daniu's eye, and he could just take a glance and say he was not interested.
"Then please, bring her in," Wang Daniu said with a darkened face as he sat down on a chair, while Wang the matchmaker scurried off gleefully to bring the good news.
In a short while, a delicately dressed, delicate woman slowly walked in.
Wang Daniu looked up, ready to pick at flaws and find a reason to send her away.
But as he looked up, he froze, unexpectedly seeing a familiar face before him.
Just hours earlier, the two had shared a close and trying encounter; the little bride-to-be was none other than Yang Mimi, whom he had just rescued.
Wang Daniu's prepared words made a full turn in his mouth and were swallowed back down with difficulty.
Compared to their initial meeting, Yang Mimi's face was now clean and radiant, charming and elegant, dressed in a red form-fitting dress, unmistakably a beauty in making.
"How is it you?"
A surge of pleasant surprise flickered in Wang Daniu's eyes; these two were indeed fated.