His hope with his sister-in-law had indeed vanished; Wang Daniu got up early the next day and headed straight for the village's small general store.
After all, marriage was a big deal, and Wang Daniu needed to buy some alcohol for the wedding, along with some decorations to adorn the room.
Located in a remote area, Apricot Blossom Village only had this one well-stocked general store, which the villagers relied upon for their daily needs.
The store was operated by an old man named Liu Degui, who was honest and meek, but he had a brother who was the village head, so no one bullied him.
When Wang Daniu arrived at the general store, he discovered that there was no one inside. Just as he was about to call the owner out, a woman's intermittent sobbing came from inside the house.
"Dad, I heard people say that Big Bull Brother is getting married. Hurry up and go to his house to ask for his hand in marriage."
Hearing his name being called, Wang Daniu stopped in his tracks and listened closely.
Wasn't that Liu Sisi? It turned out she had been harboring a secret crush on him all along, something Wang Daniu had never really considered.
Liu Degui's daughter, Liu Sisi, was about the same age as Wang Daniu; they had been classmates from elementary school through to junior high, truly childhood sweethearts.
"Why would you fall for that oaf? I'm telling you to forget about it. His family is nothing but poor trash. Are you going to marry him and end up begging for food?" Liu Degui scolded.
"I like Big Bull Brother, and if I can't be his bride, I might as well bash my head in and die."
Liu Sisi's stance was incredibly firm.
"Daughter, take advice and you'll eat well. Look at Wang Daniu's family—they're poor and he's a simpleton. With their status, they'll never turn their lives around. Don't even think about it."
Liu Sisi almost got into a fight with her father, while a fashionable woman sat off to the side, cracking sunflower seeds and watching the drama unfold.
Named Jiang Yuting, she was Liu Degui's second wife. True to her name, she was slender and elegant, but her cheongsam was so short that it barely covered her pale thighs.
"Our Sisi sure has great taste. It's as if all the men in the Apricot Blossom Village were dead, and she picked a pauper to marry."
Loving the spectacle, Jiang Yuting twisted her neck with a series of taunts, adding fuel to the fire.
Wang Daniu just happened to overhear the conversation among the three, and he was immediately irked by Liu Degui and his wife, especially the stepmother Jiang Yuting, who looked down on him so.
Wang Daniu clenched his fists and swore to himself, "Alright you venomous-tongued woman, sooner or later, you'll see what I'm made of."
Indoors, Liu Sisi couldn't cope with the ridicule from the two and ran upstairs with loud footsteps.
Only then did Jiang Yuting twist her neck, flicking the seed shells from her hand with a snort before turning around and swaggering out through the door curtain.
When she looked up and saw Wang Daniu standing in the general store, she coldly glanced at him and said sarcastically, "Big Bull, I really must congratulate you on getting a new bride. But I heard that the bride is a second-hand good, previously used by someone else."
"Tsk tsk, your family is so poor that it makes a clinking sound. I guess you can only rely on the sharing economy now, hehe…"
Jiang Yuting covered her mouth, emitting a sharp and spiteful laugh.
Wang Daniu had already been bottling up his anger and hadn't expected Jiang Yuting to provoke him further.
"Sister-in-law's skin is smooth to the point she looks like a fallen girl; was nobody with you before you married? Don't think that just because you found Liu Degui as the fall guy, nobody knows about your scandalous past!"
Wang Daniu's cold gaze swept over her. "Who gave you the courage to act this way here?"
Trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice, Jiang Yuting was instantly rendered speechless.
"We won't do business with your kind, you poor wretch, get out."
"You little bastard, dare to slander me, you poor deadbeat, we won't do business with you!"
Jiang Yuting cursed loudly, pushing and shoving Wang Daniu, trying to drive him out.
"Fine, I'm leaving. This place stinks anyway."
Wang Daniu had no desire to speak further with her; he turned around and left in a huff, not even bothering to make his purchases.
As he stepped out of the general store, he rounded the corner and managed to shake off that shrew's voice when he heard Liu Sisi's call.
"Big Bull Brother, wait for me."
"Sisi? What are you doing here?"
It turned out that just a moment ago, Liu Sisi had heard some noise downstairs and had quietly slipped out, waiting here especially for him.
Seeing his beloved Liu Sisi rush up to him and embrace him like a wounded kitten, she began to cry softly in his arms.
"Big Bull Brother, why would you rather marry a widow than marry me?"
"Am I ugly?"
"I want to be your wife, I want to have your children!"
Liu Sisi bombarded him with questions one after the other, her tone filled with grievance.
Wang Daniu felt a heart-wrenching pang. He looked down at Liu Sisi; she was not only his childhood sweetheart but also the school beauty. How could she possibly be ugly?
Wang Daniu felt an urge to be intimate with her.
But as he stretched out his hand, he ultimately didn't pull her into his embrace. Instead, he sighed and stroked her jet-black hair.
"Sisi, it's not that I don't think highly of you. Your dad... he's right. Our family is poor; marrying me would only harm you, wouldn't it?"
Hearing this reason, a glimmer of joy secretly shone in Liu Sisi's eyes.
Now Liu Sisi held Wang Daniu even closer. Feeling the warmth of friction against her chest, Wang Daniu couldn't help but feel a dryness in his mouth.
"I don't care, if my parents look down on you, that's their problem."
"I want to be your bride. My heart yearns for you alone; I won't marry anyone but you."
Hearing Liu Sisi's confession, Wang Daniu's confidence swelled, soothing the wound from being rejected when he had proposed to his sister-in-law.
Wang Daniu looked down at the young girl Liu Sisi, cute as a beast-eared anime character.
His childhood sweetheart had grown into a graceful young woman with a well-proportioned physique that was beginning to develop in the front and back.
Looking so intently, his male instincts made Wang Daniu react. He was losing his grip on self-control.
And just then, Liu Sisi deliberately arched her back, sending Wang Daniu's head spinning.
"Big Bull Brother, do you find me beautiful?"
The bouncy feeling immediately traveled down his sensitive nerves, spreading through Wang Daniu's entire body, as he nodded to himself with content.
"Sisi, you are truly beautiful."
With that affirmation, Liu Sisi's cheeks turned slightly red. She playfully smacked her small fists a few times against Da Niu's sturdy chest.
"You're so bad, if I'm beautiful, why isn't the bride me!"
After a bit of playful banter, Liu Sisi whispered, "Big Bull Brother, I have a secret to tell you, it's not convenient to talk here on the main road."
A secret? She was clearly teasing Wang Daniu.
Wang Daniu might be honest, but he was no fool. If he didn't do something now, would he even be a man?
Moreover, the lust he had repressed yesterday with his sister-in-law had not been vented and was now being stirred up to the breaking point.
He looked around and saw a small grove not far away, thick and dense, perfect for whispering sweet nothings.
"Sisi, I also want to hear what's in your heart. Let's go over there."
Wang Daniu pointed to the small grove.
Liu Sisi understood and, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement, obediently nodded.
Wang Daniu's heart bloomed with joy. He took hold of Liu Sisi's small hand, and the two of them quickly slipped into the woods.