"Marry him, that's your fate, you brought this suffering upon yourself."
Stepmother Zhou Ping dragged the worn-out suitcase, tossing it in front of Lin Yan, "Pack up, we're leaving tonight."
Lin Yan stood in the corner, her face pale, staring blankly at her stepmother.
"Let whoever wants to marry him do it, but I won't. How is this any different from throwing me into a fire pit? Isn't there another way?"
Just the thought of being forced to marry the old bachelor from the east end of the village sent chills down Lin Yan's spine, nauseating her from her heart to her liver.
That old bachelor likely had never seen a woman.
And here she was, a maiden as beautiful as a flower, being brought right to his doorstep.
At night, wouldn't he wreak havoc on her, now that he had caught a woman, not distinguishing day from color, ready to feast on her whenever he wanted?
Zhou Ping snorted coldly, "You brought this upon yourself, who else can you blame? Wasn't it you who, without weighing your own worth, aspired to climb high? Now you've brought trouble upon yourself and involved your father. If you don't marry, they won't let him go."
Zhou Ping's words pierced Lin Yan's heart; she hadn't aimed to climb high.
She and Qingyuan had known each other since childhood, grew up together, and shared mutual affection—how had that become aspiring to climb high?
"Brother Qingyuan said he would marry me once he graduated. I want to wait for him."
Zhou Ping scoffed with a mocking laugh, "Still daydreaming here? I've heard that that boy has already hooked up with a rich girl from Hai City, to marry you??"
Tears welled in Lin Yan's eyes; she still couldn't bring herself to believe it was true.
Indeed, Qingyuan had just broken up with her last night.
It was over, and she knew it. After Qingyuan went to university, the gap between them had grown ever wider.
You can't hold onto someone who wants to leave. It was useless to cling and beg any further.
She hadn't even recovered from the pain of the breakup, hadn't had a chance to catch her breath.
Then her father, Lin Guoping, ran into trouble.
Qingyuan's father, the village tyrant Xiang Tianwen, was desperate to prevent her from being entwined with his promising son.
In the morning, her father was still working in the fields; by afternoon, Xiang Tianwen had gathered several men from the village and taken him away.
Xiang Tianwen casually accused Lin Guoping of stealing cable, and just like that, locked him up.
Xiang Tianwen threatened Lin Yan: if she wanted her father released, she could, but only if she married the bachelor who had moved to the east end of the village before the year's end.
Complete the marriage within three days, or he would send Lin Guoping directly to the police station.
Lin Yan hadn't even seen the man before; she had only heard people in the village mention him.
How could she marry him, Lin Yan worried, it would be like a lamb walking into a tiger's den.
Fearing that the old bachelor would fear her running away later, he might chain her up.
Make her live in a pigsty, beating and scolding her every day, her belly swelling with pregnancy one after another, endlessly giving birth.
The more Lin Yan thought, the less she dared to continue, her vision clouding with darkness.
Xiang Tianwen was pushing her onto a path to death.
As they spoke, the large iron gate in the courtyard was suddenly kicked open from the outside with a clang.
Lin Yan looked in horror as Xiang Tianwen, clad in a black raincoat, entered through the door.
Water droplets intermittently stuck to the raincoat, streaming down, wetting a patch on the ground.
Xiang Tianwen, holding a flashlight, was flanked by two burly men.
Lin Yan recognized both men.
Tiantian followed Xiang Tianwen around, bullying and strutting around the village, their rough, dark faces exuding ruthlessness.
Lin Yan's lips trembled with fear.
"Brother Xiang, why come so late, have you eaten? There's still steamed sweet potatoes in the pot, would you like some more?" Zhou Ping squeezed out a smile.
In the village, Zhou Ping had always been a fierce character, with a fiery temper.
In front of the village tyrant Xiang Tianwen, however, she was significantly cowed, her loud voice much subdued.
Xiang Tianwen ignored Zhou Ping, looking towards Lin Yan.
"When are you going over? I can't wait three days. You getting married will finally rid my son of you completely."
He took off his raincoat, pinched the flashlight, and as if interrogating a prisoner, shined it into Lin Yan's eyes with a mocking smile, his whole demeanor dismissive.
Blinded by the strong light, Lin Yan covered her eyes with her hands.
"I don't want to marry, Uncle Xiang. Are you earnestly trying to drive me to death?"
Her wrist pressed close, handed under Xiang Tianwen's eyelids, "Are you worried I might seek out your son, or will you lock me up and release my dad?"
Lin Yan would rather be wrongly arrested than thrown into the home of an old bachelor.
"Cut the nonsense. Stop playing these games with me; you shall marry, married you shall be, even if it kills you, this marriage must take place."
Having said that, Xiang Tianwen suddenly slammed the table and swore, "Damn, you really only deserve someone who can't find a wife. I have no idea what blinded my son to fall for you."
Lin Yan felt her heart might jump out; Xiang Tianwen's words were too hurtful.
Her cheeks turned sour from grievance. She hadn't done anything wrong; all she wanted was a simple romance.
Xiang Tianwen narrowed his eyes menacingly.
The two men who came with him rolled up their sleeves and advanced towards the Lin family's newly purchased TV.
Their stance suggested they were about to smash something.
The stingy Zhou Ping went pale with fright and hurriedly pushed Lin Yan towards the door, turning her head to look at Xiang Qingyuan.
"Today, I'll send her over, Brother Xiang, please calm down. The child is ignorant. How great it is to find an old bachelor; it's hard to get a wife at his age. He'll surely cherish her."
Lin Yan clung desperately to the doorframe, unwilling to move, her fingernails digging into the wood, the pain twisting her delicate features together.
Overcome with despair and her eyes reddening, she exclaimed, "You're bullying me too much. If I marry him, I'll die, married today and will make him a widower tomorrow."
Lin Yan's threat failed to impact anyone in the room.
Xiang Tianwen sneered coldly, "You don't have to marry, then. Let your father rot in jail, after all he has done to raise you and your sisters. It wasn't easy for him." He clicked his tongue, "Pity, to have such an unfilial daughter."
Lin Yan's resolve softened slightly as she wiped her tears with her sleeve, glaring ferociously at Xiang Tianwen.
"What you're doing will come back to haunt you one day, you harmful, selfish creature!" Lin Yan roared uncontrollably.
Before she could finish cursing, Zhou Ping's face turned both green and white with fear.
Her body as round as a ball, she hurled the broken suitcase directly at Lin Yan.
She feared that if she delayed even a second longer, their TV would be smashed by those thugs.
Lin Yan didn't manage to dodge, and the suitcase hit her squarely.
Dizziness did not suppress the pain that surged through her body.
In a haze, she heard Zhou Ping cursing loudly, "Hurry up and leave! This is not your house, Lin Yan, have some conscience. If your dad goes to jail, it's as good as taking his life, letting you marry is not like cutting a piece of your flesh, why the fuss?"
Lin Yan no longer argued with Zhou Ping.
She knew her father's temperament—honest and sincere. Faced with even a slight issue, it was as if the sky had fallen, all doom and gloom.
For him to face ten years in prison was no different from being executed on the spot.
Her pain helped her to lose all hope and face the harsh reality: married or not, she had to marry.
The domineering Xiang Tianwen was capable of doing just as he said.
Lin Yan, gritting her teeth and enduring the pain, hobbled over and picked up her suitcase, now cracked from the fall.
Outside, it was raining. She dragged the suitcase, its wheels clacking as if they were about to come apart at any moment.
She hadn't gone far when she noticed the two men were still following closely behind.
Xiang Tianwen, mistrusting, feared she might run away midway.
Lin Yan moved slowly towards the eastern end of the village, wishing the road would never end.
After a few minutes, she arrived; the village was only so large.
Shivering, she stood in front of a rusty large iron gate, the locked courtyard gates seemingly dividing the inside and outside into two different worlds.
Grief-stricken and desolate!
She sensed that once she entered this door, her life would be completely ruined.
Thinking of her father and Xiang Tianwen's relentless pressure, she bit her teeth and mustered all her strength to bang on the door.
As she banged, she shouted loudly, "Someone's here to bring you a bride."