"Go on, hit me—if you have to hit someone, hit me instead. Kill me if you want; he's my only brother,"
Wu Xiaoru stood in front of Wu Yong, her face full of grievance as she stared at Zhang Xiaoshan.
Zhang Xiaoshan hesitated for a moment, as the two had indeed shared several years of feelings.
"My precious son!"
Zhang Yulian threw herself next to Wu Yong, crying and shouting at Zhang Xiaoshan.
"You've got guts, daring to hit my son. Because of your slap, the price has gone up—half a million. You can forget about marrying my daughter without 500,000."
"Half a million? Why don't you just go rob someone?"
At this point, Zhang Xiaoshan was almost driven to death by this family's antics.
The surrounding villagers who were watching the scene unfold also began to show disgust toward the Wu family.
Yu Xiuxiu was getting anxious.
She rushed up, grabbing Zhang Xiaoshan with one hand and addressing Zhang Yulian with the other.
"Auntie, please don't say such infuriating things. Where do you find a bride price as high as 500,000? Let's discuss this again, let's talk it over..."
"Discuss my ass. Unless you agree to a 500,000 bride price today, the engagement between our two families is off. Besides, Zhang Xiaoshan hit my son, and I'm going to sue him."
When Yu Xiuxiu heard that Zhang Yulian wanted to sue Zhang Xiaoshan, her heart immediately sank.
"Xiaoshan, you should apologize to Wu Yong and have a proper talk..."
Zhang Xiaoshan's gaze turned to Wu Xiaoru.
There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes; he hoped Wu Xiaoru would speak up for him and stand on his side.
But!
Reality was cruel.
"What's my opinion? You're asking me as a grown man? Of course, I would want my parents and my younger brother to live well."
"Zhang Xiaoshan, I never thought you'd be this kind of person—so unwilling to treat my family well. Aren't you a Medical University graduate? If you work in the city for a few years, won't you earn that amount?"
"And another thing, I'm with you because I was hoping you'd take me into the city, not to stay in the countryside as some worthless village doctor. Do you understand that I don't want to live in the countryside for the rest of my life?"
"Do you think my mom is greedy? No, she's just trying to secure a better future for me, to push you a little. Can't you be a bit more ambitious?"
"You've really disappointed me so much."
Wu Xiaoru spoke with a sense of righteousness that seemed deeply touching.
Zhang Xiaoshan was stunned for a long moment and then chuckled dryly.
He understood everything now.
The last bit of hope he had harbored for Wu Xiaoru had now thoroughly vanished.
"So all along, you've just seen me as a stepping stone, a tool for your use, not out of genuine love, right?"
"So the fact that I was willing to give up a good job in the city to come back to the countryside to be with you was just me being infatuated, right?"
"An exorbitant bride price is called 'security'? If I'm providing security for you, who the hell is providing security for me?"
Zhang Xiaoshan should have been furious, but at that moment, he felt a sense of release.
Not worth it.
"Wu Xiaoru, I'll ask you one last time: does our engagement still stand?"
"If you don't give the 500,000, then forget it," Zhang Yulian bellowed aggressively.
Wu Xiaoru shook her head.
"I'll listen to my mother. I have to take good care of my brother too; it's not been easy for her or for me. Why can't you understand that?"
"If you love me, you would..."
"Slap!"
Before Wu Xiaoru could finish her sentence, a crisp slap sounded through the area, and Wu Xiaoru's right cheek swelled up, clearly imprinted with the mark of five fingers.
Zhang Xiaoshan's hand still hung in the air, not yet withdrawn.
Everyone on the scene was momentarily stunned.
He hit her?
Zhang Xiaoshan hit Wu Xiaoru?
"You, you hit me?"
The struck Wu Xiaoru found it even more unbelievable, unable to accept it.
And the response she received was Zhang Xiaoshan's hysterical roar.
"Easy for you to say, your mother didn't have it easy, wanting to sell her only daughter for five hundred thousand, what else is there that's difficult for her?"
"If you're not marrying, I'm not bothering to wed you."
"I announce that from now on, my engagement with Wu Xiaoru is null and void, the wedding is cancelled, there's no longer the slightest connection between us."
In an instant, there was a deathly silence in the scene.
Sister-in-law Yu Xiuxiu wanted to persuade Zhang Xiaoshan with a word, but the words reached her lips, and looking at the situation in front of her, she fell silent again.
First, there was no way their family could come up with the five hundred thousand dowry.
Second, even if they managed to come up with it, marrying into Wu Xiaoru's family would likely bring endless troubles in the future.
"Zhang Xiaoshan, you, you've gone mad?"
Zhang Xiaoshan had always been docile toward her, this was the first time he had lost his temper, and Wu Xiaoru was a bit dumbfounded.
"It seems like your whole family has gone mad, if I can't afford it, can't I just not marry?"
"Zhang Xiaoshan, you, you... you want to break up with me?"
Wu Xiaoru was so angry she was shaking all over.
Being dumped, was, for a woman in the countryside, utterly humiliating.
Zhang Yulian came to her senses and shouted.
"Young man, don't get cocky, if you dare to break off your engagement with the Wu family, I'll make sure you can't stay in White Dragon Village. Plus, you're an orphan with no parents; my Little Ru marrying you would be like smoke rising from your family's ancestral grave. There are plenty of bachelors in White Dragon Village who find taking a wife harder than climbing to the heavens, don't be ungrateful."
After hearing her mother's words, Wu Xiaoru felt emboldened and confronted Zhang Xiaoshan.
"That's right, without me, who would want to marry you? And don't forget, your family has already spent quite a bit to arrange your marriage, and gave my mother fifty thousand in dowry. If you don't marry me, that money won't be returned."
"Apologize to my brother and mother, and I'll pretend nothing happened just now. Besides, I won't take the five hundred thousand dowry, just come up with two hundred and eighty thousand."
Deep down, Wu Xiaoru was actually feeling panicked.
"Apologize?" Zhang Xiaoshan sneered.
"That's right, and kneel down while you're at it."
The beaten Wu Yong followed up loudly.
"You want me to apologize?"
"And not return the dowry?"
A hint of viciousness surged in Zhang Xiaoshan's eyes.
"Go to hell."
Yet another vicious slap landed on Wu Xiaoru's face, sending her stumbling back several steps and tumbling down onto the ground with Zhang Yulian.
"Ouch, murder, murder!" Zhang Yulian wailed and bawled.
"Hit him."
Several men from the Wu family charged at Zhang Xiaoshan together.
The onlooking villagers, seeing the situation turn south, quickly backed away, fearing being caught in the fray.
"It's over, Little Shan is going to suffer."
"Little Shan is a good guy, how did he end up with such bad luck?"
"The Wu family acts like tyrants around here; Little Shan will probably be bedridden for ten days to half a month."
"Exactly, with Little Shan's gentle demeanor, how could he stand up to the Wu family's strongmen?" Some of the villagers started to sympathize with Zhang Xiaoshan.
Yu Xiuxiu was a bit flustered for a moment.
"Little Shan, get out of the way quickly."
But Zhang Xiaoshan was not one bit cowardly and plunged straight into the crowd.