CH 63

After going back home to eat breakfast, Mo Yan said, “I’m going to deliver the drunken dates to the back yard.” She grabbed a full bowl, and while Mrs. Liang wasn’t looking, quickly put a few in a handkerchief to give to her second grandma.

She put the handkerchief in her sleeve and went to the back yard. Her second grandma was getting some sun. When she saw Mo Yan, she pointed at the north room without saying anything, meaning: Your grandmother’s there, go!

Mo Yan took out her handkerchief with one hand and gave it to her second grandma, whispering, “Second grandma, drunken dates!”

After looking at the northern room and seeing no movement, she took it and hid it in her pocket. Mo Yan went to the northern room, involuntarily shivering after thinking about the old woman’s grim stare. She coughed once, then mustered the courage to knock.

A sound of acknowledgement came from behind the door before she stepped in, seeing the old woman seated at the table. She had a walking stick in one hand, and she looked as unpleasant as always. Mo Yan handed the bowl in her hands.

She glanced at the drunken dates inside before harrumphing, “Put it down. You can’t even squeak out a single word? You really are useless.”

Mo Yan put the bowl down and immediately turned to leave, not wanting to stay a second longer than necessary. She thought, it’s not that I can’t speak, I just don’t want to speak to you.

Seeing her second grandma standing by her room, Mo Yan gave her a fleeting look before running out.

In the courtyard of the Mo family, Mrs. Liang was drying the sorghum ears, while the chickens circled them. When Mrs. Liang wasn’t looking, they sneaked a few bites, infuriating her, “Why didn’t I cook all of you during the Mid-Autumn Festival?”

Mo Ling beat on the ground using a stick, the sudden sound scaring the chickens and causing them to flee.

That night, Mo Ling went to the Cao family to change her medicine once more. Mo Yan knew what she was doing, but was powerless to stop her.

Ms. Li had came to buy salted eggs from them again, and said to Mrs. Liang as soon as she entered, “I need to congratulate you early. When are Ling’er and Mr. Tian getting engaged?”

Mrs. Liang expressed slight anger, “What are you blathering on about!”

“Don’t you know how close those two are? Of course they’re going to get engaged!”

“How, how are they close?”

“Like that,” Ms. Li said without further elaboration. Mrs. Liang’s face went green, “Don’t spread rumours, did you see it with your own eyes? Don’t sully my Mo Ling’s good name!”

Ms. Li was shocked to realise that she was actually angry, “Wait, did you really not know? The entire village has been talking about how compatible your Mo Ling is with Mr. Tian!”

Mrs. Liang couldn’t care less about Ms. Li right now and bolted towards the school. Mr. Tian was teaching his student when she asked from outside, “Mr. Tian, can you come outside quickly? I have something to ask you!”

She could hear a student say from inside the classroom, “Is this about your engagement?”

Mr. Tian put down his textbook and bowed towards Mrs. Liang, “Hello Mrs. Liang, what do you need to ask me about?”

Since the entire village already knew, she didn’t bother with subtlety and just spoke in her normal voice, “You’re a scholar, and you’re supposed to be well-mannered. How could you do such a thing!”

Mr. Tian didn’t understand. “I’m sorry, but what are you referring to?”

Mrs. Liang was so furious her face went green again, “You seduced my Mo Ling and made us the laughingstock of the entire village, that’s what you did!”

“I…we never did such a thing.”

He just admitted that they had met in private before, and all the students could hear him!

“Alright then, her dowry’s twenty silver taels. If you can afford that, I’ll let you marry her.”

“That…”

Seeing him hesitate, Mrs. Liang started mocking him, “Are you so poor you can’t even afford that? How dare you try and marry my daughter? Do you want her to starve with you?”

By this time, people passing by the school had come over to watch the drama, and Cao Zhang came out of the school to try and mediate. “Mrs. Liang, let’s talk this over civilly. Continuing like this will make us all laughingstocks!”

Although Mrs. Liang was fiery, she cared deeply about her face. She had never been disrespected like this in all the years she’d lived in Chenzhong Village.

“Since Mr. Tian has slapped my face so hard, I don’t want it anymore. As soon as you give me twenty silver taels, you can get married to Mo Ling any time you want.”

It was universally accepted that you had to give your wife’s parents a dowry, but it wasn’t very polite for them to outright state a price.

Mo Ling and Mo Yan had rushed over, with the former going over to pull on her mother’s sleeve, whispering, “Mum, what are you doing here? Let’s go back home!”

Mrs. Liang flung off her hand and started scolding her, “You’re the one who’s losing us face, what am I doing here? Since you want to marry him so badly, I’m telling him that to marry you, he has to pay twenty silver taels and not a dollar less.”

Mo Ling was being treated like a commodity and her face turned purple, “Stop scolding me, so you just want to exchange me for an ox? I’ll buy you an ox, is that enough?”

Mrs. Liang harrumphed, “Then you’ll have to work yourself to the bone? In that case, why are you marrying this man! You’ll still have to work like a slave for him!”

“I’m willing!”

Since things had escalated to this level, Mo Ling dropped all pretence as well.

Mo Yan walked in front of the two and glanced at Mr. Tian, “Sis, there’s no use even if you’re willing. Has he ever said he’s willing to marry you?”

If Mr. Tian had said he was willing to work to pay off the dowry, Mrs. Liang wouldn’t have made him pay it. But he didn’t, he backed down!”

Mo Ling didn’t believe that her sister, who normally cared for her so much, was antagonising her right now. But when she looked at Mr. Tian, he avoided her gaze.

She grabbed his waistband, the one she made for him. “I’m asking you, are you willing to marry me or not?”

It was a gift from her, hoping that he’d be moved and decide to marry her. But it turns out her heart was given to the wrong person.

Mr. Tian tried to pry open her hand and back away, “Mo Ling, I really can’t afford to pay twenty silver taels. I don’t have that kind of money.”

Mrs. Liang, who was watching from the side, harrumphed again, “Can you see now? He had never intended to marry you!”

The people surrounding them increased, and Mo Yan took her sister’s hand off Mr. Tian, ordering him coldly, “Take off your waistband.”

Mr. Tian did as she said, and she took it before leading Mo Ling home. The crowd parted when they left. Right now, Mo Ling felt like she wasn’t in Chenzhong Village, but an entirely different and foreign place.

When they returned home, Mo Ling laid on the kang, looking at the ceiling blankly. She neither spoke nor ate.

Mo Yan put the waistband away wordlessly. She had to work through this herself.

Post-edit notes: Poor Mo Ling…I hope she recovers from heartbreak soon.