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墨書 Inktalez
Just like fourteen years ago, they were determined to find someone for me to marry. It wasn't for my happiness; I was merely a bargaining chip!
A man who looked only a few years younger than my father was led into the house by Aunt Hua. This old fellow was a contractor, his wife having passed away early, and his children had all started their own families. He had set his sights on me, a woman who had seen the world and was not lacking in looks or experience.
"I'll offer this amount for the bride price!" The old man extended three fingers, as if each one was electrified, shocking my parents and brother. "We have a house in the city, a standalone building with three floors, complete with a terrace and garden! If the girl agrees, we also have an empty house that can be used for my son’s wedding.
While others offer 'Three Golds,' we’ll buy her 'Five Golds.' We have two cars ready—one BMW and one Maybach..."
My mother, father, and brother's eyes sparkled with excitement as they enthusiastically welcomed him. My mother brought out a bowl of sweet tea with both hands, which my brother carefully took from her. My father wiped the old tea table repeatedly with his sleeve!
The old man's surname was Jia. He started working at eighteen and became famous by twenty-three, amassing his first fortune by skimming off the hard-earned wages of migrant workers. After that, he relied on connections to secure contracts: he would take on projects with any budget and build anything shoddy. At thirty, he abandoned his first wife for a freshly graduated college student; by thirty-five, he cheated on her with the family maid and divorced again... The women in his life changed like a revolving door, and he often quoted Liu Huangshu: "Women are like clothes!"
I never expected that even in his fifties, he still had the heart of a young man!
They were actually drinking at my home; the old man had brought Wuliangye from his car. He called my brother "Brother," while my father referred to him as "Little Brother." The village chief was dragged over to drink with them and became the old man's "big nephew."
No one asked for my consent; they settled my lifelong affairs right there at the table.
At eighteen, I was barely an adult. In the countryside, it was understandable for parents to make decisions like this. But now I was thirty-two—why did they still think they could dictate my fate?
There were no tears of despair or maternal affection; history repeated itself astonishingly after fourteen years: my brother "borrowed" my phone, and his new house became a cage restricting my freedom!
All of this happened because I had taken a nap—thanks to my mother slipping something into my food.
They feared I would disappear like I did fourteen years ago. Back then, they merely lost me; this time, if I left, they might lose their house, cars, money, and daughter-in-law...
They believed this wasn’t about me making sacrifices but rather about me being ungrateful and not understanding that this nearly elderly man could provide us all with happiness for the rest of our lives.
Time was tight; the situation urgent.
I was locked in the inner room while I could hear their conversation clearly from outside.
In three days, that dried-up old man would come to finalize the bride price and marry me off. He would orchestrate every detail of my brother's upcoming wedding: how many cars to use, what drinks to serve, what cigarettes to smoke, how many tables to set.
Old Man Jia took it all upon himself: "Don't worry; I've got everything covered!"
Third Aunt asked My Mom outside, "Where did Lan Girl go? She hasn't been around to chat with me."
"Isn't she busy preparing for the wedding? She's gone to the city to get things ready. You'll be invited to the banquet," My Mom replied dismissively.
These three days would determine the course of my life!
I couldn't help but reminisce about that little village on Cloud Peak, My Child, My Big Guy.
I deeply regretted returning alone without saying goodbye.
I said I would call the Car Rental Company, and my brother handed me my phone. The three of them, six eyes, were watching me intently, ready to snatch it away at any moment if I said something they didn't like.
Under their watchful gaze, I dialed the number, and when the call connected, I was forced to put it on speaker.
But they couldn't understand a word I said!
Amidst their confusion, I remained calm. I cleverly returned the phone to them as if it wasn't mine but borrowed from them instead.
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