frightfiction Chapter 327: Marriage
Chapter 327: Marriage
Chapter 327: The Marriage
"Don't say anything more, your mother is taking you to meet a friend today." Without offering much explanation, Madam Li pulled Li Ming along quickly, as if they were in a hurry to do something.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, Li Ming grew somewhat impatient. His wife, Li Shi, pulled him along and stopped in front of a teahouse. She entered the teahouse and scanned the people inside, seemingly looking for someone. Finding no one, she pulled Li Ming upstairs.
Li led Li Ming to a seat by the window, where a woman and a young girl were sitting. Li pulled Li Ming to sit opposite them. Li apologized profusely to the woman, saying, "Aunt Zhang, we're late, I'm so sorry."
The woman wasn't angry. Instead, she looked at Li Ming beside Li Shi. Seeing that Li Ming was fair-skinned and his clothes were of decent quality, she happily said, "It's alright, it's alright. This must be your son. He's quite handsome. Oh, Xiao Huan, your mother has found you a good marriage this time." The woman was originally plump, and when she smiled, her face squeezed together, and her eyes appeared as slits.
The girl named Xiao Huan beside the woman was shyly lowering her head and remaining silent. Seeing Xiao Huan with her head down, the woman giggled and said to Li, "Look at my girl, she's still shy." Li saw that Xiao Huan was quite pretty, much better than that little slut Yan Zhi, so she smiled and looked at Xiao Huan with her head down.
Looking at Li Ming beside her with a stern face, Li poked him with her hand and said unhappily, "Why don't you say anything? It's so impolite." She then glared at him.
Aunt Zhang glanced at Li Ming, then looked away and said with a smile, "It's nothing, it's nothing. It's normal for young people to be shy since it's the first time they've met." After saying that, she started chatting with Li Ming about everyday things.
Xiao Huan slightly raised her head to look at Li Ming. Her features were well-defined, and her skin was fair. After a few glances, she lowered her head, blushing. Li Ming, watching Li Shi and the woman chatting, stood up impatiently and said, "Mother, did you bring me here just to find me a marriage partner? I will only marry Yan Zhi. You're wasting your time."
The woman looked up at Li Ming, who had stood up, then at Li Shi. Her expression changed slightly, and she glared at Li Shi, saying, "Li Shi, are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?" Li Shi, seeing Li Ming's sudden outburst, felt a surge of exasperation. She quickly smiled and said, "Aunt Zhang, you've misunderstood. My son is just talking nonsense."
The woman looked down at Xiao Huan, whose eyes were already red with tears, and hurriedly wiped them away, comforting her. Then, the woman looked up at Shen Bin and said, "What is it about my Xiao Huan that makes her unworthy of you? A widow is a widow, and the son she raises is no better! Xiao Huan, let's go home!" With that, she pulled Xiao Huan, who was sitting on a chair crying, and led her downstairs without looking back.
Li sat blankly in the chair, the woman's insults still echoing in her ears. Her eyes were red, but she held back her tears. Looking at Li Ming standing there, she stood up and slapped him across the face with a crisp sound. The surrounding guests all turned to look at them upon hearing the noise.
Li stared straight at Li Ming and said, "Has she eaten your heart?!"
Li Ming looked at Li Shi, his face burning with pain, but he ignored it and whispered, "Mother, I'm sorry." Then he left under the strange looks of everyone.
Watching Li Ming's departing figure, then looking at her own hand, remembering the slap she had just given him, Li Shi felt a pang of regret as she sat back down, unsure of what to do. Seeing Li Ming constantly thinking about Yan Zhi, she desperately wanted to know how to make him forget her.
In the evening, Li returned home and went to Li Ming's room. When she reached the door and tried to open it, she found it locked from the inside. Knowing that Li Ming was in the room, she turned and left.
Li herself was also exhausted, so she didn't cook any food but instead boiled water to take a bath. After that, she went to bed.
Autumn had arrived, and the night air was chilly. The cicadas that once chirped outside had long since fallen silent. Li pulled the covers up tighter. The night was eerily quiet; the candlelight had long since gone out, yet a faint glow lingered in the darkness. Li wiped the tears from her face. She could picture Li Ming's current state, and recalling the woman's words from earlier that day, tears still streamed down her face.
Li cried herself to sleep, and when she woke up the next morning, her eyes were red and swollen and she felt dizzy. After drinking some hot water, she felt much better. She then went into the kitchen to start cooking.
While cooking, she kept glancing at the living room, but still didn't see Li Ming. She felt a pang of sadness. She regretted slapping him yesterday.
The meal was ready; Li had prepared many of Li Ming's favorite dishes. All the dishes were on the table, but Li Ming still hadn't appeared. Having no other choice, Li went to Li Ming's room to call him for dinner. Li knocked on the door, but there was no response. Li knocked again and said, "Ming'er, get up and eat."
After a long silence, they heard a loud thud as something heavy hit the door.
Li took a few steps back, staring at the door in disbelief. She hadn't expected Li Ming to dislike her so much now. Helplessly, she turned and went to the living room. The food on the table smelled delicious and was still steaming. Anyone would have an appetite looking at it, but Li had absolutely no appetite for the dishes on the table.
Li forced herself to chew a few mouthfuls of white rice before throwing away all the other dishes.
Ever since Li Ming was taken away by Madam Li that day, Yan Zhi had been watching from afar at the door every day, hoping that Li Ming would come looking for her again. But she waited for several days in a row, and didn't see the person she longed for day and night. The thought of Madam Li's promise to find Li Ming another marriage was unbearable. Tears kept falling.
These past few days, Rouge hasn't been eating, hasn't been wearing makeup, and her hair is a mess; she looks unkempt. Today, Rouge doesn't know what's wrong with her, but she wants to look at herself in the mirror. She sees a pale, thin face, devoid of any color. Her hair and clothes are a terrible sight.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Rouge touched her face and said in disbelief, "Oh dear, how did I become like this? I'm so ugly. Will Brother Li Ming not like me anymore and like someone else when he sees me like this?" As she spoke, she picked up a comb and combed her hair.
After combing her hair, Zhao Ning'er quickly went to cook. Thinking about how thin and emaciated she had looked in the past few days, she regretted how badly she had treated herself.
After cooking, Zhao Ning'er ate quite a bit; she hadn't eaten for several days and had lost a lot of weight. After finishing her meal, she looked in the mirror and saw that she looked much better than before. She confidently declared to herself, "Zhao Ning'er, I must become even better so I can marry Brother Li Ming!"
Zhao Ning'er wasn't sure if she had a fever, but after finishing her meal, she immediately cleaned up the dishes, changed into clean clothes, and even washed her hair.
She looked around the room and found it a complete mess. She immediately started tidying up, checking here and there, cleaning up any dirty spots she saw. Only after everything was cleaned up did she return to her room, satisfied, and go to sleep.
Seeing that Li Ming had locked himself in his room all day without eating or drinking, Madam Li couldn't help but worry. But after everything that had happened, she truly didn't know how to salvage the situation. Li Ming wanted to be with Yan Zhi, but she still wouldn't agree or budge. Actually, after yesterday's events, she had a fleeting thought: "Wouldn't it be right for Ming'er to be with Yan Zhi?"
The thought that Rouge had once been a courtesan was hard to accept, so she immediately dismissed the idea. She was a traditional woman, and to her, Li Ming was simply captivated by her alluring face.