PWE – Chapter 47 She Wants to Get Married

After leaving Zhan Zeyan’s house, Zhan Hongxin stomped furiously along the village path.

She’d thought she could borrow some money from Zhan Zeyan, but that bastard actually refused her.

Yet she needed the money to go to the county, so now her only option was to find Hu “Leper.”

Hu Laizi’s real name was Hu Siqiang. He was a carpenter who earned a decent income thanks to his skill. Hu Siqiang liked her — he had confessed to her many times before, saying he wanted to marry her — but she had always refused.

Hu Siqiang wasn’t just previously married — he was also a leper. On top of that, he had a huge mole on his face with a hair growing out of it.

To Zhan Hongxin, such a man was hideous and utterly beneath her notice. If she had to live with someone like that, she’d be disgusted to death every day.

The kind of man she liked was someone like Mu Yunhao — handsome and rich. That was the sort of man worthy of being her husband.

Now she just had to get money from Hu Laizi, and tomorrow morning she would go to the county.

Worried that people might gossip, Zhan Hongxin went to Hu’s house in secret.

She entered through the back door, and when Hu Laizi saw her, his face lit up with excitement.
“Xiaoxin! I didn’t think you’d come to see me yourself. What’s the matter? Did you finally agree to be my girl? You came here just to tell me that, didn’t you?”

He reached out to grab her hand.

A flash of disgust crossed Zhan Hongxin’s eyes.

She sidestepped, avoiding his touch, and frowned.
“I’ll think about it seriously, but I can’t promise you right now. Tell you what, Hu Laizi — I’ll give you half a month. If during that time you treat me well, and I’m satisfied, then I’ll agree to be with you. If not, then I—”

“Yes, yes! I will, I’ll definitely treat you well!” Hu Laizi said eagerly, grinning with excitement.

She hadn’t flatly rejected him like before — she’d said she would “consider.” That meant he had a chance. If he just put in some effort, surely she would accept him. He refused to believe he couldn’t win over a woman.

Zhan Hongxin looked at his greasy smile and felt only revulsion — especially at that quivering mole with its lone hair. It made her stomach churn.

Forcing herself to endure her disgust, she nodded.
“As long as you’re good to me, that’s enough.”

She knew she couldn’t reject him outright this time. If she did, there was no way he’d lend her money.

So she said she’d “think about it” — just to string him along until he willingly handed over the cash.

After a pause, she looked at his excited face and said softly,
“Then could you lend me ten yuan first? I really need it. You know about my mother’s situation — she must be suffering inside. I want to buy her something nice tomorrow and go see her.”

Of course, she didn’t dare say the money was to fund her trip to the county. She could only use her mother as an excuse.

Hu Laizi smiled tenderly — though his looks made tenderness impossible.

Zhan Hongxin deliberately averted her gaze from his face; she found him nauseating to even look at. If it weren’t for the money, she’d never have come here.

Hu said gently, “You’re such a filial girl, Xiaoxin. The more I see of you, the more I like you.”

Zhan Hongxin thought grimly, Who asked you to like me? Just give me the money already.

Before she could rush him, Hu reached into his pocket and pulled out ten yuan.

“Here. Since you’re visiting your future mother-in-law, of course I’ll lend it. Want me to come with you? I’ve got no work tomorrow anyway.”

“No need.” She quickly took the money and shook her head. “I just want to talk with my mother privately, you know — some things only between mother and daughter.”

Hu nodded understandingly. “Alright then, next time I’ll come with you.”

Zhan Hongxin sneered inwardly. Next time? There won’t be a next time.

Tomorrow she’d go to the county to find Mu Yunhao and use the talisman on him.

Maybe by tomorrow, she’d already be living in the Mu household. Once she became the Mu family’s young madam, she would never return to this poor Danshui Village again.

And when that day came, she would crush Zhan Zeyan’s family without mercy — make them suffer, make them unable to survive here.

A cold smile touched her lips as she walked toward the back door with the money in hand.

But then—

She had barely taken two steps when something fell from her body.

Seeing it, Hu Laizi hurried over. “What’s that?” he asked, bending to pick it up.

When Zhan Hongxin saw what had fallen, her breath hitched, and a flicker of panic crossed her face.

She quickly bent down to grab it. “That’s a protective charm my father got for me, I—”

Before she could finish, a sudden gust of wind blew in through the window.

The wind lifted the charm paper off the ground — and it stuck right onto her back.

When she saw that, panic grew worse in her chest — though she didn’t even know why. She just felt an inexplicable dread.

She tried to pull the charm off, but the runes began to glow faintly gold. The glowing symbols wriggled like little worms, crawling across her back.

Hu Laizi’s eyes went wide.
“Xiaoxin, your charm—”

Before he could finish, the glowing lines sank through her clothes and into her skin.

A sharp sting spread across her back, followed by a dizzy wave in her head.

She clutched her temples, struggling to stay conscious, but the dizziness only grew stronger. Then suddenly her body went limp, and she collapsed into Hu Laizi’s arms.

In the corner of the courtyard, Xiao Wange stood watching, lips curling in a cold smile.

You like daydreaming, do you? Then let’s make sure you wake up completely.

About two minutes later, Zhan Hongxin stirred.

When she opened her eyes and saw Hu Laizi’s face close to hers, her expression softened. She wrapped her arms around his neck and murmured sweetly,
“Siqiang, thank you for lending me the money. You’re such a good man.”

Her voice was soft and tender — nothing like her usual cold tone.

Hu Laizi froze. “Xiaoxin, what did you say?”

“I said, Siqiang, you’re such a good man. You’re so handsome too — much better looking than any other man in our village.” Her voice was like honey, dripping with affection.

Hu Laizi’s heart soared; joy flooded through him as he held her tightly.
“Xiaoxin, I think you’re beautiful too — prettier than any woman in this village.”

After finishing her “business,” Xiao Wange returned home to keep working on the braised pork bones.

Zhan Zeyan had already lit the fire and was blanching the meat.

Seeing her return, he raised his brows. “Everything taken care of?”

His low voice carried a warmth that couldn’t be ignored.

She smiled. “If I’m handling it myself, when has it ever gone wrong? Just wait — there’ll be a great show next door soon.”

Zhan Zeyan chuckled. “I’m not much interested in their drama, but… seeing them unhappy does make me feel better.”

After all, they had killed his mother and abused his son. He could never forgive that.

Xiao Wange arched a brow, said nothing more, and began preparing the seasonings for the dish.

About an hour later, Zhan Hongxin returned home.

As soon as she entered, she said to her father, “Dad, I want to get married.”

Zhan Songbai was sitting on a chair smoking his pipe.

He looked up. “I know you want to marry Mu Yunhao. But to marry him, you’ll need to wait until the talisman takes effect.”

“I don’t want to marry Mu Yunhao,” she said quickly, a shy smile appearing on her face. “I want to marry someone from our own village.”

He froze. “What did you say? Someone from the village? Who?”

“Dad, I want to marry Hu Siqiang. He’s such a good man. When he heard I wanted to visit Mom in town, he lent me ten yuan! Dad, I can’t let such a good man slip away — I have to marry him!”

Zhan Songbai felt his mind go blank, blood rushing to his head until it ached.

After several seconds, he took a deep breath. “Say that again. Who do you want to marry?”

“I said, I want to marry Hu Siqiang. We’ve already agreed — we’ll get married this month. We don’t need a fancy wedding, just a small meal between the two families. Dad, please agree—”

“Absurd! Absolutely absurd!” Zhan Songbai shouted, slamming his pipe to the floor. He stepped forward, glaring at her. “Are you out of your mind? You want to marry that leper? He’s been married before, he’s hideous! What’s good about him? Didn’t you want to marry Mu Yunhao? He’s the kind of man you should marry! Don’t be stupid. You’re going to the county tomorrow — use that talisman on him!”

He pulled two yuan from his pocket. “Here, this is all I could find. Take it, and go tomorrow!”

Zhan Hongxin glanced at the coins, then curled her lip. “I don’t want it. I’m not going to the county. I’ve made up my mind — if I can’t marry Hu Siqiang, I’ll make sure we’ve already consummated things first!”

Zhan Songbai swayed on his feet, nearly fainting from rage.