LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 21: Twenty, Negotiate Terms
Luo Jiansen's face changed abruptly when Wang Liying bumped into his injured hand. It took him a moment to recover before he spoke, "We don't have that much money. How about this, I'll pay you back a little every month, what do you think of that?" He knew that if he didn't agree to the Wang Family's demands today, this issue would be unresolved.
"No! I don't agree," Wang Liying objected.
Shi Lanjiao glared at Wang Liying and then smiled at Luo Jiansen, "Do your words count?" She didn't care whether Wang Liying agreed or not; as long as Luo Jiansen was willing to pay, that was all that mattered to her.
"They count!" Luo Jiansen nodded. It was tearing him apart, but what else could he do right now? Even if his big brother and younger brothers came to help, they wouldn't have as many people as the Wang Family. Besides, he had heard about the Wang Family's reputation.
"Fine! But if you pay back the money like this, you'll need to pay interest. I won't ask for much, just five yuan a month. Besides, I've already said this before—you need to marry off a daughter to my Er Bao. Let me make it clear, I don't want Luo Shu or Luo Shan." Shi Lanjiao declared. She dared not take Luo Shu, and though she wanted Luo Shan, she knew Luo Shu would never agree. So even if she wanted to set her sights on Luo Shan, it was pointless.
At the kitchen entrance, Luo Daya and Luo Erya who were secretly watching the situation outside were stunned. Did Shi Lanjiao mean that one of them had to marry Second Fool? How could that be possible?
Unable to stay put any longer, Luo Daya and Luo Erya rushed out of the kitchen in a panic, "Mom, we don't want to marry, please return the money quickly." How could they marry that fool? If they married a fool, their whole lives would be ruined.
"I will return your betrothal gifts, but don't even think about marrying my daughter to your foolish son," Wang Liying stated firmly. She was reluctant to return the money, but her daughters were her own flesh and blood; how could she watch them suffer?
"Wang Liying, I'm telling you, whether you agree or not, your daughter is going to marry our Er Bao," Shi Lanjiao turned her head and gave a signal to the people behind her.
Four strong men stepped forward and headed towards Luo Daya and Luo Erya.
"I don't want to marry, help, don't catch me…" Luo Daya and Luo Erya, upon seeing this, became so frightened that they ran around the yard in fear.
Outside the Luo Family home, the villagers who had been watching the commotion felt some sympathy for the two sisters.
"Such a sin! That son of the Wang Family is a fool. Marrying into that family would be ridiculous."
"Isn't this all because of Wang Liying herself? Who told her to accept the betrothal gifts from the Wang Family?"
"Wang Liying definitely wanted to marry Luo Shu off to them. She just didn't expect Luo Shu to run away from home; now she's at a loss."
"The Wang Family in Willow Village is notoriously fierce. Who dares to provoke them?"
"Give way, please." A deep voice came from behind the crowd.
Turning their heads, they saw Luo Jianmin with a dark expression on his face, leading a few temporary guards over.
The crowd parted to let Luo Jianmin and his men through.
Seeing Luo Jianmin and the men come over, both Luo Jiansen and Wang Liying's eyes lit up.
"Big uncle, please save us, we don't want to marry," Luo Daya and Luo Erya also ran to Luo Jianmin seeking his protection.
"What's going on here?" Luo Jianmin asked with a stern face, looking at the Wang Family's people.
Shi Lanjiao snorted and said, "Elder Brother of the Luo Family, I know you're the head of Luo Family Village, but there has to be reason in everything. This issue is the result of Wang Liying's dishonesty. She took our betrothal gifts but refuses to marry her daughter to our Er Bao. How can we accept this loss? Right?"
Luo Jianmin frowned and nodded, then looked at Wang Liying, "Is what Sister-in-law Wang said true?" Although he didn't like this sister-in-law much, his brother liked her, so as the elder brother, he couldn't say much.
"I…I've already said that I'd return the betrothal gifts. She still insists on marrying off my daughter," Wang Liying replied, somewhat scared of Luo Jianmin.
"I've already spread the word to the relatives, and I've even paid the deposit for the wedding banquet. You think you can just say you'll return the betrothal gifts, and that's it? What about my expenses? What about our Wang Family's face? Are you going to compensate for that? Can you afford to?" Shi Lanjiao pressed menacingly.
"What I said was that it would be Luo Shu to marry into your family, and I haven't gone back on my word. As long as you can find Luo Shu, I will certainly be happy to marry her off to you," said Wang Liying, bolstered by the fact that she had made it clear to Shi Lanjiao before that it was Luo Shu she had agreed to marry off.
"Pah! Wang Liying, you shameless old hag, you still have the nerve to mention Luo Shu? You know full well how tough Luo Shu is; you set us up to get beaten up. You're so heartless. Don't bother talking today; your daughter must marry. If you don't agree, we'll just take her by force."
"Mom! I don't want to marry, please save me," cried Luo Daya and Luo Erya.
Wang Liying, heartbroken, glanced at her daughters and placed her hope in Luo Jianmin, "Big uncle, you must help us."
Luo Jianmin sighed and looked at Luo Jiansen, "What do you say?" At first, he did feel a bit sorry for Wang Liying and her daughters, but after hearing what Wang Liying had just said, he thought she got what she deserved. Did she think her daughters were treasures and Luo Shu was just grass, deserving to be married off to a fool?
"I don't know," Luo Jiansen said, his mind in total disarray.
Luo Jianmin shook his head and turned to Wang Liying, "I can't help with this matter. You've taken the Wang Family's betrothal gifts, so it's either marry off your daughter or pay them back. You'll have to figure it out amongst yourselves. However, I'll oversee this and be your witness." After all, he was Luo Jiansen's big brother and the head of Luo Family Village; he couldn't ignore the situation.
Upon hearing this, Shi Lanjiao and the Wang family members smirked triumphantly.
Wang Liying turned pale and collapsed on the ground, bursting into loud sobs. She knew there was no turning back, but she couldn't bear the thought of marrying off her daughters to a fool. She still hoped to rely on them for her future support.
Luo Erya glanced around and, with a determined bite of her teeth, walked up to Shi Lanjiao and knelt down with a "thud," "Auntie, I know you're a kind person. As long as you don't mind my unlucky birthdate, I'm willing to marry into your family. Please don't make it hard for my mom and sister."