The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 714 Deception and Story_1

The new bride of Sanhe Village clearly made an effort to dress up today. She lightly pinned her hair up at the back of her head and wore a khaki coat over some black, loose-fitting trousers.

The whole look was simple yet sophisticated.

With just a bit of dressing up, the woman exhibited a cultured air similar to that of Guan Lin.

Moreover, her indifferent gaze, as if she had seen through all the vicissitudes of life, made it really hard for anyone to connect her with the terrible circumstances of her life. Such a woman seemed like she would fit right in at a teahouse, discussing culture and writing over a cup of tea.

"Have you come to a decision, or are you having second thoughts?" Li Qing asked.

Tang Rou shook her head, "I haven’t figured it out yet, so I wanted to talk to you again."

"That sounds like you’re almost having second thoughts." Li Qing chuckled softly, "Have a seat first."

Tang Rou looked around and then shook her head, "No, I’ll stand."

"Don’t be so formal, there are chairs here. If you don’t want to go inside, just pull one outside and sit," Li Qing pointed to the bamboo chairs inside.

Tang Rou nodded, went inside to get a bamboo chair, and set it down by the window on the outside.

"What is it that you haven’t figured out? This matter seems quite straightforward to me," Li Qing said. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Tang Rou lifted her smooth chin, pursed her lips, and after a moment of thought, she said, "Actually, I’ve never liked to trouble others. There are many kids in my family, especially girls. I’m the fifth in line. When it was my turn to wear the clothes handed down from my older brother, they were practically all patches."

"It seems to be the way of things, when there’s an abundance of something people start to despise it. My younger sister and I are considered by the family as children who should have been cast off early. When we were children, they regretted not doing so. As we grew up, they complained we were consuming too much food. I was at the top of my class in high school, always ranking within the top three of the entire school."

"If nothing unexpected happened, I should have been able to attend a very prestigious university. But my brother, in his thirties, was due to get married and the family was short of money, so my parents felt that my sister and I should repay them for raising us."

Li Qing listened quietly to this sudden outpour of her story, making a perfect listener.

Nowadays, most people would only raise up to three children, typically just one or two.

But about twenty years ago, it was common in the countryside to have four or five children, sometimes even seven or eight.

And the preference for sons over daughters was extremely severe.

Wu Xingxing’s family was in nearly the same situation.

"I heard the news that I was to be married on the eve of the college entrance exams. I tried many ways to prevent it: reporting it, calling the police, running away, even self-harm and fasting, which I found the most unacceptable. But none worked. My parents were determined to marry me off to provide for my brother’s dowry." Tang Rou’s mouth curled into a self-mocking smile as she let out a sigh and continued, "Eventually, I resigned myself to fate."

"Since my parents felt I owed them, I should do as they wished, so I decided to repay them. However, after my commotion, those who came to propose all had something to say—the way they saw it, my education had driven me mad, and I wasn’t worth the dowry of fifty or sixty thousand."

"In the end, even for thirty thousand, my parents were eager to sell me off. I think for the gratitude owed for raising me, my repayment was a bit meager, just thirty thousand. But having given up the prospect of attending a prestigious university, I thought it was about even. It was all the same in the end."

"I was seventeen when I got married. Last year, around this time, was when I finally became eligible to get a marriage certificate. Thirty thousand, seventeen years, a husband only three years older than me who was still fooling around at that age. I had some hope at first, but afterwards, it was all disappointment."

She glanced at Li Qing and suddenly smiled softly, "Am I talking too much?"

Li Qing shook his head, "We are all shaped by hardships; I can understand you completely."

His own situation wasn’t much better than Tang Rou’s.

"My reason for telling you all this is just to let you know where I stand. As of yesterday, I have completely detached myself from the past. Unless my parents pass away, I will not have any contact with them again; from now on, I’m living for myself," Tang Rou said indifferently.

"You’re a capable person, even capable of changing your fate. And I think I have some ability too. I don’t want to be doing jobs like washing dishes. If possible, I would like to strive for something more hopeful."

Li Qing understood what Tang Rou was implying, but he was a bit shocked, "You’re only... nineteen years old?!"

"Does it seem like I look older?" Tang Rou asked with a smile.

Li Qing examined her face seriously for a moment and shook his head, "You don’t look older, just a bit too mature."

She had the typical heart-shaped face that doesn’t stun at first glance, but is hard to stop looking at, becoming more attractive the more you look.

It’s probably true that ’beauty lies in the bones, not in the skin’; regardless of her skin quality or attire, her bone structure had already defined her rankings.

"Perhaps because at an age when I should have been enjoying adolescence at school, I was already being taken advantage of in bed," Tang Rou said with self-deprecation.

This sudden, risqué comment left Li Qing somewhat taken aback.

"Maturity is always a psychological change; I am indeed nineteen years old, I can show you my ID," Tang Rou said.

Li Qing waved his hand, "That’s not necessary, I can tell upon closer inspection."

"It looks like I’ve said everything I wanted to say. I don’t know if you can provide me with such a job, but I think I should express my ideas," Tang Rou said with a gentle smile, "It’s just that, as a high school graduate, my expectations might be a bit high."

Li Qing nodded, "Your expectations aren’t too high; they’re quite fitting. It’s just that I need to think it over because the work I do now might seem rather low-level to you, and right off, I’m not sure what sort of superior work I could arrange for you."

"Actually, I am still a virgin," Tang Rou said, looking up and meeting Li Qing’s eyes directly.

Li Qing was suddenly taken aback, "Why would you suddenly bring this up to me? And anyway, your husband shouldn’t have any issues, right?"

After all, Xu Sanwang was only in his early twenties; it wasn’t likely that he was incapable of conjugal relations.

"That’s probably my only deceit because I genuinely didn’t want to get married," Tang Rou said, "On our wedding night, I lied to him that I was very shallow and he could only enter a little bit, and he believed it. We haven’t done it often, but it’s not like we haven’t done it at all. But each time, it was only a little bit. Yes, I’m someone’s wife, but I should probably be considered a one-man virgin wife."

Li Qing: ...