Shen Liang froze instantly.
He felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, freezing his limbs and bones.
He said slowly, in a stiff tone, "Go to Datian Village and read aloud the guarantee I wrote for you?"
When Shi Murou brought up this matter, it was as natural and simple as drinking water, so it was obviously impossible for her to fake it. However, Shen Liang still wanted to confirm it again, because he couldn't believe it was true.
"Yes, I kept the villagers in suspense at first and didn't tell them it was you who wrote it. Everyone guessed for a long time, and even guessed it was another man. Humph, do they even deserve me?"
"Have the Qiao family and the Shen family severed their childhood betrothal?"
"Of course! I brought several thugs with me. Even if they didn't want to, they wouldn't dare disobey. Brother Shenliang, you'll have peace and quiet from now on. I know you've been in a difficult position. Although you don't have feelings for the girl you were betrothed to since childhood, it was arranged by both sets of parents when you were young, and people in the same village still have some connection. So it's hard for you to break free, and you've been deeply troubled. I've solved such a big problem for you now. Aren't you happy?"
Shen Liang stared blankly at Shi Murou, feeling as if the beautiful dream he had built had shattered into pieces after being frozen in place.
Not only is there no hope with the Qiao family, but Qiao Xi'er can no longer become his concubine.
Shi Murou caused a scene in Datian Village, and she must think he instigated it, that the groom's family is eager to finalize the marriage. How will they view him then? His last two hopes have been completely crushed.
Shen Liang's eyes gradually reddened.
Shi Murou was immersed in joy, and seeing Shen Liang's expression, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Shen Liang, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
Shen Liang slammed his chopsticks heavily onto the table.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore: "You've ruined my whole plan."
Shi Murou was startled and her heart skipped a beat: "What?"
Shen Liang looked at her with a cold smile: "That's right, I do have a childhood betrothal, but I have never thought about marrying that girl. I plan to find an opportunity to break off the engagement with their family properly, and it will definitely not affect the matters between you and me."
"But you actually went to Datian Village ahead of time and caused such a big commotion, making things look bad for both of us. The Qiao family and the Shen family have become enemies."
Shen Liang wasn't there, but he could imagine that, given the Qiao family's nature, how could they possibly let the Shen family off the hook?
"So what if they make a fuss? Besides, that childhood betrothal is off the table. How good can the relationship between your two families be? It's better to cut ties cleanly so that their family doesn't hold onto hope and cause you more anxiety."
"What did the Qiao family say? Did they ask for any compensation?"
"They didn't ask for much, just the three mu of paddy fields next to yours by the river."
Shen Liang gasped, a sharp pain shooting through his heart.
Those three mu of paddy fields were top-quality fields, and each mu could be sold for fifteen taels of silver. This was equivalent to a direct loss of forty-five taels of silver.
This doesn't even include the annual grain losses—
Shen Liang clenched his fists and closed his eyes.
After struggling to control myself for a while, I finally managed to say, "Do you know what your family will think of what you're doing?"
“By showing up in your village like this, it’s like the die is cast. My father might agree to the marriage soon for the sake of my reputation. I’m planning to bring it up with them.”
A bitter smile appeared on Shen Liang's lips; it seemed the Shi family would rather end his life directly.
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