Yangjia Village is surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the river that meanders from south to north is called the Qingshui River, which is also the only waterway for villagers to leave the village.
Jiang Dahe sat on the opposite side of the boat, boasting to the villagers about his daughter all the way.
When Jiang Wanwan woke up this morning, her five senses became more acute. For the first time, she saw clearly how exaggerated her father's boasting expression was and how perfunctory the fake smile on the face of the fellow villager next to her was. It was unbearable to look at!
Jiang Wanwan twisted her body and leaned over the edge of the boat to look at the scenery outside the boat: green mountains and clear waters.
"This place is nice, hmm! There's even a faint trace of spiritual energy!"
The sudden sound sent chills down Jiang Wanwan's spine; her unscrupulous master had launched a sneak attack.
"What exactly do you want? Are you letting me cultivate so you can fatten me up for later, like seizing my body?"
"Little brat, you know about possession? Don't worry! A gentleman like your master wouldn't do such dirty things. I'm just teaching you cultivation at someone's request, and there are many others waiting for you."
"Who asked you to do this?"
"When the time comes, you will know!"
"Pshaw! You're just playing tricks! I don't believe you!"
"I am the legendary Emperor Qingyu. In the past, many people would have gone to great lengths to become my disciple. Are you sure you don't want to acknowledge me as your master?"
"Emperor Qingyu! I don't know him! It's the new century now, does anyone still remember your name?"
"That happened 200 million years ago, of course nobody remembers it."
So who's waiting for me?
"Of course it is...you're trying to trick me?"
"Ahem!" Jiang Wanwan touched the red mole on her wrist, which had been formed from a jade pendant, and then said with her mind, "Isn't this all for our future friendly relationship? I definitely need to figure out what you are, this existence that defies the laws of science. Otherwise, what can I learn from a random cat or dog as my master?"
"You... never mind, I won't argue with you. Learn it or don't, it's up to you!"
"Hey! If you really have the ability to move mountains and fill seas, I might as well accept you as my master?"
Xia Lao in the space automatically ignored Jiang Wanwan's string of words, such as whether cultivation could turn stones into gold, fly through the clouds, and travel a thousand miles a day.
He sat down on the futon in the thatched hut, feeling depressed. "If I knew everything, would I still be beaten down to the point where only a wisp of my soul remains, forced to endure this predicament in this tiny space?"
Jiang Wanwan called out in her mind for a long time, but there was no response. She thought that this bad master's mental quality was not very good, no wonder he could only live in the space.
"Oh my, isn't this Wanwan? The only college graduate in our village. I heard she graduated. Where are you working now?"
Jiang Wanwan turned her head and saw a village woman in a peach-colored coat staring intently at her from head to toe.
"Aunt Cuihua, rushing to the market? It's been so long since I've seen you!" Jiang Wanwan called out absentmindedly.
Upon hearing this, the man, carrying his basket, took two steps to Jiang Wanwan's side, swayed his hips to push aside the person sitting next to her, and looked as if he wanted to whisper something to her.
“Wanwan, you’ve really made something of yourself now. Studying is definitely the best thing. Don’t you know that your two cousins are getting married at only 16? I heard the dowry is high, but the grooms aren’t from good families. Your aunt is heartless!” Cuihua said excitedly, her dark hands slapping her thighs so hard they trembled.
"Which two families does the man belong to?" For the first time, Jiang Wanwan felt that having too good a sense of smell wasn't necessarily a good thing. Look at the way he was talking so enthusiastically, it was like a sprinkler.
“One is Yang Tiezhu, an old hunter from our village, whom you must know. He has four wives who died. He said he would give your aunt 160,000 yuan as a bride price so that Xiaoxue could marry him. The other is Zhou Yuanyuan, the mentally challenged son of Zhou Tianming in town. He said he would give 200,000 yuan as a bride price. As soon as your aunt heard that, she was eager to marry Xiaoyu off.”
Jiang Wanwan recalled that her two younger cousins only attended one primary school, as their aunt had stopped allowing them to continue their education.
Later, my grandparents chased after my uncle with sticks and beat him up. As a result, my two cousins gave in and didn't want to go to school anymore. So they stayed at home to farm and do farm work.
The youngest, Jiang Xiaoyu, is only sixteen years old. She's getting married at such a young age. I wonder if her grandparents know about this!
Soon the boat arrived at her doorstep. Jiang Wanwan saw her elderly mother waving to her from a distance. She quickly jumped off the boat and ran into her mother's arms.
"Mom! How did you know I'd be back at this time?"
Tian Cuicui gently smoothed her daughter's fluttering hair and said with a smile, "Your dad called and told me. I thought I'd come and wait for you since I had nothing else to do, so we could have dinner together when we get home."
Jiang Wanwan pulled on Tian Cuicui's arm, looked at the signs of aging around her mother's eyes, sniffed, and said affectionately, "I want to eat Mom's braised pork, cured pork ribs, and sweet and sour fish!"
As Tian Cuicui watched her daughter counting on her fingers, her soft and sweet appearance softening her heart, she completely forgot that her husband was still carrying bags behind her.
As Jiang Wanwan and her two companions reached the end of the village, they encountered Huang, the eldest daughter of the main branch of the family. Her short, stout body was carrying two buckets of water, moving slowly along.
The three decided to walk away in silence, since the relationship between the two families had plummeted to rock bottom after the division of the household.
"Don't you know how to greet people? And you're a college student?" Huang sat down on the wooden tub lid, hands on her hips, looking at Jiang Wanwan and the other two, as if waiting for them to greet her.
Tian Cuicui pulled her daughter along and strode forward, choosing to completely ignore what someone had said.
"Tch! So what if they're college students! These days, even college students are picking up dog poop!" Huang's small eyes were full of disdain as she spat at the three people who had just walked by.
Jiang Wanwan glanced back and was disgusted by Huang's slovenly features and repulsive behavior. She decided to avoid him if possible in the future.
"Mom, I heard that Xiaoxue and Xiaoyu are getting married?"
“Your uncle and his wife are greedy and want to sell the two girls for money, but your grandparents didn’t agree. Now the two girls live in the old house and don’t dare to live in their own home.”
"Oh my! Wanwan is back!" Jiang Wanwan was about to speak when Yang Shi, standing at the door of the third house, greeted her with a smile from afar.
"Third Aunt! Have you eaten yet?" Jiang Wanwan greeted her warmly.
"I've already eaten. It's been so long since I've seen our Wanwan, she's gotten even more beautiful! It just so happens that your two younger brothers are coming back for the weekend tomorrow, so come to my house for lunch tomorrow." Madam Yang looked at Jiang Wanwan with her beautiful phoenix eyes shining.
"I'll come over to help first thing tomorrow morning!" Tian Cuicui readily agreed, holding her daughter's hand.
The family of three said goodbye to Ms. Yang, and before they had gone far, Jiang Wanwan clearly heard Ms. Yang muttering:
"Oh! If Wanwan were really a child of the Jiang family, she would be so lovable!"
Jiang Wanwan rubbed her ears in disbelief. She must be hallucinating. If she wasn't a child of the Jiang family, then whose child was she?
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