When Old Mrs. Chen saw that they all had fierce expressions and menacing looks, her heart clenched with fear.
She approached with trembling legs. "Brother, my family really can't come up with fifty taels of silver right now. Could you give me an extension of ten days or half a month? I promise to send you every single penny then."
Butcher Li instantly bristled, his eyebrows shot up, "What did you say? No money?"
"Don't worry, brother. I will never renege on my promise. I will definitely raise the money for you."
Butcher Li glared at him, "You old bastard, are you looking for death? You dare to mess with me? Believe me, I'll punch you to death."
Matchmaker Zhao's face was ashen. She glared at Old Lady Chen, calling her a swindler who dared to spend all her money without a bride. If it weren't for her acting as matchmaker, she would have deserved to be beaten to death.
Now that things have come to this, in order to avoid getting into trouble, I had to grit my teeth and advise, "Nephew, don't be impulsive, let's talk things out, please don't resort to violence."
Old Mrs. Chen quickly chimed in, "Brother, my family really has no money right now. Even if you beat me to death, I still can't come up with it. Please give me a few more days!"
"No money? If you have no money, come home with me." Butcher Li got carried away and tried to grab Old Lady Chen.
Grandma Chen was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.
She kept thinking to herself, "Should I go home with him and become his mother?"
It can't be...
Oh dear, how embarrassing!
If that happens, his reputation in his later years will be ruined.
Old Chen, who dared not even breathe loudly, felt a sudden pang of fear when he saw Butcher Li about to take his wife away.
My God, this is a complete beast! His tastes are incredibly heavy; he doesn't even spare old women.
Although he was thoroughly fed up with his wife, he couldn't just stand by and watch her cheat on him.
If this gets out, how will he ever be able to face anyone again?
Ignoring his fear, he grabbed Li the butcher's hand and said, "This is my wife, don't do anything reckless."
Butcher Li was taken aback, glared at Old Man Chen, and shouted, "You old bastard, what are you thinking? I have no interest in young oxen gnawing on old grass."
"Then, then, what are you going to do?"
"What are you doing? Take her to town to find your fair and tender little granddaughter, and have her be my wife."
Old Man Chen was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud. “Good man, this is even more unacceptable! My Ruolan is still a child. How can she get married? Absolutely not! Please give us a few more days. We promise to return the bride price to you.”
Old Mrs. Chen blushed. It turned out that she had misunderstood and thought that Butcher Li was attractive to both young and old!
She snapped out of her daze and quickly chimed in, "Brother, please have mercy and give us an extra ten days or half a month. We guarantee we have plenty of money."
Seeing the elderly couple's disheveled state, Matchmaker Zhao really wanted to give up, but she was worried about causing further trouble, so she had to patiently continue speaking.
“Nephew, I think they really can’t come up with the money right now. Why don’t you be magnanimous and give them a few more days? If they still can’t come up with the money by then, we’ll go to the county government and accuse them of fraudulent marriage and swindling money, and put them in jail.”
“Wouldn’t it be too easy for her to go to jail?” Butcher Li grinned maliciously. “Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll give you three days. If you can’t come up with the money by then, I’ll take you home and let you taste what it’s like to be an old firewood root.”
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Chen felt a chill run down her spine. Good heavens, this scoundrel really wanted to harm her! Was there any way out? How utterly shameful!
She kept bowing and pleading, "Brother, please have mercy on me and spare my life!"
Butcher Li glared at Old Lady Chen, "Enough nonsense. I'll give you three days. If you can't pay back the money, I'll not only have to mess with you, you old hag, but I'll also go to the college where your third son is studying and cause trouble."
I want his classmates and teachers to know that, in order to let him study, his mother went against her conscience and committed fraud by getting married.
Let him lose face in front of his classmates and teachers, and I'd like to see how he'll still have the nerve to stay in the academy.
Old Mrs. Chen stumbled and almost fell backward. Her third son was her hope. If Butcher Li caused a scene at the academy, her son would lose all face. How could he study then? How could he participate in the imperial examinations in the future? She absolutely could not allow such a thing to happen.
She gritted her teeth and promised, "Okay, three days it is."
Butcher Li waved to the two bald men, "Brothers, let's go back to town and have a drink."
Matchmaker Zhao glanced at Old Lady Chen, flicked her handkerchief, and said, "You only have three days. If you don't want to get involved in a lawsuit, you'd better hurry up and get some money!"
"Don't worry, Sister Zhao, I will definitely raise the money and won't make things difficult for you."
Old Mrs. Chen saw the matchmaker off with a forced smile, finally letting out a long sigh of relief, "Finally, those beasts are gone."
Old Chen was filled with anxiety and worry. "Old woman, we've sent the person away, but where are we going to get fifty taels of silver?"
You'd better think of a way quickly; if you can't pay them back, they won't let it go.
"You old fool, what nonsense are you spouting? What can I possibly come up with?"
"Then tell me what to do. You only have three days. Do you really want to be harmed by that beast?"
Old Mrs. Chen, enraged, spat at him, "Pah! You bastard, can't you say something nice? Even if I was raped, it's because you're so shameless."
Old Chen pounded his head heavily. "If you can pay off the debt, I'll accept being a living turtle. But if that beast really goes to Lao San's academy to cause trouble, will Lao San still be able to study? Do you want all of Lao San's years of hard work to go to waste?"
Old Mrs. Chen immediately wilted, her brows furrowed, completely at a loss.
Seeing the elderly couple hanging their heads and remaining silent, Mrs. Sun snorted coldly and began to complain.
“I advised you to keep some money, but you wouldn’t listen. You were determined to give all fifty taels of silver to the third son. Now look what you’re going to do to return the money.”
Old Mrs. Chen had lost her former arrogance and looked aggrieved.
“How was I supposed to know that the heartless eldest son’s family was so cruel? They really don’t respect me, their mother. If I had known they were so ungrateful, I would never have separated from them. I should have been firmer with that brat back then. She had to marry him even if she didn’t want to, and then none of this would have happened.”
Sun rolled her eyes. "Mother, stop blaming your ugly face and making excuses. If you have a conscience, this wouldn't have happened. Stop complaining and think of a way to raise the money!"
......
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