"And then what happened to the girl?" Mrs. Sun asked anxiously.
"What else could it be?" Old Mrs. Zhao paused, looking very sad.
"The girl hanged herself that very night. She died at such a young age. It was all because of her heartless parents and her inhuman brother and sister-in-law."
After the old lady finished speaking, she began to wipe away her tears, because she had indeed shed tears.
Grandma Zhao continued to weep. She had been fooled by the story she had made up. She felt that the poor girl was her granddaughter-in-law, and that her granddaughter-in-law was in danger at that moment.
Grandma Zhao's words shocked Yang Hong. He felt that the old lady was talking about him, and that he had treated his sister the same way.
Perhaps the old lady was telling the truth; judging from her heartbroken appearance, she probably wasn't faking it.
The old lady just took the melon from her sister's hand. She did indeed put a sleeping potion on the melon, and it seems that the old lady Zhao knows about this.
This is absolutely impossible. Apart from the couple and Xiao Kui, no one else knows about this.
Yang Hong was starting to feel conflicted. He knew he shouldn't treat his sister this way, but he had already received the thirty taels of silver Xiao Kui had promised, and the remaining twenty taels were almost there. He had gone to such lengths, and he was determined to get the silver no matter what.
Xiao Kui is only in his thirties today. It wouldn't be a bad deal for his younger sister to marry him. His family is very wealthy, much better off than that poor scholar.
Moreover, now that Xiao Kui had become his brother-in-law, he had a cash cow. This matter couldn't be abandoned halfway. He would go find Xiao Kui later to see how to handle it.
After finishing his meal, Yang Hong rested at home for a while before going to Xiao Kui's house.
Yang Hong's family told him that Xiao Kui had gone to the Yingkou Town dock. Yang Hong did not dare to delay and immediately rushed to Yingkou Town. He found Xiao Kui in a restaurant by the dock.
At this moment, Xiao Kui was shirtless, drinking with a group of people. These people were all江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) veterans who had long been involved in the docks. They were interdependent with Xiao Kui, using each other for their own benefit, and their relationship was quite good.
By this time, Xiao Kui was already quite drunk and his eyes were blurry. When he saw Yang Hong arrive, he asked:
"Yang Hong, how did things go? Everyone here is my brother. We'll go to your house this afternoon and bring Ruotong back."
“Yes, yes, we’ll bring your sister-in-law back this afternoon,” someone nearby immediately echoed.
Yang Hong looked dejected. He didn't dare to look Xiao Kui in the eye and even stammered when he spoke.
“Master Xiao, things were going very smoothly, but that old lady ruined it again.”
"Why is it that old lady again? How did she mess this up?" Xiao Kui's expression changed slightly.
"When I got home at noon, my family was about to eat, so I cut the cantaloupe in half and gave each of us a piece. Ruotong's piece of cantaloupe was coated with a sleeping potion."
But that wretched old woman thought one piece of melon wasn't enough and insisted on taking Ruotong's piece.
"What? You gave that old lady the medicine?" Xiao Kui exclaimed in shock.
"No, she put the cantaloupe in her pocket, saying she would eat it on the way back in the afternoon."
"Brother-in-law, what can I say to you? You can't even handle something this simple."
Forget it, I'm not counting on you anymore. I'll take the brothers over there later and bring Ruotong back.
If Ruotong comes to our house, she'll eat and drink the finest food, have endless gold and silver treasures, and wear countless silks and satins. I simply don't believe Ruotong wouldn't want to enjoy this life with me, and would still be thinking about that poor scholar.
"It's not good to just go there like this. I should try to persuade Ruotong more," Yang Hong said, scratching his head.
“What’s wrong with that? In Yingkou Town, there’s nothing I, Xiao, can’t do. It’s your Ruotong’s good fortune that I’ve taken a liking to her. So many people want to curry favor with me, but I don’t even look at them.”
Although Xiao Kui said these words under the influence of alcohol, there is some truth to them. In any era, money talks.
The others at the table started frantically flattering Xiao Kui, constantly offering him drinks. The more Xiao Kui drank, the more excited he became, completely losing his bearings.
"Yang Hong, you go back first. Tell Ruotong that I'm not going to pick a specific day. I'll go pick her up this afternoon and have her dress up nicely."
Also, tell that unreasonable old lady to get as far away from me as possible. If I see her, I'll strangle her.
With things having developed to this point, Yang Hong had no other choice. If he backed down now, Xiao Kui might strangle him.
After Yang Hong left, Xiao Kui continued drinking. Half an hour later, Xiao Kui was so drunk that he couldn't tell which way was which.
"That's about it, brothers. Let's go to Yangjiawan to pick up your wives. Remember to carry them in that eight-bearer sedan chair."
Soon, preparations were made, and Xiao Kui put on a red groom's suit, led more than twenty people, followed by an eight-bearer sedan chair, and set off in a grand procession towards Yangjiawan.
Yingkou Town is not far from Yangjiawan. In less than fifteen minutes, these people arrived at Yangjiawan and stopped in front of Yang Ruotong's house.
The commotion was so great that it alerted the entire village, and villagers came out of their homes to see what was happening.
Xiao Kui straightened his new clothes and, emboldened by the alcohol, strode into the courtyard.
"There are no brothers like you in the world. You caused all this trouble. If you're going to marry someone, go marry that Xiao Kui." This was Ruotong's helpless voice.
"Ruotong, please listen to your brother's advice. I'm doing this for your own good. Manager Xiao is a loyal and righteous person. He has been thinking of you all this time."
He looks down on countless respectable women, but he's set his sights on you. His family is rich and powerful; you'll definitely enjoy a life of luxury if you marry into their family.
"Brother, don't say anything more. I'd rather starve to death than go to the Xiao family."
After Yang Ruotong finished speaking, tears were already streaming down her face. She looked at Old Madam Zhao and said:
"Grandma, please take me with you, let's go back to the Zhao family."
"Okay, okay, Grandma will take you away now." Grandma Zhao had already made preparations, and she stepped forward to take Yang Ruotong's arm.
"Ruotong, you can't go to the Zhao family. Master Xiao will come to pick you up soon. What will happen to our family if you leave?"
The parents, standing to the side, were at a loss. They didn't know what to do. Of course, they hoped that the Zhao family would take Ruotong away, but Xiao Kui was a local tyrant in Yingkou Town, and their family couldn't afford to offend him.
At this moment, Yang Ruotong had no choice. She didn't have time to pack her things and was pulled towards the door by Old Mrs. Zhao.
As soon as they reached the door, they were blocked by Xiao Kui, who reeked of alcohol, and were unable to leave.
"You old hag, you want to take my Ruotong away? I'll strangle you!" Xiao Kui said, reaching out to grab Old Lady Zhao.
Yang Ruotong immediately stepped in front of Old Mrs. Zhao, blocking Xiao Kui.
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