Chapter 27

"Oh, Feng-ge is here!"

"Hey, Feng-ge has even brought a silver hairpin. It must cost at least two taels."

"Of course, what is Young Master Yan's background? His generosity wouldn't be lacking!"

"Oh my, there's a silver bracelet too! Feng-ge now looks just like someone from the prominent family in Twenty-Li Slope, so impressive!"

"When will the wedding be? Invite us to have a glass of wedding wine, won't you?"

Seeing Feng-ge deliberately dressed up, looking bright and wearing silver ornaments on his head and hands, the villagers approached and teased him with compliments to some extent.

Feng-ge also enjoyed this kind of flattery, and with Xi-ge and Nan-ge, he walked towards the meat stall.

Yong-ge seemed surprised by the other party's splendor, and somewhat embarrassedly tugged at his own washed-out and frayed sleeves. "Feng-ge, are you here to buy meat too?"

Feng-ge looked at him disapprovingly. "Yong-ge, you're my cousin. If our family is in real difficulty, you should let me know. I can figure out a solution for you after I get married. How can you come out to sell meat?"

Cheng Duo: "…"

Why does it sound so suggestive? They were just selling ordinary meat, nothing indecent!

"That's right, Feng-ge is about to marry into a wealthy family. You should come and ask him for help, instead of…" Xi-ge glanced in Cheng Duo's direction, then he shrank his neck and lowered his voice, "Instead of following that unknown hunter!

After he finished speaking, he looked at Feng-ge, seeking his approval, and instantly felt happy.

Nan-ge hesitated and remained silent.

In fact, in the past, it would have been a stroke of luck for someone like them to find a man like Cheng Duo with such conditions.

However, because Feng-ge was about to marry into a wealthy family, they had a good relationship with him and spoke well of him recently. Whenever Feng-ge was happy, he promised to find ways to introduce them to some rich young men in the future.

Xi-ge truly believed it and became even more submissive in front of Feng-ge. He disregarded the good marriage prospects that were previously out of reach and didn't care about them anymore.

Nan-ge was skeptical. On one hand, even Feng-ge himself said that Young Master Yan's family was not in Wudu County. What if they got married and left? How could they chase after them to the south and ask him for introductions? On the other hand, were wealthy young men really interested in marrying them, a group of rural gers, unless they had extraordinary looks? They found it difficult to even find a suitable marriage prospect, so relying solely on Feng-ge's words gave them an uncertain hope. If that hope fell through, they wouldn't know how disappointed they would be in the future…

When Yong-ge heard their words, the smile on his face faded slightly, but he still politely said, "No need, Feng-ge. My father always said that it's better to rely on oneself than to rely on others. I can earn money with my own skills, and it's not embarrassing."

"What relying on yourself? If you appear in public without being married, how will others view our Li family?" Feng-ge looked at him with a face of disappointment.

Now that he considered himself as a future high-class madam, he unconsciously imitated Liu Shusheng and started preaching with a series of grand principles. After taking a look at Yong-ge, he wanted to say that even though Yong-ge's looks were inferior to his, he could help him find a steward or a servant's child, which would be better than a lifetime of farming…

However, it was this one look that made him realize that Yong-ge had actually become more handsome, much more handsome! He was immediately shocked and exclaimed, "How… how did you change? Did you use some sort of beauty secret? You've become so fair in just a few days!"

Feng-ge was originally worried about his appearance because he was about to get married. At this moment, seeing Yong-ge's transformed appearance was like finding a lifesaving straw.

At this moment, Feng-ge didn't mind that Yong-ge's hand, which held meat, was dirty. He grabbed him and asked if he had used any elixirs or beauty secrets.

"No, I just applied some sheep cream…" Yong-ge couldn't tell him that he naturally had fair skin, so he had to bring up the topic of sheep cream.

"It's impossible. I apply sheep cream every day!" Feng-ge didn't believe it. "In addition to sheep cream, I also use a beauty cream made with pollen, musk, and honey. Why doesn't it have such a miraculous effect?"

"Maybe it's because… I haven't used it before, so the effects are more noticeable…" Yong-ge replied.

Seeing Yong-ge's evasive response, Feng-ge suddenly became angry and said without hesitation, "You still want to hide it from me! Is it so you can catch the attention of Young Master Yan!"

"Feng-ge, what nonsense are you talking about? I haven't even met Young Master Yan!" Yong-ge was shocked and speechless.

Wu Guihua had said this before, and Yong-ge had been angered by her many times, so he just ignored it. He didn't expect Feng-ge, who seemed understanding, to say such things!

Is this what they mean having the same blood as mother? Yong-ge recalled his father's warning to stay away from Feng-ge, and now he finally understood.

"Just because you haven't met him doesn't mean you're not jealous. Everyone in our village knows that Young Master Yan comes from a good family! Yong-ge, you really have no conscience. How did Feng-ge help you before? Isn't it fair for him to ask for a beauty secret?" Xi-ge chimed in.

"I really don't have any secrets!" Yong-ge insisted.

Feng-ge didn't listen at all. "Even if you don't admit it, it's fine. I'll pay for it. How much money do you want?"

In his excitement, Feng-ge's nails, which were already holding Yong-ge's wrist, suddenly dug into his flesh. Yong-ge struggled in pain, but Feng-ge's grip was terrifyingly strong, and he couldn't break free.

"Enough!" Cheng Duo couldn't bear to watch anymore. He leaped down from the tree branch and forcefully opened Feng-ge's hand. "He doesn't have any miraculous secret even if you pinch him. Whether you buy the meat or not, don't block my stall!"

He couldn't interfere in the argument between the brothers, so he diverted the topic to their dispute over the meat.

Feng-ge was startled, and when he stepped back, he accidentally stepped on a stone. His body swayed, and although he didn't fall, his silver hairpin on his head came loose and "crashed" against a stone, breaking in the process.

"My hairpin!" Feng-ge's face turned pale, and he quickly reached out to pick up the hairpin.

Xi-ge, who was standing nearby, curiously leaned over and looked, then asked with confusion, "Feng-ge, why is the inside of your silver hairpin black?"

"What? Black?" The onlookers were puzzled, and one by one, they gathered around, wanting to see what was going on.

But Feng-ge, who was quick-witted, had already concealed the damaged part of the hairpin in his palm before the crowd closed in.

His face turned pale, and his heart raced in a state of panic, but he forced himself to smile at everyone and said, "What black? Xi-ge, you must have seen it wrong."

Xi-ge hesitated, not completely convinced. "No, I clearly saw it inside—"

"I already said you saw it wrong! Why are you making baseless claims?!" Feng-ge's expression turned dark, and he spoke sternly, silencing Xi-ge instantly.

With a simple mind, Xi-ge still couldn't understand why. However, Nan-ge and some of the villagers who were watching had already guessed it. "Did you see it wrong? Why don't you show everyone the hairpin to clarify?" 

"No need." Feng-ge's expression turned ugly as he tried to conceal it. "Cheng Duo accidentally broke the hairpin that Young Master Yan gave me. If he finds out, it might create problems between us. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble…"

Feng-ge was about to come up with a random excuse to brush off the matter when Wu Guihua approached him and overheard his words. She immediately exclaimed, "What? That good-for-nothing broke your hairpin again? I knew he's not compatible with our family!"

She pointed at Cheng Duo and continued, "Last time, when the cow died, you claimed it wasn't you who killed it. And now, so many people saw the hairpin. You can't deny it, can you?"

"Mother, please stop—" Feng-ge desperately tugged at his mother, hoping to make her stop, but Wu Guihua didn't listen at all.

"You must compensate today! This hairpin was brought all the way from the south by Young Master Yan himself. Regardless of its design and style, it's the most fashionable one. You need to compensate… with twelve silver teals!"

"Twelve silver teals? That's outrageous!" The onlooking villagers exclaimed once again.

It was indeed unreasonable for Wu Guihua to demand twelve silver teals for just a minor damage.

Cheng Duo calmly crossed his arms and said, "I broke it, so of course, I will compensate…"

"It's none of your business. If anyone has to compensate, it should be me." Yong-ge, unaware of Cheng Duo's intentions, anxiously pulled at his sleeve but was pushed aside by a large hand, clearly indicating that he should not get involved.

"Cheng—" Yong-ge wanted to say something but was fiercely glared at by Cheng Duo, instantly silencing him.

"No need. It's just a minor crack, and no silver pieces are missing. I don't want you to compensate." Feng-ge interrupted him, speaking in a dignified manner. He then pulled Wu Guihua and tried to leave.

Wu Guihua was puzzled, but by now, she could read Feng-ge's expression. Besides, he was gripping her with such force that it was terrifying. Wu Guihua wasn't a fool. Reluctantly, she took a step and followed him.

"Hold on, did I allow you to leave?" Cheng Duo suddenly shouted, stepping forward from behind the meat stall, pointing to the space in front of him. "We won't let this matter go unresolved today. Nobody is leaving!"

"What… do you mean?" Wu Guihua turned around and saw Cheng Duo's stern face, standing confidently in front of the meat stall, appearing like a grim reaper… She suddenly felt a little intimidated.

Ignoring her, Cheng Duo looked at Feng-ge and said, "Don't say that I just pushed you away earlier. You couldn't even stand firm on your own… Even if I did push you, the force wouldn't be enough to damage the silver hairpin. And I already said I would compensate. Why did you run away?"

"I already said I don't want you to compensate." Feng-ge tightly held onto the hairpin, not daring to lift his head. At this moment, he just wanted to quickly take his mother home and find out what was going on…

"No, we need to figure out how the hairpin was actually damaged. Once we understand, we can decide how to proceed. I don't want to bear unfounded accusations!" 

Saying that, he looked towards the crowd and continued, "Third Uncle Li, don't you agree?"

Village Head Li awkwardly stepped forward. "…Fine, I'll mediate and ensure fairness."

The reason he didn't step in earlier was that he felt it might be difficult to judge the situation accurately. Because Cheng Duo did lay his hands on Feng-ge, otherwise, Feng-ge wouldn't have retreated and stepped on the stone.

However, with Cheng Duo being so resolute and Feng-ge continuously evasive… Village Head Li now understood. Besides, Xi-ge claimed that the hairpin turned black, and it seemed there was some truth to it.

Village Head Li looked at Feng-ge and said, "Bring it out."

Speaking of it, Feng-ge is also responsible for his own misfortune. If he had just admitted that he didn't stand firm, everything would have been fine. But he insisted on blaming Cheng Duo, and now things have gotten worse.

Feng-ge's knuckles holding the hairpin turned pale. Yong-ge couldn't wait any longer and stepped forward, grabbing his hand and prying it open. That's when they saw the broken corner of the hairpin, and indeed, it was black inside.

"This… Is it just a layer of silver foil?"

Everyone exclaimed, "It's fake!"

"No wonder Xi-ge said the hairpin was black. Feng-ge even cursed him for seeing it wrong."

"I knew it! How could it break with just a touch?"

"If the hunter didn't keep them here, wouldn't everyone have misunderstood?" When this statement came out, the villagers' gazes towards Feng-ge became strange…

"It's impossible!" Wu Guihua refused to believe it. She snatched the silver hairpin and discovered that there was indeed a thin layer of silver foil at the broken part. She trembled as she tore it off, revealing more black underneath.

"How could this…?" She refused to give up and bit the silver bracelet on Feng-ge's arm, only to find that it was also fake. In disbelief, she muttered, "No way! Young Master Yan is so wealthy. Why would he give Feng-ge fake goods?"

She glanced at Feng-ge and suddenly connected the dots from his pale face and profuse sweating to something even more serious…

Oh no, Feng-ge's dowry!

Wu Guihua felt her head spinning, but fortunately, she didn't faint. When she regained her senses, she no longer cared about Cheng Duo. She grabbed Feng-ge and ran home, stepping lightly and quickly.

Village Head Li sighed and thought for a moment before following behind. "I'll go take a look."

Village Head Li's words acted as a reminder, and the villagers, as if afraid of missing out on a big show, rushed away in a commotion!

Aunt Qian, who had been hiding in the crowd, ran as well, feeling guilty: She just couldn't stand Wu Guihua's smugness, and accusing Young Master Yan of deception was more out of jealousy. She never expected it to actually happen!

I hope nobody thinks it's because of her jinxing.