Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space-Chapter 102. Eruption

As for the character of the suitor and the quality of his family, that’s not something Qi Laopuzi would consider, as long as there is money, everything is fine.

Otherwise, why would she spend grain and energy raising her daughters? Isn’t it just to wait for the day of return?

Qi Xiu was barely of age, and the matchmakers almost wore down her doorstep.

So, she chose and chose and finally picked a guy who had just lost his wife and worked as a butcher. He had left behind two kids, but couldn’t resist that the butcher was rich, offering the highest dowry, and even if he was bad-tempered, she was still tempted.

A full ten taels of silver. Normally, a girl’s betrothal dowry would be one or two taels of silver; wealthier families might offer two or three taels, but it wouldn’t exceed five taels.

Ten taels of silver was not a small amount, enough for her eldest son’s marital needs.

With her daughter grown up so nicely, if she didn’t sell her off for a good price, how could Qi Laopuzi be content?

That easily took out ten taels of silver, obviously attracted to her daughter, plus the guy was a widower, and her daughter was a young, unmarried woman, so that price was definitely unacceptable.

Thus, Qi Laopuzi demanded double, thinking that even if they haggled, it would be better than ten taels; any extra was just extra profit.

It seemed to be a good idea, and after bargaining, Zhu Rourong agreed to a dowry of fifteen taels of silver, thinking she would soon have the money, but who would have thought something went wrong with the daughter.

The eldest daughter indeed had a more fiery personality than her two sisters, but she’d usually been obedient and docile, and no one expected her to be so unyielding about the marriage.

Knowing the man was a widower, she smiled deviously upon seeing them and the matchmaker.

Then she said nothing, just went straight into the kitchen, grabbed a kitchen knife, and swung at the matchmaker without a word.

If the matchmaker hadn’t dodged quickly, she would have been hit; Qi Laopuzi remembers clearly how scared she was then.

Thinking that would be the end of it? No.

The eldest daughter seemed to have gone mad, her face smiling but her hands slashing anyone she could, yelling that if she couldn’t have her way, no one else would either, and if they wanted her to marry, it would be over her dead body or theirs.

The eldest daughter had been strong since childhood, and not even her three brothers could stop her; one of her younger brother’s arms got slashed.

That completely terrified them, even nearly frightening the matchmaker to death, who fled without looking back, not daring to mess with this marriage anymore.

As for the dowry money, Zhu Rourong knew Qi Xiu was ruthless, attacking even family, and dared not marry such a fierce woman, promptly backing out, thus losing the fifteen-tael dowry.

The fact that this incident caused such a ruckus ruined everything, and afterward, no one dared to propose again.

The eldest daughter kept that kitchen knife with her every day, continually wearing a sinister smile as she looked at them, nearly scaring her family to death, unable to sleep peacefully, with the main door deadbolted every night.

Just when they were worried that this daughter would never get married, the village chief from Hua Village sent a matchmaker to propose.

To their surprise, the eldest daughter actually agreed this time, only while discussing the dowry, she sharpened the knife in the courtyard; the sound was like a death knell, so they dared not ask for more. Marrying off with five taels of silver.

Though the dowry was less, at least she was married off, and it wasn’t too little either; the important thing was the knife that loomed over them was finally gone.

They couldn’t fathom how they got through those days.

So much so that in the first two years of the eldest daughter’s marriage, they didn’t dare make any excessive demands.

As time passed, seeing the daughter visit and sometimes bring food, supplies, and even silver and gold, they began to forget her frenzied past, though her attitude remained distant, but they dared not treat her like the other two daughters.

Unexpectedly, today, they saw that same smile from over a decade ago, and Qi Laopuzi felt intensely uneasy, wanting only to quickly tamp down the anger in the eldest daughter’s heart, afraid another knife might appear.

"Xiù, what mom said was true, don’t overthink it," Qi Laopuzi adopted a very humble tone, even trying to appease.

"Haha... Mom, how could I overthink? I won’t overthink..." Qi Xiu’s smile grew larger, looking at her family with a sinister gaze, scaring them into stepping back.

The smile’s chilling atmosphere was so strong that even the unknowing sisters-in-law of Dabao felt uneasy and dared not look at the elder sister-in-law.

"Mom..." Qi Xiu turned back to Qi Laopuzi.

"Ah... I’m here... here..." Qi Laopuzi suppressed the trembling in her voice.

"I’ve treated you and the family well over the years, haven’t I? I brought food and supplies home often, didn’t I? I also brought silver and gold during festivals and birthdays, didn’t I?"

"Yes, yes, Xiù, you’re very filial, in all surrounding villages, who doesn’t praise you," Qi Laopuzi nodded repeatedly, matching her daughter’s words.

"Then I’ve always been so good, so filial. How come I can’t warm up your hearts, Mom? I’m so disappointed."

The last sentence was so low but gave Qi Laopuzi and the rest of the Qi family a vivid sense of a fierce beast about to awaken, unsettling their hearts.

"No, no, our hearts are warm, we all know you’re a filial child, Xiù, the kids are just speaking nonsense, don’t overthink things," Qi Laopuzi pulled her grandson closer, stepping back in fear.

"Mom... there’s something I can’t understand."

"What... what?" Qi Laopuzi became more anxious.

"Mom, you’re a woman too, why do you look down on women?"

"No, no, mom doesn’t look down on women, how could mom look down on women? Daughter, don’t overthink."

"Hahahahaha..." Qi Xiu’s smile grew bigger, but there was no joy in her eyes, her gaze like a knife fixed on Qi Laopuzi.

"... No, yes, indeed, Mom never saw daughters as people, just as livestock that could bring benefits to the family."

"The child has really overthought it, which family’s daughters aren’t raised like this? You’re flesh fallen from my body, how could they not feel pain? I just treated you a bit more strictly, wanting you to learn more so when you married, you wouldn’t be despised by your in-laws. Mom never had such thoughts..." Even Qi Laopuzi didn’t believe her own words and dared not meet her daughter’s eyes.

The others were equally uneasy and worried.

"Really? So mom has truly been painstakingly diligent." Qi Xiu smiled at Qi Laopuzi.

Qi Laopuzi awkwardly laughed.

"Mom... I’m not like you; you don’t treat your daughter as a human, but in my eyes, a daughter is a treasure. You can mistreat me, but you can’t mistreat my daughter, and, Mom, I think you know very well where my bottom line is..."

"Ah..."

Qi Xiu completely exploded, the smile on her face vanished, her eyes cold and staring at the Qi family as she stomped one foot onto a wooden table, which immediately shattered into pieces, frightening everyone in the courtyard into silence.