Chapter 18 - 18 18 Men and Women Marry Without Concern for Each Other

Words : 1526 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

18: Chapter 18: Men and Women Marry Without Concern for Each Other 18: Chapter 18: Men and Women Marry Without Concern for Each Other In the courtyard, Old Granny Zhang and Song Chongjin were locked in an argument over the cancellation of the betrothal gifts. Ahem, to be precise, it was a one-sided dispute from Old Granny Zhang. Her words flowed incessantly, ranging from the girl’s reputation, to the Wang Family’s honor, the future marriage prospects of the remaining children, to how the Song Family was acting unscrupulously. If there was no compensation, she warned, the Song Family would have trouble finding a good match. She made statements of that sort. Song Chongjin’s face was as black as ink, and in his heart, he felt relieved once again that he was breaking off the marriage with the Wang Family. Otherwise, having such a mother-in-law in the future would surely lead to endless grinding. It’s better to suffer temporarily than for a lifetime. With a frown, he had no patience for such trivial arguments with women. Wasn’t it just about compensation? He agreed to it for now, figuring that he could always pay it off slowly later on. Regardless, the marriage had to be canceled! After canceling it, he would make sure to cut off any and all contact with the Wang Family! He was about to speak when Ming Zhu pushed open the door and came out, heading straight to a pile of baskets. She took out two eggs and handed them to Song Chongjin, “I, Wang Yongzhu, keep my word! If I say I’ll cancel the marriage, I certainly won’t cling to you. These two eggs are a token for agreeing to take less for the betrothal gifts. Take them and go. From today onwards, our marriage arrangement is hereby canceled; from now on, you and I have nothing to do with each other!” It took a moment for Song Chongjin to come back to his senses, and for the first time, he truly looked at Wang Yongzhu. In the past, all he knew was that Wang Yongzhu was fat and frivolous. As a girl, she lacked restraint, constantly chasing after him and fawning over him. He had felt nothing but disgust and had always tried to avoid her. Today was the first time he truly saw Wang Yongzhu’s appearance. Her figure was still overweight and formidable, and her cheeks were so plump that they squeezed her eyes into mere slits. However, her skin was actually fairer than other village girls. A casual glance in the past made him think her face was greasy and fat. Looking at it any longer was enough to make him nauseous. But today, surprisingly, he didn’t feel the same way. Instead, he noticed that Wang Yongzhu had really nice skin, clean and fair. Apart from her features being stretched beyond recognition, she looked soft and mushy, like a young lady who had been pampered all her life. Song Chongjin dared not look any longer, nor did he accept the eggs. Lowering his eyes, he spoke in a subdued voice, “Now that the marriage is called off, the Song and Wang families have no further relations. I hope Miss Wang will remember her words today and not cause any more trouble for me. Farewell!” With those words, he hurriedly bowed his head and left the Wang Family’s courtyard. Once outside, a breeze blew over, and Song Chongjin realized that his back felt cool; only then did he notice that he had long been soaked through with sweat. Shaking his head, he lifted his feet to leave, when he heard voices coming from the still-open courtyard door. “Silly girl, why did you agree to cancel the betrothal so readily? It’s all the fault of that Song Family. If we don’t skin them, how can we face you, Zhuzhu?” Old Granny Zhang hadn’t managed to hold her in time, and her own daughter had casually broken off the engagement with the Song Family boy without asking for any extra benefits. It was simply heartbreaking. Then came the voice of Wang Yongzhu, indifferent in a way that couldn’t be described, “Mother, I just don’t like him anymore. What need is there for compensation? Otherwise, people will misunderstand and say I still want to cling to him, insisting on compensation as a pretext to refuse the breakup. Then what would I do? I still have to find a good-looking and obedient son-in-law who will take care of you in the future. I certainly can’t be hung up on that crooked tree of the Song Family, can I?” In Old Granny Zhang’s heart, her daughter’s actions were a sign of filial piety. Knowing the Song Family boy would be hard to subdue, she wanted to find an honest and upright man who would honor her in the future. Truly, only her daughter was the warm cotton-padded jacket for her mother. At once, any regret at not getting compensation vanished cleanly, and the two women chatted warmly with each other, instructing the little Beans to help carry the betrothal gifts into the house. The yard was bustling with life, showing none of the doom and gloom usually associated with a girl being jilted. Song Chongjin forced a smile, but suddenly, a complex feeling welled up inside him. It was he who had wanted to call off the marriage, and he who had always wanted to stay away from Wang Yongzhu, but now that she had cheerfully agreed to it, without any reluctance and even happily, it left him feeling somewhat lost and bereft. Song Chongjin, having regained his senses, silently berated himself. When had he also become such a despicable person? Was he hoping that the Wang Family Young Lady would agree to cancel the engagement and then look sorrowfully dejected? Although he did not like Wang Yongzhu, that was no excuse for being so shameless, was it? He was, however, a bit puzzled. In the past, Wang Yongzhu’s entanglement with him was well known in the village, but ever since the drowning incident, had she truly faced a life and death situation and thus completely given up on him? And there he was, still entertaining such lowly thoughts! Although he did not like Wang Yongzhu, that was no excuse for being so shameless, was it? With this thought, his previous aversion to Wang Yongzhu suddenly vanished, leaving behind a trace of guilt that he couldn’t quite put into words. Inside the house, Ming Zhu was naturally unaware of Song Chongjin’s twisted thoughts. All she heard was the System’s notification, “Congratulations to the host, the first phase of the village romance story task is complete. Song Chongjin’s friendliness has reached a positive number, reward: 3 points.” The corners of Ming Zhu’s mouth lifted slightly. She had not misjudged Song Chongjin—by forcefully clinging onto him, she would only have pushed him further away. It was better to retreat as a way to advance. By cancelling the engagement first, she changed Song Chongjin’s impression of her, and could plan her next steps afterward. After all, the days ahead were long. Who said one couldn’t get engaged again after cancelling an engagement? She tallied her remaining Points and saw that she had 8 points left, just two points short of lighting up another skill. Thinking it over, cleaning the house would earn her one Point, but glancing around, she saw that Old Granny Zhang, despite being stingy, loved cleanliness, and Lady Jiang was both industrious and tidy, so the housekeeping was always well-maintained. After considering it, Ming Zhu decided it was best to go mushroom picking first to complete the unfinished task from yesterday. Therefore, with a quick word, Jinhua, Jinguan, and Jinpan shouldered their baskets neatly, ready to follow Ming Zhu. After greeting Old Granny Zhang and shamelessly grabbing a few steamed buns from the kitchen, which would serve as lunch for the group, Ming Zhu led the three Little Beans out, full of fighting spirit. They had combed through all the nearby hills yesterday, so today’s goal was naturally to cross the hillside and head deeper into the mountains. With the System at hand, the Yellow Pine Mushrooms had nowhere to hide. It could have been an illusion, but Ming Zhu had expected, after running around the mountains all day yesterday, to wake up with a body so sore she couldn’t get out of bed, as it was unaccustomed to such heavy physical activity and would typically react this way when overexerted. Unexpectedly, although she felt tired, after a good night’s sleep, her back wasn’t sore, her legs didn’t hurt, and her body felt even better than the day before. Not to mention, this morning, when she used the water she washed her face with as a mirror, she noticed her face was no longer greasy, and her eyes, which were usually slits, seemed a bit wider. Climbing the mountain today was much easier than it had been yesterday. After much consideration, the only explanation was the effect of the double fat-burning agent she received from the System’s gift package.

Chapter 18 - 18 18 Men and Women Marry Without Concern for Each Other

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