"Damn it, what the hell? They were actually here for me?"
Duàn Yì felt incomparably stifled and depressed, yet utterly helpless. What else could he do?
He could only appeal to her emotions, reason with her, and gently refuse.
Surely this big sister was a kind-hearted person with a beautiful soul. If he explained things properly, communication should not be difficult. After all, a forcibly twisted melon was never sweet.
"Hehe, Young Miss, rest assured. The moment this kid walked into my shop, I could tell he was a country bumpkin entering the city. He dressed shabbily and spent stingily. If he followed you, wouldn't he be eating fragrant food and drinking spicy liquor from then on? Why would he refuse?"
The fat shopkeeper paid no attention at all to the murderous look in Duàn Yì's eyes. Instead, he remained perfectly composed, looking quite confident.
"Pfft, hahaha, I'm dying of laughter! So these people weren't here to pick me up—they came looking for you.
"And I never expected you to be so impressive that people were even trying to snatch you away in marriage. Hahaha."
Now that the young girl understood what was going on, she could no longer hold it in. Pointing at Duàn Yì with one hand and clutching her little belly with the other, she laughed loudly. A few sparkling tears even clung to the corners of her eyes. She had laughed herself to tears.
"Fine, fine. Go negotiate with my future husband. As long as he marries me, I'll belong to him for the rest of my life. Not only will I bear him children, I'll also let him live a carefree life. I definitely won't treat him poorly."
This Young Miss completely ignored Duàn Yì's ugly expression. She merely drooled obsessively over his face and figure before ordering the fat shopkeeper about.
The fat shopkeeper did not mind at all. Instead, he accepted with a smile and trotted over, bringing with him a wave of hot air.
At last, he stopped before the table, pulled a handkerchief from his robes, and wiped his grease-covered face. Then he squeezed a smile onto his fat face and cupped his hands toward Duàn Yì.
"Young Master, you are a clever man. After hearing all that just now, you should know why I came, shouldn't you?"
"Shopkeeper, I remember we've only met once, and I even paid to stay at your inn. We have no past grievances and no recent enmity. Why are you trying to harm me?"
Duàn Yì remained expressionless and did not even raise his head. His resentment toward this fat shopkeeper surpassed even that toward the Young Miss.
At that moment, he dearly wished he could use the Minor Capturing Hand to dislocate this fat pig's joints and let him taste the agony of wishing for death.
In such a huge county town, if not for this fat pig, how could that Young Miss have found him?
He had no experience at all. He had been followed without even realizing it.
"Huh? What do you mean by that? I'm helping you, Young Master. How could I possibly mean to harm you?"
Seeing that Duàn Yì remained silent, seemingly unable to understand his painstaking good intentions at all, the fat shopkeeper continued.
"This Young Miss is named Zhou Xiufen. She is the younger sister of Zhou Xiong, the Golden Cauldron Sect's chief outer disciple. She is now thirty and unmarried, all because she has been seeking a satisfactory husband and delayed herself.
"Master Zhou Xiong is immensely famous within the city. Not only does he possess a fortune beyond measure, his hands and eyes reach the heavens. On both the black and white paths, who doesn't live by watching Master Zhou's expression?
"And everyone knows that Zhou Xiong dotes most on this younger sister of his. If she wants stars, he gives her stars; if she wants the moon, he plucks down the moon. He spoils her beyond measure.
"Little Brother, listen to this old brother's advice. Appearances and face are unimportant. Only tangible benefits matter.
"Now heaven has bestowed upon you a golden opportunity. Young Miss Zhou fell in love with you at first sight. As long as you marry her, from now on, gold and silver, mountain delicacies and seafood, silk and satin—you will enjoy inexhaustible glory and wealth.
"As the saying goes, life is short, so enjoy yourself while you can. These are words of gold and jade. You must understand this old brother's good intentions."
At the end, seeing that Duàn Yì was still impervious to both oil and salt and entirely unmoved, the fat shopkeeper leaned closer. First, he smiled from afar at Young Miss Zhou, seemingly currying favor, then turned back and whispered.
"Little Brother, I know what you find objectionable, but that is no problem at all.
"This Young Miss Zhou loves handsome young men, and your appearance is truly something I have never seen in all my life. As long as you treat her a little better, won't she be entirely at your mercy?
"When the time is right, you can casually take several lovely concubines or keep a few mistresses outside. Wouldn't your little life be beautiful then?
"One marries a wife for virtue and takes concubines for beauty. That is an ironclad principle.
"But if you remain stubbornly obsessed, what will happen?
"You will offend Master Zhou and end up poor and destitute. Forget beauties—you may not even be able to marry a wife. Why put yourself through that?
"Listen to your big brother. Resources unused are wasted when they expire. That face of yours was born to earn its living from this bowl."
This dead fat man really was something of a talent. He reasoned with him, tempted him with profit, and added threats on top—three prongs at once. His tongue blossomed like a lotus; he truly had a knack for diplomacy.
Yet Duàn Yì did not take any of it to heart. It sounded nice enough, but why didn't the shopkeeper go himself?
If the fat shopkeeper had known Duàn Yì's thoughts, he would surely have cried out in grievance. Did he think he did not want to? It was simply that his looks did not permit it, and the Young Miss did not fancy him.
Creak. Duàn Yì braced himself with his feet, shoved the wooden stool back a short distance, and rose to walk out of the food stall. At last, he came before Young Miss Zhou. Suppressing the assault on his vision, he looked directly at her with calm, indifferent eyes and cupped his hands.
"Miss Zhou, I am deeply grateful for your favor. However, a true man should establish merit and achieve a career before considering marriage. I have accomplished nothing and am poor and destitute, so I truly do not wish to consider marriage at present. Please forgive me."
The moment Duàn Yì spoke, the passersby secretly watching nearby, the servants Zhou Xiufen had brought, the silent diners at the stall, and the stall-owner couple all mourned for him in their hearts.
Young Miss Zhou was Ghost's Bane of Daming County. Though she was not a bad person and had never done anything truly heinous, relying on her elder brother Zhou Xiong had still allowed her to do plenty of bad things. Her most famous trait was tyranny.
Whatever she wanted to do, no one dared stop her within this tiny patch of land. Whatever she did not want to do, no one could force upon her either—not even Zhou Xiong.
And her remaining unmarried at thirty really was as the fat shopkeeper had said. It was not that no one wanted her; rather, she disdained the crooked melons and split dates her brother selected for her. Now that she had set her eyes on this handsome young man, would she allow him to say no?
He was probably being far too naïve.
Yet in the face of Duàn Yì's obvious evasion, this Young Miss Zhou unexpectedly nodded. Her attitude seemed to have changed considerably as well.
Previously, she had acted like a lovesick fool. Anyone could see her blatant possessiveness.
But now, she seemed rather appreciative. Her lecherous expression had vanished, and she instead clapped her fat palms loudly, seemingly smiling.
"Good, good. You have ambition, just as expected of the man I chose.
"However, there has been a saying since ancient times: first establish a family, then establish a career. Marrying me will not hinder you from establishing merit and achieving a career. Moreover, whatever you wish to do, I will support you with all my strength. My brother will help you too, so you need not worry at all."
Her words were clear and well-ordered, entirely different from her previous idiotic display. It came as a surprise.
A vase with no character or distinguishing traits, one that others could toy with as they pleased, would eventually grow tiresome over time.
But a man who was ambitious, aspiring, and peerlessly handsome was a true treasure. Zhou Xiufen very much approved of the satisfactory husband she had chosen this time.
Moreover, she had not been moved this time solely because of his appearance. More than that, it was because of the way this young man looked at her.
There was no discrimination, no disgust, no ingratiation, no fawning. It was a very calm, ordinary gaze, the same look he would give anyone else on the street.
That was respect.
As a fat woman who had endured the strange looks of others for a long time, Zhou Xiufen looked foolish as a pig on the outside, but was in fact extremely sensitive within.
There had been people who flattered and obeyed her, while hiding disgust in their eyes. Yet they would still put on a deeply affectionate appearance, claiming they would marry no one but her. Was it not all because they wanted to climb the great tree of the Zhou Family and gain glory and wealth?
Since she had seen through those people's malicious intentions, how could she invite wolves into her house and endure endless future pain for temporary pleasure?
Duàn Yì was different. This young man's appearance had already pleased her enormously. She would not have hesitated even if she had to keep him confined at her side in the future.
Now, his temperament was neither servile nor overbearing, and he had given her the respect she had not felt in a long time. It made her feel that she had truly encountered someone worthy of entrusting herself to.
"Huh, this woman is not as unbearable as she appeared before."
Duàn Yì was somewhat surprised. The image of Zhou Xiufen's foundation caking off wildly as she drooled over him still lingered in his mind, yet now she seemed like an entirely different person—so rational and easy to reason with. One truly could not judge people by their appearance.
Women truly were creatures skilled at disguising themselves.
"Hey, although he put it very tactfully, you should know that he does not really want to establish merit and achieve a career. He is merely making excuses.
"To put it plainly, he just does not like you. Since he does not like you, what right do you have to cling to him so stubbornly?"
Just as Duàn Yì was about to refuse again, he heard the beautiful young girl who had previously laughed until she clutched her belly speak to Young Miss Zhou in a subtle tone.
It felt like a child fighting someone else over candy, bubbling with sourness.
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