Farmers have many chores. After dinner, Xiangmaozi had to wash dishes, chop wood, and boil water. She would help her stepmother spin and weave together, and rest as soon as it got dark. I didn’t have a chance to visit Liu’s house next door.

　　The next day, Lemongrass began to work without touching the ground again. Make breakfast for the whole family, feed the pigs, chop wood to boil water, and clean the yard. After drying the dry food, cleaning up the chicken coops, and delivering lunch and water to my parents who were working in the fields, I returned to the village carrying the empty cans.

　　She deliberately took a detour to Liu's house, but saw that the door of Liu's house was locked.

　　Lemongrass walked around Liu's house several times, but couldn't get in. She paced anxiously in front of Liu's house, filled with anxiety. Her behavior was full of suspicion, but someone asked her, "What are you doing here?"

　　Lemongrass took a look and saw that it was also Assi, a little friend in the village. "I'm waiting for Xiaobian, no, Aster. I have something to do with her."

　　Axi looked surprised, "Are you looking for Azi?! She left. She left in a while, didn't you hear?"

　　"Where are you going? What did you hear?" Xiangmaozi wondered.

　　"There is a sound of blowing and beating. Azi is getting married to the mountain god, and she is being carried away in a red sedan chair with eight carriages." Axi said, "I have been watching the excitement for a long time."

　　What? ! Is Aster really going to marry the mountain god? ! Lemongrass felt a sharp pain in her heart. He kept asking, "Which way are you going?"

　　Probably because Xiangmaozi's face was really sad, Axi pointed to the west of the village, "That way, just go that way."

　　Lemongrass put the jar on the ground and ran towards the west of the village.

　　Axi called to her loudly, "If you can't catch her, she's been gone for half a day. You can't catch her!"

　　But Lemongrass didn't want to listen. She ran quickly, as if she could catch up with her friend. But what about catching up? Can she stop the red sedan? What could she do?

　　Xiangmaozi didn't want to think about this at the moment, she just wanted to catch up with the red sedan.

　　Without stopping, Xiangmaozi ran to the far west of the village. There was only one road further away, the road leading into the mountains.

　　Xiangmaozi watched from a distance as the group of people slowly approached.

　　Lemongrass slowed down in anticipation.

　　There is no red sedan chair.

　　There are only a few high and low people. It was Aunt Liu, Ziyuan's mother. Her eyes were red and she seemed unable to stand. There are also Zi Wan’s father and brother, as well as several relatives of the Liu family.

　　Lemongrass looked over one by one, but did not see Aster.

　　"Zi, where's Aster?" she asked out of breath.

　　Aster's mother just tilted her head and cried. "Where is Aster?! Where is it?!" Lemongrass asked impatiently.

　　"Aster is married." Liu's father whispered, "Go back, don't chase her. You can't catch her."

　　"You, how can you marry Zi Wan to the mountain god?!" Xiangmaozi asked loudly, "Aunt Liu, don't you love Zi Wan the most? She will never come back!"

　　After hearing Xiangmaozi's words, Aunt Liu tilted her head and fainted.

　　"Whose child are you? It's not your turn to talk yet. Let's go back with my sister-in-law." A capable woman around Aunt Liu scolded Xiangmaozi.

　　Xiangmaozi was already sweating profusely, and her face was even more smeared with tears at this moment. She looked around one by one and found that she didn't recognize most of the people inside. There was only one young man with his head lowered and supporting Aunt Liu, his face pale. It's Liu Ziyuan's brother, Liu Rusong.

　　He kept his head down and said nothing, with a red paper bag bulging in his chest, a small part of which was exposed.

　　Xiangmaozi pointed at his chest and said, "What is that?! Is it the betrothal gift given by the mountain god, twenty taels of silver!"

　　Liu Rusong was frightened by her stern questioning. He held his chest and pushed forward half a step.

　　"Is this the money Aster paid for his life?! Are you going to use it in exchange for the daughter of the Cheng family? This is silver stained with Aster's blood. Isn't the marriage you got in exchange for bloody? Is this the fairy fate you want? Then This god is too greedy for blood! How can such a greedy and cruel god take your whole family to heaven?" Xiangmaozi asked loudly.

　　Liu Rusong's face was pale, his head was covered with cold sweat, and he kept shaking his head and retreating.

　　"Pah!" Xiangmaozi received a slap in the face, and it was the capable woman who slapped her, "You unruly girl, it is your turn to talk too much about our Liu family's affairs, I will teach you a lesson for your parents. Go, don't Pay attention to this crazy girl." The woman waved her hand and led everyone towards the village.

　　Liu Rusong quickly carried the unconscious Aunt Liu and followed him.

　　Lemongrass looked at their backs blankly. She couldn't beat him or compete with him.

　　She could only turn her head, face the mountains, crawl on the loess road and cry loudly, "Aster! Azi!!"

　　That day, Xiangmaozi cried for a long time on the dirt road outside the village, and even forgot about dinner. When she came back in despair, her stepmother was beating impatiently. Seeing her like this, he came over with firewood and a stick, "This is really a big change. After a busy day, the pot is cold and the stove is cold. You should go out for a walk. Don't worry about your parents and brothers starving to death."

　　As he said this, he slapped Xiangmaozi hard on his legs. Xiangmaozi did not hide, but whispered, "Liu Ziwan, I married the mountain god today. I wanted to see her off, but I didn't catch up."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

　　Her stepmother was stunned for a moment and stopped in her hands. Madam Xin knew that Xiangmaozi had always had a good relationship with Azi of the Liu family. It can be seen that she was so frustrated and angry, and viciously beat her on the part of her legs where she had no pants, "What's wrong with marrying a mountain god? That's twenty taels of silver! There is no twenty taels of silver. What will her mother do to give her brother a wife? This is her life."

　　"But, no one asked her if she was willing." Xiangmaozi finally cried, not because her stepmother spanked her, but because of Aster.

　　"Life! This is all life! Your parents gave you life, and your life is not up to you. If the Liu family hadn't needed the money so much this time, maybe you would have been the one to marry the mountain god. Remember this, from today on From the beginning, you owe the family twenty taels of silver. If you don't work hard for me, or I will ask my father to send you away next time you marry the mountain god!" Her stepmother was probably tired from beating her, and she was so angry that she held her hand in her hand. He threw the firewood pole on the ground and said, "If you don't sweep the yard, what kind of corpse are you looking for?"

　　After saying that, he led his brother into the house.

　　Citronella slowly picked up the broom on the ground and began to clean the yard.

　　But a little voice sprouted in her heart, "If this is the face of gods, then she would rather there be no more gods in this world."

　　The matter of the mountain god marrying a wife was like a clear ripple in the pool, which quickly dispersed.

　　Aunt Liu woke up and cried for two more days. Finally, she got better day by day and began to make arrangements for Liu Rusong to hire a daughter from the Cheng family. The heated discussion on this matter is far more lively than that of a mountain god marrying his wife.

　　After all, the Cheng family is a family with a destiny.

　　Regarding this matter, Xiangmaozi said nothing. Even when Xiaoxi came to watch the fun with her, she shook her head and refused to go.

　　The first person to notice something was wrong was Lemongrass.

　　Xiangmaozi kept counting the days, and it was seven days later. It’s time to go up the mountain to carry the red sedan chair.

　　Xiangmaozi hardly said a word these days. Her stepmother scolded her for being stupid, and even his brother laughed at her for being stupid. But Xiangmaozi was just praying silently. She hoped that a miracle would happen and Aster could come back with the red sedan. Peacefully.

　　On the seventh day, Xiangmaozi deliberately finished the work early so that he could see the people carrying the sedan chair. But she stood at the entrance of the village until noon with her legs crossed, but she didn't see the red sedan.

　　The sun was moving westward little by little. Citronella was so anxious that she kept jumping around, but the person who went to carry the sedan chair had not returned yet.

　　There was no further delay, she had to go back to cook, otherwise her parents, who had worked hard in the fields all day, would not even have a mouthful of hot water to drink when they came back. Not to mention that her father would pick up a stick and beat her, even Xiangmaozi herself felt guilty.

　　Looking back at the deserted mountain road, Xiangmaozi stomped her feet bitterly and ran back home.

　　Take the time to light a fire and boil water.

　　Wash and chop the wild vegetables prepared in the morning, boil them in boiling water until soft, take them out, and squeeze them tightly to make a vegetable dumpling. Lemongrass made two large ones and two small ones. This is their staple food today. There is also a bowl of brown rice steaming on the stove, which is my father's meal.

　　Cruelly, Lemongrass went to fish out another wooden spoon of yellow sauce.

　　As soon as the dishes and chopsticks were placed, my parents came back from outside carrying hoes. Xiangmaozi quickly handed over a cloth towel and went out to pat the mud and sweat off their bodies. Her stepmother first scooped up a ladle of water and drank half of it, then rinsed the rest with her hands. He turned around and saw the yellow sauce on the table, and immediately became unhappy, "I've been eating the sauce all day long. It's only been a few months now, and I've eaten all the sauce. What will happen in the next few months? Such a big girl , I can’t live my life at all..."

　　Xiang Maozi didn't say a word, but quickly put out vegetable dumplings and his father's bowl of brown rice. His father let his stepmother chatter about lemongrass seeds without saying a word. He sat at the table and ate some yellow sauce with chopsticks before saying "Hmm." When the stepmother saw her father starting to eat, she stopped talking.

　　As soon as the family of four sat down, their neighbor Aunt Chen greeted them through the fence, "Hey, the whole family has eaten."

　　Her stepmother hurriedly greeted her, "It's Aunt Chen. Have you eaten? Do you want to come and have something to eat?"

　　Aunt Chen glanced briefly and saw the delicious vegetable dumplings on their table. She quickly smiled and said politely, "I just ate and I'm full. Madam Xin, have you heard about today's big event?" "

　　"I just came in and sat down. What's going on?"

　　"It's about the red sedan. The mountain god is angry this year." Aunt Chen said with a mysterious face, "Isn't today the seventh day? The people who went to pick up the sedan went up the mountain and found that the red sedan was smashed to pieces and broken into pieces. Yeah, I can’t get it back at all.”

　　When Lemongrass heard the red sedan, her ears stood up and she quickly asked, "What about Aster? Did she come back with you?"

　　Aunt Chen said exaggeratedly, "Hey, my daughter, how could Zi Yuan come back after she has married the mountain god? Don't say this again. The red sedan was smashed, and everyone said it was the mountain god who was responsible for this incident." The bride is not satisfied."

　　Xiangmaozi said anxiously, "That doesn't mean you are not satisfied. If you are not satisfied, then break off the engagement and ask Zi Wan to come back quickly."

　　Aunt Chen waved her hands indiscriminately, "What's the matter? You can't bring back a woman who married a mountain god. You don't understand, so don't talk nonsense." Her stepmother also disliked her talkativeness and gave her a sharp look and warned her. She said, "Stop talking and eat your food."

　　Aunt Chen lowered her voice and said to her stepmother, "I heard that Goddess Yu went to Liu's house to make trouble."

　　"How do you say this?"

　　"Because the red sedan chair was smashed, Goddess Yu said it was because the mountain god was dissatisfied with her daughter and wanted to return the money."

　　The stepmother smacked her tongue, "How can there be such a truth? Their good daughter was carried up the mountain by them, and now they say that the mountain god is not satisfied and will give back the money. What about the man? The man takes it back."

　　Aunt Chen slapped her thigh and said, "Who says it's not the case! This mother-in-law is extremely wicked. She took a few men to rummage through the box in the Liu family to find the twenty taels of silver, while the Liu family asked them to accompany their daughter."

　　"What should we do?" Aunt Xin asked.

　　Aunt Chen said, "What else can we do? Mrs. Yu brought people, but the Liu family was not easy to talk to. Many relatives came, and both sides started to fight. Later, the village chief told them to find someone. Comment. Now they have all gone to the Taoist temple."

　　Aunt Xin nodded, "Then we need to find Huang Xianzhu for review. The Liu family has gone?" Aunt Xin actually felt that if Huang Xianzhu was found, the Liu family might suffer in this matter. Huang Xianzhu usually has a good relationship with Yu Shenpo, and He has no friendship with the Liu family.

　　Apparently Aunt Chen also thought of this. She curled her lips and nodded, "It's not that the village chief doesn't want to offend people, but now the Liu family is afraid..., hum." She didn't say anything further, but everyone understood.

　　The two women looked at each other and sighed at the same time, "Hey, this is fate."

　　Lemongrass, who was eavesdropping on the side, said blankly: Aster, Aster can’t come back. Can’t she keep the money she exchanged for her life?

　　Then, didn’t Aster marry the mountain god in vain?

　　How can this be!

　　That mountain god, why is it dissatisfied? Zi Wan is the most beautiful girl in the village. Why on earth is it dissatisfied with Aster!

　　Xiangmaozi stared blankly ahead, not even noticing that Xin Mao secretly snatched her only vegetable dumpling to eat.

　　Aunt Chen suddenly patted her leg and said, "Look at my memory, there is another thing. The village chief asked me to tell your family. The cow of Tou Erlang's family in the west of the village was lost. The village chief said that after dinner, everyone Let’s go look for their house together.”

　　Losing a cow is definitely a top priority in Coconut Creek Village. You know, there are only a few cows in a village, which is a huge wealth and labor force.

　　"How could the cow be lost?" Aunt Xin couldn't understand. Normally, Erlang's family took very close care of the cow. Not to mention touching it, even if she took a second look, her family would mutter a few words to them.

　　"Who knows? Erlang almost beat his bolter to death, but fortunately the village chief stopped him. He didn't call everyone to help him go into the mountain to search. Erlang said that if he can find it back, the people who will help him find it today, If every family has a share, they can borrow an ox from his family to do the bidding. After you finish your meal, go to the west entrance of the village, everyone is there."

　　When she heard that there was still a chance to use the cows, Aunt Xin immediately agreed, "Okay, both of us will go, put down our jobs and go."

　　Seeing that her goal was achieved, Aunt Chen planned to leave. Before leaving, she whispered to Aunt Xin, "When I first came here, some people said that the mountain god might have lost his temper and was not satisfied with Lady Zi Wan, so she came down to eat. Erlang’s cattle.”

　　Hearing this, Aunt Xin's face turned ugly, "Are you not trying to force the Liu family to death? If the Erlang family's cow is really lost, how can he be willing to let go with the Liu family?"

　　Aunt Chen acted as if the matter had nothing to do with her, "Who says it's not? I think this matter is not over yet."