"May you be struck by lightning! How could someone be so cruel to my Aries! If anything bad happens to Aries, I don't want to live anymore!
Oh, my poor Aries' mother, why did you have to leave so early? You left us to suffer like this!
Aries, my precious child, if you don't wake up, how can your papa go on living?"
Mawen, the widower, sat at his doorstep crying and cursing loudly. The neighbors were already used to this and didn't even bother to come out and look.
Every time Aries lost money gambling or got caught stealing, he would get beaten up. And every time that happened, Mawen would cry and shout at the doorstep. It was already a routine.
This time, it might have been more serious. Aries had been beaten badly by the gambling house people and had been unconscious for two days. Naturally, Mawen had also been yelling at the door for two days straight.
In the main house of the Gu family lived Gujo, Aries' grandfather. He finally couldn't stand the noise anymore and came over with his eldest son-in-law to visit the home of his deceased third daughter.
When his third daughter was still alive, she had been a good and respectful child. Even though Mawen was stingy and sharp-tongued, with the third daughter around, things were still decent on the surface.
But ever since ten years ago, when she went hunting and only half her body was found, things had been tense between Gujo and Mawen.
Not just with Gujo—Mawen had offended almost everyone in Gu Village.
His granddaughter, who used to be a good child, had been completely spoiled by Mawen. They didn't farm, didn't run a proper business. Instead, they spent their days drinking, gambling, and stealing.
Mawen was lazy. When his daughter was alive, the house barely held together. After she died, the father and daughter did nothing but spend money and wait for help.
They had borrowed from almost everyone in the village and from the family clan. Most of the borrowed silver ended up wasted by Aries on gambling.
If it weren't for the fact that they were relatives, no one would've lent them anything. Lending to them was like feeding meat buns to dogs—never coming back.
Gujo, with help from his eldest son-in-law, arrived at Mawen's house. Mawen was still sitting at the door crying. When he saw his father-in-law and brother-in-law coming, he cried even louder.
"My poor Aries is about to be beaten to death! Wife, look down from heaven! Without you, no one cares about us anymore!"
It was obvious he was putting on a show for Gujo and Loyne.
Gujo felt a throbbing in his forehead. He really wanted to turn around and leave without looking back. But when he thought of his unfortunate third daughter, he forced himself to stay.
"Enough shouting. How is Aries?"
Mawen quickly stopped his wailing, but still sniffled and wiped his face before standing up like nothing had happened.
"The doctor came and said if she doesn't wake up in three days, she probably never will. It's already been two days—what should we do? Oh, my poor Aries!"
Then he started crying again, even louder.
After two full days of crying, his voice still wasn't hoarse. He was loud and clear.
Gujo didn't want to argue and walked past him into the yard.
He hadn't visited his third daughter's home in many years. The moment he walked in and saw the messy and broken state of the yard, his anger grew.
What a good home this once was. How did these two ruin it so badly?
The Gu family's house had just two rooms and a small kitchen, all now falling apart from years of neglect.
Gujo didn't want to waste time looking around and went straight to Aries' room.
Aries was lying unconscious in bed, her face bruised and swollen. Her pale skin looked terrifying.
Mawen rushed in after him and threw himself onto Aries, wailing again.
Seeing Aries in this state made Gujo's heart ache too. After all, Aries was his granddaughter—the only child left from his third daughter.
If Aries died too, how could he face his daughter in the afterlife?
Gujo had come prepared today. He had already discussed with his wife about the old practice of "rushing happiness" to drive away bad luck. They decided that maybe arranging a marriage could bring Aries back.
Seeing Aries like this, he figured it was their last chance to do something as her grandparents.
"Mawen, Aries can't go on like this. I talked with your mother-in-law. We think we should marry Aries to a husband to drive away the bad luck."
Mawen's eyes lit up with joy but quickly changed to sadness again as he raised his head. "Father-in-law, you know we don't have any money for a dowry right now. And those marriages to drive away bad luck usually cost even more. Where can we get the money? Oh, my poor Aries!"
He then threw himself on Aries again and started crying in rhythm.
Gujo had expected this. He took out a cloth pouch from his sleeve and placed it beside the bed.
"There are five taels of silver here. It's more than enough to marry a husband for Aries. We've already asked around—there's a good boy from the Ning family in Shanghe Village.
He might not be very handsome, but he's healthy and hardworking. After getting married, he can help manage the household. This place needs tidying up, and Aries needs someone to keep her in check!"
Mawen was happy when he saw the silver, but when he heard the name "Ning family boy," his expression immediately changed.
"How can my Aries marry someone like that? That family is poor, and the boy isn't even good-looking. He's not good enough for Aries!"
Yes, in Mawen's heart, his daughter was perfect in every way. Of course, the husband must be someone from a good family. How could that Ning boy be good enough?
Gujo and Loyne felt even more frustrated.
With Aries like this, being able to marry someone like the Ning boy was already lucky. How could he be so picky?
Besides, Aries was a mess—addicted to gambling, in debt, and now unconscious. Who even knew if the Ning family would agree to the marriage?
In nearby villages, the average dowry for a husband was only about three taels. Gujo offered five taels hoping it would convince the Ning family to accept.
He had said what he came to say, handed over the money, and didn't want to stay a minute longer. He said, "Whether you want Aries to live or not, you decide."
Then he left with Loyne helping him walk.
As soon as they left, Mawen quickly stuffed the silver into his clothes.
He didn't know that just then, Aries' fingers twitched slightly on the bed.