"Say one more word, and I'll let the villagers decide if you stay or go!"
Seeing Jiang Lan get angry, Jiang Yu didn't dare to say anything else. The village head had already spoken—no matter how much these worthless people cursed, they wouldn't dare drive her out.
Five taels it is. That's even more than what you'd get at Yichun House!
Thinking this, she handed over the red clay seal to the village chief and pressed her fingerprint on the written agreement, then reached out her hand to Niley.
Niley glanced at the contract. Not a single word made sense to her, so she looked over at Jiang Mier.
When the village chief was writing the contract, Mier had stood nearby watching, looking like he could read. Sure enough, when he saw her looking, he blinked and nodded. So Niley copied Jiang Yu and pressed her fingerprint three times. She kept her own copy.
After the contract was done, Niley didn't hesitate—she tossed a five-tael silver ingot to Jiang Yu.
After all, everything in her space was gotten for free. Using it here to exchange for money didn't bother her one bit. She had more than she could ever spend.
After paying, she pulled her coat tighter and looked over at Jiang Mier. In this cold weather, he was still wearing thin clothes like it didn't bother him.
Gu Chen, seeing everything was settled, nudged his son with understanding eyes. "Mier, go on, follow your wife home."
Jiang Mier glanced at Gu Chen reluctantly but was afraid of upsetting Niley. He thought about how her house was right next door and close by. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward and followed her.
Seeing them leave, Gu Chen quickly thanked the village chief. The villagers first congratulated him, then turned their jealous eyes toward Jiang Yu, who was holding the silver with shining eyes. Soon, everyone slowly dispersed.
Only Jiang Yu, clutching the silver, walked toward the village entrance.
Not long after, the once-crowded entrance was empty except for Gu Chen. He looked toward the neighboring thatched hut, sighed, his eyes hot, and then big teardrops fell down.
It wasn't until they hit his hand that he realized it and quickly wiped them away. "What am I crying for on such a happy day?"
His son's wife could casually take out five taels of silver. Some villagers probably wouldn't see that much money in their whole life. He didn't have to worry about his son living a hard life.
Unlike him, with no skills, married to a wife with no abilities either.
But what if those five taels were all she had?
Forget it. Since they lived close, he'd help them with more chores whenever he could.
He just hoped his son's wife wasn't like Jiang Yu—didn't want his son to end up like him.
The one being thought of, Jiang Mier, followed Niley home. After she closed the door, he just stood there, dazed, still thinking about the five taels of silver.
Giving it to his mother was a complete waste. She was probably already gambling it away.
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but scoff. Selling her own son and using the money to gamble—Jiang Yu might be the first to do that.
Caught in his thoughts, he didn't watch his step and bumped into something soft and fuzzy. Looking up, he saw Niley had already taken off her coat inside the house, revealing a thick, fuzzy inner layer. It was the first time he'd seen clothing like that, and it looked warm. Even the slight touch made him feel cozy.
Wearing this in winter? Definitely not cold.
But Niley was blocking the doorway, so he didn't dare move. He lowered his head, staring at his exposed big toe, and quietly tried to nudge it back into his shoe with his heel.
His family in Zhukeng was well-known for being poor because of his gambling-addicted mother. And it wasn't just gambling—she also indulged in drinking, eating, even visiting brothels. The money he and his brothers earned was always taken by her. If they refused, she'd beat them.
Hitting them was nothing—she'd even beat their father.
Just recently, his older brothers had spent half a month hunting in the mountains. They planned to sell the catch to buy medicine for their third brother, but the money got snatched. His fifth brother got angry, tried to take it back, and was beaten badly. Their third brother got sick from the stress. They'd all been stuck in town for three or four days now—who knew how they were doing?
He looked at the hole in his shoe again and sighed quietly. If he patched it up, it might last a few more years. Better to save money when he could.
He didn't have any skills to make money, so he didn't want to be a burden on his family.
Niley entered the room and felt the warm air. She took off her coat and laid it on the wicker chair.
She glanced at the man still staring down, then looked around her modern-styled room, pressing her lips together.
She just wanted to watch the excitement and ended up bringing back a husband. That was a good deal!
But now, did that mean her secret might be exposed?
She had never been one to suffer. When she fell into this matriarchal country, it was mid-winter and freezing cold. The thatched hut couldn't keep out the cold, and she hated being cold, so she cleaned up the place. With her wood ability, she summoned vines to help clean quickly. She also brought out everything from her space, transforming the inside. From outside, it still looked like a broken hut, but inside, it was completely different.
It felt just like her cozy little home from before the apocalypse. And since she hated the cold, she even set up an electric heater. Walking in was like stepping into a warm oven.
Her space had more than enough appliances and generators to last a lifetime. She thought no one would visit anyway, so she used them freely.
Who would've thought she'd bring home a husband in just three days?
Well, she'd already used the stuff, and she definitely wasn't going to freeze herself just to hide it.
As for exposing herself—she could always make something up.
Thinking that, she cleared her throat on purpose to remind the man behind her. "Come in and warm up first."
She moved aside and closed the door.
Warm air instantly filled the room, and Jiang Mier's shivering body slowly started to relax. But he just kept his head down, staring at his toes, still stubbornly trying to push his big toe back into his shoe.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder—how could someone's thatched hut be this warm in winter?
Niley followed his gaze and saw the torn cloth shoe with his round, white big toe peeking out. His soft pink toenail was just barely visible.
Those feet… actually looked pretty nice.
But the frostbite on them looked painful. No wonder, wearing something this thin in winter—how could he not be cold?
Seeing him still stubbornly struggling with his broken shoe, Niley felt both amused and heartbroken, and laughed out loud.
The next moment, Jiang Mier froze. He stopped trying to hide his toe and turned around in a daze. Tilting his head, his almond-shaped eyes held a mix of awkwardness, shyness, embarrassment, and confusion.
Niley reached out to ruffle his messy hair, then pulled over a chair and nodded at him. "Come sit down."
The room was warm enough, and with Mier wearing such thin clothes, she didn't need to worry about him catching cold.
Niley, who had been forced to wake early, rubbed her slightly hungry belly. Giving up on going back to sleep, she turned around to get some ingredients and prepare breakfast.
It was already late morning—better to eat something soon, or her precious stomach might start complaining again.