After she had eaten her fill, she put on a show of completely dropping her guard and started chatting with Zhuzi.
"What's your surname? How old are you? Should I call you brother or younger brother?"
She was beautiful and had a pleasant voice, speaking with a somewhat sophisticated, not entirely standard Nancheng accent. She was utterly charming, and Zhuzi was smitten.
A little shyly, he sat down next to her and said he was twenty-eight and his surname was Wang.
Melody looked at him with a gentle smile. "Then I'm older than you. You have to call me sister."
"Huh?"
Zhuzi and his mother were both taken aback.
"You're older than Zhuzi? How old are you?"
"Thirty-five. Didn't they tell you?"
Thirty-five? Was she kidding?
She looked at most twenty-five at the very most. How could she possibly be thirty-five?
"Really, I'm not lying. What woman would joke about something like that? I'm almost ten years older than you. If I were your wife, you wouldn't mind that I'm old, would you?"
Zhuzi clearly hadn't expected her to be so old.
He wanted to marry a wife to continue the family line. This woman was almost forty. This...
Melody said, "People in the city don't like to sunbathe, so they don't look as old. But my son is nine years old. Did they tell you that?"
"I've been married twice and have a nine-year-old son. Do you mind?"
The mother and son were stunned again. "You've been married? And you have a child? And you've been married twice?"
"It's normal where I come from. If you feel you can't go on, if your personalities don't match, you divorce and find someone else. Didn't they tell you?"
Zhuzi's mother felt a surge of anger, as if she had been cheated. She glanced at the cunning and calm Melody, then stomped her foot and turned to leave.
Melody seized the opportunity to move closer to Zhuzi, using her beauty to make him like her even more, preventing him from resenting her.
Soon, Zhuzi's mother returned, leading two middle-aged women of similar age, chattering as they hurried back.
As soon as they entered, the three women, without a word, dragged Melody into a room, pushed her onto the bed, and lifted her clothes.
Very quickly, the three reached a consensus.
Zhuzi's mother had been cheated out of her money. This woman was truly not a...
Zhuzi's mother let out an anguished wail and started to rush out, but the other two women stopped her.
"Zhuzi's mother, don't be in a hurry. The person is already gone. Where are you going to find her now? If you ask me, she looks quite young and pretty. Why not just accept it?"
"What young? She's thirty-five! She's been married to two men and has a child. Our Zhuzi is a pure and innocent young man. How can he end up with such an unlucky thing?"
The other two were speechless. They exchanged a glance, their expressions conveying their sympathy for her.
Melody didn't seem to mind being spoken of in such a way. She slowly sat up and tidied her clothes.
"Wasn't it explained clearly when you bought me? People like them are difficult and unreasonable. You've already accepted payment, and trying to return me won't be that easy."
Zhuzi's mother was so angry her finger almost touched Melody's scalp.
"What do you mean? You saw that our Zhuzi is good-looking and honest, and our family is well-off. Are you planning to stay here?"
Melody: "I'm not that bad, am I? Besides being a bit older and unable to have children, you wouldn't be able to tell I'm thirty-five, would you? How am I not good enough for your Zhuzi?"
"What? You can't have children? What's wrong with you?"
"I got a minor illness."
Melody seemed reluctant to talk about it.
"Don't worry, I don't have long to live. When I die, Zhuzi can marry a young and beautiful woman. It won't delay you much."
Zhuzi's mother was almost driven to death by her. Fortunately, the other two women supported her.
"What a jinx! Look at the wives the Zhang and Li families found, and then look at you! You!"
"What kind of work do you do? Where did they find you? Why are we so unlucky to have landed with you?"
Melody smiled faintly and made a gesture of smoking.
"I'm having a craving for a cigarette. Could you give me one?"
"You smoke?"
"What's the big deal? I drink too. If I hadn't drunk too much, I wouldn't have been brought here by them."
She smiled insincerely.
"You can tell from my looks, can't you? I work in a club. I usually associate with rich people, entertaining them and chatting. It's very profitable."
Zhuzi's mother was once again shocked to her core.
If not for the other two women holding her back, she would have rushed up to tear Melody apart.
"What a misfortune for the family! How could we be so unlucky to spend money and find such a woman! She actually does that kind of work!"
"Wuwuwu! These people are wicked bastards! Our Zhuzi is pure and innocent. How can he be defiled by her!"
Melody finally got annoyed.
"Why are you speaking so nastily? What's wrong with a woman like me? Men in the city like women like me!"
After saying that, she kindly reminded the three of them.
"Wash your hands when you go out later. Remember to disinfect them. My illness is contagious. Don't say I intentionally harmed you."
Knowing her profession and hearing she was ill, even the most foolish rural women could guess what it was.
Scared, they no longer tried to persuade Zhuzi's mother and ran out.
Zhuzi's mother was left crying in the room, and Zhuzi also entered.
Clearly, he had heard the entire conversation. The gentleness in his eyes for Melody was gone.
"Who told you to come to our house? You're ruining our reputation. And you still have the nerve to smile?"
Melody said.
"I didn't come to your house on my own. I was kidnapped here for no reason."
"But I must say, Zhuzi. I've seen plenty of men in the city, and I'm tired of them. I really want to settle down and live a good life with an honest man. Why don't you just make do? We can be together."
"Although I'm a bit older than you, I know more. Let's not have children and be a happy immortal couple..."
"Shameless!"
Zhuzi's mother's face turned red. She interrupted Melody and instructed Zhuzi.
"Go find your Aunt Zhang now and tell her to refund our money. Whoever wants this kind of woman can have her. We definitely don't want her!"
"She's old, can't have children, and isn't honest. Keeping her in the house will surely bring disaster!"
Zhuzi nodded and hurried out.
Melody sat on the kang, looking at the heartbroken woman, and even had the mood to joke.
"Mother-in-law, why don't I see Zhuzi's father?"
"Who's your mother-in-law? You should be grateful Zhuzi's father isn't here. If he met a woman like you, he'd beat you to death!"
After saying that, Zhuzi's mother huffily left the room and took out a large padlock to lock the door.
Melody stretched her limbs in the room. When she was tired of stretching, she went to the window to observe the terrain of the village.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhuzi returned in a rage. Zhuzi's mother rushed to meet him.
"Why didn't she come? What did she say? Does she want to refuse the deal?"