Chapter 498: Chapter 498: Making a Suggestion

"It’s already dinnertime. What are you doing here?" Seeing Er La Niang show up right as they were eating, her sister-in-law, Li Xiaoju, shot her a nasty look. She rolled her eyes and sniffed, "We didn’t make any extra food. You’re not here to fight your own nephews for a meal, are you?"

Li Xiaoju’s words left Er La Niang feeling hurt. "Sister-in-law, that’s not what I meant at all."

Niu Dashun, who was watching from the side, waved a dismissive hand at Li Xiaoju. "Alright, that’s enough of that nonsense. She must have come back for a reason. Why would she fight her nephews for a bite to eat? You’re always making a fuss."

After what Niu Dashun said, Er La Niang wouldn’t have dared to entertain the thought of eating at her brother’s house, even if she had wanted to.

"So, what brings you here this time?" Niu Dashun asked.

"I was thinking about Niu Ping’s marriage, so I came to discuss it with you," Er La Niang said. "Big Brother, I think there’s a girl in our village... if Niu Ping marries her, you’ll never have to worry about money again."

Hearing this, Li Xiaoju’s eyes lit up. "Sister-in-law, which family’s daughter are you talking about? She’s willing to marry our Ping?"

"It’s the daughter of the Old Su Family’s second son, the one named Su Qing," Er La Niang said hurriedly. "She’s gorgeous, and she’s a city person now."

Li Xiaoju sneered, "A city girl? Who’d be willing to marry into the countryside? What are you thinking?"

"Sister-in-law, just listen to me," Er La Niang said, then quickly explained Su Qing’s situation to her brother and sister-in-law.

Niu Dashun was hesitant. "This girl sounds like a real hell-raiser. She even dares to beat up her own grandparents and uncles. And now she has relatives in Beijing? Why would she possibly marry into the countryside? The whole thing just doesn’t add up."

"Exactly," Li Xiaoju chimed in, nodding. "We’re just country folk. We can’t afford to marry a girl from the big city. We can’t pay that kind of bride price. Don’t tell me *you’re* going to pay for it, Sister-in-law?"

Er La Niang secretly sneered. ’This sister-in-law of mine is always trying to take a bite out of me. I need to get this settled quickly. Once their family marries Su Qing and gets rich, they’ll stop eyeing my money.’

Now that Er La Niang no longer had a son to support her, she guarded her money even more fiercely, her mind consumed with how to keep it from being taken by her brother and sister-in-law.

"Big Brother, Sister-in-law, listen to me," Er La Niang said urgently. "I really think marrying that girl would be a huge benefit for Niu Ping. Just think about it! She has money, and rich relatives in the city. If he marries her, it’s like marrying a goldmine! What couldn’t you get then? Maybe she could even get Niu Ping a city household registration. If Niu Ping moves to Beijing, won’t you benefit too?"

Her words made Niu Dashun and his wife fall into deep thought. Niu Dashun frowned. "But the girl will definitely refuse. We can’t just use force, can we?"

"And why not?" Er La Niang retorted. "Tomorrow morning, that Su Qing is planning to leave Lihua Village. She came back alone and isn’t on good terms with the Old Su Family, so no one will be there to see her off. We can grab her on the road. Once she and Niu Ping have... sealed the deal, what’s to fear? You think that girl will be able to run away then?"

Er La Niang knew Su Qing could fight. After all, Su Qing had beaten all three of them—Su Shengguo, his son, and Zheng Erlian—by herself. However, Er La Niang believed that if her brother and nephews attacked together, they could definitely subdue Su Qing. Four strong, able-bodied men were nothing like Su Shengguo, a man who worked a desk job in the county seat and had no real strength.

"If this goes wrong, it could mean big trouble," Niu Dashun said, frowning at Er La Niang’s words.

Nowadays, legal education was starting to reach even the rural areas. Villagers were becoming more aware of the law, and they knew that doing certain things could bring the police to their door.

"That’s right," Li Xiaoju added. "Sister-in-law, don’t you dare get us into trouble."

"Why would I try to harm you?" Er La Niang said quickly. "Just imagine it. You’ll have Big Brother, Second Brother, Niu Ping, and Little An—four grown men. You think you can’t handle one little girl? Once you get Su Qing home and she and Niu Ping do the deed, could she still marry someone else? Then just have Niu Ping sweet-talk her a bit. Women love to hear nice things. As long as Su Qing herself agrees, who can say anything? Her family won’t have any objections then, and the matter will be settled, right?"

Seeing Niu Dashun and his wife still hesitating, Er La Niang pressed on, "Just think about the money that girl has! And in the future, Niu Ping might even become a city person. Isn’t that wonderful!"

"Dad, Mom, let’s give it a try," Niu Ping, who had been listening on the side, suddenly said. He remembered who Su Qing was now—that girl from Lihua Village who used to have a scar on her face. Later, he heard the scar was gone, and his curiosity had even led him to sneak over to Lihua Village for a look. He had been stunned by her beauty at the time, but since he was already in an arranged match, he hadn’t given her much thought.

’Thinking back, Su Qing was already that beautiful last year. A year has passed since then, and city life is known to do wonders for a person’s looks. She must be even more gorgeous now.’

Both of Niu Ping’s previous engagements had fallen through, and he was dead set on finding a beautiful wife. Now, what his aunt was suggesting had truly captured his interest.

"But there’s only one girl, and besides Niu Ping, there’s also Little An," Li Xiaoju said with a frown. "Who gets the wife? Why would Second Brother’s family agree to help if there’s nothing in it for them?"

Er La Niang quickly replied, "Sister-in-law, you’re not thinking it through. If Niu Ping marries Su Qing, gets rich, and becomes a city person, how could Little An’s marriage prospects be bad? He’ll have to marry a city girl too, at the very least! We’ll just have Su Qing introduce one of the girls she knows from Beijing to Little An. Problem solved, right?"

"Yeah, let’s do that!" Niu Ping’s eyes shone as he pictured Su Qing. "Dad, Mom, stop hesitating! If you wait any longer, my wife will get away!"

Niu Dashun frowned and thought for a long time. In the end, unable to refuse his eager son, he said, "Fine. I’ll go get Second Brother’s family. We’ll discuss this matter properly."

"Great, go quickly," Er La Niang said happily. "Big Brother, if this works out, Niu Ping and Little An will have hit the jackpot."

That night, Er La Niang didn’t return to Lihua Village. The families of Niu Dashun and Niu Ershun met and plotted late into the night before finally going to bed.

Su Qing had no idea that her trip back had, for some inexplicable reason, made her a target for Er La Niang once again. She rested for one night in her small courtyard and left Lihua Village early the next morning.

Because everyone was staying indoors for the winter holiday, the road was empty. The landscape was covered in a blanket of white snow, and the only sound was the crunch of Su Qing’s footsteps.

However, the faint sound of a dry twig snapping made Su Qing subconsciously look over, using her plant’s-eye view. A moment later, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

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