Chapter 467: Old Tang and Lao Wu
After Wu Xia graduated from middle school and returned home, matchmakers began visiting one after another.
A young woman eventually has to marry, and marriage is a serious affair. Her younger aunt and Grandma Wu took it very seriously, treating every matchmaker or tentative inquiry with the same gravity.
After more than a year, a rather good match was proposed, and Wu Xia had no objections.
It should have been a happy occasion, but during the marriage proposal process, before the engagement was officially finalized, the young suitor unexpectedly fell ill.
The illness came on suddenly. He fell sick that night and was dead by the next day.
The young man had a stomachache so severe he was rolling on the ground in pain. Back then, it wasn’t common practice to rush someone to the hospital when they got sick. He took some folk remedies, but they didn’t work. By the time they realized something was seriously wrong and wanted to take him the next day, it was already too late.
The young man literally died from the pain.
The Wu Family later suspected he had died of appendicitis, but it was useless to know that after the fact.
The match fell through. Amid their shock and fear, Grandma Wu and the others could only feel a sense of relief.
Relief that they were still in the discussion phase and hadn’t formally settled the engagement.
However, the shock of the young man’s death was significant, so for the next two years, no one was in a hurry to discuss Wu Xia’s marriage prospects.
It wasn’t until Wu Xia was eighteen or nineteen, an appropriate age, that her marriage was once again put on the agenda.
Many matchmakers came to their door. Three months later, they finally selected a family and settled on an engagement.
After the last incident, Grandma Wu and her younger aunt paid special attention to the potential suitor’s health. The chosen fiancé was tall, strong, and robust. He was in excellent health and had rarely been sick his entire life.
Since Wu Xia was also of a suitable age, they began preparing her dowry for the wedding right after the engagement.
The wedding was set for the year Wu Xia turned twenty.
After the date was set, while both families were busy with wedding preparations, the man had an accident on his way to the county town to buy things.
It was raining and the road was slippery. He fell straight off a mountain and died.
His death was not only a massive blow to his own family but also a complete disaster for Wu Xia.
Wu Xia’s ordeal began at that very moment.
Unsurprisingly, she was branded with the reputation of being a "husband-jinx."
When people brought up the story of the first man who died during the proposal talks, the rumor became twice as convincing.
The Wu Family and Wu Xia were already devastated, but then they were saddled with this reputation. The family of the man who fell to his death couldn’t accept what happened and brought his body to the Wu Family’s home to cause a scene.
They demanded the Wu Family pay a price. They wanted Wu Xia to be buried with him.
"You jinxed him to death! How could we let you live a happy life?"
Wu Xia was nearly killed on the spot by the man’s parents to be buried with their son. It was only because her younger aunt, Grandma Wu, and the people of Wu Family Village desperately protected her that her life was spared.
Seeing they couldn’t kill Wu Xia, the parents then demanded she enter a ghost marriage with their son, forcing her to marry him and remain a widow for a ghost husband her entire life.
This was hardly different from being buried alive. How could they possibly agree to such terms?
But the man’s parents were relentless. They refused to leave unless Wu Xia agreed to the marriage.
They carried the coffin over and placed it right at the Wu Family’s door, trying to force Wu Xia to consent.
The coffin remained there for five whole days. No matter what, they wouldn’t take it away.
The Wu Family was nearly driven mad with anger. Wu Xia was pushed to the brink of despair, her mind in a daze, and she almost committed suicide.
It was Wu Sheng and Wu Qihua who rushed back and used forceful, decisive measures to make the family retreat.
Fearing their son’s body would be cremated and his ashes scattered, the family finally carried the coffin away. Later, it was again due to Wu Sheng’s firm actions that Wu Xia’s life was saved.
Unfortunately, by then, the rumors of Wu Xia being a "husband-jinx" had already spread far and wide. Her mental state had deteriorated to a critical point, and she had lost the will to live.
Later, Wu Qihua and Wu Sheng took Wu Xia to the Imperial City. It took a full year for her to return to a semblance of normalcy.
But this recovery was only superficial. If not for her family, Wu Xia would have become a nun.
Wu Xia eventually returned to her hometown, where she slowly recovered under the care of Grandma Wu and her younger aunt.
Unfortunately, her marriage prospects were ultimately ruined.
After that, no matchmakers came to their home anymore. Even the people in Wu Family Village were somewhat afraid of her "husband-jinx" reputation. Although they acted normal around her on the surface, no one came to propose a match.
It wasn’t until this year, three years after the incident, with Wu Xia now twenty-four, that people gradually started coming to propose matches again.
However, the candidates were far from ideal. They were either old bachelors in their thirties or forties with no parents, or they were widowers. In any case, they were all unsatisfactory.
This continued until Zou Liping, the man Wu Xia just married, came to propose. Zou Liping was two years older than Wu Xia. He was older but still unmarried because his family was poor.
Only he and his mother lived at home. It was said that his father had suffered from mental health issues and wandered off years ago. The widowed mother and son had a difficult life, never having enough money for him to marry or afford a bride price.
But Zou Liping himself was a decent man. He was fair-skinned with refined features and had a good personality. Mrs. Zou also didn’t seem like a difficult person to get along with.
A young woman has to get married eventually; she can’t remain an old maid forever. After meeting them, Grandma Wu and her younger aunt finally agreed to the match.
Being poor was a minor issue. As long as he was a good person, that’s what mattered. If they worked hard, their lives would surely get better over time.
Wu Sheng was injured during the busy days of Wu Xia’s wedding. Fearing the news would affect the ceremony, Wu Dong made sure the Wu Family wasn’t told after he found out.
Now that Wu Sheng was awake, Wu Dong wanted to tell Grandma Wu and their younger aunt.
Wu Sheng chuckled at Wu Dong’s words. "I’m almost fully recovered now. If we tell them, they’ll just get a fright. Let’s not."
Wu Dong thought about it and agreed. "You’re right, cousin."
He scratched his head and suddenly asked, "You always used to say everything was fine, cousin. Were there actually other times like this one?"
’Did you get hurt and not tell us?’
Wu Sheng looked into Wu Dong’s eyes, at a loss for words.
Su Li, watching from the side, laughed and answered for Wu Sheng, "There definitely were, but this is the most serious injury he’s had."
Parents to children, children to parents—many people are used to sharing good news but not bad with their loved ones, afraid of making them worry.
Wu Sheng nodded in agreement with Su Li. "Right. Even if I was injured before, it was never serious."
With that matter settled, he started to get curious about Wu Xia’s wedding.
"I wonder if Xiaxia is adjusting well, if she’s okay."
Wu Dong nodded. "She should be fine."
’Considering her previous state, as long as the groom doesn’t die, it’s a good thing for the Wu Family.’
"Second Sister will probably contact us or write a letter in a few days," Wu Dong said.
Wu Sheng nodded. Wu Dong stayed for two hours before leaving.
Not long after Wu Dong left, another visitor arrived.
This person was none other than Tang Yuanxiao.
Seeing Tang Yuanxiao knock and enter, Wu Sheng greeted him with a smile.
"Old Tang."
Tang Yuanxiao had heard the news of Wu Sheng’s awakening yesterday, but he figured there would be a lot of visitors, so he didn’t come. He waited until after his classes were over today.
Of course, he had also heard about the matter with Bai Xinyue.
Hearing Wu Sheng’s greeting, Tang Yuanxiao replied in kind, "Lao Wu."
Su Li: "..."
’These nicknames... It feels exactly like a meeting of old cadres.’