Ger, So Proud

Chapter 7 A chance encounter

“The He family is poor now, but not to the point of selling their child! Furthermore, Xiao An is only fifteen years old. If he really marries you, aren’t you afraid of shortening his life?” He Ze’s face was dark, his hand clenched into a fist under his sleeve. The protruding knuckles pressed against the skin, faintly revealing blue veins. He took a few steps closer to Li Dali, his eyes cold, piercing Li Dali’s neck with discomfort.

As long as he grabbed that neck and twisted it gently…

Li Dali met He Ze’s gaze and suddenly felt his legs go weak, stumbling back several steps. “Y-you… you stay away!”

It was truly bizarre. In the past, He Ze had always seemed like just a brat, but today, those eyes made him break out in a cold sweat, as if he were looking at a dead man!

“Brother…”

He An’s voice reached He Ze’s ears, making him pause and close his eyes slightly to regain his composure. After spending so long in the apocalypse, he had grown increasingly averse to trouble, preferring to solve problems with a single stroke rather than wasting words. Just a moment ago, he had felt a surge of killing intent.

He had forgotten that this was no longer the apocalypse. He Ze glanced at Li Dali, loosened his fist, and shifted his gaze to Wang Gui. Changing the subject, he said, “Wang-ama, do you have ink and seal paste here?”

“Ink and seal paste? What do you need that for?”

Wang Gui questioned but didn’t delay, quickly turning back into the house. As a matchmaker, he often handled wedding documents for newlyweds in the village, so he had all the necessary supplies readily available.

In just a few moments, Wang Gui returned with the seal paste, placing it on the table, and handed He Ze paper, a brush, and an inkstone. “Here, everything you need.”

Although the original He Ze hadn’t learned much in the academy, he had still spent several years there and knew how to read and write. He Ze sat at the table, cut the paper into two pieces, ground some ink, and began to write.

He had learned calligraphy for a few years when he was young, but had given up on it before the apocalypse. Writing again after so many years felt unfamiliar. Moreover, although the characters in this world were still square characters, they were fundamentally different from Chinese characters. He could only rely on the original He Ze’s memory to painstakingly copy each stroke. Not only was his handwriting unattractive, but the process was also extremely slow.

“Xiao Ze, what are you… what are you doing?” Wang Gui stood behind He Ze, puzzled, as were He An and Li Dali.

“A contract… Xiao Ze, you…” Wang Gui murmured as He Ze finished writing the two characters.

He An looked worried.

Li Dali remained standing aside, not approaching. He couldn’t read, so he probably didn’t understand. But seeing He Ze’s demeanor made him even more unsettled.

Although everyone in the village knew He Ze was worthless and his father had wasted money sending him to the academy for so many years, they also knew that educated people were clever and full of tricks! He couldn’t let himself be fooled by He Ze!

Thinking of this, Li Dali was the first to speak up threateningly, “He family boy, let me tell you, no matter what you’re planning to do, I’ll make it clear right now. You can’t just back out of this marriage whenever you feel like it. If you make me angry, I’ll go find the elders in your He family village and settle this!”

“Enough! Li Dali, you better watch your mouth! Elders? If you had formally proposed, it would be different, but you just gave a jade pendant and expect to tie down someone for life? Keep dreaming!”

He Ze hadn’t responded yet when Wang Gui spoke up first, which infuriated Li Dali. “Brother Wang, this isn’t fair! I spent quite a bit of silver on this arrangement through you, and now…”

“Oh, enough already! What did I tell you before? How old is An-ge? You’re old enough to be his father! If you’d told me the full story before I took your silver, I wouldn’t have agreed to this! You’re willing to throw away your dignity just because their family is in trouble?”

Previously, Li Dali had come to him, begging for a marriage arrangement, offering two qian of silver right off the bat. Wang Gui couldn’t resist and agreed on the spot, but he never expected Li Dali to be interested in An-ge! At that time, with He Ze injured and the family in trouble, he thought Li Dali’s betrothal gifts might help in an emergency. So he forced the issue with He Ze’s family. Now, he deeply regretted his decision, feeling like he’d brought this trouble on himself by not being able to resist the silver.

Wang Gui was full of remorse, realizing that if he’d known the situation, he would never have agreed, even if beaten to death. Now, he was stuck in a dilemma.

“Dali, let’s be reasonable. If An-ge marries you, how many people in the village will gossip behind your back and the He family’s? Let’s each take a step back. I’ll return your two qian of silver, and let’s drop this matter. I’ll find you a suitable match later. What do you think?”

Wang Gui carefully took out two pieces of broken silver from his money pouch at his waist.

“You… you all are ganging up to bully me!”

Seeing Wang Gui back out, Li Dali realized that his hard-earned bride was slipping away. Angered and anxious, he refused to take the silver, glared at An-ge, and stormed towards the courtyard gate. “This won’t end here. I’ll take this to the elders of He family village! If they won’t help, I’ll go to the village head! I refuse to believe this…”

“Wait, come back!”

Li Dali hadn’t taken two steps when He Ze had already finished writing. He picked up two identical sheets of paper and blew on them gently.

“Without parental consent, this matchmaker’s arrangement is invalid. Moreover, Xiao An’s agreement doesn’t count. Even if it did, it’s just empty words. What can you do if we don’t acknowledge it? Li Dali, do you really think going to the elders will help? The elders of He family village will protect their own, not side with an outsider like you. As for the village head, without any justification, do you think you can stand your ground?”

“You—” Li Dali stopped in his tracks, caught between staying and leaving.

That’s just like these educated types—always scheming and twisting words! It’s infuriating!

“This is a promissory note I wrote, acknowledging a debt of two taels of silver to you, to be repaid before the year’s end as compensation. In return, this marriage is null and void, as if it never happened. You must also agree not to spread any rumors that would harm An-ge or the He family. I’ve signed it; if you accept it and sign as well, we’ll each keep a copy. How about it?”

This way, the matter could be resolved cleanly, and Li Dali wouldn’t be able to make a scene. The only concern was if he became desperate and started spreading malicious rumors, affecting An-ge.

“Xiao Ze, two taels of silver, you—”

“A-Brother, no! Our family…”

Wang Gui and He An both spoke up in succession. He Ze’s expression remained unchanged. Over on the other side, Li Dali was clearly astonished by such a large amount. Two taels of silver… enough for him to save up for a year! And it would be free money!

Li Dali swallowed hard, his gaze shifting to He An, showing hesitation. “He family boy, two taels of silver is not a small amount. How do you expect me to believe you? Everyone in the village knows your family’s situation. What if you can’t come up with the money later?”

“If I can’t produce the money, you can report me to the authorities, can’t you? So, do you agree or not?”

“A-Brother!”

He An, desperate and teary-eyed, reached out to grab the note from He Ze’s hand. Two taels of silver… in their current situation, where could they possibly get such money?

He Ze gently shook his head, pushing He An’s hand aside. If he dared to write the note, he naturally wouldn’t fight a battle he couldn’t win. There were still several months left until the end of the year, and if he couldn’t earn two taels of silver by then, he might as well jump into the nearest pond.

“Li Dali, if you go to the village elders or the head, you’ll get nothing. I’m offering you two taels of silver right now. With your savings, finding another bride will be easy. Think carefully, this is a one-time offer. Do you want to seal the deal?”

“I want it! I’ve thought it over!”

Li Dali eagerly nodded, his eyes glued to the paper in He Ze’s hand. A bride could wait, but this money was real and in his grasp!

The two of them stamped their thumbprints on the papers. He Ze handed one copy to Li Dali and tucked the other into his own coat. Li Dali, who couldn’t read a word on the paper, smiled widely.

“Since you’ve taken the promissory note, let me remind you: this matter is now settled. Wang-ama’s two qian don’t need to be repaid either. An-ge has nothing to do with you anymore. Understood?”

If Li Dali didn’t appreciate this gesture, He Ze wouldn’t hold back next time.

“Xiao Ze, this can’t be right. I still need to return—”

Before Wang Gui could finish, He Ze waved his hand and continued speaking to Li Dali, ” Wang-ama has been busy with this for a while. Since we’re the ones calling off the engagement, it’s not his responsibility. You already have two taels, and you can’t spare two qian more?”

“This…” Li Dali looked at Wang Gui, then at the note in his hand, carefully placing it against his chest. “I can spare it!”

Two taels versus two qian—any fool would know which to choose!

“Alright, it’s settled then. Come find me before the year ends for the silver.”

Li Dali, holding his precious note, smiled foolishly as he left. But just as he reached the gate, he paused, ran back, and whispered in Wang Gui’s ear, “Brother Wang, can you double-check this for me? I can’t read. What if this He family boy is tricking me…”

“Alright, alright, it’s real. You can go now!” Wang Gui turned his head away in annoyance. Seeing Li Dali still lingering, he added, “If you don’t believe me, get someone else to check it for you. Surely they wouldn’t trick you either?”

“That’s true, I’ll head out now and find someone in the village to look at it…” Li Dali glanced at He Ze one more time before finally leaving the courtyard for real.

“Wait…”

He An watched Li Dali’s departing figure, nearly in tears, wanting to run after him but He Ze held him back.

“A-Brother!”

“Xiao Ze, it’s two taels of silver! That’s no small amount. This… Ah, never mind, take these two qian back, and we’ll discuss this again in a couple of months.”

Wang Gui tried to press the two qian into He Ze’s hand, but He Ze pushed them back. “ Wang-ama, this was our family’s oversight. We wouldn’t want to cause you trouble. Please accept this money as a token of respect from us juniors.”

“Xiao Ze, I can’t accept this, you…”

“Alright, Wang-ama, thank you for taking care of An-ge. We need to head back, the family is waiting.”

He Ze bid farewell and, not giving Wang Gui a chance to respond, pulled He An away.

Wang Gui took a few steps after them but then stopped, staring blankly at the brothers’ retreating figures. For the first time, he felt the money in his hand was burning hot.

Ah, what a mess!

…

Under the blazing sun, the two walked to the crossroads. Finally, He An couldn’t hold it in any longer and jerked his hand out of He Ze’s grasp. “A-Brother, why did you write that promissory note for Li Dali? That’s two taels of silver! How will we ever come up with that much money?”

As he spoke, He An began to cry in earnest, tears and snot streaming down his face.

“Alright, stop crying!” He Ze rubbed his forehead in exasperation; he couldn’t stand to see others cry. “It’s only two taels of silver, it’s not a big deal. That Li Dali is ugly, old, lecherous, and coarse. He’s also obsessed with money. Do you really want to marry someone like that?”

“I…”

“Xiao An, father and Dad know why you agreed to this marriage, but this is not the way to solve our problems! You’re just sacrificing yourself for nothing, it’s not worth it.”

He Ze, unusually patient, tried to persuade him.

“Alright, remember not to tell father and Dad about this when we get back. I’ll figure out the money, okay?”

“A-Brother… boohoo…”

Whatever He Ze said seemed to have broken through to He An, who started crying even louder, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

“He An, you’re a grown man, you…” He Ze frowned.

“He Ze, why are you bullying Xiao An again!”

A voice suddenly interrupted. He Ze turned to see Lin Yu standing there, with a longbow slung over his right shoulder and a plump gray rabbit in his left hand, glaring at him angrily.

**Author’s Note:** The currency values in this story are based on the mid-Ming Dynasty. One tael of silver had the purchasing power of approximately 600 RMB today. For ordinary people their monthly salary was two qian of silver. A chicken cost around 10 to 30 wen. This is just to give you an idea and should not affect your reading experience. Thanks!

The comments under this chapter have been quite hostile. If you’re so angry that you feel like attacking the author or the main character, please calm down. Here’s a unified response:

1. This story is not set in a post-apocalyptic world, even though the protagonist comes from one. In my opinion, anyone who has survived ten years in such a world knows that the greatest enemy is no longer zombies but humans. People can be unpredictable, and having a sharp mind is crucial. The protagonist is currently injured, and even if he weren’t, he cannot ignore the local order as he does not intend to dominate the world.

To those who want to break legs right away, I reiterate: this is not the apocalypse. The protagonist realizes this, and if you don’t, it’s a flaw in my writing. However, Li Dali’s actions do not warrant such severe punishment.

He is taking advantage of others, but it’s a consensual arrangement. Although He Ze’s arguments silence Li Dali, he’s actually being somewhat unreasonable. The He family did promise him, and regardless of the reason, they broke their word.

2. He Ze could secretly force Li Dali to break the engagement through other means, but he fears that Li Dali might cause a scene, impacting He An’s reputation. Additionally, the He family is at fault. Although they appear to be in the right, breaking their promise cannot be overlooked.

3. He Ze offers Li Dali two taels because he wants to resolve the matter quickly and get Li Dali’s agreement. He understands the value of money because he has the original He Ze’s memories. He knows what promising two taels signifies and trusts his own abilities.

If you’re still very angry, please just click the × and leave. If our views differ too much, let’s not hurt each other.

(T/N: In ancient China, the currency system was diverse and included various forms of currency, including:

1. **Teal (Tael or Liang)**: A unit of measurement for silver, which was used for larger transactions. It was often represented by a certain weight of silver.

2. **Qian (Ch’ien or Tsien)**: An intermediate currency unit used for smaller transactions or as a unit of account. It was smaller than a teal but larger than a copper coin.

3. **Copper Coins**: These were the most common form of currency for everyday transactions. They were minted in various shapes and sizes, with different denominations representing different values.

4. **Gold**: While less common in everyday transactions, gold was also used as a form of currency, especially for larger transactions or as a store of value.

These were the primary forms of currency used in ancient China, but there were variations and regional differences in the currency system over time.)