CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 405: HELP!

"Ah, little Cui’er, you’re almost sixteen this year, right? Although today’s banquet is just for the He Family People and there are no outsider men here, but as a young lady of marriageable age, sitting with the older and younger men of the clan to eat meat, it doesn’t look good. If this spreads outside, others might think the He family girls have no manners."

He Dazhuang’s wife spoke ruthlessly, and although He Cui’er was somewhat scheming, her skin was not as thick as her mother’s, and she really couldn’t bear it anymore. She threw down her chopsticks and ran away.

"Cui’er, Cui’er come back, if you don’t eat this meat, our family will lose out!" He Cui’er’s mother shouted, but He Cui’er had already run out of sight.

Now, Village Chief He was annoyed by the sound of He Cui’er’s mother, and reprimanded: "Why are you shouting? Dazhuang’s wife is right. Look around the courtyard, who else here is an unmarried maiden? Let her go home, and after the feast is over, send half a bowl of meat back with her. She’ll have plenty to eat."

Village Chief He knew that the villagers were poor and craved meat, and that an unmarried girl should not be attending the feast. He had already asked He Dacang’s wife to set aside a pottery basin full of stewed meat for the feast, and after the guests had left, each household would take a bowl back home for the He family girls who hadn’t attended.

He Cui’er’s mother, hearing there was still meat to take home, stopped shouting and quickly sat down to eat the meat zealously, fearing that eating slower would leave nothing for her as others could finish it all.

...

He Cui’er ran out of Village Chief He’s house with a dark face, cursing Village Chief He and Dazhuang’s wife bitterly in her heart.

"A bunch of snobs looking down on people, you despise me, right? Just wait, once I become the Gu Family’s niece-in-law, you’ll see!"

When Gu’s Restaurant opened, her father and brothers persuaded her to scheme against Qi Kangping, but she thought that an old bachelor like Qi Kangping didn’t need any schemes; she just needed to be nice to him, create some coincidental meetings, and cry to him a bit, and he would be completely captivated by her.

But her luck wasn’t very good, she purposely chose times when only Qi Kangping was at home to go to the Qi Family’s shop to buy marinated meat, yet he wouldn’t open the door for her.

The shop was doing well, they weren’t selling marinated meat in the village anymore, if you wanted to buy, you had to go to the town.

Buy what?

Was she really there to buy marinated meat?

I came to lure you, okay!

What made He Cui’er more furious was that when she said she wanted to borrow something from inside his house, he didn’t lend it, nor did he open the door, saying his mother didn’t allow it, and told him to just stay at home and work. If she wanted to borrow something, she should go to another house, he was really sorry.

Sorry my ass!

He Cui’er was almost exploding with anger, unable to enter Qi’s house repeatedly, she could only wander around the edge of the village frequently, looking for a chance to run into Qi Kangping. But Qi Kangping was more of a maiden than a maiden herself; from June to late July, she didn’t manage to encounter him even once.

He Cui’er was almost spitting blood thinking about it, but today her luck was very good. Not long after running out from Village Chief He’s house, she actually bumped into Qi Kangping who was returning from town with roasted ducks.

Lately, the shop’s business was booming, sometimes when all the roasted ducks were sold out and there was still time, Qi Kangping would to bring over two baskets of roasted duck from home to the shop.

Seeing Qi Kangping, He Cui’er couldn’t believe her eyes; she actually had a real encounter with this fool.

He Cui’er hurriedly trotted over, and just as she approached Qi Kangping, suddenly stumbled, "Ouch," she fell to the ground: "Woo, my foot..."

Upon hearing the noise, Qi Kangping glanced her way, frowned, withdrew his gaze, and continued hurrying along with his empty basket.

He Cui’er: "..."

Damn it, are you dead? Didn’t you see this lady falling down and crying here?

"Woo woo woo, Brother Kangping, I’ve twisted my foot, it hurts so much..." He Cui’er sobbed pitifully, looking at Qi Kangping, hoping he would come over and help her up, so she could take the opportunity to cling to him, initiate skin contact, and successfully marry into the Qi Family as the Gu Family’s niece-in-law.

Qi Kangping, having broken his legs twice before, didn’t see a sprained ankle as a big deal. Seeing He Cui’er crying, he said to her, "A twisted foot is nothing serious. Just slowly stand up, lean on the foot that’s not hurt, and walk slowly back home. Your house is nearby. It would only take half an hour to get there."

After saying that, he continued walking home with his basket.

He Cui’er was dumbfounded. What the heck? She’s already like this, and this idiot didn’t take the opportunity to come over and take advantage?

If it were someone like He Dacai, that old bachelor, regardless of if they share the same last name, as long as he saw a young woman unable to walk because of a twisted ankle, he wouldn’t even need her to cry before he’d pounce on her.

Watching Qi Kangping’s retreating figure getting farther, He Cui’er gritted her teeth in anger. Is Qi Kangping even a man? Is he still an unmarried man at twenty? Seeing her, a beauty in distress on the ground asking for his help, he just walked away like that!

A twisted ankle is no big deal, huh? Fine, she would give him something serious to worry about.

He Cui’er scanned her surroundings and saw the village pond where clothes were washed. Biting her teeth, she rushed to the edge of the pond and with a "splash", jumped right in.

"Help, help... Brother Kangping, come and save me, I can’t swim... wooooo, I’m going to drown!" He Cui’er cried tragically.

Hearing the noises, Qi Kangping quickly turned back, saw He Cui’er flailing in the pond, and was puzzled. How did she go from twisting her ankle on the ground to falling into the pond?

Seeing Qi Kangping looking over, He Cui’er cried out even more desperately: "Wooo, Brother Kangping, help, come and save me, I am really drowning, I don’t want to die, wooooo..."

"Ha ha ha!"

Just when He Cui’er was crying at her loudest, a loud laugh that almost drove He Cui’er insane suddenly rang out.

He Cui’er looked in the direction of the sound, saw Mo Qinzi picking up a bucket, who had just finished watering her family’s fields, and gave Mo Qinzi a fierce glare. Stop laughing, get lost, and don’t mess up her plans.

Mo Qinzi put down the bucket, stood by the pond, and looking at the flailing He Cui’er, said, "What were you saying just now? You are about to drown? How about you drown a bit and let us see it?"

He Cui’er’s face darkened, ignoring Mo Qinzi, she only shouted towards Qi Kangping: "Brother Kangping, come and save me, I can’t hold on much longer, wooo, I’m so scared..."

Qi Kangping, seeing her crying so pitifully and also afraid that she might really drown, quickly said to Mo Qinzi, "Miss Mo, can you swim? If you can, please go down and save her... I, I better not head down."

A while ago, Third Grandma reminded Gu Dashan to be wary of the schemes of widows. Even if a widow fell into water right in front of him, he should not jump in to save her. Having heard about this, Gu Daya thought Qi Kangping was as easy to deceive as her elder brother, and immediately pulled him aside when she got home, and told him not to actively rescue any girl that fell into water, and that he should only run to find others to help, to avoid being entangled.