I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Every Family Has Its Own Difficulties

As soon as Yang Tongchuan entered the house, he saw a strange-looking matchmaker walking out.

This was already the sixth one this year.

His mother had practically invited every well-known matchmaker in the entire county, yet she still couldn’t find a suitable woman. Either the other party was unwilling, or Yang Tongchuan didn’t take an interest in them. In some cases, even when both sides finally agreed and happily went to have their horoscopes matched, the results turned out to be disastrous.

Gradually, rumors spread among the matchmakers that the Yang family’s feng shui was bad: they whispered about what wicked deeds the family must have done in the past for the eldest son to be unable to have children and the second son to be unable to find a wife. Because of this, Yang’s mother had fallen ill from anger several times.

“You’re back. Dinner is just ready. Change your clothes and get ready to eat.”

The Yang family’s home was a standard single-entry courtyard house. In the main hall, the east wing which had the best lighting was where Father and Mother Yang lived. The west wing was used to store important household items, with the key kept by Father Yang. The two rooms on the east side belonged to the eldest brother, Yang Tongshan, and his wife, Ming Le; the two rooms on the west side were for the second son, Yang Tongchuan. The remaining kitchen and woodshed were no different from any ordinary household. They also had a maid named Yanzi, who had been bought years ago under a permanent contract.

Sister-in-law Ming Le quickly set the table in the main hall, and the family took their seats. After the meal, Yanzi came to clear the table. Usually, the two brothers would stay in the hall to chat with their parents for a while before returning to their rooms to rest. However, as the sister-in-law had been feeling unwell lately, she retired to her room first.

“Eldest son, your father-in-law’s side came to press us again today. You know what he means. Your mother and I won’t interfere; you decide for yourself,” Father Yang sighed.

The sister-in-law had been married into the family for nearly eight years but had never conceived. They had never stopped seeking medical help or medicine during this time. They didn’t even know how much bitter herbal tea she had drunk or how much incense money they had donated to nearby temples. Finally, out of desperation, she had dragged the eldest brother to see doctors, take medicine, and pray to the gods together. They even enshrined a statue of the “Child-Sending Guanyin” in their room.

Still, it was useless. She just couldn’t get pregnant.

The sister-in-law’s own family was also getting anxious. The two families were old friends, which was why they had arranged the betrothal when the children were young. No one expected it would lead to the end of the eldest son’s lineage. Her father couldn’t sit still any longer; he had come in person a few days ago with a proposal: his family would buy a “clean” girl and place her at a country estate for the eldest brother to stay with for a few days. If she conceived, the child would be adopted under the sister-in-law’s name. As for the girl, her fate would be decided by the sister-in-law’s family.

To their surprise, upon hearing her father’s words, the sister-in-law fainted from crying right then and there. Seeing her like this, the eldest brother was terrified and refused his father-in-law’s suggestion outright. However, the father-in-law had already bought the girl, who was said to bear a slight resemblance to his daughter, and had sent someone again today to urge the eldest brother to go.

“Father, Ming Le and I are just like this. If we really have no heirs in the future, we’ll adopt one from Second Brother’s side. Would that be okay?” The eldest brother was truly at his wit’s end. Ming Le was the sister-in-law’s given name. Their relationship had been excellent over the years; she was thrifty, managed the household well, and was filial to her parents-in-law—no one could find a single fault with her.

“Second Brother doesn’t even have a wife yet. Where is he going to get a child for you to adopt? Is he going to snatch one off the street?” Mother Yang’s face turned red with anger upon hearing Yang Tongshan’s words.

“Aren’t you already looking for someone for Second Brother? We’ll find one eventually.” The eldest son didn’t dislike the idea of having his own bloodline; he simply couldn’t bear to break his wife’s heart.

Mentioning this only made Mother Yang more upset. Despite seeing so many matchmakers, she couldn’t find a single suitable girl. She was forced to broaden her criteria from the East Market to the West Market, and from young women to young gers from decent families.

The Matchmaker Chen who came today specialized in arranging marriages for gers in the West Market. She was famous for never failing to make a match.

As Yang Tongchuan listened, he realized the conversation was shifting from criticizing his brother to targeting him. Sensing the “war” was about to move his way, he immediately tried to slip away.

“Second Son, don’t leave. We’re not done with you yet. You didn’t like any of the girls I showed you before, so I’ve found a few gers. Go with Matchmaker Chen to see them when you’re off duty. If you like any of them, I’ll go have your horoscopes matched. Do you hear me?” Mother Yang’s voice rose at the end.

“I understand, Mother,” Yang Tongchuan replied. He didn’t believe that with his reputation being so poor, any decent family would be willing to marry their daughter or ger to him.

Yet, for some reason, when his mother mentioned gers, the first thing that popped into his mind was that small ger with the red-flushed cheeks and the twitching nose. That little one was quite sturdy and worked very efficiently. If it weren’t for the unique red mole between the brows, one might have mistaken him for a young boy running a stall just by looking at his back.

Speaking of which, his mother’s words reminded him of his previous “wife.” Thinking about it made Yang Tongchuan feel nothing but frustration. His former father-in-law was a bodyguard, a friend of his superior, Head Constable Wang. They had shared drinks a few times, and the man took a liking to Yang Tongchuan, wanting him as a son-in-law. Yang Tongchuan was of age, and after meeting the woman a few times without issue, the marriage proceeded smoothly.

Unexpectedly, on the wedding night, when he opened the bedroom door, he saw his new bride holding scissors to her own throat, refusing to let him take a single step closer. Yang Tongchuan’s intoxication vanished instantly.

That night, the whole family sat in the hall to ask her what she was doing. If she hadn’t wanted to marry, she should have said so earlier—why cause such a scene? It turned out she had a lover she had pledged her life to, but he had gone to do business beyond the Great Wall two years ago and hadn’t been heard from since. Those who returned said he had already married and had children there, telling her not to wait. Just then, the Yang family proposed. Despondent, she felt it didn’t matter who she married and agreed.

However, just yesterday, her old lover had returned, saying he wanted to take her to live beyond the border. Torn, she couldn’t let him go, but her father had refused to let her break the engagement. She had no choice but to resort to this. She knelt before the Yang family, offering all her dowry as compensation, begging only for a letter of divorce so she could leave that night.

The Yang family felt as if they had swallowed a fly—it was a humiliating trick. Yet, they didn’t dare let her go immediately for fear they couldn’t explain it to her family later. The eldest brother, Yang Tongshan, had to go fetch her parents in the middle of the night.

The Yang family’s stance was clear: “We can no longer afford to have this daughter-in-law. You decide what to do about this.