Zhou Yang's brows were practically knit together as he hurriedly pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Xue Bingbing sat on the kang, her fair face framed by tears.
On the other side, Xue Bingbing's parents were also sobbing softly, their faces shrouded in the shadows of despair.
"Bingbing, what's wrong?"
Casually setting the wild boar leg down on the wooden table, Zhou Yang strode over to Xue Bingbing's side, the concern in his eyes almost overflowing.
"Brother Yangzi... sobbing..."
Xue Bingbing had barely called out to Zhou Yang before she lowered her head and wept again.
Zhou Yang had never been very good at comforting girls, and for a moment his face was filled with anxiety, at a loss as to what to do.
Suddenly, seeing a handkerchief nearby, he quickly stepped forward to pick it up and offered it to Xue Bingbing.
Who would have thought that Xue Bingbing would throw the handkerchief straight onto the floor?
"Th-this belongs to that woman! It's filthy!"
Xue Bingbing snapped petulantly.
This left Zhou Yang even more flustered, still wondering if he had done something wrong.
At that moment, Xue Bingbing's mother recovered slightly and stopped Zhou Yang with a groan.
"Little Yang!"
"Yes, Auntie, go ahead."
Zhou Yang quickly bowed his head toward her.
"Little Yang, don't just stand there, sit down."
After Xue Bingbing's mother fetched a stool for Zhou Yang to sit on, she began to tell him what had happened.
Only then did Zhou Yang learn that Zhang Laoliu's shameless mother had come to force Xue Bingbing to marry that scoundrel Zhang Laoliu.
If Xue Bingbing's family refused, they would use the farmland to threaten them.
All the farmland farmed by Xue Bingbing's family was rented from Zhang Laoliu's side, so if they took it back, Xue Bingbing's family would have no crops or harvest the following year.
"What are we going to do!"
With these words, Xue Bingbing's mother broke down in tears once again.
Throughout this process, Xue Bingbing gripped the fabric of her trousers tightly with her slender fingers.
What did it matter even if Brother Yangzi came? Was she still destined to submit to that scoundrel Zhang Laoliu?
At the mere thought of the bumps on Zhang Laoliu's face, his mouthful of yellow teeth bared the moment he spoke, and the body odor that wafted past him on the path, Xue Bingbing felt like she was about to vomit.
Yet for the sake of her family, sacrificing herself seemed to be her only option.
"It's going to be fine, Auntie. Bingbing probably hasn't told you yet, but actually, Bingbing and I killed a tiger today."
Zhou Yang comforted them gently.
Xue Bingbing's parents didn't react right away. After five or six seconds, with tears still clinging to the corners of their eyes and unseeing gazes, they looked at Zhou Yang in bewilderment.
"L-Little Yang, what did you just say?"
"Mom, Brother Yangzi isn't lying to you. He really did kill a tiger. But..."
At this, Xue Bingbing choked up again.
"Even if he killed a tiger, it has nothing to do with our family!"
Yet upon hearing this, Xue Bingbing's mother thought quite differently.
In that fleeting instant, a glimmer of hope welled up in her eyes as she looked expectantly at Zhou Yang.
"Is what the girl said true? Little Yang, you killed a tiger?!"
"I wouldn't joke about something like this."
Zhou Yang gave a solemn nod.
"So Auntie, you and Bingbing don't need to worry. If there's really no land to farm, I can hunt to support you! I just got my hands on a handy hunting rifle, too!"
Zhou Yang patted his chest and spoke with absolute confidence.
"Little Yang, what do you mean by that...?"
Xue Bingbing's mother was just wondering how she could bring Xue Bingbing and Zhou Yang together when Zhou Yang directly voiced his intentions.
Wiping away her tears, Xue Bingbing's mother rubbed her hands against her clothes and grasped Zhou Yang's sleeve.
"Auntie, I like Bingbing, and I want to take her as my wife. May I?"
Zhou Yang's gaze was resolute, but the tips of his ears were burning red.
"Yes, yes of course!"
Xue Bingbing's mother agreed without a second thought. Just as Zhou Yang was about to discuss the betrothal gifts with her, a commotion suddenly erupted outside, followed immediately by Zhang Laoliu's abusive shouts.
"Xue Bingbing, if you know what's good for you, little wench, get your ass out here for your Sixth Grandpa!"
"It's Zhang Laoliu!"
A trace of fear flashed in the eyes of Xue Bingbing's family.
Zhou Yang returned to Xue Bingbing's side, bent down, and looked steadily into her eyes.
"Bingbing, trust me, everything will be fine. Trust me, just like when we faced that tiger earlier!"
Zhou Yang's voice wasn't loud, but it struck Xue Bingbing's heart like a thunderclap.
The ripples of panic in her eyes calmed down at that very moment.
"Brother Yangzi, be careful."
Without knowing what came over her, Xue Bingbing trembled as she reached out and lightly stroked Zhou Yang's cheek.
Though it lasted only a fraction of a second before she jerked her hand back, both of their faces flushed red to the roots.
"Zhang Laoliu, what do you want?"
With his hands on his hips, Zhou Yang swept his gaze over the men Zhang Laoliu had brought with him, finally locking eyes on Zhang Laoliu himself.
"Ha! Zhou Yang, so you're here! Let me tell you, all the land Xue Bingbing's family farms is controlled by your Sixth Grandpa's family. If you dare to meddle, I'll take it right back and let's see what kind of harvest they have next year!"
With his men backing him up, Zhang Laoliu was no longer so flustered and dared to meet Zhou Yang's eyes directly.
Without wasting words, Zhou Yang turned around, hoisted a shovel from Xue Bingbing's courtyard onto his shoulder, and without any further ado, simply asked in a cold tone.
"Do you few think you're tougher than a tiger?"
"You!"
Hearing this, Zhang Laoliu flushed with sudden shame, while the rest of his men looked on in utter bewilderment, completely missing the point.
"A tiger? Sure, we might not be tougher than a tiger, but can *you* beat a tiger?"
A pugnacious young man wanting to show off in front of Zhang Laoliu stepped forward and glared sideways at Zhou Yang.
At this, Zhou Yang lifted his chin slightly and said indifferently:
"Whether I've beaten one or not, why don't you just ask Zhang Laoliu?"
The men Zhang Laoliu had brought still laughed contemptuously, assuming Zhou Yang was merely joking.
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Laoliu spoke up in a muffled voice:
"H-he's not joking. He really did kill a tiger. I saw it with my own eyes."
Zhang Laoliu stuttered slightly as he said this, and instantly everyone froze in their tracks.
Even under the blazing sun, they felt as though they had been plunged into an ice cellar, a chill creeping up from the soles of their feet straight to their spines.
"L-Leader Zhang, we... we've got business at home, we're leaving first."
Without even waiting for Zhang Laoliu to reply, the men scattered in all directions.
Seeing his followers run off, and pinned by Zhou Yang's murderous glare, Zhang Laoliu turned on his heels and bolted away as fast as his legs could carry him.
Inside the house, Xue Bingbing, who had been waiting anxiously, saw Zhou Yang return safely and felt a renewed surge of admiration for him.
It seemed that marrying Zhou Yang truly was the right choice.
Without further hesitation, Zhou Yang handed the wild boar leg over to Xue Bingbing and her family, and gave them the silver bracelet as well.
Xue Bingbing's mother understood Zhou Yang's intentions and nodded in immediate agreement.
Before leaving, Zhou Yang made a promise to Xue Bingbing:
In three days, he would come to marry her. After offering a few more words of comfort to Xue Bingbing's parents, he finally headed home.
Yet the moment he stepped into his courtyard, he discovered that a huge chunk of meat was missing from the tiger's carcass!
What on earth was going on?!