In his past life, Tang Xue had asked him the same thing!
Only back then, his answer had been no, because Li Yi had always harbored a secret crush on Wang Xuemei, the village beauty from the neighboring village. Determined to marry Wang Xuemei, he simply couldn’t see Tang Xue as a potential wife.
Although Tang Xue was far superior to that village beauty in every way—whether in looks, figure, or intellect, she could easily outshine her—the blind Li Yi simply thought Wang Xuemei was more attractive.
It was precisely because of Li Yi’s heartless response that Tang Xue was utterly devastated. Exhausted both physically and emotionally, she left Nianzi Mountain Village in a fit of grief and returned to her family in the neighboring province.
However, what no one could have anticipated was that three months later, the tragic news arrived: Tang Xue was dead!
It was a suicide—and she took a child with her!
It turned out that just two months after returning home, Tang Xue discovered she was pregnant. At that time, getting pregnant out of wedlock was absolutely intolerable in society. Her parents’ scolding and the neighbors’ gossip ultimately broke her spirit.
And so, on a cold winter night, she took her own life—at the tender age of 19—with a pair of scissors!
When the news broke, the entire Li family was plunged into grief and remorse.
Li Yi’s third older sister, Li Na, driven by guilt and hatred toward her younger brother Li Yi, left home immediately and never returned for the next forty years, sending only a sum of money to her elderly parents each year.
Her father, Li Shankui, was consumed by guilt for failing to raise his son properly—a failure that had indirectly led to the death of such a fine young woman. Plagued by depression, he finally passed away three years after Tang Xue’s death.
Li Yi, too, found himself unable to hold his head high in the village because of this incident and was forced to leave his hometown to make a living elsewhere.
Although he rode the wave of reform and opening-up to become a billionaire, he developed a deep-seated aversion to women. He remained unmarried his entire life, had no children, and was tormented by remorse every day.
It could be said that his cold-hearted decision had cost Tang Xue her life, and her death had shattered the Li family, leaving them broken and bereaved.
In his previous life, Li Yi recalled the question Tang Xue had asked him countless times, and each time, the regret tore at his heart!
If fate gave him another chance, he would definitely give a different answer!
Tang Xue had been waiting for Li Yi’s answer, but when she saw that he remained silent for so long, a deep sense of despair welled up inside her.
Gritting her teeth against the discomfort in her lower body, she staggered toward the door. She never wanted to see that bastard again!
Just then, Li Yi finally snapped out of it. He pulled Tang Xue into his arms and said firmly, “I’ll marry you!”
Tang Xue froze for a moment, then asked tremblingly, “Do you really mean it?”
“I do!”
“Waaah…”
Hearing Li Yi’s affirmative answer, Tang Xue could no longer hold back. She crouched down and burst into tears!
Although Li Yi had agreed to marry her, Tang Xue still couldn’t accept the reality that she had lost her virginity so carelessly.
Moreover, she had already received notice to return to the city; once she married Li Yi, she would inevitably lose her eligibility to return.
The thought of spending the rest of her life in this remote, impoverished mountain village filled Tang Xue with overwhelming sorrow!
Hearing Tang Xue’s sobs, Li Na was the first to rush into the room. She immediately unleashed a flurry of punches on Li Yi while roaring, “You bastard! How could you make Xiao Xue cry again? Are you still thinking about that little brat from the Wang family and refusing to marry Xiao Xue?”
“I’m telling you, if you don’t marry Xiao Xue today, don’t ever call me your older sister again!”
As soon as she said this, the villagers and educated youths watching the commotion outside couldn’t take it anymore. They all spoke up to condemn Li Yi:
“That guy’s a total scumbag! If Xiao Xue’s willing to marry him, it’s like the Li family’s ancestral graves are smoking with joy—and he’s still not happy!”
“You’re absolutely right. I really feel sorry for Xiaoxue—how did this little bastard get the better of her?”
“That kid is nothing but a good-for-nothing…”
Li Yi couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. He hurriedly turned to his third sister and said, “I’m willing to marry Tang Xue!”
With that, Li Yi strode out the door and addressed the villagers and young intellectuals gathered at the entrance: “Uncles and aunts, I admit that I did something wrong yesterday while drunk, and I’m willing to take full responsibility.”
“I’m making a public pledge here: not only am I willing to marry Tang Xue, but I’ll also bring her into the family with the most generous dowry and a palanquin carried by eight men. I mean what I say!”
Village Party Secretary Feng Kai was the first to speak up. He shouted, “Good! Now that’s a real man. I’ll also speak on behalf of the village: if you two get married, I’ll allocate an extra person’s share of land to your family!”
Just then, a female educated youth with two braids in her hair suddenly asked from the crowd, “When are you going to marry our Xiao Xue?”
Li Yi recognized the woman. Her name was Zhang Xinyao, and she was a close friend of Tang Xue’s.
Li Yi thought for a moment and replied, “Marriage is a sacred matter, and I don’t want Xiao Xue to suffer any hardship. So our family needs to make proper preparations, and then we’ll bring Xiao Xue into our home in grand style!”
“How long? Give us a definite answer!”
“A month, I suppose. In a month, we’ll hold a wedding banquet and invite everyone!”
“Since Xiao Xue has already agreed, we’ll wait a month for you. If you dare to go back on your word, even if Xiao Xue doesn’t press charges, we’ll report you to the county authorities!” Zhang Xinyao said.
“Hmm!”
Seeing that the matter had finally been settled, Secretary Feng immediately said, “All right, it’s settled. Everyone, please disperse. Go on!”
Seeing there was nothing more to watch, the crowd quickly dispersed!
…….
Although the onlookers had left, the atmosphere in the Li household remained heavy!
With an incident like this, not only had Tang Xue lost her reputation, but the Li family had also been thoroughly disgraced!
Moreover, the Li family already had many children and was so poor they barely had enough to eat. A wedding was a significant expense—where were they supposed to come up with that kind of money?
Once the crowd had dispersed, Li Shankui immediately summoned everyone in the household into the room to discuss arrangements for Li Yi’s wedding.
In the low, dimly lit room, Li Shankui sat crouched by the stove, while Zhang Yuehong and Li Na stood on either side, shielding Tang Xue, whose eyes were bloodshot. Only Li Yi sat perched on the edge of the kang.
“So, how do you plan to go about this wedding?” Li Shankui asked his son.
Li Yi glanced at Tang Xue, who looked haggard, and said, “Let’s hear what Xue has to say first!”
Li Na chimed in, “Right, let’s hear what Xiao Xue has to say first!”
Tang Xue opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn’t say a word.
Zhang Yuehong, standing nearby, hurriedly said, “Xiao Xue, if you have any requests, just speak up—Auntie will do her best to accommodate you!”
Tang Xue hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip and said, “I don’t want to tell my parents about the wedding…”
“That won’t do! How can you get married without telling your parents?” Zhang Yuehong exclaimed.
“I… I don’t want them to see me getting married this way!”
“But… but how long can you keep something like this a secret? Besides, haven’t you already received the notice to return to the city? Your parents must have received it too—you can’t hide this from them!”
“Auntie, I’ll write them a letter saying there’s been a last-minute change at the county office, and my return to the city has been postponed until next year! I’ll keep it a secret for as long as I can!”
Seeing that his mother was about to say something else, Li Yi immediately cut her off and said, “Let’s go with what Xiaoxue says on this!”
Then Li Yi turned to Tang Xue and asked, “What are your requirements regarding the dowry?”
“I know your family’s situation. I don’t want a dowry—just clear out the room you’re living in…”
Before Tang Xue had even finished speaking, Li Shankui and Li Yi said in unison, “No way!”
Li Shankui took a couple of puffs on his pipe and said, “Child, it’s our family’s fault that Little Yi has wronged you. That you’re willing to marry into the Li family is a blessing our ancestors have earned over eight generations—how could we possibly let you marry into this family under such unfair terms?”
“I’m making the final call on this: an 88-yuan dowry, a watch, three new outfits, and all brand-new bedding!”
Li Yi added, “I won’t go into the details, but whatever others have, you must have too; and even if others don’t have it, I’ll do my best to make sure you do! In short, I’ll bring you into our family in style—no one will ever have anything bad to say about you behind your back!”
Hearing Li Yi’s words, Tang Xue felt a slight stir in her heart.
The only reason she wanted Li Yi to marry her was because she had already lost her virginity to him; marrying him was her only option.
But she knew exactly what kind of person Li Yi was: uneducated, idle, a drunkard and womanizer, a gambler and swindler. Though he hadn’t committed any major crimes, he was full of bad habits.
Even Li Na, her own older sister, looked at him with utter disdain whenever she mentioned him.
So she truly hadn’t expected Li Yi to speak with such conviction. For a moment, her heart was filled with a mix of emotions—it was incredibly complicated!