Chapter 117

Hu Qianqian had no idea that the boy next door she used to guide hand-in-hand through childhood was now scheming how to make her his wife.

In just one morning, she had fallen completely under the spell of the mysterious Langshan.

Langshan was breathtakingly beautiful, especially in the early hours when the mountain was shrouded in mist, like a scene straight out of a fairy tale. This time of year, there was plenty to do on the mountain—joining the locals to dig for bamboo shoots, wild vegetables, and various medicinal herbs. If you were brave enough, you could even follow them deep into the woods to hunt for wild honey.

Wei Sheng had originally planned to bring his mom to the set for a couple of days. After all, Hu Qianqian had mentioned before that she wanted to visit his filming location, but back then, her shop had just opened and she was too busy to leave. Now that she finally had the chance, she’d run off with the locals to forage in the mountains.

“Don’t worry, I’m with her,” Liang Yi reassured him.

That’s exactly why I *am* worried, okay?

Wei Sheng was still salty about Liang Yi’s selfish decision to buy a double burial plot. The guy was loaded—would it kill him to buy an extra grave? Clearly, he just didn’t want his “stepson” being an eyesore in the afterlife. What, even in death I’d be a third wheel?

Hmph! My mom might not even agree to marry you!

Still, since Liang Yi was with Hu Qianqian, Wei Sheng could relax a bit and let his mom enjoy herself in the mountains.

Besides, the production had just started filming, and he needed to keep an eye on the shooting progress and quality.

To cut down on production costs, Wei Sheng had asked Liang Yi to write the first season’s script mostly around two locations: Langshan Village and the law firm.

The law firm scenes were already arranged—Wei Sheng had Liang Yi reserve their actual office space for filming.

As for Langshan Village, they had initially planned to shoot in Jiang Cancan’s part of the village. But the terrain there was too steep and the mountain roads too treacherous for transporting equipment. Plus, there weren’t any suitable houses to lodge the crew. They couldn’t exactly have everyone camp in tents on the mountain for half a month, could they?

In the end, they settled on a different village group halfway up the mountain, not far from the base. The villagers there were clearly better off than those in Jiang Cancan’s area. The houses, though old, were well maintained. After much discussion, Wei Sheng and the director agreed this was the best option.

They also didn’t dare film directly at Jiang Cancan’s house—didn’t want to stir up trouble for the local government. After all, the national campaign to eradicate poverty had already been declared a complete success. If they showed that someone like Jiang Cancan still lived in such conditions, wouldn’t that be a slap in the face to the officials?

TV stations could get away with that sort of thing—they had government backing.

But a web company like theirs? They’d never make it past the censors if they tried to poke fun at the national poverty alleviation effort.

Still, even these old houses were enough to shock the director and actors.

The arrival of the film crew caused quite a stir among the villagers of Liangjiawa.

There were no rice paddies in Liangjiawa. Every household grew soybeans and made tofu. But tofu-making was hard work and didn’t bring in much money. Only mountain folks like them, who couldn’t find other work nearby, would stick with it. The profit margins were slim, but since the soybeans and labor were their own, a day’s work could still earn them a few dozen yuan.

During a break between scenes, a girl named Liang Juemei mustered her courage and stopped Wei Sheng, who was on his way to get some water.

“Mr. Wei—Teacher Wei, does your crew need any help? I can do anything, and I learn fast!”

Wei Sheng looked up. The girl standing before him looked about sixteen or seventeen. The first thing he noticed was how thin she was—skin and bones, really. Her gauntness made her eyes seem disproportionately large, and her features had a sharp, almost fierce quality.

Just as he was about to respond, a middle-aged woman in a checkered floral apron came stomping over, cursing under her breath.

“You little brat! I’ve been looking all over for you! So you’re here gawking at the film crew? I told you to borrow twenty eggs from your uncle—why aren’t you gone yet?”

“Borrow eggs? You just want me to walk right into your trap so your precious nephew can take advantage of me, don’t you? Jiang Xiugu, keep dreaming! I’m not like my older sisters—you can’t just sell me off to whoever you please!”

Holy shit. Cousin marriage? Lady, do you even know that’s illegal?

Wei Sheng cursed under his breath. If only Liang Yi hadn’t run off chasing after his mom—this situation would’ve made perfect material for their next season’s script!

Still, regrets aside, he didn’t hesitate to step in and shield the girl behind him.

“Oh, I see now! No wonder you won’t marry your cousin—you’ve been fooling around with some outsider, haven’t you?” the woman sneered, trying to shove past Wei Sheng to grab the girl.

Wei Sheng quickly pushed the girl toward a female cast member and planted himself firmly in front of the woman. With exaggerated bravado, he shouted, “Go ahead! Hit me! I’m fully insured—if you so much as scratch me, you’ll have to sell your house to pay the damages!”

The woman froze, startled. Her puffy, mean-looking eyes stared at Wei Sheng for a moment as if she recognized him—maybe she realized he was a celebrity. She didn’t dare push her luck. Instead, she shot the girl a venomous glare and stormed off in a huff.

Just wait till you come home tonight, you little wretch! Your father’s gonna beat you half to death!

But Liang Juemei had no intention of going back. She had all her savings with her and had already made up her mind—while the film crew was still in the village and there were outsiders around, her father and stepmother wouldn’t dare tie her up and force her into a bridal chamber. If she didn’t escape now, she never would.

Her name, Liang Juemei, sounded odd at first. But once you heard the names of her two older sisters, everything became clear.

Her father, Liang Zhiqiang, had three daughters with his first wife. The eldest was named Liang Zhaodi, the second Liang Laidi. When the third was born and turned out to be yet another “money-losing girl,” Liang Zhiqiang flew into a rage and tried to drown her in the toilet.

It was only thanks to a kind-hearted neighbor woman who intervened that the baby survived.

Three daughters in a row—Liang Zhiqiang was humiliated. To vent his frustration, he named the third girl “Juemei,” which literally meant “no more sisters,” hoping she’d be the last.

Maybe that name really was cursed. When his wife was pregnant with their fourth child, she accidentally fed the family’s prized cow some poisonous weeds while preparing fodder.

The cow died.

Liang Zhiqiang was furious. He beat his wife mercilessly.

She had already borne him four children and was physically drained. Now pregnant again and severely weakened, she lay in bed without anyone taking her to a hospital. That very night, she died.

“Holy shit,” Wei Sheng muttered, eyes wide. He suddenly remembered the script for their short drama.

So the story *was* based on real life! Liang Yi had written in a case just like this.

A wife dies with her unborn child, and all Liang Zhiqiang can think about is how she didn’t give him a son before she died. But a man can’t live without a woman in the house.

Back then, the Liang family was dirt poor. To afford a new bride, Liang Zhiqiang sold off his eldest daughter, Liang Zhaodi, for a bride price of 80,000 yuan. He used the money to marry again.

Once the stepmother moved in, life became even harder for Liang Laidi and Liang Juemei.

Soon, the stepmother got pregnant and gave birth to the family’s first boy. Liang Laidi dutifully cared for her during her recovery, thinking that now there was a son, maybe their father would be kinder.

But right after the boy’s first birthday banquet, the stepmother claimed she needed to save up for his future wedding. She sweet-talked Liang Zhiqiang into marrying off the second daughter, Liang Laidi, to a man deep in the mountains.

Why not find her a better match in the lowlands?

Because mountain men had a harder time finding wives, so they paid 20,000 yuan more in bride price.

All for that extra 20,000 yuan—Liang Juemei never saw her second sister again.

Now, misfortune had come crashing down on Liang Juemei.

Her stepmother’s family had a nephew—a chain-smoking, hard-drinking thug with a violent streak. He was a full-blown delinquent, and none of the local matchmakers dared introduce him to anyone. As he got older, his parents grew desperate. Scanning the nearby villages, they finally set their sights on the stepmother’s husband’s daughter—Liang Juemei.

Wei Sheng had guessed wrong on one point: biologically, Liang Juemei wasn’t a direct cousin to the man, so there was no risk of consanguineous marriage.

The most important thing? The guy’s family was willing to offer a bride price of 100,000 yuan!

With that money, Liang Zhiqiang could buy a small truck and start his own freight business.

What they didn’t expect was that the quiet, unassuming third sister, Liang Juemei, turned out to be the fiercest of them all.

The stepmother had planned to force the issue—boil the rice before the water, as the saying goes. While her nephew was visiting, she snuck him into Liang Juemei’s room at night, hoping to seal the deal. But she never imagined that Liang Juemei would nearly stab the guy to death with a pair of scissors!

That night, with her innocence nearly stolen, Liang Juemei stood there—one hand gripping blood-soaked scissors, the other holding her half-brother like a chick by the scruff of the neck. The cold, sharp blade pressed tightly against his throat as she demanded her father call the police. If they didn’t come, she swore she’d kill her brother first, then herself.

After all, if her family wouldn’t let her live with dignity, then they could all go down together.

“Yes! You absolutely should’ve called the police! That stepmother of yours and her nephew—what they did is a crime!” The women in the film crew were furious, crowding protectively around Liang Juemei.

Liang Juemei gave a bitter smile and shook her head, her expression full of despair.

“My dad was afraid I’d really kill my brother, so he did call the police. When they arrived, they took that bastard away. But my dad and stepmother? Nothing happened to them.”

“They said it was a family dispute. After mediating, they gave my dad a little legal education, told him to respect his children’s right to choose their own spouse and not to sell them off like property. Then they left.”

Everyone: “…”

What the hell? That’s just like saying domestic violence isn’t a crime!

The only silver lining was that while the police couldn’t do much about “family disputes,” they could still act on actual crimes. The bastard who tried to assault her was convicted of attempted rape and sentenced to three years in prison!

At that point, everyone breathed a sigh of relief—except Wei Sheng and a few of the older crew members. They knew the real trouble was only beginning.

Sure enough, with their son in jail because of Liang Juemei, her stepmother’s family latched onto them like leeches.

From their perspective, their son had already struggled to find a wife, and now with a criminal record, it would be nearly impossible. They demanded that Liang Zhiqiang “compensate” them with a daughter-in-law. If not, the stepmother threatened to take her son and move back to her family, divorcing him.

Liang Juemei tried to leave and find work, but her father refused to get her an ID card. She took on odd jobs, trying to escape, but there weren’t many opportunities in the countryside. Any money she managed to save was often stolen by her stepmother.

And just like that, three years passed. The bastard who had nearly violated her was released from prison.

“There’s no way I can stay in that house,” Liang Juemei sobbed. “Marrying that kind of monster? I’d rather die.”

She had no ID, only a little bit of money. Even if she made it out of the mountains, she’d be stuck. So when the film crew showed up, to Liang Juemei, they felt like her last lifeline.

“This is outrageous! Just come with us. Who needs an ID? As long as you don’t sign a contract, you can still work, right?” the girls from the crew shouted.

Some even gave her ideas—telling her to film a video exposing her heartless father and stepmother. If it went viral, maybe the local authorities would step in and help her get an ID even without a household registration book.

To put it bluntly, anything was better than staying with that family of bloodsuckers. Even scavenging for recyclables in the city would be a better life than being sold off like livestock.

One of the girls in the crew had relatives working in the city management office. She patted her chest and said, “Don’t worry! I’ve got your back! I’ll talk to my cousin and get you a night market stall. I’ll even front the money so you can buy some stock from the wholesale market. Even if it’s just hawking goods at night, you can still make two or three thousand yuan a month.”

“Yes! Let’s do it! We’ll all chip in and help Juemei rent a place. She doesn’t have an ID, so she can’t rent on her own.”

“No need to rent,” another girl chimed in. “When my family got resettled, we got a whole building. I’ll ask my mom to give Juemei a room. With my parents watching over her, let’s see if that black-hearted stepmother of hers dares come to our place looking for trouble!”

Wei Sheng recognized the girl who said that. Her parents were among the first wave of residents in J City to get compensation for demolition. Two such families had married, and together they owned at least fifty properties. Their rental income alone beat out some factory owners. Even better, her dad ran a security company—if nothing else, he had a small army of tough security guards at his disposal.

Everyone chimed in, determined not to let Liang Juemei leave alone.

The director had no choice but to turn to Wei Sheng, the boss, for a decision.

“What’s there to think about?” Wei Sheng said. “Didn’t we plan to hire a batch of local extras anyway? I think Juemei’s perfect for it—what do you all think?”

Everyone paused, then nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Let Juemei join the crew as an extra. If her family dares show up and cause trouble, we’ll call the cops!”

(End of Chapter)