Chapter 479: Her Family (5)
Chapter 479: Chapter 479: Her Family (5)
The middle-aged woman before them was Archer the Butcher’s aunt, one of his elders. She worked as a matchmaker, but she was so bossy and unreasonable that her reputation in the village was abysmal.
This time, she was here under the guise of helping Archer the Butcher collect his debt, but her real goal was to force Chloe to marry him. Before she left her house, Archer the Butcher had promised that if she succeeded, he would give her a matchmaker’s fee of one thousand silver pieces.
To her, one thousand silver pieces was a huge sum, so she was putting in extra effort today.
Mrs. Xavier felt both gratified and heartbroken as she looked at Vera. ’If she hadn’t returned to the Preston Family,’ she thought, ’Archer the Butcher would probably have set his sights on her this time. And even though she became the provincial top scholar, we wouldn’t have had the money to pay for her education.’
She said gently, "You’re so thoughtful to come visit us, dear. There was no need to bring anything. Come on inside and sit down!"
Before Vera could say a word, the middle-aged woman had already looked her up and down, saying snidely, "Oh, so you’re the Xavier family’s top scholar, huh? Quite a looker. But so what if you’re good at your studies? You’ll still have to get married in the end."
"Of course I’ll get married someday," Vera said lightly. "It’s just that with an education, I’ll be able to meet a better man."
The middle-aged woman sneered, "Look at you, getting all high and mighty now that you’re a city person. Don’t think I’m some country bumpkin who’s never seen the world. For a girl with a rural background like you, even if you make it to the city, the people there will still look down on you. Marry a good man? You can dream about that in your next life!"
Vera had heard similar words countless times in both her past life and this one, so she didn’t get angry.
She said slowly, "Well, at least I made it to the city. Unlike some people who can only stay in the countryside. Sounds like a classic case of sour grapes to me."
The middle-aged woman’s expression turned ugly. She said coldly, "I’m perfectly fine in the countryside. I couldn’t care less about going to the city!"
Finished, she turned fiercely to Mrs. Xavier. "The matter between Archer the Butcher and Chloe is settled. She doesn’t need to go to school anymore. She’ll be moving to the Archer family’s home in a few days!"
The color drained from Mrs. Xavier’s face. She said hurriedly, "But didn’t you just agree to give us another half a month?"
"Given your family’s situation," the middle-aged woman said arrogantly, "you wouldn’t be able to come up with two thousand silver pieces even if I gave you another half a year!"
Mrs. Xavier’s hands clenched into fists, but she felt utterly powerless. The Xavier Family’s financial situation was indeed dire; two thousand silver pieces was nearly their entire income for a year, and that was only if the weather was good and the harvests were bountiful.
But this year, the crops had failed completely. The Xavier Family’s livelihood for the entire year was in question; where could she possibly find two thousand silver pieces?
Drew couldn’t hold back any longer and rushed in front of the woman. "Don’t you go too far! All we did was borrow two thousand silver pieces from Archer the Butcher! What right do you have to force my sister to marry him?!"
"What do you mean, ’force your sister to marry him’?" the middle-aged woman sneered. "Paying your debts is the law of the land. According to the agreement between your father and Archer the Butcher, the money was due half a month ago. We’ve already given you a long extension. You should be grateful!"
After she finished, she shot Vera a cold glance. "Don’t you have another daughter in the city? Make her pay the debt for you! She looks pretty and delicate, too. If you can’t bear to part with your own daughter, you can have *her* marry Archer the Butcher instead!"
Mrs. Xavier gritted her teeth. "Vera returned to the Preston Family! She’s a Preston now and has nothing to do with our Xavier Family anymore!"