"Exactly. Marrying him means no father-in-law to help out. How will they manage in the future? It'll be so hard, so difficult."
A woman who had recently given birth, her face still somewhat pale, nodded repeatedly in agreement as she gently patted the swaddled baby in her arms.
"What's the big deal? Don't forget, Ethan's a man. He doesn't have to suffer through childbirth like us women," another woman chimed in.
"Oh dear, now that you mention it, I remember! Doesn't Damian have two young children at home, still needing care? What are they going to do!" the first woman exclaimed suddenly, as if just realizing it, slapping her thigh.
Her shout made everyone instantly turn their gaze towards Ethan, who sat silently on the cart with his head bowed. Their eyes filled with sympathy and pity.
Just then, a dissonant voice cut through the crowd, "Hmph! As if Ethan can actually work? The way I see it, even after Ethan marries him, Damian will be the one doing all the suffering and hard work!"
Everyone looked towards the speaker – it was Lily Huang, her face etched with resentment. Everyone in the village knew Lily Huang adored Damian. Unfortunately, Damian's family was poor, and the Huangs refused to let her marry him. Besides, Damian had never shown any romantic interest in her, so it came to nothing. No wonder her words dripped with such sourness.
"Isn't this just marrying a pretty trophy? He'd be better off not marrying at all!"
Hearing this, many recalled Ethan's usual behavior and nodded in agreement. Ethan was known for being idle and unskilled, always disappearing into the woods. As a man who didn't contribute to productive work, it was hard for anyone to have a good impression of him. Now, everyone turned their heads again, shifting their pity from Ethan to the groom, who, oddly enough, seemed quite cheerful.
"Tsk tsk! Look at this, the Evans family is really something else! Marrying off their pretty and capable daughter, Chloe, is one thing, but then they dump their own lazy, sickly son onto Damian's family. I swear, the Evanses must have some kind of grudge against that Damian boy!" one woman muttered, shaking her head with disdain.
The surrounding villagers echoed her sentiments, pointing fingers at Ethan, their words growing increasingly harsh. Everyone agreed the Evans family's actions were underhanded and unfair.
This infuriated Ethan. He glared through the veil at the villagers, his eyes wide with anger. If his hands and feet weren't tied, he probably would have lost his temper and jumped up to give these gossiping fools a piece of his mind – maybe even a demonstration of mixed martial arts.
Just then, Damian pushed through the crowd.
"Aunts, Uncles, friends," he began, his smile vanishing as he stepped protectively in front of Ethan, shielding him. "Thank you all for coming on my happy day."
He addressed the crowd seriously, his voice loud and clear, "I think there might be some misunderstanding. Ethan is wonderful. And this marriage... it was something I insisted on. Because he is the one I admire. So I sincerely ask you all to stop the baseless speculation and misunderstandings about us."
"Damian asked for it himself? Wasn't it a marriage exchange? What's the point of that?" a woman standing nearby asked, bewildered.
Another man immediately picked up the thread, "What else could it be? Obviously, it's because the Evans' second son is handsome!" He wore a knowing expression as he spoke.
"But looks can't put food on the table! That Damian boy... really. He's the only one working, and now he has to support three idle people at home. I really don't know how he'll manage," the previous woman sighed worriedly.
"Exactly, exactly. But let's not worry ourselves over it. As long as he doesn't come asking us for money, that's fine. Times are tough for everyone these days," someone nearby added.
"Isn't that the truth!" The crowd murmured in agreement.
At that moment, the old Village Elder slowly approached. He squinted, first sizing up the tall, imposing Damian in his red suit, then turned his gaze to Ethan, also in red, sitting obediently on the ox cart. The two of them, at that moment, looked like a perfectly matched couple.
However, the Village Elder sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of helplessness...
He walked slowly forward, gently patted Damian's shoulder, and offered a kind smile. "Son," he said gently, "the auspicious time has arrived. Hurry and take your groom home. May you live in harmony and grow old together."
Damian nodded slightly. "Yes. Thank you, Elder, for always looking out for Ethan."
With that, he turned towards the simply decorated but festive ox cart...
As he turned, a vicious glint flashed in Lily Huang's eyes within the crowd. She tore her adoring gaze from Damian and glared jealously at Ethan on the cart. Why should Ethan get to marry Damian? Why did Damian even defend him, when she had chased after Damian for years, and he wouldn't even give her the time of day?
Jealousy clouded her judgment. Using the crowd as cover, she stealthily approached the ox pulling the cart. Taking out several long needles she had hidden in her sleeve, she jabbed them fiercely into the animal's flank.
"Moo~!" The ox bucked in pain, then began to charge wildly through the crowd!
"Ah!"
"The ox has gone mad! Run!!!"
Screams erupted everywhere as the villagers gathered to watch scattered in terror. The crowd's panic only frightened the ox further. It bolted blindly, instinctively avoiding the dense clusters of people, finally crashing through the main gate and running out.
"Quick! Stop it!"
"Someone help! Stop the ox! Ethan's still on it!"
Damian, reacting fastest, had already sprinted after it, followed closely by Mr. and Mrs. Evans and several of the cousins. Frantic, they shouted and ran with all their might, chasing the rampaging ox...