A jinx, me? But I bring good fortune to my whole family!

Zhang Aidi was also worried, her mind filled with thoughts of that 100 yuan deposit.

Matchmaker Li was a notorious ruthless woman in the surrounding area; she openly acted as a matchmaker while secretly bribing officials.

I originally planned to sell that little slut Nuannuan for some money. We even agreed on a child bride arrangement: two hundred yuan, with a one hundred yuan deposit.

As a result, that bitch Su Xiulan was actually unhappy.

Unfortunately, Gu Jianguo, that short-lived wretch, woke up again.

The deal fell through, and the matchmaker demanded a deposit, which they were reluctant to pay. Then the matchmaker offered to give the kidnapper five hundred yuan to sell her elsewhere.

Before she could even get the child, the father got into trouble again.

Now we haven't gotten the person, and we've lost the money too! If Matchmaker Li finds out, she'll be skinned alive!

"What should I do... what should I do..." Zhang Aidi was so frightened that her teeth chattered and her whole body trembled.

"Mom! Someone's knocking on the door!" Dayong shouted from inside the courtyard.

Zhang Aidi shuddered in fright, her heart leaping into her throat.

Who would come at this crucial moment? Hopefully, it wouldn't be Matchmaker Li...

Her limbs trembled as she peered through the crack in the window, and sure enough, a woman in a dark red satin cotton-padded jacket was standing at the gate of the courtyard.

"Open the door! I know you two are inside. Don't make me do it!"

The gate was pounded on loudly, and Dayong hid in the corner, too afraid to go and open it.

Grandma Gu didn't dare to curse anymore. She hid behind the door, panting heavily, her triangular eyes fixed on the doorway.

She also knew that Matchmaker Li was not someone to be trifled with, and that she had several ruthless thugs under her command.

"If you don't open the door, I'm going to kick it down! Should I tell everyone in your village what you've done?"

Zhang Aidi knew that she absolutely could not tell anyone. If the villagers found out that she, as an aunt, had sold her niece, they would all spit on her and drown her.

She had no choice but to bite the bullet and go out to open the door. As soon as she unlatched the door, she was shoved hard, and Zhang Aidi was pushed back several steps before falling to the ground on her bottom.

"Ouch!" Zhang Aidi cried out in pain. Matchmaker Li sneered, "You made me stand in the wind for ages? You trying to renege on your promise?"

Matchmaker Li walked in, carrying a small basket and swaying her hips, followed by two burly men.

They had menacing faces and fierce eyes; when they looked at people, you felt your scalp tingle.

She looked like someone not to be trifled with, so Zhang Aidi quickly scrambled to her feet, forcing a smile as she greeted her, "Aunt Li, what brings you here? You didn't even tell me beforehand, I was so happy..."

Her palms were covered in cold sweat, and her legs felt weak.

Matchmaker Li swayed her hips as she strode into the house. Seeing it empty, she scoffed, "Stop with the pleasantries. How did that matter go?"

"Has your house been burgled? There's not even a place to sit!"

Matchmaker Li waved her hand dismissively, and the two burly men who followed her in clenched their fists, their knuckles cracking.

Zhang Aidi trembled with fright, her eyes darting around, and stammered, "Um, Aunt Li, as you can see, things haven't been going well at my house lately. We were robbed yesterday. I originally wanted to kidnap that girl, but her family is keeping a close eye on her, and I haven't been able to find an opportunity..."

Matchmaker Li gave a forced smile, her tone displeased, "Let's not beat around the bush. They're really pushing us for this. If we don't hand over the person today, these two brothers behind me won't be so easy to talk to."

"Today?" Zhang Aidi exclaimed in surprise, "They're keeping a close watch on them..."

"Then I'll give you your money back, two hundred yuan!"

"But the deposit is only one hundred?"

She has no money at home now, and the matchmaker, Li, is still asking for exorbitant prices.

"Heh, doesn't my skill cost money? You've made several trips for this trivial matter? Besides, this is something I promised them. You took the money and didn't deliver? Don't you care about my reputation?"

"I can tell your family is having a tough time right now. If this goes well, you can earn another four hundred yuan."

Matchmaker Li's voice was even colder, "Think it over yourself, I'll give you one day."

"Either pay up, or give it to them!"

"You can ask around; in this whole area, no one dares to renege on their debt to me!"

"What if none of that works?" Zhang Aidi asked weakly.

Losing money is out of the question; my family is dirt poor.

If it comes to taking them away, I might not be a match for the third family. Don't be fooled by their old, weak, sick, and disabled appearance; that family is incredibly wicked.

"I really didn't mean to cheat you out of money! My family's money is truly gone!"

"How about you give me two more days?"

Matchmaker Li's eyes flashed with malice. "Zhang Aidi, are you kidding me? We've lost the money and haven't even brought her back. Do you think we're pushovers?"

She waved her hand behind her, "Daqiang, Erqiang, if she doesn't know what's good for her, then let's not be polite! This house may be dilapidated, but this kid looks sturdy enough to pay off the debt! We can sell him to a coal mine and get that hundred yuan back!"

The two burly men grinned maliciously and walked towards Da Yong in the corner.

"Ah! Mother! Help! Grandma! Help!"

Da Yong screamed in fright, and his crotch got wet.

Old Mrs. Gu couldn't keep up the act any longer. She rolled off the kang (a heated brick bed), rushed over, and grabbed a burly man's leg, wailing, "You can't arrest him! He's the only son of the Gu family! You can't arrest him! Arrest that jinx instead!"

Zhang Aidi went mad; that was her lifeline. She lunged forward and clung tightly to the matchmaker's leg, snot and tears soaking her pants.

"Aunt Li! Please! Don't arrest Dayong! I promise I'll pay you back! No, no, I'll definitely get him for you! Just give me a little more time! Just three days! No, two days!"

Matchmaker Li kicked Zhang Aidi away and patted her trouser leg in disgust.

"Two days? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Really! Really!" Zhang Aidi knelt on the ground and kowtowed. "The third son can't get out of bed right now, and the whole family is old, weak, sick, and disabled. I was careless before, but this time it will definitely work! If I can't get anyone, you can sell me!"

The matchmaker squinted at her for a while, deciding she didn't seem to be lying. If they really took the family's grandson away, it would be troublesome if it went to the police station. She only wanted money and didn't want to get involved in legal trouble.

"Fine, I'll trust you one last time."

Matchmaker Li snorted coldly, "Two days. In two days, either bring that girl to me, or return the two hundred dollars to me with interest. If you dare to play any more tricks..."

She pulled a pair of scissors from her bosom and, with a "snip," cut off a lock of Zhang Aidi's hair that was hanging down.

"I'll dig those eyes out of your head!"

After saying that, Matchmaker Li left with the two burly men.

Only after the footsteps faded into the distance did Zhang Aidi's sobs begin to echo from inside the house.

Grandma Gu sat on the ground, covered in cold sweat. When she came to her senses, she picked up the sole of her shoe and started hitting Zhang Aidi with it.

"You jinx! You wanted to kill my whole family! Now look what's happened, the hole can't be plugged anymore, and now my eldest grandson has to pay with his life!"

Zhang Aidi was beaten so badly that she didn't dare to fight back and huddled on the ground crying.

"Mother, stop hitting me... It's no use killing me now. We have to think of something..."

"Think of a way? What way can we do! Even mice don't come to our house anymore!" Old Mrs. Gu was trembling with anger.

But... Mother, didn't you agree to this? Zhang Aidi silently swallowed these words, not daring to refute them.