Moreover, she was extremely diligent, capable in every aspect, inside and out. Whoever met her would have to praise her a couple of times. If she hadn’t been engaged since the age of ten, in the past two years, the matchmakers would have worn down the threshold of old Zhou’s house with their proposals.

When Old Mr. Johnson said this, Hannah Johnson immediately blushed, her head drooping to her chest so that her face couldn’t be seen at all. But even without looking, Danny Goodwin knew her face must be as red as the evening clouds in the sky.

In matters like this, Danny Goodwin naturally had no say. All he could do was watch the fun from the side, waiting for his big sister to get married so he could tag along and get some food and drink.

He had no idea that this ordinary mountain marriage would bring unimaginable changes to his future.

Chapter Two: The Wedding & The Legend of the Lone Wolf

In the early morning, a thin mist shrouded the entire mountain village. In the fog, trees and houses appeared and disappeared, and occasionally the barking of a couple of dogs mingled with the crowing of roosters. Usually, at this time, these were the only sounds to be heard.

But today was very different. As soon as dawn broke, the festive sound of drums and music could be heard. Then, a group of people dressed in red wedding clothes, beating drums and gongs, made their way from the east end of the village to the west. At the very front was a tall, sturdy young man, about twenty years old, riding an old horse, dressed in bright red wedding attire, with a big red flower pinned to his head, his face beaming with joy.

The horse wasn’t exactly a fine steed, but in this little mountain village, it was absolutely one of a kind. So, as they made their way along, the villagers all came out to watch, and a road of less than two li took them half an hour to walk.

Danny Goodwin was still sitting on his little bench in his split-crotch pants, but today he had moved the bench outside the door. Behind him was the tightly closed main gate. The little rascal sat there with a mischievous grin, watching the lively procession pass by, as steady as a mountain.

“Stop—!”

At a sharp, high-pitched shout, the wedding procession came to a halt. The matchmaker, dressed up to the nines, fanned herself as she walked over with a big smile.

“Oh, isn’t this old Zhou’s fourth child? Why are you sitting here today, trying to block the door like the grown-ups? Come, Martha Smith has some candy for you, go eat it over there!” As she spoke, she somehow produced three or four pieces of candy and stuffed them into Danny Goodwin’s hand. With her other hand, she grabbed his sleeve, trying to pull him off the bench so he wouldn’t block the way.

“Where’s the good in that? Where’s my red envelope!”

Danny Goodwin shrieked, raising his hand and sending the candies flying in all directions, with one piece landing right on Martha Smith’s forehead.

“My sister said, if I don’t get a proper red envelope, I’m not allowed to leave!”

The crowd burst into laughter. Tyler Walker, sitting on the horse, also laughed, jumped down, walked over to Danny Goodwin, pulled a red envelope from his pocket, and stuffed it into Danny Goodwin’s hand.

Danny Goodwin weighed it in his hand, felt it was quite heavy, opened it to take a look—there were three or four copper coins inside. Satisfied, he stood up, picked up his little bench, and sat off to the side, watching the groom start the door-knocking ritual.

Blocking the door was just for show. In these mountain families, three or four copper coins was already a lot. Besides, he looked like a three- or four-year-old child on the outside, but inside he was a man in his twenties or thirties. If he kept making trouble, even he would feel embarrassed. He had no intention of making things difficult for others.

It was Sam Goodwin, hiding behind the door, who really made a scene, blocking the way for more than half an hour before finally letting the wedding party in to fetch the bride.

After that, things were simple—just following the usual procedures.

Although Danny Goodwin came from another world and had never seen an ancient wedding before, it was clear that in a small mountain village like this, weddings weren’t like the ones he’d seen in costume dramas on TV in his previous life, nor were they as described in novels. Everything was very simple. After a bit of fuss fetching the bride, it was time for the wedding night pranks, which obviously had nothing to do with Danny Goodwin.

What he was looking forward to most was the meal.

Since he was born, except for New Year’s each year, he had never really had a good meal.

In fact, in these times, everyone’s bellies were pretty empty. To find an opportunity like this to have some meat was a rare treat.

……

The wedding was lively. Everyone in the village who could come had come, all bringing their families. Clearly, they had the same idea as Danny Goodwin.

The food hadn’t been served yet, but the tea was already out, along with the usual sunflower seeds, peanuts, and so on. So, the villagers all sat around the tables, chatting, joking, telling stories, scolding grandkids, smacking their sons—there was a bit of everything. Everyone was all smiles, as if they were marrying off their own daughter-in-law, and the whole place was filled with a festive atmosphere—until a scream came from outside the door.

A shrill scream—not a cry of excitement, but of fear.

As soon as he heard it, Danny Goodwin’s heart leapt into his throat. Why? Because he could tell—it was his sister Hannah Johnson’s scream.