Chapter 1: This Is Not a Scam

The full moon hung high, its gentle, silvery light spilling down as if covering the earth in a layer of white mist, adding a touch of dreamy beauty.

A cool night breeze, typical of late summer, swept by, rustling the leaves and breaking the tranquility brought by the moonlight.

On the southern outskirts of Yangzhou, there was a small, remote village called Meicun, with only about a hundred households.

At this moment, it was already the second watch of the night, and all around was very quiet, with only the occasional croak of frogs from the fields.

But at the end of the village, one household was still brightly lit. Two large red lanterns hung from the eaves, and on either side of the tightly closed but drafty old wooden door were red cloth banners for celebration.

The front room was extremely simple: a broken, low table, a rusty hoe, a worn-out wooden bed. However, the inner room was much better—a brand new large bed, a freshly made red wardrobe, and not only that, all the bedding—pillows, quilts, mosquito net—were brand new. If you ignored the front room, you’d really think this was a well-off family.

At this moment, a woman in a red long dress sat by the bed. Because she wore a red bridal veil on her head, her face could not be seen, but her figure was curvaceous and graceful.

The red candle on the windowsill crackled, but the sound was especially harsh.

It was obvious that this family was celebrating a joyous occasion today.

As the old poem goes: “After a long drought, sweet rain falls; in a foreign land, you meet an old friend; on the wedding night, the bridal chamber is lit; when your name is posted on the honor roll.”

But on this wedding night, one of life’s four great joys, there was only the lonely bride sitting by the bed, hearing only the sound of the red candle, with none of the pleasures of the bridal chamber.

Truly curious!

Suddenly, a wild wind rose outside, dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed and thunder roared, bolts of lightning seemed to tear open the night.

Tap!

Tap tap tap!

In an instant, a torrential rain poured down, sand and stones flew.

The two lanterns at the door were instantly extinguished, swaying violently. Inside, the candlelight flickered as if on the verge of going out.

After a long while, there was a sudden urgent knocking at the door.

Then someone shouted from outside: “Miss Grant, hurry and open the door, something terrible has happened!”

The bride, who had been sitting for a long time, heard the shouting outside, hurriedly got up, and lifted her red veil. Underneath was a stunningly beautiful woman, about twenty-five or six, with a delicate face, almond-shaped brows, bright eyes, fair and smooth skin, rosy cheeks, a hint of charm between her brows, faintly visible, making her even more alluring. Her slender waist, tall and graceful figure, and perfect curves—truly a great beauty.

Click!

The bride opened the door. Outside stood a man dressed as a farmer. Seeing the bride, he was momentarily stunned. Though he had seen her before, he still marveled in his heart that such a beautiful woman could exist in the world.

“Uncle Clark, why are you here? Where is Little Ethan? Wasn’t he with you all?”

The bride didn’t notice his distraction, looked left and right outside the door, and asked anxiously.

The middle-aged man called Uncle Clark was startled, came back to his senses, his face showing guilt, but he said anxiously, “Young lady, something bad has happened, Little Ethan he—he—”

The bride sensed something was wrong and hurriedly asked, “What about Little Ethan?”

“Little Ethan and Big Grant were struck by lightning.”

“What?”

“We were celebrating with Little Ethan at the tavern earlier. Suddenly, there was thunder and lightning outside. Little Ethan and Mr. Grant were worried about you, so we left early. On the way back, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck—”

Before he finished speaking, several bolts of lightning crashed down, followed by a deafening thunder, as if foretelling that something bad had already happened.

……

……

In just one night, this household underwent a drastic change. The red lanterns were taken down and replaced with white cloth, the celebratory banners changed to mourning couplets, the bride took off her wedding dress and put on mourning clothes. The joyful atmosphere instantly turned to grief, and happy laughter became wailing cries.

Great joy turned to great sorrow—such is the unpredictability of life!

Soon, the whole village heard about it.

The villagers couldn’t help but discuss.

“Sigh, Big Grant really is a man of misfortune. His first wife died after giving birth to Little Ethan, leaving the two of them to depend on each other. He had to be both father and mother, and finally managed to raise Little Ethan to adulthood. Now, just as Little Ethan was about to start his own family, who would have thought—”

“Exactly. Heaven really has no eyes. Big Grant was such a good man, why was his fate so bitter? Yet those bad people live just fine. It’s just so unfair.”

“But at least Little Ethan survived. That’s a small blessing in the midst of misfortune. At least the The Grant Family still has a single heir left.”