Dragon Raja: I practiced Naruto ninjutsu next to Lu Mingfei.

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Several families brought their own large pots, and as soon as the dishes were served, they poured them into their own pots. Each family packed a large pot full, enough for them to eat for several days.

Even though it's the dead of winter and snowing outside, vegetables can still be stored without a refrigerator.

If it were summer, it would probably have gone bad overnight.

The villagers were overjoyed by A-Zhao's generosity. This feast was even more luxurious than the New Year. Everyone cheered for A-Zhao, and the girls envied Ma Qianyan, thinking that it was wonderful that she could marry such a generous and wealthy man as A-Zhao.

Ma Qianyan was also concerned about her image. Hearing so many people complimenting and blessing her, regardless of whether these friends were sincere or not, she was very happy to hear it.

She had been to Shanghai and was worldly-wise, so she knew that a table of food would cost at least several thousand yuan, and this banquet must have cost at least a hundred thousand yuan.

So, Ah Zhao really is rich!

Ma Qianyan had initially thought he was too old, but now she had a different idea. She thought that after she married him, she would try to find a way to move to the county town or the provincial capital. It wasn't impossible!

Ma Qianyan has lowered her expectations. She no longer hopes to stay in Shanghai, but would be content if she could move to the provincial capital or even a nearby prefecture-level city.

It's better than staying in this mountain village. She really doesn't want to see her parents again because her two younger brothers are still young, one is fifteen years old and the other is twelve.

She could almost foresee that her parents would make her keep helping her younger brother.

Because at the banquet, the parents kept trying to please Zhao, hoping to arrange for their two younger brothers to follow Zhao and make a lot of money.

However, Ah Zhao did not give a clear answer, which relieved Ma Qianyan.

It's good that she didn't agree, otherwise she would be too busy taking care of both her husband and her younger brother!

The banquet gradually dispersed in the evening. Ah Zhao didn't drink much, after all, a moment of bliss on the night of love is worth a thousand pieces of gold, and he couldn't afford to get drunk.

He hadn't touched a woman in over forty years; his heart was like a monk's, filled with lustful desires.

So as soon as the banquet ended, he couldn't wait to take Ma Qianyan home.

The villagers had all heard that Ah Zhao had become rich, but none of them had visited his home. They only knew that he still lived in his old mud house, so they all wanted to see what his family's situation was like.

Then, as soon as they entered the house, they saw the washing machine in the yard, as if they had seen some magical object.

Ma Qianyan knew that this was a washing machine, and a relatively expensive front-loading washing machine at that.

She used to rent an apartment in Shanghai, which didn't have a washing machine, so she had to wash her clothes by hand in the dead of winter.

In this remote mountain village, people usually wash their clothes by the river. The village has electricity but no running water, and there are only two wells in the village.

Ah Zhao then began to explain to the villagers that this was a washing machine, used for washing clothes. In reality, because there was no running water, the washing machine could not be started; it was just placed there for outsiders to see.

But when Ma Qianyan saw the washing machine, she was overjoyed. She thought to herself that her quality of life after marriage would definitely be the best.

Then, a group of people walked into Ah Zhao's living room and saw an LCD TV, a refrigerator, a stereo system, and an air conditioner that was blowing warm air, making everyone feel cozy.

In reality, the air conditioner was powered by a diesel generator not far away, because the village's voltage was simply not enough to support the air conditioner's operation, and Zhou Gui was also afraid of damaging the village's transformer, so he used a diesel generator.

The villagers were not very worldly, so they kept asking questions. Ma Qianyan, on the other hand, had seen these appliances before and knew their approximate prices.

She was in Shanghai at the time and fantasized about having so many appliances in her house, so she could watch TV and have a washing machine to do laundry. How wonderful that would be!

Now, it's even available in this mountain village.

In an instant, all her previous displeasure vanished, and even when she looked at Ah Zhao, her eyes were filled with tenderness.

The moment Ah Zhao's eyes met Ma Qianyan's, he was immediately captivated by his wife's gaze, and so he began to shoo the guests away.

The villagers knew it was Ah Zhao's big day, so they left laughing and joking. Some people wanted to stay and make a ruckus in the bridal chamber, but they were also driven out.

With the gate closed, the yard became quiet. Ma Qianyan was watching TV in the living room with a DVD playing. Because the terrestrial TV signal couldn't be received in this area, and satellite signals weren't allowed, she could only watch DVDs.

She was content with just watching DVDs.

Forty-year-old Zhao had a few drinks today and was walking a little unsteadily. He almost tripped over the threshold when he entered the house.

Upon seeing this, Ma Qianyan immediately went over to support him.

When Ah Zhao touched Ma Qianyan's soft little hand and saw her youthful and lovely appearance, he couldn't help but kiss her.

Ma Qianyan was stunned for a moment, and wanted to refuse, but thinking that they were already husband and wife, she let him kiss her cheek.

She still felt a little uncomfortable being kissed by a man a few years younger than her father.

Chapter 368 You've ruined my life, are you satisfied now?

"Don't rush, let's go back to the room and talk about it there," Ma Qianyan said helplessly and somewhat shyly.

She had already convinced herself not to reject Ah Zhao; her mother was right, a woman is destined to marry.

However, her body still instinctively felt uncomfortable, and she still felt somewhat nauseous.

"Yes, yes, let's go inside. We'll drink the nuptial wine together." With that, Zhao led Ma Qianyan into the room.

"Turn off the TV, it wastes electricity!" Ma Qianyan turned off the TV and the living room lights. Suddenly, she noticed the light was on in the side room, so she went over to turn it off as well.

Seeing this, Ah Zhao immediately stopped them: "No, there are guests over there."

"Who is the guest?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow." Ah Zhao took Ma Qianyan's hand. His hands were rough, while Ma Qianyan's hands were delicate.

He said, "Both of you are distinguished guests; this is a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Ma Qianyan looked puzzled, but at that moment, A Zhao had already pulled her into the room, eager to get on the kang (heated brick bed)...

*……*……*

The next day, Ma Qianyan woke up groggily after a long night's sleep, while her husband, Zhao, who was in his forties, was still fast asleep beside her.

Ma Qianyan was puzzled as to where A Zhao got so much money.

The comforter they are currently using is a high-quality down comforter, which is light, thin, and close-fitting, while the mattress underneath is a Simmons mattress, which is soft, elastic, and supportive, making it very comfortable to sleep on.

This quality of life and enjoyment is better than what she experienced in Shanghai.

She asked Ah Zhao last night, but Ah Zhao didn't say anything explicitly, only that a benefactor had helped her.

Could it be those two in the side room?

Ma Qianyan thought to herself that she must go and see him later.

"Old man, it's time to get up." Ma Qianyan shook A Zhao beside her. In the village, women call their husbands "old man" or "manzi". A Zhao is old, so he is called "old man".

"Don't we need to entertain our distinguished guests?" Ma Qianyan asked.

"No need, no need, our esteemed guest can handle it themselves." Half-asleep, Ah Zhao grabbed Ma Qianyan again, "Sleep a little longer, then we'll do it again, hoping to have a baby soon..."

"Ouch, no, it hurts!" Ma Qianyan thought to herself that this man was still a rough country bumpkin who didn't respect women at all.

Like couples in college, the boys are always coaxing the girls, they are so gentle and considerate. When she was buying milk tea, she thought, "I wish I could marry a college student."

However, the reality is that she has returned to this mountain village and married a forty-year-old man who is still illiterate.

"Hey, so delicate!" Zhao muttered, but knowing Ma Qianyan wouldn't allow it, he covered his head and went back to sleep.

He wasn't in a hurry, after all, there was plenty of time.

Ma Qianyan got up and dressed herself. Then she opened the wardrobe in her room and suddenly froze.

There were no new clothes in the closet, only old military overcoats that had been worn for a long time, and they smelled musty.

"You...didn't buy me any clothes?" Ma Qianyan asked.

"Where would I get that kind of spare money!"

"..." Ma Qianyan was silent for a while. Yesterday's banquet cost more than 100,000 yuan. How could a piece of clothing cost only a few yuan?

She felt a pang of disappointment because she realized that the man she had married didn't value her at all.

She held back and didn't say anything, because for so many years, she had always been submissive and resigned to her fate.

Ma Qianyan put on her wedding dress from yesterday to keep warm, planning to go to her parents' home to get her own clothes on the day of her return visit.

She walked out of the living room, intending to watch TV, when she suddenly froze.

The TV is gone, and the refrigerator is gone too!

The standing air conditioner that used to be in the living room is gone!

The washing machine outside is gone too!

"Men, old men, old men!" Ma Qianyan rushed in, "Our house has been burgled! Our house has been burgled!"

"How could a thief have broken in? What's there to steal from our house?" Ah Zhao said, wrapped in a blanket.

Ma Qianyan cried out in panic, "Home appliances! Our LCD TV, air conditioner, washing machine, refrigerator—they're all gone! All gone!"

“It’s normal, it’s normal. These things were given to me by important people to save face. They’ll take them back as soon as the wedding is over,” Zhao muttered.

Ma Qianyan, standing to the side, seemed to have been struck by lightning: "What? What does this mean? What do you mean by 'saving face'? What exactly does it mean?"

"What are you yelling about! What I mean is, I didn't buy any of these things, where would I get the money!" Ah Zhao glanced at the stunned Ma Qianyan and laughed, "By the way, this quilt and mattress were also lent to us by a kind person, and they're taking them back this afternoon, so... do we want to enjoy them a little longer? We won't have such nice bedding again in the future..."

As he spoke, he pulled Ma Qianyan back onto the bed. This young woman was full of youthful energy, and he liked her very much.

Ma Qianyan struggled to get out of bed and asked in a trembling voice, "What did you say? You have no money? Then who paid for yesterday's banquet that cost over 100,000 yuan?"

"My goodness, yesterday's banquet actually cost over ten thousand?" Ah Zhao was also stunned. He had never seen the world and didn't know it was so expensive. He thought it would only cost a few thousand at most.

I never expected it to cost over ten thousand!

What they didn't know was that the 100,000 yuan was just for the food, not including the chef's labor costs. The entire five-star hotel's chef team would cost more than 100,000 yuan just for one or two days' wages in this remote mountain area.

"I should have eaten more yesterday, and I forgot to pack it up. What a waste!" Zhao said with heartache.

"You, tell me, where did the money for the banquet come from!" Ma Qianyan shouted in despair.

"What are you yelling about!" Ah Zhao immediately stood up and slapped Ma Qianyan across the face. "You son of a bitch, you've just walked in and you're already kicking me? Didn't I tell you? All the money for the wedding banquet and the dowry for marrying you came from benefactors. I didn't get a single penny. Those two benefactors are probably still sleeping in the room! Don't make a racket and disturb their sleep!"

Ma Qianyan covered her cheek; she had been slapped on her very first day after marrying into the family.

Her chin trembled, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Before she could even grieve for the hardships to come, her heart was filled with more fear than anything else!

Yesterday's grand display was just an illusion of wealth. Ah Zhao didn't have a single penny. He had no money, no appliances, and even his wedding clothes belonged to someone else. The wedding quilt would be taken back in a few hours.

That's it. Her dream of leaving this mountain village was shattered. Moving to the county town or the city was simply impossible.

They have no money!

"Why is this happening? Why is this happening!" Ma Qianyan glanced at A Zhao. The man who seemed somewhat agreeable yesterday suddenly appeared incredibly ugly to her!