The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 463: Village Gossip

Chapter 463: Village Gossip

The women were whispering. Well, it wasn’t really whispering. Yes, he had better hearing than many humans and likely many half-breeds. Even without energy and with the lack of aura in the air around them, certain senses were still more powerful than those around him.

All that considered, what the women— the friends of the crazed woman attached to his body— were doing was not whispering. It was the farthest thing from whispering, and it was actually adding to the building pressure in his head.

The throbbing was the worst he might have ever experienced. Even listening to the wailing of the walking dead throughout the night was more comforting than this. In comparison, the zombies were cherubs with angelic voices and manners befitting royalty.

"What an unfilial child! He married well and forgot where he came from!"

"He didn’t even visit his dad on his death anniversary!"

"Forget the dead, he didn’t visit his only living relatives for New Year’s Blessings!!"

"So unfilial!"

"He even thinks he is better than dragons and phoenixes. When I tried to touch his mask earlier, he treated me like I was the one who would sleep in a pigpen!! Hmph!" The fourth auntie was clearly carrying a grudge.

She wanted to touch his mask, and forgot she was supposed to focus on splashing dirty water on Xu Zeng, not showing her greed to those who hadn’t noticed her brash actions.

Luckily for her, the elders and children alike who had emerged from their compounds and all corners of the village were more focused on the juicy gossip.

The silver hair was startling and recognizable to anyone in Sun Village. Having silver hair wasn’t something that was common in the countryside, in a town, or even in the capital. For all those present, this too-tall stranger was definitely Xu Zeng.

The only hesitation was the strange and somehow intimidating mask on his face, and the new clothing that was once pristine— there were now dirt marks from both the crazed woman’s hands and her legs smeared on the yellow-brown simple robes.

Xu Zeng hadn’t noticed the stains on his clothing yet, but the growing noise and the actual whispers were beginning to get overwhelming. The woman had yet to stop her yelling, and couldn’t be disengaged from his body. Her friends were also doing a horrible job of whispering words that echoed her own.

The villagers could hear it all and directed their strange eyes at Xu Zeng. To make matters worse, those who actually planned to work today were being drawn over. The circle was growing bigger and bigger as those on the farmland were drawn over to the commotion and added to the whispers.

Fingers were being pointed unabashedly, and the insults were being hurled at Xu Zeng mercilessly. The mask made him feel safe, but now, it felt like the greedy woman had succeeded in snatching it off his face.

It felt as though he was bare to the world like he was a free game for all the world to watch and poke at him. The combination of the noise, the actual words and the feeling of the woman attached to him was too much.

Xu Zeng began to feel like the world was swaying. He swore he could even hear whispering about his dad. It had been 6 years since his death, and they still couldn’t let him rest.

"It’s all because of Lim Rae, if that ger hadn’t married into our village would we have had such an unlucky thing in our village?"

"I kept telling you all, the silver hair should be a curse from the Gods! But you all said it should be some sort of lucky omen. He killed his own dad and his brothers, the ger is cursed."

"If he’s so unlucky, how does it seem like the Xu family of our Sun Village seems to be doing worse since he left?" There was one voice that wasn’t rebuking Xu Zeng and his dad. One in an endless barrage.

They weren’t all heartless Xu Zeng thought as his body seemed to move slower. Still, he wouldn’t stop trying to get the woman off him. They would talk, they always talked, and he needed to leave. Bai Mo and Xu Hu Zhe were waiting for him.

"Mother, get off that man!" A little boy screamed at the crazed woman. "How can that be Xu Zeng? That one looked worse than the beggars in town, how can that be him?"

That little boy was Da Niu, his ’brother,’ the little fatty he had raised so fat and plump. The one he had never hesitated to share food with when the boy wanted more. That same ’brother’ thought he was worse than a beggar.

"Heheh." Xu Zeng stopped struggling for a moment as the sounds continued, the woman wailed, her sons— Da Niu with his little brother behind him— yelling their own thoughts. Her friends degraded him publicly, and the rest of the villagers whispered and enjoyed the scene.

It was too much, and for some reason, Xu Zeng couldn’t find the strength to fight back anymore.

It felt like the spittle would drown him. But the words didn’t mean anything to him. He cared not about them and their opinions, but still, he couldn’t move. It felt like his body was shutting down.

"You never returned after your marriage. You resent us so much and now things have gone bad for you, you’ve come back to do what?" Each word felt more targeted than the last.

Xu Zeng looked up, and made eye contact with his ’father.’ The man looked more tired than before. Their silver must truly be running low, they used up Dad’s dowry so quickly? It should have been enough for several dozen more years if used properly.

At the very least, the man wasn’t joining in the charades, but he wasn’t speaking up for Xu Zeng either. That wasn’t surprising though. He never had the habit of speaking up for Xu Zeng, never.

He was probably wondering how much silver he could get from Xu Zeng. If given the chance, the woman might try to sell him to another brothel.

Xu Zeng wanted to smile, but his body wouldn’t even take that simple command. It was now a free-for-all. How he was still upright was a mystery to him. It felt like he was in a bad dream, waiting to wake up.