Chapter 2: You Can Give It a Try!

This sudden turn of events caught Ning Ye off guard.

But within moments, he understood what was happening.

A system?

Realizing this, Ning Ye was instantly thrilled.

A marketplace exchange?

No explanation was needed—he quickly grasped the situation.

On the system interface, five types of items were clearly displayed!

In other words, with this system, he could exchange ancient gold, silver, and copper coins for any of these modern goods.

Maotai liquor, Wuchang rice—that was one thing.

But when he saw the grenades listed, his pupils sharply contracted.

If he remembered correctly, these grenades had a lethal radius of nearly thirty meters. In today’s world, they were formidable hidden weapons!

And these items refreshed every week?

“Is everyone ready?” a constable shouted, pulling Ning Ye back to the present.

As soon as the words fell, several figures dashed forward.

Only a few high-quality women were available—first come, first served.

Before long, Ning Silang returned joyfully, leading behind him the robust woman Ning Ye had admired earlier.

Ning Ye raised an eyebrow. “Heh, Fourth Uncle… I thought you already had a wife. Why are you bringing another back?”

“You fool, I got her for you. Seeing you standing there clueless, I knew you wouldn’t make it,” Ning Silang said kindly.

Ning Ye twitched his mouth in silent frustration. Thanks a lot!

Just then, a cold voice sounded nearby.

“Ning Silang, be wise and hand over that woman, or don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

The speaker was a burly young man with a vicious face.

This was Hu Erbiao, a notorious thug rumored to be chummy with the mountain bandits. No one dared provoke him.

Now it seemed he had his eye on the woman Ning Silang had chosen.

Unfortunately, he had been a step slower and lost her.

There was no way he would let this go quietly.

Normally, Ning Silang would try to smooth things over.

But with his nephew involved, the usually meek man showed an uncharacteristic toughness.

Though his eyes were fearful, he couldn’t help but say, “Hu Erbiao, choosing a wife is a first-come, first-served matter. You can’t blame anyone but yourself for running slower than me.”

“Is that so? Then I want her today!” Hu Erbiao rolled up his sleeves with a savage grin and stepped forward.

The crowd quickly backed away, fearing to get caught in the crossfire.

Everyone knew Hu Erbiao was no stranger to marriage—though in reality, he just found someone to serve him like livestock, often working them to death.

In these times, women’s lives were cheap, and no one dared stop him.

Hearing Hu Erbiao’s words, the woman turned pale and started trembling.

“You’re welcome to try!” Ning Ye’s calm voice suddenly cut through the tension.

Everyone froze.

Even Ning Silang’s eyes widened, as if seeing his nephew for the first time.

Was this still the timid, bullied fool he knew?

“What did you say?” Hu Erbiao sneered as if discovering a new challenge.

“Are you deaf? I don’t like repeating myself,” Ning Ye replied evenly.

In his past life as a special forces soldier, Ning Ye might be weak in this body, but he didn’t fear a brash bully.

Some nearby snickered quietly, then quickly covered their mouths.

Hu Erbiao’s face darkened, barely restraining his rage.

Catching sight of the constable nearby, he gritted his teeth and said coldly, “Fine! You’ve got guts, kid. I’ll settle this with you later.”

With that, he stalked off.

As the crowd dispersed, Ning Silang sighed deeply, still shaken.

“Go home and live well with her. I’ll plead with Hu Erbiao later.”

Though he had secured a fine woman, crossing Hu Erbiao promised no peace ahead.

“Fourth Uncle, I never said I wanted her!” Ning Ye said, half amused, half exasperated.

“What? You’re rejecting such a good woman?” Ning Silang was dumbfounded.

Though Ning Ye hadn’t picked her, he wanted to keep her.

But…

“Everyone else has chosen already. What will you do now?” Ning Silang’s expression darkened.

He cared less about whether he himself got a good woman than about his foolish nephew.

If Ning Ye didn’t bring one back today, he’d be punished and sent away!

The remaining women were all undesirable.

Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Ning Ye smiled faintly and walked toward the last few women.

Standing before him was the very woman everyone had despised—the one named Liu Qinshu.

“Officer, I choose her!” Ning Ye declared.

What!?

The crowd gasped in shock.

Was this Ning Ye mad?

Rejecting the fine woman Ning Silang picked and instead choosing a jinx?

What good could such a fragile woman do at home?

The constable was also startled, double-checking, “Ning Ye, are you sure? Once chosen, she will be registered in your household. No turning back.”

“Heh! Officer, don’t be angry. My nephew’s a bit slow—he was joking just now!” Ning Silang quickly smiled and pulled Ning Ye aside, scolding, “What madness is this? Didn’t I just tell you? No one wants a woman like her, even for free. Why are you acting so recklessly?”

Liu Qinshu lowered her head, her eyes moist.

From the start, she had felt the disdain from everyone around.

She understood that a woman of her background would struggle to find a good family.

The worst outcome would be to remain unwanted and end up as a military prostitute.

She was shocked when Ning Ye chose her.

But hearing the others’ objections, her brief hope faded again.

If she truly became a military prostitute, she would rather die.

With that resolve, despair filled her heart.

“Officer! I’ve decided. I choose her!” Ning Ye’s firm voice rang out once more.

Liu Qinshu looked up sharply, tears stinging her eyes, and choked out, “Thank you… thank you!”

“Come, from now on, you belong to me,” Ning Ye said gently, taking her hand and ignoring her flushed face as he walked back into the crowd.

“Sigh!” Ning Silang stomped anxiously but felt powerless.

Then—

“Um… that…” Liu Qinshu suddenly hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper.

“What is it?” Ning Ye turned, frowning slightly.

“Husband… could you also take the other two girls as concubines?”

Ning Ye followed her gaze.

Sure enough, two equally delicate girls stood awkwardly nearby, unnoticed by all.

Seeing Ning Ye’s look, Liu Qinshu bowed her head further, ashamed.

She felt her request was excessive.

After all, being chosen was already a rare stroke of fortune.

Yet these two were her personal maids, raised with her since childhood.

She couldn’t bear to see them suffer.

Just as she was overcome with shame—

“Good! Officer, I want these two as well!” Ning Ye said calmly again.

What!?

“Are you crazy?” Ning Silang lunged forward, desperately trying to pull Ning Ye back.

He thought Ning Ye was being soft-hearted and easily swayed.

Even if he had good intentions, timing mattered.

He only hoped his foolish nephew would bring back one wife so he wouldn’t be exiled.

But now he seemed mad—choosing a jinx was one thing, but adding two burdens on top?

“Fourth Uncle, I know what I’m doing,” Ning Ye said patiently.

“You don’t know anything!” Ning Silang snapped, furious.

If it weren’t for being his nephew, he wouldn’t care.

The two tender girls had long given up hope, but at Ning Ye’s words, tears welled up in their eyes as they looked up at him.

Hu Erbiao lingered nearby, sneering coldly.

“Heh! That Ning boy sure has ambitions—barely able to support himself and now taking on three burdens. Impressive!”

“Yeah! Xiao Ye, think carefully. This isn’t a joke.”

With harvest approaching and taxes due, Ning Ye was already a tenant farmer barely making ends meet.

Adding three more people meant more taxes—a sure way to ruin himself.

To outsiders, Ning Ye was truly mad.

“Well, well! Here’s sixty wen reward money. Take good care of them!” the constable beamed.

Usually, he would keep some of the reward, but today he had completed his task fully and liked Ning Ye more.

Ning Silang, however, was far from happy.

“Let’s go! We’ll talk at home,” Ning Ye remained calm.

Page end.