She continued speaking as if she hadn't seen their expressions, "I'll go inside and change, and you all can give me your opinions."
Amidst their astonished and somewhat fearful gazes, she slowly entered the house with the bridal gown.
With a creak, the door closed.
Even though it was daytime, the room with the closed door was pitch black. How could she possibly get dressed in the dark?
No one dared to make a sound. Soon, with another creak, the wooden door opened again.
Standing at the doorway was a bride wearing a white flower on her head and a red dress. The red dress was form-fitting, accentuating her round, curvy figure. Because she was petite, she looked especially charming and adorable.
The men present were all admiring her intently, while only the remaining four women had pale faces.
Tang Tang squeezed Ning Wei's arm and silently mouthed a word: "Flower."
Ning Wei nodded slightly. Zhu Yilian and Wang Jing had also noticed.
They felt a deep sense of dread, imagining what it would be like if that white flower had been splashed onto them by water. They would have been the ones wearing the bridal dress now.
Wearing a red dress and a white flower, what kind of wedding was this?
"How is it? Do I look good?" Yuan Yuan turned around at the doorway, her red skirt unfolding like a scarlet umbrella.
No matter how she spun, the white flower on her head remained as if glued to her hair, completely still.
She gracefully approached the crowd, looking like a bride about to be married.
"Beautiful, truly beautiful." Zheng Qu was the first to speak, his eyes fixed on her.
Song Zhi frowned and nudged him, then asked Yuan Yuan, "Are you getting married tonight?"
Yuan Yuan nodded. "Yes, I'll have a good meal specially prepared for you all tonight. You must have a few extra drinks."
She was completely immersed in her role as the bride, completely ignoring their astonished looks.
"Then who is the groom?" Zhu Yilian pressed.
When the groom was mentioned, Yuan Yuan's cheeks flushed. She fidgeted and said in a low voice, "His surname is Zhou."
As for anything else, no matter how they asked, Yuan Yuan insisted on maintaining the mystery, saying he would appear tonight and then they would all know who he was.
Seeing that they couldn't get any more information, they turned their attention back to Yuan Yuan.
As one-fifth of the group's women, they felt they had to protect her as much as possible and couldn't just watch her marry someone they had never seen.
"Yuan Yuan, you should reconsider. We've only been here for three days, and you're already getting married," Wang Jing said, holding Yuan Yuan's arm and trying to dissuade her.
Her words represented everyone's feelings.
Unfortunately, Yuan Yuan was completely blinded by infatuation and couldn't hear them.
Hearing Wang Jing about to say more, her face began to show impatience.
"Are you all jealous that I can marry Young Master Zhou, so you're deliberately saying this? I won't fall for it!"
After speaking, Yuan Yuan ran out, holding her red skirt. Someone wanted to chase after her, but as soon as she ran out of the courtyard, she suddenly disappeared.
"What in the world is going on!" Mei Nan slapped the table in frustration.
He had spent so much time warning everyone, and yet someone still got possessed right under his nose.
Ning Wei, being the most informed, finally stepped forward to explain everything she had discovered in the past few days.
When they first arrived outside the village, they saw a coffin. Inside was a girl named Xiao Shui, who held a ghost wedding with Young Master Zhou that very night.
As for this Young Master Zhou, he shared the same surname as the current village chief.
The Zhou family were once landowners and came here to escape bandits. They were wealthy, so they took on the position of village chief of Qiuyin Village, and it had been passed down ever since.
Most importantly, in the graveyard, there were thirty-one tombstones. Thirty of them belonged to others, and the only one for a Young Master Zhou.
However, there was now an extra grave pit, prepared for Yuan Yuan.
After hearing Ning Wei's explanation, everyone was dumbfounded.
"Is this Young Master Zhou planning to set up a harem in Qiuyin Village?" Zhu Yilian couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Based on the current situation, it seems so," Tang Tang replied.
"What should we do? Yuan Yuan seems determined to be this bride. We can't just abandon her, can we?" This was Wang Jing's voice.
Since arriving, she had been on the fringes among the five girls.
Ning Wei was the strongest, and currently seemed to be close only to Tang Tang.
Zhu Yilian and Yuan Yuan had gone through hardships together at the hospital station, making them good friends.
Wang Jing had also had companions, but in the course of their experiences, she couldn't keep anyone by her side.
Fortunately, Ning Wei and the others showed no intention of isolating her. She shared a room with Yuan Yuan and Zhu Yilian, and they all looked out for each other.
However, if Yuan Yuan really went through with the ghost wedding with that Young Master Zhou, she would definitely not be able to leave the village.
Without Yuan Yuan, would she be able to get closer to Zhu Yilian?
Thinking of this, Wang Jing hated herself for being so heartless, to be thinking of other things at a time like this.
Out of over twenty girls, only five remained. They should cherish each other more.
Zhu Yilian was still very concerned about Yuan Yuan and proposed a solution: "If we fill up that grave pit, will it disrupt the wedding tonight?"
"That's one way, but it's not certain if it will work," Wang Jing immediately seconded.
Mei Nan patted the table. "Everyone, think of a way! We must disrupt the wedding tonight. We can't just watch her die, can we?"
Zheng Qu crossed his arms, looking indifferent. "Why do we have to disrupt it? She seems very willing to marry that Young Master Zhou."
"What are you talking about?!" Song Zhi couldn't stand his "it has nothing to do with me" attitude, and even seemed to be enjoying the show.
Just like when Yuan Yuan had finished changing, he was the only man genuinely admiring her.
Zheng Qu let out a cold snort and strode out of the courtyard.
It seemed he was unreliable. Mei Nan looked at the remaining ten people.
"Why don't you knock her out? If the bride doesn't appear, the wedding can't proceed," Song Zhi said to Ning Wei.
"Or we could set fire to the village?" Zhu Yilian's suggestion was even more drastic.
Song Zhi looked at her. "You're going to burn it?"
Zhu Yilian deflected, her eyes constantly darting towards Ning Wei. "Isn't there someone here who's very experienced with that?"
Ning Wei was speechless and rolled her eyes.
Li Ye, however, let out a low chuckle from the side.
Zhu Yilian knew her suggestion was foolish and pursed her lips, choosing not to say anything more.