Chapter 027: Breaking off the Engagement Makes You Inferior

After this analysis, everyone's faces were filled with sorrow.

This exile has just begun, and I have already offended the police. How will I live in the future?

"What can we do? He took away everything we have."

"Or maybe steal it out when he's not paying attention?"

"You're stupid! The monk can run away, but the temple cannot. Once we count the things, even if he's a pig, he'll know we stole them!"

"How can taking back what's yours be considered stealing?"

"How about we beat him up?"

"Idiot, do you think those dozen escorts are vegetarians? Besides, they have knives. Unless you don't want to die, or are ready to be a fugitive for the rest of your life-"

Some people cried out, "This won't work, that won't work. Are we just going to starve to death one by one?"

"We won't starve to death, but we'll just be given a bowl of porridge every day to keep us alive. Whether we can make it to Qianzhou alive depends on our luck—"

"Mom, I'm so hungry... I want to eat chicken legs... and four-happiness meatballs..."

"Stop arguing!" Huang slapped her thigh. "You're giving me a headache. Shut up, everyone! Or say something useful."

In an instant, everyone in the Xu family became as quiet as quails.

"In my opinion, it's not a big deal if he steals our things. I'm just afraid..." Xu Zhenying pursed his lips, his face a little gloomy.

Huang Cui'e covered her chest and cried out: "Oh my, you little bitch, can you please finish what you are saying? Just tell me what you are afraid of..."

"I'm just afraid that he'll take our things and share them with the other escorts. Then it'll be incredibly difficult to get them back. After all, getting them back from one person is different from getting them back from ten people. No one wants to spit out what they've already eaten. If we ask for it, we'll offend all the escorts."

Grandma's heart trembled, "It's not that bad..."

When everyone in the Xu family thought of this possibility, their faces turned pale.

"If that's the case, it only proves he truly has a grudge against our Xu family. This time, he's come here specifically to seek revenge." Seeing everyone's nervousness, Xu Zhenying couldn't help but smile. "Don't be so nervous, I'm only assuming the worst. Let's keep a low profile these few days and try not to clash with the escorts. Tomorrow, I'll have to trouble Second Aunt to borrow the Lian family's name to see if he'll be willing to spare us."

Although Lian Qiuzhi was reluctant to rely on her mother's family's influence, she felt relieved when she saw that the Xu family still had to rely on her to keep their supplies. She said arrogantly, "I'll try."

Grandma still worried: "What if he refuses to eat or drink?"

Xu Zhenying thought for a moment, "Then there's the Fang family. I think the old lady of the Fang family is kind-hearted. If all else fails, we should swallow our pride and ask her for help. Second Uncle and Old Master Fang served in the same court. Old Master Fang wouldn't sit idly by and watch his former colleagues starve to death or freeze to death, would he?"

"Sixth Miss, please give me the ointment first. The master is in great pain." Aunt Mei stretched out a pair of hands as white as lotus root segments. Ever since Xu Zhenying spoke up for Lian Qiuzhi in the prison last time, Aunt Mei had felt a lump in her throat and had long held a grudge against her. Now she stared at her with a smile, "Could it be that Sixth Miss really intends to leave her elder to die without helping? We are still family after all. Do you really want the master to die in pain? Sixth Miss, how can you hold a grudge like this, especially against your own uncle?"

Tea talk?

This has a high tea content.

Xu Zhenying wasn't buying it. She smiled faintly, "Madam Mei, there's no need to criticize me. I just know that when borrowing something, you should ask nicely, and when returning something, you should thank them sincerely. It's cheap to try to curry favor with someone who doesn't like you. I'm not the second wife's daughter, and my parents are still alive. It's not the second wife's turn to teach me how to behave. Furthermore, someone is using the pretext of preaching to insult me. Second uncle, you're blaming me for losing face by asking the Zheng family for supplies. I'm afraid you've forgotten how delicious those steamed buns were at lunch. Oh, and you ate five of them in one go."

Xu Zhenying smiled and made a five gesture.

Xu Deyuan's face immediately turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He seemed to know that he was no match for Xu Zhenying's verbal attacks, so he turned his firepower on Xu Degui. "Third brother, look at this, this is the girl raised by your third branch? I say one thing about her, and there are always ten things I say back. She has no manners at all! Moreover, she broke off the engagement privately, which is already unclean, yet she still dares to show her face in public. Such an unfilial, unfaithful, and disrespectful girl deserves to be drowned!"

Xu Zhenying smiled coldly, turned around and shouted at Lian Qiuzhi: "Second Aunt, Second Uncle said that women who broke off their engagements should be drowned. Fourth Sister, did you hear that? Your father said you were unfaithful and unclean—"

After saying this, Xu Zhenying glanced at the pale-faced Xu Degui and said quietly, "Dad, Second Uncle wants to kill me. Are you still going to speak up for him? Or do you also think I deserve to die if I break off the engagement?"

Xu Degui muttered, "Your second uncle's words are a bit too serious. It's just that... you just broke off your engagement, so you have to keep your head down. How can you be so prominent everywhere? One moment you're exchanging supplies, the next you need leggings, and the next you're making that backpack. What other woman who broke off her engagement would be so out in the spotlight like you? How come I didn't realize you were so heartless before? You don't look like a decent girl at all."

Lian Qiuzhi knew that Xu Zhenying was trying to drag them into this, but she couldn't help but feel furious. She just wanted to give Xu Deyuan two slaps in the face to wake this man up.

She really hated herself for being blind. Why did she marry such a thing?

Listening to Xu Degui's words, she felt that no man in the world was a good thing, and couldn't help but say: "This is ridiculous. Does it mean that a woman who breaks off an engagement has to cry and wail like she's dying? And -"

Lian Qiuzhi glared at Xu Deyuan, a sneer tugging at the corner of her lips. "If you hadn't been so foolish as to impeach Uncle Zhu, Yinxi and Qingying wouldn't have been divorced."

Xu Yinxi, who was implicated for no reason, had a red face, bit her teeth lightly, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She wanted to speak up for herself, but how could a woman easily bring up her marriage?

It's strange to say, it's the duty of a man to marry and have children, but for a woman it seems as if she has violated the laws of heaven and lost her chastity if she mentions marriage.

Xu Zhenying suddenly felt very bored.

As the saying goes, summer insects cannot talk about ice. She actually tried to transfer her affection for Old Man Xu to the original owner's relatives.

It's impossible to say that I wasn't disappointed.

Fortunately, she had never invested any extra emotions in these relatives, so she naturally did not expect Xu Degui to love her as a daughter. Moreover, in such an era of low productivity, being male was obviously more likely to be favored by the elders.

After figuring this out, Xu Zhenying was not so angry anymore. She was a laid-back person and did not like to force things. Since no one appreciated her kindness, she was too lazy to waste her energy.