Chapter 7 Popping the Boil

Muramasa was led by the nose by He's one-sided story. He seemed confused, but that was not the case.

He knew very well that the Song couple had never treated Song Daya and Song Xiaoxiao well.

Sometimes, when he couldn't stand it, he would go to Song Lao Er's house to give him a talking-to, to fulfill his duties as village head and avoid leaving a stain on his performance evaluation at the end of the year.

After each reprimand, Mrs. He would always treat the two children well for a while. Although the time was short, he was very satisfied because Mrs. He gave him face and took his words to heart.

Therefore, he didn't have a bad impression of the He family or Song Lao Er.

But now, Song Daya has turned around and retaliated against her family as soon as she got married. This is a great act of filial impiety and disrespect towards her elders, and its nature is far more serious than the Song family's abuse of their niece.

The current dynasty strongly promotes filial piety, and as the village head, he must deal with this matter seriously.

Given Song Daya's reputation for chasing after any man, if he could also use her disobedience and lack of filial piety as an example, he could add a political achievement to his evaluation, and it's not impossible that he could be promoted to village head.

Muramasa had his own plans in mind and led the way in a menacing attempt to capture Song Daya.

Many villagers, however, were unaware of what was happening and began to inquire.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh my, you don't know yet, do you? Song Daya just married Wang Laocai, and she's already causing trouble at her parents' home because she has her husband's family backing her up."

"Is that so?"

“That’s right. My house is right across from the village head’s house. I heard it clearly. He came to the village head to complain before dawn. Now the village head is on He’s side. It’s clear that he’s right.”

"That old Wang, relying on his wealth and power, bullies the villagers. Song Daya just followed suit after marrying into the family."

"So Song Daya is not only obsessed with men, but also so arrogant and abusive!"

As soon as the rumors spread, those villagers who had sympathized with Song Li for being sold to Wang Laocai as a concubine yesterday immediately frowned and were very disgusted with Song Li's "actions".

"No, my sister isn't like that at all! Don't talk nonsense!"

Song Xiaoxiao chased after the crowd, trying her best to explain, but no one listened to her.

A kind-hearted woman pulled Song Xiaoxiao aside and gently advised her:

"You're still young, you don't know what's good and what's bad. Stop following your sister and go home. Your uncle is a scholar, he knows a lot about life. You should learn from him how to be a good person, don't be like your sister."

Song Xiaoxiao ignored her and struggled to break free from the woman's grasp.

The woman said, "Oh dear, why won't this child listen to advice?"

Looking up again, Muramasa was still walking proudly at the front, which made him even more convinced of He's words. He shook his head helplessly at Song Xiaoxiao's back.

"She's ruined, and this girl is ruined too. It's all because of Song Daya who led her astray!"

The group, filled with righteous indignation, circled half of the village before finally blocking Song Li, who was on his way to pick up Song Xiaoxiao from the village head's house, on the village road.

"sister!"

Song Xiaoxiao rushed into her sister's arms and burst into tears, feeling wronged.

The villagers around them pointed and whispered, saying things like "Song Daya corrupted her sister," "shameless," and "shameless."

Song Li's expression hardened, and she shielded Song Xiaoxiao behind her, asking, "What do you want to do?"

Muramasa, who was walking in front, spoke first: "You wretched girl!"

He sternly questioned, "Who gave you permission to go back to your parents' home and bully your uncle and aunt? Don't you even know what filial piety is? Don't you have any sense of shame?"

Her aggressive demeanor only strengthened the villagers' belief in her, and they looked at Song Li with resentment and malice.

Despite being wrongly accused, Song Li remained calm and said, "You must think I don't understand filial piety or shame. If that's the case, I have nothing to say."

The abscess won't heal unless it's burst. Since the He family is making a scene, let's just make a scene and get things clear.

"But since the village head is so good at talking, why didn't you stand up and say anything when He forced me into the bridal sedan chair yesterday?"

A simple sentence left the onlookers stunned.

Yesterday's commotion was quite significant. Not only people from their village, but also from several neighboring villages came to the village entrance to watch the excitement, but no one saw the village head.

Muramasa found Song Li's words sharp, and his face showed embarrassment for a moment. He then said firmly, "You're perfectly fine, aren't you?"

That's ridiculous. Does it mean that if she was perfectly fine, then the He family didn't sell her off?

It's fortunate that she was dressed up, could do special effects makeup, and could fight; otherwise, she would have been tormented to death long ago.

Song Li sneered inwardly, but didn't show it on her face. She said softly to Muramasa, "Grandpa Muramasa, I know you are too busy with official duties to take care of us, but you are not someone who listens to only one side. You must have come here today to hear what I have to say."

Old Village Chief was somewhat embarrassed, but when he heard Song Li's tone soften, he immediately felt a little better and said seriously, "Then you speak."

Seeing that the village head was wavering, Madam He became anxious: "Village head, you can't listen to this brat's nonsense!"

Song Li immediately sneered: "What I said is nonsense, and what you said is the truth, right? Fine, then I won't say anything more."

He said those words and pulled Song Xiaoxiao away.

The village head is the village chief, so she has to be careful, but she doesn't need to be careful with the He family.

Several observant villagers in the crowd saw this and quickly stepped forward to stop them.

Muramasa hurriedly replied, "Speak your mind, and I will judge right from wrong."

He glared at Mrs. He with a hint of annoyance.

What's going on? If he leaves like this, won't it make him look like he wronged the younger generation without distinguishing right from wrong? The villagers are all watching. If word gets out, he won't be promoted to village head, he might even lose his position as village head.

Song Li smiled, but instead of explaining to the village head, she asked the villagers who were watching the commotion in a loud voice, "I know you don't like me, but can I ask why?"

The girl's voice was clear and bright, almost tangible, and every word was resounding.

As soon as the words were spoken, the crowd stirred, saying things like, "How dare she ask?" and "Doesn't she have any self-awareness?"

Song Li pretended not to hear and only asked, "Is it because I'm chasing after men?"

The crowd scoffed and muttered, "Good thing you knew."

Song Li: "Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Aunt, I lost my parents early, and my uncle and aunt treated me badly. You all know this."

I worked from dawn till dusk every day at home, eating moldy cornbread, sleeping in the livestock shed, and wearing only a single layer of clothing all year round. If I got sick from the cold, I would be scolded for being lazy.

My aunt said that if I want a good life, I should find a man and get married as soon as possible, which is why I'm in a hurry to find a man.

Madam He said anxiously, "Hey, what nonsense are you spouting, you little slut? When did I ever urge you to get married?"

Song Li questioned, "If you didn't urge me, then why did you sell me to Old Man Wang?"

Mrs. He panicked and hurriedly tried to defend herself, saying, "You're wronging an innocent person! I'm only doing this for your own good. The Wang family is rich. If you marry into their family, you'll live a life of luxury and comfort. You're getting a good deal and then acting innocent!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd began to stir again, but this time they were talking about the Xu family.

Everyone knows that Old Man Wang from Niuma Village is a lecherous old man. He may be rich, but you can't have money if you're not alive to enjoy it.

In the past, countless concubines were carried out of the Wang family's house horizontally; half of the graves on the back hill were filled with these girls.

Let He sell her daughter if she wants; after all, everyone in the surrounding villages is poor, and when life becomes unbearable, they have no choice but to sell her, even if they don't want to. They accept that. But to describe selling someone as sending them to a paradise is disgusting.