Chapter Five: Debate

Once Wang the matchmaker had finally explained the intentions of both families to all parties and gone through all the proper procedures, the marriage was considered a done deal and was officially settled in Zhuohe Village.

There are never secrets in the village, let alone such an important matter as the marriage between Officer Xiong and Butcher Zhang.

In just two days, the news spread like wildfire throughout the village, becoming the hottest topic of conversation among the women as they gathered around the fire, sewing shoe soles.

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, just after the Little New Year.

The sky was overcast.

The cold wind stung people's faces.

The ground was covered with a layer of frozen snow that crunched underfoot, and the withered grass and branches were covered with glistening icicles.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, every household is busy with final cleaning and dust removal, and preparing for the holiday.

The smell of firecrackers still lingered in the air.

Zhang Liuyi wrapped his worn-out gray thick cotton-padded coat tightly around his neck, put a matching headscarf over his head, carried a sturdy wicker basket, and trudged along the frozen dirt road toward the mixed woods behind the village.

She went to gather firewood. With the year drawing to a close, firewood is consumed quickly for cooking, heating, and smoking meat, so she needed to stock up.

On the way, I encountered several other women from the same village who were also bundled up tightly. Most of them had just come back from fetching water by breaking a hole in the ice by the river, or were going to the mill to grind the last bit of glutinous rice flour to make rice cakes.

"Watch out, young lady, going to gather firewood? It's so cold outside!"

A kind-looking woman greeted us, her breath steaming in the cold air; her face was red from the cold.

"Yes, good morning, Auntie. It's cold."

Zhang Yili responded, pulling his frozen hands further into his sleeves.

"Hey, I heard the engagement is settled? Congratulations!"

Another woman moved closer, a warm smile on her face.

"The Xiong family is such a good family! They have plenty of fertile land, and Officer Xiong works in the county government with a stable monthly salary! Aunt Song is also a very kind mother-in-law! Yi-jie, you've really fallen into a lucky nest! In this cold weather, from now on, someone will prepare plenty of firewood for you to heat the kang in the house!"

As the woman spoke, she stomped her numb feet.

"Yeah yeah."

Someone else chimed in, their voices fading in the cold wind.

"Don't let Xiong the head constable's intimidating appearance fool you. I've heard he's very reasonable and treats his family well! He's also very thoughtful! He'll definitely know how to cherish his wife in the future! In this freezing weather, it's so good to have a man protecting you!"

As I walked, similar blessings drifted intermittently into my ears, carried by the howling cold wind.

Zhang Xiaoyi still wore a polite smile on her face.

She tightened the straps of the wicker basket on her shoulder and quickened her pace.

Upon reaching the mixed forest, it felt even colder and more gloomy than the open ground.

The wind whistled through the bare branches.

Several women who had arrived early were huddled in a sheltered spot, rubbing their hands and stamping their feet as they laboriously chopped at the dead branches and fallen tree trunks they had gathered from the ground with machetes or hand axes.

Zhang Yili also found a spot, put down his basket, took out the thick-backed machete tucked behind his waist, and aimed it at a withered branch as thick as a bowl.

With a swift movement, the knife fell, and with a crisp "crack," it cleanly cleaved the object in two.

The movements were skillful.

Not far away, several women had already gathered some firewood and piled it at their feet. They were huddled together, whispering and waiting for someone.

One of them was Li, a notorious gossip in the village.

The Li family had a daughter who was one of the most beautiful women in the surrounding villages.

Two years ago, she married a carpenter in town who had a modest income. At the time, this made Li very proud, and she would praise her son-in-law for his skill and her daughter for her good fortune to everyone she met.

Now, Zhang Yili, whom no one wanted in her eyes, is actually going to marry into the Xiong family, whose conditions are even better than her own son-in-law, and her partner is a constable who works for the government!

This made her feel like she had a blockage in her heart, and she was extremely jealous.

She had long forgotten that the matchmaker had tentatively mentioned the Xiong family before. It was she herself who was so frightened by the name of Constable Xiong that she waved her hands repeatedly, fearing that her daughter would be bullied after marrying into the family.

Now she just feels that Zhang Liuyi stole the limelight that should have belonged to her daughter.

Seeing Zhang Yixian arrive nearby and skillfully chop firewood, Li Shi could no longer suppress her anger.

She glanced at the neatly chopped pile of firewood at Zhang Xiaoyi's feet, then looked at her own crooked, thin branches, and became even more furious.

She deliberately raised her voice slightly and spoke in a sarcastic tone to a familiar woman beside her:

"Hey, I have to say, this marriage was arranged really fast! Just a few days ago there wasn't a word about it, and now it's all set? Tsk tsk, in this freezing weather, a man and a woman all alone... who knows... maybe that Constable Xiong used his position to coerce... or offered some benefits to force the girl to submit? Or maybe... the two of them have already... hehe, been having an affair in secret?"

As she spoke, she glanced sideways at Zhang Yili, who was not far away.

A slight smile played on his lips, and he deliberately rubbed his hands together, hinting at something.

Zhang initially ignored the women's gossip.

But Li made a huge mistake by blaming Xiong Zixiang.

Zhang Yi turned around abruptly.

"Aunt Li!"

Zhang Liuli spoke, his voice tinged with anger.

“I heard every single word you just said!”

Li was startled by her gaze and instinctively hugged her arms tightly, but still stubbornly maintained her composure.

"What...what did I say? I...I was just guessing..."

"Guess?"

Zhang Liuyi sneered and interrupted her.

"In front of everyone, you slandered our innocence and tarnished our reputation. You threw baseless accusations at a constable who catches thieves and protects the villagers. Brother Xiong has been working tirelessly, shedding blood and sweat, enduring cold and hunger, without expecting your gratitude. Yet you dare to spout such nonsense and maliciously defame us! What are your intentions?!"

Li's face turned pale and her lips trembled as she was bombarded with a barrage of questions.

"I...I..."

"Today, I, Zhang Liuyi, will not let you off easily! Let's go! We'll find some respected elders in the village to testify! We'll also have someone write a complaint, and together we'll go to the county court, in front of the magistrate, to have your accusations clearly and unequivocally refuted! If what you say is true, I, Zhang Liuyi, will accept the beating and punishment! If you are simply making a false accusation, you should be punished according to the law! Defaming a public official is an even greater crime! Whether you get a beating or go to jail, the law will decide! Let's see if your delicate skin can withstand the beating in the freezing cold!"

"A...court?! A...a beating?!"

The thought of the stern rod falling on Li's body made her legs go weak.

She was just a country woman who usually caused trouble in the village; she never thought of going to see an official.

Do they really have to be beaten in the dead of winter?

She was so terrified that all color drained from her face, and she screamed.

"Oh my! You...you're amazing! You...you're trying to scare me! I...I'm not going."

She shouted and tried to back away in a panic.

Zhang Yili wouldn't let her escape.

With lightning speed, he grabbed Li's wrist, which was tightly wrapped around her wrist.

Li's wrist was grabbed, and she felt as if her bones were about to be crushed. She screamed like a pig being slaughtered, struggling and twisting her body desperately. "Ouch! You have the strength of a pig slaughterer! It hurts so much! You're going to break my hand! What... what are you all standing there for? Quickly... quickly pull her away!"

She cried out for help to the women around her.

However, the women who had been whispering with her just moments before fell silent, their eyes darting away.

Zhang Liuyi gripped Li's cold wrist tightly, refusing to let go no matter how much she cried and struggled.

"Let me tell you, Li, this matter is not over!"

"If you don't kowtow and admit your mistake in front of everyone, admitting that you were spewing filth and making baseless accusations, I will go to the county government tomorrow and beat the drum to appeal for justice! I will accuse you of slandering the government and corrupting the public! I will teach you what it means to have trouble with your words!"

Li seemed to truly see the gleaming, chilling rod falling upon her, draining her of her last ounce of strength.

Her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground with a thud, trembling all over and crying uncontrollably.

"I...I was wrong! Miss! I was wrong! It was my foul mouth! It was my nonsense! It was my jealousy that you married well...it was my filth! Officer Xiong is a good man! He's an upright official! You two are innocent! It was me...it was me who slandered you! I deserve to die! I deserve to die! Please...please don't report me to the authorities..."

She cried and struggled to kowtow.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, the women around them started to swarm around and try to mediate.

"Oh dear, young lady, calm down, calm down! It's not worth getting yourself sick from getting angry! She's a fool, you don't need to lower yourself to her level!"

"That's right, that's right! Sister Li has lost her mind. Stop crying and quickly apologize to Miss Xiao! The ground is so cold!"

"We're all neighbors, it would be so embarrassing to end up in court! Especially on this freezing day! Sister Li, say something!"

Zhang Liuyi looked at Li Shi, who was slumped in the snow, incoherently admitting her mistakes, and let go of her hand.

"Remember what you said today."

Li felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She no longer cared about losing face. She scrambled up from the cold snow, not even bothering to remove her fallen headscarf. Covering her face, she staggered down the mountain amidst the mixed gazes of the women, feeling angry, ashamed, and afraid.

Only the howling wind and the wailing of withered branches remained in the forest.

She picked up her machete and wicker basket, without even glancing at the women with their varied expressions, and turned to walk deeper into the woods. She found a quiet, sheltered spot and continued chopping down dead branches.

She worked quickly and soon chopped a full basket of firewood, enough to smoke meat for two days.

Without lingering any longer, he hoisted the heavy wicker basket onto his shoulder and braved the cold wind to descend the mountain.

Back home, the kitchen was warm and cozy.

Butcher Zhang was tending a fire in front of the stove, where sauerkraut and several large bones were simmering in a pot, steaming away.

Zhang Liuyi unloaded the firewood basket and rubbed his hands, which were red and numb from the cold.

She walked to the large vat for pickling vegetables in her home, lifted the lid, and a strong, sour and salty smell wafted out.

The jar contained pickled mustard greens and dried radish.

She picked out a few green mustard greens with slightly yellow edges, rinsed them clean with water, and cut off half a pickled radish that was a deep reddish-brown color. These were the pickled vegetables she originally planned to add to her own family's diet.

After thinking for a moment, she took out a clean earthenware jar, carefully packed the washed pickled mustard greens and chopped dried radish into it, and then scooped two spoonfuls of her homemade, bright red dogwood chili sauce on top.

This is a batch of pickled vegetables prepared to be sent to the Xiong family for the New Year.