Peach's mother quickly asked Xiaoxi to bring two more stools.

Jiang Zhi didn't sit down, but stood directly in front of Lianhua's second sister-in-law, staring at her sternly: "Tell me, what does Xu Dongjuan want you to do?"

Lianhua's second sister-in-law tried to argue, "I was just standing up for my sister-in-law, nobody else had anything to do with it!"

Jiang Zhi wasn't interested in this kind of verbal sparring. She thought every word she spoke was worth money, and arguing and scheming depended on her mood, at least on someone like Magistrate Zhang or Old Song.

Since they don't want to be honest, I shouldn't waste my time giving them a chance.

Jiang Zhi pulled Qin Shi aside and said, "Come on, slap her across the face, on her left cheek!"

Now Qin Guaiguai listens to Jiang Zhi the most, raising her hand without hesitation without even asking a question.

A crisp slap landed on Lianhua's second sister-in-law's face.

Lianhua's second sister-in-law was stunned, Lianhua's eldest sister-in-law was stunned, and Tao'er's mother, who hadn't even had a chance to speak, was also stunned.

Tian Gui, who had been keeping his distance from the women arguing, was even more bewildered. He quickly went out and let Wang Xiaoju and Pi Shi, who had rushed over, in as well!

After hitting someone, Jiang Zhi calmly said as if nothing had happened, "Remember this in the future: when you deliver a message, you must have the complete message."

This slap was supposed to land on Xu Dongjuan's face. Please take this back and give it to her. Make sure it hits hard enough; don't ruin what her mother gave her!

Qin was Xu Dongjuan's stepmother, so she was also her mother.

Lianhua's second sister-in-law covered her face, her voice trembling as she said, "You hit me, you hit me?"

I hadn't even said a word to Qin Shi, so why was I beaten?

She couldn't believe that her sister-in-law from her own family would be beaten!

Jiang Zhi shook her head: "You are Lianhua's sister-in-law, so it is only proper for you to come and see your younger sister. Since the two families have no enmity, they will not hit you. They will only hit Xu Dongjuan."

Since you brought a message, you should return it with a gift. This time it was just a slap; next time, take a broken leg with you.

Lianhua's second sister-in-law didn't understand. She was the one who was beaten, so how did it become that she beat Xu Dongjuan, and there was something about a broken leg... The more she talked, the more frightening it became!

Lianhua, the woman standing nearby, was about to throw a tantrum: "Is this how unreasonable you people in Xujia Village are? I'm going to find your village head!"

But all the teacups on the table had been taken away, so there was nothing to smash.

Qin stood to the side, eager to try her hand at it. If Sister-in-law Lianhua dared to lie down and roll around, she would dare to stomp on her a few times.

Qin felt uncomfortable fighting with Lianhua's mother, but she had no qualms about dealing with this younger generation, and besides... she was someone who listened to the village chief's wife.

Pi and Wang Xiaoju, one looking down for a broom and the other quietly rolling up their sleeves, were just waiting for the fight to start so they could scratch her face until it was covered in scratches.

Jiang Zhi laughed and said, "Whether the people of Xujia Village are reasonable or not, the person who gave you the idea behind the scenes knows best. Was she reasonable? Do you still want to find the village head? If you do, fine, I'll grant your wish!"

After saying that, he looked up and looked around: "Xiaoju, you've come at the right time. Find someone to send these in-laws out of the village and make sure they have a safe journey! If they dare to come into the village again, break their legs!"

This is very easy to handle; Xu Changming is just waiting for it!

So some took action, others made arrangements, and no amount of shouting or yelling from Lianhua's two sisters-in-law could change anything; they were quickly pushed onto the main road.

Not only did no one from Xujia Village speak up for her, but her four children weren't around either, so there wasn't even any crying to join in the commotion.

At Qin's house, Lianhua gave her mother the welfare benefits distributed by the village: a chicken and ten catties of rice: "Mother, don't come here again, and don't interfere in my affairs."

If I'm not doing well, you say it's none of your business; if I'm doing well, you have even less to say.

"It would be better to have my brother and sister-in-law work harder; a thriving family is what truly brings me prestige."

Lotus Mother hugged the chicken tightly, stomping her feet in anger: "You stupid brat! I'm trying to help you, but you don't understand. You'll regret this later!"

Liu frowned: "I've said so much to you, but you haven't listened to a word. If you really care about your daughter, then don't interfere."

Xia's mother also said, "Help when you should, and don't meddle when you shouldn't. It's good for the elderly to sometimes be a little confused!"

Despite losing chickens and rice, Qin couldn't stop smiling: "Hurry up and go, Lianhua is more sensible than you, you silly woman. She'll have a better life than you in the future."

Soon, Lotus Mother was also "politely and courteously" seen out, with her four grandsons following behind her, still scrambling to take things—some melon seeds, snacks, and treats given to her by Lotus.

The mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law were chased out of the village, pushed and shoved. No one paid them any attention on the main road, and they dared not go back to be beaten. They could only walk away cursing!

Lianhua's second sister-in-law was even more heartbroken. She had been beaten for no reason, and when she got back, she would have to return the slap to Xu Dongjuan.

It would be a lie to say Lianhua wasn't angry that her family had left, but she knew that if they kept coming to visit her and they argued every time, she wouldn't be able to stay in the Xu family for long.

The "third-day bath" ceremony only caused a small stir in the village, but it quickly became a topic of conversation in the mosquito coil workshop.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Wang Xiaoju said to someone, "Lianhua's mother said that she heard that Aunt Qin lost money last time because she eloped with Li Laoshi, so she wanted to take over Lianhua's money. Tell me, who in our village would talk such nonsense?"

At that moment, no one cared who was talking nonsense; they were all captivated by the phrase "elopement"!

Ah, the untold stories of widows and bachelors—that's the perfect topic.

In other places, this would definitely cause a huge uproar, and rumors and speculations would be inevitable.

But half a year had passed, and Qin and Li had not eloped at all. In this case, it was just a joke, which immediately drew a burst of laughter.

Someone said, "The person who said that is really malicious. The two of them were perfectly fine in the village. Where would they elope? Who in the village is talking like this? They must be caught."

Someone quickly denied it: "This was definitely not said by someone from the village. Back then, there were many laborers, and they didn't know anything, so they just talked nonsense."

When Qin made that scene before the New Year, the road outside the post station was still under construction, and there were many laborers from various places. At that time, Xu Gensheng even said that the two missing people must have been pushed into a ditch.

Although Xujia Village is well-managed and no one talks nonsense, the migrant workers are difficult to control. If they go back and mention Xujia Village, the matter will inevitably spread.

The workshop was filled with chatter, and someone said, "Since people are spreading rumors like this, Aunt Qin and Uncle Li might as well get together. Otherwise, Aunt Qin won't be able to hold her head up in public. It's so embarrassing!"

Wang Xiaoju didn't even look up; she knew who it was just by hearing their voices. This was Xu Gensheng's second sister-in-law, Pi Shi's sister-in-law.

Xu Gensheng had previously introduced her to work as a fire starter at the pharmacy, but a death occurred there and she became afraid of ghosts, so she came to work at the pharmacy instead.

Although he wasn't particularly clever, he wasn't stupid either. He knew who was close to him and who was distant, and his relationship with Mr. Pi was fairly good.

The Xu family's visit this time really gave her a hard time.

Hearing Li Ersao say this, the others chimed in, "Li Ersao is right. Li Laoshi is a bachelor, and he should have a wife by now."

Upon hearing this, Liu, who had been keeping her head down and pressing down on the paper, rebuked: "Your Aunt Qin would never get married. She's been staying at home since she was young. If she wanted to get married, she would have done so long ago."

She's finally made it through the tough times, and now she has children and grandchildren; she can just enjoy her life.