Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Xue Fenglin is still young...
Xue Fenglin was not fully recovered yet, his voice was hoarse and he could not stand very steadily. But the momentum is amazing.
Coupled with his tall stature, Wang Xiaolian was stunned by him at once. He took a few steps back in panic and hid behind Nanny Wang.
Seeing that Xue Fenglin didn't really come up to hit him, he plucked up the courage to curse: "What an adulterous couple, you are protecting them now! You two are having an affair without a matchmaker, so you should be driven out of the village and Shen Xuan should be thrown into the pig cage!"
"Village chief! This matter concerns the reputation of our Wang family, we can't just let it go!" Nanny Wang also put her hands on her hips and said to Li Youtian: "It's okay for an old woman like me, but the Wang family has two daughters-in-law and an unmarried boy. If we don't use the village rules to serve, what dignity do we Wang family have left to live with?"
The customs of the people in the Jin Dynasty were much more civilized than those in the previous dynasties. Except for a few remote areas, the custom of immersing pigs in cages had been abolished long ago, otherwise Shen Xuan would not have been so brave as to bring the person directly back to the house.
But unlike men, people are much more harsh on women and boys.
To invoke the village rules means to require Li Youtian to deal with Shen Xuan and the other person according to the village rules.
In a situation like that between Shen Xuan and Xue Fenglin, since Xue Fenglin was a man and not from the village, he was simply driven out with sticks, but Shen Xuan was taken to the village ancestral hall, had his pants taken off, and was beaten with a stick.
Although being beaten with a stick hurts, it is only a superficial injury and will heal eventually. The worst thing is that they took off their pants and beat them in front of everyone, and the bloody skin on the women or boys' faces was peeled off.
If you meet someone who is so desperate that he cannot bear it anymore, he will not be able to survive. There are many cases of them hanging themselves from the beams or jumping into the river on the same day of the beating.
In fact, although there are village rules in the village, there are always some private matters. Most of the time everyone turns a blind eye and there is no need to resort to village rules.
But the Wang family was relentless towards Shen Xuan. It was unclear whether they were bullying him because he was stupid and thought that he would not end up in a desperate situation even if he was punished according to the village rules, or whether they just wanted him to die.
Faced with the aggressive Wang family, the village chief Li Youtian was also somewhat embarrassed.
Even the villagers who were watching fell silent, waiting to see how the incident would end.
From the whispers of the villagers nearby, Xue Fenglin finally got a rough idea of what the village rules were.
His heart sank, thinking, isn't this going to let Shen Xuan die? A huge feeling of anger and panic arose! At the moment, he didn't care about anything else, just grabbed Shen Xuan's hand tightly and said: "Who dares to touch Shen Xuan? Unless you step over my dead body!"
Shen Xuan was stunned. He didn’t expect Xue Fenglin to defend him like this.
In fact, for him, taking off pants and being beaten with a stick, although humiliating, is not really a life-threatening situation. Besides, he had already planned to leave Yunshui Village. The outside world is so big, who knows who?
But the fact that Xue Fenglin could do this naturally moved Shen Xuan.
He thought that even if he got beaten, he would not regret it, because at least Lin Ye's rescue was not in vain.
Xue Fenglin's resolute attitude made Li Youtian even more embarrassed.
He is an outsider and Yunshui Village has no right to deal with him. We should deal with Chen Xuan, but the other party is trying to stop us and is still willing to fight to the death.
However, if he released them without any punishment, he would not be able to explain to the Wang family and he, as the village chief, would lose face.
Seeing Li Youtian hesitate again and again, the Wang family became anxious. This matter has become such a mess. If it is left unresolved, wouldn't people think that the Wang family is easy to bully?
Nanny Wang then spoke up again, "If we don't punish Chen Xuan, the boys and girls in the village will follow suit. Will our Yunshui Village still have a good reputation? This matter must be explained!"
Just when Li Youtian was in a dilemma, his wife Huang Erniang had an idea and whispered a few words into his ear.
Li Youtian's eyes lit up, and then he coughed, stroked his beard and said, "Nanny Wang is right. This matter must be explained. The rules of our Yunshui Village cannot be broken."
"Since you do not accept the village rules, there is another way for you."
"Brother, if you marry Chen Xuan now, you will be officially married. As long as you can give an explanation to Yunshui Village, there will be no need to punish you according to the village rules."
Shen Xuan and Xue Fenglin were both stunned. They never expected that the village chief would come up with this idea after thinking for a long time.
“I…” Shen Xuan was about to object, but he felt Xue Fenglin squeezed his hand hard, as if hinting at something.
He looked at Xue Fenglin, and saw that he gave him a reassuring look, then took a step forward and said, "I agree, let's do it."
Shen Xuan's eyes went dark, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings for a moment. I don't know whether Xue Fenglin's words are a temporary measure or not.
He never thought about getting married, no matter who that person was.
But there was no way to say much at this moment, so I could only remain silent.
But in his heart, he was thinking that after the matter was over, he would go back and talk it out with Lin Ye.
A scandal was turned into a happy event, and Li Youtian felt that he had handled it well.
The villagers also breathed a sigh of relief, and they all happily gossiped and praised the village chief for his solution. After all, who would want someone to die in the village?
The Wang family didn't expect things to develop in this direction, and they were so angry that their noses were crooked.
Wang Xiaolian wanted to make more trouble, but Nanny Wang comforted him, "Forget it, since the village chief said so, give him some face. Besides, that man looks ugly and lame, sick and has to lie in bed waiting for others to serve him. If he didn't have any problems, how could he be interested in a fool like Shen Xuan?"
After hearing this, Wang Xiaolian thought that Shen Xuan was going to suffer after getting married, and she felt much happier.
However, when they saw that the village rules were no longer applicable, they made a fuss and wanted to drive Shen Xuan out of the old house.
It was said that since Shen Xuan was married, she had to move out with this stranger, and he was not even allowed to live in the thatched hut in the backyard.
“Hmm…” Li Youtian thought for a moment, then said, “In that case, Shen Xuan, you guys should move to the empty house of Wang’s family at the west end of the village.”
Seeing the Wang family members stunned, Li Youtian said again: "Now that you Wang family members live in the old house of the Shen family, you insist on driving Shen Xuan out. Then he can't sleep on the streets, so he can only live in your old house of the Wang family? Anyway, your house is empty, so you can let Shen Xuan live in it in the future. Do you still want to move back?"
When the Wang family heard this, they were naturally unwilling to move back to their dilapidated old house. Although I was somewhat unwilling in my heart, I just let it go after cursing about it.
After all, compared with the Shen family's old house, the Wang family's old house is shabby and small. It's empty anyway, so Shen Xuan and his family just live there.
This incident lasted for the entire afternoon. As it was getting dark, the villagers went home to cook.
Shen Xuan went back and packed a few pieces of clothing, a total of a small bag, which he put in his usual backpack, and then left the Shen family's old house with Xue Fenglin.
Walking out of the old house and looking back at the big characters on the plaque at the door, Shen Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He did not feel any regret in his heart, but felt a sense of relief.
He has lived in this old house for more than ten years, but it is filled with bad memories. He originally planned to leave after saving enough money, but he accidentally escaped from the control of the Wang family ahead of time. This can be regarded as a reward for his good deeds of saving people!
Shen Xuan supported Xue Fenglin and walked west for about half a mile until they arrived at the old house of the Wang family.
This house has only a yard and two tiled houses. There is a small kitchen and a toilet on the east side of the tiled houses. It is not even as big as the backyard of the Shen family's old house.
But for Shen Xuan, who had lived in the utility room for a long time, the conditions in this tiled house were much better than before.
Xue Fenglin was still weak, and after walking for such a long time, he was now out of breath.
Shen Xuan first let Xue Fenglin rest in the yard, and then he started to clean the house busily.
After he finished his work, he came out and saw that Xue Fenglin was not idle either. Although he had difficulty moving, he had helped him clean up the kitchen.
Xue Fenglin was still injured, and was sweating profusely after finishing his work.
Shen Xuan quickly fetched a bucket of well water, rubbed it with a sackcloth, and asked him to wipe his face with it.
Because of the trouble caused by the Wang family today, they didn't even have time to eat lunch. As it was getting dark, I was already feeling extremely hungry.
Shen Xuan then said to Xue Fenglin: "Eat first, and we'll clean up the rest tomorrow. I'll make you a good meal!"
As Shen Xuan spoke, he rummaged in the backpack, first taking out the herbs that were spread on top, and then he took out four fresh bamboo shoots, two green fish, a piece of tofu and a bag of cornmeal from the bottom.
He had hidden these things long ago. He didn't want them to get away with the Wang family this time when he left the Shen family, so he brought them out as well.
Xue Fenglin was a little surprised when he saw Shen Xuan taking out so many ingredients like a magic trick.
He had been staying in the house before and didn't notice it, but was discovered by the Wang family today when he passed by the kitchen. He accidentally glanced at the lunch and found that there was only a scrambled egg besides the radish, and it was not even as good as the one Shen Xuan had prepared for him before.
I don't know how Shen Xuan, such a smart person, could be enslaved by the Wang family for so many years.
Shen Xuan saw Xue Fenglin's confusion and simply explained to him: "I fell into the water and injured my head when I was a child. I have been a little confused ever since. I just woke up a few days ago."
So that's how it is, no wonder those villagers called Shen Xuan a fool... Xue Fenglin felt sorry for Shen Xuan's experience, but at the same time, he was secretly glad.
If Shen Xuan had not been sober, he might have died at the entrance of the village this time. This was the fate between the two of them.
Shen Xuan went to the kitchen and quickly started washing vegetables and cooking. Xue Fenglin helped him to light the fire. Although he was not very skilled at the beginning, he mastered the trick after a while.
Since there was no cooking wine around, Shen Xuan cut a few slices of wild ginger, tied them together with scallions, and stuffed them into the fish's belly to remove the fishy smell. Cut the tofu into large pieces and throw them into the pot, adding only a small amount of salt.
Today’s black carp is wild and pollution-free, and the fish meat is naturally firm, fresh and sweet with a unique flavor.
While Shen Xuan was stewing the fish soup, he started to slice the bamboo shoots and boil them, then put the cornmeal into a clay pot to cook. After a while, when the water boiled, a pot of corn paste was ready.
At this time, Shen Xuan started to stir-fry the bamboo shoots. After the fresh bamboo shoots were cooked, he took the fish soup off the stove.
When you lift the lid of the fish soup pot, a rich aroma hits your nose, and underneath is a rich, milky white fish soup. Xue Fenglin swallowed his saliva after seeing this.
The two of them worked well together and the dish and soup were ready quickly.
This time, without the surveillance of the Wang family, Shen Xuan finally didn't have to hide and could set up the table and eat openly, which made him very happy.
The two had been hungry for too long, and the food was eaten up soon after it was served.
Xue Fenglin had tasted all kinds of delicacies in the Marquis' Mansion, but he felt that none of them could compare to the taste of this simple meal.
The fish soup made by Shen Xuan has fresh and tender fish meat without any fishy smell, the tofu is smooth and tender, and the bamboo shoots are very refreshing because they are fresh.
After he had eaten and drunk his fill, he finally regained his energy. He sat at the table somewhat contentedly and looked at Shen Xuan.
Under the dim oil lamp, Shen Xuan's face was a little rosy from eating. There was a smile on his thin face, and his long eyelashes cast a circle of furry shadows like tree branches under his eyes.
The night sky outside the window is filled with stars, and the sounds of insects and frogs are heard in the fields, blending together into a melody, making it very lively.
Away from the hustle and bustle of the capital, my heart found a rare peace.
This situation and scene was more comfortable than when he was in the Marquis' Mansion.
Xue Fenglin suddenly felt itchy in his heart, and he felt that Shen Xuan was very well-behaved and cute at this moment.
Although his background is a bit poor, but with such a personality, what's wrong with me marrying him?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but reach out to Shen Xuan, and then he heard the other party say: "The marriage is just a temporary measure today, Lin Ye, don't take it to heart."
Xue Fenglin was startled, and then he saw Shen Xuan looking at him very seriously and said, "I have already decided that I will never marry in this life. From now on, we can just be friends like before."
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