Chapter 96 Who dares to mess with her?
Chen Erniang's husband listened to the noisy discussions outside the door, and he realized that he had been tricked by Sui Yu and had said the wrong thing. It was too late to change his words now. He didn't want to be embarrassed by being blocked here again, so he could only bite the bullet and turn back to get the money.
In just half a cup of tea, the ten taels of silver were brought in. Sui Yu called Sui Liang to bring a scale. She weighed the silver in public, deliberately disgusting everyone, and said, "The weight is enough. It's the ten taels of silver I lost. I didn't ask you for a penny more."
"Sui Yu, don't go too far!" Wang Xiu Niang was annoyed. "You know in your heart whether you lost the money or not."
"Oh, I said the wrong thing. It wasn't lost, it was stolen." Sui Yu smiled slightly, waving her bow and arrow to signal them to leave. "This time, for the sake of our neighbors, I won't pursue the matter as long as the money is returned. If you do it again, you'll kill me if you dare. As long as I can still breathe, I will do it to the death."
These words were said not only to Chen Erniang's family, but also to the onlookers. Anyone who wants to bully her should first consider their own abilities.
Chen Erniang had suffered a loss, but now she understood that not only had she lost ten taels of silver, but she had also been labeled a thief, a reputation that would haunt her forever. She was furious, but she dared not curse. She was now truly intimidated by Sui Yu, fearing that if she shouted any more, Sui Yu would have some tricks up his sleeve.
"It's out. Let me see. There's quite a bit of blood. But it's what they deserve. We're all neighbors from the same village. They're like bullies, kicking doors and scaring people at night when men aren't home." Dong Zi's mother spat. They're all women. Who wouldn't be scared when they hear the door slam in the middle of the night when they're home alone? She'd be nervous too, so she was disgusted by Chen Er Niang's behavior.
"The whole family is vicious."
"He also stole money. His hands are not clean."
Chen Erniang and her husband, and Wang Xiu Niang walked quickly with their heads down, listening to the curses, and the three of them dared not say a word.
Sui Yu handed Zhao Xiaomi a bag of silver and walked out, bow and arrow slung over her shoulder. The moonlight was perfect, and the alley was as bright as day. She glanced at the people standing on the street, taking in their reactions. When she looked back, her eyes met the face of someone peeking through the crack in the door—it was the old woman next door.
Sui Yu smiled, lowered her eyes and plucked the leather string, then raised her eyes again and the wooden door opposite had closed the last bit of the gap.
"I'm really sorry to disturb everyone in the middle of the night, and thank you all for coming to my aid and speaking a fair word. Before, my door was kicked in the middle of the night, and later I found that my money was stolen. I tried to endure it as much as I could, thinking that less trouble is worse than more. I was afraid that the neighbors would think I was deliberately causing trouble. However, I didn't expect that even though I was willing to settle the matter peacefully, the other party thought I was too easy to bully, and came to my house again to cause trouble, forcing me to fight with my life." Sui Yu sighed, she put down the bow and arrow with her hands, and became gentle and harmless again.
"The Li family is too bullying. Seven or eight days ago, around this time, I heard loud kicking on the door and opened it, but I didn't see anyone. I turned around and thought that she would stop because she knew the neighbors were watching. Who knew she was so bold and dared to steal money." Qin Dashun joined in. He had previously thought that it was a gangster who had taken a fancy to Sui Yu's beauty and came to harass her in the middle of the night.
"When was the money lost?" he asked.
Sui Yu shook his head and said, "I don't know either. This ten taels of silver was left for my family before Zhao Xiping left. I've never been willing to spend it. That night I heard a kick at the door, and I checked before leaving the next day. The silver was still there. The day before yesterday, I checked again, and the jar was empty."
There was no loophole in her words. There was a cause and effect and a follow-up, but she subconsciously concealed the place where the money was hidden, which made those who were skeptical believe her words completely.
"I will go to see the village chief tomorrow. Our village has always had a good atmosphere. I was not afraid of someone stealing my things when I left the door open. Now if a thief appears, it will be a big deal. Who would dare to go out without worry?" said a man.
"I'll go with you tomorrow and let the village chief talk to you." someone else said.
"Sui Yu, go into the house and sleep, bolt the door, it's time for us to go back." Qin Dashun instructed.
Sui Yu agreed. She went into the house and asked everyone else to leave. She closed the door and bolted it, then started to drive the pigs into the pen.
The pig refused to stay still after entering the pen, so Sui Yu threw a few carrots into the pen. After it ate the food, it stopped whining.
Sui Yu washed her hands and went into the house, and Zhao Xiaomi and Sui Liang followed closely.
"Third sister-in-law, was our house really robbed?" Zhao Xiaomi was now suspicious. She sighed worriedly, "You hid it so well that I didn't even know about it. I was just eating and drinking."
Sui Yu chuckled.
Zhao Xiaomi came back to her senses and hesitated, "It wasn't stolen?"
"No." Sui Yu smiled, "This bag of silver is free. I'll go chop three ribs and stew them in a couple of days. I haven't tasted ribs for more than two years."
Sui Liang's mind returned to her words. He stared at the jingling silver and said flatteringly, "Sister, I want some malt candy. It's three...six pieces. We'll each have two."
"Okay, I'll buy you five."
"Only for me?"
"Yes, it's yours alone." Sui Yu rubbed his head and said, "Go back to your room and sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow. By the way, if anyone asks you about it when you go out next time, don't be silly and say that you didn't lose any money."
"I'm not stupid." Sui Liang muttered and walked out.
The door closed, Sui Yu undressed and lay down, saying, "Xiaomi, blow out the oil lamp before you come up."
"Third sister-in-law, how do you know she will come and kick the door again tonight?" Zhao Xiaomi asked anxiously.
"I'm not sure, I just have this guess, so I'll keep it ready."
"You're so smart." Zhao Xiaomi was full of admiration. She hadn't noticed anything, but her sister-in-law had already caught the troublemaker. Thinking about the series of events tonight, she was extremely excited. She thought that even if she was fifteen years older, she might not be as skilled as her sister-in-law.
"Third sister-in-law, from now on you will be the person I admire and trust the most." Zhao Xiaomi was so excited that she couldn't sleep. She looked at the dark roof and said, "You are smarter than my parents. From now on, I will listen to you. You teach me. I also want to be smarter."
"You are a smart girl. Go to sleep and don't think too much. You have to get up early to set up the stall tomorrow." Sui Yu yawned. She was sleepy.
"Are you going to set up a stall tomorrow?"
"Well, we're not the ones who got hurt, so why don't we set up a stall to make some money?"
Zhao Xiaomi said "Oh", so calm.
The night returned to silence, and most of the people in the alley had gone to bed. At this time, sporadic footsteps were heard outside the alley. Chen Erniang was in so much pain that her husband had to carry her to the clinic that night to see a doctor.
"What's going on? Why did you go to her house?" the man asked angrily.
"Her door was unlocked. It was as if she knew I was coming and left it open for me." Thinking back on it now, Chen Erniang still breaks out in a cold sweat. She explained, "I kicked the door open and it flew open. I couldn't control my strength and rushed in. Just as I was about to run, the pig stepped on me. I couldn't run or get up. If I moved, the pig would bite me."
Chen Erniang was terrified. She clearly heard the sound of the pig's teeth biting through her flesh, as well as the sound of blood spurting out. She also smelled the stench of the pig and the fishy smell of blood. She felt so panicked when she recalled it.
"Before Qin Dashun came over, I saw Sui Yu had already opened the door and came out. She is a cruel person. She just watched helplessly as the pig gnawed and trampled on me." Chen Erniang cried in fear. "If Qin Dashun had come a little later, the pig would have gnawed off half of my face."
Her man felt a chill in his heart. Thinking of the look in Sui Yu's eyes when she pointed the arrow at him, he realized that he could not provoke her again.
"When your sister-in-law gives you some advice in the future, don't say anything. Let her do it herself," he said.
"Okay." After this incident, Chen Erniang was scared to death.
Thinking of the ten taels of silver she had given out, she asked, "Was that ten taels of silver given by us, or by my eldest brother?"
"It's my salary. Tomorrow, ask my eldest brother to give me five taels, and we will split it equally between our two families."
"Also, I have to ask my elder brother and sister-in-law for money for medical treatment for my injury."
When they arrived at the clinic, the couple shut up at the same time.
At daybreak, the couple who had stayed in the clinic for half the night were walking back. On the way, they happened to meet Sui Yu leading a camel to set up a stall. Chen Erniang, with the slap mark still on her face, did not dare to say anything about paying for her life.
The three people who were walking face to face moved away. Sui Yu led the camel away, and Chen Erniang and her husband also walked back quickly.
People eating by the roadside observed this and began to discuss the situation, saying, "Look at how cowardly they seem. It doesn't seem like Sui Yu is wrongly accusing them. And yet, Lady Wang Xiu is still stubborn, shouting that it was Sui Yu who was slandering her brother and sister-in-law."
"Anyway, I won't give money after being wronged." Aunt Sun said, "Who among you will give money?"
"Haha, I haven't done anything wrong. Even if Sui Yu slashed my neck with a knife, I wouldn't give her money."
"I won't give it to you. Ten taels of silver. A year's crops have been wasted. You might as well cut my neck."
"But Sui Yu was really powerful last night. Did you see that? She was quite intimidating when she pointed her arrow at the couple. I was trembling inside watching her. Regardless of whether Chen Erniang stole the ten taels of silver, if her husband hadn't brought the silver last night, I don't think she would have been able to escape."
"What are you talking about?" Dongzi's mother brought the bowl over.
"Speaking of Sui Yu, she's quite formidable, not as honest as she looks." Aunt Daguang peeked into her bowl and asked, "What are you eating?"
"Noodle dumpling soup." Dongzi's mother shook her chopsticks and said, "Even a pig will bite when it's angry, let alone a human. But I won't provoke her. Whether she's fierce or not is none of my business."
"Who dares to mess with her? Her life is worthless, but we are a big family, young and old." Aunt Daguang laughed, "I wonder if she will buy eggs again. My family picked up three eggs this morning."
Aunt Sun boasted about her good relationship with Sui Yu, and she said generously, "I'll ask her when she comes back."
Not long after she finished speaking, Sui Yu passed by with a camel chewing grass. Hearing Aunt Sun's question, she smiled and said, "I'm not sure whether to buy it or not. If I decide to buy it, I'll tell you in advance."
"Okay, I'll save the eggs for two or three days and keep the big ones for you," said Aunt Sun.
After two more trips, Sui Yu transported all the items for the stall over, Zhao Xiaomi sent the camel back, and then Sui Liang drove the pigs, sheep, and camels out to graze.
When passersby saw the pig gnawing at people, some children hurriedly called their children home. They all told their children to stay away from pigs and never fight or quarrel with Sui Liang when the pig was around.
At noon, the village chief arrived and went to the Li family to reprimand them for their dishonest behavior. Wang Xiu Niang denied anything, and Chen Er Niang also claimed she hadn't stolen anything. However, they had paid compensation, and the crowd of onlookers had convinced them that they were thieves. The village chief scolded the two Li brothers and declared, "You better behave yourself. If anyone in the village loses anything again, and I find out it's your fault, you'll pack up and leave. Don't live in our village anymore."
The two Li brothers didn't dare to talk back and could only accept it.
Now, let alone setting up a stall to sell buns, it is difficult for the family to go out. If they go out alone, they are afraid of being slandered. If they go to crowded places, they can't stand the sarcastic and defensive looks. So the Li family can only stay at home.
They also quarreled at home. Li Laoer asked Li Laoda for money every day. The two brothers fell out over the ten taels of silver.
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