Chapter 10: Settling Accounts One by One
Zhou Cuihua is a well-known violent and arrogant person in Feishui Village.
Her mother-in-law died early, leaving only a paralyzed old man for her and her husband Chen Changshui to raise.
As a result, her father-in-law, who was old and had bad teeth, told her twice that her cooking was hard, so Zhou Cuihua picked up a kitchen knife and started chopping vegetables in the yard.
The clanging noise was caused by someone chopping and cursing at the same time, leaving deep grooves on the cutting board. When Chen Changshui came home from work, he saw the noise and stood at the door, not daring to go in or make a sound.
The poor old man was later said to have been angered to death by her.
Chen Changshui was also a coward. He was in a bad mood for a few days but didn't say a word. Once his father was buried, the matter was over.
Seeing He Chunxiu going over with her what happened two days ago, Zhou Cuihua leaned forward and her eyes widened.
"He Chunxiu, what does this have to do with you? This is a different time, don't you understand?!"
"But that morning, Sister Cuihua, you promised it, and there were so many villagers testifying, how could you go back on your word?"
He Chunxiu held Baoya in her arms and stood on tiptoe anxiously.
But Zhou Cuihua is fearless and acts like a rogue and is unreasonable.
"What? Just because someone testified, it's all right? Baoya was originally raised by our Chen family, and that was with the approval of the head of the village, Liu, and a written agreement! Does the head of the village know about it now? It doesn't count! I regretted it, so what?"
"I'm going to say this today. Either you find Liu Lizheng and we can reconsider the issue of Baoya's ownership! Or, your family can just give you half a sheep, and Baoya's issue will be resolved. From now on, Baoya will belong to your family, and I won't say anything else."
"There are no more sheep," Zhao Zhilan glared at her. "Zhou Cuihua, whatever you said two days ago doesn't count. I'm going to give you the mutton. Next time we have other meat, you shameless bastard dare to come here!"
"Tsk, believe it or not, forget it if you don't believe it!"
Zhou Cuihua rolled her eyes and said, "The mutton is stewed, so it can be converted into silver. Calculated at fifty taels per sheep, you have to give me at least twenty-five taels!"
"Zhou Cuihua, you are such a jerk! If you want money, just say so. You just let me talk when my lips touch yours!"
Zhao Zhilan was really angry. This guy was so shameless.
After beating around the bush for so long, it seems like he's just asking her for money! I don't know how he got the nerve to do that!
Zhao Zhilan really felt that she was old and still engaged in a verbal battle with this shameless shrew. Zhou Cuihua didn't feel embarrassed, but she herself felt cheap.
So he frowned and waved his hand impatiently at Zhou Cuihua: "We don't have any silver, and even if we did, you wouldn't have it."
"If you insist on getting on with this nonsense with me, let's go and ask Liu Lizheng to come over, and we'll settle Baoya's matter again. It seems you haven't given Baoya the two acres of land yet."
After she finished speaking, she waved to Wang Cailian beside her and said, "Go, ask Liu Lizheng to go."
Wang Cailian responded and turned around and left.
It was so noisy so early in the morning that many villagers had gathered to watch.
Sun Manxiang, who was carrying a basket, was about to go to the fields when she heard the commotion here and came over with her loudmouthed Wang Yuqin.
Seeing Zhou Cuihua rolling up her sleeves, he frowned and said, "If you ask me, Zhou Cuihua, just forget it. Li Zheng Liu has always been fair. If you really invite him here, you won't end up well either."
"It's none of your business!" Zhou Cuihua glared at her. "I just can't get over this. Why is it that the Yun family gets to eat meat as soon as that damned girl Baoya arrives?!"
"We, the Chen family, have raised her for two years, and we haven't seen her repay us in any way! She's never given us anything good!"
"That's because you guys are not doing good deeds and are abusing the children." Sun Manxiang said unhappily.
"You're just talking nonsense! Even if I really gave you the opportunity to raise him, you wouldn't necessarily be able to do it well!"
Wang Yuqin also interjected: "Oh, that's not necessarily true! Manxiang's family only has a boy, if they had a daughter, she would be very beautiful."
"You're the only one who can talk!" Zhou Cuihua glared at her. "You're so good at making arrangements, why didn't you step forward and take Baoya away?"
"Bah! All you can do is talk!"
While they were arguing here, Liu Lizheng had already arrived.
"Everyone take a break! Li Zheng Liu is here!"
Zhao Zhilan raised her voice and yelled, and the three people who were arguing here stopped talking.
Liu Lizheng is over 50 years old this year. He is thin and about the same age as Zhao Zhilan.
He stood among the crowd, hunched over, and coughed, "Ahem! The eldest daughter-in-law of the Yun family told me everything about Baoya. Zhou Cuihua, if you're willing to settle the score again, I'll go over this account with you all from the beginning."
Zhou Cuihua was furious at being bullied by a group of people. She tugged at her messy hair and vented her anger: "Forget it! Who's afraid of who? I, Zhou Cuihua, am upright and honest. I don't take advantage of others! But don't even think about taking advantage of me!"
She felt confident in her heart. After all, their Chen family had raised Baoya for two years. Although she was a little thinner, she was still lively and energetic. No matter how to calculate it, the Yun family would have to subsidize them for Baoya's food expenses. Their family could not raise her for nothing for the past two years, and they could not lose out!
In the beginning, they agreed to raise Baoya because her parents left her two acres of land. Now that the girl is no longer hers, their family must see a return for their efforts over the past two years.
Liu Lizheng didn't know what Zhou Cuihua was thinking, but he had already taken out the document from that year.
On a yellowed piece of straw paper, large black characters read:
In the 32nd year of the Geng year, Baoya, an orphan girl from Feishui Village, was given to be raised by Chen Changshui and Zhou Cuihua of the Chen family. She was also given two mu of land, which the Chen couple cultivated until Baoya reached adulthood. If Baoya were abandoned or given to someone else for care, the two mu of land would be transferred or returned to her.
Below the black words are Baoya’s small red handprint and Zhou Cuihua’s big handprint.
Once the fingerprint is pressed, it becomes effective. Even if it is brought to the authorities, there will be written evidence.
Liu Lizheng read the document aloud in front of the villagers, then waved it in front of Zhou Cuihua:
"Did you see it? It was you who put your fingerprints on it."
Zhou Cuihua was dumbfounded when she saw the black words on the white paper and the red handprints.
But if she just let it go like this, then she would not be Zhou Cuihua.
"That won't do!" She twisted her neck and breathed out through her nose. "I'm just an illiterate village woman. I made the fingerprints correctly, but how would I know what you wrote? You're just an old man with half his body buried in the ground. Whatever you say is up to you!"
Liu Lizheng was so angry at her words that he almost fainted.
Zhao Zhilan couldn't tolerate her bad habits: "Zhou Cuihua, don't throw a tantrum, and don't think that no one can control you. If you don't accept it, let's meet at the county government office. I want to see what the official has to say!"
"Tsk! I don't want to bother with that!" When it comes to meeting the official, Zhou Cuihua is really scared.
But her neck stiffened, and she came up with another excuse: "Even if the land is transferred to the Yun family, what about Baoya's food? What about her daily clothes and daily necessities? Can two acres of land be enough to offset it?!"
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