Yan Xia never expected that her usually gentle eldest daughter could be so fierce when she got angry.
She winked at Xiaoji and her youngest daughter.
The two pulled Chang Yu to the backyard.
"Xiao Li, you saw it too. When has my Chang Yu ever acted like this? Everyone heard what Tian Shi said to me. Taking advantage of my absence from the shop, they came to cause trouble. Tian Shi's grandson even dared to harass Chang Yu. How dare they be so arrogant in broad daylight? Where is the law? I'll pay you money? I'll pay you with my life. Do you want it or not? I'm afraid you can't afford it!"
Xiao Li, Tian killed eight of her granddaughters. I think you should investigate. Aren't women's lives valuable? If everyone here thought like Tian, would any woman in this world survive? You, me, and her would all become wandering ghosts! Without women, this world would have perished long ago, not even lasting three generations! It's utterly despicable! You don't value other people's lives, yet you dare to implicate my family. Does your grandson even deserve to marry my daughter?
"I'm making this clear: whenever my two daughters want to get married, I will provide each of them with a dowry of one thousand taels of silver! Do you even have the right to try and get involved with my daughters? You're a penniless wretch who can't even pull out ten taels of silver, and you can't even read a single word, yet you claim my daughters can't get married. I think you're just after the Yan family's wealth. You'd better watch out for your petty gains."
Yan Xia originally wanted to say that the dowry would be 10,000 taels.
However, fearing that flaunting their wealth would attract unwanted attention, they changed their tune and said one thousand taels.
A thousand taels is still quite a lot.
You could buy a big house in Shuangqiao Town.
Many of the people watching the play around couldn't even afford a thousand taels of silver.
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped.
Many people were angered by Yan Xia's words and began to condemn the Tian family.
"I really thought this old woman was pitiful because she was crying so much. It turns out she's carrying the burden of so many innocent lives. It's outrageous! Don't women's lives matter? Manager Yan is right. If everyone were like her, neither you nor I would survive. How could we enjoy our good life today? Officers, arrest her!"
"Yes, yes, arrest her! It's such a pitiful thing, she died right after being born and never even saw the world. Although my family loves my grandson more, we would never mistreat our granddaughter. She is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I will find her a good family to marry into in the future, and no one will be allowed to bully her!"
“My grandmother is just like this vicious woman. If my father hadn’t moved out with my mother, I probably would have drowned in the chamber pot too. She’s so incredibly old-fashioned and has killed so many people. Aren’t you a woman too? If you think women shouldn’t live in this world, then go die! How can you be worthy of living?”
"Officers, arrest this wicked woman immediately and torture her severely. Her heart is black; she has killed countless people. She even dares to cause trouble at Manager Yan's shop. I just saw her grandson; he didn't even pay and just grabbed some peach cakes to eat, acting like a child who has a mother but no one to raise him."
"Isn't that what happens when someone is born but not raised? Both parents are dead, and the grandmother is a heartless woman. What good could they possibly raise? Haven't you heard the saying 'like father, like son'? His very roots are rotten!"
"Arrest them! Arrest them! Arrest their whole family!"
Arrest him—
Arrest him—
"......"
The crowd shouted loudly.
Without exception, Zuo Li arrested the Tian family.
It was clear that the Tian family had incurred the wrath of the masses.
Those who could frequently patronize Yan's Pastry Shop, even if they weren't extremely wealthy, were certainly not short of money.
In such families, even if they favor sons over daughters, it's not something they show on the surface. Besides, these women who sell pastries are all educated and have their own thoughts, so they were swayed by Yan Xia's words.
Everyone was urging the officials to arrest Tian.
Zuo Li's face grew increasingly dark.
"Outrageous! This is truly vicious! Guards, take the entire Tian family to the county office. Do not let a single one escape. After a thorough interrogation, I will report to the county magistrate!"
The Tian family was trembling with fear.
When they heard Yan Xia call Zuo Li "Xiao Li," they felt uneasy. Who would dare to call an official by his nickname?
He was clearly familiar with the officials.
"No, sir! Yan Xia is talking nonsense, she's just making things up. I'm not going, I'm not going to the county government office."
Tian got up from the ground, shouting "No!" and tried to slip away, but was grabbed and held down by the officers.
"Sir, none of this has anything to do with me. It was all my mother's doing. I didn't do anything." Zhu Qiumei was missing a front tooth, so she spoke with a lisp. She pushed all the blame onto Tian Shi, but Zuo Li completely ignored her.
At Zuo Li's command, several officers arrested Tian Shi, Zhu Qiumei, Li Changdui, Li Changquan, and Zhu Guijiu.
The crowd cheered loudly.
Some people secretly picked up stones from the ground and threw them at Tian, who had two daughters.
It hurts like a precious treasure.
"Did you just hear that? Manager Yan said she's going to give each of her two daughters a dowry of one thousand taels of silver. Wow, that's quite a generous gesture. You won't find another like it in town. It's a pity I don't have any sons of marriageable age. Otherwise, I would really like to have my son marry Manager Yan's daughter. I would definitely treat her like my own daughter."
"Haha, don't be delusional. Your small house has housed three generations. If you marry Manager Yan's daughter, where do you expect her to live? In the woodshed? You know, a good match is essential, right?"
"My house is big enough, but my son is already a father. What a pity, what a pity."
"Your son looks like a wild boar, while Manager Yan's daughters are all beautiful. Don't you dare ruin them."
"Hey, why are you talking so rudely? So what if your son is handsome? Too bad your son just got engaged, you don't get any benefit from it."
"Do you think I'm like you? My family can't afford an equivalent dowry. Forget it, my daughter-in-law is quite nice too."
"........"
The remaining people discussed what Yan Xia had just said.
After all, a dowry of one thousand taels is considered a lot even in Jiangnan County or the capital.
Not to mention the small town of Shuangqiao.
Many houses here cost less than a thousand taels.
"Alright, everyone, go home now. The show's over. If you want to buy pastries, line up."
Yan Xia spoke up and chased away the onlookers; that sanctimonious hypocrite had already quietly slipped away.
She was probably afraid that Yan Xia would cause her trouble.
"Mother, what's wrong? Jing Shui and I went to the butcher shop to get some goods just now. What happened?"
Just as Yan Xia was about to go to the backyard to check on her daughter, she saw Chang Lujingshui walk in carrying two burlap sacks. The sacks were still stained with blood, indicating that the girl had been killed recently.
"It's nothing. You and Jingshui go about your business. The restaurant is busiest at lunchtime, so don't neglect the customers. We can talk more about it after we close up shop and go home tonight."
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