Chapter 12: Retribution Comes
The Chen family's land was in the northwest, a large area of farmland, but they were heading southwest, towards the land that Aunt Zhou had bought.
Aunt Zhou felt increasingly uneasy as she walked. "Isn't this the road to our land? Could something have happened to our land?"
Zhou Zhao walked at the front and looked ahead. "Mother, don't rush. Let's take a look first."
“Hmm,” Aunt Zhou nodded slightly.
Du Wanchun followed behind the two of them, looking around the area. There were small woods all around, and further ahead were fields.
Aunt Zhou originally bought a piece of abandoned land, not on the field, but behind a grove of trees, a secluded paradise surrounded by a forest.
She bought the land because she thought it was secluded.
The group walked through the woods and soon saw Jiang and Chen Tieniu by the field.
Standing amidst a clump of weeds, Jiang was terrified by the sight before her. Her body trembled slightly, and she cried out in a tearful voice, "My God, are you deliberately trying to torment me? Look at what you've done!"
All the rice seedlings that had been planted in the field had turned yellow, and the vegetables planted there had all been eaten by insects.
There was nothing left to eat in the entire field.
Chen Tieniu slumped to the ground, staring blankly ahead. After a long period of contemplation, he cursed at Jiang Shi, "It's all your fault! If you hadn't forcibly seized other people's land, would we be in this situation? I told you to do less bad things, but you wouldn't listen. Look at this, we've damaged our karma and are now suffering retribution!"
Jiang didn't believe him at all. She suddenly looked up at Aunt Zhou not far away and said fiercely, "It must have been you who did it! You're the ones who ruined my vegetables and rice!"
Old Chen shouted from the side, "Mom, stop talking nonsense! The rice turned yellow because the soil was too dry, and the vegetables rotted because there were too many bugs in the ground. Why are you blaming others? Blame yourself! You always refuse to help in the fields. If you had helped with irrigation and pest control, would things have turned out like this?!"
The eldest son of the Chen family was reasonable enough not to waste any more words with his mother. He picked up a hoe and turned over the soil, searching several places, but couldn't find any edible vegetables.
He threw down the hoe, squatted down, and covered his head in melancholy.
Chen Tieniu pulled up Jiang Shi and Chen Laoda and said, "Our family has more than just this piece of land. If Second Sister wants it, just give it to her. Instead of staying here for the funeral, we should go home, clean up the dead chicken, and find the piglets."
Of course, Mrs. Jiang didn't want to return the land and struggled, saying, "No, I just won't give the land to her!"
Chen Tieniu advised, "Look at this land, the rice and vegetables are all dead, it's very unlucky. Why don't we give it back to them and go back to cultivate our own land properly!"
The people of Changliu Village mostly believe in ghosts and spirits. The land was fine yesterday, but problems have arisen today. Who knows what evil spirits are lurking down there?
If you don't want it, you don't want it; Chen Tieniu is easygoing.
Jiang remained relentless, shouting in a shrill voice, "No! I'd rather let this land rot here than give it to Chen Yue'e!"
Chen Tieniu was furious. He raised his hand to strike Jiang, but quickly withdrew it and grabbed her arm, pulling her home.
Looking at the land in front of him, Old Chen felt increasingly uneasy and dared not stay there any longer. He picked up his hoe and ran towards Chen Tieniu and the others.
"Father, Mother!"
Before leaving, Chen Tieniu, dragging Jiang Shili along, forced a smile and said to Aunt Zhou, "Second Sister, if you want this land, just take it!"
Aunt Zhou didn't believe in superstitions and happily replied, "Alright, brother, you must keep your word and not let sister-in-law cause trouble again, otherwise we might really have to go to court."
"Don't worry, I can't afford to lose face." Chen Tieniu winced and slapped his face twice before leaving.
Jiang was filled with resentment and joined Chen Tieniu in making a scene, shouting, "Let me go! This land can't be given to them! It can't be!"
Chen Tieniu frowned and coldly rebuked her, "Are you ever going to stop?!"
Jiang was used to being domineering at home, so when Chen Tieniu yelled at her like that, she was really scared and quickly shut her mouth and didn't say anything more.
Chen Tieniu then frowned and glared at her a few more times. He rarely acted so fiercely, and Jiang Shi was so frightened that her legs went weak. Too much had happened in the past two days, and she didn't have the energy to make a scene anymore. She could only obediently follow Chen Tieniu home.
As soon as the Chen family left, Aunt Zhou ran happily into the field, exclaiming, "Great! We finally have our own land!"
Zhou Zhao followed her mother, her face full of smiles, but seeing the yellowed rice seedlings and rotten vegetables in the field, she couldn't help but feel melancholy again. "Mother, what should we do with the things in the field?"
Aunt Zhou was also puzzled at this moment. After a long while, she said, "We have to pull up all these seedlings and vegetables, and then turn over the soil and replant them."
Upon hearing their words, Du Wanchun quickly approached and said, "Mother, Third Brother, don't be anxious, let me take a look."
Aunt Zhou turned her head to look at Du Wanchun, "Wanchun, you?"
Du Wanchun squatted down, reached out and touched the vegetable leaves and the rice seedlings, and said, "Mother, don't worry, these can still be saved."
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