Chapter 70 The Screams of the Meng Family
At the foot of the mountain in Changliu Village lives a family surnamed Cao. Legend has it that their ancestors were county magistrates, but now their family has fallen on hard times and they have become farmers.
There were only two sons in the family, and the eldest son's wife was the Cao family's wife that Aunt Zhou mentioned.
Aunt Zhou wiped her hands and said while serving rice, "It seems she also has the surname Du, just like you. She's been married into our village for over ten years, but she hasn't been able to have children. A while ago, her younger brother gave her a baby girl to raise, and she's growing up to be very beautiful."
Du Wanchun sensed something was amiss and quickly asked, "Is her name Du Damei?"
Aunt Zhou nodded. "That's right, that's the name."
At this moment, Aunt Zhou suddenly realized something was wrong. "Wanchun, could she be your aunt? I remember your father gave your stepmother's child to your aunt to raise. Is that her?"
Du Wanchun nodded and glanced outside the door. "My eldest aunt got married early, and I don't know which family she married into. But after hearing what you said, Mother, I guess it's the Cao family."
The Cao family lived at the foot of the mountain, quite far from the village, so they didn't visit the other households in Pingheli very often.
Aunt Zhou got to know Du Wanchun's aunt because she had been going to the mountain to pick flowers recently.
Du Wanchun's aunt, who stayed at her husband's house all day, was unaware that she had married. If she had known that she had married into the Zhou family, she probably would have come looking for her long ago.
Aunt Zhou sighed and said, "Your aunt has a hard life. She is often bullied by her mother-in-law. I will take you to see her next time we go up the mountain."
Du Wanchun nodded.
At this moment, Zhou Ruiyuan and Zhou Zhao also arrived.
They went to the Wang family's house, completely subdued Wang Qiu, and then returned home laughing.
Aunt Zhou glanced at them and guessed that the matter must have been resolved, so she quickly served them rice.
After lunch, bricklayer He Quanyi arrived at the Zhou family's house with his tools, ready to measure their foundation.
Seeing that the old house was about to be replaced by a new one, Aunt Zhou couldn't stop smiling and quickly welcomed him into the house.
After measuring the foundation, He Quanyi discussed the layout of the new house with Aunt Zhou.
Aunt Zhou was born into wealth and was very knowledgeable. She had a lot of insights into the layout of the new house, which left He Quanyi stunned.
Fortunately, He Quanyi was a smart man. Before long, he had discussed the house-building arrangements with Aunt Zhou and a few days later he came to demolish the house and lay the foundation.
With He Quanyi's coming and going, the villagers soon learned that the Zhou family was going to build a house. They were all deeply moved, never expecting that this lonely widow would lead her family to turn their lives around.
Apart from the Chen and Meng families, most of the villagers were people who had suffered hardships. Although they were a bit stingy, they were not troublemakers. When they learned that the Zhou family was building a house, they didn't say anything except for sighs and envy. At most, they would take a few extra glances when passing by the Zhou family's house.
The Meng family, especially Aunt Meng, who was sitting at the table eating, fell off her chair as soon as she heard the news.
"What? What did you say? The widow's family is going to build a house?" Aunt Meng got up from the ground; her buttocks, where she had been bitten by a crocodile, still hurt.
Grandpa Meng nodded with a worried look on his face. "Yes, I just went to see. They're already preparing to lay the foundation."
Aunt Meng suddenly stood up and was about to walk outside. "I'll go and see too. I don't know how Widow Zhou managed to earn so much money."
Grandpa Meng pulled her back and said sternly, "Alright, stop meddling in other people's business. Now let's talk about our family."
Aunt Meng was taken aback. "What could possibly happen to our family?"
Old Master Meng, twitching his mustache, declared arrogantly, "I'm going to take a concubine!"
"Taking a concubine?" Aunt Meng nearly lost her footing. "What, you're still eyeing that widow from the Zhou family?!"
Grandpa Meng shook his head and said, "Who said it's you? It's Jiang from the next village. She wants to be with me!"
Aunt Meng was so angry after hearing this that she almost vomited blood. That Jiang girl was from the same hometown as her and they used to hang out together often. Now she comes to her house every few days. She never expected that she would seduce her husband.
She pointed at Grandpa Meng and angrily scolded, "You're so old and still not honest, all you think about is taking a concubine! Let me tell you, I'd rather die than agree to that!"
Unlike before, Grandpa Meng stood up and slammed his hand on the table, angrily saying, "Let me tell you, this time, whether you agree or not, I'm going to take her into the family."
Aunt Meng started throwing a tantrum, slapping her thigh and yelling in a shrill voice, "If you want to take her in, you'll be dead!"
"I don't need to wait for you to die, I'll divorce you now." Old Master Meng waved his hand and turned to leave.
Aunt Meng stood there, stunned. She hadn't expected that targeting the Zhou family was a mistake. The one who deserved to die the most was her old, still dishonest man.
She was so angry that she trembled all over, turned around, went into the house, grabbed a kitchen knife, and rushed out.
Soon after, a scream came from the Meng family.
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