Chapter 146
The commotion at Aunt Mu's house was quite loud. Mu Lingyun, who had been called home by Hunter Mu to pick up the pheasants he had prepared, had just returned home when he heard the noise. He threw the six pheasants into the kitchen and immediately ran over.
"Si'er, give me the knife."
Zhou Si paused, still holding the knife, and frowned as she asked, "Why did you get here? Where are Grape and the others?"
"Be with your father and stepfather, sweetie, give me the knife, don't hurt yourself."
Zhou Si looked down and saw that the grip on his hand had loosened a bit, so Mu Lingyun took the opportunity to snatch the butcher knife back from his hand.
He turned to the two young men beside him, who looked to be around ten years old, and said, "Tie Niu, Xiao Dong, you two go and call the village chief over. While you're at it, call your brother Lin and your sister Lin over too."
Tie Niu and Xiao Dong lived right next to Mu Lingyun's house. Since they were so close, Zhou Si would always bring them a bowl of stew whenever they bumped into each other.
The two women admired Mu Lingyun greatly. She had a virtuous husband and could eat meat every now and then. In their hearts, Mu Lingyun was their role model.
As soon as Mu Lingyun finished speaking, the two of them dashed out, leaving only the words, "Okay!"
Just then, Aunt Mu's door suddenly opened, and Qian Tong was on the verge of tears, her eyes red and swollen, looking incredibly pitiful.
Zhou Si noticed that he was now thin and frail, and although they were about the same age, he looked about ten years older.
Her exposed hands were chapped, suggesting that she hadn't had a good time at Aunt Mu's house.
“Si-ge’er, no… don’t invite the village chief. My mother said that she didn’t spread the rumors that Jin-ge’er was having an affair.”
Zhou Si snorted lightly, "You have the guts to slander people, but not the guts to come out and confront me face to face. You coward."
"Si'er, what are you saying?!"
Hiding behind Qian Tong, Mu Liang's face was flushed. His gaze towards Zhou Si was filled with regret, remorse, resentment, and hatred... a complex mix of emotions.
Mu Lingyun, holding a butcher's knife, stood beside Zhou Si, his face cold, and said in a deep voice, "How dare you call me Si'er?!"
Mu Liang immediately shrank back, not daring to say another word.
Zhou Si scoffed, thinking he must have been blind to have fallen for such a thing back then.
Aunt Mu was called a turtle and a bastard by Zhou Si, so she couldn't sit still in the house.
He trotted over with small, quick steps, pointed at Zhou Si's nose, and cursed, "You bastard, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mu Lingyun, his face full of rage, picked up a butcher's knife and chopped off a corner of the door frame.
Aunt Mu's legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground. Qian Tong and Mu Liang both took ten steps back, neither daring to go forward to help her up.
"Say it again?!"
Looking at Mu Lingyun's menacing face, Aunt Mu dared not say another word.
Trembling, she tried to defend herself, "I... Jin-ge'er wouldn't let my son work at his house, and I was so angry that I said a few words, but... I didn't say that Jin-ge'er was having an affair."
As Aunt Mu spoke, she suddenly seemed to gain confidence, and her voice became louder.
“It was your mother who said it herself, that Zhuohua wasn’t friendly to her and didn’t seem like a member of your Zhou family.”
Upon hearing this, the villagers who were watching immediately erupted in commotion.
Zhou Lin, who had been called over by Xiao Dong, was holding a thick wooden stick that he had casually picked up from the back room. His face was so gloomy it could bring a downpour.
"What did you say?!"
Aunt Mu looked at the wooden stick in his hand, which could be swung at a person with one blow, and swallowed hard, her body trembling.
"I... I'm telling the truth."
Looking up, she saw the man who had been chatting with Zhou Wushi and her earlier, and hurriedly pointed at him with trembling fingers, saying, "If you don't believe me, ask Lin Fulang, the Lin family. Tell me, didn't Zhou Lin's mother say those words?"
Everyone immediately turned their attention to Lin Huzi's cousin.
Lin Fulang looked left and right, wondering how this had gotten onto him.
"this……"
"The New Year is just around the corner, and there's still no peace!"
Mu Genfa arrived late, his face full of annoyance.
Lin Fulang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quietly hid behind him.
Zhou Lin gripped the wooden stick tightly in his large hand, veins bulging. "Village chief, I want to sever ties with my family!"
These words caused an uproar among the crowd.
Mu Genfa frowned deeply; this matter was unlikely to end well today.
He sighed. Tie Niu had told him almost everything on the way, and he understood.
They gathered a few men, took Aunt Mu and her family, and went to the Zhou family in a menacing manner.
Mu Jin is his cousin, so both publicly and privately, he has to make this decision for him.
This week, Mrs. Wu is the same. She's so old, and her eldest son is so successful. Why is she making such a fuss?
What good does it do for Mu Jin to have a bad reputation?
A large group of people rushed to the Zhou family. Mu Jin was at home thinking about it and felt uneasy. She asked Wen Zhaoran to take care of the children at home and rushed over.
Mu Genfa called over Zhou's grandfather, great-grandfather, and other key members of the Zhou family, who gathered around the main room of the Zhou family.
The villagers were locked out of Zhou's house, unable to see the commotion, and felt extremely restless and anxious.
In the main room of the Zhou family, Zhou Wushi's face was swollen and red. At such an old age, she had been slapped by her own husband, and her tears of humiliation flowed like a stream.
Zhou Ming has become much thinner over the years, and his face has darkened considerably. He is currently frowning as he looks at Zhou Wu, who is sitting on the ground crying, seemingly lost in thought.
"My dear husband, I only said that Zhuohua and I are not close, but I never said that Jin'er cheated on me. He is my eldest son's husband. Even if he really did cheat, I would never air my dirty laundry in public. It's all because of this stinking woman, with her foul mouth from the cesspool, talking nonsense!"
Zhou Wu was in tears. She hated Zhou Lin and Mu Jin for the good life they were living now. Those lives should have belonged to the second son or her youngest son.
She didn't want to admit that she had mistaken a fish eye for a pearl, and she couldn't bear to see her eldest son, whom she looked down upon, living his life ahead of others.
With that scoundrel Mu Jin in charge, no matter how good life is, she won't get a single bit of benefit.
Otherwise, her youngest son wouldn't be unable to attend school in town due to a lack of money.
Zhou Wu was filled with resentment and bitterness, never considering whether Zhou Qiang was academically inclined, nor how much she had wronged Zhou Lin from childhood to adulthood.
She only regretted that she couldn't reach him or suck his blood.
Mu Lingyun held a butcher's knife, while Zhou Lin gripped a thick wooden stick, their faces cold.
Aunt Mu dared not admit that it was just her making things up based on hearsay.
He said urgently, "We and the Lin family heard it all. You implied that Zhuohua, that young man, isn't a descendant of your Zhou family. Don't deny it! Village Chief, the Lin family can testify for me!"
The grandfather of the Zhou family was so angry that his chest heaved. He pointed at Zhou Wushi, wanting to curse, but he didn't know what to say.
"You, you really are a wonderful daughter-in-law that my Zhou family has brought home! You troublemaker, what kind of mess have you made of our perfectly good home before you're satisfied!"
Zhou Wushi sat on the ground, tears streaming down her face, being scolded by Zhou's grandfather, who pointed at her and dared not utter a word.
After scolding her for a while, he calmed down and said to Zhou Lin, "Your mother may have said it unintentionally, but someone with ulterior motives overheard it and exaggerated it into nonsense."
As he spoke, he glared fiercely at Aunt Mu.
Zhou Lin's face darkened, and he uttered only one sentence: "I want to sever ties with my family!"
Grandpa Zhou patted the wooden chair. "Lin'er, don't act impulsively. How can this bloodline be severed!"
This time, Zhou Lin was determined. "Grandpa, even if it means going to court, getting beaten, or being stabbed, I'm still going to make this marriage a done deal!"
Upon hearing this, the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
An honest person, when angered, can be more frightening than someone with a bad temper.
Zhou Laosan had a somber face, and Zhou Wushi didn't shed a tear, her head lowered, her expression unreadable.
Zhou Qiang stared wide-eyed, his face filled with shock, as if he didn't recognize Zhou Lin.
Zhou Fengnian shook his head. His third brother's family had truly fallen apart.
Hibiscus chuckled, drawing attention in the quiet room.
"Ah Lin, are you really your parents' biological child? To be honest, I really can't believe it. It's truly rare to see such parents in the surrounding villages."
Mu Genfa said in a deep voice, "Jin-ge'er! Don't talk nonsense!"
Zhou Laosan looked at Zhou Lin standing next to Mu Jin. He was their biological child, and because he was their firstborn, he and Zhou Wushi had doted on him when he was young.
Zhou Laosan couldn't remember when it started, when he no longer had eyes for him or in his heart.
Now, Zhou Lin is the most promising man of his generation in the Zhou family, so it is impossible for Zhou's grandfather to agree to sever ties with him.
For a moment, the main room fell into a stalemate.
Mu Gen sighed, "Our Mu Family Village has never had a family break off ties. Young Lin, please don't bring this up again."
Zhou Lin's eyes immediately reddened, and he said angrily, "I have never dared to slack off since I was a child. I work every day to support my family. I dare not hide a single penny of the money I earn. When Jin'er married me and fell ill, I was so anxious that I couldn't even afford to pay for his medical treatment. As for my parents, I can say with my hand on my chest that I have never been unfilial! Even though my mother ruined my family's vegetable garden, no matter how angry I was, I never missed the gifts during festivals. The meat, eggs, and wine I received were more than those of the other men in the village who had separated from their families!"
Zhou Lin's tearful lament was like a heavy hammer blow to everyone's hearts.
"But what have I gotten in return?! A tattered cotton coat that lets in the wind, or a dilapidated thatched hut overgrown with weeds! I don't blame you for that, I just consider it my duty as your son to repay the debt of life I owe you! But now you're leading people to slander my son, Mother! Have you ever thought about how harmful rumors are? Three men can make a tiger, how many mouths do Ah Jin and I have to clear things up! How are my son Mugua supposed to live in the village from now on?!"
After Zhou Lin finished shouting, his face turned bright red, his eyes wide open, and he hated Zhou Wu Shi to the core.
Mu Jin gently patted him, then her eyes reddened.
Grandfather Zhou slammed his hand on the chair. "A wife should be virtuous! A wife should be virtuous!"
With red eyes, Zhou Wu raised her head and said, "I...I am your mother! How can you not recognize me!"
Zhou Laosan seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. "Wu Shi, today our marriage is over!"
Zhou Qiang's eyes widened in disbelief. "Dad!"
Zhou Wushi burst into laughter, appearing rather mad.
With red eyes, he glared at Zhou Laosan and said, "You want to divorce me?! You know everything I've done, and now you want to act like a good father? Dream on!"
Mu Jin sneered inwardly. So, even Zhou Wu knew she was doing something wrong?! She knew it perfectly well!
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