"Hypocritical," Xie Lao Er muttered under his breath, "They've already threatened to sever ties, why bother with all this pretense?"
Intentionally trying to disgust people? That was his malicious speculation.
"If you can't speak, just pretend you're mute," Huang Lao Er raised his fist. "Say one more word, and I'll beat you to a pulp."
Upon hearing this, and recalling how Huang Lao Er had kicked a large hole in the door, Xie Lao Er immediately dared not say anything more.
Madam Xie remained unmoved by her second brother's words. She turned her head and looked at Jiang Nuan with hopeful eyes, her eyes slightly moist. "Mother, could you give me another ten taels of silver?"
"Okay." Jiang Nuan nodded and handed over the silver.
Madam Xie took the money and handed it to Xie the eldest, saying, "This money is for Mother's retirement."
The silver was placed in Xie Laoda's palm, and then he obediently walked to Jiang Nuan's side, "Mother, let's go home."
"Yes, let's go home!"
After the Huang family left, looking at Xie the eldest, who was biting the silver, the clan chief couldn't hide his disappointment. "You guys are so foolish!"
The money for her father's funeral was given out, and the money for her mother's old age was also given. Everything was done so thoroughly that even if they severed ties, no one could find fault with it.
On the contrary, the Xie family became a huge joke.
Fortunately, the Huang family won't spread the word.
Thinking of this, Chief Xie felt somewhat pleased with his foresight.
"Clan leader," Old Lady Xie said impatiently, "can you please stop saying such discouraging things? Is it really that much of an eyesore for you that our family gets the money?"
“Foolish woman,” Chief Xie said with his hands behind his back, giving a cold snort, “You’ll regret this someday.”
I originally wanted to severely punish these people, but now I think I'll pass.
Anyway, their future won't be any better, so it's better not to get your hands dirty.
Thinking of his cousin lying there all alone, Chief Xie finally softened his heart.
“That’s enough,” he sighed. “You all have a good time.”
He would never care about the life or death of this family again, not even his own nephew.
After saying that, he left.
I never want to step through this door again in my lifetime.
"Pah!" Old Mrs. Xie couldn't help but curse, "What rubbish!"
"Mother," Xie Laoda said, displeased, "keep your voice down, he hasn't gone far yet."
"Exactly, what if they hear that we're being targeted?"
"He wouldn't dare," Old Mrs. Xie sneered. "A good-for-nothing, always afraid of this or worried about that, what can he possibly accomplish?"
Outside the door, Chief Xie paused upon hearing these words, gritting his teeth, "You heartless bastard!"
“Let’s not talk about such depressing things,” Xie Laoda said excitedly. “We’ve gained fifteen taels of silver. We’ll buy some good food to celebrate tomorrow.”
"Let's buy pea cakes, I've never had them before."
"Okay, I'll buy you two to try."
"Unfortunately, this money can only be taken once..."
The clan chief Xie didn't listen to the rest, and hunched over, he walked back under the starlight.
My heart ached with a bitter feeling, and I kept thinking that I had done something wrong.
Is it really worth losing the Huang family's support for these beasts?
Perhaps only time can answer this question.
On the oxcart, Xie Shi remained listless and dispirited.
From a young age, she had been thinking about how to get rid of these awful family members. But after she actually got rid of them, she found that she wasn't as happy as she had imagined. Instead, she felt uneasy.
A sense of unease, like a rootless duckweed.
Feeling empty and unsettled is very unsettling.
Jiang Nuan rubbed her head, "Are you sad?"
“No,” Xie shook her head, “I won’t be sad for them.”
They're just a bunch of scumbags; they're not worth getting upset about.
"Why do you feel so down? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"I feel so sad," Xie Shi nuzzled Jiang Nuan's arm with her head. "Mother, I won't have a family to rely on anymore. Will you look down on me?"
"Of course not, don't overthink it," Jiang Nuan chuckled. "Whether you have a maternal family or not won't affect your status."
"Yes, I know, I just want to confirm it again."
Only by hearing it with my own ears can I feel at ease.
After all, in this vast world, there was nowhere else for her to go but the Huang family.
“If you can’t bear to part with them,” Jiang Nuan pinched her cheek, “you can find an excuse to reconnect with them later. Don’t be upset.”
"No, I'm not going to be that stupid. I finally managed to shake them off."
"Then don't think about it anymore. Cheer up. I'll take you to the county town tomorrow. I heard that a batch of brocade has been imported from Jiangnan. I'll make you two nice outfits."
"Only for me?"
"Yes, I'll only make it for you."
“Never mind,” Xie said reluctantly, “Let’s make some for my sister-in-law and my third sister-in-law too, I’m afraid they’ll secretly wipe away their tears.”
"Okay, whatever you say."
"Mother," Huang Lao Er couldn't help but interject, "Are we just going to let the Xie family go like this?"
These people actually tried to murder their own wives time and time again; they deserve to die.
Severing ties would be too lenient on them, not to mention it would be a waste of fifteen taels of silver.
It would be better to give it to a beggar than to let the Xie family have it for free.
“I also think it’s too cheap for them,” Huang Xiaosan chimed in. “This family is shameless and has no morals whatsoever.”
Upon hearing this, Doctor Gu chuckled and said, "You young men are still too young."
"Dr. Gu," Huang Xiaosan asked hurriedly, "do you know something?"
Upon hearing this, he didn't reply, but simply stroked his beard and curled the corners of his mouth.
"Mother," he turned his head, "what happened?"
"Jiaojiao," Jiang Nuan asked seriously, "Do you want to continue your revenge, or just let it go?"
“I don’t want to take revenge anymore, but I want everyone to know the Xie family’s character so they won’t jump into the fire pit,” Madam Xie said, pursing her lips. “Don’t be fooled by how imposing my sisters-in-law are to me; they’re just as bad as me. They often suffer as well. My mother went through the same thing.”
"This kind of thing is very common in Xiaoxie Village. Every two years, someone loses their life. Even the clan chief's family isn't much better off. They cover it up very well, so outsiders have no idea about it. They've harmed countless good girls..."
"Terrible," Doctor Gu couldn't help but shake his head, "How can there still be families that violate such moral principles? How can they live with themselves?"
That's how things are in the village; even if a matchmaker tries to find out, they won't get any information. No wonder no word has spread.
If he hadn't seen and heard it with his own eyes and ears, he wouldn't have believed that there could be such a place that disregards human life.
"I didn't expect this either," said the eldest brother, his feelings complicated. "I suppose my younger siblings have suffered a lot to grow up safely."
I always felt that the brothers' lives were already tough enough, but compared to the second sister-in-law, they were far worse off.
Thinking back on all my past complaints, I suddenly realized how incredibly melodramatic I'd been.
“Yes,” Xie said with a wistful expression, “When the family didn’t give me any food, I would go to the mountains to find wild vegetables, wild fruits, mushrooms, and even wild grass. I would eat anything that I could find. In winter, when I had no other choice, I would go to the dogs to eat. Every time I was caught, I would get a beating. The worst time was when I lay in the woodshed for three days and couldn’t move.”
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