Huang's eldest sister-in-law frowned, feeling that this person looked familiar no matter how she looked at him. She stepped forward and lifted Mei Hua's chin.
"Pah! I feel like I've seen this woman before. Isn't this Wu Meihua? Hey Wu family, is this what you've been planning?"
I knew it! My sister-in-law's family is having a banquet, why are you all here to join in?
Even if my sister-in-law knows your family, we haven't had much contact over the years, and it's not to the point that we exchange gifts for every happy occasion.
You said you wanted to share in the good fortune, and maybe if your grandson went to school in the future, he could pass the imperial examination and become a scholar.
I had to beg and plead with them, and they insisted on giving me 20 eggs before they would bring you here.
Are you here to share in the joy, or are you here to cause trouble?
I think we should stop having any contact with each other from now on. Having such calculating neighbors is really bad luck for me.
"That piece of trash from your family, dreaming of marrying my nephew? What a load of rubbish!"
There's so much information in what Sister Huang said, especially the last sentence, which tells a story.
Zhao Qingyan said, "Auntie, it's good that you know this crazy woman."
Without permission, the woman sneaked into the backyard, I don't know what she was up to. When my father found her, she started crying and sobbing.
She said that when she was a child, she played house, and her father promised to marry her.
She said she had remained chaste all these years for my father's sake, and was still a young woman, so she insisted that my father marry her, or she would falsely accuse him.
They said my father ruined his reputation, and they not only wanted to cut off my father's path to the imperial examinations, but also the path of my brother and nephews.
I have never seen such a vicious person.
My dad said he didn't know her and had never played house with her. This woman not only tried to pounce on my dad, but also tried to hit me.
Could you tell me about the history of this plum blossom?
I forgot to mention, she demanded a dowry of 100 taels, saying she would divorce Wang Quan, who is her husband, once she returned home.
After Zhao Qingyan finished her story, not only did the guests in the courtyard erupt in an uproar,
Even the elderly couple from the Wu family were burning with embarrassment. They shakily stepped forward, trying to rescue Meihua from Zhao Qingyan's grasp.
How could Zhao Qingyan possibly give them that opportunity?
With a flick of his wrist, he moved the plum blossom to a different spot.
"No, we can't just let you take her away like this without clear explanation. I'm going to hand this woman over to the authorities later."
The charges were simple: attempted theft, slandering the scholar, and coercing him into marrying another man's wife.
The elderly couple's legs went weak, and they collapsed to the ground, not knowing what to do. Old Mrs. Wu opened her mouth wide, about to wail.
Zhao Qingyan immediately said,
"You'd better shut up. If you dare to cry, I'll take off your socks and stuff them in your mouth."
Granny Wu was so frightened that she kept hiccuping. She didn't know what other people's socks smelled like, but she knew exactly what her own socks smelled like.
The pungent, foul odor is so strong that just one whiff would leave your head spinning for three days, comparable to a poison gas bomb.
Just as Sister-in-law Huang was about to speak, Meihua tried her best to say, "Don't say it, please don't say it."
Zhao Qingyan was delighted when she heard this. She placed the plum blossom on the ground.
He crouched down and asked.
"Speak up, why did you go into my backyard by yourself? And why did you frame my father?"
Wu Meihua really wanted to curse.
However, she was restrained by Zhao Qingyan's forceful suppression. Zhao Qingyan did throw her out and slam her, but she really controlled her strength.
It's just a minor fall that hurts a little, but it definitely won't break any bones.
The plum blossom was so frightened that her limbs went limp, and she felt very weak, even lacking the strength to speak.
“I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you. I’ve recently accumulated a lot of debt at the gambling den.”
The gambling den is pressing me hard, demanding that I pay off my debt within ten days or they'll drag me away and sell me into a brothel.
That day I overheard your aunt and uncle gossiping in the courtyard, saying that your father had passed the imperial examination and become a scholar, and since he was still single, they wondered how many young women were eyeing him.
I got the idea and inquired around. I heard that your family is doing well, and your father is a scholar with a degree in the imperial examinations.
If I could marry into your family, I could not only pay off my debts from the gambling den, but also live a life of luxury where I could have everything done for me.
I saw your father heading towards the backyard, so I secretly followed him.
I thought that as long as I could get close to your father, he would marry me even if it was for the sake of his reputation. Even if he didn't marry me, giving me some compensation would be acceptable.
"And you've ruined it."
Wu Meihua said the last sentence with such clenched teeth.
Zhao Qingyan stood up.
"Everyone heard it, right? Today, Wu Meihua, wanting money, tried to cling to my father and sneaked off to the backyard."
And I was an observer throughout the entire process.
So, you all know what you can say and what you can't say, right?
Today, out of consideration for the advanced age of the Wu family elders, I will not send Wu Meihua to the officials.
If this woman tries to use today's incident to implicate my father in the future, I ask all the elders and villagers to be my witnesses.
Her intentions were undeniably malicious; she was trying to destroy the future of our Zhao Family Village, the hope of our entire clan.
Therefore, even if we don't report it to the authorities, we will still make her write a confession.
Zhao Qingyan had previously said that the Wu family elders and Wu Meihua were delighted not to be sent to the authorities, but were very resistant to the idea of writing a confession.
Wu Meihua said, "I can't write."
Zhao Qingyan smiled and said, "If you can't, I can. My whole family can write. I'll write, and you can put your fingerprint on it."
The matter was quickly settled in the presence of Zhao Jinfeng and the villagers.
After receiving Wu Meihua's confession, the family of three was forcibly sent out of the village by the Zhao family's servants.
I only felt at ease after standing at the village entrance and watching the family walk away.
When the family arrived, they hitched a ride with the Huang family. On the way back, the elderly couple had to help Wu Meihua, which was quite strenuous.
He walked and cursed.
"I really lost face today, you brat! Didn't you say you were sure you could take down that Zhao Laosan?"
How did they end up getting caught by that girl?
Did you hear what that old woman from the Huang family said? She said the two families would have no further dealings. How am I supposed to keep going to her house to beg for money?
He angrily grabbed Wu Meihua's ear.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Wu Meihua instinctively jumped away to avoid her mother's vicious hand.
The elderly couple then discovered that Wu Meihua was not injured at all; she was lively and energetic.
"You brat, are you trying to work your old mother to death?"
Don't you know how much you weigh?
"On such a hot day, you're making your parents, with their old arms and legs, help you. Aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan?"
Wu Meihua covered her ears.
"How would I know? It's all that damned girl from Zhao Laosan's family's fault. If it weren't for her messing things up, I might already be in Zhao Laosan's bed by now."
He hasn't touched a woman in over a year. If he were in my bed, he wouldn't be so heartless. I refuse to believe it; I'm determined to have him.
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