Wu's sister-in-law was calmed down by her husband, but her eyes were fixed on Wu's father.
Old Wu rubbed his face, which was dark red from long-term exposure to wind and sun, with his rough palms.
"Her mother, go see how much silver we have, pay off the gambling debts first, and we'll talk about the rest later."
Although Granny Wu felt sorry for her daughter, her son and grandson were the most important.
"Old man, that money is for our precious son's education."
Old Man Wu was well aware of what Granny Wu was saying, but since the person about to be sold was his own daughter, he stopped the old woman from saying anything more.
Granny Wu lingered in the house for about fifteen minutes before finally taking out a handkerchief containing loose silver and a few strings of cash.
"Add it up, it'll be exactly ten taels of silver." After giving the silver and returning the IOU, the casino staff left.
Wu Meihua, seeing that she would not be sold, came back to life.
"Oh dear, Mother, she's finally gone! I was so scared. Sister-in-law, I'm thirsty, can't you get me and Mother a glass of water?"
No sooner had Wu Meihua finished speaking than Wu Daniu stepped forward and slapped her across the face.
"That's your sister-in-law, not your maid. She really thinks she's something special."
I really spoiled you rotten before. You haven't forgotten how you managed to save your life just now, have you?
Wu Daniu now completely disdains his younger sister.
Wu Meihua felt as if the sky had fallen, and she covered her face and wailed.
"Brother, you actually hit me! You hit me for the sake of an outsider!"
"Mom, please do something about my brother! He hit me for some stranger!"
This time, before Wu Daniu could even speak, Granny Wu let out a loud scream.
“Who’s the outsider? You’re the outsider in this family.”
Your sister-in-law married into the Wu family, so she's a member of the Wu family in life and in death.
Who do you think you are? A divorced woman, unwanted and a troublemaker at that.
Old Man Wu sighed, seeing a considerable crowd still gathered at his doorstep, and called out,
"I apologize for the misfortune that has befallen my family. I have matters to attend to at home, so I will not invite you all in for tea."
Da Niu closed the door. "You all get inside."
After saying that, Old Man Wu dragged his heavy steps into the house.
Wu Meihua stopped yelling and just covered her face, which had been beaten, looking very indignant.
Old Wu sat down and waited until his son closed the door and went inside before saying,
“Eldest daughter-in-law, I know you’re unhappy because Meihua used up the money for Bao’er’s private school, but there’s nothing we can do about it.”
If our precious child wants to study for the imperial examinations in the future, he cannot have any blemishes on his record, and he cannot have an aunt who was divorced and sold into a brothel.
Tomorrow, go back to your parents' home with Da Niu and find Mei Hua a marriage partner in the mountains, the more remote the better, so she won't have another chance to gamble.
We can't harm either our husband's family or our own. And we don't need to apologize to our husband's family.
As for the betrothal gifts, it was ten taels of silver. After that, Wu Meihua had no further dealings with our Wu family.
Upon hearing this, not only Wu Meihua herself, but also Sister-in-law Wu were shocked.
A woman's family is her source of strength; Old Man Wu's words meant he had completely given up on his daughter.
He hesitated, "Father, is this...?"
Old Wu reached out and interrupted his daughter-in-law.
"This girl is spoiled by your mother and me; she doesn't know how to cherish what she has."
Not only is she a troublemaker, she's also brainless. We should marry her off quickly; it will save our family a lot of trouble.
Do you know what stupid thing she did in Zhao Family Village today?
They've really disgraced the Wu family.
As for the specifics of how he had lost face, the old man didn't elaborate, but he glared fiercely at his wife.
Da Niu locked Wu Meihua in her room at her parents' house and sealed all the windows.
From then on, as long as Wu Meihua didn't get married, she could only stay in her small little house.
After everyone left, Old Man Wu also returned to his room, lay on the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Granny Wu came in, carrying a bowl of water, and said cautiously, "Father, have some water. You must be tired."
Old Man Wu sat up, stared at Old Woman Wu for a long while, and then slapped her across the face.
This was the first time in all the years of their marriage that Old Man Wu had hit his wife.
"Her father?" Granny Wu's eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Over the years, I have turned a blind eye to what you have done."
It's not that I can't see it, it's that I'm thinking of marrying you when I'm at my lowest point.
You've never enjoyed any happiness following me, so I can't make you even more unhappy.
I've spoiled you so much that you don't know right from wrong. Was today's incident your idea or your daughter's?
Do you even know what propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame are? How come you dare to have such shameless ideas?
It's fortunate that you're in our rural area. If you had been born in the capital, I reckon you two would have brought our family to the brink of extinction.
Starting today, you will be in charge of taking care of your daughter. Just bring her a bowl of rice and two bowls of water a day, and empty her chamber pot once a day.
"Don't open that door, no matter what. If you dare let her go, you can go back to your parents' house."
After Old Man Wu finished speaking, he lay down and turned his back, without touching the bowl of water that Old Woman Wu had brought in.
It exudes a sense of loneliness no matter how you look at it.
Granny Wu was completely shocked. She never expected that the old man would get so angry with her, let alone that he would consider divorcing her.
She dared not disobey the old man's wishes until a rough mountain man came to the Wu family and carried Wu Meihua away. Only then did she feel relieved.
Back to the Zhao family, after sending the Wu family away, the banquet proceeded as planned. After all, most of the guests at the continuous feast were from Zhao Village.
What does it mean to share both prosperity and adversity?
Most of them are clansmen. What happened today is disgusting not only to the Zhao family, but also to an entire clan.
The crowd, filled with righteous indignation, denounced Wu Meihua, scaring away some people who wanted to make a foolish move to marry into the Zhao family.
Huang stared at her sister-in-law for a while, and when her sister-in-law's clothes were almost soaked, she rolled her eyes and went inside.
After all, the clan elders are still alive, so we must still show them proper etiquette.
"Cousin, today's incident has given me a wake-up call. I reckon there will be quite a few matchmakers trying to arrange marriages for my family in the future."
The young men below are not in a hurry to get married; they plan to wait until they have achieved official rank before making a decision.
As for the young ladies, there's no rush. Even if Qingyi reaches a certain age, there's no rush. She must choose someone of similar age and good character.
I'd better ask my cousins to help spread the word, but don't let them all get their hands on me. My family doesn't have that much time to entertain those matchmakers.
"My humble abode in the green hills has been overwhelmed by the vanity of some women."
As soon as Zhao Qianci finished speaking, Zhao Jinfeng and the others burst into laughter.
"Okay, okay, don't worry. I'll have your cousin-in-law go out and promote your family later. It's no big deal."
But from now on, will your son and daughter need a maid or servant?
One person can take care of others, and the other can avoid suspicion, right?
Do you need pageboys? We can pick some clever boys from our clan.
As for the girl, your family can buy her ourselves.
Zhao Jinfa suggested.
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