Chapter 521 Not Good Enough
With Liu the butcher's honest confession and the old man's supplementary information, the onlookers indeed heard a story that had absolutely no bottom line.
Gao Zhuniang was the only daughter of Gao the butcher, and she was also the daughter he had late in life after he was over forty.
From the moment Gao Zhuniang was born, her eyebrows and eyes looked as if they had been specially sculpted from the mold of Gao the butcher.
In other words, according to current aesthetic standards, Gao Zhuniang's appearance does not conform to popular beauty standards; to put it bluntly, she could even be described as very ugly.
Furthermore, as Gao Zhuniang grew older, she was approaching marriageable age and began to resemble Gao the butcher more and more. She had dark skin, a large forehead, a bulbous nose, and a stout build. She was as strong as an adult man and her temperament had become rougher, lacking any feminine gentleness.
Thus, when he reached the age to find a suitable husband, Butcher Gao spent a lot of money hiring many matchmakers, but still couldn't find a suitable man.
Not to mention, Butcher Gao's intention was still to have someone become his son-in-law, so that all the children born to Gao Zhuniang would have to take the surname Gao.
Nowadays, families in rural villages with many sons who are not worried about carrying on the family line are the best candidates for sons-in-law.
However, even if someone becomes a live-in son-in-law, they still have their own requirements.
According to the man who had once been considered for a marriage alliance with Gao Zhuniang, "Even if I were to become a live-in son-in-law, I would still want to find a good-looking woman to marry into the family."
"I'm already going to be a live-in son-in-law, and my future children will even take their surname. Can't I even pick someone good-looking?"
So Gao Zhuniang was picked and chosen until she was over eighteen before she came to Chang'an to visit relatives. Unexpectedly, she met Liu Qing, whose relatives had already moved away from Chang'an, and they hit it off.
Alternatively, it can be said that Liu Qing was desperate and starving to death when a matchmaker persuaded him to marry into the Gao family.
According to Liu Qing, "If I hadn't been homeless and hadn't eaten for three days, I wouldn't have listened to that matchmaker and gone to the Gao family's door."
"Gao Zhuniang, with her looks, how could she be a match for me?"
At the beginning, Liu Qing and Gao Zhuniang enjoyed a few years of loving and fulfilling life together.
Butcher Gao taught Liu Qing all his butchering skills and promised Liu Qing, "I only have one daughter in my life. As long as you treat my Zhu Niang well, not only will you be able to return to your ancestral lineage for three generations, but if you two have a son in the future, he can take your surname directly."
For the first few years, Liu Qing seemed to be very grateful. In addition, although Gao Zhuniang was not good-looking, she was actually cheerful and generous and not a petty person.
Outside, Gao Zhuniang always gave Liu Qing face in public and was very easy to talk to about money, never restricting his spending.
Thus, Liu Qing and Gao Zhuniang naturally had a child.
Gao Zhuniang gave birth to a baby girl with her first child. The baby girl was very beautiful and looked remarkably like Liu Qing, so Liu Qing loved her very much.
But in the next five years, Gao Zhuniang gave birth to three more children, all of whom were girls!
Liu Qing knelt on the ground and said, "I am a man, how can I live my life without having sons?"
"Gao Zhuniang can't have a son; she's the one who's cut off the Liu family's lineage!"
Most importantly, more than a year ago, Gao, the butcher, died in a car accident while collecting pigs in the countryside.
After Gao the butcher died, Liu Qing felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted off his shoulders.
In addition, because Gao Zhuniang only gave birth to four daughters, Liu Qing's heart began to stir.
"I just want a woman who understands me, who can say something sweet to me, and who cares about me."
Rou Niang is a thousand times better than Gao Zhu Niang. Rou Niang has a good temperament. I only helped her carry firewood once, and she even sewed a handkerchief to bring me back.”
The onlookers watched as Liu Qing knelt on the ground, gazing at Rou Niang, who was a few steps away, their eyes practically bulging with longing.
"He's actually a live-in son-in-law!"
I knew that a woman called a vixen couldn't possibly be a good person!
"Hey, keep going, how did you manage to get involved with this woman over a handkerchief?"
And your tigress found out!
Upon hearing herself called a "tigress," Gao Zhuniang suddenly turned her head to look into the crowd, startling the constables who were holding her down on either side.
"What kind of flirting?"
Rou Niang and I are truly in love!
"It's because Zhu Niang keeps a close eye on me and won't allow a divorce, that I had no choice but to have an affair with Rou Niang behind her back!"
Seeing Gao Zhuniang struggling to get up after hearing this, Li Sanniang couldn't help but feel indignant. True love is really cheap. How much does true love cost per pound?
It's unbelievable that anyone can just openly claim to be in true love!
They even make adultery sound so noble!
Suddenly, the standing constable said to Gao Zhuniang, who was kneeling on the ground with her shoulders pressed down and a cloth stuffed in her mouth, "I will untie the cloth for you so that you can argue with Liu Qing, but you must not resist."
After all, you injured someone in the middle of a busy street, so you'll still have to go to court in the capital later.
If you agree and will behave obediently, then nod.
Gao Zhuniang refused, but the constable gave the constable holding her a look, and then the gag in Gao Zhuniang's mouth was removed.
Then the onlookers heard the story from Gao Zhuniang's perspective.
"You bastard Liu Qing!"
When you had nothing, you came to my door. My father explained everything to you. You saw what I looked like. How come we slept in the same bed for seven or eight years and had four children together?
You only just realized that I'm ugly and not good enough for you?
You did say you wanted a divorce, but if you want to take over the butcher stall where I raise my child, do you think I'll agree to that?
You're taking the money I worked so hard to earn from buying, slaughtering, and selling pigs, and using it to support those half-closed doors in the alley!
Can I swallow this insult?
I just couldn't find you for a while, so I listened to what Wang Po said and came to find this fox spirit first!
You heartless, shameless filthy thing! I, Gao Zhu's mother, was blind to have thought you were a pitiful person!
His heart-wrenching defense left Liu Qing, who was kneeling on the ground feigning pitifulness, somewhat embarrassed.
Not to mention, the eyes of the masses are discerning, and with an old man who knew the two men providing background information, no one would believe Liu Qing's lies.
"Heh, it's true that there's no such thing as a son-in-law with a conscience in this world. This guy just wants to eat the family's money now that the father is dead and the son has lost his support."
"You're wrong about that. If you were talking about taking away the wealth of a child who has no descendants, that would be understandable, since the child born from the relationship is still the child of both of them."
But listen to what that woman said, he's using the hard-earned money she makes to support his mistress!
"That filthy wretch, it's not even worth killing him. We should chop off his thing and make him suffer for the rest of his life."
As the crowd's words grew increasingly harsh and the punishments more severe, Liu Qing tightened his legs, feeling a growing sense of fear.
The constable, however, stood up to him and said, "Don't be afraid."
Given your situation, you'll most likely get a year and a half in prison; there aren't many other criminal penalties.
After talking for a while, the carriage from the Jingzhao Prefecture finally arrived.
The constables first helped Gao Zhuniang get up and onto the carriage, and then called Liu Qing and Rou Niang up as well.
Throughout this, Rou Niang kept shouting, "I don't want to be with her! She'll kill me! She really will kill me!"
No matter how the constables explained that Gao Zhuniang's hands were already tied and she couldn't move at all, Rou Niang resisted getting into the carriage with all her might.
Finally, having no other choice, they had to call in another carriage to take Rou Niang away.
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