Chapter 116 The Whole House Was Poured with Manure
When the four of them arrived at the Zhang family's house in a donkey cart, the courtyard was crowded with neighbors.
Upon seeing Xu Jinnian and his son, a kind-hearted aunt immediately stepped forward and said, "Da Kui's second uncle, your brothers went too far. It's only thanks to Cui Lian's good fortune that she survived!"
The four of them had endured a long and arduous journey, fearing that something might happen to Xu Cuilian. Hearing the kind aunt's words, they breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Zhang Daikui, who had heard the commotion inside, came out with his eyes red and swollen: "Second Uncle, Cousin and Cousin's wife, my mother is fine. The doctor said she will recover after a period of rest."
Just now, Xu Cuilian lay unconscious in a pool of blood. The Zhang family father and sons were terrified. They were all pale and weak-kneed, like headless flies, not knowing what to do.
Fortunately, the Zhang family was well-liked, and the neighbors lent a hand, taking Xu Cuilian to a nearby clinic for treatment.
Hearing the confirmation from Zhang Daikui, Sheng An and the others finally felt relieved and rushed to the room to visit Xu Cuilian, who was still unconscious.
Xu Cuilian's wound was at her hairline on her forehead; half of her hair had been shaved off and was wrapped in a thick white cloth.
Perhaps due to excessive blood loss, her face was somewhat pale, with traces of blood remaining near her ears, and a few scratches on one cheek that also needed to be treated with medicine.
Hearing from Butcher Zhang that Xu Cuilian had a two-finger-length gash on her head, and that at least half a bowl of blood had flowed out, Xu Chenglin clenched his fists, his teeth itching with hatred.
"Brother-in-law, go find a few people, let's go to Xujiaba right now and get justice for Cuilian!"
Butcher Zhang was also filled with hatred, and without the slightest hesitation, he said, "I'll have Er Kui go and call his four aunts and uncles. With the rest of us, we'll have more than enough to beat up those bastards from Xujiaba!"
After saying that, he asked Sheng An, "We don't know when your aunt will wake up, and we don't know when we'll be back. We'll need you to help look after her later."
Sheng An really wanted to go to Xujiaba to avenge his aunt, but he knew that taking care of his injured aunt was more important. Without saying a word, he nodded and agreed: "Uncle, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of my aunt."
Before Zhang's aunts and uncles arrived, Sheng An stayed in the room for a while, secretly winked at Xu Jinnian, and then went to the backyard of Zhang's house.
Xu Jinnian followed them out and said before Sheng An could speak, "I will keep an eye on Father and Uncle, and I won't let them ruin their future for a few inhuman people."
Sheng An breathed a sigh of relief: "We also need to keep a close eye on Da Kui and the others; they're young and more prone to impulsiveness."
Xu Jinnian patted her head: "Okay, you can stay here without worry. I'll come pick you up later."
Not long after, Zhang's four aunts and uncles, along with their sons who were good at fighting, arrived.
Having just learned the whole story from Zhang Erkui, Aunt Zhang, Aunt Zhang, and Aunt Zhang Si were furious and immediately began to lecture their husbands:
"They've come to bully us, the Zhang family. When you see them in Xujiaba, none of you should hold back, or they'll think the Zhang family has no one to rely on!"
Zhang's uncles and his aunts replied in unison, "We definitely can't let them get away with this!"
Only Zhang Sangu was out of step with the group, saying things that were out of place: "Those people are all my sister-in-law's family. It's their Xu family's business. It's not appropriate for so many of us to go and cause trouble."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? Your sister-in-law is a member of the Zhang family now that she's married into the Zhang family. Are we not going to protect her and let her suffer this loss for nothing?"
Aunt Zhang curled her lip: "It's all because my sister-in-law was too good to her family before, sending them meat and other things from time to time. That's how they got too big for their britches and dared to come to our door to beat us up."
Even Zhang San's uncle couldn't stand it anymore and quickly pulled his wife aside, saying, "Stop talking."
Aunt Zhang pouted and said, "I didn't say anything wrong."
Butcher Zhang glared at her, his face dark: "If you don't want to go, then don't go. One more person won't make a difference, and one less person won't make a difference either. If you make any more sarcastic remarks in front of your sister-in-law's bedside, then get out!"
Zhang Sangu was wary of this brother, who was also the only brother in her maternal family. Hearing him say that, she was so frightened that she quickly shut up and shrank behind her husband, not daring to utter a sound.
The people in the room reached a consensus and all wanted to go to Xujiaba immediately to take revenge. So they all got into their own donkey carts and oxcarts and headed towards Xujiaba.
The crowded room became empty. Sheng An bolted the Zhang family's door and sat by Xu Cuilian's bedside, keeping watch.
Xu Cuilian was still asleep when there was a knock on the door, accompanied by Zhang Zhaodi calling out to her.
Sheng An hurriedly came to the courtyard, opened the gate and saw three people standing at the door: Zhang Zhaodi and her parents.
Seeing her anxious best friend, she quickly said, "Auntie is fine. The doctor said she'll be alright after some rest."
The Zhang family of three breathed a sigh of relief, especially Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, whose complexions visibly improved.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, thank goodness my mother-in-law is alright.
Otherwise, if the engagement was just yesterday and someone dies today, outsiders might say it's because their daughter is cursed.
Sheng An asked in confusion, "How did you know that Aunt was injured?"
Zhang's mother explained, "This morning my nephew wasn't feeling well, so my sister took him to the clinic to see a doctor. She happened to see Da Kui and his son, so she ran to my house to tell them."
Sheng An suddenly realized: "That was a coincidence."
Zhang's mother's sister went to the Zhang family for the engagement banquet yesterday, and naturally saw the three Zhang brothers, Zhang Daikui, who had come to deliver the betrothal gifts. It's not surprising that she recognized them at the clinic.
Sheng An led the three to the room and whispered the whereabouts of the Zhang family father and his three sons.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhang expressed their understanding, saying that if their own siblings had suffered such an undeserved misfortune, they would have gathered relatives and friends to confront them.
After visiting Xu Cuilian, the group went to the main room to talk.
Zhang Zhaodi grasped Sheng An's hand, her face showing concern for Zhang Daikui and his son: "They came to our door seeking justice for their aunt. Will the villagers blindly side with those people?"
Sheng An comforted him, "Those people don't have a good reputation in the village, and the clan chief is fair and won't favor them. Your uncle and the others will be fine."
Zhang Zhaodi felt a little relieved: "That's good, that's good."
On the other side, a series of oxcarts and donkey carts stormed into Xujiaba, immediately attracting the attention of the villagers.
Seeing that things were not going well, someone quickly went to the clan chief's house to explain the situation.
Xu Jinnian and his group went straight to Xu Laosan's house. When they saw the large lock on Xu Laosan's door, Zhang the butcher sneered, picked up the axe he had brought, and chopped it directly at the lock.
With a clatter, the lock fell to the ground, the dilapidated courtyard gate swung open, startling the chickens and ducks that filled the yard.
The group rushed inside and looked around, confirming that Xu Laosan and Ma Dahua were not home. Xu Chenglin kicked over the three-legged dining table, yelling, "You can run away, but you can't hide! Smash this place!"
The three Zhang brothers responded loudly, each grabbing a carrying pole and an axe and starting to smash things.
Smash the chair.
Smash the bench.
Smash the shrine.
Pots, pans, and utensils—smash them.
Even the bedding on the bed and the few tattered clothes in the box were not spared by the three brothers. They scooped a full bucket of manure from the latrine and poured it down.
In an instant, the house was in complete disarray, resembling a ransacked place, and reeked of foul odors. Everyone retreated to the courtyard and watched the whole scene with cold eyes.
Outside the courtyard, villagers watched the spectacle, and upon witnessing the actions of the three Zhang brothers, they couldn't help but discuss it amongst themselves.
"What happened? Didn't they go to the city to look for Cuilian this morning? How come they came to smash things up as soon as they got home? Look at the house, look what they've done to it."
"Who knows? They probably had a falling out at the Zhang family's place, and these people are here to seek revenge on the third brother's family."
"Tsk tsk, looks like this grudge is quite deep... Wait, where's Cui Lian?"
The clan chief and several elders rushed over and found the courtyard and houses in disarray, their old faces covered in soot.
"Cheng Lin, what's going on?"
Suppressing his anger, the clan chief asked Xu Chenglin, his displeased gaze falling on the three Zhang brothers, who were still throwing excrement all over the house: "This is your third uncle's house, what kind of behavior is this!"
The three Zhang brothers ignored the warnings and, seeing that the manure bucket was empty, went to the backyard to scoop out more manure.
Xu Chenglin looked at the panting clan chief, then sneered and loudly explained the whole story to everyone present:
"Xu Laosan and Ma Dahua went to my brother-in-law's house early in the morning. While my brother-in-law and his family were away, they bullied Cuilian, a woman, and beat her until her head was bleeding and she was unconscious. Then they just left without a care in the world!"
The clan chief's face turned ashen with rage as he looked at Butcher Zhang, whose expression was grim: "Is what Cheng Lin said true? How is Cui Lian now?"
Seeing his concern for his wife's injuries, Butcher Zhang's expression softened slightly: "The injuries are very serious. The doctor said she almost died. Even if she recovers, she may have a crooked eye and mouth, and difficulty walking."
He wasn't lying; the doctor said that if the wound had been slightly off-center or more severe, it would have been very likely to leave these sequelae.
The clan leader and the others gasped in shock; the injuries were so severe!
No wonder the Zhang family was so angry. Xu Laosan and his wife are truly despicable, treating their own sister so cruelly.
They came to our door and dumped manure all over our house; they really deserved it!
Thinking this to himself, the clan chief, not wanting to escalate the situation, gently persuaded Butcher Zhang: "This matter was Xu Laosan and the others' fault. I will send someone to bring them back and have them come to apologize to Cuilian."
Butcher Zhang didn't embarrass the clan chief, but his face remained gloomy: "Fine, as long as the clan chief helps find the person, I will seek justice for my wife, and we will leave immediately."
The clan chief thought that Zhang the butcher's request for justice was in accordance with his wishes, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly asked the villagers to help find Xu Laosan and his wife.
The villagers were happy to watch the spectacle and actively helped in the search.
Some villagers had seen Xu Laosan and his wife at Xu Laosi's house, so the villagers all rushed to Xu Laosi's house.
Xu Laosan and Ma Dahua were indeed at Xu Laosi's house. They received the news as soon as Zhang Daikui and the others entered the village and rushed to Xu Laosi's house for help.
"Fourth brother, with so many of them causing trouble, could it be that Cuilian is dead?"
Xu Laosan was restless, his face ashen. Before Xu Laosi could speak, he glared fiercely at Ma Dahua:
"You clueless idiot, why did you push her like that! Let me tell you, if she really dies, you're the one who pays for her life. I can't let you drag me down with me!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com