Chapter 57 Spreading Rumors
As Sheng An and his group walked past, the villagers huddled together and whispered among themselves:
"Cheng Lin's daughter-in-law looks good; she and Jin Nian look like a married couple."
"Hmm, he has a dignified demeanor, unlike someone from a farming family."
"None of Jin Nian's married cousins have married as well as her, so those other wives are probably not good enough."
"Shh, keep your mouth shut. If it gets back to those women, they might come knocking on your door and start yelling at you."
"Tch, who's afraid of who! Back then, those brothers fought like that because of the money Cheng Lin had."
"You can't say that. Brotherhood is much more important than money. If Cheng Lin had helped his brothers, they wouldn't have ended up like this."
"You make it sound so easy. Would you be willing to empty your savings to help your brothers? Anyone would be all talk and no action unless they're cutting their own flesh!"
"..."
Sheng An and the others, who had already gone far away, naturally had no idea that the villagers were arguing about whether "rich brothers/brothers should help poor brothers/brothers".
Before officially breaking ground to repair the ancestral graves, one should first go to the ancestral hall to pay respects to the ancestors, explain the reason for the groundbreaking, so as not to disturb the ancestors buried in the graves, and pray for their blessings.
The group went directly to the Xu Clan Ancestral Hall and saw the Xu family members standing at the entrance from afar.
There were men and women, young and old, totaling twenty or thirty people.
It can be described as a thriving family.
The Xu family members also saw Sheng An and his group, and they all stopped laughing and joking at the same time, their faces stiffening slightly and appearing somewhat indifferent.
Xu Chenglin remained completely unaffected, talking to Sheng An as they walked, recounting stories from his childhood in the village.
Xu Cuilian was a little nervous and stepped forward to tug at Xu Chenglin's sleeve: "Second brother, today is to repair our parents' graves, let's try not to argue."
Xu Chenglin said magnanimously, "You know my temperament. As long as they don't cause trouble, we definitely won't start arguing."
Xu Cuilian released her second brother, her face full of worry.
The eldest brother and his men had finally caught the second brother, so they couldn't possibly be polite to him.
Fine, let them argue if they want, just don't let them fight in front of their parents' graves, she'll be grateful if they don't.
At the entrance of the ancestral hall, Xu Laoda, the eldest of the six siblings, immediately put on the airs of the eldest brother and warned his third brother, Xu Laosan, in a low voice: "Don't forget what day it is today. Don't say anything you shouldn't to your wife later."
He also disliked Xu Lao Er, who refused to acknowledge his brother, but he didn't want to be laughed at by the villagers today.
Otherwise, people would say that he was a good-for-nothing brother who couldn't even manage his younger brothers, and that he would have no face to face his deceased parents after he died.
Xu Laosan had no respect for Xu Laoda, but he didn't dare to show it at the moment: "Brother, I know what I'm doing. Repairing our parents' graves today is a big deal."
Xu Laosi, standing to the side, smiled amiably and said in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, Big Brother, Third Brother isn't a three-year-old child. He definitely knows what's important."
Boss Xu's expression softened a bit: "Good to know."
Xu Laosi glanced at the group of people walking towards them and sighed with some regret: "It's a pity that Jin Nian didn't come. I wonder if he can pass the imperial examination and become a Xiucai this time."
Xu Laosan's face darkened, and he couldn't control his emotions as he cursed loudly: "This kind of unfilial and unjust wretch is not even as good as one of Huaining's fingers. If he can pass the imperial examination, then God is blind!"
Every time good news about this bastard reaches him, he is ridiculed and mocked by the villagers.
Over the years, he has become the biggest laughing stock in the village, and he doesn't dare to lift his head when he goes out.
He's clearly destined to be a lone wolf, yet some blind people praise him for his intelligence, predicting he'll pass the imperial examinations and become a high-ranking official. Does this bastard deserve it?
“Third brother, Jin Nian is your own son after all. If he can pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, it will be a great joy for our Xu family’s ancestral graves. You will also be proud of him.”
Xu Laosi earnestly advised his third brother, implying that he hoped the third brother could ease the tension between him and his biological son.
"Hmph, this bastard is Xu Lao Er's son, he has nothing to do with me!"
Xu Laosan clenched his fists, his face red with anger: "If I had known about his existence and that Xu Laoer had turned against us, I should have smashed him to death back then!"
Back then, Xu Lao Er's wealth was greater than the combined wealth of the entire village.
Originally, he was over thirty years old, without a wife or children, and all his wealth would belong to the entire Xu family, with the three branches of the family also receiving a considerable share. However, Xu Lao Er severed all brotherly ties for this bastard child.
The thought of losing what was almost within his grasp caused Xu Laosan immense pain, and endless regret tormented him for eighteen years.
"Alright, fourth brother, stop saying things that will upset third brother. It's better to rely on your own son than on a nephew who isn't close to us."
Seeing that Xu Chenglin and his group were about to arrive, Xu Laoda immediately stopped Xu Laosi, who was about to try to persuade him again, and turned to look at the young man wiping the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall:
“Huaining is so good. He is handsome and talented in his studies. All the teachers in the school praise him. If he hadn’t started his studies late, he would definitely have been able to pass this year’s provincial examination.”
Hearing his own son being praised, Xu Laosi's smile became much more genuine: "Brother, you flatter me. Huaining still has a lot to learn. Fortunately, he is still young. The teacher said that he will take the exam next year, and he has a good chance of passing the preliminary exam and becoming a student."
The county and prefectural examinations were held every year, and as long as you passed them, you became a student of the lowest rank.
The provincial examination was held every two years, and passing it made one a scholar.
The Huaining that Xu Laoda mentioned is Xu Laosi's youngest son, Xu Huaining, who is three months older than Xu Jinnian and is currently studying at the only school in town.
While the brothers were talking, Sheng An and his group had already arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall.
"snort!"
Xu Laosan lost his temper and let out a cold sneer at Xu Chenglin.
Xu Chenglin ignored him and pointedly instructed Sheng An: "In the countryside, people are used to free-range poultry and livestock. Be careful when you walk, and don't step in their excrement."
Sheng An lowered her head slightly, looking completely obedient: "Those beasts are like that because no one taught them. Daughter-in-law must be careful."
Listening to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law's veiled insults, Xu Laosan's face turned a deep shade of liver, and his fingers trembled with rage: "You, you..."
Xu Cuilian was startled and quickly stepped forward to press down Xu Laosan's hand: "Third Brother, this is the ancestral hall. Don't disturb the peace of our ancestors!"
Old Master Xu also found Xu Chenglin's words unpleasant, but having personally experienced how hard his fists were, he dared not criticize him. So, he picked on the weakest target and began to reprimand Sheng An:
"Jin Nian's wife, how dare you speak like that, a junior? Hurry up and apologize to your third uncle!"
Sheng An blinked innocently, looking puzzled, and asked, "What did I say? Why do I need to apologize?"
Then, a look of sudden realization appeared on her face, and she pointed to a pig that was happily defecating not far away and said, "So the animals in Xujiaba are noble, and you can't say anything about them relieving themselves anywhere."
Old Master Xu was speechless, but he couldn't do anything about Sheng An's feigned ignorance.
"Hahaha!"
Xu Chenglin laughed loudly, his eyes filled with kindness as he looked at Sheng An: "A beast is a beast. How can you expect someone to apologize to it? No matter how much its master indulges it, it won't escape being slaughtered at the end of the year."
Sheng An said he understood: "Father is right."
Xu Laosan was so angry that he trembled all over, but Xu Cuilian stopped him from retaliating. He could only glare fiercely at Sheng An and Xu Chenglin, looking as if he wanted to fight them to the death.
Sheng An pursed his lips.
With such a large difference in physical strength between men and women, if this person really wanted to break free from his aunt, how could he not?
He's terrible at the game, a coward, and loves to play!
The rest of the Xu family were cleaning in the ancestral hall when they heard the commotion at the door and came out one by one to see what was going on.
Upon seeing the unfamiliar Sheng An, he instantly guessed who she was.
The scrutinizing gazes concealed dislike and malice.
At this moment, a middle-aged woman walked towards Sheng An with a seemingly friendly smile on her face: "You must be An An, right? You're really pretty. No wonder your father-in-law kept you hidden away for so long before taking you back to Xujiaba."
At first glance, this seems like a joke, but it doesn't stand up to close scrutiny.
What does it mean that "your father-in-law kept it a secret and only took so long to bring you back to Xujiaba"?
If others overheard this, they would assume that the father-in-law and daughter-in-law had an improper relationship.
This woman has malicious intentions and is clearly trying to spread false rumors!
Sheng An's eyes turned cold as she sized up the woman, then retorted with a forced smile, "I've been married to Jin Nian for several months, and I've never seen you visit. Is it because your husband forbids you from visiting relatives?"
Under what circumstances would a middle-aged woman who has reached the age of grandmother be barred from visiting relatives by her husband?
Naturally, he'd been cheated on before, and he was afraid she wouldn't be able to control her own behavior outside the home.
The woman's sagging skin stiffened, and she couldn't maintain her smile at all.
Xu Cuilian also realized what was happening and angrily shoved her away: "Third sister-in-law, what are you doing, farting like that in front of the ancestral hall? Aren't you afraid of offending our ancestors?"
Xu San Sao felt extremely aggrieved, but dared not continue to act recklessly in front of the ancestral hall. She could only glare at Sheng An with resentment, as if she wanted to glare a hundred or eighty holes in her.
Sheng An gave a cold laugh and glared back without backing down.
Suddenly, a tall, slender figure appeared before them, and a gentle, apologetic voice rang out: "Sister-in-law, your third aunt is not good with words. If she displeases you, please forgive her."
Sheng An subconsciously looked at the owner of the voice and saw that the other person's face looked seven or eight parts like Xu Jinnian's. He was stunned for a moment.
This person is...
Sheng An quickly came to her senses, her face growing even colder: "If you can't speak properly, then shut up. Nobody thinks she's mute!"
Xu Huaining froze, unsure of what to say.
Seeing Sheng An's arrogance, showing no regard even for her elder, Aunt Xu, Xu Laoda and the others glared at her angrily: "How dare you!"
Xu Chenglin stepped forward, blocking Sheng An's path. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing a fist with bulging veins, powerful enough to smash a head with one punch: "Looks like I've been too good-tempered, which is why you dared to bully Jin Nian's wife to her face!"
Xu Laoda and the others froze, suddenly feeling a dull ache somewhere in their bodies.
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