Chapter 117 Bloodsucking Leeches
Being scolded by Xu Laosan, Ma Dahua, full of indignation, put her hands on her hips and spat a mouthful of phlegm in his face:
"You were the one who said Xu Cuilian had grown too big for her britches and didn't recognize her family anymore, and that we should teach her a lesson. It was you brothers who were yelling about fighting that made me push you. Now that something's happened, you're blaming me for it all. You're shameless!"
Xu Laosan was disgusted. He wiped his face, raised his fist, and lunged forward: "You damned woman, you've gone too far! I'll beat you to death!"
Ma Dahua didn't dodge, and used her right hand to scratch his face: "You're the spineless coward who doesn't dare to go out and face the Zhang family who came to beat you up. You only dare to hide here and beat women. Marrying you is the worst luck in eight lifetimes!"
The couple were fighting fiercely, exchanging punches and claws. Xu Laosi and his wife quickly stepped in to break them up, saying, "Stop fighting! You're both old, there's no need to fight over such a small thing."
After a great deal of effort, Xu Laosan and Ma Dahua finally stopped, panting heavily as they glared fiercely at each other.
While reassuring Xu Laosan, Xu Laosi suggested, "They won't leave until they find someone. We need to quickly find our eldest brother and sister-in-law to discuss a plan."
Aunt Xu muttered to herself, "The one who tied the knot must untie it; asking my elder brother and sister-in-law won't help."
After saying that, she glanced at Ma Dahua, her meaning quite clear.
Ma Dahua was furious and shouted, "Feng Lianhua, what do you mean? I went to the Zhang family to stand up for Huaining. Now that things have blown up, you want to abandon me?"
Feng Lianhua quickly smiled apologetically, "Third Sister-in-law, what are you saying? That's not what I meant."
Ma Dahua sneered: "What do you mean if you don't mean that? Wasn't it Huaining's wife who said last night that Cuilian gave her in-laws thirty taels of silver as a betrothal gift, and you pretended to cry and complain that you didn't have money to buy Huaining writing materials, that everyone discussed going to the Zhang family to demand an explanation?"
This Feng Lianhua is good at putting on airs. When she was young, she used her clever tongue to win over her mother-in-law, and she suffered a lot of losses in secret.
Out of respect for Huaining, I didn't hold it against her. Does she really think I'm a fool?
Feng Lianhua's expression changed, and she stubbornly denied it: "Third sister-in-law, you should speak from your conscience. I just felt sorry for Huaining, and I didn't mean what you said at all."
Ma Dahua snorted, "Don't try to shirk your responsibility even if you don't admit it. Anyway, I pushed Cuilian down in anger because of Huaining. I dare to say this in front of outsiders."
Xu Laosi's expression changed immediately, and he quickly smiled ingratiatingly and said conciliatory words:
"Third sister-in-law, we are all family. We are all doing this for Huaining's own good. You know Huaining. When she becomes successful in the future, she will definitely not forget you, her third aunt."
Ma Dahua's expression softened a bit: "If it weren't for Huaining, I wouldn't have bothered going to the Zhang family this morning."
Old Xu added a few more compliments: "Having a third aunt like you is a blessing for Huaining. Huaining is a grateful person and will never forget your great kindness."
As he spoke, he gave his wife, Feng Lianhua, a wink.
Feng Lianhua had no choice but to lower her head: "Third sister-in-law, I spoke without thinking, please don't take it to heart. I'll go find my eldest brother and sister-in-law right now to discuss how to resolve this matter."
Ma Dahua was fairly satisfied with the couple's attitude and waved her hand, urging them, "Go quickly."
Feng Lianhua concealed the disdain in her eyes, straightened her clothes, and was about to go out to find Old Xu and his wife when she heard shouts from the villagers outside the door:
"Cheng Bai, are your third brother and sister-in-law at your house? Quickly tell them to come out; the clan chief is waiting for them at their door."
The four people in the room changed their expressions drastically. Ma Dahua panicked like a headless fly: "What should we do? What should we do? We've already alerted the clan leader. They'll definitely force me to pay with my life!"
Xu Laosan panicked and slapped Ma Dahua in his haste: "It's all your fault! If you hadn't pushed Cuilian, we siblings would have made up. Now we're complete enemies!"
This time, Ma Dahua didn't fight back. She covered her face and ran around the room, wishing she could dig a hole and hide.
The villagers outside were still shouting at the door, and their voices were getting louder and louder, with more and more people joining in.
Xu Laosi knew he couldn't ignore it, so he lowered his voice and persuaded Xu Laosan: "Third brother, things have to be resolved. Fortunately, Xujiaba is our territory, and no matter how powerful the Zhang family is, they won't dare to act recklessly."
Xu Laosan's face turned pale, and his hands trembled uncontrollably: "What... what are they afraid of? If they make a move, who can stop them?"
Xu Laosi was also very afraid of Zhang the butcher. He was secretly glad that he was not the one who attacked Xu Cuilian. He continued to persuade Xu Laosan: "The clan chief will uphold justice for us. They will have to give the clan chief some face."
Under Xu Laosi's reassurance, Xu Laosan managed to calm down and dragged Ma Dahua, who was too afraid to go out, along: "Let's go, let's go out together and call our elder brother and sister-in-law too."
Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua exchanged a glance and reluctantly followed behind Xu Laosan and his wife.
When the courtyard gate opened, Xu Laosan felt a chill run down his spine upon seeing a large group of villagers crowding the entrance.
One villager, feigning concern but actually watching with amusement, asked, "Cheng Song, didn't you go to the Zhang family this morning to beg for peace? Why did you beat up your own sister?"
Xu Laosan stubbornly argued, "It was an accident, an accident. Cuilian lost her balance and bumped her head. We didn't mean to hurt her."
The villagers scoffed. Accidental injury? They were kidding.
If it were an accidental injury, would Butcher Zhang bring all his relatives to seek justice for his wife?
Most of the villagers present did not believe Xu Laosan's sophistry, while some, not wanting to miss out on the fun, reminded him: "Your house has been smashed to pieces, and your three nephews have been throwing excrement all over the house. Your house is temporarily without a master."
With only a few days left until the Lunar New Year, their house is now like a pigsty, meaning Xu Chengsong and his wife can't go home.
Xu Laosan was shocked by the Zhang family's ruthlessness. His eyes widened and his fists clenched tightly: "How could they do this!"
Ma Dahua let out a loud scream, plopped down on the ground, and wailed, "Damn it, there's no justice in this world..."
The villagers present all looked on with disdain, saying, "When you came to our door and hurt people, did you not think about justice?"
Despite the strange looks from everyone, the four of them gritted their teeth and headed to Old Master Xu's house.
Xu Laoda and his wife were also very scared. They originally wanted to stay at home and ignore it, but Xu Laosan and Ma Dahua kept crying and threatening, so they had no choice but to come to Xu Laosan's house together.
After a lot of chores and shoveling manure, Xu Laosan's yard was no longer safe to stay in, so everyone braved the cold wind and stood outside the yard.
Seeing Xu Laosan and his men approaching from not far away, Zhang Daikui's eyes turned bloodshot, and he gripped the carrying pole, ready to rush forward to avenge his mother.
Xu Jinnian reached out and grabbed him: "The clan leader is here, don't act rashly."
Zhang Daikui instinctively tried to break free, but the hand seemed to be welded to his arm, making it impossible to get rid of.
In contrast, Zhang Erkui was more composed and stepped forward to persuade his elder brother: "What's the rush? If the clan chief is unfair, it's not too late for us to take action later."
If the eldest brother doesn't know his own strength and kills someone with a carrying pole, he'll end up in jail.
Zhang Daikui finally calmed down, his tense body relaxed, and he stood aside, staring intently at the group of people opposite him who were walking slower and slower.
These people weren't his uncle and aunt; they were his enemies who had come to bully and injure his mother!
Before Xu Laosan, Ma Dahua, and the others even got close, they felt several murderous gazes. They barely managed to suppress their fear and not turn around and run away.
Slowly walking up to the clan chief, Xu Laosan gave Ma Dahua a push, urging her to quickly apologize to the Zhang family father and son.
Ma Dahua didn't dare approach the Zhang family father and son, whose gazes were so menacing. She forced out two tears and knelt down before the clan chief with a thud.
"Chieftain, I didn't mean to hurt her. I just gave her a light push. I never expected Cuilian to hit the wall. I know I was wrong, sob sob..."
The clan chief's expression was serious: "So, you admit that you injured Cuilian?"
Ma Dahua nodded, then hurriedly shook her head: "I...I really didn't mean to..."
The clan chief asked in a deep voice, "I heard you came to sue for peace, so why did you attack Cuilian?"
As the head of the Xu clan, he could not be swayed by one side's opinion; he had to understand the cause and effect before he could determine who was right and who was wrong.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the question was asked, Xu Laosi and his wife looked at Ma Dahua nervously, fearing that she would blurt out something that would involve their son.
Ma Dahua was flustered and didn't notice the subtle signals from Xu Laosi and his wife. Sensing her chance to exonerate herself, she wiped away her tears and said angrily:
"Clan leader, Xu Cuilian is the great-aunt of the Xu family. There was a conflict over the repair of the ancestral graves last time, and she actually disowned her brothers from her own family."
"If she doesn't acknowledge it, fine, we brothers and sisters-in-law won't hold it against her. We even went to her door this morning to try and reconcile, but she gave us the cold shoulder and chased us away without even offering us a drink of water!"
After saying that, Ma Dahua looked at Xu Laosan and the others: "You should quickly tell the clan leader if Xu Cuilian said something unpleasant, and that's why we argued and fought in a fit of anger."
The youngest, Zhang Xiao Kui, couldn't hold back any longer and, with red eyes, burst into a tirade of curses:
"It's your grandmother's legs! It's clearly you shameless people who came to my mother's door and accused her of not giving my future sister-in-law any betrothal money, and that's why my mother got angry and kicked you out!"
Holy crap, this is a bombshell!
Zhang Xiao Kui's words were like a drop of water falling into a hot oil pan, and the crowd of onlookers immediately erupted, craning their necks to look at Ma Da Hua, then at Xu Lao San and the others, wanting to know whether Zhang Xiao Kui's words were true or false.
Ma Dahua wasn't afraid at all, and glared at Zhang Xiaokui, saying confidently:
“We are your mother’s family. The reason she has been able to live so comfortably in the Zhang family all these years is because we have her backing her up. As a daughter of the Xu family, it is only right for her to help the Xu family. How dare you call us bloodsuckers!”
Hearing Ma Dahua's unreasonable arguments, even Zhang Erkui, the calmest of the three brothers, exploded, rushing forward and staring intently at her:
“My mother has helped her family a lot over the years, so how have you treated her? Has my mother ever taken a single needle or thread from any of your three families? Last time at the cemetery, you even bullied my mother to death, and you shamelessly acted as if nothing happened. My brothers and I remember it clearly!”
Reminded by Zhang Erkui, the villagers present recalled the farce that had happened at the cemetery last time.
That's right. Last time, the clan chief ruled that the three Xu brothers were at fault, and each of the three families compensated the other with a few chickens.
The three brothers didn't treat their own sister like a human being, so what's wrong with her wanting to sever ties with her family?
How dare Ma Dahua criticize others and come to their door to beat them up so early in the morning?
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