Chapter 29 Turning Black into White and Shifting the Blame
At this time of day, most villagers are resting at home so they can get enough rest to work in the fields in the afternoon.
Kong Dazhuang's screams and curses quickly attracted the attention of the surrounding villagers, who braved the scorching sun to come out and see what was happening.
"What's going on? I hear a fight going on. It sounds like Kong Dazhuang."
"It was him, no doubt. He seemed to be cursing An'an's man, saying that An'an's man hit him."
"Hey, this is interesting! Quick, quick, let's go see what's going on!"
"..."
Grandma Sheng's initially resentful expression changed instantly, bursting forth with astonishing force as she wailed and lunged at Kong Dazhuang, who was cursing Sheng An and Xu Jinnian:
"You filthy, rotten thing! You haven't given An'an a single bite to eat in sixteen years, and now you're here to humiliate her again! You heartless, unjust beast, what right do you have? If I don't get justice for An'an today, I won't have the face to face my daughter in the afterlife!"
In her rage, the old woman's fist slammed into Kong Dazhuang's face. Years of pent-up resentment burst forth like a floodgate, and she wanted nothing more than to drown this scoundrel who had killed his daughter and abandoned his granddaughter.
Sheng An and Xu Jinnian were completely taken aback by Grandma Sheng's intervention. After a brief moment of stunned silence, they exchanged a glance and rushed forward in perfect unison. One of them restrained Kong Dazhuang's right hand, while the other restrained Kong Dazhuang's left and right hands.
"You surnamed Kong, how old is Grandma? How dare you lay a hand on her? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?"
Sheng An loudly berated Kong Dazhuang, who was being suppressed and not given a chance to harm Grandma Sheng: "If you dare to be so cruel to Grandma today, you will dare to harm other elderly people in the village in the future. You are simply heartless and insane!"
Xu Jinnian remained silent with a cold expression, but his attention was on Grandma Sheng, fearing that the old lady might not be able to handle the excitement.
Kong Dazhuang, who was being beaten and screaming, hadn't even had a chance to fight back before being unfairly blamed. Enraged, he started cursing at Grandma Sheng:
"You old geezer, what business is it of yours if I scold my daughter! Your daughter is dead, what are you still living for!"
When the villagers arrived, they heard Kong Dazhuang's shouting, and everyone's expression changed instantly.
This Kong Dazhuang is simply outrageous!
"You heartless and unjust beast, you're still alive? I, this old woman, am waiting to see your retribution. How could I possibly die before you!"
Grandma Sheng punched Kong Dazhuang in the face again, but she wasn't angry at his shouting.
Since her only daughter died in childbirth, and her granddaughter was treated as if she had no father, she had completely lost hope in Kong Dazhuang and treated him as a complete stranger.
Who would be upset or angry because a stranger's dog barks?
"Hey, if you have any complaints, come at me! Don't bully an old woman like Grandma!"
Sheng An put on a dramatic act, putting on a panicked appearance. Although her hand was clearly grabbing Kong Dazhuang, she made it look like Kong Dazhuang was struggling and trying to hurt Grandma Sheng.
From an angle unseen by others, she pressed her toes against Kong Dazhuang's armpits and ground them relentlessly.
Xu Jinnian saw it clearly and kicked Kong Dazhuang a few times in the waist without making a sound.
Kong Dazhuang couldn't bear it any longer and cursed at the top of his lungs, "You two little beasts, you'll die a horrible death, you'll die a horrible death—"
Seeing him struggle so fiercely, looking like he might suddenly attack at any moment, the villagers worried that the thin, frail young couple wouldn't be able to subdue him, so they rushed forward to help, verbally berating Kong Dazhuang:
"No matter what, Aunt Sheng is your elder and your former mother-in-law. It's too much for you to bully an old woman like this."
"That's right, that's right. You've ignored An'an all these years, and Aunt Sheng hasn't said a word to you. She and Uncle Sheng raised An'an with great difficulty. You're not only ungrateful, but you also bully people."
“That’s right, we can’t do such a beastly thing! You should apologize to Aunt Sheng and see how angry she is about you.”
Hearing everyone's distorted and incoherent words, Kong Dazhuang, who was in excruciating pain, was so angry he felt like he was going to vomit blood. He cursed loudly at the people who had spoken:
"You bunch of idiots with your eyes in their asses, can't you see I'm the one getting beaten up!"
The villagers were now dissatisfied and glared angrily at Kong Dazhuang: "How can you not tell good from bad?"
Or maybe Aunt Sheng should just beat me to death!
With these thoughts in mind, the villagers dared not truly stand idly by, and began to persuade Grandma Sheng again:
“Auntie, you’re getting on in years, you can’t overwork yourself. If you’re not satisfied with the beating, let’s go to the village chief’s house and ask him to give you justice.”
Grandma Sheng was indeed exhausted from hitting him. Hearing the villagers' words, she stopped, panting, climbed off Kong Dazhuang, and, with red eyes, told everyone about her grievances:
“An’an is a filial son and invited me to stay at his home for a few days. I was worried about my old man and the land, so I asked An’an and Jin’nian to bring me back. I never expected that he would come all this way, point at an old woman like me, and yell at me, forcing me to take out An’an’s betrothal money to buy meat for his youngest son…”
At this point, the old woman wiped her eyes with the hem of her clothes and began to sob:
“You all know my family is poor. We can’t even afford to make a new quilt for An’an. We two old folks have no ability to give An’an a dowry, so how could we have the face to accept other people’s betrothal gifts? But he doesn’t believe it and insists that we two old folks are greedy.”
Upon hearing this, the villagers looked at Kong Dazhuang with even more disdain.
This man first raised two children of other men, neglecting his own daughter, and now he dares to force an old woman to hand over her betrothal money. Is his brain filled with shit?
"No, no, I didn't. Those two beasts attacked me first..."
Under so many disdainful gazes, Kong Dazhuang felt dizzy and pointed a trembling finger at Sheng An and the other man, then angrily pointed at Grandma Sheng: "You, you framed me, you old hag!"
Grandma Sheng ignored him and, with a mixture of fear and apprehension, spoke to the villagers:
“I’m just an old woman who’s half-buried in the ground. I don’t know how many more days I have left to live. He’s a strong, able-bodied man who holds a grudge against me. I won’t even know how I died when I die. So I’m not going to drag him to the village chief to settle things.”
The villagers felt a chill run down their spines and looked suspiciously at Kong Dazhuang, whose face was bruised and swollen.
Yes, it's true that someone with the surname Kong is capable of bullying elders in public, which shows how wicked he is and that people have to be wary of him!
Thinking of this, several tall and strong men stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Aunt Sheng, we'll all keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't dare to act recklessly again."
Grandma Sheng was in tears, repeatedly expressing her gratitude: "With your pity for this old woman, I am no longer afraid of his revenge."
The villagers offered a few more words of comfort until Grandma Sheng stopped crying, and then they all left.
Before leaving, he even pulled away Kong Dazhuang, who was full of resentment, intending to reason with him.
Watching the villagers walk away, Sheng An looked at Grandma Sheng with shining eyes, utterly filled with admiration:
"Grandma, you're amazing!"
Xu Jinnian felt the same way, and he had great respect for Grandma Sheng.
Grandma Sheng seemed a little embarrassed, patting the dust off her clothes, her tone somewhat reproachful:
“I’ve gone through all this trouble for the two of you! No matter what, Kong Dazhuang is An’an’s biological father and your elder. No matter how much he has wronged An’an, if you lay a hand on him, the villagers will only think you are being disrespectful.”
At this point, the old lady earnestly advised, "If you encounter someone surnamed Kong again in the future, just pretend you didn't see him and don't lay a hand on him in front of others."
Sheng An nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, I'll listen to Grandma!"
You can't do it in public, but you can do it in private!
Xu Jinnian also looked like she had been taught a lesson: "Grandma, don't worry, I will listen to An'an."
Seeing the young couple's obedient appearance, Grandma Sheng couldn't help but smile and say, "Let's go, pack our things, and go home."
The three picked up their belongings and walked happily toward the Sheng family home.
Grandpa Sheng was in the kitchen eating a cornbread bun. He never liked watching commotion, so he didn't go out to see what was going on when he heard the noise outside.
When Sheng An and the other two walked in, the old man was overjoyed: "Why are you back at this time? Have you eaten? I'll make you some noodle soup."
Grandma Sheng waved her hand: "We've already eaten, you can eat by yourself."
As she spoke, she walked into the kitchen without stopping.
Seeing the half-eaten cornbread in the bowl, without even a single piece of pickled vegetable, the old lady was furious. She scolded Grandpa Sheng with a long face, "When I'm not home, you don't even eat properly!"
Grandpa Sheng chuckled sheepishly and quickly begged in a low voice, "I ate properly. I just rushed to finish the last bit of work this morning and only managed to grab a bite because I got back late."
Grandma Sheng glared at her husband and rolled up her sleeves, ready to make him something hot again.
Grandpa Sheng tried to stop him but couldn't. He sat obediently in front of the stove and tended the fire, but the smile on his face never faded.
Witnessing this scene, Xu Jinnian whispered to Sheng An, "Grandpa and Grandma have such a good relationship."
Sheng An was taking out dried shrimp when he heard this. He looked up and teased, "Are you envious?"
Xu Jinnian silently squeezed her hand, his deep eyes fixed on her: "You and I will be as good as Grandpa and Grandma for the rest of our lives."
Sheng An was a little embarrassed by the sweet talk, but a sweet feeling welled up inside her: "That depends on your performance. If you don't treat me well, I'll never stay with you for life!"
Xu Jinnian's eyes lit up, and he leaned close to his wife and whispered in her ear, "If I continue to treat An'an well, will An'an want to be with me even as a ghost?"
Sheng An: "..."
How did I discover before that this person was a hopeless romantic?
Seeing the man waiting earnestly for an answer, Sheng An also abandoned her playful thoughts, her expression becoming equally serious.
"The answer to this question will only be known before I die."
Xu Jinnian was not surprised by Sheng An's answer, and his handsome face did not show any disappointment: "Yes, I will try my best."
Sheng An took out a large plate of dried shrimp and asked Grandma Sheng to make it for Grandpa Sheng to have with his drinks.
Among the things I brought back this time was a jar of fine wine given to me by Master Ding.
Grandpa Sheng had a fondness for this drink when he was young, but as he got older, he struggled to support his granddaughter and naturally had no money to buy alcohol.
He can only have a couple of sips of wine when there are celebrations in the village.
Grandpa Sheng, holding the wine jar, said with red eyes, "Good, good, my granddaughter is so filial, Grandpa is truly blessed..."
In contrast to the harmonious atmosphere at the Sheng family's home, the Liu family's home at the end of the village was somber, with sharp curses emanating from the house.
"You useless piece of trash! You didn't get any benefits and ended up with all these injuries and ruined reputation. How am I supposed to go out in public now!"
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