Tong Su bowed her head.
"The one on the bed is my younger sister, Xia Chaojin, who died of a cold last night. My mother is heartbroken and didn't have time to explain things to everyone, which only exposed the disgusting nature of my uncles! I, Qingzhai, am filled with grief and indignation. I would like to ask the village chief and headman to be witnesses. My mother and I are going to separate from my uncles. From now on, my son and I will have nothing to do with them, whether we are rich or poor, noble or lowly, prosperous or humble! My uncles will have no right to seize the family property left by my father!"
So it was Xia Chaojin who died, not Xia Qingzhai?
In their haste, neither of them both forgot to check the identity of the person in bed, and instinctively believed them.
I only thought about what they said before, and when I thought about that mother and son, they only said "child" and "if," and never directly admitted that the one who died was the son!
Damn it, they deliberately let themselves get caught!
The village chief, his white beard twitching, roared, "Xia Wei, Xia Li! What else do you have to say?"
"I...I didn't...I didn't..." Xia Wei and the other man stammered, flustered and angry, "No..."
"What else is wrong! Look at you guys just now, how arrogant you were! Just because Qingzhai is gone, you started acting like elders and trying to steal Xiahe's inheritance? You have no shame!"
The old village chief was so angry that he was panting heavily. He slammed his cane down on the two men's heads, causing them to stagger. The villagers nearby rushed over to support him in their distress. The old village chief was still glaring at them, wishing he could slap them.
"Divide the family! We must divide the family! This time I'm putting on airs as the village chief, trying to let you continue to be Qingzhai's uncles and elders. I'm afraid that you'll only cause his widow and orphan to die sooner or later! The whole village is watching. From now on, Xia Wei and Xia Li will no longer be able to plot to seize Qingzhai's family property!"
"Sigh, we'll all keep an eye on him..."
"Old village chief, calm down, don't get angry over these two things..."
The village headman was also furious: "Xia Wei, Xia Li, aren't you leaving yet? Do you still have the nerve to stay here?!"
Uncle Xia and his younger brother were condemned by everyone. Their faces were flushed and they were in a sorry state. They glared angrily at Tong Su and then slunk away with their whole family.
“Chao Jin…no, Qing Zhai, it’s Qing Zhai…” Xia’s mother was exhausted from the repeated shocks. Tong Su quickly reached out to support her. Her expression was desolate, and tears kept falling. “Qing Zhai…”
This cry of mourning was for the son in bed, but even more so for the daughter who, from this day forward, would have to dress as a man and live on in place of her son!
The village chief and the head of the neighborhood committee, unaware of the situation, assumed she was crying for her deceased "daughter" and went up to her to gently comfort her and offer their condolences.
Tongsu resolved the crisis for Uncle Xia and Uncle Xia, and breathed a sigh of relief. She helped Xia's mother sit down and then seriously discussed with the village chief how to bury her "sister".
"...This young man from the Xia family is truly remarkable. I heard that he studied at a private school while living in the city with his father, and he's been known for his talent since childhood! Judging from his appearance, he's sure to have a bright future!"
"Please take good care of them, they're pitiful..."
"You don't need to tell me! Sigh, I was just thinking about that Xia family girl, she's so pretty. I was even thinking of marrying her off to my son. She seemed perfectly fine yesterday, how come she's like this today—sigh!"
As the snow stopped and the clouds dispersed, the wind gradually subsided, and villagers in twos and threes trudged home through the thick snow. After a year of busy farm work, they finally had a chance to rest. Their tired bodies longed to go home, heat up their kang (a traditional heated brick bed), and curl up comfortably.
The wind and snow cover the vast wilderness, smoke curls from the chimneys of a lonely village, chickens and dogs chatter around a withered tree, a horse gallops by the fence, half a bright red hem of its garment hangs down from its back, and someone chuckles softly.
"I came to the village under the pretext of getting some hot water, but I ended up seeing a good show. Young Master, this boy is thin and sickly, but I didn't expect him to be such a fierce person."
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