Chapter Sixty-Four: Is it really not allowed to treat someone to a meal?
She put the things on the ground, rolled up her sleeves, and stood straight in front of the village chief, saying each word clearly, "Where were you then? Where were all of you officials? Who stood up and said, 'Zhong Jingui, stop talking'?"
"Now it's my turn to be sharp-tongued, so you'll accuse me of stirring up trouble?"
"Brother Aiguo, you be the judge. What was it like when I was being scolded? She scolded me and called it venting, but when she got a couple of retorts, she called me stirring up trouble?"
"What kind of logic is this? Just because Zhong Jingui is your relative, you feel sorry for her and can't bear to embarrass her?"
After she finished speaking, she crossed her arms and looked around at the people, "If anyone dares to say that I wronged her, then you can stand up and I, Zhang Chunxue, will kneel down and apologize to you."
No one spoke, and the scene fell silent for a moment.
Zhang Chunxue snorted again: "Village Chief Zhong, you know my temper. If I were to stir up trouble, she would throw a hot pot on my head. I'm just flipping the pot back at her."
"If you want to get justice, be fair and don't protect your own people. Otherwise, who will respect you in the future?"
She rolled her eyes and turned to go find Grandpa Liu to fix her stove.
Song Xingzhi stood there, pursed his lips, and remained silent for a while before suddenly speaking to Zhong Aiguo: "Uncle Aiguo, to be fair, it was indeed Zhong Jingui who started this trouble first."
"Sister Chunxue was buying things at the supply and marketing cooperative when she was publicly scolded by her, and the words she said were very rude. I think it's normal for her to get angry at that moment."
He spoke calmly and unhurriedly, but everyone present knew him well and knew that he usually didn't like to get involved in such trivial matters. But today, his words meant he was taking things a bit seriously.
Zhong Aiguo's forehead throbbed with unease. He had originally intended to defuse the situation and prevent things from escalating further, as it would be difficult to handle later. But now that even Song Xingzhi had spoken up, Zhong Jingui's position was indeed untenable.
"Waaah—" A sob suddenly rose in pitch.
Zhong Jingui was still sitting on the ground, and now she was crying even harder than before, like she was performing in an opera, with a veiled tone: "I just... I just spoke too quickly... I didn't hit her..."
Wang Anguo stood behind her, his face contorted with rage. Hearing the crying, he was seething with anger, and taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, he shifted his heel and kicked her in the buttocks with a "tsk".
Zhong Jingui screamed in pain, rolled on the ground like a turtle that had been flipped over, and flailed her limbs wildly.
She cried even harder, muttering curses: "So what if I'm a little mean... Zhang Chunxue just doesn't like me... You all protect her... Waaah..."
Another murmur arose from the crowd.
The captain smacked his lips, feeling annoyed.
Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. Zhong Jingui had her own ulterior motives, and Wang Anguo resorted to violence. Both sides were at fault.
He simply stepped forward and said, "Alright, alright, this matter has already blown up. Zhong Jingui, you've been dumped by your man, and you've lost face. Chunxue, shouldn't you stop worrying about it? That's enough."
Zhang Chunxue had already taken several steps when she heard this, she suddenly turned around and walked back as fast as the wind.
She spoke bluntly, like piercing a window: "What am I supposed to calm down about? How can I calm down? I'm completely innocent! She pointed her finger at me and yelled at me in front of the supply and marketing cooperative, saying I was sorry to Zhong Guosheng, saying I seduced men before Zhong Guosheng's body was even cold. She said I was just being quick-tongued? She was making baseless accusations!"
Her tone turned icy: "Did I wrong her? There were a whole bunch of people from the supply and marketing cooperative listening when she was cursing me! It's only because I'm innocent that I have nothing to hide! If anyone were timid or thin-skinned, they would have gone home and hanged themselves after being cursed like that by her!"
She crossed her arms and looked at the brigade leader: "Village Chief Zhong is taking sides, fine, but brigade leader, your surname isn't Zhong either!"
"What, do you want me to hang myself on your doorstep tonight?"
The captain's face darkened: "What nonsense are you spouting! Saying such things!"
Zhong Aiguo's lips twitched: "Where did I take sides? I just offered a few words of advice..."
Zhang Chunxue looked at Zhong Aiguo: "Village Chief Zhong... Alright, Brother Aiguo, I'll just ask you one question. Zhong Guosheng has been dead for six years. In these six years, I've raised my three sons and one daughter all by myself. My eldest son got married, my second son got married, and my youngest daughter, Xiaoxiao, got into high school. I've also raised my grandchildren with great care. Tell me, how have I fared?"
"I stayed for six years, never took a wrong turn outside, and never messed around with any man."
"Just because Secretary Song ate a meal with me today, Zhong Jingui ran to the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative and publicly cursed me, accusing me of seducing someone. Who does she think she is? Is she the reincarnation of my man? Even Zhong Guosheng's mother can't make decisions, but she's jumping around like a madwoman!"
Zhong Jingui lay on the ground, unable to lift her face. When she heard the words "What is she?", her body trembled, and her teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.
Before Zhang Chunxue could finish speaking, she glanced around at the crowd and continued, "I'm going to be frank with everyone today. I'm only in my early forties. If I stay here for another ten or eight years, I'll be half-buried in the ground."
“My pension, Zhong Guosheng’s pension, was used to pay for my son’s wedding and to supplement the family’s food and oil purchases. What family can get married without spending a penny? In the first few years, I wore cloth shoes made by my own mother. Who has ever seen me wear a new cotton-padded jacket?”
"To be honest, I've been a widow for six years, and I still have to put up with other people's opinions? Even if I remarry tomorrow, that's my own business, and it's none of Zhong Jingui's place to curse me in the street!"
At this point, she suddenly looked at the onlookers and said, "Tell me, in our village these days, which widow hasn't been widowed for a year or two? Five years is rare. I've been widowed for six years now, and no matter what I plan to do, why can't I keep going?"
Someone in the crowd said, "Yes, Chunxue is a strong-willed woman, we've all seen that."
Some people said, "It's not easy for her to support this family all by herself. In the past few years, when she was planting and harvesting wheat, she always took Xiaoxiao with her to the fields. Even the toughest person has to live, right?"
"It's really not easy to stay faithful for six years. My cousin remarried only three months after her husband died, and she's doing quite well now."
"These days, if a woman wants to start a new life, shouldn't we give her that right too?"
The crowd grew more and more animated, and more and more people gathered around. Even Aunt Hu from the east end of the village, who didn't usually get involved in things, came over with an aluminum pot. As she lifted the lid, she shouted, "Zhang Chunxue is right. So what if she remarried? It's not the old society anymore. It's really unreasonable to curse her."
Seeing that everyone was getting into the mood, Zhang Chunxue became even more eloquent.
“I treated Secretary Song to dinner last night to thank him for helping me find a job for my second daughter-in-law.”
"You, Zhong Jingui, are completely out of touch with human relationships, aren't you? Someone helped you, so you can't even treat them to a meal?"
Her voice rose a few decibels: "Everyone, watch closely! This is exactly the kind of person Zhong Jingui is. From now on, don't easily lend a hand to her family's affairs!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
