Chapter 73: Lin Cuihua's plan. She's only worth twenty copper coins?
At the end of March, Qiu Xuan picked a nice day and returned to the mountain.
During this month, she only went back to the mountain twice, and stayed in the backyard of the small restaurant on other days.
The place was not spacious, and there were other people living in other houses, so Qiu Xuan didn't feel comfortable living there.
As soon as she returned to her own yard, she felt comfortable everywhere and the air was better than in town.
Zong Xiao took out all the bedding in the house to dry out in the sun, some of which had to be taken down the mountain tomorrow.
Qiu Xuan had rested enough, so she came over to help.
"I just went to my mother's yard to take a look. Both rabbits had given birth. I didn't dare get too close, for fear that the more popular rabbit would get in the way and the smaller one would be abandoned."
The three rabbits Zong Xiao had brought back from the mountains had grown up by now. He had originally wanted to hunt a few more and let them breed on their own, but just as he had that thought, Zong's mother returned with two white rabbits, a male and a female.
They said someone was selling it at the market and the price was not expensive, so my grandmother bought it.
Now that the rabbit has a companion, there is no need for him to go into the mountains.
"Thanks to mother, we've been running the shop in town and haven't had time to come back. She's been taking care of all the livestock in the backyard." Qiu Yun thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we rent a yard after we get the money this month?"
The yard in the town was so small that there was no place to put the mule. Qiu Xuan thought of taking with her the living creatures at home that she could, so that her grandmother wouldn't have to run back and forth every day.
Zong Xiao: "Okay, I'll go check it out tomorrow after we get down the mountain."
Qiu Xuan: "You should also tell your third brother and ask him and Yueyang if they want to rent a yard as well."
Running up and down the mountain all day long is unbearable for anyone after a long time.
If there was a yard, they could go up the mountain every few days, like she and Zong Xiao did.
However, although she thought so, she had no intention of living with everyone.
After the family split up, she was used to living in her own small courtyard. This month, she was already suffering from being squeezed in that courtyard in the town. If she rented a courtyard and lived with everyone, it would be better for her to continue living in the restaurant. Why waste money?
Zong Xiao saw through her thoughts at a glance, and naturally thought the same thing.
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After finally getting into the mountains to rest for a day, Qiu Xuan didn't want to go back to the kitchen.
She cleaned out a bamboo basket and found some herbs to repel mosquitoes.
"How about we go for a walk in the woods?" Qiu Xuan hadn't been to the woods for a long time. Before she got married, she would go to the woods to look for fruits when she was hungry.
Later, after marrying into the Zong family, she would stroll around the woods with Zong Xiao when visiting hunting pits.
Zong Xiao walked towards the backyard with hay in his arms, "Wait until I feed them, then we'll go together."
It was still cold in the mountains at the end of March, but fortunately there was sunshine, so I didn’t feel cold when the sun shone on my body.
Qiu Xuan walked beside Zong Xiao, and the two talked as they walked, and would say hello to acquaintances when they met them.
The villagers had long known that they had rented a shop and opened a restaurant in the town. Although they were jealous, they also knew that it was due to their own abilities.
Outsiders think so, but some relatives don’t think so.
Zong Lao San stood in front of the door and watched the two people walking past him. He felt jealous and hateful. No matter what, he was their uncle. Why did they ignore him like that?
When he saw the villagers, he would say hello, but when he saw him, he pretended not to see him.
He was angry, so he naturally didn't treat his son and daughter-in-law well when he got home.
"Dad, why are you angry at us? It's not like we don't recognize you."
"Unfilial son, if you dare to disown me, I will break your legs."
"...Dad, you misunderstood. Besides, why would you care about them? We've split up, so it's better for us to live our own lives."
If his family lived better than the eldest family, the third son of the clan would naturally not be angry.
But now anyone with a discerning eye can see that the eldest branch of the Zong family lives better than them.
The more Zong Lao San thought about it, the angrier he became. It was just a business in the town. If they could do it, why couldn't he?
Thinking of this, Zong Lao San's feet were as fast as greased and he ran into the house in a flash.
He moved a stool and placed it on the kang, then stood on tiptoe against the wall to reach up, and finally found the silver and money bag on the beam.
This contains the savings he has accumulated over the years, a total of twenty taels of silver.
The third brother of the Zong clan gritted his teeth and took out five taels of silver from the vault, thinking of using the money to do something big and suppress the eldest family's influence.
At this time, the clan mother at the foot of the mountain was unaware of all this. She was busy entertaining guests and had no time to think about anything else.
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In the woods, Qiu Xuan and Zong Xiao were squatting on the ground, each holding a small shovel and digging bamboo shoots.
I originally wanted to come in and see if there were any wild fruits, but there were no fruits in the mountains at the end of March, only bamboo shoots in the soil.
The spring bamboo shoots are tender at this time of year, so why not dig them since you are here?
Qiu Xuan loosened the soil with a small shovel and then began to dig bamboo shoots.
The bamboo shoots grew in patches. When she dug out one, there was another one waiting for her next to it.
After digging all this time, she actually built a small "mountain".
Qiu Xuan looked at the small "mountain" and said to Zong Xiao with a smile, "If I had known we would have so many, I would have brought bamboo baskets with me. Now we definitely can't bring it back in one trip."
"You wait here, I'll go home to get the backpack." Zong Xiao clapped his hands and shook off the dirt.
Qiu Xuan was indeed tired and didn't want to run again. She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you here. Don't worry, just drive slowly."
Although this is a forest, it is still some distance away from the deep mountains. Besides, there are many people digging bamboo shoots at this time of year, so Zong Xiao does not feel there is any danger.
Zong Xiao: "I'll be back soon, you sit here and rest for a while."
Qiu Xuan didn't mind the dirtiness of the ground. She sat down next to the "mountain" of bamboo shoots and said yes with a smile.
As soon as Zong Xiao left, several people came over.
They were probably carrying bamboo baskets to dig bamboo shoots, but when they saw that the bamboo shoots had been dug and there were people guarding them, they looked at each other and left without much delay.
After experiencing so much, Qiu Xuan became wary of everything around her.
She stood up, holding the spatula firmly in her hand.
If those people left and came back, she would at least have the ability to resist.
Seeing this situation, the people hiding behind the trees didn't know whether to advance or retreat.
"It's that girl. It was her that Aunt Cuihua took us to see that day."
"Shall we go over there? I see there are dozens of kilograms of bamboo shoots next to her. How about we beat that girl up and then take her bamboo shoots? She doesn't recognize us anyway."
"Wait a little longer and see if she has any companions."
"Didn't that guy just leave? Let's take advantage of now."
"What if they went to the woods to pee? We didn't hear any of their voices from such a distance just now. Let's wait a little longer. If no one comes, we can take action later. Aunt Cuihua has said that the man is a hunter and is not to be trifled with. Let's just beat up that girl and not cause any other trouble."
The youngest of the group was still a little scared. If it weren't for the five copper coins, she wouldn't dare to do such a thing.
Less than an incense stick of time passed, and seeing that no one else was coming, the four men came out from behind the tree.
It’s just beating up a girl. There are four of them, so how can they be afraid of just one of her?
The leader picked up the stick in his hand and hit Qiu Xuan from behind, but Qiu Xuan dodged to the side and avoided the blow.
"Quick, block that side and don't let her run away."
Seeing Qiu Yun running towards the main road, the man continued shouting.
Qiu Xuan was glad that she had taken precautions, otherwise she would have been knocked unconscious by the sudden blow.
She ran and dodged, trying to lead those people to the main road.
Just as she was about to run to the avenue, a dark shadow appeared in front of her.
Qiu Xuan thought it was over, but where else could she go if not to the main road? After thinking about it, she decided to run straight there.
Only when I got closer did I see clearly that the black shadow was not someone else, but Zong Xiao who came rushing over after hearing the noise.
"Be careful." Zong Xiao pulled her behind him and kicked the woman who was chasing Qiu Xuan.
He was so strong that the woman was kicked more than a meter away.
Seeing this, the other women who had caught up ran away in all directions.
"Tell me, who asked you to come?" Zong Xiao had a cold face and frowned, and his murderous aura frightened the woman on the ground so much that she didn't dare to open her eyes.
"Tell me or not? If you don't, I'll send you to see the official. Then it won't just be a beating." Zong Xiao knew that the person who could target them and take action when he was not there must be someone from the brothel.
But the next moment, an unexpected name appeared in his ears.
"It's Aunt Cuihua, Lin Cuihua."
Qiu Xuan: ...How could it be her?
Ever since the last time they warned the Qiu family about Hu Zi, they seemed to have never seen each other again.
Qiu Xuan could hardly remember what Lin Cuihua looked like, but why did Lin Cuihua come to harm her after such a long time?
Qiu Xuan stepped forward and asked, "Go on, tell me what she promised you."
The woman spread out her palm, revealing her five fingers.
"Five taels of silver?" Qiu Xuan thought Lin Cuihua was quite generous.
"Five coppers."
Qiu Yan:...
Qiu Xuan did some calculations in her mind and realized that Lin Cuihua had only spent twenty copper coins, so she wanted to beat her up...
"I'll give you six copper coins. Tell me everything you know, and we'll let this happen. I won't make a fuss or report it to the authorities."
The woman who was kicked was the most timid one. She swallowed her saliva and honestly told everything she knew.
She is from Lin Cuihua's hometown village, and the people who came with her today are also from that village.
They had never seen Qiu Xuan before, and it was only yesterday that Lin Cuihua took them down the mountain to take a sneak peek.
Lin Cuihua's son injured his leg and now can only walk with crutches.
All the families he had originally mentioned had broken up, and Lin Cuihua was filled with resentment. She thought that if all else failed, she would let her niece from her natal family marry into the family. After all, she had been giving money to her natal family over the years, and her brother and sister-in-law should be grateful to her and would definitely not mind this.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she said it, she was beaten out by her family, who said she was a toad wanting to eat swan meat.
Lin Cuihua didn't expect that her brother and sister-in-law, whom she had loved for so many years, would be so heartless, but she had no other choice but to go home in disappointment.
Qiu Shitou and Hu Zi at home were even more unhappy when they saw that she hadn't done anything.
Fortunately, the Qiu family still had some savings. The old couple, who were the grandparents of the Qiu family, took out their own savings and found a wife for Hu Zi.
The widow from the next village is seven years older than Hu Zi.
The two got married half a month ago, but they didn't expect that the widow was so powerful that even Lin Cuihua couldn't beat her.
After hearing this, Qiu Xuan still didn't understand why Lin Cuihua hated her, because it wasn't her who arranged the marriage.
The woman on the ground didn't dare look at Qiu Xuan. She whispered, "Aunt Cuihua said that you are rich now and have a good life. She wants you to have a lame leg, like her son. Then she can see if the Zong family still wants you."
Qiu Xuan laughed angrily, "Then you'll just obey and beat me up?"
The woman on the ground pursed her lips and said, "Aunt Cuihua didn't come with us today. We decided to just give you a couple of beatings secretly. We didn't intend to actually break your legs."
Qiu Yan:...
Qiu Xuan: "There are different levels of severity when hitting someone. What if a club hits the head and the person dies? Have you ever thought about that?"
The woman on the ground turned her head, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "We really didn't think that much about it. Aunt Cuihua said we'd get five copper coins each after the deal was done. We're from poor families, and five copper coins can buy a pound of brown rice to take home."
Qiu Xuan was speechless for a moment.
"Did you tell me when and where to pay? How would she know if I was injured?"
The woman pointed down the mountain and said, "Tomorrow at noon, under the locust tree opposite your restaurant. She said that if you are injured, the restaurant will be closed for a day, and then we will be paid in cash."
Qiu Xuan is not a good person, and she will not swallow such a thing.
She glanced at the woman and said, "Tell those three guys later that I'm willing to give each of you six copper coins. But you have to keep everything that happened today a secret from me. Just pretend you really beat me up, and go back to the locust tree tomorrow. Understand?"
When the woman heard that she not only would not report it to the police, but she would also give each of them six copper coins.
She nodded repeatedly and vowed to do whatever she said.
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