Chapter 15: Nonsense
Except for funerals, this is the first time that the Su family's old house has been so lively.
Mrs. Wang kept swearing and looked as if she wanted Su Lanzhang to come out and apologize and for the Su family to admit their mistakes.
The Wang family is a small family in the village, but they have never been bullied. This is thanks to Wang Po's ability to curse in the streets. She once set a record by cursing for three days and three nights at the door of the family that occupied her field ridge.
Normally, even the village chief doesn't want to mess with her because she's so good at swearing.
Su Zhaoshi and Aunt Bai had never heard of such dirty words before, and they were frightened by the scene. Especially Aunt Bai, who was frequently called a "little woman", her face was pale and she was staggering, with a look of shame and anger.
Madam Wei was also so angry that her face turned red. She stood up and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about, old woman? Don't bully others by relying on our wife's good temper. The Su family is not someone you can bully."
Someone took over, and Mrs. Wang became even more excited: "Everyone, look at what my grandson has been beaten up like. Who is bullying whom? What's wrong with the Su family? The village chief is a member of your Su family. Does that mean the Su family can beat people up at will?"
This dragged the village chief into this, and the faces of several people from other families in the village also turned bad.
"Shut up." A voice interrupted Wang Pozi's words, and it was Su Fengzhang and Su Lanzhang who came out.
He sneered and asked loudly, "Grandma Wang, are you trying to falsely accuse the village chief of partiality? Do you have any evidence? If you have any, then we can go to the government office and talk to him. If not... humph!"
Mrs. Wang's expression changed, her original arrogance was suppressed a little, her eyes rolled around and she started crying.
"What are you doing? I know your Su family is a family of scholars, but you can't always bring me to court. It's just a fight between children. It's fine if your family doesn't apologize, but why do you want me to be sued?"
"Since they are just kids fighting, why are you, as an elder, still talking nonsense here?" Su Fengzhang asked coldly.
Mrs. Wang was a little embarrassed and said hesitantly, "I, I just want to seek justice for the child."
"That's it, folks. My grandson was beaten. Is it too much for me to ask for justice?"
The people watching the excitement were frightened by the word "yamen". Remembering that the county magistrate had sent gifts to the Su family, no one dared to respond to Wang Po's words.
Su Fengzhang nodded and continued, "If that's the case, it's not excessive."
"Su Erlang, this is what you said. My request is not excessive..." Wang Po wanted to put forward her own request.
Su Fengzhang interrupted her: "But before that, let's discuss right and wrong."
Without waiting for Mrs. Wang's response, Su Fengzhang walked over and squatted down in front of Fatty Wang. He asked, "Did you say that the Su family wanted to sell Aunt Bai, Sanlang, and Huihui?"
Fatty Wang looked at him with some fear in his eyes. He shrank back and replied subconsciously, "I'm not the only one who said that. Everyone said that."
"Who are you all?" Su Fengzhang asked.
Fatty Wang subconsciously looked towards the people around him. Mrs. Wang quickly said, "Su Erlang, why are you fussing about this now?"
Su Fengzhang stood up and smiled at Wang Po, but this smile made her feel cold in her heart.
"The Great Zhou Code of our dynasty clearly stipulates: Rumors must be suppressed with serene measures and punished with the law. Anyone who spreads rumors and misleads the public with falsehoods will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane, but not more than one hundred strokes. Serious offenses may result in a three-year prison sentence, and those who commit a major crime against the state shall be executed. Those who spread rumors will also be punished."
After Su Fengzhang finished reciting the law, he asked again, "Grandma Wang, do you not understand? Let me explain it to you."
"What this means is that the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty clearly stipulate that rumors should be treated calmly, neither listened to nor believed. Those who spread rumors will be brought to justice. If I go to the government office now and accuse you of spreading rumors, not only you, but also your grandson and all the villagers who spread the rumors will be caned. Do you understand now?"
"At the very least, they will be beaten with sticks. At the worst, they will be sentenced to prison. In the most serious cases, the entire family will be executed."
"Grandma Wang, do you have some deep hatred with the villagers? Why do you want to harm them like this?"
Mrs. Wang turned pale with fear and trembled as she said, "How could I want to harm anyone? It was Su Laoer's family who said that your family had pawned some things and couldn't make ends meet anymore."
"I was thinking that I'd have to rely on pawning to make a living, so how could I afford to keep servants? That's why... Su Erlang, I didn't spread the rumor. It was just that everyone spread it around, and it took on a different meaning."
Mrs. Wang looked at the other women around her and said, "Please help me speak up. Although I am a bit of a chatterbox, I am not a bad person. We have been friends for so many years, you all know this."
But the people around were also scared to death, fearing that Su Erlang would really go to the authorities to complain. After all, he used to live in the city, and they didn't know his temper. What if he was just a fool?
One of the young wives even cried out, "Mrs. Wang, you've killed us this time. If you hadn't sworn that his family was going to sell people, we wouldn't have believed you."
"Yes, yes, we are all from the same village, but we can't really sue the authorities."
"The government has two mouths. If we really make a fuss about it, your family won't get any benefits. Can we just let it go and not talk about it again?"
Mrs. Wang's legs softened and she knelt down. She should not have come to the door earlier. "Su Erlang, I am your elder after all. This time I was too talkative and mean. Can you please let it go?"
Su Zhaoshi showed some reluctance in her eyes and called out "Erlang".
Su Fengzhang turned around and nodded to her, then reached out and helped Wang Pozi up. "Grandma, fellow villagers, you have misunderstood. Our Su family is also from Yuexi Village. How could we go to the authorities for this? Wouldn't that bring shame to the village?"
"Aren't you going to sue the authorities?" Mrs. Wang suddenly became energetic.
Su Fengzhang nodded and continued, "Grandma Wang, fellow villagers, Erlang just recited the law to let you know: Do not neglect good deeds, no matter how small, and do not commit evil deeds, no matter how small. Rumors are more ferocious than tigers. You don't know if a casual word you say will bring disaster to your family."
When Mrs. Wang heard that he said he would not report to the authorities, she felt relieved and did not take it seriously. She just secretly thought that she must not mess with their family in the future. After all, Su Dianli used to be an official, so maybe he had some connections.
She smiled awkwardly and yelled, "I've learned my lesson. It's okay, I'll take the child back."
"Wait, don't go yet." Su Fengzhang suddenly called out to them.
Mrs. Wang paused, turned around and smiled, her smile uglier than her tears: "Su Erlang, what else is going on?"
"Granny Wang, there's something I don't know whether I should tell you." Su Fengzhang looked at her with a smile.
Mrs. Wang could only bite the bullet and say, "You tell me."
Su Fengzhang looked down at the fat boy Wang and sighed deeply, "I'm just lamenting that a good child is ruined."
Mrs. Wang suddenly became nervous and cried out, "What happened to my grandson, Erlang? Didn't you just say you wouldn't file a complaint? You're a scholar, you can't go back on your word."
"My words are as valuable as gold, so I will never go back on my word," Su Fengzhang said hurriedly. Not only Mrs. Wang, but all the villagers around felt relieved.
"Then what happened to my grandson?" asked Mrs. Wang. This was her sweetheart.
Su Fengzhang said, "The naughty boy is clumsy and has no idea of right and wrong. He only knows the same thing as those who are close to vermilion. He has been with women for many years and has only learned to gossip. What kind of future can he have when he grows up? How is this different from being ruined?"
Mrs. Wang's face turned unnatural, and she felt a little indignant, thinking to herself, doesn't this mean that she doesn't know how to teach children?
But with the lingering influence of the previous incident, Mrs. Wang did not dare to directly refute. She just held the child tightly and said, "Then I will go back and teach him well."
"Only those who know shame, distinguish right from wrong, understand honor and disgrace, and distinguish good from evil, and who know propriety, righteousness, shame, filial piety, brotherhood, loyalty and trustworthiness, can achieve great things in the future." Su Fengzhang seemed to be very emotional.
Mrs. Wang looked embarrassed. "Su Erlang, how can I understand these flowery words you are saying? It's not that our family is poor. If we were rich, I would also like to send our children to school to learn to read and become successful in the future."
Su Fengzhang sighed deeply and said, "If that's the case, it's such a pity. How about this? I have to teach my younger brothers and sisters a lesson after studying. If you are willing, you can send your children here to study with me."
"Erlang is not very talented or well-educated. Although he may not be able to make a name for himself, he can still learn to read and comprehend things."
"Feng'er?!" Su Zhao was shocked and shouted quickly. She was definitely not happy about it. Erlang was still studying, so how could he have the time to enlighten the villagers.
But the villagers became excited when they heard it, especially those who had children of school age at home, whose eyes lit up.
Even the seemingly vulgar Wang Po was happy, forgetting her earlier fear: "Su Erlang, are you serious?"
"If it's just about knowing how to read and write, I can still do it." Su Fengzhang said with a smile.
Mrs. Wang was delighted at first, but then she asked, "What does Shu Xiu say?"
"We are all from the same village, there is no need to mention this." Su Fengzhang said.
"Really? Anyone can send their child here? Can my kid do it? I don't care how much he can read, just knowing his own name is good enough."
"Yes, if I really want to go to a private school, the monthly tuition fee is quite high, and my family can't afford it."
"I have three children. Can they all come?"
The villagers around suddenly started chattering, which drowned out Wang Po's voice.
Su Fengzhang took a look and said with a smile, "Anyone under ten years old can come. For those over ten, please understand that it is not convenient because there are female relatives around. We will set the date after dinner every day before dark at the gate of this house."
"It's only a quarter of an hour a day. After all, I still have to study and prepare for the imperial examination. This arrangement won't affect the children's work."
This is reasonable.
The author has something to say:
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My Erlang can handle a shrew
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