Chapter 019 Traitorous Minister 19
New Year’s Eve.
Early in the morning, Xie Zhu and Xie Cao began to work.
Although it snows in winter here, it is also in the south and has some of the same southern customs. For example, on New Year's Eve, they don't eat glutinous rice balls or dumplings, but rice dumplings.
The leaves used for zongzi are cypress leaves. Two pieces are overlapped together, and soaked glutinous rice is put on them. Mung beans and seasoned meat are added in the middle. They are folded into two long shapes with a bulge in the middle, wrapped with cypress leaves, and finally tied with a long rope torn from the stems of the cypress leaves. A large meat zongzi is then wrapped.
In previous years, the Xiao family could not even get enough food to eat, so naturally they did not make rice dumplings. Most of the rice dumplings were sent by people in the village and Aunt Zhao's family.
This year is the first time for their family to make rice dumplings, and everyone including Xiao Chen feels it is a bit new.
A group of people gathered in the yard, clumsily learning how to make the dumplings. Some of them were too greedy and added too much stuffing, while others didn't wrap the dumplings properly and the stuffing leaked out easily. They looked like they were here to make trouble rather than to help.
Xiao Chen concentrated on learning, but his hands were too small to hold the rice, and some of the glutinous rice leaked out. He quickly added another sheet of hollyhock leaf. By the time he finished wrapping the rice dumpling, it had become a shapeless mess.
He tried to hide the zongzi among the other zongzi, but the zongzi was covered with several layers of holly leaves, making it the largest and most conspicuous among the zongzi. No matter how he covered it, it was difficult to hide its "unique" shape.
Everyone laughed in good faith. Even Xie Xiang, a shy little girl, couldn't help but smile with her missing front teeth. For a moment, the scene was quite hilarious.
Xiao Chen secretly glanced at the rice dumplings made by Xiao Yan. Unfortunately, he made them very well and it didn't look like it was his first time making rice dumplings.
Xiao Chen was so angry that he stood up and pretended to be reserved: "You guys are busy, I have something important to do."
Xiao Yan glanced at him and saw through him but didn't say anything.
Xiao Chen had already finished his work a few days ago, just to have a few days off during the New Year. What else was there to worry about now? Even New Year's greetings would have to be made after the second day of the New Year. He was just shy of it.
In just a few months, Xiao Chen had changed significantly. He used to be burdened with something, always worried. But now, he's showing some of his true nature, which is a good thing.
In addition to cleaning the house and making rice dumplings, we also have to put up Spring Festival couplets.
Both Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen were literate. After all, the couplets sold outside were not as fulfilling as those written by themselves, and the meaning was also different, so it was natural that they were written by themselves.
The words written on the outer door are: Welcome the new year with laughter and joy, celebrate today with joy, and the horizontal banner reads: Bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.
It is relatively easy to understand and catchy. The more popular, the more elegant. What we want in the new year is a good omen, not to compare our own talents.
Xie Zhu even asked Xiao Chen for a pair of auspicious couplets to put up in his room, and Xiao Chen simply made a couplet for everyone.
For example, for Xiao Yan, it was written that he hoped he would be healthy, and for himself, it was written that he hoped he would be successful and famous. The words for Old Man Xie also mentioned good health, and Xie Xiang was a couplet that was very suitable for people of this age group who love beauty and fun, and was more playful and lively. After receiving the couplet, everyone was very happy and said a lot of auspicious words to ask for a good omen.
That night, it was time for the New Year’s Eve dinner.
In the past, the food was divided between the master and the servant, but tonight the exception was made. Everyone gathered together, and the table was filled with delicious food, which was dazzling to look at.
"Today is New Year's Eve, so each person should be given an extra two silver coins for good luck. I'm putting this on hold. If you do well, you'll definitely be rewarded later."
Xiao Chen looked a little drunk, his cheeks were flushed, his eyes were like stars, and he had a hint of a smile on his face, which didn't look like someone of his age.
but……
As expected, he was drunk again.
It may sound a bit like judging others by one's own mean heart, but it is the fact. In the past, he valued money like his life, and taking a piece of silver was like cutting flesh. If he was not drunk, how could he give silver right away?
By the end of the meal, even Mrs. Xie Cao was a little tipsy. Old Man Xie and Xie Zhu were so drunk that they lay on the table, mumbling something. However, Xie Zhu still remembered his mission. He helped Old Man Xie and Xiao Chen back to the room, then lay on the table and fell asleep.
Xie Cao: "..."
Who said we should stay up all night to celebrate the New Year?
"It's okay, you go and rest first." Xiao Yan, the only one who was awake, said so.
The night was dark, and the wind blew through the treetops, bringing a hint of chill.
There is a pot of charcoal fire in front of the soft chair, making the whole study warm.
Spread out the paper, pick up the pen and start drawing with lines, from thick to thin, and a happy picture of family appears on the picture.
Upon closer inspection, it was the same drunken picture from before.
Xiao Chen rolled up his sleeves and played finger-guessing games with Old Man Xie. He seemed to have won, with a hint of smugness between his brows, and his usual reserve was gone.
Xie Xiang and Xie Cao were whispering something, both with happy expressions on their faces.
He was holding a wine glass, watching them playing finger-guessing games quietly with a smile on his face. In front of him was Xiao Chen's hand, as if he was drunk but was afraid that he would drink too much and hurt his body.
While admiring it, I suddenly heard footsteps outside the house, and saw Xiao Chen walking in unsteadily, squinting his eyes, and stumbling into the ornaments from time to time.
He was holding a pot of wine, two glasses in his hands, and talking nonsense: "Come on, big brother, let's drink, drink."
Xiao Chen performed a performance of pouring out air on the spot. He did it in a very realistic manner, taking a deep breath and wiping off the wine that hadn't slipped out at all...
It looks a bit stupid.
"Brother, why don't you drink?"
He grabbed Xiao Yan's sleeve and shook him, "Drink, um, big brother can't drink! I'll drink for you!"
After saying that, he took another breath of air.
Xiao Yan: “…”
Xiao Yan felt nothing inside, and even felt like laughing.
Where did this fool come from?
Xiao Chen put down the wine jug and glass, spun around, and then lay on the table, as if watching.
"This person..." Xiao Chen frowned, "Is he asking for help from a spirit medium?"
Fuqi is a ritual to invite gods, which is also known as shaman dance in the folk.
Xiao Yan glanced at it with a somewhat strange expression, as if he wanted to laugh but held it back, because the person who was performing the shaman dance that Xiao Chen was talking about was exactly himself in the painting!
It seems that drinking alcohol is indeed harmful to your health. Not only is it harmful to your body, it is also embarrassing!
Then Xiao Chen started dancing and laughing, as if he had drunk fake wine, which left Xiao Yan stunned.
A "bang" sound was heard from the door. Xie Cao was holding a bowl of sweet soup and looking at Xiao Chen in shock. She looked like she was frightened and accidentally bumped into the door.
Maybe because he was drunk and the noise scared him, he sobered up a little.
Xiao Chen came back to his senses, his limbs stiffly suspended in the air, still maintaining the same dancing movements as before, and his eyes met with Xie Cao's.
At this moment, the silence is audible.
Xiao Chen turned his head slowly and looked at Xiao Yan. At this time, the corners of Xiao Yan's mouth were wildly raised, and it was obvious that he was holding it in very hard.
A smile broke out and Xiao Yan tried hard to straighten the corners of his mouth, but unfortunately, the corners of his mouth had their own ideas. The smile grew wider and wider. Xiao Chen could no longer hold back and ran away.
What followed was Xiao Yan's unbridled laughter, which he could no longer suppress, and he laughed so hard that Xiao Chen almost stumbled.
Xie Cao came to her senses and, to save her master's face, avoided this dangerous topic: "I seem to have seen the young master drink some wine earlier. This bowl of sweet soup can help sober up and warm the body."
After saying that, Xie Cao went to add some charcoal fire, some hot tea, replaced the hot water bottle with hot water, and then left.
[Crackle—]
The sound of firecrackers rang out, and the time had come.
Xiao Chen was completely sober at this moment. Thinking of what he had done before, he wished he could turn back time.
He swore never to drink again!
Drinking is harmful!!!
The firelight illuminates the night, turning each other's faces orange-red, with fire dancing in their eyes, and the new year has arrived.
Today, Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen plan to return to Shancai Village. After all, Shancai Village is their hometown. In addition, if they want to take the imperial examination, building good relationships with the villagers can also reduce unnecessary trouble.
Besides, apart from Master Wei and Shopkeeper Pan, he didn't know anyone else in the town. It wasn't the time for New Year's greetings, and all the shops in the town were closed for the holidays. It was a little quieter than usual.
After all, the house in my hometown was old and there was no place to live. In addition, in order to avoid being too high-profile and attracting gossip, I did not bring the Xie family with me.
At the agreed time, Shanmu was already waiting in the town.
In order to deliver goods, Aunt Zhao's family also bought a donkey cart. The two families have a close relationship, so there is no need to trouble Uncle Hong.
Perhaps it was a good omen for the new year, and people coming and going wore new clothes and congratulated each other with smiles.
Seeing the two brothers Xiao Yan, everyone just came forward to chat about some family matters, and at most praised the Xiao family for being so lucky, but they didn't say anything else. They mainly focused on the embroidery work.
Now that the embroidery business has grown, the head of the village and the elders have been brought in to join. Embroidery has become a major livelihood in their village. The women in particular have become more confident. With money in their hands, they speak with more confidence.
After all, embroidery is something that only careful women can do. Of course, there are also gentlemen who secretly follow the embroidery, but embroidery is generally something that only women can do. If the news of gentlemen embroidering gets out, they will be laughed at.
But embroidery is really profitable, and it would be a waste not to make some money if you can afford it. Therefore, many gentlemen attack the embroiderers on the surface, criticizing them for being unmanly, but secretly learn embroidery from their mothers and wives, which is quite hypocritical.
What's more, anyone with a discerning eye knew that the embroidery was made by the two brothers of the Xiao family, so they naturally treated them better.
A monopoly is likely to attract jealousy, but making money together will avoid trouble.
Of course, not every family can take on embroidery work. Those with bad character, especially Xiao Dashi who has a grudge, and the family in Shangshui Village who cheated Shancai last year, will not get any embroidery work. They talk behind people's backs, and only those few families agree with them. Others ignore them.
If they say that this is what they deserve, like Xiao Dashi's previous attempt to force Xiao Chen to death for money, who can be so magnanimous as to forgive him?
Repaying evil with kindness is something only saints do. What does it have to do with ordinary people like them? Moreover, seeing that the two brothers of the Xiao family are already showing signs of changing their status, only a fool with a lack of brains would take the initiative to offend them.
When they returned to the Xiao family's house, Aunt Zhao had already helped clean the house. When she saw them, she came to greet them with a smile.
"Good luck and prosperity come to you in the new year. Congratulations to Yan'er and Chen'er on their prosperity and success in the new year."
Xiao Yan and Xiao Chen also congratulated him, but before they could sit down, Shancai jumped out and shouted, "Oh my God!"
Then Aunt Zhao slapped him lightly on the back, "What are you yelling about? Your mother is still here, why are you yelling?"
Shancai panted, his eyes emitting a strong smell of gossip, "Mom, brother Yan, Xiao Dashi and his wife got into a fight with someone!"
Aunt Zhao stood up suddenly, looking a little gloating: "Are you serious?!"
Because she refused to take embroidery work for Xiao Dashi's family, Xiao Li always told others, intentionally or unintentionally, that she was petty, saying that they were all from the same village, so why should she favor one over the other.
Aunt Zhao was so angry that she almost laughed. Her family could give the embroidery work to whoever they wanted, so why would she have the right to complain? She went straight to the door and scolded him for a long time before she gave up.
The most disgusting thing is that Xiao Li herself has a dirty background and always pretends to be weak. She deliberately acts pitiful in front of the old men to show that she is different from other women.
Nowadays, every family has some spare money, and women are confident and speak with confidence. But Xiao Li is different. She always talks about the three obediences and four virtues for women, the husband being the head of the wife, and women not showing their faces in public like prostitutes, and should fulfill their duties as women.
The combination of these two things is that she is the weakest and most virtuous woman in the village, and the other women are immoral and vulgar. It is as if she is a chastity arch that has become a spirit, which is extremely disgusting.
Especially some old men who are useless and only seek existence from women, all agreed with her words, and then went home to beat and scold their wives. It can be said that they are quite disgusting.
As soon as he heard that Xiao Dashi and Xiao Li had started fighting, he didn't care whether it was auspicious for the new year or not, and ran out directly.
It was lively and interesting, so Xiao Yan naturally wouldn't miss it.
The Chinese New Year is always a free time with nothing to do, so everyone gathers at Xiao Dashi's house.
The door was open, and Xiao Dashi was pinned to the ground by a group of strong men. Several women grabbed Xiao Li and tore her apart, cursing at her.
Little Li covered her face delicately, tears sliding down her face, making her look somewhat pretty. However, her swollen cheeks and bald spot made her look indescribably funny.
Xiao Yan poked Shanshui, who was standing at the front, and said, "Uncle Shui, what's going on?"
Shanshui was watching the show with great interest when he was suddenly startled by the disturbance. He turned around and saw Xiao Yan, whom he had not seen for a long time. He immediately smiled and said, "You're back?"
"I heard that Xiao Dashi's wife had a secret relationship with Shanjie, and was seen by Shanjie's wife. Not only that, she also encouraged Shanjie to beat his wife."
Shanjie is Master Wang's student, but just an ordinary student, not a master-disciple relationship like Xiao Chen. He is also a student who plans to take the county exam.
He was the youngest grandson in the family, favored by his grandparents, and the whole family had to work hard to support him as a scholar. He was usually a bit arrogant and had never worked in the fields.
He lived a carefree and happy life, but how could his uncles and aunts not be resentful? So as his wife, she had to get up before dawn to cook and feed the chickens, work in the fields with his brother and his wife, come home late to cook, and wait on him at night.
The cows in the field are not as tired as she is. It is said that she has miscarried twice, but her in-laws still dislike her because she is a hen that can't lay eggs and have been urging Shanjie to divorce her.
Shanjie is a typical Chen Shimei. On the one hand, he dislikes his wife for not being gentle and virtuous enough and unable to give birth to children for him, but on the other hand, he enjoys his wife working like a slave for him.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that if this kind of person were a high school student, his wife would probably end up being divorced. However, his wife just thinks that Shanjie would not be such a heartless and ungrateful person.
Look, even though her own man couldn't control himself, she still thought that it was Xiao Li who deliberately seduced her, and brought her brothers from her natal family to scold her!
As for Shanjie, he probably felt ashamed and stayed at home.
After all, Xiao Li is a bit too worldly. Even if he were to marry a wife, Shanjie would not marry her because of his self-righteous mentality.
Men like him are always like this. They can have fun, but when it comes to marriage, they will find it dirty. Not to mention that he has not yet achieved anything and needs his wife to continue to work like a slave for him.
Xiao Dashi had no idea what kind of drug Xiao Li had drugged him into, as he caught the two of them in the house in dishevel. He thought that Shanjie's wife's family was deliberately trying to extort money from him.
He and Shanjie's wife can be said to be fools on this point.
Xiao Yan sighed repeatedly after hearing this, wondering what kind of feng shui was going on in their village that such weird things would appear?
When poor people fight, they usually just slap each other and pull each other's hair. No matter how much they fight, they don't dare to do anything because medicine is expensive, they can't afford to fight, and they don't have the confidence.
Originally, Shanjie's wife was like this, but when she saw that Xiao Li was still pretending, she immediately became angry, scooped a handful of chicken poop from the chicken coop, and smeared it directly on Xiao Li's face.
Little Li had no idea what to do. She was in tears when she was not careful. As a result, the sudden smell of chicken shit covered her face. It was yellow and green and extremely smelly. She even got it into her mouth. She didn't care about disguising herself anymore and fell to the side, vomiting repeatedly.
Now, not to mention Shanjie's wife's family, even the villagers who were watching the fun quickly retreated.
His eyes widened and he exclaimed that he had never seen such a scene before.
No one wants to know what it feels like to eat chicken poop, but looking at this picture, my stomach can't help but feel nauseous.
A weak and lovely woman can indeed arouse people's sympathy, but no matter how good-looking she is, if she has poop on her body, no matter how outstanding her appearance is, others will only find it a bit disgusting.
That’s daddy!
No matter how beautiful a woman is, once she is involved in shit, piss and farts, she will immediately fall into the mortal world. What's more, Xiao Li can only be considered pretty at best. She is used to speaking softly and pretentiously, which is naturally rare in the countryside where both men and women have to work.
To put it bluntly, it's just a temporary novelty, and since they are not family members, everyone is just here to watch the fun.
Mrs. Li is pretending to be weak, but she is not weak by nature.
This was probably the first time in his life that he had been treated like this. His eyes immediately turned red and he wiped the chicken poop at Shanjie's wife.
The two of them fought back and forth, and the sticky and smelly chicken poop splashed in the air. Xiao Yan quickly took a few steps back and even found some cover.
It's the same with other people.
No one wants to get chicken poop on their clothes for no reason, as these are their new clothes to wear during the Chinese New Year!
By the end, the scene was simply unbearable to watch.
Two women with disheveled hair took chicken poop and smeared it on each other's faces. When they ran out of chicken poop, they even threw the poop in the toilet at each other. It was quite shocking.
For a moment, the air was filled with the smell of chicken poop and human feces, and the stench was so bad that it could make people vomit out their leftover food.
"Stop it!" The village chief's face turned black, and he was then driven away by the stench.
He covered his mouth and nose and said in a muffled voice, "Where's Shanjie's mother? Why don't you take care of your daughter-in-law?"
Shanshui also covered his mouth and nose, "Shanjie was too embarrassed to come! His mother saw that someone from her daughter-in-law's family was coming, so she was afraid of causing trouble and didn't come either."
He was the first person to watch it from beginning to end!
"Boss Huang's wife, why don't you pull your sister-in-law over! And you, Xiao Dashi, tell your wife to stop fighting! It's really disrespectful to fight and make a fuss!"
Shanjie's wife, who had been so domineering just now, seemed to have found her backbone and cried out, "Uncle San, you have to help me! This bitch seduced my husband! She used her dirty tricks with the half-closed door on him!"
"My husband is going to die this year. If I delay him, how will I live?"
Everyone: “…”
Shancai muttered quietly, "That kid Shanjie lives a life of debauchery all the time. Even without Xiao Dashi's wife, it's probably hard for him to win, right?"
Shancai only dared to whisper this to Xiao Yan. If he said it out loud, Shanjie's wife might accuse him of cursing, and she might blame him if he failed the exam in the future.
Although this is the truth, I can't say it directly.
The crowd was noisy, but no one heard it except Xiao Yan.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded in agreement.
Shanjie had never put his heart into books, reveling in petty pursuits and possessing a narrow mind. Before he and Xiao Chen arrived, he was the tallest of the short men and the most gifted and learned. But after Xiao Chen and he joined the school, he seemed incredibly mediocre, and he began to resent the two brothers.
In his previous life, he did not get involved with Xiao Li, and he did pass the county exam. He spent money to enter Chongshan Academy with Xiao Chen. He fawned over rich kids and deliberately led other students to exclude Xiao Chen. He even slandered Xiao Chen for stealing valuables from his classmates and was almost expelled from the academy.
Fortunately, other students saw it and helped to testify, and it was finally covered up by a misunderstanding. This shows how bad this person's character is.
After the village head arrived, Xiao Yan stopped watching. It was awfully smelly; every breath he took felt like he was sniffing feces and urine. The outcome would eventually come out, so why suffer any more than he could watch the excitement?
When he returned home, Tianluo's younger brother Xiao Chen was still busy. Xiao Yan told him about this and Xiao Chen was also surprised.
"These two people are actually mixed up?"
Then he stepped back a few steps and said, "Brother, why don't you wash yourself properly? The smell is too strong."
After washing up, Shancai just returned and was discussing the follow-up with Xiao Chen.
Xiao Dashi and Xiao Li insisted that this was a misunderstanding. Shanjie stayed in his room claiming to be sick and refused to show up. In order to extort money, his mother also insisted with her daughter-in-law that it was Xiao Li and Xiao Dashi who deliberately set a trap for Shanjie.
The two of them had different words, but they sneaked into another man's house and were caught in the act. Even if their words were inconsistent, everyone knew the truth.
In the end, neither of them could convince the other, so they started fighting and the matter ended in nothing.
"Shanjie's wife..."
Shancai shook his head, his unspoken meaning was self-evident. Naturally, he looked down on this pitiful, pathetic, and wishful person.
This kind of vision and this kind of thinking are probably caused by shit in the eyes and straw in the head, which makes people angry at their lack of fighting spirit.
Xiao Chen shook his head and said, "I think she may not be unaware of it, but she has paid too much and is unwilling to give up. It's like a gambler who finds it difficult to withdraw and always wonders if there is still a chance."
Xiao Yan glanced at him approvingly. "That's one reason. The second is her family. Her parents are deceased, and her three brothers are all married with children. The house is already too small for them. If she divorces, she will just remarry. And what good family can a second marriage be promised to? It might even be worse than Shanjie's family. It all depends on luck."
"Shanjie is indeed not a good man, but as long as he is taking the imperial examination, he has to take his reputation into consideration. I am afraid he cannot divorce her easily."
Shancai retorted, "But she has no children."
"She's been pregnant twice, proving she can have children. Her previous miscarriage was simply due to overwork. What woman would go to the fields and do heavy work when she's about to give birth? Even a donkey needs to rest. Only his family treats people like donkeys, even worse than donkeys. Therefore, this isn't enough to justify a divorce."
Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Chen and said, "Little brother, if you were her, how would you deal with it?"
Xiao Chen pondered for a moment, "If it were me, I would definitely withdraw in time, but this is only because I am confident as a man. The world is especially difficult for women."
"Instead of waiting for a hasty second marriage, it is indeed possible to endure for the time being. When your husband is successful and has an official position and has savings, then it will be the day to let go of the father and keep the son."
Shancai on the side: "???"
Shancai: "!!!"
Shancai was shocked and dumbfounded: "This, this, this... How could she dare?"
Xiao Chen calmly asked, "Why not? If you were her, your dowry was seized, you were bullied and oppressed daily. Your parents-in-law were unkind, your brother and sister-in-law were unjust, and your husband was a playboy who ignored you and believed what others said. He would beat and scold you at every turn, and even had the intention of destroying your relationship. Would you endure it?"
Shancai was speechless. It was rare for dowry to be appropriated, but calculating the daughter-in-law's dowry was not uncommon, especially in a family like hers, where it was almost normal.
She is treated as a son rather than a daughter in her parents' home, and there is a saying that a daughter who is married off is like water spilled. She is also an outsider in her husband's home. Only by giving birth to a son and becoming a mother-in-law can she have a chance to stand out. The cycle repeats itself again and again.
Indeed, if it were him, it would have been kind of him not to beat Shanjie in the middle of the night, but how could any woman in the world endure it?
Shanjie had never thought about this.
His grandparents passed away early and had no memories before they passed away. Later, his father also died of illness, and his mother was the only pillar of the family. So apart from feeling sorry for his mother, he never thought about how his mother had survived in the past, and whether she was the same as Shanjie's wife?
Everyone in the village said that his grandparents were kind, but even the kindest people generally had a patriarchal mindset, not to mention that as an outsider, it was always not easy for him to be the daughter-in-law.
Thinking about his eldest sister-in-law's family, they always came to ask for money, making her feel uncomfortable both inside and outside. Fortunately, his mother was a sensible person and always protected his eldest sister-in-law and did not let her suffer any loss.
Just as he was thinking about it, he heard Xiao Yan ask, "Why do you think Shanjie's wife miscarried twice? Scholars are concerned about their reputation and can only divorce if they don't have children."
Shancai was shocked, "What! Are you saying their family did it on purpose?"
He was a little confused: "But didn't you say that she can give birth, so it doesn't count as a divorce?"
"That's true. Without understanding the situation, in order to facilitate a divorce in the future, Shanjie's wife was destined to be infertile. But what would happen if they knew that this wouldn't allow them to divorce?"
Shancai swallowed silently and didn't dare to say anything, but he also understood that if this was really the case, Shanjie's wife's life might be in danger.
Since ancient times, divorcing one's wife in order to climb up the social ladder has been very common, not to mention someone like Shancai who is obviously completely heartless and ungrateful.
Seeing that Shancai understood, Xiao Yan continued, "That's why my younger brother and I think she might not be unaware of this matter."
"It's been three years since her first two pregnancies, and she still hasn't had any children. Yet, she's not panicking at all. This suggests she's privately consulted a doctor to prove it's not her fault, and that she's trying to keep it to herself."
"She's probably already aware of Shanjie and Xiao Li's affair. If there had been rumors long ago, how could she, someone so devoted to protecting Shanjie, have kept quiet? The fuss she's making now is simply to prevent Xiao Li from secretly getting pregnant. The idea is to strike with one strike and completely dispel the rumor..."
Before he finished speaking, Aunt Zhao's shocked voice rang out: "What! Shanjie's wife kicked Shanjie's penis and broke it!?"
Xiao Yan, Xiao Chen, and Shan Cai: "!!!"
The three of them hurried out of the door and followed a group of people who gathered in front of Shanjie's house.
Inside the gate, there were two groups of people.
One group saw Shanjie lying on the ground with his body hunched over, covering his crotch. There were spots of blood scattered around him. His face was grim and he looked very painful.
His parents were in a panic and wanted to check, cursing Shanjie's wife with hatred as if she were a cannibal.
The other group was Shanjie's grandparents. They looked angry, but they had to hold back their anger and shield Shanjie's wife behind them.
Normally, these two elders were the ones who tortured Shanjie's wife the most. So, if the sun was rising in the west today, how could they protect her? This was unbelievable.
Looking at Shanjie's wife again, she was sitting on a chair with her belly protected. She was not at all panicked by the scolding of her parents-in-law, and even had a happy smile on her face.
This scene confused everyone and they asked hurriedly, "What's going on? Could it be that Shanjie's wife really kicked Shanjie's offspring?"
Shanshui, who was just about to go home and happened to be the first witness at the scene, explained, "Shanjie's wife did kick Shanjie in the crotch. That was really cruel. Not only did she kick him down, she also stepped on him more than ten times and then hit him with a stick. I don't think this will be useful in the future!"
When everyone heard this, they felt a chill in their crotch and stepped back, looking at Shanjie's wife with fear and horror on their faces.
Shanshui continued, "Shanjie's wife is pregnant. It should be Shanjie's only child, so the old man and the old lady stopped them."
Shancai suddenly turned around to look at the two brothers of the Xiao family, and heard Xiao Yan say to Xiao Chen: "It is indeed so."
Xiao Chen nodded in agreement, "She is more decisive than I thought."
Shancai: "???"
"What, what's going on?"
Xiao Yan & Xiao Chen: "..."
"I guess she's been pregnant for a long time and has long been aware of Shanjie's affair with Xiao Li. She's making a scene today because she wants Xiao Li to have an abortion. Otherwise, why would she have her family capture Xiao Li? She wants her to have an abortion and preserve Shanjie's only child."
Xiao Chen was in a good mood. "Now that Shanjie is no longer useful, won't the whole family have to please her in the future?"
Shanjie is a scholar. If he doesn't want his nephew to inherit the family business, he may have to support his wife. Shanjie is not a person who is willing to give up the benefits to others, let alone the son of his brother whom he has always looked down upon, even if he is his own nephew.
"You vicious woman! I'm going to report you to the police—" Before Shanjie's mother could even react, she was slapped in the face by her own mother-in-law.
"You can't report it to the police! She's carrying Shanjie's only child! You want to call him your son, but end up with no descendants?"
She glared at Shanjie's mother fiercely, "Stupid woman! Why don't you go call Erzhu's mother!?"
Shanjie's mother wiped her tears and was about to leave when Aunt Lihua pushed through the crowd and said, "Make way, make way."
The crowd parted and Aunt Lihua walked in with her belongings. She frowned and said, "Why are you still letting him lie on the ground? It's so cold, I don't want him to catch a cold before others do."
Shanjie's father and his uncles quickly carried the person inside, and Aunt Lihua followed them in.
The bride and the young girl were too shy to watch the fun in order to avoid suspicion, but the older women were not so concerned.
Everyone crowded around the door to look in. If this wasn't such an unkind thing, they would have wanted to go in and take a look.
However, although I didn't see it with my own eyes, I understood everything just by hearing the gasps from inside and Aunt Lihua's words, "There's nothing we can do, we can only apply medicine to relieve the pain."
Shanjie's descendants are indeed damaged!
Shanjie's mother was like a madman, wanting to go out and beat her daughter-in-law to death, but was slapped again by Shanjie's father who had calmed down.
It can be said that this family's nature of bullying their own family members is inherited from the same generation.
"Shut up! Go boil the medicine!"
Shancai's father looked at the old man and said hesitantly: "Dad, how about asking a doctor..."
Aunt Lihua rolled her eyes. "If you don't trust me, go ahead and ask for it! And don't look for me again in the future, or you'll gossip about me! Don't forget the silver, three taels for the medicine!"
Shanjie's father's face turned pale, "Erzhu's mother, my son hasn't recovered yet, why is it so expensive?"
"Medicine money isn't money? Your Shanjie wouldn't even be lucky enough to be able to stay alive, let alone recover!"
Shanjie's grandmother took out some silver and stuffed it into Aunt Lihua's pocket, saying with an apologetic smile, "Erzhu's mother, please don't listen to his father's nonsense. He was just too hasty and panicked. Everyone in our village trusts your abilities."
She still didn't give up, "Is Shanjie really not going to get better?"
Aunt Lihua took the silver and put it away. "It's all smashed into pulp. What can I do about it? I'm not a god. Even a god wouldn't be able to help."
Everyone outside exclaimed in unison.
Smashed into pulp... Shanjie's wife is really ruthless!
At this time, there were also some smart people who figured out the whole story and planned to stay away from Shanjie's wife. This woman could even plot against her own husband, let alone them?
Not easy to mess with, very hard to mess with.
There are also some old men who, no matter if they have ulterior motives or are not very good to their wives, plan to be nicer to their wives in the future. They don't want to follow in Shanjie's footsteps.
Even a rabbit can bite when it is cornered. Even Shanjie's wife, who has always been humble and submissive, still plotted to take ruthless action. They were really scared.
Shancai covered his crotch and felt a dull pain.
"This woman is so terrible, so terrible, I don't want to get married!"
Shancai's first romantic encounter was the result of someone else's scheme. Not long after, he encountered Shanjie's incident, which cast a heavy shadow on his mind about getting married. He didn't know if he would remain unmarried like in his previous life. It seems that this is really possible now.
Aunt Zhao said angrily, "What nonsense are you imagining? How can this person be the same? He is not upright himself, so he ended up like this. Look, has there ever been such a thing in our village?"
Shancai shut his mouth and didn't dare to refute.
Everyone was saying that Shanjie's wife was cruel and ruthless, but Xiao Yan admired her decisiveness to some extent.
If time drags on, Shanjie might one day think of pretending his wife has passed away to make room for a new bride. Right now, he'll probably have to hold onto her child, but that's not guaranteed.
The feud was already established, and if Shanjie planned to kill the mother and keep the son, she would be hard-pressed to resist. After all, Shanjie was currently untouchable, and the prerequisite for killing the father and keeping the son was to have money. Once Shanjie died, there would be nothing left.
However, Xiao Yan believed that she would have a way. Anyone who could come up with this idea would definitely leave a way out for himself.
The first day after returning was a chaotic one, and it ended with the incident of Shanjie.
On the second day, I heard that Shanjie's wife had asked the village heads and elders of the two villages, as well as her family members, to be witnesses. She said that if anything happened to her, she would ask the village heads and elders to report to the police, and it must be Shanjie's family who did it.
This move is undoubtedly to hit the snake at its most vulnerable part and strangle its lifeline.
According to the law, people with criminal records, monks, merchants, Taoist priests, prostitutes, actors, and servants were not allowed to take the imperial examinations. Unless Shanjie did not intend to take the imperial examinations, he would not easily attack her, which was also a precaution.
Fortunately, there is no such thing as repaying evil with kindness, otherwise it would be extremely frustrating.
"Brother Yan, is Brother Chen here?" A soft and weak female voice sounded, causing Xiao Yan to frown.
This voice... seems to be Xiao Li's???
As if to confirm his guess, little Li was wearing a pink dress, her face dyed with rouge, and she was swaying with lotus steps while carrying a basket.
Xiao Yan: “???”
Xiao Yan simply closed the door and blocked the people outside.
This time it was Xiao Li's turn: "???"
Little Li was confused. Normally, even if a man looked down on her, he would not bother with her. How could he be like Xiao Yan and refuse her without saying a word?
She pinched her palms, secretly resentful, thinking of what the villagers said about the two brothers of the Xiao family being talented, how they were valued by Master Wang, and the big house in the town. For the sake of money, she could only suppress her anger.
Little Li smiled without showing her teeth and said softly, "Is it Brother Yan? You may not recognize me, but I am your aunt."
Xiao Yan was emotionless: "No, I know you."
Little Li was delighted, but before she could even begin to rejoice, she heard Xiao Yan continue, "The scene of you and Shanjie's wife throwing the night incense yesterday was truly unforgettable. I'm afraid it's unprecedented and will never be repeated."
Little Li: “…”
Alpaca, did you hear that? Alpaca#@%…
"Also, my family only has me and my younger brother. Please don't try to make random connections. Don't make people think you have a mental disorder."
Little Li took a deep breath, trying to take a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and said, "That's right. Auntie just came here, and I haven't thought things through very well. Brother Yan, please don't hold it against me."
"How could this family hold grudges overnight? You and Dashi are inseparable blood relatives, naturally closer than anyone else..."
Xiao Yan interrupted her: "A family doesn't hold grudges overnight?"
Thinking she was persuaded, Little Li quickly replied, "Indeed, blood is the closest thing to blood. Besides, Dashi only has two of you as his nephews."
Xiao Yan hummed, "Let's not talk about Xiao Dashi having a son and a daughter. Since family members don't hold grudges overnight, Auntie is Xiao Dashi's wife, and we're also family now. Why don't you follow the example of Shanjie's wife and follow Xiao Dashi's footsteps to see if there will be any grudges overnight?"
Xiao Yan whispered devilishly: "What do you think of this idea of mine? As long as Xiao Dashi forgives my aunt, I will believe that there is no overnight hatred in a family."
Little Li: “…”
Dirty words#@&Alpaca!!!
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