When He Zifeng arrived, it wasn't too early; there were already quite a few people gathered around him, three or four deep.
You could hear Aunt He cursing from afar; her voice was high-pitched and very distinctive.
The closer you get, the clearer you hear.
"You shameless slut, you'll seduce any man you can get your hands on! Pah! Just seeing you brings me bad luck!"
Aunt He was scolding Xiao Wan.
During this time, Xiao Wanshi lived a quiet and peaceful life in the He family, keeping a low profile. He Donglai had a good price for his grain this year and made a considerable profit. However, this good fortune didn't last long. This morning, Aunt He came over and started a tantrum, cursing and hitting people. She attracted the attention of half the village.
Although Xiao Wanshi liked to flaunt her charms, she did so behind closed doors; in public, she valued her reputation. Her face flushed red with anger at Aunt He's scolding: "You're spewing filth!" In the past, the He family was prominent, and her son Wan Hai brought her honor; she was the most respectable woman in the village.
Who would have thought that this shrew would get entangled with her and ruin her reputation?
Her two youngest sons are already married, and He Fan's wife has a child. She is now a grandmother, and being publicly humiliated is a disgrace to her in front of the younger generation!
Just as she was getting angry, she saw He Zifeng and his family of four strolling over leisurely. Xiao Wanshi was most unwilling to lose face in front of He Zifeng.
She said to Aunt He, "How could the He family have such a shameless daughter like you? You're always causing trouble. What, with the snow blocking the roads, are you putting on a show?"
Aunt He is a shameless and reckless person. If she had any memory, she would be ashamed for a while after falling into the latrine in Chishui Village. While others keep their family scandals to themselves, she seems to thrive on chaos.
When Xiao Wan encounters such a scoundrel, she is at a natural disadvantage.
As soon as Xiao Wan spoke, the people around her chimed in, "Hey you, you're a grandmother too, why are you always making such a fuss? We're all family, why don't you talk about things behind closed doors? Why do you have to put on this show? I don't know who you're trying to impress."
Someone in the crowd chimed in, "Exactly! The noise so early in the morning, I was wondering who'd broken into their house."
The villagers looked down on Xiao Wanshi, but Aunt He came to the village to cause trouble time and time again. Looking at her cunning and mean face, she was inexplicably annoying.
Everyone in the village knows Aunt He. She's a real troublemaker. If she only messed around in her own family, that would be one thing, but now she's meddling in Chishui Village. She's really overstepped her bounds!
Aunt He could naturally hear the sarcasm in everyone's mouths, and said, "If you don't know what's going on, then shut your mouths. This bitch is no pushover. She bullied my nephew He Zifeng back then, but she's nice to her own son! I'm just all bark and no bite."
Everyone knew about He Zifeng's past in the He family, and now that he was here, they saw that Aunt He was trying to get him to join her. He Zifeng said indifferently, "Don't pretend to be a good guy here. Back then, the old town mayor personally divided the family property, and you still came to my house to show off your power."
He was annoyed by Xiao Wanshi and also loathed Aunt He. Back then, she had often badmouthed her scumbag father, He Donglai, and was always finding fault with their family; she was no good person.
He Zifeng's words put Aunt He in an awkward position. She didn't dare to act like an elder anymore, after all, even the village chief gave He Zifeng some leeway with his current abilities.
Unable to deal with He Zifeng, Aunt He turned to Xiao Wanshi. She said, "It seems you won't repent until I peel off your hypocritical mask. I'll only ask you one question: have you slept with my man?"
The whole village was shocked when he said that.
Qiu Yu immediately covered Xiao He Ran's ears with her hands. Her son looked at Qiu Yu in confusion, but he remained well-behaved even with his ears covered.
Those around were caught off guard and unexpectedly stumbled upon such gossip; this was quite something!
Xiao Wanshi and Aunt He are sisters-in-law. So, Aunt He's husband is a relative...
Besides, Aunt He's husband was a cowardly scoundrel in the surrounding villages, the kind who wouldn't utter a sound even if you hit him three times. He was dark-skinned and small, like a hairless bear.
Even if you were to blindfold someone and grab them, you couldn't choose this person, especially since the two are related.
Xiao Wan's face turned pale, then she looked at He Donglai and said, "Husband, are you just going to watch your sister wrong me like this?"
Having gone through so much, He Dongzi no longer cherished Xiao Wanshi as much as before. Now he was particularly cold, asking, "Did you do it or not?"
Aunt He said, "Pah, what a born slut! She can't live without a man. People would be overjoyed to send her to a brothel."
He Zifeng had been watching Xiao Wanshi closely; he knew her well. He could tell from the fleeting look of guilt on her face that Xiao Wanshi had indeed been with Uncle He!
Xiao Wanshi disliked Aunt He's always bossy attitude. It was as if she was using this method to get revenge on Aunt He, and she felt a secret pleasure in it.
But she had weathered many storms in her life. Speaking of this would be certain death, so how could she possibly admit it?
Besides, many years have passed, and since Aunt He didn't catch them in the act, nothing she said will make a difference. Even if Aunt He's father came to her personally, she wouldn't admit it. She'd say that the couple conspired to bully a weak woman like her, and that they had planned everything in the blink of an eye.
Seeing that He Donglai wasn't helping her at all, she felt a little disheartened. Although she hadn't been doing well the other day, she had still given birth to two sons for He Donglai. Now, seeing that Aunt He's spittle was practically spraying in her face, He Donglai remained unmoved.
Xiao Wan said, "Fine, you've all ganged up on me today, trying to smear me. I'll prove my innocence with my death. Even as a ghost, I'll haunt you!"
Aunt He, a shrew like her, had said even more vicious things when she was arguing with people, but talking about ghosts and gods was actually the mildest thing she'd said: "Oh, who are you trying to scare? I'm not like my brother who you can play with. If you're going to die, just die already, I'm afraid you won't be willing to die!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Wan actually tried to commit suicide, but she wouldn't be so foolish as to run into a tree. Instead, she ran into Aunt He's stomach.
Aunt He was no ordinary person either, and she immediately flew into a rage. She said, "You wretched woman, I'll kill you!"
The two started fighting again.
When the village chief of Liuzi saw that the situation was getting out of hand, he quickly called for people to stop them. But the two of them were grabbing each other's hair and kicking each other's stomachs. They were really angry, and even the grown men couldn't separate them.
The commotion grew louder and louder, eventually drawing everyone out of the house. He Fan and his third sister-in-law came out together. He Fan's pregnant wife was inside, and she felt uncomfortable in such a noisy place.
They quickly stepped out and separated the two men, whose clothes were disheveled, their hair in clumps, and both had red marks on their faces.
Xiao Wan burst into tears: "How can I face living in this world? I may not have made any great contributions over the years, but I have worked hard, and it has all been wasted."
Aunt He got angry when she saw her pretending to be pitiful and said, "Stop putting on that act. Didn't you say you were going to die? Why aren't you going yet?"
He Fan said, "Dad, say something!" He was getting anxious as a junior, as one of his mothers and the other his aunt, and he really couldn't get a word in edgewise.
He Donglai remained motionless and silent, like a Buddha.
Seeing this, Aunt He became smug again and said, "See, the person next to you in bed knows best what kind of person you are."
Xiao Wan's face turned pale, and she said, "Fine, fine." She trembled all over, then stood up as if she had been greatly shocked, swaying as she stood up: "I don't want to live like this for another day. I want a divorce."
He Donglai now has a house and money, so he doesn't care about Xiao Wanshi at all. If she stays to serve him, that's fine. If she leaves, it will make room for the new lady!
I've heard that wealthy men, even at their age, can still find eighteen-year-olds. He Donglai, however, wasn't afraid: "Let's get a divorce then."
Xiao Wan wiped away her tears, then told He Tong's wife to ask the third son if he was willing to go with her. "She had no money or land, so naturally she wanted to take her son with her so she could get a bigger share of the spoils."
Then she said to He Fan, "Your mother only has you two brothers left. You have to come with your mother."
Aunt He said, "These children are surnamed He, you can't take them away!" His mother was crying and sniffling. Aunt He was being aggressive towards her.
He Fan's heart softened, and he said, "Me and my mother."
After a while, the sturdy boy returned and said, "He Tong said he's going with Mother."
He Donglai said, "You're all heartless. You eat my food, live in my house, and then you just turn your backs and leave. Get lost. I have money, I'll have another one later." He really didn't care.
Since everyone agreed to divide the family property, the village chief presided over the meeting and asked He Donglai to take out twenty taels of silver. From now on, his son and daughter-in-law would follow Xiao Wanshi.
He Donglai had been separated from his family several times and deeply resented the idea of taking money. Even the village chief's words were useless, saying, "Ten taels of silver, take it or leave it, or you won't get the ten taels." Now he knew the benefits of silver, and he felt uncomfortable even spending a single extra penny.
The village chief pleaded with the elders, explaining that winter was tough, and distributing grain was expensive. He Tong was disabled, and He Fan's wife was pregnant. Even if they didn't consider Xiao Wan's feelings, they should at least consider the children.
But He Donglai was unyielding. In his eyes, a son could be born again, but money was gone forever.
The village chief had no choice but to discuss it with Xiao Wanshi again. Xiao Wanshi was so angry she almost ground her teeth to powder, but she had no other option but to agree. She took the money and told her sons to pack their things; they were going to find a house to stay in the village.
He Zifeng witnessed the division of the family property, but his heart remained unmoved.
Seeing that the family division was complete, He Tong and He Fan were about to leave, having given the village a good show for nothing. Turning to go back, they suddenly sensed something was wrong; a pungent smell filled the air, and the villagers turned back.
The He family's house was set on fire.
He Donglai went into a frenzy and rushed to put out the fire, while others helped by splashing water. But the fire raged fiercely, proving incredibly powerful even in the dead of winter.
Someone said, "There was oil, but someone spilled oil on it."
It was clear that there was no way to save him.
He Donglai, his eyes blazing with fury, demanded, "Who is it?"
He Tong emerged from the firelight, leaning on his cane, and said, "It's me. You can report to the authorities and have me arrested."
When He Donglai encountered this rebellious son who set the house on fire, he rushed over and started beating him. He Tong was slammed against a rock, and the sounds of the beatings hitting his bones were sickening. He Tong's strong wife grabbed He Donglai and pulled him away, rescuing him from under the blows.
He Donglai angrily shouted, "Report to the authorities!"
He Zifeng said, "These trivial matters waste the resources of the government; they will all be punished severely."
He Donglai's eyes were bloodshot with rage, but the house was beyond saving. He glared at his unfilial sons, panting heavily, and was furious.
He's still his own son, and He Tong is disabled; if he's arrested, he'll surely die. He Donglai kept crying out that it was a terrible tragedy.
The fire burned for two hours, until the house was completely engulfed before it stopped. Heavy snow fell; the main beams of the house were gone, and the bricks and tiles collapsed. He Donglai saw that his entire house was gone.
Fortunately, he carried several dozen taels of silver with him. But in this heavy snow, where could he go?
Aunt He suggested he go to He Zifeng's place, since the house there was big and had several empty rooms. But when he got there, he was turned away!
Xiao Wan and her son rented a house in the village and spent some money to settle down, leaving He Donglai all alone.
Seeing this, Aunt He said, "Why don't you come to my house? If your sister has food, you'll have food too. There's also a widow in our village who's suitable for you. As long as you have money, you can find someone good. Then you can have a child and make them furious."
He Donglai said, "Yes." Then he left the village with Aunt He.
Everyone said, "He Donglai is such a fool. His sister ruined his perfectly good life and alienated him from his son. And he's still with that girl!"
"He's not very bright."
"Forget it, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. No matter how bad things get, they still have money."
But soon they learned that the starving camel was really dead. Just ten days later, He Donglai returned looking dejected and asked the village chief to help him, saying that the silver had been stolen and asking the village chief to organize people to look for his sister.
The village chief was amused and annoyed. He said, "What were you thinking about all this time? That's your sister, you should just ask her for her. If the village intervenes, the two villages will start fighting." Then he added, "You're not a child anymore, why can't you think things through? How did you end up like this?"
He Donglai disliked the village chief's nagging and ignored him. He went to his sister's village, but returned with a bruise on his face. His house burned down and he had broken up with his sister, leaving him nowhere to go.
He went to find Xiao Wan's wife again, hoping to reconcile, but he was kicked out before he even entered the door. They said Xiao Wan's wife had found another old butcher. That old butcher had been single for years, unable to find a wife. Upon hearing they had broken up, the matchmaker went that very day. They were married in three days. Now, putting everything else aside, pork is plentiful.
Upon hearing this, He Donglai was so angry that he fainted.
When He Zifeng returned from his day off and heard about this, he asked Qiu Yu, "And then?"
Qiu Yu said, "He sold the land for thirty taels and bought a dilapidated house right across from He Fanniang's." He wouldn't believe it if you said it wasn't intentional.
He Zifeng scoffed. Selling the land—that's just living off one's savings! But that's how other people live. He Zifeng just listened and moved on.
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