Old Mrs. Chen never expected that the village chief would personally expose the "good deeds" they had done. She immediately felt ashamed and left with her two daughters-in-law.
After the three left, Xichun addressed the crowd who had come to watch the commotion: "Uncles and aunts, I, Chen Xichun, run a small stall in town. It's just a small business, and I don't earn much money. But I have no one at home to help me, and it's hard for a young woman like me to run a business. That's why I asked Aunt Zhang for help."
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Xi Chun's words made those with ulterior motives lower their heads. They had indeed believed the opinions of a few people, but now that they saw someone asking so openly, they dared not say anything more.
Old Mrs. Chen took her two daughters-in-law to a secluded place. Thinking that she, as the grandmother, had been humiliated by this young girl, and that the village chief had even sided with her, she felt quite ashamed under the gaze of everyone. So she turned her attention to her two daughters-in-law.
"Didn't you all keep saying that she would give me money to support me after she made it? Do you just want me to get scolded?"
“Mother, why would we think that way? It’s all that wretched girl’s fault. Just like her unfaithful mother, she’s a woman who does big things quietly. We couldn’t find a reason this time, but you are still her grandmother. Surely you can’t easily control her?”
Seeing her mother-in-law's attitude, Ma knew that she was going to blame her, so she tried to shift the blame elsewhere.
"Oh, do you have another idea?" Old Mrs. Chen was curious to hear what good ideas she had.
“Mother, think about it. Back then, her mother took her to the Ma family so that we wouldn’t interfere with her marriage. But now that girl has started her own household, isn’t it only right that you, her own grandmother, should arrange her marriage?”
“That’s right. Chen Xichun dares to disrespect her elders. We should see if she has the right to do so. You two should do some research and find her a good match. The betrothal gifts should naturally be paid by me, her grandmother.”
"Yes, Mother, we will definitely handle it well." Madam Ma and Madam Du exchanged a glance, both revealing sly smiles.
"You all need to be careful. Don't reveal anything about this beforehand, and don't resort to any crooked or shady methods. Otherwise, the villagers will really start cursing me, and if they find out, it will be difficult for our daughters to get married."
After thinking about it, Old Mrs. Chen realized that given how the villagers were watching her as a laughingstock, if she really pushed her granddaughter into the fire, she would probably get a lecture from the village chief.
"Mother is so thoughtful." The two of them had also thought of this problem. This stubborn girl is really difficult to talk to now. If they really anger her, she might go all out and cause a fight to the death. They should find someone similar to the other families in the village so that no one can find fault with them.
Xi Chun was unaware of their intentions; she was discussing the Chen family's actions with Aunt Zhang.
"Aunt Zhang, Aunt Liu, do you think my grandmother will let this go?" Aunt Zhang and Aunt Liu had lived in the village for decades, so they probably understood the villagers' ways better than she, a modern person.
They would probably be more aware of what aspects to consider when trying to understand an orphan girl.
"If you ask me, the most effective way to control a woman is undoubtedly to control her marriage. Xichun, you are single now and are almost of marriageable age, so they will likely use the name of their elders to find you a marriage. This way, they can not only collect betrothal gifts, but also have someone keep an eye on you. As long as the man's family is on their side, I'm afraid you won't be able to turn the tables."
"Yes, the woman's innocence is the most important thing. If they find fault with you or use some underhanded tricks, you'll be ruined. But they are your family after all, so they probably wouldn't dare to do such a thing. However, it would be easier for them to control your marriage."
Aunt Zhang and Aunt Liu analyzed the situation for her, and both of them felt that this marriage was easy to handle, and their family was the easiest to approach.
"Hmph, if they really dare to take the second route, I will definitely give their whole family a big gift and go to their doorstep every day to introduce business to them. Anyone who messes with me will not live either."
As for the marriage, it's almost certainly going to happen. Judging from the look in my aunt's eyes when she left, she probably intended to start from this angle.
Women in ancient times did indeed face many constraints, but half of those constraints came from the opinions of those around them, and the other half came from their own mindset. If they were to actually fulfill those people's wishes, then they would truly suffer.
She doesn't subscribe to victim-blaming. Anyone who dares to mess with her will live in her shadow for the rest of their lives and never be able to get rid of her. As she thought about it, her eyes became even more ferocious.
“Xichun, but you don’t need to worry too much about this. After all, your mother is still alive. If they really do that, as long as your mother doesn’t agree and you don’t agree yourself, and if they want to force you, what about the village chief? The village chief is the one who can’t stand these kinds of things.”
"I need to plan this matter first. I would like to ask you two to help me spread the word that I will make my own decision about my marriage. Moreover, I will be carrying on my father's family line, so the children will take my surname. If anyone agrees to my marriage without my consent, then they can marry into my family themselves."
“Okay, we’ll help you talk to people in the village. That way, any family that wants to get in touch with the Chen family will find out what you’re up to with just a little inquiry. But you still need to be careful.”
"Yes, yes, I will be careful."
After the two left, Xichun began to think of ways to dissuade the Chen family from this idea and to make them realize how powerful she was.
For the next few days, Xichun helped Aunt Zhang set up a stall, and the villagers all heard about Xichun's plan. How many families would be willing to let the child take her surname? They were their own family's descendants, yet the child was worshipping someone else's ancestors. What kind of behavior was that?
Fortunately, the ancients were very conservative in this regard, so the marriage that Ma and Du originally wanted to arrange was ruined by this matter, which made the two of them very angry.
In town, Officer Guo and his team quickly announced that there would be a fee for setting up a stall at the market, which deterred even more villagers from setting up stalls in town.
Selling ten eggs would normally earn you ten coins, but now it's awkward; you can only get seven coins. Who would be willing to accept that? Those three coins are the result of a chicken working hard for three to five days.
So for a time, everyone in the village focused their attention on this. If they sold the eggs to egg collectors, they would only get eight coins for ten eggs, which wasn't worthwhile. But selling them themselves was even less profitable.
After hearing that Xichun was currently collecting eggs, the villagers turned their attention to her again.
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