“Village chief, I was covered in excrement by this old woman. Why did I hit her? It's because she was disrespectful to her elders and bullied me, a junior. Tell me, if you were splashed with excrement for no reason, would you beat that person to death?”
Chen Xichun looked at Ma Dawei and the village chief with a cold smile.
"What? Dawei's mother, what are you doing? How could you do such a thing to a young girl? She's your granddaughter too!"
The village chief was also surprised. How could Old Lady Ma have gone so far this time? Usually, you could hear her scolding Xichun from two miles away. But that was just a family matter, and they had always turned a blind eye. Now, how could she be going so far?
“Village chief, she deserves it. Who told her to seduce my grandson? Yesterday morning, she went to the river to wash clothes, and my grandson was swimming in the river. She deliberately went over to talk to my grandson. She wasn’t ashamed at all.”
My eldest grandson is actually her older brother. If word gets out, where will I, this old woman, put my face?
Grandma Ma tearfully pleaded with the village chief, repeatedly accusing Chen Xichun of seducing her grandson.
"If you dare to slander me again, I'll tear your mouth apart. Your grandson is like that, saying I seduced someone. He's dreaming. He was the one who wanted to bully me. I ran home, and this is what his family said to me."
"Village chief, my father is gone, and the clansmen don't care. You have to stand up for me today, or I'll take them down with me even if I die." Chen Xichun stared at Old Lady Ma and Ma Dawei with a sinister look.
"What are you doing? This girl has gone mad! Village chief, has your girl gone mad? Look at her, threatening us right in front of you!" Old Mrs. Ma was frightened by the look in her eyes.
"I'm insane. You've driven me insane. If you hadn't tormented me every day, made me work so hard, given me attitude, and not fed me properly, would I be in this state now?"
"Grandma Ma, you're really slandering Xichun. We saw it when we were washing clothes by the river yesterday. It was clearly your eldest grandson who was shameless, naked, and even wanted to ask Xichun to get him his clothes."
Xichun grabbed the washed clothes and basin and ran off. How did it become that Xichun was watching your grandson?
Several aunties who came to watch the commotion heard that she had come to make trouble for Xichun because of this matter, and immediately stood up to clear Xichun's name.
"Enough, Grandma Ma, you've gone too far. We've watched Xichun grow up, and she's only thirteen. How can you slander her innocence like this?"
Someone told me before that your grandson often bullies Xichun, and many people have seen Xichun keep her distance from him. Besides, everyone has proven Xichun's innocence yesterday. If you continue to be so relentless, aren't you really trying to force Xichun to her death?
And you, Ma Dawei, Xichun has been calling you "Dad" for several years now. You can't just side with your son and treat Xichun like a human being.
She's still a young girl; you need to raise your son well, lest he tarnish the reputation of our village.
The village chief glanced at Ma Dawei, who was standing to the side, and gave him further instructions.
“Village chief, this was all Old Lady Ma’s fault. She even threw excrement at me. I want her to kneel down and apologize to me.”
"You brat, you want me, your elder, to apologize to you? Come on, I'll kneel down, I'll kneel down, let's see if you have the life to accept it."
Grandma Ma glared fiercely at Xichun, muttering curses under her breath.
This was one of Grandma Ma's usual tricks. If Xichun's mother did something wrong, she would kowtow and bow to her. Xichun's mother couldn't accept it and would kneel down and bow as well. In the end, when Ma Dawei came home, she would be scolded.
"Grandma Ma, don't go too far. Xichun, you are a junior. It's not appropriate for an elder to kneel before you. Besides, you'll be living in her house from now on, so please be understanding."
When the village chief saw that Granny Ma was acting like that again, he immediately told Ma Dawei to pull her up.
"Village chief, and everyone else, I have something to tell you all. I will no longer be living at his house. I will live here alone from now on. I would rather stay at home and eat coarse food than live at his house again."
"Xichun, don't be foolish. You're just a little girl living alone. What will you eat and wear? You're already thirteen years old. In two more years, you'll be able to get married. Don't act impulsively."
Seeing how determined she was, the aunties who had spoken up for her also tried to persuade her.
“Village chief, I’ve made up my mind. Anyway, this thatched hut was built by my father. My father has no descendants. In the future, when I make money, I will find a son-in-law to live with me and continue my father’s family line.”
Chen Xichun's words came to mind on the spur of the moment. She had no opinion on the matter; she simply wanted to convince everyone of her determination.
“Xichun, if that’s really what you’re thinking, then I won’t try to persuade you anymore. But you should think it through. You sold all the land to pay for your father’s medical treatment. Now all you have left is this house. You’ll have trouble getting food and drink in the future. Don’t be reckless, little one.”
"Village chief, I've made up my mind." Chen Xichun looked at the village chief firmly.
“Okay, then the neighbors should help look after her. Xichun is a girl from our village, and her father was a good man when he was alive.”
The village chief looked at Xichun with an appreciative expression. Originally, she was a girl who had gone with her mother, so he couldn't interfere too much. However, if she really started her own household, she would become a member of the village, and he couldn't bully her too much.
"Hey, we'll save ourselves the trouble," said several neighbors who were standing at their own gates.
"You little brat, talking so tough. Then don't ever come to my house again, and don't eat my food." Seeing how certain she was, Old Mrs. Ma didn't hold back her words.
"Alright, go home. If I find out you're bullying Xichun again, I, as the village chief, will have to step in and uphold justice." The village chief, also disapproving of her behavior, added.
Ma Dawei didn't say another word throughout the whole process. He just gave Xichun a deep look before helping his mother back home.
"Thank you so much to all the aunties and ladies for speaking up for me today. I thank you all." If they hadn't stood up for her and proven her innocence, she would have been slandered by that old woman.
After all, people love gossiping about relationships between people, whether it's true or not, it's all fun.
"It's alright, it's alright, Xichun, you should go back and wash up quickly. That old hag is always so disgusting. You really went all out today." The aunties even praised her.
Xi Chun and the others dispersed, only then realizing that they smelled absolutely terrible and almost vomited.
She quickly ran back, but luckily the autumn heat was still intense, so she scooped up some cool water from the tub and poured it over herself.
After rinsing it several times, Chen Xichun finally managed to get rid of the smell, and he hated that old hag even more.
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