The village head hadn't slept all night; he was so angry his nose was practically crooked.
These people are really good at causing him trouble. If he lets them go to the county to make a scene, will he still be able to keep his job as the village head?
He immediately stopped them, tapped his pipe, and said earnestly, "Since ancient times, the common people have never met the officials. If you go to the yamen and the county magistrate asks questions, it's you people who will suffer. Do you think the yamen is so easy to get into? Without spending some money, you won't even see the county magistrate, let alone the clerk. If you ask me, you should just shut yourselves up and solve it yourselves."
"Furthermore, escalating this situation will not only damage the village's reputation but also implicate your children. Our village is already poor; if this continues, who will want to marry their daughter into our village? Who will even consider marrying a girl from our village?"
After the village head finished speaking, the group suddenly realized that they had been so focused on fighting that they had forgotten about this matter. They must not let this incident ruin their child.
Besides, upon closer reflection, how could they dare to go to the yamen to file a complaint? Many of them had never even been to the county town; oxcarts were too expensive, and the journey was too long. They had heard from others that the large lions in front of the yamen were majestic and imposing, and that the strong yamen runners at the gate looked like they wanted to tear holes in anyone who passed by.
As the saying goes, "It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings," meaning you might get skinned alive before you even see the county magistrate.
The group of people who were just indignant are now as quiet as a flock of wilted quails.
The village headman waved his hand and beckoned them all to go to the village office, saying that everything would be discussed later.
The house was unusually quiet today. Su Ruanruan had a rare good night's sleep and didn't get up until late morning.
After getting ready, we took an oxcart that passed through the village to the town.
Before the oxcart even stopped, Su Xiaoqiang could be seen standing in front of the market, waiting to get a ride.
Su Xiaoqiang is Zheng's son. He is an uneducated and good-for-nothing who spends his days idly, frequenting brothels and gambling dens.
Seeing him yawning constantly and with dark circles under his eyes, Su Ruanruan knew he hadn't done anything good last night.
She had no desire to deal with him; this so-called cousin always leered at her, which she found extremely annoying.
The more they tried to avoid him, the more likely they were to run into him. Before the oxcart even stopped, the villagers hitchhikers had already spotted the scoundrel-looking Su Xiaoqiang.
Normally, they would never take the initiative to talk to him, but today is different. Such a big thing happened in his family, so they have to have a good talk with him.
Only when he's sad can everyone have a good laugh.
It's because he offended them. Every time he returned to the village, one family would find a chicken missing, or another would find some cured meat missing. But they had no evidence to catch the thief red-handed, so they could only let it go.
But they remember every single one of these details.
After the oxcart came to a stop, the people eagerly surrounded Su Xiaoqiang, chattering so loudly that his ears were ringing.
He was about to fly into a rage, but his gaze fell on Su Ruanruan, the last one to disembark from the oxcart. In the dozen or so days since he'd last seen her, her figure seemed even more alluring, her waist even more slender, as if it would snap at the slightest exertion. The way her shapely hips swayed stirred his heart even more than the girls in brothels.
He felt as if his soul was being stolen away, completely unaware of what these people were saying in his ear.
"Ruanruan, it's been a long time!"
He beckoned, "Come here!"
Su Ruanruan scoffed coldly, "Come here?"
You think you can just tell me to go? Dream on!
But when you see the upturned corners of his mouth, you know he didn't hear what these people were saying. Otherwise, if his father was cheating, his sister was being beaten, and his mother was about to be divorced, would a fool still be laughing?
Thinking about it that way, she really did go.
Su Xiaoqiang's smile stretched from ear to ear. Sure enough, Su Ruanruan still cared about him. He was so handsome, how could Su Ruanruan not be attracted to him?
She had always ignored him before, which was just a way of playing hard to get.
If I ask my mother for some more money to buy her a pair of earrings, how could she possibly refuse?
Su Ruanruan knew perfectly well the beautiful thoughts swirling in his mind.
That's disgusting; he even went after his own cousin.
Although she takes love and romance lightly, it doesn't mean that just any toad can sleep with her.
She had already given her first kiss to Mu Bai. If Mu Bai didn't mind, she would keep her virginity for him. That way, it wouldn't be considered a desecration of the delicious Tang Monk's flesh.
Judging from his sallow and emaciated appearance, one could tell without even taking his pulse that he had been exploited by prostitutes and suffered from kidney deficiency.
Her shy appearance made Su Xiaoqiang's heart itch with desire. Just as he was about to ask her a few words of concern, he saw that Su Ruanruan was already on the verge of tears.
Her eyes, brimming with autumn water, were filled with sorrow. "Brother Qiang, you should go home quickly. Second Uncle is making a scene, wanting to divorce Second Aunt, and even Grandma has agreed..."
"What?"
Su Xiaoqiang's face instantly cracked. He had only been away from home for a while, how could things have escalated to this point?
He was somewhat skeptical of the truthfulness of Su Ruanruan's words. If her family had collapsed, why would she be in the town?
But when I looked at the other people in the village, they started talking all at once.
Widowhood, infidelity, divorce...
He only heard these three keywords.
Something seemed to explode in his mind. His first thought was whether his grandmother would stop loving him because of his mother, and whether she would stop giving him money...
Without a second thought, he dashed out of the encirclement and jumped onto the oxcart heading back to the village.
Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, the villagers dispersed, some buying things, others selling their goods.
Only Su Ruanruan stood still, staring back at Su Xiaoqiang who had been watching her, until he disappeared from her sight, before she withdrew her melancholy and concerned gaze.
He revealed a disdainful yet cunning expression.
All of this was clearly seen by the two people sitting in the carriage.
Wei Zheng lowered the carriage curtain, his smile widening. "This girl is quite interesting. She changes her mind faster than turning the pages of a book. Now I finally understand what you meant by telling me to stay away from her."
Huo Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Someone like her will be drowned in a pig cage sooner or later."
Wei Zheng turned to look at him, "If what you say is true, then that so-called mentor, the boy who was with her that day, and the 'Brother Qiang' she called today, this girl has certainly attracted quite a bit of attention..."
"Not only that!" Huo Yan sneered.
"More than that? All those men are willing to fawn over her, she must have something special about her."
In bright light? Do sweet lips and a supple waist count?
Huo Yan's cold eyes darkened again as he recalled what had happened in the forest that day.
How come I run into her everywhere?
Su Ruanruan had no idea what the two were plotting in the car, let alone that Huo Yan was talking badly about her behind her back.
After sneezing twice, she climbed onto the oxcart heading to the county town.
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