After breakfast, the family went to the uncle's house to discuss going to the Zhang family to pick up the remains.
The Zhang family lived in a poor valley in Daliang Mountain. It took two buses to get there from Mingxi County, nearly a full day's journey. How would one negotiate with the Zhang family late at night? And after the negotiations were completed, exhuming the grave would require ceremony and time...
Several people were discussing how to go, how many people to go, and how many days it would take.
Second Aunt Xia suddenly walked in happily, "Oh, why take a car? Let's take our Lili's son-in-law's car!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a heavily made-up girl followed in.
The turquoise eyeshadow shimmered in the sunlight, the clumping eyelashes, and the bright red lips reminded Xia Mian of a #firstmakeup# thread she'd seen.
The way the various monsters and demons are drawn is not to make them look natural, but to let people know clearly how many types of eye shadows they used and how thick the powder was applied.
She is Xia Li, the second daughter of Uncle Xia. She went out to work after graduating from junior high school, so don’t be fooled by her appearance. She is actually only seventeen years old, only one year older than Xia Mian.
Uncle Xia frowned slightly. "Lili is already looking for a partner at such a young age?"
Second Uncle Xia's reaction was very different. His eyes lit up and he said, "Our Lili has made it big. She found a son-in-law who owns a car?!"
Xia Li blushed for a moment, then glanced at Xia Mian with a hint of pride. "I haven't decided yet. I heard something happened at home, so I came back to help."
Xia Mian pretended not to see it.
Second Uncle Xia stood up happily and said, "It's so thoughtful of you to drive back from the nearby city so early in the morning. If not a son-in-law, then what else could you be?"
"What car does my son-in-law drive?" he asked in an excited tone.
Xia Li tried to speak in a nonchalant tone, "I drove a small van here today. I thought I'd need it for something at home. After all, the Santana is too small."
"What about the other two cars?" Uncle Xia and Aunt Xia's eyes lit up.
Xia Li said even more casually, "They're working on the project, so they have a lot of cars."
If he hadn't been unable to resist secretly observing everyone's expressions, he would have been pretending perfectly.
Second Uncle Xia was much more blunt, and said proudly, "Then it would be much more convenient for us to have a car." However, the final words still came down to the money, "It will cost a lot of gas to drive to Daliangshan, right?"
Xia Li said, "It's definitely cheaper than taking a bus."
Uncle Xia said, "Well, if they are willing to help, we certainly can't let them suffer any loss, even if we have to pay a little more money."
Second Uncle Xia immediately said, "Then I'll go see how many people it can seat and how much gas it will cost."
Uncle Xia also followed him out. He obviously didn't trust the character of Uncle Xia's family, so he still had to confirm it in person.
Xia Li waved to Xia Mian, "Xia Mian, don't you want to come with us? Let's go."
Xia Mian said expressionlessly, "No, I have something else to do." Worried that Xia Li would not give in, she simply turned around and talked to Xia Wenyue.
She didn't want to listen to Xia Li's extremely low-brow boasting.
Because they were only one year apart in age, the two had always loved to compare themselves since childhood. Originally, the original body thought that he lived better than Xia Li, but after Xia's father passed away, the Xia family became increasingly financially strapped.
On the contrary, Xia Li, because she started working to earn money early, would dress up every time she returned home and tell Xia Mian how wonderful the outside world was:
"Every big boss who comes to our store has a mobile phone."
"The big boss gave me a tip of a hundred dollars."
"Oh, what's the point of studying? Look, I only earn 300 yuan a month now. By the time you finish college, I can earn 10,000 or 20,000 yuan in four or five years."
"Even if you're a college student, what's the big deal? Our boss hasn't even graduated from elementary school, and college graduates still have to work for him, right?"
"There was a sister in our store who was favored by a big boss. He gave her lots of flowers and five gold rings. Later, she got married and became his wife in no time. The college students even had to call her the boss's wife."
…
In this age where people laugh at the poor but not at prostitutes, these words more or less made the original body waver. Xia Li saw this and preferred to seek a sense of presence in front of the original body, always encouraging her to drop out of school and go out to work.
Now that she has brought back a "boss" who owns a car, Xia Li must be so proud.
I guess he would keep repeating himself as a success story in her ears. This thing couldn't be solved by force, so Xia Mian decided to adopt an evasive tactic.
When Uncle Xia returned, his expression was solemn and complicated. Although Xia Wenyue hadn't left, she was clearly very familiar with that family. She simply scoffed and said, "Brother, don't worry about it. His daughter is willing to humiliate herself, so why would you bother with him?"
When Xia Mian met Xia Li's prospective boyfriend Wang Tao, she understood why Uncle Xia and the others shook their heads and sighed.
The other person looked to be almost thirty years old, with a plump figure and about the same height as Xia Li. He was not ugly, but he was not good-looking either. He could only be described as extremely ordinary.
Holding the car keys in his hand and a mobile phone under his arm, he walked with a bowed gait, trying hard to show the temperament of a wealthy man.
Uncle Xia's family was obviously very fond of this and were conquered in an instant.
Uncle Xia just said briefly, "Are you too old? Are you really never married?"
I was refuted by Aunt Xia's theories such as "you will be more caring when you get older" and "you will know how to cherish others more after you get divorced."
After Uncle Xia sighed, no one said anything else.
Since Wang Tao came with Xia Li, he was naturally willing to help.
So the matter was settled. Wang Tao drove and took the three brothers Xia Wenyue and Xia Hai, Xia Mian, and Aunt Xia Er who insisted on taking the car to Daliangshan.
Xiao Feng stays at Uncle Xia's house temporarily. There will be inevitable fights there. This is different from the usual disputes. Zhang Qiming is arrested, and Zhang's mother will spare no effort to save her son. Xiao Feng will be her only breakthrough. Who knows what the other party will do in a mad state.
That was the woman who raised four "brother-supporting demons".
Yes, Zhang Qiming has four sisters, almost all of whom have dedicated half their lives to him, so he was able to leave Liangshan, and that is why he is so accustomed to using women to exchange for benefits.
Before leaving, Xia Mian took out their household registration books and held Xiao Feng in her arms. "Auntie and the second aunt are going to your grandmother's house to pick up your mother. We are afraid that your grandmother will take you back, so you wait for us at home, okay?"
Xiao Feng held the household registration book tightly in her hands and nodded obediently, "Auntie, I will be good and I won't cry."
He didn't cry, but Xia Mian wanted to cry. She hugged Xiao Feng and said, "Auntie will be back as soon as possible. You can play with brother Qiangqiang and sleep with him at night."
Qiangqiang said from the side, "Mian Gu, don't worry, I will take good care of my brother."
Xia Mian touched Xiao Feng's head and got into the car with a determined heart. From the rearview mirror, she saw Xiao Feng running after the car for two steps, and then being grabbed by Qiangqiang again. Her aunt-in-law brought out some delicious food and called the two of them back.
Xiao Feng didn't seem to cry, and Xia Mian breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone set out early in the morning, and it was already noon when they arrived at Zhangjiaao after a bumpy ride. Xia Wenyue asked Wang Tao to park the car at the entrance of the village and everyone got off.
Xia Wenyue stopped a passing villager and asked for directions, "Which is Zhang Qiming's house?"
The fellow villager carrying a hoe looked at the van behind them, his face full of smiles. He pointed to the most conspicuous blue brick courtyard not far away and said, "See? That most impressive courtyard is their home. I'm his eldest brother. What do you need from Qiming?"
The fellow villagers sighed with pride, "That kid is the most promising one in our village!"
Obviously, no one in the village knew about Zhang Qiming's affairs.
In such a secluded mountain village, if the Xia family didn't come, the Zhang family would be able to keep it a secret for their entire lives.
But how could the Xia family agree?
Xia Wenyue was the first to burst into tears, "Oh my poor girl, you were so young, and you were killed by that bastard Zhang Qiming~"
The loud voice with a unique accent instantly spread throughout the village surrounded by mountains. Even without a loudspeaker, everyone in the village could hear it.
The fellow's face changed. "Who are you? What nonsense are you talking about?"
Second Aunt Xia immediately started wailing, not wanting to be outdone. "My daughter, a college student! That bastard Zhang Qiming killed her just to cheat her out of 40,000 yuan!"
"Even if they get caught by the police, so what? Our girl won't be able to come back."
Xia Wenyue immediately followed up, "The Zhang family has received retribution. Zhang Qiming deserves to be shot. My poor daughter, Second Aunt is here to take you home..."
Second Aunt Xia sang again, "You beast who would even kill your own son for money deserves to have no descendants~"
Both of them were masters in their field. Their short voices could be heard far away, echoing for a long time in the small mountain village.
Soon, people who heard the news rushed over. The leading men were holding sticks and hoes, obviously wanting to drive these outsiders away.
The three Xia Hai brothers also pulled out a few hoes from the trunk and stood in front of Xia Wenyue and Aunt Xia.
Xia Mian stared intently at the old lady who came over with bound feet. The old lady had a vicissitudes of life on her face and stared at the Xia family as if they were enemies: "Who are you? Why are you wronging our Qiming?"
"We're wronging him?!" Xia Wenyue cried angrily. "Zhang Qiming has already been imprisoned, and we're wronging him? Why don't you say the country is wronging him?"
Xia Wenyue started crying again as she spoke, "Poor Chunchun, what a good girl! She graduated from university on her own, married him without asking for anything, and even found him a job and gave birth to a son~"
"That beast is not a human being. Not only did he find a mistress outside, but he also killed Xia Chun for money~"
Second Aunt Xia simply laid down at the feet of the most vicious man and said, "Come on, beat me to death, beat me to death? Anyway, you've already killed one of our girls. If you kill me too, you can just go to jail with that bastard Zhang Qiming!"
Second Aunt Xia looked at the others who were hesitant and shouted, "The Zhang family is so heartless! They killed someone and kept it a secret from the villagers. Zhang Qiming has already been in prison. The police said that he committed murder and is guilty of a crime. He must be shot!"
Xia Mian also stood up to block those who were ready to make a move, "Don't disbelieve me, it was Zhang Qiming who set fire to my place. Not only did he kill my sister for money, he also wanted to kill Xiao Feng for another sum."
She looked at Zhang's mother and suddenly shouted, "You know it very well, don't you? Your Zhang Qiming is just a laborer. How could he suddenly have so much money to build a house for you? Have you never doubted it?"
"Or do you know it very well? You are also Zhang Qiming's accomplice!"
Mother Zhang's face turned pale. "How could I possibly know that our Qiming was wrongly accused?"
Xia Mian said, "So you really know that Zhang Qiming has been arrested and imprisoned."
People in the mountains tend to stick together and protect each other, but malicious killing is definitely a different matter.
Seeing the situation was not good, Zhang's mother said anxiously, "This family is trying to extort money from us because we are rich. They are falsely accusing us!"
Second Aunt Xia said, "False accusation! If I had, I would have immediately compensated you 10,000 yuan! But if I hadn't, would you have given me 10,000 yuan?"
Xia Mian said, "Old lady, you don't think you can hide it, do you? In at least six months, at most a year, Zhang Qiming will be sentenced."
"On the day of the trial, I'll take photos and send them back to you. I'll distribute them throughout the village so everyone in the village can see what kind of murderer your village has produced!!"
Zhang's mother's face changed drastically, and the most ferocious man also looked at the old lady fiercely, "Second Aunt, is what this girl said true? Was Xia Chun really killed by Qiming?"
Someone onlooker asked directly, "My Uncle Zhang left in a hurry a while ago. Where did he go? Did something really happen to Qiming?"
Xia Wenyue burst into tears again. "Xia Chun, I hope your spirit is in heaven! That bastard got his comeuppance! He's going to be shot, and the woman he married later was also arrested."
"Now that this old hag is up to no good, why don't you just continue to show up and take her away too..."
"They also abused your son," Xia Wenyue cried rhythmically, "Second Aunt won't take you back, so you stay here and avenge your son and yourself. After they're all taken away, Second Aunt will come to take you back."
The people in the poor mountain valleys were even more superstitious, and their faces changed when they heard this...
Second Aunt Xia also said, "Old hag, have you been able to sleep these days? Didn't our Xia Chun knock on your door?"
Xia Wenyue cried, "It turns out to be Zhang Qiming's mother, just as black-hearted and rotten-hearted. Chunchun~ You must take this old thing away first~"
The old lady's eyes rolled back and she fainted.
The men from Zhangjiaao rushed up and started fighting. Xia Mian grabbed a hoe and wielded it with great force, driving all the big men back into the courtyard.
Then she leaned her hoe against the ground and said, "If you have the guts, beat us to death. If you can't, I will publish the story about Zhang Qiming and your Zhangjiaao in the newspaper and tell the world."
"By then, the entire China and Ming Province will know that you, Zhangjiaao, are harboring a murderer."
Second Aunt Xia's next words hit the nail on the head. "Then let's see who dares to marry into your village. Your entire village will be wiped out!"
The people in the closed mountain village are unruly, but they also pay more attention to their reputation. After Xia Mian used the Zhang family's phone on speakerphone to confirm Zhang Qiming's crime with the police station, the Zhang family could not withstand the pressure from the village.
Xia Chun's body was brought back to Mingxi County three days later.
The Xia family did not hold a grand ceremony to relocate the graves, and only notified close relatives.
Everyone who was free came. Father and Mother Xia were popular, and Xia Chun was indeed the best child of this generation in the Xia family. Everyone felt very sorry for him.
Aunt Xia only called back once and said she was too busy to leave, so she never came back.
Xia Chuan couldn't help but curse, and Second Uncle Xia also muttered, "Wen Xing is really a city person, looking down on us, and not even coming back to see such a big thing."
Xia Wenyue had no expression on her face. Grandma Xia symbolically wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, but she didn't look very sad.
On the day of Xia Chun's burial, Xiao Feng was the only one in mourning. He held Xia Mian's hand tightly, and kowtowed and burned paper according to Uncle Xia's instructions.
It made everyone cry.
When the coffin was being buried, Xiao Feng suddenly leaned on Xia Mian's shoulder and finally cried out, "Auntie... Mom... Mom..."
This was the first time he called his mother in such a long time.
Xia Mian's heart seemed to be tightly gripped, and it hurt so much that she couldn't help but burst into tears while hugging the child. "Baby, you still have your aunt. You will follow your aunt from now on."
Xia Li, who was standing next to Xia Mian, suddenly burst into tears, "Sister Chun! Sister...you, why did you leave..."
She didn't wear any makeup today, and her eyes were swollen like peaches. When Xia Chun's body was brought back, she cried bitterly.
Second Aunt Xia and Second Uncle Xia were also wiping their tears, and Xia Mian believed that they were truly sad at this moment.
It just doesn't affect their continued plotting against Xia Mian and Xiao Feng.
After Xia Chun's grave was moved, Xia Mian sent off the relatives one after another and began to pack her luggage and prepare to go to Yan City.
Xiao Feng clung to Xia Mian's legs listlessly. Seeing her packing her luggage, he perked up a bit. "Are we going to Yan City?"
"right!"
The little guy had spent too much energy yesterday, and his eyes were still swollen. Xia Mian picked him up distressedly, kissed his forehead and said, "We are going to Yan City soon this time. What kind of house do you want to live in, baby?"
Xiao Feng didn't say anything, but just stretched out his little arms to circle Xia Mian's neck, and leaned his little head in the crook of Xia Mian's neck. It was not like the simple dependence as before, but a little bit of coquettishness.
It's quite rare.
Xia Mian didn't bother to clean up and just strolled around the yard holding him. Xiao Feng rubbed her cheek and lay on her shoulder without moving.
Xia Mian's heart is about to melt.
As she was wandering around, Qiangqiang ran in and hurriedly reminded her, "Mian Gu, Second Grandpa is leading people behind us."
Xia Mian laughed. He should have come to play with Xiao Feng, but ended up running into Uncle Xia at the door.
It's no wonder he made a fuss, because most children would have this reaction when they saw Uncle Xia or Aunt Xia.
This family is so annoying.
As soon as Qiangqiang finished speaking, Uncle Xia and Xia Li walked in together.
"Mianmian." Uncle Xia called out.
His eyes were still red. After yesterday's event, the elders who helped were exhausted. Uncle Xia and his wife, who were always diligent, were lying in bed and hadn't gotten up.
Xia Mian thought that Second Uncle Xia would be able to have a peaceful two days, but she didn't expect him to come and cause trouble so soon.
Xia Mian rolled her eyes, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing." Uncle Xia said with a smile, "I just want to ask what your plans are. I see that school has already started for several days. Are you not planning to go to school?"
As he spoke, he peeked into the room and saw Xia Mian's packed high school textbooks. A smile flashed across his face, "Are you really not going to school?"
"Your sister must have spent a lot of money on this. Are you out of money?"
Xia Mian put Xiao Feng down and asked him to go play with Qiangqiang, but Qiangqiang turned around and ran out quickly.
Xia Mian was speechless. Of course, Xiao Feng couldn't go out with her. Ever since she came back from Daliangshan, the little guy had been sticking to her side all the time.
Uncle Xia didn't feel discouraged when he saw Xia Mian ignoring him. His eyes fell on Xiao Feng and he continued, "Xiao Feng, what are you going to do? Are you going to the Zhang family to ask for money?"
"And the house in Ming City..."
Xia Mian said coldly, "It's none of your business. If you're not tired, we are. Go back quickly. We'll clean up and get some sleep."
Second Uncle Xia said, "It's only morning now, why are you sleeping..."
"Dad!" Xia Li pulled Uncle Xia and gave him a look, and Uncle Xia finally shut up.
Xia Mian thought Xia Li had grown sensible and was feeling satisfied, but then she heard her say, "Xia Mian, I think working part-time is really good."
She had put on her "exquisite" makeup again today, but her thick, fly-leg eyelashes fluttered, making her eyes hurt. She wanted to pull them off.
But she still said smugly, "Have you seen my Wang Tao?"
"He's quite capable, with dozens of workers under him. He can earn hundreds of thousands of yuan from a single project."
At this point, Xia Li stretched her neck to show Xia Mian her thin gold necklace, "See? He bought this for me."
"He recently took on a big project in Yan City. If it succeeds, he'll probably make millions! Then we'll buy a house in Yan City!"
Xia Mian felt a headache after listening to this, but considering that she had been sad for Xia Chun yesterday, Xia Mian decided to endure her performance. Anyway, she was afraid that she would not see her again in the future.
Because he was leaving, Xia Mian decided to be a little more tolerant.
However, her rare decision was ultimately of no use, as the second branch of the Xia family simply did not deserve to be treated gently.
Xia Li showed off all she wanted, and she even insisted on pulling her along. "Why don't you come with me? I'll ask Wang Tao to find you a job that pays more."
"I can earn quite a bit of money a month doing laundry and cooking on the construction site."
At this point, she gave an ambiguous smile. "The key is that you can meet a lot of bosses. When those bosses are working on projects, they eat and live on the construction site. Don't look at them as dirty, but they have money in their pockets."
Knowing it very clearly, Xia Mian rolled her eyes and didn't bother to pay attention to her. She didn't expect that the other party would go further.
Xia Li suddenly lowered her voice and said in a tone of "I have a surprise for you," "Our Wang Tao has a brother from the same village. Although he's not as well off as him, he also earns a lot."
As soon as she finished speaking, the plump Wang Tao came in from the door with a dark, tall and thin man, as if in cooperation.
"Brother Tao!" Xia Li shouted happily, winking at Xia Mian, "Speak of the devil, and he'll appear! Brother Zhigang is here too."
After the dark-skinned young man came in, his eyes fell straight on Xia Mian, looking her up and down.
Xia Li proudly introduced, "Brother Zhigang, this is my sister Xia Mian. What do you think? Pretty, right? She's in high school!"
He smiled ambiguously at Xia Mian again, "Xia Mian, this is Brother Zhigang, he's quite capable."
An expression that says, "Look how much I miss you."
Xia Mian was so angry that he laughed. So this was his idea. Second Uncle Xia was really bold. He actually brought people to see him directly!
The hibernating thumb presses the base of the fingers one by one, and the joints make a crackling sound.
Brother Zhigang didn't know the danger was coming. After looking at Xia Mian, his eyes were a little critical. "Why are you wearing a hat in the middle of summer? What's wrong with your hair? Are you sick?"
Xia Li hurriedly explained, "Alas, it's not because of some time ago..."
"Shut up!" Xia Mian shouted at Xia Li.
Then he looked at the dark-skinned young man, "Who are you? Are you sick? Why would you care about my hair when we first met? Why are you so nosy? When I'm out digging shit, do you still want to taste the saltiness?"
Wang Zhigang's face darkened. He was about to speak, but Xia Mian ignored him and turned to Xia Li, shouting angrily, "Do you think I'm you? You want to be trash, and you let these scum pick on you. Don't drag me into this. Get out of here!"
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