Yang Donghu stared at Wang Dujuan, his voice as cold as ice: "The agreement to sever the marriage has been signed, so you have no say. It has the seal of the village chief himself. I'm not afraid even if you take it to the government. Don't you like to have a fair say? Then let's go to the government office and have a good talk and see who gets the punishment."
If he hadn't broken off the letter of severance, he really wouldn't have been able to do anything to Wang Dujuan. But now it was different. With such a powerful trump card in his hand, it was cowardly to let Wang Dujuan manipulate him at will.
"Yang Chunxue broke off the engagement first, and then pushed me down the mountain. Just go ahead and sue me. Let's see if the police come and arrest me or your good daughter. I'm telling you, even if I have to go to the nail bed, I won't let you take advantage of me."
When Wang Dujuan heard that he had implicated Yang Chunxue, her face changed drastically. She jumped up from the ground, grabbed Yang Donghu by the collar, and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? Pushing him down the mountain? If you dare to say that again, I will tear your mouth apart."
Yang Donghu pushed her hard, causing her to stagger. "It doesn't matter if you don't admit it. Doctor Lao Yi saw the injuries on my body with his own eyes. One witness is enough."
As he spoke, he patted his wrinkled collar and sneered, "You've reminded me. If you don't sue me, I'll sue you. By then, everyone in town will know. It will depend on whether Yang Chunxue can get married. And your son who passed the imperial examination has a good reputation. Reputation is the most important thing."
Wang Dujuan's eyes turned red with hatred. She bit her lips tightly and squeezed out two words from between her teeth: "You dare!"
Her son had finally passed the exam to become a Tongsheng (a student), and he couldn't afford to tarnish his reputation. Scholars prided themselves on being pure, and a stain on their bodies would last a lifetime. If he couldn't become a disciple of a reputable teacher, his life would be over, and all his previous studies would be wasted.
Yang Donghu clapped his hands nonchalantly: "If you're not afraid, why should I be afraid? The worst that can happen is a fight to the death. No one will have an easy time."
Wang Dujuan's eyes were bloodshot, and she wanted to pounce on Yang Donghu and bite him to death. She hated him even more for not strangling him to death when they were children, and now she had to endure this humiliation.
"Next time you come to provoke me, think carefully about your two children. For grandma's sake, I won't bother with you. It would be fine if everyone can live in peace. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude." Yang Donghu stood at the door and stretched out his hand to tell her to get out quickly.
Wang Dujuan didn't get any advantage and was threatened. How could she possibly swallow this?
She walked to the door and pushed Yang Donghu hard, then took advantage of the chaos while everyone was rushing to see Yang Donghu and ran away.
Yang Donghu was caught off guard and bumped into the door frame without paying attention. His eyes went dark, his body leaned back, and he fell to the ground.
Zhu Cuilan screamed in fright and hurried over to help him.
Zhao Fangchu kept calling out "Brother Dong" anxiously and patted his back to help him breathe smoothly. After a long while, Yang Donghu felt his vision slowly become clear.
"Dong Hu? Dong Hu, are you feeling better? I was scared to death, scared to death." Zhu Cuilan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw his eyes slowly open.
Yang Donghu was helped by Zhao Fangchu to slowly stand up from the ground. He touched his forehead and found a big bump, but fortunately there was no bleeding.
He waved his hand: "It's okay, auntie."
"Can you still walk?" Zhu Cuilan supported him and looked up at his head, exclaiming, "Ouch, why is there such a big bump? Did you hit your head? This is not good. You should go find a doctor right away. Come quickly."
Zhao Fangchu responded and ran quickly to call a doctor.
The other people in the village were also sent away by Zhu Cuilan. The excitement died down and the crowd dispersed.
Yang Donghu sat on the stool, feeling dizzy.
The doctors all lived in the same village and arrived quickly, in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
"Don't worry too much, it's just swelling. Apply cold water to it, and when the swelling goes away, rub the remaining bruises with safflower oil." The doctor looked at the bump on Yang Donghu's head and said to Zhu Cuilan.
"That's good, that's good. I'm really sorry that you've come all this way."
There was no medicine prescribed or acupuncture, as they were all neighbors. Doctors generally did not charge any consultation fees for villagers, and they would leave after the consultation.
But Zhu Cuilan still paid five cents for the consultation fee and politely sent the doctor out.
Zhao Fangchu went to the well to fetch a basin of cold water, and brought a towel to give Yang Donghu a cold compress.
"This Wang Dujuan is really too much. We can't suffer this loss in silence. We have to go find her and ask for an explanation." Zhu Cuilan said and was about to leave.
Yang Donghu quickly spoke up to stop her: "Auntie, don't go. We finally managed to drive her away. It would be bad if she gets entangled with you."
Zhu Cuilan thought about it and put her mind at ease, but she still felt uneasy.
She looked at Yang Donghu's face, and could no longer see the timid look he had before. Zhu Cuilan recalled the childhood memories Yang Donghu had mentioned when he accused Wang Dujuan, and her heart ached.
She knew Yang Donghu wasn't having a good time at the Yang family, but she hadn't expected Wang Dujuan to be so cruel and ruthless, not even sparing a child. Thinking of that tiny person huddled in the sheep pen, her eyes started to moisten.
Zhao Fangchu, always talkative and cheerful, had lost his smile now. He had grown up with his mother and father loving him, and his brother treating him well. He had always lived in a sweet pot, and he couldn't imagine how anyone could live in a sheep pen.
He once refused to eat because he was angry with his mother. He felt so miserable. It was his brother who secretly stuffed snacks into his food.
His brother Dong never had a full meal when he was a child, and tears were about to fall when he thought about it.
Yang Donghu saw that her mother and daughter had red eyes and were staring at him with pity. She felt a little uncomfortable and said, "I wasn't so miserable when I was a child. I exaggerated when I said that just now. Grandma was very good to me and would give me her food. It's all in the past."
Zhu Cuilan noticed Yang Donghu's discomfort, wiped her eyes with her hand, and said with a forced smile, "Yes, it's all in the past. Let's not talk about it. Auntie will make you something delicious tonight. How about an egg cake? I'll put two extra eggs in it."
Yang Donghu held the handkerchief in his hand and replied with a smile: "Okay, thank you, auntie."
Zhu Cuilan entered the kitchen, intending to show off her cooking skills. She had salted and marinated the ribs. She had originally planned to wait for Zhao Luochuan to come back before eating them, but now she didn't wait any longer.
She took off two salt pork ribs and stewed them with bamboo shoots later. The stewed soup was milky white and fragrant, perfect for nourishing the body.
Zhao Fangchu was not as open-minded as his mother. At this moment, his eyes were filled with tears from thinking about it.
Yang Donghu patted his head in amusement: "Don't think about it, it's all in the past. It's so good to have you now. Stop crying, your face will hurt if the wind blows."
Zhao Fangchu nodded vigorously: "Well, Dong brother, don't worry, I will definitely buy you delicious food when I have money, anything is fine."
Yang Donghu wanted to tease him, so he raised his eyebrows and said, "Anything is fine, really? Even the Liuli Eight Treasures Cake from Fuxiang Garden?"
Fuxiangyuan is the best bakery in town. The Liuli Bazhen Cake is the treasure of the shop. A small piece can be sold for hundreds of coins, which is unaffordable for ordinary people.
Zhao Fangchu hardened his heart and gritted his teeth: "Okay, I'll save up money to buy it for you."
Yang Donghu was amused by him, his eyebrows curved with a smile: "Okay, I'll wait."
There was a peaceful atmosphere in the courtyard, with smoke rising up, awakening the smell of life.
"Mom, we're back!"
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