After everyone dispersed, Chen Qingqing didn't linger and went to the Wu family's old house with Chen Zhanshan and Lin Shi.
The old man and his wife harmed themselves and others, and they deserved this outcome.
As for Chen Ruolan, she has ambitions that are higher than the sky, but her fate is as fragile as paper. She can enjoy the taste of widowhood from now on!
I definitely can't go back to living in those two cowsheds. Just thinking about how someone rolled around on the bed she slept in makes me feel disgusted.
It was time to put building the house on the agenda. Having made up her mind, Chen Qingqing decided to go buy bricks tomorrow.
*******
Grandma Chen suddenly remembered that Chen Ruolan was still inside and hadn't come out yet. She hurriedly called out to Grandpa Chen, who was standing there dumbfounded, "Don't just stand there like an idiot, come with me to see Ruolan."
"Alright, alright, I'm coming right now." Old Man Chen came to his senses and followed Old Woman Chen into the house. He almost fainted when he saw Chen Ruolan sitting there motionless, her face pale and her hair disheveled, as if she were in a daze.
Old Mrs. Chen stepped forward and called out, "Ruolan."
Chen Ruolan remained seated there expressionless, as if she hadn't heard anything.
Old Mrs. Chen's heart skipped a beat, and she panicked, thinking that Chen Ruolan had lost her mind. She rushed forward and reached out to stroke her cheek, her voice trembling with tears.
"My Ruolan, my dear granddaughter, are you alright? Don't scare your grandma, say something!"
Old Chen was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet and muttering, "What should we do? What should we do? If the child really goes crazy, how can we explain it to Zhancai? This is such a tragedy!"
Old Mrs. Chen was annoyed by Old Mr. Chen's nagging, so she glared at him and said irritably, "You old fool, can't you be a little more sensible? You're scared to death over such a trivial matter. You're such a good-for-nothing!"
"Oh, old woman, you're too careless. Ruolan has been treated like this, and you say it's nothing serious. I wonder how you and Zhancai are going to explain this to them."
"How am I supposed to explain this? You should think about what you're going to say!"
"What do you want me to say? What do I have to say?" Old Chen said angrily, sticking his neck out. "You came up with the idea, you did the work, and you took the money. Now that something has gone wrong, you want me to take the blame? I can't bear that responsibility."
As Old Mrs. Chen's mind gradually cleared and her emotions calmed down, she weakly waved her hand.
"Alright, alright, stop with this nonsense. What's done is done, so let's not blame each other. If anyone's to blame, it's that brat. If it weren't for her, Ruolan wouldn't be like this now."
"Yes, yes, old woman, what you said makes sense. Ultimately, the responsibility lies entirely with that brat. We can't let her off easily."
"We'll talk about this later. The most important thing now is to get Ruolan home as soon as possible and not let her sit here like an idiot." After saying that, Grandma Chen smoothed Ruolan's hair and said softly, "Ruolan, be a good girl and come home with Grandma."
Chen Ruolan remained sitting there blankly, without saying a word.
Old Chen looked on anxiously, "What's going on? Why isn't Ruolan saying anything? Has she really gone mad?"
Grandma Chen carefully examined Chen Ruolan and said, "Her eyes are dull and she has dark circles. She must not have slept enough and is overworked. Let her go back and get a good night's sleep, and she should be fine."
"It's good that you're alright. Alright, old woman. Last night, that beastly rich man Fan tormented her to death. She must be too weak to walk. Come on, put her on my back, and I'll carry her back."
"Okay, take it easy." Old Mrs. Chen pulled and dragged Chen Ruolan onto Old Mr. Chen's back.
As soon as she came out, Wu Baoan came up to her and said, "Auntie, Ruolan has gotten into this mess. You have to hurry up and find Zhancai and his wife. If you don't handle this properly, you'll be blamed in the future."
Grandma Chen knew that this kind of thing couldn't be hidden no matter how hard she tried. Whether Ruolan got married or not was not something she, as the grandmother, could decide; it had to be decided by the third son and his wife.
Thinking of this, she hurriedly instructed Old Man Chen, who was carrying Chen Ruolan, "Old man, put Ruolan at home and go to town to find Lao San. Tell them to come back as soon as possible."
"The third brother didn't even tell us where he lives, how am I supposed to find him?" Old Chen paused, stunned.
Wu Baoan quickly said, "Alright, Auntie, you two stay home and keep a close eye on Ruolan. I'll send a fast-moving young man to find Zhancai."
After he finished speaking, he shouted to a young man who was standing outside the courtyard craning his neck and staring into the yard, "Erdanzi, come in here."
The man called Erdanzi, unaware of what was happening, turned pale with fright and shrank back as he approached. "Village head, village chief, what do you want?"
“You’re quick on your feet, hurry up and go to town to find Chen Zhancai. Tell him there’s something going on at home and ask him and his wife to come back quickly.”
"Are you kidding me? Even his own father doesn't know where he lives. How am I supposed to find him? This is making things difficult for me!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Can't you ask around? As long as you find the Confucius Academy, you'll find Chen Zhancai. Go now!"
"Okay, I'll go." Erdanzi agreed verbally but showed no intention of leaving. He grinned and said, "Village head, running errands isn't an easy job. Shouldn't you do something to show your appreciation?"
Wu Baoan waved his hand impatiently, "Alright, alright, next time there's relief grain, I'll give your family an extra pound. Hurry up and go!"
"Alright, I promise I'll bring Chen Zhancai back." Erdanzi swung his arms and ran off.
At this moment, Fan Tong was agitated and kept craning his neck to look out of the village.
He was anxious. It was already this late, why hadn't Shi Taishou arrived yet? That damned servant must have gone to a brothel again and overslept.
While he was still in a daze, Shi Taishou drove his carriage over from afar in a flash.
Before he could even park the car, Fan Tong stormed over and berated him, "You damned thing! I told you to come pick me up sooner, why are you only coming now? Did you go looking for your own ideas again?"
Shi Taishou was taken aback by the scolding. He was a little puzzled. What was wrong with Fan Tong? Why was he so angry?
In the past, if he were to do something like this, he wouldn't get up until the sun was high in the sky. Why is he up so early today?
He didn't dare to think too much and quickly put on a smile, "Sir, how was it? Did you enjoy yourself last night?"
......
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