Li Xiaoxiao's appearance attracted a lot of attention. As the woman slowly walked into the center of the crowd, Tao Biao couldn't help but speak up to uphold justice, "It's you, Li Xiaoxiao. Now that your in-laws are here, shouldn't you tone down your temper?"
The local thugs in Tao Biao Village often heard stories about a family on the outskirts of the village. The woman there was a woman who defied the three cardinal guides and five constant virtues, and was extremely shrewish and unruly. Ordinary people dared not provoke her, but she was also very generous. She had been guided by a sage. Unfortunately, her husband was becoming increasingly pathetic. He dared not eat out and could not afford a single tael of silver. If he saw a pearl hairpin that he liked, he could only admire it from afar. He had just come from a nearby mountain stronghold with more than ten henchmen. If this woman continued to cause trouble, wouldn't she be looking down on them, the men?
In a patriarchal society, how can we allow a woman to stir up trouble?
Li Xiaoxiao didn't even glance at Tao Biao, and continued walking to the old woman's side. "I heard you want your husband's money? I never allow my husband to have more than one tael of silver on him." When the old woman saw Li Xiaoxiao, she didn't grab Qi Yu's robe, but instead half-rose and knelt on the ground.
"Heavens above, what terrible things have happened? Give me back my son!"
If this kind of unreasonable, unforgiving, and troublesome person were in the apocalypse, Li Xiaoxiao would definitely throw her into a horde of zombies and leave her to fend for herself. Unfortunately, this is ancient times, and such things are not allowed here.
“Mother-in-law, you can’t do this! I bought Qi Yu with four taels of silver. Have you forgotten what we agreed on? What’s the meaning of this? Am I supposed to support a disgraceful mother-in-law like you for my husband? Pulling your robe around in the street, aren’t you ashamed? What do you eat? How can you be so shameless?” Li Xiaoxiao walked in and launched into a tirade, leaving everyone stunned.
Li Xiaoxiao seems innocent, obedient and cute, but how could she be so vicious when she curses people? Everyone was dumbfounded. When it comes to disgracing the family, Li Xiaoxiao is second to none.
Tao Biao couldn't stand it anymore and stepped out from the crowd. "Shut up, you from the Li family! I won't allow you to insult the elderly like this. In this vast world, who doesn't respect and be filial?"
The old woman burst into tears, saying, "If I had known my son would become a live-in son-in-law, I would rather starve to death than let him leave home." Her words evoked sympathy from the crowd. Indeed, who would willingly give their child up to be a live-in son-in-law if they weren't forced into it?
Li Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. Fine, so you're trying to sell sympathy? She'll teach this old scoundrel a lesson today. "Fine, since you're so determined, bring me four taels of silver and I'll give him back. Since you're so determined to take him back, even if it means death."
The old rascal just kept crying and dared not reply anymore; she had already spent all her money, so how could she repay the debt?
Qi Yu's cold expression finally showed some panic. "My wife, you mustn't! She is not my birth mother, not a blood relative. My father is gone, so she has nothing to do with me." The man hurriedly walked up to Li Xiaoxiao, his embarrassment still lingering. He then grabbed Li Xiaoxiao's hand, his expression pleading.
"That's why I didn't let my wife come with me at Chenshi (7-9 AM)." Qi Yu looked obedient, with a strand of hair still unkempt on her head, which flew up in the wind.
There was still a chill in the air. The surrounding stalls were still calling out their wares, but everyone was looking this way. Li Xiaoxiao felt a warmth in her hand and a faint smile appeared on her face.
The onlookers began to blame everything on Li Xiaoxiao, saying, "This woman from the Li family is immoral. She tried to seduce the scholar from Qingshan Academy but failed. Now that her husband has become successful, she clings to him tightly. How can there be such a woman in the world?"
"Exactly, they're a disgrace to us women. How dare they insult an elder! They're so unfilial."
Among the women, Widow Dong, reminiscing about the dozen or so fish balls from last time, couldn't help but stand up and say something on behalf of Li Xiaoxiao, "Calm down, Li Xiaoxiao paid money to find a husband who would live with her, and besides, it was money she earned herself. There's really no need to give it to someone in her husband's family who isn't even her biological mother."
Li Xiaoxiao was surprised that this widow Dong, who usually looked down on her the most and had previously spoken out against her about finding a son-in-law, was now speaking up for her at this critical moment.
The women immediately erupted in anger. Li Xiaoxiao was so arrogant, and they had suffered a lot because of her arrogance these past few days. It turned out that their husbands knew that Li Xiaoxiao was arrogant and domineering, and whenever she went out for a drink or had any domestic problems, they would beat and scold her. "You shameless woman, do you think you can be as arrogant as Li Xiaoxiao? Remember, we men are still in charge in this house."
This incident made them secretly hate Li Xiaoxiao, and now that they had a chance to take revenge, why wouldn't they seize it?
"It's because Li Xiaoxiao lost her mother at such a young age. This kind of vulgar and barbaric woman doesn't understand manners, let alone know that women should strictly abide by the three obediences and four virtues." After saying this, the butcher Jiang's wife covered her mouth with her sleeve and laughed.
“Indeed, no woman is as barbaric as her. I heard she even carried a wild boar home. I wonder how many times this son-in-law will have to be worn down before he becomes so obedient,” said Mrs. Chen, who sells clothes and jewelry.
The other women just watched, not daring to say anything. After all, Li Xiaoxiao was not someone they could mess with. Their husbands had made some money when the Li family repaired their house, so they couldn't speak carelessly and only dared to whisper among themselves.
Li Xiaoxiao frowned. Why were these women even more malicious than the men? Was it some kind of competition between females?
"Yes, yes, you all follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, so you kneel and serve your men day and night? Why should I follow the Three Obediences and Four Virtues? That's ridiculous. Do you want to get beaten up? If anyone continues to talk nonsense in front of me, watch out, my fists don't have eyes."
Li Xiaoxiao raised her fist and waved it symbolically. The two women froze and held back their words. The old woman just kept wailing and cursing, "What a misfortune for my family! Heaven, have pity on me!" She kowtowed frantically on the ground as she spoke, "Since my son is unfilial, I might as well die. It would be a waste of my old bones."
Despite the noise of the crowd, the sound of her kowtowing could still be heard. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a red blood clot had formed on the old woman's head, and everyone sighed in dismay.
Li Xiaoxiao remained unmoved. She had seen too many such manipulative, scheming, and unreasonable people in the apocalypse who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals. What was this?
"Let's go, my husband. Since she likes to kneel and cry here, let her cry." Qi Yu was pulled along, but he didn't hesitate and walked even faster.
Seeing that they were about to leave, the old woman refused to give in. "Li Xiaoxiao, you're wearing a cheap cotton coat, yet you're so heartless. My clothes are mended and patched again and again. You see, I, your mother-in-law, am living a life worse than death?"
Everyone's attention was then drawn to Li Xiaoxiao. She was indeed wearing a cotton-padded coat, which was worth two or three taels of silver. The old woman's ankles were exposed and covered in frostbite.
They looked pitiful in the cold wind, their foreheads stained with blood from bowing their heads more than a dozen times, shivering and swaying precariously in the wind.
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