Seeing that Old Man Xiao was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) clutching his back and groaning, Xie Yujiao was afraid that Old Madam Xiao would lash out at her again, so she quickly said that her stomach was uncomfortable and turned to go back to her own courtyard!
Seeing that things were not going well, Qiu Hong naturally didn't want to stay any longer and slipped away as well.
Widow Liu didn't want Old Man Xiao to just give up like this. She didn't care whether Xiao Yuanhang was exiled or not. As long as Xiao Yi was still a general, she could live a good life with Old Man Xiao.
So he quickly asked with concern
"Could it be that you broke it? Maybe we should call a doctor to take a look!"
Old Man Xiao was in so much pain that he couldn't bear it any longer. After hearing what Widow Liu had to say, he nodded repeatedly.
"Go and fetch Old Li from the next village so I can take a look at him."
Upon hearing this, Widow Liu agreed and went to fetch the doctor.
Seeing how quickly Widow Liu left, Old Mrs. Xiao grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"How much money will it cost to find a doctor!"
Old Man Xiao was very unhappy when he heard this.
"What! I'm not even worth the cost of a dose of medicine!"
You women are always eating and dressing well, you all know how to enjoy life. How much money has the fourth son lost this time? It's all because you spoiled him. If you hadn't always protected him and given him whatever he wanted, he wouldn't have turned out like that.
"You're making a fuss over my seeing a doctor!"
"Why am I the one who spoils them!"
It's not because you said the fourth child was smart from a young age and was destined to be a successful kid that I protected him!
It's all my fault that this happened! Good heavens, I can't live like this anymore! That heartless old man, I've worked so hard for you for half my life, and you don't appreciate a single thing about me!
"How come you didn't die?! Now I can finally have some peace of mind!"
Old Mrs. Xiao was heartbroken that her beloved daughter was in jail, she had lost all her money, and her daughter had been divorced. She was in so much pain that she was inconsolable. After being scolded by Old Mr. Xiao, she also started to cry.
Old Xiao was also feeling bad.
The two of them just couldn't understand how their perfectly good life had come to this!
Just then, Aunt Tian, always looking for trouble, and a few other gossipy women came to see them!
Grandma Xiao was still crying and wailing when she heard Aunt Tian shout...
"Sister-in-law! She's home!"
We've all been thinking about that kid who went on his voyage, so we came to check on him.
Upon hearing Aunt Tian's voice, Old Mrs. Xiao immediately wiped away her tears, pretending nothing was wrong, and said with a droopy face.
"What's so interesting? Yuanhang had a misunderstanding with his classmate and was only locked up for a few days. Second brother's wife is a princess in the capital. We'll go to the capital to find her. Yuanhang will be released soon!"
"Oh! That's alright. We've also heard that Yuanhang's scholarly degree was revoked. We thought this kid had committed some kind of murder or arson!"
Grandma Xiao agreed.
"Don't talk nonsense! It's not true. Who would dare to spout such nonsense? I'll tear her filthy mouth off!"
A woman standing nearby saw Xiao Yan and asked her a question.
"What's wrong? We just heard outside that Yanzi was divorced by the Cao family!"
They divorced after only a few days of marriage. What was the reason?
If the Cao family bullies anyone, just tell the village chief. Our Xiao family isn't without members!
Xiao Yan got angry as soon as she saw their gossipy faces and called out rudely.
"What do you know! I didn't hesitate to be with that Cao guy!"
My brother is a general, and I have plenty of good families to choose from. Even if I divorce him, it's none of your business to watch the show!
"Go away if you have nothing to do! What's there to see? Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Even if I get divorced, I'll still be better off than you!"
"Hey you brat, how dare you talk like that! We're just trying to be nice to you, and you don't appreciate it at all!"
"Exactly! With your awful temper! Maybe you're too lazy and greedy, and your in-laws didn't like you and sent you back home!"
"I think so too! She's useless at everything, always hungry, and has no manners whatsoever. If my son marries a wife like that, I'll divorce her too!"
"That's for sure! Even if we don't take a break, we still have to do it eight times a day!"
The women and women in the village were the most talkative and witty in the village. They were quick-witted and sharp-tongued when they started cursing. Xiao Yan was no match for them. After a few words, she made them so angry that they jumped up and down. But they didn't dare to fight back, so they could only close the door and chase them out.
At this point, she fully experienced the treatment a daughter who had been divorced should receive.
After the wives and mothers-in-law left, it wasn't long before the news spread that Xiao Yan had been divorced by her husband's family because she was lazy, greedy, and lacked social skills.
Several versions of the story circulated, all based on speculation about Xiao Yan's behavior at home. In the end, the stories became so convincing that they sounded like the truth. Some said that Xiao Yan was stealing food from her in-laws' house and not serving her mother-in-law. Others said that Xiao Yan was at odds with Cao Cheng'an's son and bullied his child, which led to her being disliked by her in-laws. Still others said that Xiao Yan was at odds with Cao Cheng'an's concubine and even got into a fight, showing no manners, which led to her being rejected by the family.
It has to be said that these people were pretty accurate in their guesses. As a result, Xiao Yan became someone even dogs disliked in the village in less than a day. Even the children in the village would avoid her or make faces at her, laughing at her for being a divorced woman who was a disgrace.
Xiao Yan was so angry that she didn't dare to leave the house for several days.
As for Widow Liu, after inviting Old Man Li over, Old Man Li examined him and said that Old Man Xiao had twisted his back and needed to lie down and rest. It would be best to lie down for two months, otherwise he would become ill later.
He then prescribed several doses of medicine to relax muscles and improve blood circulation, and sent Widow Liu to catch them.
After a few doses of medicine, the family's last few strings of copper coins were used up, and Old Man Xiao was still lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) unable to move.
The matter of going to the capital cannot be delayed. This round trip will take at least a month, and if something unexpected happens, it might take two months. By then, Xiao Yuanhang might have been exiled.
But they still hadn't figured out how to afford the travel expenses to the capital.
After discussing it, Old Man Xiao and Old Lady Xiao decided to go to the Cao family to get back Xiao Yan's dowry!
However, Old Man Xiao was unable to move, so only Old Lady Xiao could go. Old Lady Xiao had fought with Master Cao and was afraid of him, so she asked Xiao Dayong to go with her.
Xiao Dayong had long since lost touch with Old Madam Xiao, and the messy things at the old house bothered him. However, Old Madam Xiao was throwing a tantrum in front of him, so he had no choice but to accompany her. Of course, Xiao Yan also went with her.
According to Old Madam Xiao's calculations, when Xiao Yan married into the Cao family, she gave them forty taels of silver as a dowry, along with bedding, clothes, and jewelry. She also had to ask the Cao family for some compensation. Her good daughter married into their family and was divorced in less than two months. She couldn't quell her hatred without taking a piece of their flesh!
She wished she could make up for all the money she had spent on Xiao Yuanhang in Tai'an Prefecture by finding it in the Cao family!
To everyone's surprise, when they arrived at the Cao family's residence, they couldn't even get through the gate!
Grandma Xiao was so angry that she pounded on the door and yelled that she would take him to court if he didn't pay her back!
As a result, neither Master Cao nor his wife showed up. They only sent an official to warn Old Madam Xiao that if she wanted a dowry, she should first return the betrothal gifts given by his family!
Xiao Yuanhang ruined his son like this, and I haven't even settled accounts with the Xiao family yet!
They spent a fortune to marry a jinx, and now they want to sue the authorities? If they dare cause trouble again, their legs will be broken!
As soon as the Cao family steward finished speaking, he led out a large black dog and placed it at the door, where it glared menacingly at Old Madam Xiao. Old Madam Xiao was so angry that she pushed Xiao Dayong and told him to go and smash the door.
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