Chapter 106: Beware of the Rat
"Don't worry, don't worry!" Gao patted Old Lady Su's hand and comforted her softly. It would be a disaster for anyone to encounter such a bad thing.
"Speaking of which, my grandchildren are all excellent, well-educated and well-mannered, just like my three sons. Only this girl, who was personally taught by her mother since she was young, has been raised in a wrong way!"
Old Mrs. Su was afraid that this matter would implicate her grandchildren, so she separated them from Xiao Qin and her daughter.
"Forget it, forget it! These young men are not only good-looking, but also well-read. They are educated people in our village!" Gao said with a smile, "Even the girls are the best!"
After hearing Gao's comfort, Mrs. Su felt much better.
"Alas, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have agreed to this marriage. I knew my niece wasn't smart and wasn't suitable, but I couldn't refuse. In the end, my Erlang suffered so much. All these years..."
Old Mrs. Su's topic went further and further, and she let out all the anger and regret that had been pent up in her heart.
Gao has always been a quiet listener, without making too many comments.
"Old sister, I have a favor to ask of you!" Old Mrs. Su remembered the purpose of her conversation with Gao.
"Sister, please tell me. I'm listening!" Gao said kindly.
"Help me find a powerful family to send these mother and daughter away!" Old Mrs. Su looked serious.
"There's nothing I can do. If we were in Chang'an, I could just divorce her and send her back to her parents' home. But here, no one can leave. We're all huddled together, and there's trouble every day. Life is really unbearable!"
"Uh..." Gao was just listening. Usually after she finished speaking, she would feel calm and the matter would be over.
The old lady of the Su family was serious, and Gao didn't know how to respond.
The villagers were all once prominent families. Although they have fallen on hard times, the rules and manners that were deeply ingrained in them are still there.
The mother and daughter of Xiao Qin are so unconventional and fearless that people who value their reputation would not dare to accept them and cannot control them.
Who knows who will get married between these mother and daughter, but sooner or later they will break up the family.
They don't understand what people say and act based on their own moods. To put it bluntly, there is nothing they fear here. Only power, glory and wealth can make them hesitate.
"Old sister, please! We are unfamiliar with this place and don't know anyone here!" Old Mrs. Su spoke softly with a sad look in her eyes.
"Old sister, the girl made such a fuss just now, and the villagers..." Gao didn't say anything else and thought about it for herself.
Even if a prominent family falls on hard times, they won't be so hungry as to pick up any dregs.
What's more, there are few men in the village, and no one is willing to take such a top-notch and brainless person.
"Oh! I'm forcing you to do something that is out of your reach!" Old Mrs. Su smiled bitterly.
"Grandma!" Su Ying's voice sounded behind her.
Old Mrs. Su turned around and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I have an idea, but I don't know if it's appropriate. I'd like to ask grandma and old lady to give me some advice!" Su Ying sat down.
"What's your idea?" Old Mrs. Su looked at her granddaughter.
They resented that the Su family had lost its wealth and glory because of her, but now it was she who shouldered the heavy responsibility and led the Su family and the entire village to move forward.
Old Mrs. Su hated and resented Su Ying, but she had to admit that she was the best among her grandchildren.
"Grandma, do you know any powerful families in the nearby villages, or those with fierce mothers-in-law or men?" Su Ying did not hide anything.
"Well, as the lady said, there really is such a family."
Gao recalled the family she met at the market when she was buying New Year's goods last year.
The man's name was Feng Dazhuang. He was a hunter from Nangou Village, Heifeng Township. His ancestor was a centurion of the garrison stationed in Lingnan sent by the imperial court.
He was in his thirties, with several scars on his face and body, and looked fierce and scary.
My mother-in-law, Ms. Li, is in her early fifties. She lost her husband at an early age and raised her son alone. She is a smart and capable person.
When buying New Year's goods that day, the couple had an argument for some unknown reason. Feng Dazhuang became angry and punched his wife.
The blows made a loud bang on her body, and she rolled on the ground wailing with kicks and punches.
But the mother-in-law, Mrs. Li, was shouting, "Well done, wonderful beating! If you don't beat her for three days, she'll tear the roof off the house!" How dare a hen that doesn't lay eggs say something bad about a man?
Passersby couldn't bear to see this and tried to dissuade him, but Feng Dazhuang dragged his wife home.
I heard from people in the town that Feng Dazhuang has a bad temper and will use his fists if he disagrees with something.
Just now, he beat him up because his wife said something too much.
This woman was often beaten on weekdays. She had been married for many years without having children, and the Feng family mother and son disliked her very much.
This woman is Feng Dazhuang's third wife. The first two were married for only a year before they both died without being able to withstand his fists.
This daughter-in-law was quite resistant to beatings and was beaten for several years, but unfortunately she had no children.
A few months later, Gao went to the market and heard people talking about the Feng family. After returning home, Feng Dazhuang made a fuss and demanded a divorce. The woman had nowhere to go and her pleas were in vain, so she hanged herself at night.
"The Feng family is completely infamous in Black Wind Township. No one wants to marry him, and the Li family is asking everyone to be a matchmaker. Tsk tsk..."
Gao shook her head repeatedly as she spoke. It would be fine if this matchmaker was not a good matchmaker, but he was pushing people into the fire pit. It was so immoral and would ruin her family's reputation.
Old Mrs. Su didn't say anything, her expression was gloomy.
Feng Dazhuang and Xiao Qinshi were a match made in heaven. Their daily interactions were just right for loosening her skin and tightening her flesh with his fist as big as a sand bowl.
I wonder if he can take the beating?
Old Mrs. Su was very moved, she knew that only a man like this could calm Xiao Qinshi.
But Shi Yan, Chen Yan and Zhao Yan are good kids. Isn’t it an insult to them to bully and humiliate their mother like this?
Even Su Ying remained silent after hearing this.
If Xiao Qin were to marry into this family, her cousins would definitely cause trouble and might even become enemies.
Oh! Depressed!
"If we can take this mother and daughter to the county government office and lock them up, give them a beating with water and fire sticks, and teach them a lesson, maybe they will behave themselves!" Su Ying thought of Zhang San who was beaten black and blue that day.
Just because he cried out a few times that it was unfair, he was beaten so badly.
Wait! Su Ying suddenly thought of a good idea!
How about sending Xiao Qinshi to the county town and marrying her to a powerful yamen runner?
Su Ying felt like she was being driven crazy by the two troublemakers. She became like a demon, thinking of all kinds of vicious ways to play tricks on people.
The hunter is of good origin after all, but he is a bad-tempered domestic violence man. Xiao Qinshi might not be able to survive for several months if she marries him.
Yamen runners were of low status, and they were not necessarily domestic violence men, but their descendants were all of low status. Those who were of low status within three generations were not allowed to take the imperial examinations and become officials.
Su Ying is not a bad person and she can't bear to push people into the fire pit. When she looked at Old Lady Su, there was a flash of struggle in the old lady's eyes.
"Grandma, let's find another way." Su Ying advised.
If he really did it, the Su family's reputation would be affected, and others would think that they were narrow-minded, vicious, and could not tolerate two weak women.
Alas, these two troublemakers are like tofu dropped into coal dust, neither can be praised nor beaten, it’s really worrying.
But if there is no punishment for what happened today, the mother and daughter will only become more rampant.
"Thank you, old sister!" Old Mrs. Su thanked Gao and walked away with her crutches, her back looking desolate and lonely.
The old lady, who had been strong all her life, was also stumped by this difficult problem.
It would be possible to just pack up the mother and daughter and send them to the hunter without caring about anything.
But what about the Su family's reputation and the children's future?
Alas, be careful about what you do!
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