Chapter 24:
She, Li Zhenzhu, is not to be trifled with.
Little whore, don’t you know what kind of trash you are?
This is the Li family in Zhao Li Village, not her Zhou family in Tongtian Village.
If she returns to the Zhou family, can Zhou Hanjuan really stand her ground? A married daughter is like spilled water.
She married out in such a way back then, losing all face.
She didn’t even earn any betrothal money for her maternal family; her parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law must hate her so much in secret…
“Liuliu, you little girl, you’d better get out of the way!”
In the way.
She needed to quickly get someone to tie her up in the woodshed; then it wouldn’t be simple to deal with her later?
“No, Aunt, Liuliu can’t let you tie up Mother!”
Li Zhenzhu said, deserving a beating,
“Oldest Brother, shouldn’t you do something about this? Eldest Sister-in-law has gone mad, Liuliu is disobedient, and if innocents get hurt, I won’t be responsible!”
She turned back and saw Li Daqiang staring at his own hand, then looked at his wife still dazed.
“What are you dazed for? Come help…”
“Hmph! Sure enough, a useless coward.”
Li Daqiang’s heart was already fragile beyond measure…
“There are plenty of women who can bear children; isn’t she just an old woman?”
Old Li Tou furrowed his brows three times…
After scolding, Zhenzhu glanced in the direction of Zhi’er and Li Sanmao.
Seeing that couple not coming to help either, acting as if it was none of their business and hanging high up…
Li Sanmao was still wiping sweat for her…”Wife, if you’re tired, let me do it.”
Dissatisfied, she muttered a few curses, pointing at mulberry trees while cursing at the locust: “Useless dead fatty.”
“Instigating Third Brother to run around outside all day without coming home, ignoring family matters, not helping, just knowing how to fiddle with useless hairy lumps.”
“Third Brother, you must learn this well; this is a lesson! Don’t spoil her rotten!”
“In the end, ending up like Eldest Sister-in-law, going mad at the Old Li family, lawlessly climbing over parents to throw her weight around!”
Li Sanmao angrily threw down the sickle, the sickle sinking three inches into the soil, stood up and said, “Zhenzhu, don’t go too far!”
“What, you still want to fight your own little sister for such a fat hoof?”
“You can try!”
“Dad, Mom, look at Third Brother!”
“Husband, it’s fine; a few curses won’t cost any flesh!”
“Don’t take it too seriously!”
Zhi’er said understandingly; she wasn’t ignoring it…
She continued peeling bamboo shoots, her smile settling at the corners of her mouth: to kill a pig, use a pig-killing knife!
When a person is arrogant, disaster comes; exposing her flaws will be her doing, and her ugly state fully revealed will also be hers.
Her gaze looked toward the direction Muqing had gone; soon enough, someone would deal with her!
Zhou Shi saw Third Child with a face full of coldness; perhaps due to years of hunting, that aura was filled with killing intent!
Just one glance made one’s soles of the feet grow cold, instantly spreading throughout the body.
Uneasily, she quickly echoed her daughter,
“They’re all little bastards who forget their mother after marrying wives; don’t forget, no matter how fierce, they all crawled out of this old lady’s belly.”
“Exactly, Mom, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law too; why aren’t they coming to help…”
“Sigh, forget it! Old man, I see that us old couple probably can’t count on anyone in the future!”
While speaking, she even went to Zhi’er and the others’ side, picking up those few unprocessed prey on the ground!
“Mom… what are you doing?”
“Why call me Mom? These things are what my son gave in filial piety to us parents; they have nothing to do with you, you idle-eating little hoof!”
She exchanged a glance with Old Li Tou.
Picking them up, she headed toward the kitchen; passing by Second Son’s Family, she muttered a few curses into the room.
“Vixen, keeping Old Second, Jiayong, and Jiabao shut in the room all day; if he’s disobedient, Old Second won’t beat you to death!”
With them making such a racket outside, that couple still didn’t come out…
What if she got beaten to death by someone?
As soon as Li Gui entered the room, he changed into a full set of clothes from inside out, sat by the window listening to the commotion outside while thinking things over.
Zhou Shi seemed to completely forget about him when she was cursing people…
But passing by his room and seeing him sitting at the desk, she immediately smiled, “Gui’er, have you been tired from studying lately?”
“Mom saved some wild game for you, I’ll stew soup for you to drink tonight!”
Seeing Li Gui furrow his brows, lower his head with his gaze on the book, ignoring her, then she left…
Once out, Zhou Shi screamed like a pig being slaughtered…
Zhenzhu called to her, “Mom, come quickly to help hold down Eldest Sister-in-law… in case she runs away. I’m on the same side as you and Dad.”
She turned around to grab the rope, and a hint of relief showed in Zhou Shi’s eyes!
Still, her daughter was the caring one.
Li Depei sat smoking on a big stone, gloomily watching them. He had even said Third Wife had changed her temperament.
Who knew that once the couple returned, they said nothing and didn’t help. Were they just sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight?
This was his own father, mother, brother—how could they be so cold?
Staring at them, no one looked up to respond to him.
Indifferent to his oppression…
There was a feeling of losing control; this taste wasn’t pleasant…
“Mom, Dad is staring at us!”
Miaomiao said a bit fearfully.
“Hehe, Miaomiao dear, your dad isn’t staring at us; he’s pondering life!”
“Huh? Life?”
“Yeah, here, eat a pine nut. Tasty?”
“Tasty. All the food Mom makes is really delicious.”
Miaomiao narrowed her eyes into slits…
“You this girl!”
She reached out and scraped her nose…
“Liuliu, move aside…”
“No, Grandma…”
“I’m telling you to get lost…”
Xiao Zhou Shi was pinned down by Zhou Shi, Liuliu was crying dryly on the side, and Zhou Shi shoved her away…
Li Zhenzhu stood on tiptoe but hadn’t reached the rope yet when Xiao Zhou Shi’s randomly kicked-off shoe hit her on the head…
She rolled up her sleeve, ran over, and kicked her hard in the waist twice.
She lashed her a few times with the rope in hand, still not venting her anger…
“You death-seeking little whore! You did it on purpose, right? Who are you kicking?”
“Even at a time like this, you still dare to be stubborn?”
Xiao Zhou Shi hugged her belly and head, screaming miserably…
“The Li family is killing someone! Killing someone!”
Only then did Li Daqiang snap awake, widening his eyes at Li Zhenzhu, “Zhenzhu, what are you doing?”
He hurriedly pulled her back.
Widening his eyes, he questioned,
“You dare hit your sister-in-law?”
“Tch, aren’t you hitting too? I’m just helping you!”
“Besides, my business is none of yours. You can’t even control your own wife!”
Zhenzhu kept saying she was helping him; Xiao Zhou Shi wouldn’t have little resentment toward him in her heart today…
He glanced at his wife; there was coldness in his wife’s eyes,
“It’s not like that, wife…”
His heart was extremely conflicted; poor wife, he truly felt bad for her…
Had he done wrong? His wife wasn’t as honest as Mom said—why was she making even more of a fuss than before…
Zhou Shi was like a worm in his gut, “I told you to beat this child. You treat her like a treasure and won’t beat her hard. Look, she’s still making a fuss!”
Beat too lightly?
But what infuriated him was that Zhenzhu actually dared to beat his wife right in front of him.
This was his own fault!
He never thought that if he didn’t protect his own wife, letting family bully, insult, anger, and beat her.
Isn’t he just slapping his own face, Li Daqiang.
When beating a dog, one must look at the owner!
They weren’t looking down on Xiao Zhou Shi; they were looking down on him.
Any truly formidable man, who dares to touch a finger of his wife or children…
Who dares to say a single bad word about his wife…
Only when a husband has the intention to protect his wife does the wife have feelings of concern for him.
At that moment, Yunliang picked up the broom that Zhou Shi had thrown on the ground and launched a fierce attack on Li Zhenzhu, striking her head and face.
Zhenzhu was unprepared and immediately had blood flowing from her neck and cheeks from the blows, screaming repeatedly…
“Mom, this little bastard dares to hit me?”
“Hit her hard and she’ll behave; this is for hitting my mom!” Yunliang said indifferently.
A flash of shock passed through Old Li Tou’s eyes… How could this be?
“This is outrageous; this little brat has rebelled too!”
Zhou Shi slapped her thigh and shouted loudly, snatched the broom from her hand, and started hitting Yunliang.
Li Daqiang blocked her: “Mom, Yunliang is still young…”
“You wretch, I’m helping you discipline your kid and you won’t have it. Wait till he grows up; I’ll beat you to death!”
“Mom, her kid hit me; should I give her a bit of color to see?”
Li Zhenzhu covered her face, tears welling up as she said.
“Damn you Li Zhenzhu, may you die a horrible death!”
Xiao Zhou Shi’s screams like a pig being slaughtered echoed across the fields again and again…
“Li Depei, is your family putting on a big opera or what?”
Just then, a voice full of vigor rang out at the yard doorway.
Everything came to a sudden halt…
“Hmph! Those who don’t know would think the Old Li Family was slaughtering a pig!”
“Uh… it’s Brother Zhengxin, heh, yo, and Uncle Zhao, Uncle Li, how come you’re all here?”
Li Depei was embarrassed and sweating…
He stood up, full of smiles, and went to greet them…
This village is called Zhao Li Village, naturally composed of two major surnames!
Apart from some women and young wives who married in, and a few households of miscellaneous surnames allowed to move into the village, the ones who matter are the Zhao households and the Li households.
The Uncle Zhao he mentioned was the most prestigious figure among the Zhao surname, full name: Zhao Guangyuan.
Uncle Li was the most respected and senior figure of the Li surname, full name: Li Fuquan.
About the same age as him, but of a higher generation! He had to address him as Uncle…
Of course, the Old Li Family’s generation was not low in the village either; Old Li Tou was only one generation below them, same generation as Li Zhengxin.
Neither side could be offended; they had extremely weighty voices in the village.
“Heh!”
Li Depei laughed awkwardly and embarrassedly…
Village Chief Li Zhengxin gave Li Zhenzhu a meaningful look.
He snorted coldly,
“Li Depei, you still have the face to laugh? Truly lived long enough to see this; shocking! You’ve made all us Li households lose face!”
“What? It can’t be that bad, right?”
Old Li Tou was unconvinced in his heart; his Old Li Family wasn’t that bad!
He had always paid attention to family discipline and protected the Old Li Family’s reputation.
It couldn’t be as they said…
These people were probably jealous of his family doing well, afraid his family would surpass theirs, so they deliberately suppressed him like this…
“Heh! You’re something; in the eldest son’s family affairs, at my age I’ve never heard of a sister-in-law calling the shots?”
“And that mother and daughter were tying someone up???”
Those two uncles looked at him sternly…
“No, there’s a reason for this…”
“Reason? What doesn’t have a reason? We heard from far away about beating people, tying them up, murder…”
“If a child is not taught, it’s the father’s fault; as parents who don’t discipline, are you conniving together instead?”
“Ah, no, Zhenzhu this girl has a child’s temper, you know what kind of personality she has!”
“Zhenzhu! Look at you talking so rudely without any manners… What if people misunderstand!”
The Village Chief’s eyes showed shock,
“Childish temper? She’s already seventeen or eighteen, while other girls her age have several children already. And she still has the nerve to have a childish temper? We uncles are all embarrassed!”
Uncle Li said,
“Hmph! We misunderstood? I’m old, but my ears aren’t deaf. What do you mean by ‘little whore’? We just saw her kicking her sister-in-law with her foot!”
Old Li Tou’s face turned red with embarrassment…
“No wonder Muqing was so scared he cried. We saw it with our own eyes, it’s no fake! Is this the family style of your Old Li Family?”
“No, it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
Several people exchanged glances,
“Hehe! So you know too, that her behavior is wrong.”
“Pei De brother, you’ve been in the village for so long, you know I never speak ill of anyone!”
“Yes, yes.”
“But do you know how serious this matter is! As Village Chief, I must say a few words today!”
“Her actions are simply losing face, vulgar, uneducated, and utterly unfilial!!!”
“Li Zhengxin, you, what did you say?”
Zhou Shi was furious! She angrily cursed him by name!
Who did he think he was? Given a bit of face and he dared to slander her daughter.
Casually giving her daughter a bad reputation. Her daughter was destined for wealth and honor; even beating a servant to death wouldn’t matter…
Unfortunately, she had the wicked intention but not the courage, and didn’t dare say it out loud…
The Village Chief glanced at the shrewish and mean Zhou Shi, “Hmph! You shrew, we’ll talk about you later!”
Zhou Shi was stunned.
“Pei De brother, you just let your wife act arrogantly, causing chaos and losing face?”
“Uh… this…
“Our Li Family branch has always valued family style. The wives we marry are obedient and reasonable, beautiful and wise. But in the village, there’s always one or two mouse droppings, domineering for decades…”
“The daughters from our Li Family branch should carry the demeanor of our Li Family branch. Whoever sees our women outside praises them?”
“Don’t let the old one act arrogantly at home, disrupting the household, and the young one, at her age still unmarried, stirring trouble at home and causing chaos among several brothers and sisters-in-law!”
“Pei De, let’s not shame the Li Shi women who have married into the surrounding villages, or lose face for the unmarried Li women, or create trouble, okay?”
“Yes, Brother Zhengxin is absolutely right!”
Li Depei’s old face turned red, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into. This was a warning to him about his wife and daughter…
“If your family still wants to stay in Zhao Li Village, remember to follow the village rules and not damage everyone’s reputation. Of course, if you plan to move away, we won’t say that!”
“No, how could we move away? Hehe, Brother Zhengxin, you’re joking!”
Li Peide said politely.
“Hmph! Good then.”
Luo Zhi’er couldn’t help but give the Village Chief a thumbs up. A few words left Old Li Tou speechless…
Zhenzhu’s heart was pounding, treating the Village Chief’s words as wind past her ears, still looking behind him…
Seeing the person she longed for wasn’t there, disappointment showed in her eyes…
Li Zhengxin saw her actions and was displeased…
Old Li Tou saw her craning her neck,
“Zhenzhu?”
“Ah?…”
“What’s the matter, Dad?”
“You! Forget it!”
She was absent-minded and confused. With nowhere for her anger to go, she thought for a moment and quickly explained,
“Hehe, it’s like this. Uncle Li, Uncle Zhao, Brother Zhengxin, you all actually misunderstood!”
“Oh?”
“You didn’t misunderstand. It’s that the oldest brother’s wife suddenly went mad today and has been acting strange all day! Who knows which immortal descended.”
“Causing trouble in the morning, cursing people in our house in the afternoon—not to mention, look how she bit my Daqiang’s ear…”
She pulled over Li Daqiang standing nearby. Everyone looked closely and was startled; that ear was indeed bloody and mangled…
“So Zhenzhu suggested tying her up to prevent her from attacking people!”
“Is that so? But Muqing didn’t say it that way…”
He looked at Yunliang, Muqing, the two children with snot dripping, wailing loudly.
Yunliang licked his snot, gasping for breath as he said, “No, Grandmother beat Mother with the broom… Aunt kicked Mother…”
Liuliu also shook her head…
“Hehe, Brother Zhengxin, Muqing this kid and Yunliang, Liuliu are all little children, what do they know?”
“His mother suddenly went mad and attacked people, at that time they only saw us suppressing her, and didn’t know what happened so they misunderstood!”
Old Man Li hurriedly explained awkwardly.
These little brats are really ungrateful, do they take the Li surname or the Zhou surname?
Li Fuquan disapprovingly glanced at Xiao Zhou Shi, “Your daughter, how could she bite her own man?”
Xiao Zhou Shi seemed extremely aggrieved, still rolling on the ground wailing…
“They beat me, Muqing’s father, I didn’t do it on purpose…”
“Wife…”
“Look at her like this, Muqing’s mother really lost her mind?”
“This little bitch is faking it!”
Zhou Shi shouted.
“You this woman don’t know how to speak, get to the side! Shut up!”
Li Depei was so angry his lungs were about to explode, and hurriedly stopped her.
Behind Li Zhengxin also followed Li Depei’s second brother Li Zheng Sen.
Li Zheng Sen felt a bit embarrassed on his face, this was the Old Li Family, he went out because his family was making a fuss and always got pointed at behind his back!
There were other people too, women and old women at the edge of the yard came to watch the excitement…
Even that Zhao Er also followed along…
Li Peide clearly showed displeasure in his eyes, they all saw Zhenzhu’s scene just now?
Regretting that he himself didn’t stop it…
Daqiang couldn’t be relied on, whether Zhou Shi or Zhenzhu, just give her a discipline…
How could it be so coincidental? If Zhenzhu gets the reputation of a shrew, what to do?
Upon seeing the little figure Muqing standing behind the Village Chief, Old Li Tou felt a trace of resentment in his heart!
Village Chief Li Zhengxin secretly sneered in his heart, what lost her mind?
He had seen so much anyway he didn’t believe it, just giving him face, too lazy to expose him.
Wanting to establish authority isn’t done like this?
“Since Daqiang’s wife lost her mind, remember to find Immortal Huang tomorrow to take a look, draw two talisman waters for her to drink! There are many people in the village, maybe she’ll bite others again!”
“Yes, yes!”
Li Depei continued,
“Hehe, the women at home have mouths without gates, long hair short knowledge, made you all laugh, next time if you have anything send a message over, I’ll definitely discipline them well.”
It’s not laughing, it’s offending, they a bunch of men just too lazy to argue with her!
“See, troubled you all to specially make this trip.”
“Quick, her mother, hurry find stools, pour tea!”
“Hey, got it!”
“Don’t come, can’t even have a sip of tea…”
Zhou Shi was suddenly busy running around in circles.
Turned her head and pursed her lips, complaining: “Drink what tea?”
Still have to go prepare boiling water…
These old undying ones, meddling, though mother-in-law was gone, still suppressed her for a lifetime.
She wasn’t willing to use good tea, later find some stale old tea to brew for them…
Several people sharp as anything,
“No need, we’ll just say a few words!”
“Hey, hey!”
Seeing Xiao Zhou Shi on the ground still planning to roll and throw a tantrum, by the way scolded: “Get up already, you don’t mind losing face, our whole family does!”
“Cough… Daqiang’s mother, your daughter-in-law isn’t possessed anymore? Can she get up by herself?”
“Uh… this moment she should be over it…”
Li Peide widened his eyes, dare to say wrong words again he wanted to skin her!
Xiao Zhou Shi cried aggrievedly… “Village Chief, Zhao Zuzu, Li Zuzu, you stand up for me ah!”
Uncle Li looked around… “Oh?”
“I ain’t crazy, I was beaten by someone, it was Zhenzhu this aunt…”
“What?”
It really was her.
“Depei, when it comes to your family matters, we folks can’t interject.”
“But, one stroke can’t write out two Li characters, we all come from one Li family, and in the same village, our ancestors are all related!”
“Your home is full of wailing and fighting every day, and now the sister-in-law is tying people up, the influence is too bad!”
“That’s right, our Zhao surname and Li surname are in the same village, if your Li family reputation is ruined, the Zhao surname is also affected, think carefully before you act.”
“Yes, yes.”
Both sides applying pressure, Li Depei was both embarrassed and angry.
Li Zhengxin said faintly,
“Hehe, Depei, don’t blame us for meddling, in this world, where is there an unmarried aunt beating the eldest sister-in-law?”
“How could there be? No such thing! Hehe!”
Zhao Li Village is very large, with a good reputation in the surrounding villages, if the reputation of abusing the young wife spreads, won’t it ruin the marriage prospects of their family’s young ones?
Who would dare marry in later?
“Everyone is a farming family, busy in the field all day and tired enough, still have to listen to your home making a racket, it’s really a headache, don’t blame Muqing, quite a few villagers have come to my home to complain…”
“There were some just now!”
“Big Brother, the Village Chief is right, I live next door to your home, sigh, your second brother’s wife complains to me every day…”
“Li Zheng Sen, you’ve gotten bold, you forgot the days you wore diaper pants, daring to team up with others to badmouth your oldest brother?”
“Sigh, that’s not what I mean.”
Li Zheng Sen was also in a tough spot, scolded by Zhao Xiaomei pointing at the back of his head every day!
The Village Chief’s gaze turned to the woman still wailing on the ground, frowning…
Why couldn’t she stop?
“What’s really going on in your home? Even if she went crazy today, what about before?”
“Uh… this…”
After hemming and hawing for a long time, he couldn’t say anything, like a mute eating bitter herbs, bitterness he couldn’t speak of.
Xiao Zhou Shi suddenly hugged his leg, “Village Chief Uncle, you stand up for me, this life really can’t go on!”
“How so?”
“Everyone in the home bullies us mother and two sons, see that my maternal family is far away, look how they beat me…”
Not a slip of the tongue, didn’t include Liuliu, in her heart she didn’t count…
Her face could now be seen clearly, “Hiss… how could it be like this?”
Clearly beaten with a switch, they said broom, it must be that…
Yunliang ran over and hugged his mother, Muqing went too, the three cried together…
“Oh heavens! Open your eyes, I get beaten by their whole family several times a day, if you don’t believe, my two sons can vouch!”
Liuliu also said, “Village Chief Uncle, two great-grandfathers, Liuliu can also testify!”
Liuliu had no say in this home, for her to stand up and testify now was not easy…
“This……”
