Chapter 6: Stirring Trouble
Su Yaoguang carried the back basket on her back as she walked back.
She was the first to arrive at the ox cart.
Uncle Wang saw her carrying a back basket full of things and came over to take it.
“Ah…” Uncle Wang laboriously lifted it onto the ox cart and said in surprise, “Yaoguang girl, you have great strength. You can even carry something this heavy.”
Su Yaoguang then noticed that her strength seemed to have increased.
She was certain that she in her previous life did not have such great strength. Carrying twenty or thirty jin was no problem, but this back basket today weighed sixty jin. If not for Uncle Wang’s reminder, she wouldn’t have noticed that she carried it effortlessly.
“Working all day has trained my strength,” Su Yaoguang said.
“You orphan and widow really have it tough,” Uncle Wang sighed lightly. “Your grandma and Second Uncle and Third Uncle are truly heartless. They don’t even help you out.”
Su Yaoguang pursed her lips.
Help them?
She and her mother dared not hope for help from those people. As long as they didn’t scheme against them, that was good enough.
The villagers returned one after another. When they saw the things in Su Yaoguang’s back basket, they smiled and said sarcastic words.
Su Yaoguang pretended not to hear and closed her eyes to feign sleep.
“What did you buy?” A villager reached out to lift the broken cloth on top.
Su Yaoguang quickly pressed it down and said with a smile, “My family is about to have nothing to eat. Besides sorghum flour and cornmeal, what else could it be?”
“Then what’s there that can’t be seen?” The villager was unhappy.
“Auntie is right. We’re all fellow villagers, there’s nothing that can’t be seen. In a bit, I’ll go with Auntie to your house to take a look.”
“You girl, your mouth is really sharp.”
“Yihuan’s mother and Yihuan are back.” Everyone looked at the mother and daughter also carrying back baskets.
When the mother and daughter got on, everyone smiled and asked what they bought.
Zhong Lanhua smiled and said, “What else could it be? With one more mouth at home, we had to buy more grain. The boss said my and Yihuan’s embroidery skills are good, took it all, and told us to embroider more next time. This girl of mine has been spoiled by me. Sorghum flour scratches the throat, cornmeal doesn’t taste good, she only loves rice and flour. This time I bought more, and some meat to nourish her. Look at her little frame, she can’t have poor food.”
“Your family still lives the good life! You have skills, Yihuan learned skills from you, you two can earn big money. Not only do you live well, you even raised a scholar.”
“Now you’re even using a long-term hired hand.” Someone nearby chimed in. “In a few more years, your family can buy a big house and keep a bunch of servants and old woman servants.”
“How is it as good as you say?” Zhong Lanhua covered her mouth and laughed. “We can barely get by. Compared to all you sisters-in-law and aunties, we’re far behind.”
“Both are a woman raising a child, but the lives are completely different.” Someone nearby spoke sarcastically.
“Exactly. Yihuan’s mother is raising two children, even tougher. The boy has such good prospects at the academy. You’ll definitely enjoy blessings later.”
“Borrowing your auspicious words,” Zhong Lanhua said with a beaming smile. “As a mother, I have no other extravagant hopes, just that my two children live well.”
Jiang Yihuan said softly, “Yaoguang older sister, what did you buy? It looks like quite a lot.”
Su Yaoguang said flatly, “My mother has only me as a daughter. Don’t randomly claim kinship.”
“Why are you like a hedgehog?” Zhong Lanhua was displeased. “My daughter calling you older sister shows respect for you.”
“If you respect me so much, then give me a piece of the meat you bought?” Su Yaoguang smiled faintly. “The ox cart is full of her elders. She must respect them all, right? You bought so much rice and flour, share some with everyone?”
Pairs of eyes looked toward Zhong Lanhua and her daughter.
Zhong Lanhua and her daughter: “…”
“Who can’t say nice words?” Su Yaoguang said flatly. “Not family, don’t randomly claim kinship.”
“Forget it, Mom. Yaoguang older sister just doesn’t like me,” Jiang Yihuan said aggrievedly.
“Alright, we’ll just ignore her,” Zhong Lanhua said coldly.
Su Yaoguang and her mother originally did not get along with Jiang Yihuan and her mother. Everyone in the village knew. Su Yaoguang not giving a good face to Zhong Lanhua and her daughter was perfectly normal. It was just that in the past, Su Yaoguang would still put on a front, and her courage wasn’t that great. When facing Jiang Yihuan and her mother alone, she always came out at a loss. Today this girl seemed like a different person, not only with excellent combat ability, but also that arrogant air of not putting anyone in her eyes, inexplicably giving a sense of oppression.
The people on the ox cart chatted and laughed.
Su Yaoguang stayed quietly by herself.
Half a shichen later, the ox cart arrived in the village. Uncle Wang dropped off the others first, then finally Su Yaoguang.
“Uncle Wang, thank you.” Su Yaoguang handed him the copper coins.
Uncle Wang took them and said, “Yaoguang girl, you and your mother live well. Don’t listen to what those gossiping people in the village say.”
“I know.” Su Yaoguang was about to shoulder the back basket when a miserable scream came from the courtyard. She froze for a moment, set down the back basket, and ran into the courtyard.
Uncle Wang shouldered Su Yaoguang’s back basket and chased after.
“What happened?”
Su Yaoguang pushed open the door and saw Second Uncle Su staggering out from the wood shed. An iron piece was stabbed into his shoulder, and blood was still flowing out.
“Murder, murder…” Second Uncle Su shouted in fear. “Su Yaoguang, the man you bought is trying to kill. This matter isn’t over between us.”
Su Yaoguang ran past Second Uncle Su’s side and into the wood shed, looking toward the wooden plank bed.
Zhou Wangshu was sitting on the bed. Blood had seeped through the originally bandaged cloth strip, clearly the wound had split open.
He looked sharply toward the doorway. When he saw Su Yaoguang’s figure, the killing intent in his eyes subsided.
“What did he do to you?” Su Yaoguang asked.
Zhou Wangshu lowered his gaze, a bitter expression appearing on his pale face. “He said I was in his way. Seeing I still had some looks, he said he could sell me for a good price, and wanted to sell me to a male brothel.”
“Rest here a bit. I’ll be back soon to bandage you.” Su Yaoguang finished speaking and turned to go out.
Uncle Wang had brought her back basket in.
He was talking with Second Uncle Su.
Second Uncle Su was shouting loudly, “I’m her second uncle. Hearing she bought a man, of course I had to check for her. I deliberately said some harsh words to stimulate him, to see his reaction. Sure enough, this person dares to kill, definitely not a good thing. Blood, so much blood, I can’t hold on. Quickly take me to find the doctor.”
Su Yaoguang blocked Second Uncle Su’s figure. “You can leave if you want, but explain first why you wanted to sell my husband to a male brothel?”
“A man of unknown origin, you call him your husband, do you have any shame?” Second Uncle Su glared at her. “Your father isn’t here, as your second uncle I must discipline you.”
