Chapter 115: Talk Of Marriage [seeking Monthly Votes]
“She’s pretending to be crazy,” Shi Tou said. “She kept looking back while running toward the Village Entrance. I followed from afar and wasn’t discovered by her. Judging by the direction she went, she should be entering the City.”
“Entering the City.” Shang Wan repeated these two words thoughtfully, guessing, “Her adulterer wouldn’t happen to be in the City, would he?”
“It shouldn’t be possible that he’s someone from the City.” Xiao Huan said, “I just quietly asked Aunt Yao. There are quite a few marks on her body. It seems like it was just yesterday that she…”
Her words paused, but everyone understood the unspoken meaning.
She had just had an affair yesterday, but Gui Shi didn’t leave the Village yesterday, nor did any outsiders enter the Village. The adulterer could only be someone from the Village.
Shang Wan tsked lightly. “A man without guts.” He dared to do it but not own up to it. Gui Shi must be blind too.
Whether Gui Shi was committing adultery or not had nothing to do with their own family. Their own family had a pile of matters to deal with and no time to worry about idle gossip.
However, even if they didn’t care, there were plenty of people in the Village who did.
Each family closed their doors, and the wives interrogated their own men behind their in-laws’ backs to see if their own men were that adulterer.
The afternoon was lively, with sounds of shattering basins and smashing bowls and spouses cursing each other coming from homes now and then. The gossipers couldn’t run fast enough to keep up.
The old woman and the girl in pink clothes entered the Village at this time and wondered why there was so much arguing in the Village.
The two walked along inquiring as they went and finally found the Lin Family.
They knocked on the Lin Family door, and Chen Guifang came to open it. Seeing the old woman’s face clearly, she was truly stunned for a moment.
What was this old hag doing coming to their home for no reason?
Seeing Chen Guifang blocking the door, neither calling for anyone nor letting them in, the old woman’s face darkened.
“You can’t even call for someone? Gone mute? Where’s Xiao Lan? I came a long way, and she doesn’t even come out to greet me.”
Chen Guifang grumbled inwardly that no one had invited her, but she couldn’t say that on her face. She forced a smile, called for someone, and ushered them inside.
Village Chief Lin was smoking a pipe in the courtyard. The moment he saw the old woman, his face fell.
The old woman completely changed from her previously long-faced donkey expression and warmly grabbed the girl in pink clothes’ hand as she went up. “Yuzhi, this is your uncle. Hurry and greet him.”
Liu Yuzhi called softly: “Hello, Uncle.”
Facing the younger generation, Village Chief Lin’s expression softened a bit and he nodded. “It’s been years since we last met, and you’ve grown so big.”
“Exactly. Xiao Lan sent word through someone saying she wanted to arrange a good marriage proposal for Yuzhi. I heard the man is even a Xiucai Scholar.”
The old woman Wei Shi smiled until the wrinkles on her face came out. “We’ve been waiting all this time for you to come pick us up, but no one came. I was worried it would delay Yuzhi’s good fortune, so I brought the child over myself. It’s also convenient to let her meet her future son-in-law.”
Village Chief Lin’s barely eased expression instantly became even uglier than before. How could he not know about this matter?
“Mother, Yuzhi.” Liu Shi heard the news and came out of the room joyfully to greet them, with Zhou Shi following behind her.
“Aunt.” Yuzhi was clearly more familiar with Liu Shi and greeted her on her own initiative.
Wei Shi’s face pulled down, and she snorted. “We waited left and right at home with no one coming to pick us up, so we had to thicken our faces and come to the door to be disliked.”
“Mother, you’re speaking too harshly.” Liu Shi explained, “It’s just that something happened at home, so we momentarily forgot.”
Wei Shi raised her eyebrows and asked: “What matter could be more important than picking up your old mother?”
Liu Shi’s face took on a worried look. “Mother, the second son is injured and still hasn’t woken up even now.”
Wei Shi was startled and forgot about lecturing her daughter for the moment. She asked questions while having Liu Shi lead her to see.
The mother and daughter were arm in arm about to go when Village Chief Lin darkly told them to stay and had Zhou Shi lead the two to look.
Wei Shi was somewhat afraid of this son-in-law and immediately didn’t dare say more. She pulled Liu Yuzhi along with Zhou Shi into the room.
In the courtyard, Village Chief Lin glared at Liu Shi. “How did I not know you wanted to arrange a marriage proposal for Yuzhi? And with a Xiucai Scholar at that. There’s only one Xiucai Scholar in our Village! Liu Shi, what are you scheming?”
“Boss, I just haven’t had time to discuss it with you yet.” Liu Shi said, “I was thinking, since our family can’t compete with that Lu fellow, why not turn him into family? Then in the future, for any good things, wouldn’t he side with our family?”
“Do you think that Shang woman is a pushover?” Village Chief Lin wanted to point at Liu Shi’s nose and curse.
Liu Shi didn’t care at all. “Yuzhi has good looks and a gentle, considerate personality. What man wouldn’t like that? If a man wants to divorce his wife, can that Shang woman stop it?”
Village Chief Lin was furious. “No matter how good Yuzhi looks, does she look better than that Shang woman? Have you lost your brain, and your eyes gone blind too?”
“That Shang woman is all seductive and demonic, clearly not the type for daily life. How can she compare to Yuzhi?” In Liu Shi’s eyes, Liu Yuzhi was a hundred or thousand times better than Shang Wan.
Village Chief Lin was so angry his chest hurt and didn’t want to speak.
Liu Shi said: “Boss, trust me this once. Just let Yuzhi walk in front of Lu Xiucai Scholar once, and I guarantee his eyes will stick to her and won’t come off. Once the two make it happen, drive away that Shang woman, and our family can still strut around the Village in the future.”
Village Chief Lin’s anger stalled, inspired by Liu Shi’s words, and he suddenly thought of an idea.
His tone softened a bit. “Clean up a room for Mother and Yuzhi to stay in. We’ll talk about the other matters later.”
Liu Shi quickly agreed and happily went to prepare the room.
Chen Guifang watched coldly, thinking that her father-in-law, who had always been at odds with her own parents’ family, had actually kept them here. She didn’t know what idea he was hatching.
The story splits two ways.
Xiao Huan went to the Zhang Family to borrow a kitchen knife and happened to run into Rong Niangzi.
Rong Niangzi was carrying a small bamboo basket with three packages of herbs inside, about to go to the Lu Family to deliver medicine.
“Good older sister, I’ll take it home myself. Save you the trip.”
“Why be polite with me?” Rong Niangzi took Xiao Huan’s arm and patted it lightly with her hand. “It’s not just for delivering medicine. I also want to chat with Younger Brother’s Wife.”
Hearing this, Xiao Huan no longer insisted, and the two returned home hand in hand.
“Sister.” Xiao Huan walked into the shed, “Rong Niangzi is here.”
Shang Wan was munching on bok choy. Hearing this, she put down the bok choy and walked out.
“Younger brother’s wife.” Rong Niangzi called out warmly, handing over the medicinal herbs from the bamboo basket, “This is new medicine that Brother Yuan prepared. Have Brother Lu drink this tonight; it’ll be effective.”
After thanking her, Shang Wan took it and sat down with Rong Niangzi to chat idly.
“It’s getting late, so I’ll head back first, sister-in-law.” Not sitting for long, Rong Niangzi stood up to say goodbye.
Watching Rong Niangzi leave, Xiao Huan poked her head over, puzzled. “Sister, did Rong Niangzi come all this way just to chat with you?”
“Of course not.” Shang Wan shook her head and asked, “Do you know that a knife wound is different from a wound torn by a wild beast?”
Xiao Huan nodded halfway, then suddenly understood.
Yuan Musheng was a doctor. Since he needed to stitch up Gao Qi’s wound, he could naturally see the clues.
Shang Wan said, “Sister-in-law came all this way on purpose to reassure us. Even if Brother Yuan notices something, he won’t say anything.”
Xiao Huan opened her mouth. “Sister, did you already know that Doctor Yuan wouldn’t tell anyone about the unusual wound?”
“Probably.” Shang Wan smiled. “Now things can truly be considered over.”
“But what if they say something later?”
It’s said that people’s hearts are fickle. Though Xiao Huan didn’t want to think too badly of people, one must always guard against them.
