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墨書 Inktalez
Ruyi hanged herself after being rejected by the village chief of Shangqiao Village. The men from the Xie Family took shovels and hoes and went to Shangqiao Village to settle the score. The women of the Xie Family stayed at home, anxiously waiting for the men to return, fearing that there might be a fight and that their men would get hurt.
Xiao Lihua was scolded by the Wang Clan and didn't want to stay there to be berated any longer, so she turned and left.
When Xiao Lihua returned home, she couldn't sit still. Her mind was filled with memories of the men fighting she had witnessed before. Having grown up in a rural area, she had seen villagers engage in brawls, where they fought without restraint. She worried that Xie Youshun might get hurt. While she sympathized with Ruyi, she also believed that taking weapons to Gao Family wouldn't solve anything. However, this was not something she could decide; she could only wait for Xie Youshun to come back.
Yumiang, Zhang Lianxiang, and Yang Cao also heard the news and rushed over, comforting Xiao Lihua while cursing the Gao Family.
Yang Cao said, "When I came here just now, many people from our village were leaving. They were those girls returning to their families, saying that if Shangqiao Village drove their girls back, then our village should send back all the women married over from their village. You should have seen it; Zhang Shuitao's face turned green when those people glared at her."
Zhang Lianxiang replied, "I might feel sorry for others being sent back, but for someone like Zhang Shuitao, I'd applaud it. She pretends to be virtuous all day long, thinking no one knows her true nature! She really believes she'll become the village chief's wife. Sister-in-law, tell Big Brother to work harder; we can't let that position slip away."
Yang Cao sighed bitterly: "You don't know about Xiao Yue's father? He cares too much about his father's opinion. My father-in-law thinks my younger brother is more suitable, so he gives way. It's also my fault for not having a son all these years; if I had a son, he could have some ambition, and my father-in-law would think more highly of him."
Yumiang said, "Xiao Yue is great. I wish I had a daughter like her. Besides, you can still have more children; I'm sure you'll have a son eventually."
Seeing them talk about unhappy topics, Xiao Lihua changed the subject to discuss families with connections between Shangqiao Village and Xiaqiao Village.
Xie Youshun returned unharmed. He sat down and drank a large bowl of water that Xiao Lihua handed him before washing his face and hands. After cleaning up, he sat down again. Shitou and Mudu asked if he had gone to fight and whether he won or not. Xie Youshun patted their heads and said there was no fight before telling them to go play elsewhere. Noticing Xiao Lihua looking at him, he began recounting what happened.
The Xie Family went to Shangqiao Village but didn't even enter the village. The people from Shangqiao Village were afraid that people from Xiaqiao Village would cause trouble, so they stationed guards at the entrance. Anyone who came from Xiaqiao Village without seeming like they wanted to fight was allowed through; however, those who appeared ready for a brawl were stopped. Armed with their tools and full of momentum, they never even entered the village.
They argued with the village chief of Shangqiao Village about Ruyi being driven to hang herself, stating that if someone died because of this matter, it wouldn't end well for them. The village chief of Shangqiao Village didn't care at all and said it was their own fault for backing out of the engagement; everyone would say they were right to do so. He also warned them that if they dared to act violently, no one would dare marry a girl from the Xie Family in the future.
In the end, the men from the Xie Family didn't dare take action because aside from Ruyi, there were other girls in their family and more would come in the future. If this situation affected them negatively, it would be troublesome. Moreover, there were quite a few people standing behind the village chief of Shangqiao Village; if a fight broke out, it wouldn't end well for them.
"Does that mean Ruyi has to suffer this loss?"
Xiao Lihua actually thought that marrying into the Gao Family wasn't a good match at all. Given how things stood now, if she married in there wouldn’t they just send her back? However, she heard that once a girl was rejected like this, it would be difficult for her to find a good match later on; being backed out on meant a loss for the woman involved.
Xie Youshun said, "If we have to suffer losses, then so be it. It's better that such a person doesn't get married; perhaps someone else will make her happier."
"There's nothing else we can do."
The Gao Family came to break off the engagement, and many people from the Xie Family went to Shangqiao Village. Then, someone learned about Ruyi's hanging incident, which caused quite a stir. Ruyi felt even more embarrassed and stayed at home lying on the bed, while the Wang Clan was worried and cried every day. Several sisters-in-law in the family also tried to persuade her, but it was of no use. Later, the village chief's daughter, Golden Phoenix, returned to her mother's house and came to see Ruyi after hearing about her situation. Whatever she said seemed to have an effect, as Ruyi began to eat and was willing to sit up and talk again, which made the Xie Family very happy. They were extremely warm towards Golden Phoenix.
Xiao Lihua also saw Golden Phoenix, who was a plump and dignified girl. However, her eyes slightly tilted upward at the corners, and her mouth also curved upward. Just looking at someone made her eyes appear captivating; even when she wasn't smiling, she looked like she was smiling. She indeed had a charming appearance that both men and women would find appealing.
Golden Phoenix smiled and nodded at Xiao Lihua but didn't say much.
Zhang Shuitao, however, linked arms with Golden Phoenix and raised her chin towards Xiao Lihua while saying to Golden Phoenix, "Let's hurry up and leave; we shouldn't face this kind of person directly. Last time she was lucky not to fall to her death; if she falls again and something happens, it would bring us bad luck."
Golden Phoenix tugged at Zhang Shuitao and said, "Second Sister, don't say that; we're all from the same village."
"There are good people and bad people in every village. We shouldn't pay attention to those who are bad; if we do, it would lower our status. Golden Phoenix, let's go."
"Then let's go."
Golden Hand and Zhang Shuitao left. After passing by, everyone who saw them greeted them with envy in their eyes.
Xiao Lihua thought to herself that it was no wonder the original owner was so jealous of Golden Phoenix; she was beautiful and married well. Walking through this village, one couldn't tell she was a country girl at all—her clothes were all made of silk, her face adorned with rouge and powder, and she wore a Golden Hairpin in her hair. Even the handkerchief she held with vibrant floral embroidery drew everyone's attention in the village. The original owner had once dreamed of a good life but never achieved it; Golden Phoenix had succeeded in living well. It was normal to feel jealousy; however, she didn't feel jealous—she believed she could also live a good life through her own efforts.
Zhang Lianxiang said to Xiao Lihua, "Li Hua, don't envy Golden Phoenix anymore. Look how well she's dressed; actually, who knows what kind of life she leads privately? Let me tell you something—don't share it with others."
Zhang Lianxiang whispered a few words into Xiao Lihua's ear.
Xiao Lihua looked at her and said, "Really?"
"Of course it's true. I saw it with my own eyes. So while she seems to be living well, whether she is truly happy or not is another matter. Honestly, we are better off; at least the men in our family aren't fooling around."
Zhang Lianxiang had just told Xiao Lihua that she saw a man from Golden Phoenix come out of a courtyard, hugging and cuddling with a woman inside. She had hidden and watched closely.
Xiao Lihua thought that no matter when, there would always be men cheating. She experienced it in her past life and couldn't go through it again in this life. After returning home, she needed to find an opportunity to tell Xie Youshun about the consequences of seeking women outside, so he wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
"By the way, sister-in-law, how did Golden Phoenix get back after that bridge collapsed?"
"They took a detour. There’s a bridge about seven or eight miles away from Shangqiao Village. If they go from there, it’s just like how we have to take a longer route to cross this bridge in our village now. But they can still make it. Otherwise, they wouldn't be in such a hurry to repair the bridge; they know that if it remains unrepaired, we will have more trouble than them."
Zhang Lianxiang said angrily to Xiao Lihua that their village could only use that road by passing through Shangqiao Village. If there were conflicts between the two villages, it would be nearly impossible for them to pass through. If they didn't take that road, they would have to head east on a difficult path, walking thirty or forty miles just to find another bridge. That road was lined with mountains where wild beasts sometimes came down, making it unsafe. People usually traveled in groups for courage. Moreover, the bridge was originally built by people from several villages over there; they could occasionally use it, but if they used it too often, they would surely face disdain.
"Wouldn't the people from other villages be unhappy if Shangqiao Village used their bridge?"
"You don’t know yet, do you? The son of the Gao Family is about to get engaged again, and the girl is the daughter of the village chief from the village that built the bridge. Because of this, even if our villagers can get through Shangqiao Village, it would still be troublesome to cross that bridge."
Zhang Lianxiang said this while Xiao Lihua listened; both fell silent.
Xiao Lihua thought that Xiaqiao Village's geographical location was actually quite good, nestled between mountains and rivers. However, there were many wild beasts in those mountains, and the river blocked their main road to the town and county seat, effectively trapping Xiaqiao Village on this side of the river.
The people from Shangqiao Village were clearly taking advantage of them!
Xiao Lihua felt some anger rising within her; everyone was struggling because of labor duties, but that didn’t mean they could bully others. Shangqiao Village was indeed taking advantage of Xiaqiao Village by refusing to repair the bridge!
Xiao Lihua thought that in order to start a business and make money in the future, it was essential to go to the town, so a bridge was necessary.
When she returned home, Xiao Lihua sat down while putting on her shoes and fell into deep thought.
“Mother, do we really have to go through the foot of the mountain to get to the town? I heard there are wolves,” Shitou climbed next to Xiao Lihua and asked, afraid of the wolves.
Mutou also came over, blinking his eyes and asking, “Mother, I'm scared.”
Xiao Lihua patted their heads, realizing that this matter was affecting the children; the people in Village must be anxious as well. Everyone was short on money and relied on going to the town to earn some.
A few days later, the weather got hotter, and the atmosphere in Village remained tense. Many people's tempers flared up. Some had made a lot of things to sell in the town and went through the foot of the mountain. Perhaps Xiaqiao Village was having bad luck; they encountered wolves for the first time. One person was bitten, and they fled back with their belongings scattered everywhere. This time, all the resentment among everyone erupted. Some went to the homes of women from Shangqiao Village who had married into Village, demanding that those women return to their families. Others went to Simpleton's house, saying he shouldn’t have let the bridge collapse.
The people of Village began to act irrationally; Simpleton and those families with wives from Shangqiao Village were all frightened and kept their doors tightly shut, not daring to go out.
Listening to Xie Youshun talk about what happened in Village, Xiao Lihua finally spoke out about what she had been thinking for several days.
“What did you say? You want to build a bridge?”
Xie Youshun was stunned by his wife's words. A bridge would cost several hundred taels; he never expected her to want to repair one. Knowing she had changed her temperament and was now kind and gentle, he didn’t think she would have such a benevolent intention. Most importantly, where would they get the money? Xiao Lihua pointed toward the kitchen.
The author has something to say: There is an issue with the internet at home; I am currently at someone else's house and time is tight. Thank you for your support; I will express my gratitude tomorrow.
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