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墨書 Inktalez
"Mother, Mother, it's Big Tiger's mother arguing with someone again. Let's not go over there."
Shitou heard Sister Zhu's voice and tugged at Xiao Lihua's sleeve. His small face, which had been smiling just moments ago, now scrunched up in displeasure; he didn't like Big Tiger Lady.
Mutou blinked his big watery eyes and said, "Mother, let's not go. Big Tiger's mother is too loud."
Xiao Lihua couldn't help but laugh. She thought Sister Zhu really had poor social skills; even these little kids found her too noisy. However, she also knew that the two children were somewhat afraid of Sister Zhu. After all, they had been bullied by Big Tiger before and had often been frightened by Sister Zhu. Even though they were now starting to stand up for themselves, the shadows of the past weren't so easily forgotten. In the children's minds, Sister Zhu was someone to avoid.
Thinking of this made Xiao Lihua feel a bit heartbroken, but she didn't want to lead them away. A boy shouldn't be too timid; it wasn't right for them to fight or argue like someone as unruly as Sister Zhu. However, they couldn't just turn and run in fear either; she needed to build their confidence.
"Let's go see who Big Tiger Lady is arguing with. If she's bullying someone again, even if we don't join in the argument, we can at least help uphold justice. With Parents around, you don't need to be afraid." Xiao Lihua bent down and kissed each child on the forehead. "Now I've given you some courage, but it's just the courage to watch from the side, not to fight. It's fine for little ones to just observe adult matters."
Shitou and Mutou covered their heads and grinned widely, hand in hand as they ran ahead.
Xie Youshun smiled and said, "These two kids need more teaching. You can teach them to write while I teach them to fight and shoot arrows. In the future, they'll be well-rounded; even if they don't pass the exams to become scholars or officials, they'll still be better than others."
Xiao Lihua linked her arm with his and said, "Alright, let's see who teaches better and whether we can raise a scholar or a warrior."
"Of course it will be a scholar. My wife is so smart; you'll definitely teach them well. I only know a few fighting techniques and my archery is average."
Xie Youshun patted Xiao Lihua's hand on his arm, looking at her bright smile with satisfaction. The shouting from ahead was getting louder, but he felt no annoyance; instead, he felt fortunate. He thought that compared to Sister Zhu, his wife was far better off now—while Sister Zhu remained fierce and intimidating, his wife had transformed into a virtuous woman who smiled radiantly at him. Heaven had truly been good to him.
The couple soon reached the back of the crowd. When those standing behind saw Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua, they quickly greeted them. Noticing that Xiao Lihua's hand was still linked with Xie Youshun's, a hint of envy flashed in their eyes as they thought about how this couple not only lived well but also seemed increasingly sweet together.
Feeling somewhat shy under their gaze yet also proud, Xie Youshun didn't let go of his wife's hand. Neither did Xiao Lihua. After all, she came from modern times where such displays were normal; this dynasty wasn't too strict about such things either.
Xie Youshun asked what had happened, and the person briefly explained the situation to them. The couple quickly understood that it was a simple matter: a pig from the Simpleton family had escaped and trampled over Sister Zhu's rice field, ruining a large patch of seedlings.
Because Xiao Lihua had given the recipe for making Cured Meat to Hua Heng last winter, which sold exceptionally well and made them a fortune, Hua Heng was very pleased. He had followed Xie Youshun's and Xiao Lihua's suggestion and planned to raise pigs on a large scale this year. Now, Xiaqiao Village had become a specialized pig-raising village. The villagers knew that someone would come specifically to buy pigs; they could raise as many as they wanted since there would be buyers for all of them. This year, more people were cutting pig grass than ever before.
When the people of Xiaqiao Village think about how much money they might make selling pigs in winter, which could be more than what they earn from farming, they take great care of the pigs, almost to the point of feeding them non-stop every day, hoping they will grow fatter for a better sale.
Last year was not very good for Simpleton's family, so this year they decided to raise more pigs to improve their situation. However, they ended up with too many pigs and couldn't manage them properly. As a result, the pigs ran out and trampled Sister Zhu's Paddy Field. Since several pigs escaped—about five or six—the area they damaged was quite significant; one acre of Paddy Field was nearly trampled by those five or six pigs.
Sister Zhu was furious when she saw her Paddy Field trampled and immediately pointed at Simpleton, scolding him and demanding compensation.
"If your family can't handle raising pigs, then don't raise them! If you can't even keep track of your pigs, what else can you do? Look at what they've done to my field! Don't expect to harvest anything this year! I want you to pay for this! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and catch those pigs! They're going to trample another field!"
By the end of her rant, Sister Zhu screamed as if she had been trampled herself. It turned out that the few pigs running around in one Paddy Field had perhaps gotten bored and moved on to another Paddy Field, which unfortunately also belonged to her.
The pigs were quite fast, and although there were people chasing them, they all stood on the ridges and did not enter the Paddy Field.
Xiao Lihua asked, "Why aren't those people going after the pigs? Just standing there yelling and waving their hands is useless. Will that make the pigs come back? They'll just trample more fields!"
The person who spoke earlier quickly replied, "Sister-in-law, how could someone as smart as you not realize? That's Zhu Family's land. Sister Zhu is stingy and loves to take advantage; if someone goes into her field to catch the pigs, it would be considered helping her. At that point, she might even accuse them of damaging her seedlings."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lihua understood that if it were someone else, it wouldn't be like this; she completely believed that Sister Zhu would act this way. However, she also felt anxious for Simpleton. If he couldn't catch the pigs soon, how much would he have to pay for all the damage?
Xiao Lihua turned to Sister Zhu and said, "Sister Zhu, stop yelling at Simpleton. Look at how you're blocking him from calling his pigs back; they're just running further away. This is all your fault! If you weren't blocking him, it wouldn't have gotten so bad."
When everyone heard Xiao Lihua say this, they immediately agreed with her. They felt sorry for Simpleton and thought Sister Zhu was being unreasonable. Moreover, since it was Xiao Lihua speaking—who had gained a lot of respect in the village—they were inclined to support her. She was no longer the woman who had been mocked a year ago but rather a kind-hearted and wise person.
Simpleton looked at Xiao Lihua gratefully. He was feeling flustered and overwhelmed; having someone speak up for him made him want to kneel down in gratitude. Seeing that it was Xiao Lihua who spoke made his eyes well up with tears. She had helped him before; if it weren't for her fixing the bridge, he might have been driven to despair by now.
"Thank you so much, Sister-in-law. I'm really sorry that my pigs have trampled your Paddy Field too."
"It's nothing, Simpleton."
Xiao Lihua smiled at Simpleton, who was a simple and kind person. Looking at him reminded her of her grandfather from her previous life.
The villagers immediately wanted to see how accommodating someone could be, not even getting upset about the fields being trampled. The Zhu Family really couldn't compare; one was in the heavens while the other was on the ground!
Sister Zhu was already angry listening to Xiao Lihua, and when she heard everyone praising Xiao Lihua while belittling herself, she became furious.
“Xiao Lihua, don’t just stand there and talk! Your family is making a lot of money now, so of course you look down on the harvest here. My family still relies on this Paddy Field for food! If you’re so kind-hearted, then help Simpleton compensate me!”
“I’ll pay! I’ll pay!” Simpleton immediately said upon hearing this; he couldn’t let the Zhu Family say such things.
“Zhu Family, don’t bite anyone you see. If you have the ability, go catch the pigs first!”
“Li Hua, you all are here too?”
Yang Cao happened to be there as well. Seeing Xiao Lihua and Xie Youshun, he walked over to them with a slight frown, his eyes still on the group of pigs happily running around in the field.
Xiao Lihua’s and Sister Zhu’s fields were adjacent, and since they were on the outside, the pigs had to pass through their Paddy Field before reaching Sister Zhu’s land. However, Xiao Lihua looked at the trampled seedlings without frowning; instead, she chuckled.
Yang Cao said, “Li Hua, what are you laughing about? Your field has been trampled.”
Xiao Lihua pointed at the Paddy Field and said, “I’m laughing because I don’t know if it’s my good luck or my good character that those pigs just passed through my place without stopping. Sister Zhu’s field is nice; those pigs seem to love it.”
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh a little; indeed, those pigs were having a great time in Sister Zhu’s field and didn’t even want to go to anyone else’s land.
Sister Zhu was so angry her face turned red, cursing under her breath—whether at the pigs or at Xiao Lihua was unclear.
In the end, those pigs were caught again, but the seedlings in Sister Zhu’s field had already been trampled all over; some seedlings were completely ruined, and others might not survive even if propped up.
Sister Zhu shouted for Simpleton to pay her money. Her family owned four acres of Paddy Field, and she boldly demanded that Simpleton compensate her for the harvest of two acres. This was truly an outrageous request. Everyone thought she was being too greedy. But Sister Zhu insisted on such a high amount; otherwise, she would take the matter to the authorities.
Since ancient times, common people have disliked going to the Government. They preferred to resolve issues on their own, believing that going there would not lead to good outcomes. Moreover, what might be settled privately for one or two silver coins could end up costing ten silver coins in that place.
Simpleton looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant. His family still had debts, and now he would have to borrow money again. At this moment, Simpleton's sons and daughters-in-law had all come from other places and were furious upon hearing Sister Zhu's demands.
Eventually, Zhu Da and the village chief arrived, and both families asked the village chief to mediate.
Li Gao also thought Sister Zhu's demands were excessive, but Sister Zhu refused to back down this time. She believed she was in the right, and Zhu Da remained silent. Seeing the land trampled like that made him unhappy as well.
Yang Cao sighed and said, "This time Simpleton's family has really gotten into trouble; anyone who gets involved with the Zhu Family is bound to have bad luck."
Xie Youshun frowned as well.
Shitou tightly held Xiao Lihua's hand and said, "Mother, Grandpa Simpleton is so pitiful. Can you help him? You're the smartest; you must have a way."
Mutou nodded his little head repeatedly. He played closely with Grandpa Simpleton's grandchildren and was very fond of Simpleton.
Xiao Lihua looked at Simpleton's distressed expression, her brows slightly furrowing. Seeing Sister Zhu's aggressive attitude, she thought to herself how annoying this woman was. Last year, she had found a way to make Simpleton's family suffer losses with their pigs; now she wanted to recoup her losses at their expense again? She really didn't want to let her have her way. Looking at the expanse of Paddy Field, Xiao Lihua pondered for a moment and took a few steps forward.
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