“But you can’t just beat someone like that!” Huang Meng muttered, lacking conviction.
“Alright, alright, it’s not a big deal. Since Dazhuang and Erzhuang were the ones bullying others first, there’s nothing more to say. Huang Meng, it’s not that I want to lecture you, but you need to teach your children well. Don’t wait until they’re older and you can’t control them to regret it! As for Mrs. Zhou... her face just looks a bit swollen, it’ll be fine with a compress.” Even as he said this, the village chief felt he was being insincere, but he still had to put on an air of impartiality. Not waiting for Huang Meng to reply, he waved his hand, shook his head, and turned to leave.
Huang Meng was filled with resentment, but he was outnumbered and didn’t dare to confront Wen Youshan directly, so he could only swallow his anger. In any case, there would be plenty of opportunities for revenge later.
Back at their home, Sun Laifu and the younger Mrs. Li immediately reported the sequence of events to Mrs. Li. Mrs. Li listened, stunned. “Youshan’s wife is that formidable?”
“You bet! Mother, I was shocked today. The look Deng-shi gave Mrs. Zhou was clearly one that wanted her dead. And you wouldn’t believe it—that thin, frail frame of hers actually beat Mrs. Zhou until she had no way to fight back. You didn’t see it; Mrs. Zhou was beaten into a pig’s head! Tsk, tsk, tsk, there are plenty of women in the village who fight, but I’ve never seen anyone as ruthless as Deng-shi.” The younger Mrs. Li clutched her chest, feeling both excited and fearful, with a dash of gossip.
Mrs. Li’s brows furrowed deeply, filled with worry. “Huang Meng and Mrs. Zhou are not good people. If they can’t get the upper hand openly, they certainly won’t let it go. Laifu, go to Youshan’s place in a while and talk to him properly about this.”
The younger Mrs. Li nodded in agreement.
Chen Ningya, who had just returned home, first went to check on the children to ensure no trouble had occurred before returning to the courtyard. Wen Yuanliang and Wen Yuanzhen stood obediently in the center of the yard, looking as if they followed her every lead. Chen Ningya couldn’t help but smile. “What are you standing there for? If you have nothing to do, go look after your younger siblings and practice your calligraphy while you’re at it.”
“Yes!” The two replied in unison and vanished in an instant.
Once they were gone, Chen Ningya’s expression darkened. She stood outside the fence, staring at the houses down the mountain for a long while. When she went to the Huang family to demand justice today, she had already prepared herself. The Huang family wouldn’t let this rest, and she wouldn’t let it go either.
In her past life, it was this pair of jackal-like husband and wife who had secretly sold Wen Yuanjing and Wen Yuanxing after the Wen family fell into misfortune. With both old and new grudges, if she didn’t finish that couple off, she wouldn’t be Chen Ningya.
Thinking of this, Chen Ningya called Wen Yuanliang over and whispered in his ear for a long while.
Wen Yuanliang’s eyes gradually brightened, and he nodded repeatedly.
Wen Youshan had been busy all day. Thinking of the harvest in his traps, the lines on his face softened considerably. Just as he was striding home, he was startled by a child jumping out from the middle of the path. Looking closely, he saw it was Sun Laifu’s eldest son, Sun Qing. “Who are you trying to scare, you brat?”
Wen Youshan gave Sun Qing’s head a light, annoyed tap.
Sun Qing wasn’t angry; he made a face and said, “Uncle, my grandma told me to wait here for you. She said she has something to discuss.”
Without a second thought, Wen Youshan followed Sun Qing to the Sun house.
The Sun family had already started making dinner, and smoke was curling from the chimney. Wen Youshan strode into the courtyard and called out, “Auntie, what do you need me for?”
He wanted to get home quickly; they were likely already cooking dinner for him, and he had caught quite a few things today that needed to be cleaned.
As soon as he finished speaking, an old woman emerged from the side room and, without a word, grabbed Wen Youshan and pulled him into the main room.
Once inside, Wen Youshan was still bewildered. “Auntie, what is it? Why do you seem so mysterious today?”
“I have to be mysterious.” Mrs. Li sat down and whispered, “You weren’t home today. Do you know what happened in the village?”
Wen Youshan shook his head honestly. “What big thing could happen in the village? Did someone get into a fight, or did some woman lose something again?”
If anything truly major had happened, someone would have come into the mountains to find him.
Mrs. Li slapped her thigh. “Oh! You actually guessed right. There was a fight in the village today.”
“Pah! Small matter!” Wen Youshan picked up a bowl and took a large gulp of water, not caring at all.
Mrs. Li was exasperated, her voice rising. “Your wife beat Huang Meng’s wife, Mrs. Zhou, into a pig’s head, and you call that a small matter?”
*Pfft!*
Wen Youshan stared at Mrs. Li in shock, crystal-clear water droplets still hanging from the corner of his mouth. “Auntie, you’re joking!”
“Joking my foot!” Mrs. Li was anxious, wishing she could pry open Wen Youshan’s head to see what he was thinking. “When have I ever joked with you? Today, Huang Meng’s two boys snatched snacks from Yuanliang and Yuanzhen. Deng-shi took the children to the Huang house to demand an explanation. You know what kind of person that woman Mrs. Zhou is—she can stir up an argument even when she’s in the wrong. Who in the village dares to provoke her?
Well, they hadn’t even exchanged two sentences before they started arguing. I heard Deng-shi has a sharp tongue, and Mrs. Zhou wasn’t going to take that, was she? She just lunged at Deng-shi, and they started fighting.”
Wen Youshan was so startled he immediately stood up. Mrs. Li hurriedly pulled him back. “I’m not done yet, what’s the rush!”
“Auntie, I have to go back and check on her. By the way, where is my wife hurt?” Wen Youshan asked anxiously, wondering if he should go find the local doctor for some medicine first.
Mrs. Li was speechless at Wen Youshan’s reaction and held onto him tightly to keep him from leaving. “Let me tell you, your wife is perfectly fine. It was Mrs. Zhou who was beaten beyond recognition. Deng-shi even made a fierce threat, saying that if the Huang family bullies your children again, she will definitely bring a kitchen knife to their door. My daughter-in-law said that the look on Deng-shi’s face didn’t seem like a joke; it looked like she really would risk her life against the Huang family. I’m telling you this to make you alert and see how to handle this. Also, you should advise Deng-shi—it’s better to be forgiving when you can. Even though Mrs. Zhou is a piece of work, it doesn’t look good to make things this tense.”
In Mrs. Li’s view, this was just a minor conflict between children; there was no need to turn it into a blood feud.
Wen Youshan nodded, agreeing to everything Mrs. Li said, and was finally allowed to leave.
On the way back, the joy of the harvest had long since vanished from Wen Youshan. When he entered his home and found the whole family waiting for him to eat with great enthusiasm, the gloom in his heart was swept away. He grinned and asked, “You were all waiting for me, right?”
“Dad, let’s eat, let’s eat! Mom boiled eggs today, they smell so good!” Wen Yuanhong dangled his little legs, staring longingly at the eggs on the table, drooling.
Wen Youshan put his things down, washed his hands, and immediately sat down. “Alright! Let’s eat!”
He took the first bite before anyone else picked up their chopsticks.
Although there was only a large bowl of greens and a large bowl of egg drop soup on the table, everyone ate with gusto, sweeping the table clean in the shortest time possible.
After the meal, Wen Yuanliang consciously cleared the bowls, Wen Yuanzhen washed them, and Wen Yuanhong took Wen Yuanjing to the side room to play with their little brother. Only the couple, Wen Youshan and his wife, remained in the main room.