Li Changming was also fed up with his mother’s loose tongue. He and his brothers had been ridiculed endlessly because of her. So when he saw his father getting tough this ti, he was naturally delighted and unwaveringly carried out Li Laoda’s orders!
Granny Hua had been locked up at ho for the past few days, unable to go out. The house was destitute, and all she had to look at all day were four crumbling earthen walls. For soone who loved a lively scene, it was enough to drive her mad. She’d heard that sothing huge had happened at the edge of the village today. It was bad enough that she missed the excitent, but now Li Laoda, who had seen it all, had co ho to teach her a lesson.
’Who did I provoke this ti?’
Annoyed, she snapped at Li Laoda, "What’s this got to do with ? I just spread a bit of gossip—and it wasn’t even gossip! Huai Zi said it himself, I just passed it along. It’s not like I sold Juhua for four taels of silver like Sun Jinshan’s wife, did I?"
Li Laoda flew into a rage and raised his hand to strike her again, but his son Changming held him back. "Still talking back?" he roared. "Haven’t you spread enough gossip and stirred up enough trouble? How co I never see Changxing’s mother out there spreading rumors? Of all the wives in the Old Li Family, you’re the only disgrace!"
Li Changxing’s mother, Cheng, was the widow of Li Laoda’s third brother, Li the Third. Her husband had died from an illness, leaving just her and Li Changxing to fend for themselves. But Cheng was a capable woman. A widow raising a son on her own, she was very respectable!
When Granny Hua heard Li Laoda compare her to Cheng, she fell silent. ’I really can’t compare to her!’
In the end, Liu’er’s mother had caused the scene, but it was Granny Hua who paid the price—her confinent continued, with no end in sight.
When Sun Jinshan got ho, he asked his wife what caused the fight.
Liu’er’s mother, however, shot Liu’er a fierce glare. Seeing her daughter’s listless expression, as if her soul had been drained from her body, she felt a mix of pity and resentnt. She yanked Liu’er into a room, muttered sothing to her, and then ca out alone.
She explained what had happened to Sun Jinshan in detail, but when she got to the part about Liu’er eting secretly with Qingmu, she said vaguely, "Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on !"
Sun Jinshan stared at his wife. Seeing the old broad still looking indignant, his chest swelled with anger. ’The village chief is right,’ he thought, ’this woman just needs to be taught a lesson! No wonder Li Laoda has been walking with such a spring in his step, strutting around like a lord ever since he started hitting his wife. He’s been in such high spirits.’
And so, with that thought in mind, Sun Jinshan didn’t hesitate. Following Li Laoda’s example, he raised his hand and gave his wife a sharp slap across the face.
But Liu’er’s mother was far fiercer than Granny Hua. She lunged at Sun Jinshan, grappling with him and howling, "You damn old coot, trying to copy Li Laoda and hit your wife? I’m no Granny Hua—you think you can just push around?!"
Sun Tiezhu rushed over to grab his father and hold back his mother. "Dad! Mom! What are you doing?" he shouted. "The neighbors will hear and we’ll be a laughingstock!"
With Tie Zhu holding his arm, Sun Jinshan could only roar at Liu’er’s mother over his son’s body. "You’re not Granny Hua, you’re even more of a disgrace to this family! Whether soone else’s daughter gets married or not is none of your business! And even if it were, why would you pull such a despicable stunt? Marrying off a twelve-year-old girl to a forty-two-year-old man, and you still think you’re in the right? It’s a good thing that Zheng Changhe broke his leg, or he’d have co storming over here to kill !"
Liu’er’s mother thought back. ’Didn’t Zheng Changhe threaten to kill , too? He even cursed Sun Jinshan to die without descendants. And I was so furious at him for it!’
Her confidence wavered, but she argued stubbornly, "I saw their family was poor and in debt, I was just trying to help them! My brother was offering four taels of silver as a bride price. What’s wrong with being kind-hearted?"
Seeing her complete lack of remorse, Sun Jinshan was so enraged that he yanked his arm free from his son, ready to hit her again, only to be restrained once more by Tie Zhu.
Unable to break his son’s grip, he could only vent his fury by yelling at Liu’er’s mother. "Kind-hearted? Since when have you ever been kind-hearted? What do their debts have to do with you? Did they ask you for money? Your brother is old and has sothing wrong with him! No one would marry him even for ten taels of silver. Oh, I bet you didn’t ntion that part, did you?"
Liu’er’s mother grew even more flustered—she had indeed omitted certain details. ’With a face like Juhua’s,’ she thought, ’who would want her besides an old man? Don’t rich old masters in the city all marry young, pretty concubines? For a girl like Juhua, an offer of four taels of silver was more than generous!’
Sun Jinshan gasped for breath. "And look what you’ve turned our daughter into! Don’t think I don’t know why she went looking for Qingmu. That Qingmu boy would never seek Liu’er out on his own. The ’fine’ daughter you’ve raised got scolded by a little slip of a girl in front of the whole village! The reputation I, Sun Jinshan, have built my entire life has been utterly destroyed by the two of you!"
’Every ti I think of Juhua’s chilling glare, I get angry enough to kill this ruinous wife of mine. That girl righteously scolded for failing to raise my daughter properly, and she was even holding back! It’s true, that kid is so much better than Liu’er. On the one hand, she was forceful and domineering, but on the other, she showed rcy with her words—she didn’t completely ruin Liu’er in front of everyone.’
In his own ho, the village chief, Li Gengtian, heard the sounds of shouting, crying, and cursing from next door and shook his head again and again. ’A virtuous wife makes for a peaceful and happy ho!’ he thought. ’The Sun Jinshan household is finally imploding. I just hope it doesn’t turn into a real disaster.’
He looked at his wife, Mrs. Fang, who was sewing at his side, and said sternly, "You see that? That’s what cos of idle gossip! From now on, you stay far away from the likes of Granny Hua and Liu’er’s mother. Don’t you get mixed up with them!"
Mrs. Fang was holding a shoe she had just finished. She snipped the thread at the heel with her scissors and rolled her eyes at him. "Even if I had the inclination, where would I find the ti? Here, try this on. See if it fits. I added so extra cotton padding this ti."
Li Gengtian quickly took off his shoe and put the new one on. He stamped his foot, took a couple of steps, and praised, "Mm, it’s a perfect fit, and so soft!"
He looked at his wife with satisfaction. ’Diligent and virtuous,’ he thought. ’She never gossips, and she’s so respectful to her elders. It was all worth it, fighting for her back then.’
Mrs. Fang told him to take off the shoe. When she looked up, she saw him gazing at her with deep affection, just like he did when they were young. She blushed and gave him a playful glare. "What are you staring at? Hurry up and take it off!"
Li Gengtian chuckled as he took the shoe off and handed it to her. "Did you make a pair for Dad yet?" he asked.
Mrs. Fang said impatiently, "Of course I made Dad’s pair first. You didn’t even have to ask."
The brawling next door to the village chief’s house didn’t stop until that evening.
The next day, when Liu’er’s mother went to the vegetable garden with her basket, the neighbors saw that the red handprint on her face was clearly visible. From that day forward, Sun Liu’er never again set foot outside her family’s courtyard, not until the day she was married off!
User Comments
0 comments from readers