jdhmnovel Chapter 13: Who is right and who is wrong is clear and obvious.
Chapter 13: Who is right and who is wrong is clear and obvious.
If we don't sort things out soon, will they even be able to go home today?
Zhang Xiaodi: "It just so happens that someone came to propose marriage, wanting to marry Xiaofeng! Although Zhang the Cripple has a problem walking, you can't tell if he walks slowly, but his family is still well-off! As his grandmother, I want my granddaughter to have a better life and not starve to death, is that wrong?"
“My second son’s family said I had ulterior motives and criticized me. My second son even thought that my separation of the family was unfair. Would parents harm them?”
Zhang Xiaodi meant well, but is that really the case?
At least the group of people who gathered around the Qin family's house to watch the show believed it.
"It seems that the Qin family is ungrateful."
"Yes! I know Zhang the Cripple. He broke his leg when he was a child, and his family didn't pay attention, which is why he walks with a limp. But his family is still doing well. Now that every family is struggling to make ends meet, it's understandable that Zhang Xiaodi wants to marry her granddaughter off to him."
After all, a woman marries a man for food and clothing.
Compared to not going hungry, Zhang the Cripple's disability was really not a big deal when he went to the countryside.
Zhang Xiaodi's face lit up with pride as she listened to everyone's approval.
Lu Yuanqing pulled his angry aunt, who was ready to fight, and said, "Aunt, why don't you say something too? You can't tell the truth from just one person's words."
He wasn't biased towards relatives; regardless of the original owner's memories, in the one or two hours he spent at the Qin family today, neither Old Madam Qin nor her two sons and daughters-in-law had left him with a good impression.
The charm of language is something everyone possesses without needing a teacher.
Therefore, of all the things Zhang Xiaodi said, he only believed that such a thing happened; as for the specifics, he would have to listen to Lu Shufen's version of events.
With his reminder, Lu Shufen suppressed her hatred for Zhang Xiaodi and the others, and said to the villagers who were gossiping at the door, "Since everyone has come to watch the show, you can judge for yourselves whether it's my fault or theirs!"
"Yes, my husband broke his leg and needs a long recovery period, but do you know why he broke his leg?"
"Didn't they say they were robbed in the county?" someone in the crowd said.
Lu Shufen scoffed, ignoring Zhang Xiaodi's increasingly hostile expression, and said to them, "Yes, he was robbed, but Qin Fengmao didn't have to be robbed. It was his mother who insisted that he go to the county to deliver something to his younger sister. If it weren't for that, would he have encountered such bad luck?"
"No one wants to be in this situation when delivering something to their own sister, but you can't blame Aunt Zhang for it!"
“Can’t we blame them?” Lu Shufen said to the person who spoke. “We are not full every day. In a bowl of coarse grain porridge, there is more water than porridge. After eating it, we are full of water. We can’t stand working, and we are forced to walk for two hours to the county on an empty stomach.”
"As a result, we were robbed. My son Fengmao was too hungry to run, which is why he was robbed."
“But after such an incident, the family is unwilling to even spend money to go to the commune hospital. My family has not divided the property, and all the money is in his mother's hands. Her son's leg is broken and can be cured, but she is unwilling to spend money to treat him. Can we not blame her for this situation?”
"Uncle Qin can testify that everything I said is true. It was Yinghua who begged him to lend her money so that Fengmao could go to the hospital to treat his leg."
“I can testify,” a man in the crowd stepped forward, “that Yinghua came to me to borrow the money.”
This man was Qin Fengmao's uncle, a relative of his. He had helped him a lot when he was young, and he had also taught him the skills of a bricklayer. He was also quite familiar with the Qin family's situation.
Now that someone could testify, the crowd watching the play immediately sighed in disbelief.
She's so heartless to her own son; you never would have guessed otherwise.
The Qin family couldn't sit still when they were looked down upon.
But the captain, who just wanted to resolve the matter as soon as possible, was no longer going to tolerate them this time. He glared at them and said, "When you were speaking, Fengmao's wife didn't interrupt you. If you have anything to say in your rebuttal, wait until she finishes speaking."
Lu Shufen felt a sense of relief, as if her injustice had been redressed.
Zhang Xiaodi and Qin Dacheng are both people who care a lot about their reputation, so even if they are biased, they have never shown it to outsiders.
But today, she saw through their disguise.
“Captain.” Lu Shufen looked at him gratefully and continued, “And about Xiaofeng, you only see that Zhang the Cripple’s family is well-off, but how come you didn’t see that he is not only a cripple, but also 25 years old now, while my Xiaofeng is only 17 years old this year. How could I possibly agree to this marriage?”
"They took twenty catties of grain from Zhang the Cripple and wanted to marry my Xiaofeng off! Did they ever care about Xiaofeng? They took the favor and then sold her off!!!"
One is an old man who walks with a limp and is still unmarried at an advanced age, while the other is a teenage girl who is not yet an adult.
"Yes!" Lu Shufen said, and they finally realized that Qin Yingfeng was not old at all, and was not even of marriageable age yet.
However, the eldest daughter of the Qin family is more suitable in age than Qin Yingfeng.
Now, the claim that he genuinely cared for his granddaughter needs to be re-evaluated!
The crowd erupted in uproar.
Selling daughters may not be common in peaceful later generations, but in this era of severe patriarchal preference, especially during years of famine when families run out of food, many daughters are traded for resources.
In fact, Lu Yuanqing did not know that in Bashu, the preference for sons over daughters existed, but it was relatively mild and not that serious.
So when he saw everyone looking down on the Qin family, he still thought that although they loved watching dramas and gossiping, at least their values were pretty sound.
A daughter can get married, but she cannot be sold for twenty catties of grain.
That kind of reputation doesn't sound good.
One of the most unique aspects of being sent to the countryside is that if you do something bad, everyone will remember it vividly. Whenever they chat and your family or related matters are mentioned, they will bring up what you did.
Captain Qin finally understood everything and felt nothing but contempt for the Qin family's actions.
"Her parents are still alive, so you shouldn't presume to know what she'll do when she gets married!"
“I’m her grandmother and her mother, how can I not have the right to say that?” Zhang Xiaodi pointed at Qin Yingfeng, then at Qin Fengmao.
Qin Dacheng hid behind her and kept tugging at her clothes.
That's enough. You've already caused so much trouble today, have you no shame at all?
Zhang Xiaodi was also concerned about her image, so she could only talk and said nothing more.
Captain Qin sneered inwardly and said, "So, are you going to separate your family today or not!"
Let's just break up! Things have escalated to this point today; there's no way we can live together harmoniously anytime soon. If we don't break up, what are we going to do? Make him come and mediate every day? He's too busy! He's too busy managing production!
"We must divide it up today! We have to divide it up today!" said Qin Fengmao.
He injured his leg and couldn't protect his wife and children today, which made him very sad. Perhaps this sadness also stemmed from his acceptance of his parents after truly understanding them.
"Hmph! Fine, let's break up. If we don't, you're a coward. Get out of here!" Zhang Xiaodi glared at him disdainfully.