"He forced me! I'm just a woman, I couldn't beat him!"
"Hey! Old lady, she's lying! She couldn't stand the loneliness and flirts everywhere, she seduced me, hey!"
Xia Jinyu threw punches the size of sandbags, landing blow after blow on the man, who shrieked in excruciating pain.
Xia Zhiliao naturally didn't dare step forward to stop it, but she felt they couldn't just keep beating him like this either.
*(Please don't let anyone die here, or it will affect Father's imperial examinations.)*
Xia Jinyu glanced sideways at his little niece, and his fists finally stopped. At that moment, Old Lady Xia also spoke up: "Third, stop hitting him for now."
"Mother, don't listen to his nonsense! I really didn't do it, you have to believe me. Ever since my husband passed away all these years, how hard has it been for me to live as a widow? As someone who has been through it, Mother, you should know best. How could I possibly... I'm sorry to my husband, it was him who forced me! I wouldn't yield, so he beat me, wuwu... Mother, just think about it, all these years I've treated you with the same filial piety as my own mother, I haven't even remarried!"
Watching them bite each other like dogs, Old Lady Xia was seething with rage. If her little granddaughter hadn't tipped her off, she would still have been kept completely in the dark.
And without that suspicion, she never would have doubted her eldest daughter-in-law, meaning the land deeds definitely would have been swindled away.
A chill ran down Old Lady Xia's spine. Her gaze turned to a murderous glare, wishing she could strip this woman's skin off alive.
*(Grandmother isn't going to forgive her, is she? Don't believe her ghost stories! Just a moment ago, she was wishing you, this old bag of bones, would drop dead soon. The only reason she didn't remarry isn't because she didn't want to, but because the suitors her maiden family picked out for her were even worse than our family—at least living here, she doesn't have to do any work.)*
Xia Zhiliao watched Old Lady Xia, terrified that she might soften her heart for a moment and spare this wicked woman.
Old Lady Xia was no Madam Xia Chen; she wasn't that soft-hearted. Seeing what was before her eyes, the only reason she didn't have her two sons slaughter this pair of adulterers right then and there was for the sake of her second son's future. Otherwise, they would already be off meeting the King of Hell.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, our Xia family can no longer keep you!"
"Mother, I really am wronged! Don't drive me away."
Old Lady Xia turned her glare to Hu Erping, spitting out bitterly, "Drag this wild man off to see the magistrate."
"No, auntie, please don't! Spare my life, it really was all her seducing me!"
*(Reporting this to the officials is so shameful! Father cares a lot about his reputation, and this isn't exactly honorable either. How about... demanding money? Let's bleed them dry.)*
Xia Zhiliao tugged at the old lady's hand. As the saying goes, family shame should not be aired in public, and after all, it wasn't a glorious affair.
This scumbag and bitch deserved to be locked away together.
Xia Jinxiu thought the little girl was truly clever. If they actually went to the magistrates, sure, these two would get their comeuppance, but their own family would also lose face, which would seriously mess up her own plans.
"Mother, Eldest Sister-in-law has been a widow all these years, and it hasn't been easy for her. Why don't you just grant her wish? Since she and cousin Hu have feelings for each other, let them just get married."
Chapter 12: Extortion is Your Specialty
Although Old Lady Xia's face was full of fury, she also felt her little granddaughter made sense.
The adulterer and adulteress were minor issues; her son's future and her family's reputation were what mattered.
Going along with her little granddaughter's idea, not only could she earn a good reputation, but she could also ruthlessly fleece this bastard. Furthermore, judging by this man's spineless cowardice, that bitch Madam Zhang wouldn't have a good end of it anyway.
Unaware of the mother and daughter's inner thoughts, Madam Zhang looked at Xia Jinxiu with deep gratitude, thinking to herself that while she usually didn't get along with her sister-in-law, she never expected her to help her out at the crucial moment.
Xia Jinxiu only offered a cold smile. The idiot actually thought she was helping her—hehe.
Xia Jinyu and Xia Jinheng were still reeling from the shock of being able to hear their little niece's inner voice. Xia Jinyu hadn't recovered yet, but even the clever-as-a-monkey Xia Jinheng couldn't help but admire his little niece's ingenuity.
"Mother!" Madam Zhang looked pitifully at Old Lady Xia.
Old Lady Xia disgustedly shook off her hand and said coldly, "Our Xia family is a decent family. Even though you did something to wrong us, we won't stoop to your level. Jinxiu is right, a person must be magnanimous so as to accumulate blessings for future generations."
She glanced at the bruised and battered man who had lost all ability to resist. "Back then, it cost us two taels of silver to marry her into our family, and all these years the food she's eaten and the things she's used in our house have been the absolute best. I won't ask for much—five taels of silver, and I'll grant you two your wish."
*(Grandmother is brilliant! We thought of the exact same thing. This was handled so beautifully.)*
*(Not only did we gain a good reputation, but we also got the money. We aren't taking a loss, and it'll be easier for the uncles to find wives in the future.)*
Xia Zhiliao looked at Old Lady Xia with admiration, transforming into a little flatterer, lavishing praises that left Old Lady Xia beaming with delight.
When she looked back at her little granddaughter, the anger in her eyes dissipated, replaced by a smile she hadn't worn in a long time.
"Thank you, Mother! Mother, you truly have the heart of a Bodhisattva. Don't worry, even after I remarry, I will still show you the utmost filial piety." Madam Zhang knelt on the ground, kowtowing incessantly.
Little did she expect Hu Erping to balk.
"Five taels? Old lady, aren't you just shaking people down? How much does a pure maiden cost? Five taels for someone like her... I won't do it!"
"Cousin..." Madam Zhang looked at the man in disbelief, his sweet words from ordinary days still ringing in her ears.
Old Lady Xia let out a cold snort. "You won't do it? Fine! Then since you bullied my eldest daughter-in-law, our Old Xia family won't swallow this loss either. Third, Fourth, haul him off to the yamen and let the magistrate deal with him."
"No, please don't!" The moment Hu Erping heard "yamen," he knew he'd either be dead or ruined.
Xia Jinxiu gave Madam Zhang a meaningful look, lowering her voice. "Eldest Sister-in-law, don't you want to marry him?"
Thinking her sister-in-law was looking out for her, Madam Zhang tried to guess her meaning from her expression. "Yes! He bullied me, I... I'll go tell the magistrate too."
"My eldest daughter-in-law is the most honest person alive. Everyone knows she spent years staying a widow for my son without a single other thought. You humiliated her, and this matter absolutely cannot end like this."
"No, please, absolutely not! I... I'll marry her, won't that do?! But I don't have that much silver!"
*(Write an IOU! Once you write it and press your thumbprint, you can run to the ends of the earth and we'll still catch you.)*
Xia Zhiliao picked up the outer robe from the ground, handed it to the old lady, and gestured the motion of writing.
She really needed to recover soon; not being able to speak was driving her crazy.
"No worries, just write an IOU and press your thumbprint to it. Within ten days, you bring me five taels of silver, and this matter is settled. Otherwise..." Old Lady Xia sneered, causing Hu Erping's heart to tremble.
*(Grandmother is so smart! I just made a casual gesture, and she understood.)*
Old Lady Xia stroked her little granddaughter's head. What a clever girl! If not for her today, blinded by rage, there's no telling what stupid thing she might have done.
Implicating her son's future would have been a disaster.
"Mother, Second Brother isn't here, who's going to write it?" Xia Jinyu asked.
Old Lady Xia frowned. "Fourth, don't you know how to write?"
"Mother, I only know a few characters. I'm afraid I can't write a proper document."
*(I can! Grandmother, I can!)*
Xia Zhiliao eagerly stepped forward, a gleam of light flashing in Old Lady Xia's eyes. "Then let Zhiliao try!"
"Mother, how old is Zhiliao? Can she really do it?" Xia Jinyu still couldn't believe his ears, thinking he was suffering from auditory hallucinations.
"If she can't, can you? Your second brother is a scholar, his daughter can't be wrong, right?" Old Lady Xia said in a gentle tone.
Xia Zhiliao first gave a small smile, then walked over. Using the blood smeared on Hu Erping's clothes, she used her finger to write a few lines on that white inner garment, and then pulled Hu Erping's hand to press his thumbprint upon it.
With the matter settled, she held it up and presented it to Old Lady Xia like a treasured artifact.
Old Lady Xia didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "My little Zhiliao, what is all this scribbled here? Grandmother doesn't recognize any of it, but Grandmother trusts you."
Xia Zhiliao couldn't have been happier.
*(Grandmother isn't fierce at all, she's wonderful! Her smile is so pretty, Grandmother must have been a great beauty when she was young.)*
Old Lady Xia took a deep breath. Her daughter was so pretty because she took after her, but unfortunately her husband died young. Carrying this family on her shoulders all by herself, she had to be strong, and the exhaustion eventually brought on a host of ailments.
She knew how hard it was to be a widow, which was why she treated Madam Zhang with extra kindness, never expecting Madam Zhang to be an ingrate.
So be it. Once she left the Xia family, whether things went well or poorly for her would depend on her own fortune.
In short, she wasn't losing out.
Still uneasy, Xia Zhiliao wrote out another confession for Madam Zhang, who didn't dare refuse to press her thumbprint.
*(With these, we have nothing to fear. Even if Eldest Auntie goes back on her word later, it won't matter.)*
Xia Jinxiu rolled her eyes. "Eldest Sister-in-law, our mother has agreed, but if you want to marry out, you better make sure you know what to say. Otherwise... when the time comes..."
Madam Zhang nodded frantically. "I understand, Sister-in-law. You've been so good to me."
Xia Jinxiu gave a faint smile and said nothing more.
Old Lady Xia had originally felt she was going to be sick with anger, but the thought of having five taels of silver coming her way changed everything.
"All right, today was supposed to be for offering prayers, let's hurry along."
With that, the old lady personally took the little girl's hand, terrified that she might run off and get lost again. She couldn't afford to lose such a precious little darling.
She would just have to kowtow a few extra times to the Bodhisattva later.
Madam Zhang glanced at Hu Erping, not daring to say too much. She straightened her clothes, gave him a meaningful look, and whispered, "Cousin, I'll be waiting for you!"
Hu Erping lay flat on the ground, unable to get up for the longest time. Did the Xia family have to hit him so heavily?
Besides, why did he feel like Madam Zhang had teamed up with her in-laws to set a trap for him?
Five taels of silver! That was a whole five taels of silver! Was he supposed to smash his pots and sell his iron to scrape that together?
Madam Zhang followed at the very rear, treading carefully. At that moment, a question popped into her head.
Didn't they say they weren't coming?
Chapter 13: The Best Mother-in-Law in the World
Madam Zhang wouldn't dare ask Old Lady Xia such questions, but now that she felt Xia Jinxiu was treating her well, she quietly asked her instead.
"Sister-in-law, why did you all come? Didn't you say you weren't coming?"
Naturally, Xia Jinxiu wouldn't betray Xia Zhiliao—even if she did, nothing much would happen, but she didn't want the little girl to suffer even the slightest bit of harm. "Eldest Sister-in-law, it's a good thing we came. Otherwise, if you got bullied by that man and nobody stood up for you, what would you have done?"
"R... Right! It's all thanks to you guys."
Xia Jinxiu curled her lips, looking smug. "Who's saying otherwise?"
What the Zhiliao girl said was true, so could her prophecy about becoming a noble imperial concubine be true as well?
How could she not be happy!
Madam Zhang followed them back to the Xia family. Needless to say, she proactively tackled every chore in sight, terrified that Old Lady Xia might get displeased and block her marriage to her cousin.
Just the thought of becoming husband and wife with her cousin made her happy enough to even enjoy feeding the pigs.
When Xia Jinyu arrived home, he immediately sought out his second brother, Xia Jinjuan, to confirm whether Zhiliao had undergone any recent changes.
Xia Jinjuan's expression paused. "What's wrong?"
"N... Nothing! I was just asking casually, showing some concern, that's all."
Xia Jinyu thought if his second brother couldn't hear it, and only he could, had he come down with some terrible illness?
As for Xia Jinheng, he simply chuckled to himself, having no intention of mentioning this matter to anyone else.
The affair involving Madam Zhang was no secret within the Xia household. Xia Jinjuan and his wife Chen felt it was simply unbelievable.
That being the case, their youngest daughter indeed possessed the ability of foresight. After all, many things she predicted had come true; from now on, they couldn't afford to take her words lightly.
Xia Jinjuan watched his wife as she lowered her head to work on her embroidery. Admittedly, there had been a time when he was somewhat dissatisfied with her, but these past few days he increasingly found her good. Where else could he ever find a woman so gentle and virtuous?
How could he ever have thought of casting her aside?
"Jinjuan, what are you looking at?" Madam Xia Chen felt a bit uneasy under his gaze. She seemed to catch in her husband's eyes the burning passion they had shared right after they were newly married—something that hadn't been there for a very, very long time.
Xia Jinjuan gave a faint smile. "Nothing. Where did you get this embroidery pattern? I've never seen it before."
"Zhiliao drew it. I thought it looked rather pretty, so I embroidered it."
Xia Zhiliao flashed a toothy grin. She possessed solid artistic foundations; after browsing some embroidery pieces at Jinyi Workshop the other day, she had found the patterns mostly similar and lacking in novelty, so she decided to draw something new and give it a try.
She hadn't expected her mother to actually embroider it.
"Zhiliao is truly amazing, drawing this so well. I heard from Mother that yesterday's written testimony was written by Zhiliao too. Our Zhiliao is just so clever! I only occasionally taught her a few characters while reading, but not only does she recognize them, she can even write them. And looking at that handwriting, it's not bad at all."
*(Father, I am your daughter after all, how could I not be good at it?)*
"You're so smart, Zhiliao must take after you," Madam Xia Chen said softly, her gaze toward Xia Jinjuan always filled with adoration.
Xia Jinjuan smiled slightly. "Zhiliao looks more like you. Beautiful."
Madam Xia Chen lowered her head shyly. "At my age, what beauty is left to speak of?"
*(Mother, if you dress up, you're still a blooming flower.)*
"Mother said when the money from over there arrives later, she'll give us a tael so you can go buy some rouge and dress up properly."
"We should save it for Zhiliao's medical treatment instead," Madam Xia Chen said softly, looking at her youngest daughter. "Getting Zhiliao better is what matters most."
Xia Jinjuan wanted to say something else, but seeing that his wife had already lowered her head and resumed her embroidery, he stopped.
This foolish woman... always thinking only of him and the children, never once of herself.
A slight pang of ache gripped his heart.
Madam Zhang remained quite diligent these past few days, terrified of displeasing the old lady and having her change her mind.
Aware of what was going on, Old Lady Xia didn't even want to spare her an extra glance, finding her sickening.
"Mother, eat a bit more! Even after I get married, I'll still be filial to you just like before. Just treat me like your own daughter."
Old Lady Xia let out a cold snort. "I don't have such a shameless daughter."
With that, she tossed down her chopsticks and stopped eating.
Madam Zhang plastered a smile on her face, but inwardly she thought: *Once I get out of this house and marry my cousin, what can the old hag possibly do to me then?*
*I'll endure.*
When the ten days were up, both the Xia family and Madam Zhang were on edge.
They were all terrified that Hu Erping wouldn't show up.
But how could Hu Erping dare? Just as Xia Zhiliao had predicted, the evidence was in the other party's hands—where could he possibly run to?
As for five taels of silver, even if he sold himself he wouldn't have it, yet on that very day, he actually brought ten taels.
Madam Zhang was naturally overjoyed; this marriage was locked in.
Yet the more Hu Erping looked at her, the more annoyed he became. Putting aside the immense effort it took him to scrape together those five taels, marrying a widow in her thirties felt like the ultimate stroke of bad luck.
Old Lady Xia weighed the silver in her hand—not a bad sum.
"All right, take your man and get out of here."
"Mother, you are truly my own mother!" Madam Zhang happily went to fetch her luggage. She had packed it up yesterday, but anything of value had been left behind in the Xia household; all she could take with her were two sets of ragged clothes.
Even so, she was elated. She had a man now; she didn't have to live as a widow anymore.
Old Lady Xia waved her hand, wanting this pair of scumbags to roll away immediately so they wouldn't soil the Xia family grounds.
*(Grandmother, go see them off! Let them see how magnanimous you are, and don't give that wicked woman any chance to badmouth you.)*
Xia Zhiliao grabbed the old lady's hand and pulled her forcefully toward the door.
Helpless, Old Lady Xia let out a sigh, wondering what kind of ghost tricks this clever little bean was up to this time.
Madam Zhang followed Hu Erping out the door, feeling triumphant the moment she stepped onto the main street. Whenever she ran into someone, she couldn't wait to spill the news without even being asked.
The woman was startled. "You... you're remarrying just like that? Did your mother-in-law agree?"
"If she didn't agree, could I have left? Oh, Third Auntie, I'm afraid it won't be easy for us to meet in the future!"
The woman caught sight of Old Lady Xia following behind and let out a couple of dry laughs.
Recalling her little granddaughter's intent, Old Lady Xia smiled. "I just felt sorry for her. Since she was willing, I wasn't going to hold her back. I'll be glad once she starts living a good life, and since this man was her own choice, there's no way it's a mistake."
If it turned out bad, she had no one else to blame. At that moment, Old Lady Xia thoroughly understood her little granddaughter's intentions.
The outward show had to be executed to perfection.
Gritting his teeth in deep hatred, Hu Erping cursed inwardly: five whole taels of silver, just to buy a broken-down piece of goods!
"My goodness, you truly are a rare, kind-hearted soul! Whoever ends up with a mother-in-law like you must have cultivated blessings for several lifetimes."
Said the woman nearby. She wasn't from this village; previously she had only heard rumors that the Old Lady Xia had a bad temper and was difficult to get along with. But seeing it now, how reasonable she was—even allowing her widowed daughter-in-law to remarry! What a genuinely rare and good mother-in-law.
Old Lady Xia looked the woman up and down. "You look familiar, you are..."
"Oh, Eldest Sister-in-law, this is my third sister from my maiden family, from the neighboring town."
The woman smiled and nodded. "Then I'll call you sister-in-law too. Oh my, I wonder if my daughter has the good fortune to find a wonderful mother-in-law like you."
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Xia thought: *This matter... what's the implication here?*
Chapter 14: Too Late for Regrets
*(Grandmother, this is a great thing! Someone wants to marry their daughter to Uncle!)*
Old Lady Xia felt the exact same way. It seemed Madam Zhang truly was a jinx; the moment she left, good fortune immediately came knocking at their door.
"Sister, speaking of which, I do have a few lads back home. I wonder how old the eldest niece is? I'll just brazenly ask, though I imagine my family's stinky boys are probably unworthy."
The woman had taken a fancy to Old Lady Xia precisely as a prospective mother-in-law, which was why she brought it up. "It's dreadfully cold, Elder Sister. Let's go sit at my sister's place, there's no rush, right?"
"No rush. It's rare that I share an affinity with you, sister, let's have a proper chat."
"Mother... I'm leaving!" Madam Zhang called out.
Although Old Lady Xia had been quite furious in her heart moments ago, she wasn't angry at all anymore. "Hurry along now, don't miss your auspicious timing. Go on, go on!"
Madam Zhang looked back, only to find that Old Lady Xia had already walked far away.
Once outside the village, she felt as though the air itself was filled with the scent of happiness.
"Cousin, from now on the two of us won't have to sneak around anymore, I..."
*Smack!*
A heavy slap landed unexpectedly on Madam Zhang, leaving her completely dazed and rooted to the spot in shock. "Y... You hit me for what?!"
"Hit you? I wish I could strangle you to death, you bitch! Five taels of silver! That's a whole five taels of silver! Why don't you take a piss and look at your reflection in it—do you even fucking deserve it?"
"C... Cousin..."
"Shut your mouth! For five taels of silver, I could have bought two pure maidens! You didn't bring the land deeds when I told you to, and now I see it clearly—you were in cahoots with the Xia family to fleece me out of my money!"
"I... I didn't..."
"I don't believe your ghost stories!"