"Village Chief, I swear, everything I'm saying is true! Yuanchun and I really are seeing each other. If I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
Standing before the Village Chief, Chen Shengjun swore a vicious oath in a desperate bid to clear his name.
The villagers still held a deep dread of swearing such curses, and their gazes immediately shifted to Feng Yuanchun, laced with suspicion.
Feng Yuanchun looked furious. "You're lying! You claim you're seeing me—who ever saw it? With so many people in our village, even if we were sneaking around, someone would have caught us at least once. Let me ask everyone here: has anyone ever seen me and Chen Shengjun together?"
On this point, Feng Yuanchun was entirely unconcerned.
Because Chen Shengjun had been terrified that the Feng Family would interfere, he had never dared let anyone see them when he met with the original body. Realizing this, the villagers instantly glared angrily at Chen Shengjun instead.
"Chen Shengjun, to slander Yuanchun, you've sunk so low as to lie and swear vicious curses. You have no shame at all!"
"Chen Shengjun, harming Yuanchun like this—aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"He was just trying to pull a hooligan's stunt on Yuanchun a minute ago."
"He was just hoping to get himself a wife for free."
"Village Chief, we can't let a bad person like this keep living in the Fengjia Village. What if one day he sets his sights on another girl, pulls some hooligan stunt on her, and tries to trap her into marrying him?"
"That's right! Drive Chen Shengjun out!"
"And the rest of the Chen family too—drive them all out together! Chen Shengjun still has two bachelor brothers. What if they learn from him and want to get a free wife too? Won't all the girls in our village be in grave danger?"
"Exactly! Drive the Chen family out!"
Feeling that they had been deceived and had too easily trusted a villain, the villagers grew righteously indignant, demanding that the entire Chen family be expelled.
Chen Shengjun panicked. "I wasn't trying to pull any hooligan stunt! I really just went to apologize to Feng Yuanchun, I swear..."
"Stop swearing already! The country bans superstition, and Heaven isn't going to answer your oaths."
"That's right! You think a few toxic curses are going to make us believe you? Yuanchun grew up right before our eyes; she's as decent as they come. How could she possibly be sneaking around having a relationship with you?"
"Chen Shengjun, you tried to pull a hooligan stunt and got beaten by Yuanchun, and now, to cover up your crimes, you're trying to splash dirty water on her. That makes your offense even worse!"
"Village Chief, kick the Chen family out of the village!"
With renewed fervor, the villagers demanded the expulsion of the Chen family once again.
Catch wind of the commotion and forgetting the pain all over her body, Mother Chen hurried over. She dropped to her knees before the Village Chief and wept with wretched misery. "Village Chief, please don't drive us away! It's all my fault—I was the one who told Shengjun to go apologize to Feng Yuanchun, wah... I never expected Feng Yuanchun to misunderstand."
Mother Chen looked at Feng Yuanchun and wept pitifully, "Yuanchun, my child, I was wrong. I shouldn't have bullied you this morning; I deserve to be beaten, I deserve to die... But Shengjun is innocent! Have some mercy and spare Shengjun, don't let our family be driven out of the village! Otherwise, we won't have a way to survive."
Mother Chen's heart-wrenching, soul-crushing wails made it difficult for the villagers to push things to the absolute limit.
A few households that usually maintained good relations with the Chen family even stepped forward to plead with the Village Chief.
"Village Chief, let it go. Yuanchun isn't hurt, so just spare Chen Shengjun this once."
"That's right, Village Chief. We can't let a small matter like this drive the whole Chen family to their deaths; that would be far too heartless."
Most of the villagers were kind and simple-hearted; they had no wish to drive people to desperate ends. In the end, the Chen family was not cast out, but for the safety of the village girls, the Village Chief sternly warned Chen Shengjun that he was forbidden from approaching any female in the village ever again.
The Village Chief also instructed the villagers to keep watch and prevent Chen Shengjun from harboring any more malicious intentions.
Brimming with resentment and grievance as Mother Chen helped him away, Chen Shengjun shot a malevolent glare at Feng Yuanchun.
Feng Yuanchun beamed with open delight.
Heh. Damn scumbag, doesn't feel good being despised by everyone, does it?
Go on, keep swearing—swear all you damn well please. I simply refuse to admit it, what can you possibly do to me?