Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 177 Moon Maiden's Resistance

Xu Chaoyan sneered: "If you want to kowtow or whatever, get the hell away from me. Don't bark like a dog here. If you're so capable, go kowtow on that rock. Who are you trying to impress? People who know you'll think you're kowtowing, but others will think you're putting on some kind of opera. Don't go looking for trouble in the twelfth lunar month."

Not only did Li Dazhu's mother not restrain herself, she started banging on the door, lighting the incense and candles that had just spilled from the basket while muttering incantations in a superstitious manner.

"Zhang Yueniang, you go back right now! I'm begging you, please, for the sake of the child."

Upon seeing this, the old woman quickly came over and knelt down in front of her with a thud. The two women kowtowed to each other, their voices filled with helplessness and anxiety.

“Mother-in-law, you can’t curse my daughter! You actually cursed my daughter to kneel before her. Do you want her to die young? Do you want your granddaughter to be motherless? What a vicious heart you have! I’ll kowtow to you and beg you to let my daughter go! Isn’t that widow going to give you a grandson? You should go back and take care of your grandson. Don’t harm my daughter anymore.”

When Dazhu's mother heard her say "widow" while she was kowtowing, she visibly paused.

Xu Chaoyan was a little confused by the two of them arguing, and at this moment Zhang Yueniang explained.

"It is said that an elder will shorten his lifespan by kowtowing to a junior. She deliberately humiliated me in front of so many people. She clearly wanted me to die. How could this old woman be so vicious?"

After Zhang Yueniang finished speaking, she covered her face and sobbed, "Why is my life so miserable? I was about to divorce him, and his mother actually put on this show. According to her usual habits, she would never give in to me like this. Something must have happened in his family, and he had no choice but to ask me to go back and be his free servant."

Xu Chaoyan suddenly remembered what Dazhu's mother and second aunt had said earlier: "Hmm, now that their family is in decline, they look down on his family. Something must have happened to their family."

Everyone watched as if it were a farce, with the two women bumping into each other.

Dazhu's mother lit all the incense, candles, and firecrackers, filling the air with their fragrance. The aunts and uncles who had come with her stood there with their arms crossed, watching the spectacle. Some even took out handfuls of pumpkin seeds and cracked them open.

They treated the courtyard like their own home, pulled out a long bench, sat down around the fire, and chatted. They noticed a clay pot around the fire.

The group tried to take the opportunity to see what food was inside, but Xu Chaoyan hit their hands with a stick.

"Not only have you broken into a private residence, but you also want to eat now. I advise you to have some shame and get this crazy woman out of here right now. Otherwise, we'll all lose face. We've already reported it to the authorities, and they'll be here soon. My husband is a scholar and knows the local gentry and officials. You'd better get this crazy woman out of here right now. And I'll ask her one last time what happened to her family?"

The women looked at each other, and at first none of them spoke. Finally, it was a round-faced woman who began to tell the story.

"Here's what happened: Dazhu was beaten up the other day, and then, in a fit of anger, he drank some wine and instigated his father to go find Zhang the hunter. The two of them got into another fight, and this time Dazhu was seriously injured. Not only were his legs broken, but his hands were also fractured. His wife needs to go back and take care of him."

At this moment, someone else chimed in, "I'm saying that no matter if your family is rich or poor, a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. As an outsider, you shouldn't meddle in these things. You should also advise Yue Niang not to be ungrateful. After all, he is her husband. Can you bear to see him lying in bed? If she is divorced, she will be drowned in spit. It's better to just make do."

Xu Chaoyan finally understood. It turned out that Zhang Yueniang really was being sent back to work as a servant. It seemed that the widow had affairs with both the hunter and Li Dazhu, and things were a bit complicated. Even the father of the child in her womb was unknown.

She spat at the women: "Pah! Li Dazhu got cuckolded and became a cuckold, so he comes to my sister to clean up his mess. What does he think he is, some kind of golden egg? Coming and going as he pleases? Let me tell you, he'll sign the divorce papers today, whether he likes it or not."

Zhang Yueniang went over and helped her mother up, wiping away her tears with her hand. She then yelled at her mother-in-law, who kept kowtowing to her and cursing her to die, "You are Yaya's grandmother, so I'll call you 'mother' one last time. Let's get up and discuss this properly. This divorce is a done deal. You'd better have your son sign the papers, otherwise I will expose your affair with your father-in-law to the public. Let's see how you manage to live in the village then."

After hearing her threat, the old woman didn't take it seriously and a triumphant smile appeared on her lips as she continued to kowtow.

Their loud argument attracted a crowd of onlookers, who pointed and whispered. This was exactly the effect she wanted—to force Zhang Yueniang back to serve her son properly.

Although Zhang Yueniang was not a widow who could give birth to a son, she was skillful and could do many things, which could also help supplement the family income.

Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, especially the Zhu family woman who had previously ruined her marriage and who didn't get along with the villagers, Zhang Yueniang noticed that they were whispering among themselves. Being a loudmouth, the words she spoke were distorted several times over.

Not wanting her parents and younger brother to be hurt by gossip, she went over and pulled them forcefully: "You old hag, don't think I don't have evidence. I know where you put the things that old widower gave you, and the things you swindled from his family. Also, your father-in-law and aunt have an illicit affair, and your uncle has been a cuckold for years. If I expose this, I'll see if you still have the face to live in the village."

After delivering it, she took something out of her pocket and waved it in front of her: "You old hag, look what this is?"

Dazhu's mother saw her waving the thing in her hand, and her face immediately changed: "How did you get this thing? Where did you get it? How much have you stolen from my house? Not only did you steal silver before, but you also stole these things. You're a thief! Hand it over right now!"

After saying that, she tried to snatch the things, but Zhang Yueniang put them away herself and looked at her smugly. She had been too cowardly before, letting others bully her, but she wouldn't do it this time.

Dazhu's mother grabbed her leg and looked at her fiercely: "Either give it to me, or I'll keep you waiting today and let the neighbors see what kind of people your family is."

Seeing her mother covered in mud, Zhang Yueniang took out a handkerchief and slowly wiped it clean for her.

Dazhu's mother was so anxious that she almost stomped a hole in the ground: "Are you going to give it to me or not? Otherwise, I'll shout that you've been caught cheating on your husband and that you've had no face to come back to your parents' home."

Zhang Yueniang said to Xu Chaoyan, "Please keep a close eye on my mother."

She walked over and stopped a step away: "Old woman, will you sign the divorce papers?"

"Pah! You're still a ghost in my family even if you die. You have to come back with me today and pay back the money."

Zhang Yueniang forced a smile and whispered to her, "Your son's birthday was originally in June, but you insisted it was in August. Your husband was away from home at that time, and you lied to him that he had a premature birth. You should know the truth of that, right?"

Dazhu's mother turned pale and her body became weak. She pointed at her and stammered for a long time, unable to speak.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" But her words came out weakly, and her eyes became somewhat unfocused.

Xu Chaoyan saw everything clearly from the side. She didn't hear what the two said, but she did see that the old woman's face looked bad.

Zhang Yueniang just watched her and let her make her own decision.

The women were shivering from the cold, jumping up and down and complaining, "Sisters-in-law, can you hurry up? It's been so long, we haven't even had a bowl of hot water yet. Hurry up, I have a ton of things to do at home!"

They didn't want to come in the first place, but their older brother kept urging them, and seeing their nephew's miserable state, they were so angry that they impulsively came over.

I know my sister-in-law's character perfectly well.