âThatâs right, after I chopped the bamboo, I dumped it directly at the entrance of the Wang familyâs yard, then punched Aunt Qi right in the face as soon as I walked in. Wang Daâan tried to stop me, but I beat him good too.â Xiao Yuchuan admitted candidly, âThose two in the Wang family, I was the one who hit them. I wanted to beat them up before I went up the mountain to chop bamboo, knowing they were coming to stir things up. And so, I figured Iâd save it for after, to save them the disappointment of not finding me at home.â
Wang Daâan had barely recovered from the beating administered by Xiao Yuchuan, but struggled to reply, âXiao Yuchuan, youâve gone too far. You canât just go around thumping people and act so arrogantly!â
âMe? Arrogant?â He snorted coldly, âYour mother bullied my wife. The least I could do is tear down your house. Consider yourself lucky itâs still standing!â
âYou!â Wang Daâan was so furious he wanted to lay hands on him, but remembering he was no match for Chuan, he dared not lift a finger. Wang Daâan had always been one to pick fights around the village, which made his mother bold enough to offend people. Little did they know Chuan had never been one to fight, but since Su Qingyue became part of the Xiao Family, heâs fought a few times for her and hasnât met his match yet. Daâan retorted, âHow has my mother bullied your wife? Your wife is the one having an affair!â
âHow dare you spout nonsense!â Xiao Yuchuan was ready to swing his bamboo-cutting hatchet at Wang Daâan.
His face turned white with fear, Wang Daâan scrambled away and continued to accuse Xiao Yuchuan from behind the crowd, âYour wife is an adulteress! The Xiao Family harbors a cheat like her, dishonoring all the men in the village!â
âWang Daâan, your mouth stinks just like your motherâs, spewing nonsense! I ought to chop you to pieces!â Xiao Yuchuan yelled, his face livid with anger as he lunged at Wang Daâan with his hatchet, âIf all the wives in the village were to ever cheat, my wife would be the last one to do so!â
Those who had gathered to enjoy the spectacle quickly scattered lest they became collateral damage in Xiao Yuchuanâs rampage.
Aunt Qi, in fear, slapped her thighs and started yelling. âThereâs gonna be a murder! Someone stop him! Stop him!â
Wang Xuemei, Aunt Qiâs daughter, was scared to death, âIsnât there anyone whoâs going to do anythingâ¦â
Xiao Yishan shouted, âThird Brother, calm down!â
âSecond Brother, youâre not standing up for your wife, and youâre not beating the shit out of the Wangs either. Yet, youâre telling me to calm down. Does my wife deserve all this injustice in our house?â Xiao Yuchuan was having none of it.
Xiao Yishanâs face darkened.
Aunt Zhang, who was known for her fair judgement, had arrived too. She hurriedly walked over to Su Qingyue and said, âQingyue, persuade Chuan. Donât let him escalate this any further. Eventually, this will all come down to clearing things up. The whole village is talking about youâ¦I donât want the villagers to misunderstand you. I know youâre not that kind of woman.â
In deference to Aunt Zhang, Qingyue spoke up in a quiet voice. âThird Brother, let it be.â
Only when Xiao Yuchuan heard his wifeâs words did he calm down. With fury still etched on his face, he dropped his hatchet aside. His icy gaze swept over the gathered crowd, âPay attention. Anyone who dares to insult my wife again will feel my blade!â
Everyone in the crowd was terrified and kept silent, their faces pale.
But inevitably, there was one who didnât fear death, Ding Er said, âChuan, even if we donât speak up in front of you, weâll still talk behind your back. What are we to do when your wifeâ¦â
He threw a glance at Su Qingyue and then shook his head meaningfully.
The crowd also looked at Su Qingyue scornfully, having believed that she had cheated.
With no expression on her face, Su Qingyue said, âLi Gui and I have nothing going on.â
âJust because you say thereâs nothing, thereâs nothing?â Aunt Qi asked. âI saw you with Li Gui alone early in the morning.â
Despite her slurred speech, her words were clear enough for everyone to understand.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Aunt Qiâs daughter, Wang Xuemei, then added, âWe are all reasonable people. My mother is speaking about what she has witnessed. Wife of Xiao family, a married woman like you were with a bachelor like Li Gui so early in the morning⦠How are we supposed to believe you?â