Mrs. Zheng was holding her daughter in the crowd, her face full of confusion. Only the Lin family present was the one who later settled in Lianhua Village and had no knowledge of what happened back then.
Xiangyun blinked his big eyes and pricked up his ears to listen to the comments of the people around him.
"Aunt Ge, do you want to kill your relatives out of justice? That is your biological son who was conceived in ten months!"
"Who says it's not the case? When the girl from the Ge family gave birth to a baby at an advanced age, she gave birth to a baby for two days and two nights, costing her half her life. She usually looks like a precious baby, but she was willing to let her son suffer?"
"Having a spoiled child is like killing a child. Aunt Ge has obviously figured out that Ding Maoshan made a big mistake this time. If he doesn't teach him a lesson, how can he have a long memory?"
"I remember that the man who had an affair was beaten with thirty sticks and was paralyzed in bed for three years. His family thought it was unlucky. When he died, his body was covered with maggots. The woman was even worse. Her husband's family beat the child out. If my mother-in-law hadn't taken it back because she couldn't stand it anymore, the grass on the grave would have been several feet tall!"
The more the villagers talked, the weaker Widow Qian's hands and feet became, and finally she collapsed on the ground.
Why is it different from what she thought?
People in the village don't care anymore, Ding Maoshan's mother ran out to disrupt the situation?
She just wanted to live a good life and have a man to rely on, but why was it so difficult?
Why don't either of them want to make her feel better?
After Uncle Yu discussed it with several elders, he still took the old village chief's face into consideration and did not act harshly.
After all, the Ding family only has one son. If they really want to fight for good or bad, they will not know how to explain it to the public even if they die.
In the end, it was decided that Ding Maoshan should be punished with twenty sticks, the child in Widow Qian's belly would be aborted, and she would be punished to wash herself in the Sanqing Temple for the rest of her life, and would not be allowed to leave the gate of the monastery for the rest of her life.
The punishment was light or severe, but no one dared to talk about the Ding family. Everyone only had respect for Aunt Ge.
Cao Tongguang personally performed the cane punishment and was supervised by Uncle Yu.
Ding Maoshan refused to cooperate at first, but Uncle Yu gave the order. Lin Laosan and several strong young men in the village worked together to hold him down on the bench.
As the wooden stick fell, the man's heart-rending roar sounded.
From cursing Widow Qian for seducing, to complaining that Qingniang doesn’t know how to be charming, to finally even cursing her own mother...
Lin Laosan couldn't stand listening, more because he was afraid that Uncle Yu would be punished even more severely if he continued.
He didn't feel sorry for Ding Maoshan, but he was afraid that Aunt Ge's only son would be beaten to death, and her life would not be easy.
He took off his shoes and stuffed them into Ding Maoshan's mouth to block more dirty words.
Xiangyun frowned in disgust. My father had sweaty feet. He wished he could smell it from three miles away every night. My mother would never let him go to bed without washing his feet.
Ding Maoshan was so painful that he couldn't care about his smelly feet. He closed his eyes and passed out.
Aunt Ge covered her ears the whole time and turned her back, not daring to take a look, but her son's painful shouts still reached her ears.
She didn't dare to cry until the sound of the sticks stopped. She lay down next to Ding Maoshan who had passed out, crying until she was out of breath.
As soon as Ding Maoshan was carried away, Widow Qian was pressed up.
Only when she saw the adulterer being tortured with her own eyes did she realize that they were serious. She had been so frightened that her pants were wet.
Mrs. Zheng couldn't bear to let her daughter see the bloody scene, so she covered her eyes.
Xiangyun still saw the hanging widow Qian through her fingers. Considering that she still had a son who had just turned eight years old to take care of, Uncle Yu and others did not beat her abdomen with a stick, but gave her abortion pills.
In less than half a moment, Widow Qian's painful cry rang out, large stains of sweat appeared on her forehead, the thick cotton pants on her lower body were visibly red, and urine mixed with blood dripped onto the ground.
The timid women and children had already left the house, and the men had also left long ago. The only ones left were the older women and Mrs. Lin, who had been invited in just in case someone died.
When Mrs. Lin saw her granddaughter's dark eyes glaring between her fingers, she angrily said to Mrs. Zheng, "Why did you bring her to see the excitement? The child is so light-hearted, what should I do if she is frightened?"
Mrs. Zheng frowned, picked up her daughter and left quickly, as if something was chasing her behind her.
That night, when Mrs. Lin was helped back by Mrs. Lin, all the Lin family members gathered around her.
Mrs. Lin had been busy all day and couldn't drink half a drink of water. When she got home, she finally relaxed and drank two large bowls in a row.
"Ding Maoshan's injury didn't hurt any bones. He just looked at the skin and flesh. He estimated that he could get out of bed after half a year. But he was frightened and had a high fever. Even after he recovered, his health was at a loss. He couldn't even take three to five years to recover. not coming back.
The child in Widow Qian's belly was gone, but she gave birth to a male fetus. She cried so much that the villagers sent her to Sanqing Temple, where she feared she would never come out again. "
Everyone in the Lin family sighed, but no one sympathized.
Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, Yuelai Restaurant will be busy, and security patrols on the streets will be stepped up. After dinner, Zheng and Lin Laosan said goodbye to their families and headed to Liuhe Town together.
Mrs. Lin held her granddaughter and walked towards the banker's house.
The door to the Zhuang's small courtyard was open, and Qingniang was sitting in the courtyard burning something.
There were mandarin ducks playing in the water, a hijab, a red wedding dress... In the firelight, Qing Niang's face was calm and calm, without any trace of sadness, and her whole body revealed a sense of relief.
Seeing Mrs. Lin come in, she hurriedly stood up and hugged Xiangyun: "Why are you here, aunt? Come in and sit down."
Aunt Zhuang heard the noise in the house and hurriedly went out to welcome her grandfather and grandson in.
Mrs. Lin briefly explained the current situation of Ding Maoshan and Ding Maoshan, explained the reason for coming tonight, and explained that the swelling on Qing Niang's face was not due to poisoning, but because she was allergic to the juice of cat's eye grass.
"That day, Abao wet his hands with cat's eye grass juice and applied it on Qingniang's face. When you came to me for treatment, I knew how to deal with it.
But I had selfish motives and wanted to help Qing Niang. If Ding Maoshan saw that she was disfigured and broke off the engagement, it would be a good thing for the child. I didn’t discuss it with you and made you worry. It’s my fault. I hope you will No wonder. "
After Mrs. Lin finished speaking, she lowered her head and glanced at her granddaughter who was happily playing with tearing leaves in her arms. She helped her cover up for the countless times.
Aunt Zhuang was so happy that her daughter's face was restored and she got rid of uncles like Ding Maoshan. She wanted to kneel down and kowtow to Mrs. Lin, how could she blame her.
Qingniang didn't wipe the cat's eye grass off her face immediately. Her face healed as soon as something happened to the Ding family. It was inevitable that some people would suspect that she did it on purpose.
Anyway, people in the village now think that she is disfigured, and she is not afraid of people's comments. Sometimes when she sees the pitiful and pity eyes of the villagers, she feels a strange feeling of enjoyment in her heart.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, the town of Liuhe was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and many people from the surrounding villages rushed to watch the excitement.
Xiangyun had dinner early and rushed to town with Mr. Lin, his wife and Lin Silang.
The busiest place this year is the Yuelai Restaurant, which extends from the street corner to the private rooms on the third floor. It is covered with lanterns of various colors. From a distance, it looks like a long queue.
The dragon and lion dance team was even more lively. They kept playing in front of the restaurant, attracting passing tourists.
A stage was set up at the door, and a separate area was set aside for guessing lantern riddles. It is said that this year's lantern riddles at Yuelai Restaurant were created by students from Liuheguan Academy.
Many literati booked private rooms at the Yuelai Restaurant early to drink and make fuss with their friends. When the windows were opened, there was a noisy lantern riddle party underneath.
Jin Manniang made a big deal, and everyone who participated in guessing the lantern riddles, regardless of whether they could answer it or not, would be given a bowl of red beans and Lantern Festival in the store. If they could guess the lantern riddles, they would be given generous gifts.
Many people said that Shopkeeper Jin was rich and powerful, while others said that she was burning too much money. Everyone in the town was given a bowl of Lantern Festival, and people from the town came in droves, hoping to deprive her of poverty.
Shopkeeper Jin looked at Wuyang Wuyang's customers entering the store, grinning from the corner of her mouth to the back of her ears. When she stepped into her Yuelai door, she wanted to just drink a bowl of red bean yuanxiao and leave, but it was impossible!
Sure enough, all the customers who walked into the store initially thought of taking advantage, but in the end they were dizzy and drooled by the smell of rice wafting out.
Looking at the diners on the next table with their mouths full of food and shaking their heads, the charming landlady, the eloquent waiter, and the fresh dishes hanging on the wall that you have never heard of before, no matter how hard you want to leave, you can't lose your temper.
What's more important is that who doesn't want to compensate for the five internal organs temple that has suffered for a year during this rare festive festival.
In the kitchen, the helpers were so busy that Zheng's pots and shovels were smoking.
Jin Manniang walked in holding her waist, with a pleasant smile on her face: "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. When this period is over, I will give you red envelopes."
Everyone who originally felt so tired that they could not straighten their backs seemed to have gained more energy after hearing this, and their work became more efficient.
Xiangyun and Lin Silang came to the store at this time. Jin Manniang wanted to leave a few people to the private room to rest, but the Lin family politely declined, not wanting to cause any trouble to Zheng.
Although the price of Yuelai is close to the people and is more reasonable and affordable than Xiangmanlou, it is not something that the Lin family is willing to spend.
When Jin Manniang saw that several people were about to leave, she packed two bags of snacks and hung them on the pocket of Xiangyun's coat. She touched her lush little head and suddenly felt that the palm of her hand was so soft that it was as easy to touch as the civet cat she kept.
At the other end of the lantern riddle party, it has reached the most lively stage tonight. When the tourists heard about the prizes, they clapped their hands and applauded, and the scene was unprecedentedly grand.
Xiangyun couldn't help but crane his neck and look over. He couldn't see anything about the black head, and his mouth was flat, a little unhappy.
Lin Silang also stood on tiptoes to watch, but he was still growing taller, and there were a few big men standing in front of him, blocking him tightly.
Fortunately, the two of them squeezed onto a slightly higher fence, where they could clearly see the colorful lanterns and banners underneath.
The highlight of tonight's lantern riddle party is a lion dance lantern with exquisite design and unique shape. It is said that there are lantern riddles inside it that were personally ordered by the headmaster of Liuheguan Academy.
What makes the young people below eager to try is the prize for guessing the lantern riddles correctly - admission to Liuheguan Academy without taking the exam.
Lin Shiro didn't know the weight of the prize at first, but he only thought the lion dance lantern was powerful and domineering.
Xiangyun was also unable to take his eyes away when he saw how exquisite the lanterns were.
It wasn't until people around them started talking about it that they realized that the lantern was nothing compared to the prize.
"I'll guess, I'll guess, don't compete with me, I'll be waiting at the door before dark."
"There is no first-come, first-served basis for this. The opportunity is in front of you. Whoever guesses it gets it."
"If I hadn't been sick and missed the exam last year, I wouldn't be here competing with you for a spot."
The young man who spoke was fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing an indigo robe that looked mature, and his tone was filled with confidence that he was determined to win.
The high morale of everyone actually inspired Lin Silang.
When Xiangyun saw his fourth uncle's shining eyes, he remembered that his family had been worrying about his studies. He originally planned to wait until the New Year to go to several academies in the town to see which one was willing to recruit his fourth uncle.
I didn’t expect that there was a ready opportunity right in front of me.
It was something they had never dared to think about before, the best within a hundred miles, Liuheguan Academy.
With the sound of gongs and drums, the noisy atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
A long red couplet spit out from the mouth of the lion dance lantern and unfolded on a wall two people high, and the riddle was revealed in front of everyone.
"I've traveled thousands of miles without missing home. I'm not greedy for food or wine. I'm not afraid of water, fire, swords or guns. I won't see him when the sun goes down."
"It is rare for people with destiny to have endless merits and not have luck. Why are there so many chaos in the city? It's just because the numbers of yin and yang are different."
