Chapter 140 : A Child Bride

Su Xieqiu asked them, “Aunt, does Han Dejiang often beat his wife? And doesn’t her family care? Why do they let their daughter be bullied like this?”  

Su Xieqiu thought to herself that if someone beat her daughter like that in the future, she would definitely find a way to kill the person.  

Aunt Qiuye sighed. “Shulian came here with her parents to escape the famine, but when they arrived, her parents died. She was only six years old at the time, and the old Han family took her in as a child bride.”  

“Han Dejiang’s mother was very cruel. She would either beat or scold Shulian, and sometimes even deny her food. When Shulian turned sixteen, she was forced to consummate her marriage with Han Dejiang.”  

“So that’s what happened,” Su Xieqiu said, shaking her head in disgust. “That beast, Han Dejiang, dared to beat his wife like this. It turns out he’s been bullying her because she has no one to back her up. He’s worse than pigs and dogs.”  

“That beast not only beats his wife, but he’s also having an affair with that shameless widow Liu. He listens to everything she says. He’s taken all the food from his own house and brought it to that woman’s home.”  

“He’s raised her children to be plump and healthy, while his own kids are skinny and neglected. Daniu, who’s already 11 years old, is still shorter than other kids his age. It’s heartbreaking.”  

Aunt Aihua clenched her teeth in anger. “Zhenyu’s wife, do you think this is something a human would do? Comparing him to pigs and dogs is an insult to animals.”  

Su Xieqiu was stunned. Thinking about the sneaky woman they had seen earlier, she suddenly understood.  

“Aunt, the Widow Liu you’re talking about, is she the woman we saw earlier?”  

“That woman, she was so unlucky that she killed her husband. Now, she shamelessly sleeps with other men. She hooked up with Han Dejiang a few years ago and has been controlling him ever since. He neglects his own family and works for that woman all day. Anything good he has, he takes to her house, leaving Shulian and the children to suffer.”  

Aunt Qiuye and Aunt Aihua were both speaking up for Wang Shulian, but as outsiders, they felt it was inappropriate to get too involved in someone else’s family matters.  

Su Xieqiu asked, “What about Han Dejiang’s parents? Even if they don’t like their daughter-in-law, the grandson is still their own, right? How can they just watch their son raise another woman’s children while their own grandson starves?”  

“Han Dejiang’s father passed away a long time ago, and his mother died a few years ago. He has a younger sister and brother, but they are both married and rarely have contact with him.”  

Aunt Qiuye didn’t mention that after Han Dejiang’s younger brother learned of his actions, he tried to persuade him.  

He had been raised by Wang Shulian and still felt some gratitude toward her. However, his wife forbade him from getting involved, and as he had no blood relation to Shulian, he chose to remain silent.  

Su Xieqiu sighed helplessly. Life was hard for women in this era, especially for those who had no support from their own families.  

If a woman married a man like Han Dejiang, it would be like jumping into a fire pit, her life would be ruined.  

Although gender equality is promoted nowadays, how many people actually practice it? Even in the 21st century, women in backward rural areas are still a vulnerable group.  

Su Xieqiu left Aunt Qiuye’s house with her two children. As they passed by Han Dejiang’s house, they could still hear him cursing.  

She felt a bit heavy-hearted and walked slowly, holding one child in her hand and carrying the pickles and soybean paste that Aunt Qiuye and Aunt Aihua had given her on her back.  

“Aunt Su, what’s wrong with you?”  

Chenchen’s voice broke her out of her thoughts.

Su Xieqiu laughed at herself. She had just figured out how to live her own life, and now she was worrying about others. She realized she was truly worrying for no reason.

She smiled and shook her head, then said to Chenchen, “Chenchen, let’s go home and practice martial arts. Let An an learn with you, so that others won’t bully her in the future.”

“Okay, okay!” Chenchen felt a great sense of accomplishment when talking about practicing martial arts.

He straightened his chest and said confidently, “Aunt Su, I will teach you a new move today, and you will never lose when you fight with others in the future.”

Su Xieqiu raised her eyebrows and said proudly, “Chenchen, don’t underestimate Aunt Su. I have never lost a fight.”

Chenchen nodded repeatedly in admiration. “Yeah, Aunt Su is the best. Once you learn my trick, you’ll be even more powerful.”

Su Xieqiu found it very funny to hear this boy complimenting her like that.

Suddenly, An an put her hands on her waist, glared, and said fiercely “Beat…beat him to death, grab his hair…slap his face…”

Su Xieqiu and Chenchen stared at her in amazement.

After a moment, Chenchen pointed at An an and said to Su Xieqiu, “Aunt Su, An an must have learned this from you.”

“…………”

Su Xieqiu smiled awkwardly, still feeling a little guilty.

She wanted to say that An an didn’t learn this from her, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to say it.

An an had been so well-behaved and gentle when she arrived. Although she is still well-behaved now, the tone and posture she just displayed are definitely more like how one would act when fighting.

Sigh, the child has only been here for a little over a month, and she hasn’t learned anything else, but she has learned how to fight. How will I explain this to other people’s parents in the future?

Su Xieqiu thought, it seems I need to be more careful from now on.

Even if we fight, we can’t do it in front of the children. It will have a very bad influence.

“Goudan, are you eating?” Chenchen saw his little friend holding a big bowl and squatting at the door eating. He happily ran over to say hello.

Who knew that Goudan just snorted, turned his head, and completely ignored him.

Chenchen immediately reacted and quickly changed the subject, “Han Jun, are you eating?”

“Yeah.” Xiao Gou Dan turned around and greeted Su Xieqiu first, then smiled at Chenchen. “Where did you go? We’re going to pick beans in the field this afternoon, do you want to come?”

Chenchen really wanted to go with his friend, but then he remembered that he had promised to teach Aunt Su martial arts in the afternoon. He shook his head in disappointment.

Su Xieqiu saw that he wanted to play with Goudan, so she smiled and patted his head. “Go if you want, but don’t overdo it. An an and I will come to pick you up at the field this afternoon.”

Chenchen hesitated and said, “But I promised Aunt Su that I would teach you martial arts.”

“It’s okay, there’s no rush. We can practice slowly later.”

Chenchen smiled and nodded, then happily said to Goudan, “Han Jun, I will go with you.”

“Okay, my grandma said she would fry all the beans I pick for me. The fried beans are crispy, fragrant, and delicious!” GouDan said while slurping his saliva.

“Can I bring back the beans I pick?” Chenchen asked him.

“Of course!” Goudan whispered to him, “My grandma said that we are kids, so as long as we don’t pick too many, no one will say anything. Many children went to pick beans, and even the captain’s son is going with us.”

Su Xieqiu looked at them with amusement as they whispered mysteriously.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think they were discussing something important.

Picking beans felt like a secret spy meeting.