Chapter 22: No One Ever Complains About Too Much Excitement

In March, with the busy farming season just over, the villagers finally had some time to relax.

When they saw Cao Jia Dala (Cao Family’s eldest son) leading the village chief and Lizheng (local head) towards the Cao family’s compound, the villagers would greet the two leaders respectfully.

Caojia Village was not that big, and everyone knew each other. Naturally, they recognized Cao Jia Dala. Many villagers knew that Cao Jia Silang (Cao Family’s fourth son) had been sent back home after an accident. They hadn’t heard any news about him for days. Now that Cao Jia Dala was inviting the village chief and Lizheng to his home, people couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened to the Cao family.

“Cao Jia Dala, what are you bringing the village chief and Lizheng over for? Has something happened at home?” Someone asked, feigning concern.

The villagers were well aware of what kind of person Chen Amo (Mother Chen) was. Only a few families in the village lived in brick houses with tiled roofs, and the Cao family was considered relatively well-off. Furthermore, Cao Jia Wulang (Cao Family’s fifth son) had passed the Tong Sheng exam (the lowest level of the imperial examination system), becoming a scholar. Naturally, Chen Amo looked down on the villagers, as if she were afraid they would come to the Cao family’s compound to borrow money or grain. The villagers knew this, so very few people ever set foot in the Cao family’s compound.

Normally, everyone in the village would care when something happened to a family. But now that Cao Jia Silang was bedridden, even though many people knew about it, no one went to the Cao family’s compound to visit him.

“No…no, nothing’s wrong,” Cao Fugui stammered when people asked about his family’s affairs.

His evasive and hesitant manner only fueled everyone’s suspicions. Some, emboldened by curiosity, followed him with a smile. So, along the way, the curious and idle trailed behind.

Sun Bailian, who was feeding chickens in the fenced yard, saw Cao Fugui leading the village chief and Lizheng towards their Cao family compound, followed by a large group of people. He knew something must have happened to the Cao family. Worried about Qi Wanfeng (Protagonist’s name), he rushed out without even washing his hands, joining the crowd.

Cao Gang, who was carving wood in the yard, saw his wife running off without a word. He glanced back at the children inside the house and silently stayed home to take care of them.

“What are you all following them for? Did something happen at the Cao family’s place?”

“I don’t know. I just saw everyone following and came along to see what’s going on.”

Unable to get any clear answers from others, Sun Bailian had no choice but to follow the crowd towards the Cao family’s compound. Knowing that his husband was at home taking care of the children, he didn’t worry about them.

Sun Bailian and Qi Wanfeng were close friends. He was well aware of Chen Amo’s personality and knew that Qi Wanfeng’s life in the Cao family was not easy. However, he could only help Qi Wanfeng so much, as it was someone else’s family affair and not easy to interfere with.

He knew that Cao Jia Silang had been in an accident, and what he hated most was that Chen Zhu (Chen Amo’s given name) wouldn’t even pay for a doctor. The village’s old doctor was his third grandfather. Sun Bailian knew that Chen Amo had only invited his third grandfather to the Cao family’s compound once, and then again the day before yesterday. Qi Wanfeng had to secretly use his own hidden money to buy medicine. He had even helped Qi Wanfeng fetch medicine before. Just thinking about it made him feel that Chen Zhu, that old hag, was truly despicable.

Back at the house, Cao Fugui was anxious when he saw a large crowd following him, but he couldn’t bring himself to chase them away. The people who followed didn’t enter the Cao family’s compound but stood at the gate. Sun Bailian squeezed through the crowd from the back, getting to the front row to secure a good spot.

He immediately saw Qi Wanfeng and Cao Jia Silang sitting in the yard. Sun Bailian glared at Chen Zhu with resentment, thinking that this old hag must have been behind it all.