Chapter 168

Fan Erzhu, angered by the lack of response from Ding’s daughter, squatted down, picked up a large clod of mud, weighed it, and hurled it at the girl in front of him!

He wanted to teach her a lesson for ignoring them and treating their words as mere background noise.

He aimed to cover her in mud, causing her both pain and embarrassment.

Hu Wenhua, astonished that the three boys had escalated to physical aggression, reacted instinctively, rushing forward to shield the girl drying the medicinal herbs.

The anticipated pain didn’t arrive. Ding Jiajia raised her eyes abruptly.

The boy in front of her was exceptionally tall and sturdy, even more robust than a grown man.

He wore a black short-sleeved shirt, slightly too small, which stretched tightly across his broad chest, highlighting his muscular build.

Standing in front of her, his wide back completely shielded her. The large clod of mud hit him, but he didn’t even flinch, as if it were nothing.

Doesn’t he feel any pain?

For the past two or three years, these boys would come by to harass her whenever her parents weren’t home. If she avoided them, they would stay outside, cursing and damaging the herbs, only leaving when they were satisfied or when her parents returned.

Lowering her gaze, she bit her lip and softly warned, “If you help me, they’ll give you trouble.”

In the past, she had friends in the village who stood up for her, but the Fan brothers would curse and throw things at them as well, until they too left her alone.

Her mother had gone to the Fan family several times, but it only resulted in the Fan women coming over to hurl even more abuse, saying that Ding Jiajia was targeting their sons, calling it a case of “the toad wanting to eat swan meat.”

Hu Wenhua looked at the delicate girl in front of him.

He noticed she was wearing a veil, only her moist, worried eyes visible, showing concern for him.

He felt his heart skip a beat, his throat dry.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he quickly averted his gaze, turning to face the three familiar boys.

“I’ll see who dares to cause trouble with me here,” he vowed quietly, shielding the girl behind him.

The three boys recognized him and immediately stood up straight.

“…Uncle?” Though they didn’t want to acknowledge it, the habit was ingrained, and the word slipped out.

Fan Dazhu spat on the ground afterward.

Hu Wenhua was their aunt’s brother, the actual uncle to Dayu, Er, Jiang, and Hu, so they also called him uncle.

Although he was younger, Hu Wenhua’s rank was higher. In the village, seniority was highly respected—after all, even a child in diapers would address an elderly person as grandfather if the rank was reversed. So the three had to acknowledge him.

Still, being older than Hu Wenhua by a year made Fan Dazhu feel aggrieved.

They didn’t get along with their second uncle’s family, and now they had to deal with Hu Wenhua.

“Uncle, don’t help this ugly girl.”

“Don’t be fooled by her appearance outside the veil; her face underneath is covered in red bumps like a toad’s! It’s disgusting!”

“Everyone in the village hates her. Don’t get tangled up with her. She’s looking for a husband, and you’re the only son in your family. If you marry in, your parents will be devastated.”

Fan Erzhu and Fan Sanzhu chimed in, trying to persuade him.

Ding Jiajia, hidden behind Hu Wenhua’s broad back, wrung her hands nervously.

She wanted to explain that her face was no longer covered in red bumps. Her parents had told her that the bumps were normal for her age and would go away with a lighter diet.

Her face had cleared up, but she kept wearing the veil to avoid further harassment.

Yet, with Hu Wenhua facing away from her, she couldn’t explain, even if she stood on tiptoes, she couldn’t reach his ear.

Hu Wenhua’s face turned cold, “What does it matter to you if someone wants to marry in or not?”

Fan Erzhu pouted, muttering, “Good intentions are wasted on the ungrateful.”

Fan Sanzhu shouted, “You don’t know, do you? Her mother has her eyes on our family! Because she can’t have a son, she’s targeting other people’s sons!

My mom says our sons are precious and worthy of marrying high-born girls, not marrying into her family!”

Fan Dazhu maintained a posture with his hands crossed over his chest and affirmed to Hu Wenhua, “In the Fan family, I am the eldest. If I don’t marry, my younger brothers and sisters won’t be able to marry either. My mother said it herself, she supports my decision!”

Hu Wenhua heard a timid voice behind him, “No, my mother never favored them. She never intended for them to marry into our family.”

The young girl’s voice was soft and delicate, just like her.

Hu Wenhua suddenly felt even more parched in his throat.

He composed himself and said to the three of them, “Alright, what kind of virtues do you brothers have? Stop talking about ‘your mother this, your mother that’. Go home and take a look in the mirror, cough, and wash your face!”

The faces of Fan Dazhu and his two companions turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

What did he mean?

He looked down on their brothers?

In Shanshui Village, they were the only two, no, now they were the only three brick-and-tile houses! They had twenty mu of good fields, plus land and mountain forests.

The Ding family were outsiders, with no fields, no land, no mountains or forests, and only a daughter who was considered a ‘barren household’. Could they really look down on them?

The three men stood up straight, staring straight at Hu Wenhua.

Hu Wenhua wasn’t afraid at all. His hand, like a fan, clenched into a sandbag-like fist!

The muscles on his arms were strong, and his arms were thicker than their thighs.

How come they didn’t grow much, while Hu Wenhua grew taller and stronger?

Even if it was the three brothers together, they wouldn’t be a match for him, right?

Fan Dazhu swallowed hard and took a step back.

Fan Erzhu and Fan Sanzhu also involuntarily stepped back a few steps.

“Wait.” Hu Wenhua shouted.

The three didn’t want to listen, but their deep-seated fear made them stop in their tracks.

Hu Wenhua took two steps forward, exuding a terrifying momentum all over his body, “The girl’s family never even considered you. Don’t be presumptuous again. If I find out, you’ll live a life of leaks in your speech and leaks in your water-drinking from now on, understand?”

Fan Dazhu’s eyes were fierce, but he didn’t dare confront Hu Wenhua.

Otherwise, if they really fought with the elders, even if they won, no, they wouldn’t win at all!

Hu Wenhua was as sturdy as a small mountain. Who could beat him?

The three grunted and didn’t even bother with harsh words, turning around and leaving.

As they departed, the empty house was left with only Hu Wenhua and Ding Jiajia.

Hu Wenhua suddenly felt the weather was too hot, feeling a bit flushed all over his face and body.

Without turning around, his gaze could only fall on the herbs drying in front, as he awkwardly asked, “Do you like to eat pork?”

“Huh?” Ding Jiajia’s eyes widened in confusion, not understanding why he suddenly brought up this question.