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Mrs. Gao saw Chen Feng’s widened eyes and flushed face, realizing she was about to fight. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly set the basin down and ran towards the village. She knew that in a fight, the second wife’s only hope was Chen Feng, and even with the help of her own husband and father-in-law, they wouldn’t stand a chance against those families.
The trio, deeply engrossed in their discussion, were unaware of the newcomer and continued their gossip.
Standing behind the three women, Chen Feng heard one, who was in her thirties, speaking somewhat reasonably, while the other two were making a mockery of Mrs. Wang.
Muttering curses under her breath, Chen Feng exclaimed, “You two foul-mouthed hags, how dare you slander others. I’ll show you!”
She swiftly struck the woman speaking and mocking her mother, reducing the enemy count by one.
The remaining two were women in their forties who enjoyed gossiping around the village. When they heard that Chen, who was from the neighboring town, had been appointed as the magistrate, they were elated, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. This was not only a joyous occasion for Zhaojia Village in Fenglin Town but for the entire Sanqing County.
While people were proud of Mr. Chen’s appointment as the magistrate, they felt that Mrs. Wang, his wife, was an eyesore. A woman who was envious and later married twice. Now, the villagers were discussing this matter, and the gossipy women in the village were particularly vocal.
The two gossiping women were squatting by the stream, loudly discussing matters, when suddenly, a menacing voice was heard behind them. Before they could react, each was struck with a stick and then shoved and pushed, landing both of them in the stream.
Chen Feng had only pushed one of them and was about to push the other when Zhui Feng shoved the second woman into the stream.
This part of the stream was shallow, with the water level only reaching knee-high, so there was no risk of them drowning.
The two women crawled in the water, the stones on the riverbed causing excruciating pain, while the icy water made it even more unbearable. As they tried to stand up, one of them was repeatedly struck with a wooden stick on her back, and the other, pressed down by Zhui Feng, couldn’t get up.
The sudden turn of events left the other woman dumbfounded, too frightened to intervene, shrieking for help.
Chen Feng, taking the initiative, relentlessly swung the wooden stick up and down, the sound of the strikes echoing as they landed on the soaked flesh. After hitting one person a few times, she quickly struck the other woman who was being held down by Zhui Feng, preventing both women from getting up.
She viciously cursed, “I’ll teach you not to gossip and slander, to mind your tongue, I’ll beat you to death, you wretched women…”
The two women, beaten and held down by a dog, unable to stand in the slippery water, were in pain and cold, crying and begging for mercy.
Onlookers began to gather to witness the commotion. As the women were fighting in the water, the women present hesitated to wade in, and the men were reluctant to intervene, standing by the stream, shouting things like “Stop, it’s going to end in tragedy.”
After a while, Gao Lizheng arrived and scolded, “No one is allowed to fight! Stop it!” Then, pointing at several older, sturdy women, he said, “Go and pull them to the bank. What kind of behavior is this?”
Chen Feng and the others were forcefully pulled to the bank by the women.
Chen Feng’s shoes were filled with water, and her skirt was wet below the knees, but her upper body remained dry, with only a few splashes of water. She was extremely enraged at this point and didn’t feel the cold too much.
As for the two women, they were soaked through, their figures fully exposed. One of them had a loose belt, looking disheveled. Not to mention the bruises that were unseen, in addition to the injuries from the stones under the water. They were in pain and humiliation, sitting on the ground, wailing loudly.
At this moment, both the Chen family and the families of the two women arrived. The two families had around thirty people, with over ten of them carrying shovels, hoes, and clubs, glaring at Chen Feng with hostility, shouting and cursing, eager to rush forward and attack her, expressing a desire to harm her.
Except for Chen Ye and Chen Gui, the rest of the Chen family were elderly, weak, or disabled. Mrs. Wang held Chen Feng tightly, preventing her from rushing out. Chen Ming stood in front of them, with Grandma Chen. Chen Lan was crying in fear, while Chen Ye and Chen Gui, armed with tools, positioned themselves at the forefront of the group, preparing for a potential confrontation.
Gao Lizheng stood in the middle, trying to restrain the two families, shouting, “Stay calm, no fighting. If someone gets hurt, it won’t end well…”
If a fight broke out, it wouldn’t take half an hour for the Chen family to be overpowered.
He had to protect Chen Feng, not only because he had promised Steward Luo, but also because of a secret he dared not speak aloud.
In his youth, he had seen Chen Shiying, and his wife Zhao was from Zhaojia Village. When Chen Feng was still mentally disabled, he had seen her occasionally, though her face was often dirty. Later, when she had recovered, he had seen her a few times but hadn’t thought much of it.
Just a few days ago, upon hearing that the Mr. Chen from Zhaojia Village had become the magistrate of Dingzhou Prefecture, he realized that Chen Feng bore a striking resemblance to him.
His wife had also had the same realization, and they both exclaimed, “Goodness!”
Gao Lizheng instructed his wife not to spread this information, nor to let their son’s wife know. It would only invite trouble! Above all, they couldn’t allow the magistrate’s biological daughter to encounter trouble in their village. Even though Mr. Chen’s mother didn’t acknowledge Mrs. Wang, who knew if the magistrate would acknowledge his biological daughter in the future?
He led several villagers to stand between the two groups, shouting at the top of his lungs, trying to restrain and prevent the two families from advancing.
The village carpenter, along with several Chen relatives, also arrived. They stood with Gao Lizheng, mediating between the two groups. Even Mrs. Wang was in the crowd, hopping and shouting, “A gentleman settles disputes with words, not fists. A man who strikes a woman lacks true ability…”
Seeing their own family members, the two women finally felt they could release their frustration by attacking Chen Feng. However, Gao Lizheng and the others prevented them from doing so. Feeling helpless, they sat on the ground, wailing, “Oh, we can’t go on living. We’ve been beaten by that vile woman raised by the concubine… How humiliating… What a public spectacle… Oh Lord… Just hang me with a rope…”
Their sons couldn’t bear to see their mothers in such distress. Their eyes reddened, and they rushed towards Chen Feng with their tools, pushing Gao Lizheng and the others aside.
Chen Ye and Chen Gui, wide-eyed, held their tools to block them, while Zhui Feng continued his wild howls, signaling an imminent armed confrontation.
Suddenly, a commanding shout rang out, “Stop it right now!”
Following the shout, several sturdy men armed with knives and spears appeared, followed by a dozen or so farmers wielding shovels and hoes, led by Steward Luo and his son, along with the guards and tenants from Tangyuan.