Chapter 304

The crowd looked towards Shuiqing.

The old village chief pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Li Wu shouted, “Since it’s feasible, let’s gather firewood and clean up the place!”

With many people, cleaning up was fast, and so was gathering firewood. Even if it didn’t work out later, it would only delay them a bit. It wasn’t a big deal since they didn’t have much else to do; time was their most abundant resource.

As Li Wu finished speaking, some men immediately responded, getting ready to start.

“Wait!” Fan Qian shouted, stepping forward, squinting at Hu Shuiqing and asking, “Where did you learn about this?”

The old village chief and us men didn’t know, not even my second brother who’s a scholar. How did you know?”

The men around them all looked at Shuiqing with curiosity.

Yes, it was normal for them not to know, as they couldn’t read. But Fan Jin was a scholar. Didn’t scholars know everything from books? How did Fan Jin not know, but Hu Shuiqing did?

Fan Dazhu looked towards their aunt.

They vaguely felt that their uncle’s family lived well not because of their uncle, but because of their aunt. Ever since she hit her head, everyone in the village said their uncle’s family lived well because they had separated, but they felt that if it were the same old aunt, even if she were beaten to death, she wouldn’t dare to suggest separation.

“Yes, Auntie, tell us how you knew. Surely you’re not more knowledgeable than the old village chief or my uncle?”

“The old village chief and my uncle don’t know this. How did a woman like you know?”

“If you can’t give a reasonable explanation today, don’t blame us for taking you to see the Horse Witch.”

They wanted to see how their aunt would defend herself!

Fan Sizhu was a little confused. Why did his older brother and the others want to take their aunt to see the witch?

The Horse Witch was expensive to see, and their family had that silver?

The men looked at Fan Qian’s family again, their mouths slightly open in surprise.

Originally, they thought Fan Lao was just curious, like them. But listening to him, it didn’t seem like curiosity, but rather a long-held plan. Shuiqing grabbed Fan Jin, who was ready to explain for her, and looked straight at Fan Qian and Fan Dazhu. She calmly responded, “It’s not that I knew, it’s just that when I cook every day, those clay pots are fine simmering on charcoal. But if they heat up empty for a while and then you pour in cold water, they’ll explode. I thought stones might behave similarly, so I said it.”

“These kitchen matters, it’s normal for the head of the household, even if he’s a scholar, not to know. After all, these things aren’t written in books.”

“Does Uncle not cook? Does the old village chief not cook? And do any of the men here cook? Is it so surprising that they don’t know?”

Since she dared to say it in public, she naturally had a reason prepared.

Fan Qian and Fan Dazhu hadn’t expected such a common reason and stood dumbfounded.

Previously, at home, they had thought that as long as they caught Hu Shuiqing’s flaw, they could blame it on ghosts and monsters, and even if she didn’t die, she would lose face. They had also thought about her defense, but no matter what, as long as they firmly denied it, the villagers wouldn’t understand, and what else could she say?

They never expected that they had finally caught a flaw, Hu Shuiqing would give such a simple and straightforward reason, leaving them with no way to refute it.

They truly didn’t know about kitchen matters. Not only did they not know, but none of the men in the village knew either. Many of their homes didn’t even have clay pots, so how could they refute it?

Even if they firmly denied it, who would believe them?

The men exclaimed, suddenly realizing.

“Yeah, we men really don’t know about cooking or clay pots. How would we know about these things?”

“My family’s precious clay pot, I’m always afraid I’ll clumsily break it. It’s the only one we have, so I keep my distance. Honestly, I didn’t know about these things,” Shuiqing chuckled.

“In our house too, we have so few. So when one broke, it was really heartbreaking for me. I reflected on it, looked at where I went wrong, so I could avoid it next time.”

“Shuiqing sister-in-law, when you said that, I remembered. I once roasted potatoes for Mr. Bai in the wilderness, and I mixed stones into the fire pit. When I poured water to extinguish the fire, those stones exploded into four or five pieces! Oh dear, it was Sister-in-law Shuiqing who really used her brains. I clearly saw it, but couldn’t think of it!” exclaimed Fan Xiaoliu.

As he spoke, other men immediately recalled similar incidents.

The scene became lively and noisy.

Among the crowd, the old village chief only looked at Fan Qian.

Fan Qian, Fan Dazhu, and the others quietly stepped back, wishing they could disappear immediately. They especially wanted everyone to forget what they had just said.

The old village chief waited until the crowd quieted down, then asked Fan Qian, who was about to run away, “Young man, what did you and your father mean by your words just now? I’ve been thinking for so long and still haven’t figured it out. Now that there are so many men from the village here, why don’t you explain?”

Fan Qian and Fan Dazhu immediately became the focus of the crowd.

Fan Sizhu was still puzzled. Watching his father and three older brothers trying to come up with reasons, he couldn’t help but think that it was fortunate he hadn’t said much! Otherwise, being stared at by so many people in the village and having to explain what they meant would be so embarrassing.

Fan Qian smiled, pretending to be naive, “I just asked casually, purely out of curiosity!”

“Yes, yes, we were just curious about how Auntie Shuiqing knew.”

Fan Xiaoliu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Wait, I heard something about the Horse Witch. Who’s taking Sister-in-law Shuiqing to see the Horse Witch?”

“You misheard!” Fan Erzhu insisted.

“I heard it too!”

“So did I. Do you think we’re all deaf?”

“You’re talking nonsense. Since you’ve said it, why don’t you honestly tell us what you’re thinking?”

…

Fan Jin reached out and held Shuiqing’s hand, loudly proclaiming, “My eldest brother and three nephews certainly wouldn’t say that, nor would they honestly reveal their thoughts. They’re simply envious of our family’s good life and want to slander us.”

“Everyone believes in ghosts and gods. I dare ask my eldest brother, are you planning to use ghosts and gods to get rid of Shuiqing first, then get rid of me, and afterward control a few nephews and nieces to seize my property? Yes or no?”

The men’s gazes towards Fan Qian’s family changed.

Initially, they thought the two families just had a bad relationship, which was normal. Among blood brothers, there were those who supported each other harmoniously and those who were more enemies than enemies. Fan Qian and Fan Jin’s families were far from the latter, just a bit of discord. There was nothing surprising about that.

But after what just happened, they realized this wasn’t just discord; it was outright hostility. It wasn’t just about life and death; it was about plotting for property!

Fan Qian’s face turned pale.