Font Size:
Jiang Chunhe: “…”
“You’re lying! You’re the one who hit me!” Jiang Chunhe shouted.
“I didn’t…” Jiang Mixia’s head shook vigorously, tears streaming down her face. “Even if I were stronger, I couldn’t beat you, Brother.”
She’s seriously spouting nonsense!
Jiang Chunhe was beside himself with rage. “Uncle Zheng, don’t believe her. She’s the one who caused these injuries on me, and she snatched the rabbits from me.”
“I didn’t hit him. I used a machete to catch the rabbits,” Jiang Mixia defended herself.
“Both of you, stop arguing,” Jiang Zhengxin shouted, then looked around and lifted the two rabbits. In a loud voice, he said, “I’ve examined them. There are clear machete marks on these rabbits, indicating they were killed by a machete.”
“Chunhe, if you claim you chased these rabbits, did anyone else witness it?”
“No…” Jiang Chunhe shook his head.
“Then, about Mixia hitting you, did anyone else see that?” Jiang Zhengxin inquired again.
“No…” Jiang Chunhe shook his head again, but added, “Mixia hit me when there was no one around!”
“Did you see Mixia hit Chunhe?” Jiang Zhengxin asked Song Jingyun.
“No, my wife didn’t hit anyone. It was my brother who wanted our rabbits. When we refused, he threatened us,” Song Jingyun replied in a low voice, sounding timid and even teary-eyed.
“He’s making it up. They’re all the same, their words aren’t trustworthy,” Jiang Chunhe shouted again.
“Their words aren’t trustworthy, but yours are?” Jiang Zhengxin retorted. “No one else saw what happened, so why should we believe your words over theirs?”
“I see you’re up to your old tricks again. You can’t catch any prey, so you envy others and resort to scheming, even trying to steal from your own cousin. Shameless!”
This wasn’t the first time Jiang Chunhe had pulled such a stunt. Once, while hunting with others, when someone else shot a wild boar, he claimed to have driven it out and demanded a share. Fortunately, someone witnessed the truth and provided evidence, setting the record straight. However, because of Jiang Chunhe’s actions, the reputation of the Jiang family suffered in nearby villages, leading hunters to avoid encountering anyone from the Jiang family. This infuriated Jiang Zhengxin.
Now, he was attempting to steal someone else’s rabbits, and he had become even more cunning, specifically choosing moments when no one was around to steal.
He beat himself up so badly just to frame the third household! If Jiang Chunhe isn’t properly disciplined, he’ll become a scourge to the entire Jiang family village!
The more Jiang Zhengxin thought about it, the angrier he became. His voice rose, “You all have sharp eyes and clear minds. You know exactly what happened today, so I won’t say more.”
He then comforted Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun, “You’ve been wronged. Stop crying and go home with these things. Your parents are probably worried sick.”
After consoling Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun, Jiang Zhengxin turned to Jiang Chunhe and unleashed a tirade, “You haven’t corrected your past mistakes, and now you’ve gone even further!”
“Go kneel at the entrance of the ancestral hall for half a day, until the sun sets! During that time, no one is to bring you food!”
He gave the rabbits to Jiang Mixia, but suffered a beating for nothing, and now he was being punished to kneel at the ancestral hall during daylight…
Jiang Chunhe, dumbfounded, got up from the ground. “This isn’t fair!”
“Add another hour!”
Jiang Chunhe: “…”
The turmoil finally settled with the final resolution.
Jiang Zhengxin took Jiang Chunhe to kneel at the ancestral hall, while Jiang Mixia, accompanied by Song Jingyun, pulled the handcart and carried the rabbits home.
They kept their heads down all the way. She was afraid that if she looked up, others might see the suppressed smile on her face.
On the way, they encountered Jiang Youcheng, Liu Shi, and Jiang Chushi, all hurrying towards them.
“Xia, are you okay?” Liu Shi embraced Jiang Mixia, concerned. “Did Jiang Chunhe hit you? Where did he hit you? Let me see.”
With many onlookers around, Jiang Mixia couldn’t reveal the truth. She sniffled, “Uncle Zheng has taken care of it for me and Jingyun. He punished my brother to kneel at the ancestral hall. Let’s talk more at home.”
Her family was surely distraught to hear that she had been bullied by Jiang Chunhe.
Liu Shi and Jiang Youcheng nodded in agreement, “Yes, let’s head home first.”
After taking the handcart, they made their way back home.
Once there, Jiang Mixia explained everything in detail.
“Jiang Chunhe, not even sparing the rabbits in our own courtyard, is truly despicable. He deserves to be punished for getting into a fight!” Jiang Youcheng fumed, “Xia showed her wit this time, hitting him back and then letting Uncle Zheng take care of it. This time, he’s been made to kneel, let’s see if he learns his lesson!”
“But if anything like this happens again, don’t handle it yourself. Come back and tell me, I’ll deal with him!” Jiang Chushi added.
Jiang Chunhe was a big and strong man, while Jiang Mixia, despite having some strength, was still a young girl and not particularly robust. They were understandably reluctant to risk a physical confrontation.
“I understand,” Jiang Mixia reassured them, feeling confident. She didn’t say much in response to her family’s concerns.
It was already noon, and Liu Shi hurried to prepare lunch. With time running short, they decided to postpone skinning and cleaning the rabbits until the afternoon and opted to have flatbread noodles for lunch.
This time, the flatbread noodles were made with a mix of white flour and even included a bit of minced meat.
They didn’t indulge in braised pork every day, but the children loved meat. Given the recent windfall, Jiang Youcheng heeded Liu Shi’s advice and brought back some more meat, which he salted and hung up. When it was time to eat, they would cut off a bit, mix some minced meat into the soup, and savor the delicious flavor.
However, Song Jingyun couldn’t fully enjoy the meal. His mind was preoccupied with those two rabbits.
By the afternoon, Jiang Youcheng found some time to prepare the rabbits. He skinned and cleaned them, chopped them into pieces, and stewed them in a pot early on.
Rabbit meat needed to be slow-cooked over low heat to become tender. As the sun began to set in the west, the aroma of stewed rabbit meat wafted from Jiang Mixia’s courtyard.
Song Jingyun couldn’t help but glance at the kitchen occasionally, his mouth watering.
Jiang Mixia couldn’t resist taking a deep breath too.
When they were alone, Jiang Mixia nudged Song Jingyun, “You did well today, and your words were excellent.”
Especially with his expression and tone, he could easily rival her.
In modern society, with Song Jingyun’s delicate appearance and acting skills at the time, he would definitely be a popular idol!
Pleased with the praise, Song Jingyun chuckled.
Jiang Mixia had mentioned that as a son-in-law, he must listen to his wife, consider the family’s well-being, and he had always remembered that, not daring to make mistakes.
However…