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Zhao Dazhu and his wife, along with Aunt Li (Granny Zhao) and Zhao Xiaohua, were all dumbfounded. They had originally planned to blame Shen Zi’an and his wife, but how did things turn out like this?
Not only could they not shift the blame onto others, but they also had to thank them!
“You little brat! You must be lying! Is it that widow who taught you this? She wants to curry favor with the Sacred Beast and the Shen Zi’an family, so she must have taught you to say such things. It must be like that. You speak the truth quickly, lying will ruin your mouth and stomach. You little brat!”
Dazhu’s Wife saw the disdainful gazes of the bystanders, heard them scolding her for being unjust to the Sacred Beast, and demanding that she apologize to Shen Zi’an and his wife and even apologize to the Sacred Beast. Her mind was in turmoil, feeling not so much embarrassed for herself but rather shattered hopes of gaining benefits from Shen Zi’an’s couple. The thought of losing the big house, the carriages, the sumptuous food, felt like having her flesh cut off, making her feel uncomfortable. She glared at Tieto, immediately thinking that if she didn’t admit what Tieto said, there would still be a chance to turn things around. She pointed at Tieto and started scolding him.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then they all began to accuse Dazhu’s Wife. Now they had all realized that offending Shen Zi’an’s couple was obviously unwise. Besides, they all slept on heated brick beds and wore gloves, the idea and designs all provided by Su Zhi. They all appreciated Su Zhi’s kindness!
Aunt Li began to realize that the situation was unfavorable to her family, so she pulled Zhao Xiaohua aside and remained silent.
Zhao Dazhu also felt disheartened.
Only Dazhu’s Wife remained stubborn, saying, “I know you all envy the wealth of Shen Zi’an’s family, with their big house and courtyard. So you don’t want to offend them. But you can’t betray your conscience and support them here! My son Tiedan almost lost his life! If you’re not afraid of divine punishment, then go ahead and take their side! Li Zheng, you’re the village head, you give your opinion on this!”
Li Zheng had a stern expression as he replied, “Dazhu’s Wife, stop causing trouble. The facts are clear. It was your son who went to play on the ice and fell into the ice hole. It was the kindness of the Sacred Beast that saved him. Instead of being grateful, you want to blame Shen Zi’an and his wife for this incident. Don’t you feel guilty?”
“Li Zheng, where did I go wrong? At the time, only Tiedan was there. How can we believe the words of a child? It must have been taught by his mother. He’s a fatherless child, just eyeing the wealth of Shen Zi’an’s family, wanting to enjoy the benefits! Li Zheng, you must stand up for us—”
Dazhu’s Wife began to wail again as she spoke. While crying, she glared at Tieto and Wang Huazhi, hoping to intimidate them into admitting their falsehood.
To her surprise, when Wang Huazhi heard Dazhu’s Wife say that Tieto was fatherless, she became furious. She felt her son holding onto her, sensing his fear and hurt growing. She realized she couldn’t let this slide; she couldn’t allow them to pin the blame on her and her son. It would tarnish their reputation, which she, as a widow, couldn’t afford to worsen. Neither could Tieto.
“Tieto, Mother believes you told the truth. If you did, now repeat after me, okay?”
Wang Huazhi said to Tieto, who nodded.
“Tieto swears here… that he fell into the ice hole while playing on his own… and it wasn’t the Sacred Beast chasing him… If I lied, may I be struck down by divine punishment!”
Tieto repeated each phrase, then added, “Mother, I really told the truth.”
Wang Huazhi held her son tightly and addressed the crowd, saying, “Everyone heard it! My son spoke nothing but the truth. We dare to stand by our words, unlike some people who only seek to gain advantage and treat benefactors as enemies!”
Su Zhi wanted to applaud this widow. She thought this woman was quite remarkable, a rare find in this era.
Li Zheng waved his hand to silence the loud accusations against Dazhu’s Wife and sternly said to her, “With the oath sworn, what else do you have to say?”
Mrs. Dazhu had nothing left to say. People in this era were superstitious; not many dared to swear oaths. Now that someone had sworn an oath, if she continued to deny it, the entire village would likely turn against her.
“Mom… I’m cold…”
At that moment, a faint voice sounded from the bed. It was Tiedan, who had woken up and was peering at them with his eyes open.
Dazhu’s Wife immediately rushed to his side, calling him her dear, asking if he was feeling uncomfortable.
Zhao Dazhu also hurried to the bedside, his face filled with joy at seeing his son finally awake.
Li Qing walked over and asked, “Tiedan, tell me, how did you fall into the ice hole?”
Aunt Li frowned unhappily and interjected, “Tiedan just woke up. Why are you asking him this now? Are you afraid of making him uncomfortable?”
Li Qing replied, “Dazhu’s wife thinks everyone deceived her, right? I’m just giving Tiedan a chance to speak. She should trust her son. Now, let’s all keep quiet, so it doesn’t seem like we’re colluding. Tiedan, tell us, did you go to play on the ice by yourself and then fall into the river? Tell the truth, or else your mom might spank you!”
Tiedan, still groggy, could hear Li Qing’s question clearly. Upon hearing her words, he was too scared to lie and said, “Yes, I went to play by myself, Mom, please don’t hit me…”
“How did you manage to get out then? Do you remember?” Zhao Feng asked from the side.
Tiedan blinked and said, “It was the Sacred Beast, Mom. The Sacred Beast carried me up. Mom, the Sacred Beast saved me. I won’t be afraid of it anymore.”
The expression on Zhao Dazhu’s wife’s face turned dark in an instant. She couldn’t believe her son woke up at such a critical moment and remembered everything so clearly. Now, there was no way for her to shift the blame onto others! And she had lost all her face. If she had known this earlier, she wouldn’t have tried to shift the blame onto Shen Zi’an and his wife. She could have gotten along with them, and even benefited from it. Last time, didn’t she make a profit by selling that red Hawthorn fruit to Zi’an’s wife? Now, with this incident, they probably wouldn’t have anything to do with her family anymore!
It was truly a case of losing the rice while trying to steal the chicken!
Li Qing laughed and said, “The truth is finally revealed! Sister, go home and make a good meal for the Sacred Beast. The Sacred Beast is truly merciful. It knows to save a child who fell into the water, much better than certain individuals!”
Zhao Dazhu began to apologize to Shen Zi’an and his wife, saying that he was also worried about his son and acted impulsively, asking them not to blame him.
But Shen Zi’an and his wife wouldn’t listen to him. They exchanged a few words with Li Zheng and then bid farewell to everyone, not even sparing a glance at Zhao Dazhu’s wife, before turning and leaving.
As the crowd dispersed, murmurs about Zhao Dazhu’s couple offending the Sacred Beast and Shen Zi’an’s family circulated. Many praised the righteousness of the Sacred Beast, and inadvertently, people’s fear of the Sacred Beast turned into reverence, and their belief in its spirituality grew stronger.
Shen Zi’an bid farewell to Shen Zifu and Shen Zigui, thanking them for their help. He didn’t feel anything about the other members of the Shen family not coming out until now. He knew that even if someone wanted to come out, his father would have stopped them because he didn’t want to tarnish the reputation of the Shen family, even if it meant his own son.
Shen Zifu and Shen Zigui patted Shen Zi’an’s shoulder before returning to their house next door. They didn’t invite Shen Zi’an inside because they knew it would be awkward, and they felt awkward themselves.
“Zi’an, you still have me, and our older brother and sister-in-law are good people too, as well as Brother Shitou and the others. They’re all good folks. Let’s focus on living our lives well.”
After bidding farewell to everyone, Shen Zi’an brought out the ox cart from Li Shi’s house and drove home with Su Zhi. Su Zhi comforted him softly along the way. Shen Zi’an held Su Zhi’s hand, thinking to himself that life wasn’t perfect, but as long as he had a wife, brothers, and friends, it was enough.
Back at home, Su Zhi received a warm welcome from Little Black and Big Black. Little White and Big White also watched them nearby. After embracing Little Black and Big Black, Su Zhi went over to hug Little White and then Big White. Big White didn’t refuse; it had become accustomed to Su Zhi’s friendly affection.
“Big White, thank you for saving Tiedan today. You almost suffered injustice because of it. But luckily, from today onwards, everyone will no longer see you as just a wolf. They will truly regard you as the Sacred Beast. To reward your kindness today, I’ll prepared something delicious for you!”
Su Zhi had noticed the several rabbits in the large basin in the corridor. Those were specially prepared for Big White. Big White usually ate raw meat outside and only returned after finishing. All the rabbits he brings back were put in the basin.
Su Zhi cooked four rabbits and a pot of rice for the White Wolf family. This made her happiest. The White Wolf not only ate meat but also rice. Despite its large size, its appetite was normal. It usually only needed a rabbit for a meal, or sometimes just a chicken. No wonder despite its size, it had a well-proportioned physique.
After Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an finished dinner, it was almost dark outside.
In the lamplight of the evening, Su Zhi took out the pieces of fabric she had bought from the cloth shop during the day and spread them out on the bed She asked Shen Zi’an to help separate the various types of fabric.
“Wife, what are you planning to do with these?”
Shen Zi’an looked at the pile of fabric beside Su Zhi, along with the thin and long bamboo sticks she had collected earlier. He wondered what she was up to.
Su Zhi picked up a piece of fabric, a red silk cloth. With a few deft movements, she shaped it into a flower, stitching it together with a needle to hold the shape. Then, she attached the flower to a bamboo stick, wrapping the stick with another piece of fabric to blend it seamlessly with the flower. In no time, a beautiful red flower was created.
Su Zhi grabbed a woven basket crafted by Shen Zi’an and tossed the artificial flower inside. She smiled at Shen Zi’an and said, “See? Once this is filled up, our house will have flowers even in winter.”
Shen Zi’an looked at the flower, then back at Su Zhi’s radiant smile. Suddenly, his mood lifted. Life should be like this, he thought. Even in winter, there could be flowers adorning their home.
That night, the two of them made numerous flowers, each bursting with color. Some of the flowers hadn’t made it into the basket yet; they were scattered on the kang, beside the loving couple who embraced tightly as they drifted into dreams.
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