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In front of the fence gate of the Zhao family’s house, a crowd had gathered, craning their necks to peer inside. The buzzing chatter sounded like a beehive, and inside the courtyard, the noise grew louder with quarrels and shouting.
“Make way, everyone! Su Zhi is here, let her in!”
As Li Qing’s Wife squeezed her way through, she called out, pulling Su Zhi along with her.
Seeing Su Zhi arrive, the crowd made way, realizing that the matter inside was related to her. Of course, they had to let Su Zhi in. Su Zhi squeezed through while observing the eager expressions of the onlookers, as if they hoped to discover a treasure on her. She couldn’t help but think that the people in the countryside were too fond of spectacles. It seemed that any little incident could attract a crowd at the courtyard gate, even though they were only in a small village by the riverside. However, seeing so many people, she realized the importance of clarifying the situation and ensuring that Liu Siniang’s innocence was restored.
A person’s words could drown someone, and a woman’s chastity was even more important than life itself in ancient times. Liu Siniang couldn’t be smeared like this; if she didn’t clarify this matter, she would be ruined!
Although Liu Siniang’s house was located on the east side of the river, it was quite a decent house. It was made of adobe, but the roof was tiled. The courtyard was spacious, with a row of five main rooms and thatched houses on one side and simple sheds on the other. The sound of pigs and chickens could be heard from inside.
Overall, from the outside, the Zhao family didn’t seem particularly poor. It was said that this was all thanks to Granny Zhao’s son, who had traveled around and saved money to build the house. Compared to other families in the village, they were doing quite well.
As Su Zhi looked at the courtyard, she couldn’t help but think that such a large house was probably maintained solely by Liu Siniang. She kept it very clean, indicating that she was hardworking. Yet, she still didn’t receive respect or affection from her mother-in-law, sister-in-law, or even her husband. How difficult must her days be?
While her eyes observed, her feet didn’t stop, leading her towards the main hall. She noticed a glaring red stain on the ground, furrowing her brows. Even though everyone was inside the house now, the commotion had spilled outside earlier. It was certain that Liu Siniang had been beaten unilaterally, and she was injured and bleeding.
“Neice, you’re here, come in quickly!”
Aunt Jinhua was standing by the door of the main hall. As soon as she heard footsteps, she turned her head and saw Su Zhi. A relaxed expression appeared on her face, and she raised her hand to gesture for Su Zhi to come over.
“Zi’an, neice, you’ve finally come. If you hadn’t, things might have turned deadly! Come and tell us, did you lend fifty-two coins to Siniang?”
Su Zhi stepped into the room and immediately saw Liu Siniang. Her clothes were disheveled, indicating she had been pulled and beaten. A strand of hair had been torn out, revealing her waxen face, now tinged with blue and pale from the bruises. Tears streamed down her face, her eyes swollen and red, with a cloth wrapped around a wound on her forehead, blood seeping through. Su Zhi furrowed her brow, concerned about the injury to her head; if it was too severe, it could be life-threatening.
“Siniang, are you alright? How did they beat you like this?!”
Su Zhi approached Liu Siniang, who was being supported by Shugen’s Wife. Su Zhi could feel her trembling all over. There was no light in her eyes as she looked up, and her lips trembled. She covered her mouth and started sobbing, her voice full of sorrow. Su Zhi’s heart clenched in response; she couldn’t imagine how much pain Liu Siniang must be in to cry like that.
“Siniang, stop crying. I’m here to testify for you. You’ve done nothing wrong; the one who should be crying is not you!” Su Zhi turned to look at the people present, her expression stern and devoid of the usual gentleness. Her eyes were sharp, making the others feel uncomfortable, causing them to lower their heads.
Su Zhi noticed that there weren’t many people in the room besides herself, Shen Zi’an, and Aunt Jinhua. There was also Granny Zhao, the wife of the eldest son of the Zhao Family, and a young girl who was probably Liu Siniang’s younger sister-in-law, Zhao Xiaohua. It was said that she was also troublesome. Su Zhi felt that appearances reflected one’s inner self, and Zhao Xiaohua certainly seemed like a tough character.
“What are you looking at?! You jinx!”
Zhao Xiaohua was tall and not unattractive, but her features were sharp and cold. Her high cheekbones, arched eyebrows, and tilted eyes all contributed to her intimidating appearance. When she noticed Su Zhi’s gaze on her, her eyes turned icy. She couldn’t help but feel jealous when she saw Su Zhi’s family building a big house and having such a large garden. Especially since Shen Zi’an was someone she had once fancied, but now he was married to this woman. In her heart, she felt jealous and resentful. She thought that if it weren’t for this woman, she might have been the mistress of that big garden now. In a fit of anger, she blurted out the insult.
Shen Zi’an frowned and said, “My wife is not a jinx.”
Zhao Xiaohua’s jealousy towards Su Zhi intensified when she saw Shen Zi’an protecting her. She had been paying attention to Shen Zi’an since he entered, thinking that he seemed even more handsome than before.
Zhao Xiaohua had always found Shen Zi’an attractive and capable, and she had taken a liking to him. However, every time she tried to talk to him, he ignored her. Before she knew it, Shen Zi’an got married. When she learned that Su Zhi was considered a jinx, she maliciously thought that Shen Zi’an deserved it. She believed that if she had been with him, none of this would have happened. However, she didn’t expect things to turn out like this. Shen Zi’an had become wealthy, and he was now protecting his wife. This made Zhao Xiaohua feel even more uncomfortable.
“Big Brother, she’s always been a jinx! Everyone in the village says so! If she weren’t a jinx, would your family have let you go? Would they have given you those few shabby rooms? Stop protecting her!”
Li Qing’s wife hurriedly interjected, “Xiaohua, why are you speaking like this? What do you mean everyone in the village says Su Zhi is a jinx? That’s a misunderstanding. Everyone was deceived by that old Taoist! If she were a jinx, would their family be doing so well now? Not even a tiger can harm her, and even the sacred beast gave her ginseng in exchange for saving his offsprings. This blessing is incomparable!”
Aunt Jinhua also said, “We’re all from the same village, Xiaohua, you need to watch your words. A girl’s reputation is important. Don’t let people say you have a habit of falsely accusing others. It’s time for you to watch how you speak.”
Xiaohua blushed and stomped her foot, saying, “Everyone in the village has said it. What do you mean falsely accusing? If you don’t believe me, ask the people outside!”
The door to their house was open, and the people outside had already come in, overhearing everything. They all thought that this Zhao family girl was truly clueless! Now that Shen Zi’an’s family had money, and with the sacred beast backing them, it was impossible for anyone to still call his Zi’an’s wife a jinx!
Su Zhi spoke up, “Now is not the time for discussing me. I’m here to testify for Siniang. I heard you falsely accused her of receiving money from someone else. Yes, it was me who gave her the money. When she lost it and was afraid of being blamed upon returning, I lent her the money, asking her to help me with some work to pay it back. Aunt Jinhua, Shugen’s Wife, and Li Qing’s Wife can all testify to this. We all came back together at that time.”
Aunt Jinhua said, “Zhao’s Wife, you see? I told you it was like this, but you didn’t believe me. You’ve wronged your daughter-in-law.”
Zhao’s Wife stared at her daughter-in-law then turned and said, “Dazhu’s Wife! Didn’t you say that Daliang’s Wife received this money from a man?”
Dazhu’s Wife flinched. Today, when she spoke with Granny Zhao and heard that Liu Siniang had returned home on Shen Zi’an’s ox cart, she became very angry. She had wanted to ride but claimed there was no space, so how did Liu Siniang end up getting on? She couldn’t immediately cause trouble for Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an, but she could easily cause trouble for Liu Siniang. When she heard about Liu Siniang losing money today, she immediately thought about how Liu Siniang managed to buy meat. After asking Granny Zhao, she found out that Liu Siniang had returned all the money. This made her think about what to do next.
Dazhu’s Wife immediately told granny Zhao that Liu Siniang had lost her money long ago. She even claimed to have seen her standing with a man after losing the money.
Granny Zhao immediately called Liu Siniang over and began scolding her. As Liu Siniang started to deny it, Granny Zhao swung her cane at her, hitting her head and causing it to bleed. Liu Siniang tried to dodge, but Dazhu’s Wife grabbed her, pulling her hair and messing up her clothes.
Dazhu’s Wife initially only wanted Granny Zhao to scold Liu Siniang and be done with it. However, unexpectedly, someone happened to pass by the courtyard gate while the door was open, unknowingly attracting a large crowd to watch the commotion. Granny Zhao’s accusations of Liu Siniang being involved with a man outside were heard clearly by everyone. Then, Aunt Jinhua and the others happened to come over to watch the commotion, and seeing them siding with Liu Siniang, they called for Su Zhi to join them. Dazhu’s Wife hadn’t anticipated the situation escalating to this extent, feeling like she was lifting a stone only to drop it on her own foot.
“Dazhu’s Wife, falsely accusing a woman tarnishes her reputation, which is a grave sin! You’d better tell the truth!” Aunt Jinhua adopted a stern demeanor, and the onlookers outside joined in, demanding, “If you can’t name the man Liu Siniang was with outside, then you’re just slandering her!”
Dazhu’s Wife, feeling the disdainful gazes of everyone, became increasingly unhappy. She realized that if this matter were blamed on her, she would lose face.
“I saw someone walking with her, and he even had his arm around her! If you want me to name him, I will! That person is Li Shi!” Dazhu’s Wife’s words caused another uproar. Everyone was astonished, even Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an, wondering how this could be related to Li Shi?!