Chapter 4 RuckusA pair of big white squinting eyes glared viciously at the cheerful younger generation: "What does our family"s business have to do with you hairless little boy? What are you blindly ordering around for?"
Her remarks annoyed the younger generation with a hooligan personality, cheerfully spoke: "Old Shenzi spoke wrongly. Did you peek at me when I bath or something? How do you know whether I have grown hair or not?"
Most of the villagers who dug food from the soil are straightforward, but their speech was also a bit coa.r.s.e. Once the younger generation"s words came out, it caused a lot of laughter from surrounding villagers. Old Chen"s face became red and white, don"t know if it was from anger or shame.
Seeing him so roguish, old Mrs, Chen"s face lost its glow (a.k.a. pride got damaged). Recalling that it was because of You Jin, this money-wasting thing, she became victim to such teasing, she grabbed the bamboo whip and struck at nearby You Jin: " I let you little b.i.t.c.h with no skin and no face to steal food. You little d.a.m.n thing has a dirty stinky mouth! "
Although You Jin also stood aside to watch the drama, she always remained vigilant. So before Old Mrs. Chen"s bamboo whip hit her body, nimbly evaded by her whip. "I didn"t steal anything. If Grandmother doesn"t believe it, you can enter the room and check? "
Not expecting her to have such temperament, old Mrs. Chen became even angrier. Then she commanded Mrs. Chen who was watching the bustle to search for "stolen goods": "Eldest"s wife, go search the eggs stolen by the cheap girl!" "
"Alright la!" Mrs. Chen was experienced in this kind of kicking them while their down matter. She obeyed her mother-in-law"s instructions, rolled up her sleeves and hurriedly went to the west wing where the second branch lived.
The two sisters You Zhu and You Bao initially wanted to reach out and stop Aunt, but they were tightly held back by Second Sister. They could only watch Mrs. Chen"s rush into the west wing, upended the boxes and emptying the cupboard to "find the stolen good".
"Let"s see what you lowly girl have to say this time!" Old Mrs. Chen looked proudly at the calmed-face You Jin. "Wait until I search out the eggs, I will kill you, corrupted money-losing thing!"
However, old Mrs. Chen was destined to miscalculated. Mrs. Chen, who entered the west wing and searched for a while, came out empty-handed with some embarra.s.sment. She walked to old Mrs. Chen"s side and quietly reported the failure: "Mother, I didn"t find ..."
"Impossible! She must have stolen eggs, I smelled it!" Yue Wen Wei, who was still watching the drama, immediately jumped out and questioned, "It must have been hidden on her if it"s not in the house! Grandmother, quickly go search her body! "
Old Mrs. Chen who was still dissatisfied, heard what her precious baby grandson said, her eyes changed and stared at You Jin fiercely. What grandson said made sense if it wasn"t for the cheap girl hiding the eggs on her body, how could she be so happy to let them go to search the room? Then she focused her eyes on You Jin and approached her step by step.
You Jin pretended to step back a few steps in fear and then wept bitterly: "Does Grandmother really treat granddaughter as a thief?"
"Pah! This old lady don"t have a granddaughter like you, who is a thief and corrupts the family reputation!" Old Mrs. Chen saw her stepped back and believed in her grandson"s word more. She must have hidden the stolen eggs on her, otherwise, why did she feel so guiltily step back so far? So she became more determined to search the body.
You Jin"s eyes became a little colder, and she really spoke so grandiosely!
Seeing her step by step approaching You Jin, an onlooking, thin woman outside the courtyard smiled to mediate the situation on the scene.
"Aiya, old Shenzi, it"s no big deal that the child eats an egg. The eggs are laid by your own chickens, and the child took it, then she took it. You"re an adult, then you need to be generous. So why deliberate so finely with your granddaughter!" The look in the eyes toward Yu Jin was also full of pity. "Besides, everyone knows thatYou Jin is usually so obedient and capable. She can"t possibly steal your family"s eggs? "
You Jin glanced at the Shenzi who spoke for her. It turned out to be the Shenzi from the Ma Family opposite Yue Family Courtyard.
"Pah! You, evil woman, talking as you stand without backache ( T/N: basically, talking so much when she"s not in her shoes), it"s not like it"s your eggs! Is my family"s business something you can criticize in? Hurry up and scram back to your broken house!" Old Mrs. Chen glared at Ma Shenzi and spat.
Being scolded in her face like this by her, Ma Shenzi pouted her lips in displeasure, and whispered, "a shameless old woman!" And nothing more was said.
She looked at the spectating villagers by the wall with cold eyes, and when no one dared to say anything, she reached out and grabbed You Jin. First, she slapped hard and scolded fiercely: "Try running, you money-wasting thing!"
You Jin clenched her teeth, endured the few slaps. She knew that it would be hard to evade the body search today, so why not take advantage of this to help herself get more sympathy. So she sobbed and said: "Granddaughter really didn"t steal eggs. If Grandmother doesn"t believe, then search me! "
"Hmph!" Seeing her be so hypocritical, old Mrs. Chen became more merciless. With a few moves, she took off You Jin"s worn-out clothes, leaving only the fading, patched, long sleeve inner shirt and inner trouser. The baskets were also overturned on the ground and the pig feed inside scattered all over the ground.
Mrs. Su heard the noise from outside, climbed up from the kang, grasped hold the door frame and saw the humiliation of her daughter getting her clothes pulled off as her tears fell like rain? She stumbled as she ran to the front of You Jin to block everyone"s eyes, pick up the clothes on the ground and hurriedly put on her: "Mother ah! If you have anything problem, come at me. You Jin is eleven years old. You treat her like this, what will happen to her future reputation!"
This was the first time that Su has faced her mother-in-law with such "toughness". She couldn"t care about being afraid or not afraid anymore, her mind was focused on her daughter"s reputation, so even if she fought to death she must stop her mother-in-law.
Old Mrs. Chen was unhappy that she couldn"t find the eggs, now Mrs. Su"s happened to be the target of the muzzle: "You can only lay girl eggs and still have the face to teach me here? You are useless, you birthed the bad seed, who only know to steal things and corrupts my family"s reputation! " Then she flung her hand hard at Mrs. Su"s face.
With a quick response, You Jin supported Mrs. Su who nearly fell from old Mrs. Chen"s slap and examined Mrs. Su"s yellowish face that got a red and swollen slap imprint. Her facial expression worsened a bit.
Stepping in front of Mrs. Su: "Grandma has searched the west wing and me as well, and has not found any eggs. To say that I stole eggs, you need to have evidence. To accuse me of stealing without evidence at all, I won"t admit to the crime, even if I die by ramming my head to the wall here today!"
Seeing her so decisively saying that she would be killed herself here without pleading guilty, the onlookers looked at the Yue Family"s second branch"s eldest girl with new eyes. Although they knew she was usually sensible and capable, they didn"t expect her to have such temperament. Therefore a few women helped speak for You Jin again: "Old Shenzi, you have looked for it and scolded her. Since no egg was found, it should mean the child didn"t steal the family"s eggs. In this case, forget about this matter!"
Old Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes at those people who helped the money-wasting thing talk: "I didn"t find it on her, but aren"t there still six money-wasting things! I don"t believe it! They must have dared to steal this lady"s eggs!" She then presumed the second branch"s sisters stole the eggs.
Even the onlooking villagers were shocked by such rogue remarks from old Mrs. Chen. The room was searched, body search was done, the eggs still wasn"t found. This was simply wanting to frame!
"Since Grandmother firmly believe that we have stolen something, then I must bother Third Uncle Lin to help us sister to invite Uncle Lizheng. If Uncle Lizheng also said that it was our sister"s fault, I will accept punishment with no complaints!"
"Alright La, wait a moment Jin-zi, Third Uncle will go right away!" Third Uncle Lin was the younger generation who had just quarreled with the old Mrs. Chen. He cheerfully responded to You Jin. He ran like a streak of smoke and his shadow was gone. Old Mrs. Chen had wanted to stop him but how could be up to her?
The scene cooled down in such an awkward way. You Jin tightly protected her several younger sisters, while old Mrs. Chen"s didn"t have a stage to step down from.
After a while, an old and majestic male voice came from the house: "Became old! It"s only noon, what"s with the ruckus!" The voice just fell, and a thin, long-faced old man wearing thin, faded white cotton clothes from the main room came out, "Not ashamed?!" He fiercely glared at the sisters standing at the entrance of the west wing.
The person who came out was Yue Da Fu, the patriarch of Yue Family. Seeing that her husband came out, she felt that she got someone supporting her. One hand pointed at You Jin, another hand on her hips: "This shameless money-wasting thing stole eggs from the family, and not admitting it!"
Looking at his appearance as a leader taking charge, You Jin mentally scorned a little. Why pretend to be an impartial man? Half of the village was lying on the outer wall of the courtyard to watch the excitement. And people inside the house didn"t hear the movement in the courtyard? But it was only after watching Old Mrs. Chen got counterattacked by her and could not get off the stage, was he forced out!
You Jin had guessed what Yue Da Fu"s thoughts were. It"s okay to beat own child at home. This act of getting Lizheng was an overkill. Walking to old Mrs. Chen"s side, he looked at You Jin coldly: "Still not admitting your wrong to your Grandmother?"
"I don"t know where I was wrong?" It"s okay for herself to eat more hardships, but it"s been ten years since the You Jin came, so she naturally knew the importance of reputation to women. She doesn"t care much of it, but her sisters need to marry in the future. So for the sake of her younger sisters, she can"t bear the reputation of thievery.
Unforeseen that she was so ill-tempered today, that she dared to answer him back defiantly. In the Yue Family, Patriarch Yue was the superior one for decades and everything was his say, so his initial thirty percent displeasure toward You Jin in his heart suddenly became a hundred percent: "You don"t a single bit of manner nor filial piety at all. You dare talk back to the elders. I don"t know who taught you to be such an ungrateful person! "
This was putting a large unfilial hat on You Jin,. This meant she either to plead guilty of stealing or to bear the major demerit of unfilial toward the elders. Yue Da Fu"s move was very beautiful, but You Jin has did not meet his move.
Third Uncle Lin"s footpace was quick. Just when the stalemate in the yard can"t continue, he already brought Lizheng to the door of the Yue Family: "Uncle Yue, Lizheng has come, open the door!" Seeing Lizheng has arrived, the villagers became even more interested in watching the drama. How will it end in Yue Family?
Hearing the sound from the outside, You Jin, who was closer to the door of the courtyard, darted to the door, pulled down the bolt, opened the door of the courtyard and let Lizheng and the others come in.
Lizheng was also a member of the Yue Family, named Yue De Fu. On the way, he listened to Lin Family"s younger generation as he gave an approximate recount of the situation in Yue Family. He saw that Mrs. Su and the children from Yue Family"s second branch were shivering in fear in a corner of the courtyard and Yue Da Fu couple as well as the first branch"s standing at one side with the appearance of flaunting their power.
Yue Family"s situation was also known to Yue De Fu. The second branch had no son for so many years, it can be said that they had no status at all. Comparing to the seven daughters, who were all skinny and yellow-skinned and the cleanly dressed, white tender appearance of the first branch, Da Fu couple were excessively biased ah!
Comment below if you want me to choose this as my main project over my covid 19 isolation!