A Good Country Wife
Chapter 540 - 534_1

Chapter 540: 534_1

"Wufu from the Zhao Family, since you put it that way, I won’t bother with niceties either. What kind of person you are, what your moral character is like, everyone in the village knows. You say I’m partial to Erhu and his wife? That’s right, I am, because they have been doing good deeds without asking for anything in return. They have done so much for our Zhao Family Village. Nowadays, times are tough and life is hard for everyone, but it’s thanks to Erhu and his wife that our village can live in such peace. People in our village should be grateful to them. If I don’t favor them, who should I favor then? Someone like you, who repays kindness with malice and stirs trouble?" The village chief said these words not only to clear himself but also because he truly felt that way.

After hearing what the village chief had said, everyone felt there was some truth to it. Erhu and his wife knew how to conduct themselves, and they had done many good things for the village. Practically every household had received their help in one way or another; it was just a matter of how much. Most villagers were capable of distinguishing right from wrong and remembered acts of kindness, and in contrast to Wufu’s family, who had a bad reputation on ordinary days, it was evident which side they would lean towards without even thinking about it—they subconsciously believed that it must be Wufu’s family who was in the wrong.

"What good deeds and virtues? I think they are just currying favor. Look at all of you, partial to them because you’ve benefited from Erhu’s family," Pingshi said this and offended everyone.

Then an auntie with a sharp tongue who couldn’t stand Pingshi’s usual behavior spoke up. "Wufu’s family, how can you say that? Haven’t you benefited from Erhu’s kindness too? Otherwise, in this bitter winter, you would have already frozen to death and wouldn’t be here, throwing tantrums and acting shamelessly. You’ve received their kindness but don’t know how to be thankful; that is what a true ungrateful wretch, a heartless person looks like. We are not the kind who repay kindness with evil like you. Naturally, we have to speak up for Erhu and his wife. As for currying favor, they’re living so well now, what need do they have to curry favor with us villagers who only know how to till the land? Why don’t you try currying favor and see?"

"You, you’re all in the same boat, with ill intentions. I don’t care anymore. Village Chief, if you’re not going to deal with today’s issue, I’m just going to live right here. After all, there’s a place to shelter from wind and rain," Pingshi was already acting shamelessly and became even more so when she couldn’t win the argument. She was betting that the village chief couldn’t do anything to her, especially since her family’s relationship with the chief was not ordinary. After all, Youfu and Wufu were cousins within five degrees of kinship. Although the relationship between their families had become distant, it was inseparable.

"Wufu, what are your plans for today’s issue? You know very well who is at fault. Are you really going to let your wife make a scene like this? Everyone’s watching; what an embarrassment!" The village chief didn’t look at Pingshi but instead addressed Wufu.

"Big Brother, it’s not that I want to let my wife make a scene; I have no choice. We were driven out by Erhu, and our house collapsed. Where are we supposed to go? Moreover, you know what Pingshi is like; how can I keep her in check?" Wufu shook his hands as if he didn’t want to deal with it, crouched on the ground, leaving everything to the village chief and Pingshi. As long as he had food and shelter, what did losing face matter?

"Wufu, are you even slightly useful? You’re just a good-for-nothing!" Youfu scolded, pointing his finger at Wufu.

Pingshi was displeased to hear Youfu scolding her husband, especially since Youfu still had authority over Wufu. "Village Chief, why do you scold my man? You’re bullying an honest person, aren’t you? Besides, our Wufu is your cousin, your own kin. Shouldn’t you lend a helping hand when relatives come knocking, let alone your nephew? How can you be so heartless and call yourself the village chief? You’re not afraid of people pointing at your spine."

"You—I tell you, the Zhao Family must have committed some sin for producing a family like yours, one more exasperating than the next!" The village chief was truly furious. He already knew that Pingshi was a woman who didn’t reason and loved to create drama, and he had even advised the neighbors not to stoop to her level. Now that he was confronted with it, he realized just how infuriating it was.

Liu Aniu had driven out Wufu’s family and had been sent by Erhu to explain the situation for the past few days. While Erhu wasn’t afraid of the village chief, he still cared about appearances. Moreover, today’s incident wasn’t their fault to begin with; he couldn’t let others slander him unjustly, accusing them of using power to bully others. It was necessary to explain things clearly and make everyone know what Pingshun had done and see the kind of ungrateful family they were.

Village Chief Youfu had actually wanted to ask Erhu’s family what had happened, but Pingshi’s ruckus gave him a headache, and he was somewhat entangled. Now that Aniu had explained the situation, knowing the full story, Youfu’s face darkened. His expression turned even grimmer when he looked towards Wufu’s family, seeing them as a calamity. How could Uncle An have such disappointing descendants?

After Aniu finished explaining, he said no more. He wasn’t afraid of Pingshi’s denial; the villagers could testify for him. The incident had been a big one, witnessed by many people.

"Village Chief, the Youfu family has gone too far. Erhu kindly took them in, they ate from Erhu’s table and lived in his house, but they harbored such malicious intentions and even plotted against Erhu. Such ingratitude is truly despicable. If everyone acted like their family, who would dare to do good deeds in the future? We can’t let such people tarnish our village’s reputation."

"Yes, Village Chief, such a family should be driven out of the village sooner rather than later to prevent them from ruining our reputation."

"Drive Wufu’s family out, out! Get them out!" More and more people echoed the sentiment, resentful of how Wufu’s family had previously offended everyone in the village. Now was the opportunity to kick them while they were down.

Youfu was in a difficult position. Even if he was angry, he couldn’t forget the affection Uncle An had shown him before his death. If he really drove Wufu’s family out of the village, they wouldn’t survive, and he couldn’t bear to see Uncle An’s descendants fall to such a fate. But he also had to provide an explanation to everyone. Being the village chief, he couldn’t act alone; how else would he earn the villagers’ trust?

Wufu and Pingshi were also stunned. Originally, they had intended to coerce the Village Chief into stirring up trouble at Erhu’s place, hoping that Erhu would pay them some money and then have the village chief find a place for them to stay. If they could move back into Erhu’s comfortable house, that would be ideal. But the situation turned out entirely different from what they had expected. They thought they hadn’t even approached Erhu yet, but the villagers had already started to denounce them, calling for their eviction from Zhao Family Village. How had it come to this?

Aniu was quite satisfied with the villagers’ reaction. He himself had received kindness from Erhu and his wife, so the situation resonated deeply with him. Anyone could see that there were few as benevolent as Erhu’s family in the neighboring areas, and seeing the villagers stand up for them, he felt that the good deeds Dongjia and his wife had done for the village were not in vain.

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