The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 475 - 464: Teaching a Lesson

Chapter 475: Chapter 464: Teaching a Lesson

The people from the Zhao Family, when watched like this by the villagers of Qili Village, couldn’t help their faces turn red, thick-skinned as they might have been.

They glanced at Old Zhou’s currently impressive brick and tile house, and Zhao First and the others weren’t willing to leave just like that. They didn’t know why, but they only harvested two bags of winter wheat last year, and by now, they were almost out of grain.

There was still a while to go before the summer harvest.

Just as Zhao First was about to get tough and throw a tantrum, Uncle Lai couldn’t stand it any longer and pushed his way through the crowd. He was quite old and belonged to the eldest generation in the village, and today he was responsible for sitting at the front to collect the condolence gifts.

His memory was still good, and he knew all of Old Zhou’s relatives. His job was to collect the ceremonial gifts so that he could later inform Old Zhou about who had come and who had not, just to keep him informed.

Generally, the gifts given in rural areas were fixed, though some families would be more generous, and the receiving family would have to remember that, to repay the favor in the future.

So such a task had to be entrusted to a clear-headed elder.

Uncle Lai certainly knew what the Zhao Family had brought today and was also well aware of the relationship between the two families over the past thirty years.

It was the year Zhou Yin sold himself when the feud between the two families completely erupted. That was the eleventh year of Dade, and he still vividly remembered the drought of that year.

Uncle Lai sighed. It was since then that the downfall of the Zhao family began. It could be said that it was due to poverty, but not entirely.

Wasn’t the Zhou family poor?

Back then, they were even poorer and lived a harder life than the Zhao family.

But look at them now?

They had erected more than a dozen sturdy brick and tile houses, living a rich and flavorful life. What was the key? It was nothing more than the whole family working hard like oxen. Since Zhou Yin had sold himself, the Zhou family had always been among the first to start planting during the spring.

Even if Uncle Lai was an old man of Qili Village, facing him, Zhao First naturally felt weaker.

Looking at the sighing Zhao brothers, Uncle Lai said earnestly, "You guys are getting old, your grandchildren can already work in the fields. Isn’t it shameful to make such a scene?"

"Whether life is good or hard, it’s all made by the people themselves. Think about the old days of your Zhao family and look at your life now. Do you want your descendants to see how you act shamelessly, teaching them to be idle and lazy?"

He continued, "No family is a fool, even if by acting shamelessly you manage to take away a single grain of rice from here, it won’t be enough for your entire family to eat. Go back, leave some dignity for your parents and your aunts."

The village chief and some of the elders from the village also gathered, obviously having heard about the incident.

The village chief was somewhat troubled; with so many people from the Zhao Family around, if they really started fighting, it would become a matter between villages. If the Land Officer came to hold someone accountable, he would be the first one to be scolded.

So he hurriedly made his way through the crowd, standing between the two families, and said, "Alright, alright, disperse, you two families are still relatives. What’s all this about?"

After both families had been scolded, the village chief looked toward Zhao First and said, "Uncle Zhang, I’ll call you Uncle like Dalang does. We all saw what happened today. You have come to Qili Village and already had your fill, right? Now, Uncle Little Silver has escorted you out, and it’s getting late. Better head home quickly."

Aunt Lai came in, supported by her grandson, and lifted her eyelids to see the numerous people from the Zhao Family. "Don’t speak in front of us about how Zhou Jin sold his brother. We all know what happened back then just as well as you do," she said.

"We all live in the same village. If Zhou Jin and Ms.Qian mistreated Zhou Yin, we all have eyes to see. There’s no need for you to publicize it," Aunt Lai, advanced in years, disliked these people the most. "Besides, this is Qili Village, the Zhou Family’s business. After all, the Zhao Family are outsiders. Since when do outsiders have a say in the Zhou family’s matters?"

Zhao First retorted, angrily, "In terms of kinship..."

"Well, Zhou Yin also has the surname Zhou. Our families are only separated by five generations. He’s a descendant of the Zhou family too!"

Her words were irrefutable. Zhao First opened his mouth, his face turning bright red, and finally, after giving Old Zhou a glare, he turned and left with his people.

When the Zhao Family had left, the village chief waved his hand, "Alright, alright, let’s disperse. Anyone who can, lend a hand. We need to move the bowls, plates, tables, and chairs to the riverside to wash them, then distribute them to their respective homes..."

Dalang and the others of course could not just sit around idly; they rolled up their sleeves to manage arrangements, and soon the scene cleared out, leaving only Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang, still considered unmarried and therefore minors, along with a bunch of nieces and nephews.

They quickly huddled around Manbao, asking if her hands hurt.

Manbao’s hands were certainly sore, their palms still bright red, clearly indicating she hadn’t held back during the fight.

Zhou Silang hissed and said, "It must hurt a lot."

Zhou Wulang remarked, "Are you feeling sympathy?"

Zhou Liulang snorted, "I don’t feel sympathy at all. I feel bad for Manbao, alright?"

Aunt Lai hadn’t left yet. Hearing this, she squinted, inspected Manbao’s palms, and said in a good-natured tone, "Soak them in cold water, it will feel better. Did this child get into a fight?"

"She did, with Zhao’s grandson," the grandchild supporting her said with glee, "She pinned him down and beat him. Granny, Manbao is way tougher than my sister."

The excitement was evident on the face of a child of the same age as Liulang.

Manbao stepped forward, being of the same generation. She pouted and said, "Brother Sanquan, I feel like you’re scolding me."

"No, he’s praising you," Aunt Lai laughed first. "Manbao takes after her dad. She’s really tough when it comes to fighting."

Excited, Manbao asked curiously, "Great-aunt, did my dad really use to fight?"

"Indeed, and he fought fiercely." Perhaps the presence of the Zhao family had stirred up the old lady’s enthusiasm because instead of going home, she led a whole crowd of kids, teenagers, and youngsters under a banyan tree to talk.

Her eyes crinkled in a smile as she looked at Manbao and said, "Your dad..."

Uncle Lai, who had been sitting under the tree all along, couldn’t help coughing. Aunt Lai slowly came back to her senses and squinted, saying, "Ah, your dad, when he was young, he was quite lazy. Even when he grew up, still lazy, nothing like your little uncle."

Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang were stunned; this differed from the version they had heard from their father. They too moved closer to listen.

"Your little uncle..." Aunt Lai lamented, a topic dear to the elders but one that hadn’t been discussed freely before. With the funeral over, and their experiences given due recognition, she found it difficult to hold back her words, "He was as handsome as our Zhou family members—handsome indeed, even more so than your grandfather."

Manbao immediately claimed, "My dad said he was handsome when he was young too."

Aunt Lai pondered, then nodded, "Not exactly wrong. He was a bit handsome, but just too lazy, nearly failed to get married."

Manbao disagreed, "My dad is very hardworking."

"That’s the result of your mom and uncle teaching him," Aunt Lai said excitedly, enjoying the tales of the elders when they were young. It gave her a particular sense of achievement. "Do you know how lazy your dad used to be?"