??Chapter 193: Chapter 194 Kicked the Iron Plate_1
Chapter 193: Chapter 194 Kicked the Iron Plate_1
Muniang sneered, “Lose face? I’m afraid you’ve caused our village more embarrassnt. How can you have the nerve to co out and make a scene and then try to control ?”
Mrs. Ji cried out in a rage, “You little wretch, how dare you speak to
like that? It serves you right that your husband was taken by the authorities. When he gets beheaded after the autumn trial, I’ll be waiting to see you beco a widow!”
Muniang responded indifferently, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but my husband is doing just fine. You should worry less about my affairs.”
Muniang’s words left everyone confused. Qingya cursed angrily, “Don’t curse our master; he has a strong will to live. He’s already extricated himself from the legal case. It’s only the gossipmongers like you who love to chew the fat!”
The villagers stood around dumbfounded. Muniang couldn’t be bothered with them and, pulling Qingya along, she walked away; it was pointless.
Little did she know that when she got ho, the Village Head was already waiting for her, and Muniang knew what he had co for.
“Muniang, what exactly has happened in your family? You must tell
everything today. We’re all from the sa village, and no matter what, if I can help, I will. It also concerns the reputation of our village,” he said.
Muniang smiled and asked Qingya to serve tea, “As it turns out, we did cause a bit of chaos, which has troubled you. Now, Erliang is out of trouble. As for the murder, it was actually because that man attempted to dishonor . Erliang lost his temper and accidentally got into this ss. If it has tarnished our village’s reputation, I can only say I’m sorry.”
Upon hearing this, the Village Head frowned, “So that’s the reason. I’ve always known Erliang to be a modest man; how could he do sothing like this? Rest assured, now that I know the reason behind the incident, I won’t let you be wronged. I’ll make sure to clear things up with the villagers so that no one unfairly points fingers at you.”
It was obvious that the Village Head was aware of the dispute between Muniang and Mrs. Ji earlier that day.
Muniang smiled gratefully, “Thank you, Mr. Village Head.”
The Village Head sighed, “It’s not been easy for you, shouldering such a big family on your own. To have sothing like this happen and then be maligned by others must be hard to bear. But don’t bla everyone for talking; our Tupo Village is poor to begin with. Daughters from outside don’t want to marry in, and the ones from our village are desperate to marry out. If we gain a reputation for murder, our village will truly beco despised by everyone.”
Muniang understood that in ancient tis, reputation was more important than life. When soone committed an outrage against heaven and reason, it was the reputation of the village that suffered. When people talked about it later, they would ntion the village rather than naming individuals. In the end, it would be the entire village that bore the consequences.
“Mr. Village Head, don’t worry. We all have our difficulties; let’s just be understanding of each other. And thank you for taking so much trouble over Erliang’s matter,” she said.
The Village Head laughed, “You really are a sensible child.”
But then he asked with a bit of confusion, “I’ve heard so wives in the village say that you claid Erliang is completely fine now. Is that really true?”
Muniang had already thought through her explanation and said, “Yes, the County Chief of Jinyang County is an upright official. He initially ca to arrest soone, only wanting to take the person for questioning. After investigating and understanding the true situation, he confird that it was a mistake that caused harm and did not convict. He rely gave a beating with a plank as punishnt, and that was it. You can verify this in Jinyang County. This matter will certainly not tarnish our village’s reputation.”
Only then did the Village Head nod, “Erlang is alright now? That’s good. But why haven’t we seen him around?”
Knowing she couldn’t hide the truth, Muniang admitted frankly, “To tell you honestly, Erlang’s mind cleared up after this incident. He rembered his hotown and has gone back to visit his family.”
The Village Head, upon hearing this, said with surprise and delight, “Erlang’s mind is well?”
Muniang said with a smile, “Yes, it’s a blessing in disguise. He said he wanted to visit his hotown to have a look. He was in a hurry and didn’t have ti to inform everyone.”
“That’s really wonderful! As long as he is well, that’s all that matters. Now that his mind is clear, you will have another person to rely on in the future. Your family’s life is bound to get better and better. Don’t say another word; when he cos back, I will personally host a banquet at my ho,” the Village Head hurriedly said.
“Since Mr. Village Head has invited us, naturally, there is no reason not to go. Rest assured, once he returns from visiting his family, we will certainly pay a visit.”
When the Village Head went back this ti, he helped clear Erlang of the murder charge, which finally silenced people’s gossip. However, unsurprisingly the news of Erlang regaining his senses caused an uproar in the village.
Many began to feel envious and resentful. In their eyes, Qiao Muniang was lucky enough already. In just one year, she beca wealthy, picked up a husband who could hunt and earn money, and the key point was that he was obedient and honest. The only thing that gave everyone a bit of comfort was that her husband was an idiot.
Now, even the idiot husband wasn’t an idiot anymore. Who wouldn’t be envious?
When Mrs. Ji went to the riverside to wash clothes, a group of won were gossiping. They gave her strange looks as she approached, obviously because of the incident yesterday when she had unfairly slandered Muniang.
It was indeed true. Mrs. Ji had just publicly clashed with Muniang when the Village Head stepped in to clarify things for Erlang, which was akin to slapping Mrs. Ji’s face.
Mrs. Zhang, who was beside her, nudged Mrs. Ji with her elbow and leaned in to say, “Hey Mrs. Ji, aren’t you afraid that Erlang will co looking for trouble with you? In our village, you’re probably the one who troubled Muniang the most. Now that her husband’s mind is well, you know about Erlang’s brute strength, and he’s a man who protects his wife. Now that things have turned around, just think about the awful things you’ve done to Muniang. He might seek revenge. You better be careful now!”
Others, overhearing the conversation, joined in, “Exactly, exactly. In the past, your family bullied others because they didn’t have a capable man at ho. Now you might have hit a snag. I’m telling you, it’d be best if you went to make ands with Muniang before Erlang cos back from visiting his family. Otherwise, let
tell you, the Qiao family is now a prominent family in our village. They have a capable man at ho now, and even the Village Head has to give them three points of courtesy. Their status in Tupo Village has certainly changed from before.”
Having a capable man in the house is indeed crucial. Just like before, even though Muniang’s family had money, they could never hold a high position in the village because they lacked a man of the house. But now that Erlang’s mind is clear, it’s a different story. Even if we set aside Erlang’s own identity and status, Muniang’s family’s current wealth alone would enable them to rise from a “vulnerable group” to a family second only to the Village Head in status.
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