The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

"Tianyi's family? Did you look carefully?"

Pingzheng paused when he heard this, turned around, and his expression became extremely solemn and his eyes were as sharp as torches.

Chen Xi nodded gently. Although her voice was soft, she was firm: "I can see clearly that the texture and pattern of this cloth are indeed from my family. Uncle Pingzheng, you also know that classmate Tianyi is from the county town. This quality of cloth is extremely rare here. This is the first time I see it, so naturally I will not make a mistake."

Just as everyone was discussing, a burst of hurried footsteps came closer and closer. Zheng Cuihua and Xie Tianyi appeared in everyone's sight, while Chen Xi seemed to be ignored by the two of them intentionally or unintentionally.

"Oh, isn't this Pingzheng, the village chief? Why are you two suddenly visiting here? Is there something important?" Zheng Cuihua's tone was filled with surprise and confusion, but the smile was still on her face.

"Where did you get the cloth in your hands?" Ping Zheng's voice was steady and powerful, going straight to the point, his eyes fixed on the cloth in Zheng Cuihua's hand.

"Oh, this is given to me by my mother." Zheng Cuihua still smiled brightly and answered easily.

"Where did your mother get the cloth?" Ping Zheng's questioning made the atmosphere even more tense, and this commotion also attracted the attention of Old Lady Chen who was not far away. She hurried out of the house, full of suspicion.

"Hey, Village Chief, Pingzheng, why are you here? Is there anything you need to discuss?" Old Mrs. Chen asked with concern while adjusting her clothes.

In this quiet village, the two elders would not easily come unless it was a big deal.

"Mrs. Chen, let me ask you, where did the cloth you gave to your daughter-in-law come from?" This time, the village chief spoke, his voice low and serious.

"Oh, of course this is a gift from my granddaughter!" Old Mrs. Chen's face was filled with pride and satisfaction, and she had no idea that she had fallen into a delicate dilemma.

"Really you? You really disappoint me by doing this!"

Xie Tianyi's voice sounded from behind the crowd, his tone full of anger and pain. He walked forward step by step with a grim expression.

Old Mrs. Chen was stunned when she heard the voice. She was hit by the sudden accusation and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"What did you say?" Old Mrs. Chen's voice trembled slightly and she seemed a little flustered.

However, Xie Tianyi did not give her any more explanation, but just stood there silently, with indescribable complex emotions in his eyes.

"We have already separated and established our own family. How could you bring them here to take away the fabric that belongs to us? And we were completely unaware of all this. To put it bluntly, this is called stealing."

As Chen Xi spoke, his eyes turned red, tears welled up in his eyes, and his voice was full of grievance and helplessness.

"You little girl, watch your words! Who stole your things?" Old Mrs. Chen spoke in a tough tone, trying to overwhelm the other party with her momentum.

"You yourself admitted that it was our cloth, so it's not considered stealing?"

Chen Xi pretended to be scared, his body trembling slightly, and quietly hid behind the village chief and Ping Zheng, looking particularly weak and helpless.

"What do you mean by stealing? This is a gift from my granddaughter. What are you doing hiding behind this?"

Old Lady Chen's aggressiveness formed a sharp contrast with Chen Xi's weakness, which further highlighted Chen Xi's helplessness.

"Mrs. Chen, shut up! If you took someone's things, just hand them over immediately. We don't have time to waste here."

The village chief had obviously lost his patience and stood directly in front of Old Lady Chen with a commanding tone in his voice.

"What do you mean, village chief? How could it be stolen? You actually believe this little girl's one-sided story?"

Old Mrs. Chen was not willing to be outdone and raised her voice a few notches.

"Woo woo~ Husband, since grandma said so, then we don't want it. I will find another way to buy medicine. These cloths can be regarded as a gift to honor grandma."

Chen Xi held Xie Tianyi's sleeve, tears in her eyes, and her pitiful appearance made people feel pity.

"You girl, explain it to me clearly!"

Old Lady Chen wanted to go forward and pull Chen Xi away, but was stopped in time by Xie Tianyi. Although his eyes were empty, his determination made Old Lady Chen's actions stop abruptly.

"Grandmother, you also know how difficult it is for our family. I was going to take these pieces of cloth to the town to exchange for money to buy medicine. Now my wife is worried about me, and you are scolding me so loudly. How can I save my dignity?"

Xie Tianyi's face was gloomy, and his words were filled with helplessness and sadness.

"What an ungrateful person!" Old Mrs. Chen stamped her feet in anger, burning with rage.

"Grandma, you have already divided the family property, and I gave you two ten taels of silver as a gift. I no longer rely on you!"

Xie Tianyi's tone was calm, without much change in expression on his face, but his indifferent attitude was chilling.

"Okay, okay, Old Mrs. Chen, just return the things. Look, your granddaughter is crying so sadly and she doesn't even have money to buy medicine. What's the point of keeping these cloths?" There was some persuasion in the village chief's words.

Those pieces of cloth were indeed rare and valuable items. Even the village chief and Heping Zheng were tempted when they saw them.

It is really enviable that Xie Tianyi's classmates can give such a valuable gift.

But when he heard that Chen Xi was going to use these cloths to buy medicine for Xie Tianyi, and thought of the two hungry little lives in the Xie family, the village chief Heping Zheng's interest in the two pieces of cloth suddenly disappeared, and his heart was filled with more sympathy and concern for the current situation of the Xie family.

"No, Chen Xi, you should quickly explain to the village chief Heping Zheng that these two pieces of cloth were given to me by you."

Old Mrs. Chen held the two pieces of cloth tightly, and the cloth wrinkled in her hands.

Even at this point, there was still stubbornness and confusion in Old Mrs. Chen's eyes.

"Uncle Village Chief, Uncle Pingzheng, she... Never mind, just consider it as my honor to her. I just don't know when I can use the medicine again in my current state!"

Xie Tianyi's words revealed helplessness and self-blame; his eyes were dim, but he still tried to remain calm.

"Tianyi, can your illness be cured?" The village chief's voice was full of surprise, and a rare smile appeared on his wrinkled face, as if his own child had good news.

"Yes, thanks to my wife. My aunt gave her five taels of silver to treat my eyes, so I didn't miss the opportunity to get treatment."

When Xie Tianyi mentioned his wife, a glimmer of tenderness flashed in his eyes.

"Although my father-in-law's family made some money from business, as a scholar, I have to pay it back no matter what. I wanted to sell the cloth for silver to pay off the debt and buy medicine, but who would have thought--"

When Xie Tianyi said this, his voice trembled slightly, revealing his inner struggle and unwillingness.

"Forget it, forget it. My eyes are already like this. Even if I get a reputation as being stingy and not paying back the money, so what!" Xie Tianyi smiled bitterly, with a hint of self-mockery in his tone.