Divorcing your wife might feel good for a moment, but seeing me make money will make you regret it f

Xu Qing walked to the woodpile. Most of the wood in Xu Wulai's house was thatch cut from the mountain, because thatch was easier to cut than firewood. There were also some dry branches that he had collected.

She lifted the firewood, revealing Hui Niang underneath, her face streaked with tears.

Zhao Dazhi and the other workers had already turned around and were facing away from Xu Qing and Hui Niang.

Xu Qing removed the gag from Hui Niang's mouth and comforted her, "It's alright now. I'll have my older brother take you home first."

Hui Niang took a few breaths and hurriedly said to Xu Qing, "Master, don't listen to that scoundrel's nonsense. I don't know him at all, and I have never met with him in secret. Please don't believe him!"

He knocked me unconscious and kidnapped me today; it's not like what he said at all!

She had been awake for a while, but couldn't break free. She had heard everything Xu Wulai said, and she had to explain to her master.

“You’re under my nose all day long, of course I know he’s talking nonsense, but…”

Xu Qing hesitated for a moment, but decided to speak up and see what Hui Niang's attitude was.

Hui Niang's attitude determined how she would deal with Xu Wulai next.

"Many villagers in Xujia Village heard what he said, and maybe the whole village knows about it by tonight. Do you want him to take responsibility for this?"

If you want him to take responsibility, I can return the indenture to you and even give you a dowry.

Hui Niang resolutely said, "I would rather die than marry such a person, my mistress. What do rumors matter? I'm only afraid of implicating you..."

As she spoke, Hui Niang shed tears again.

Of course she knew. This wasn't her fault, but if the story spread, it might turn into her shamelessly seducing Xu the scoundrel.

If her reputation is ruined, it will implicate her master.

After learning about Hui Niang's thoughts, Xu Qing gained a deeper understanding of Hui Niang. She had originally thought that Hui Niang would compromise because of the issue of reputation.

I never expected her to be such a strong woman.

Xu Qing made no attempt to hide her admiration, and she said happily:

"It's alright, I'll handle it. You should go back with my brother first; the children haven't seen you in a long time and are getting a little anxious."

You've been frightened, so take a break this afternoon and don't do any work.

Hui Niang said anxiously, "Master, I'm fine. There are so many milk tea orders today, how can you manage by yourself? I'll start making them as soon as I get back."

Xu Qing pressed Hui Niang down and said, "I've hired two people, why don't you go back and teach them how to make taro balls and tapioca pearls? I'll make the milk tea myself when I get back."

Xu Qing untied the ropes binding Hui Niang and reached out to help her up.

Hui Niang was reluctant to let Xu Qing help her up, so she propped herself up and stood up.

Xu Qing then noticed that Hui Niang had a large bump on the back of her head.

She grabbed Hui Niang, pointed to her head, and asked coldly, "What happened? Did Xu the scoundrel hit you?"

Hui Niang hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'm tough, I'll be fine by tonight."

Xu Qing didn't say anything more. After a careful examination, he saw that Hui Niang had no other injuries except for some marks from the ropes.

They summoned Xu Jian to escort Hui Niang back home.

As they reached the courtyard gate, Xu Wulai struggled to move closer to Huiniang, muttering repeatedly:

"We've already been intimate, you're mine now. Why don't you marry me? I'll treat you well. Tell them to let me go!"

Hui Niang turned around and glared at Xu Wulai, angrily saying, "My master has already examined me. If you continue to slander me, I will die with you!"

Some villagers wanted to curry favor with Xu Qing's family, while others looked down on them.

"You're Xu Qing's servant. Of course she'd say that to protect her family's reputation. Only you two know the real story between you and Xu the Scoundrel. Hehehe..."

"That's right, adultery is punishable by being drowned in a pig cage. Who knows, there might even be an illegitimate child in her belly."

Upon hearing this, Xu Wulai quickly chimed in, "Yes, that's right, Huiniang, just marry me. Once we're husband and wife, today's incident will just be a misunderstanding. It'll be good for you and the Xu Qing family."

Just as Xu Qing was about to speak, Hui Niang boldly stopped him and said softly, "Master has already done so much for me, let me do it myself."

She smiled brightly, her slender body seemingly possessing boundless strength.

She resolutely said to the villagers who were watching the commotion, "There is nothing between me and Xu Wulai. He's the one who knocked me unconscious and tied me up today."

I still have a big bump on the back of my head. Although today's events were not my intention, they have still caused trouble for my master's family.

"But I'd rather die than force myself to marry a slut like you. It would also be a way to prove my innocence and not tarnish my master's family's reputation."

Without hesitation, Hui Niang slammed herself against a large tree beside her.

The master's family were good people. After she died, the child stayed with them, which put Hui Niang at ease.

Xu Jian was standing next to Hui Niang and quickly grabbed her.

Hui Niang was determined to die when she crashed into him. Although Xu Jian managed to pull her back, the immense momentum caused them both to fall to the ground and roll together.

The moment she fell, Xu Jian instinctively pulled Hui Niang into his arms to protect her from further head injury.

Hui Niang trembled in Xu Jian's arms and mumbled, "Let me die."

Xu Jian didn't know how to handle the situation, so he could only awkwardly offer his comfort:

"What will happen to your child if you die? He already has no father. If you leave him, how heartbroken he will be!"

Xu Qing was furious.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "The village chief is here!"

Xu Qing looked in that direction; the village chief was still some distance away.

She gave Xu Gong a wink, and Xu Gong understood immediately.

"Brothers, beat this shameless bastard to a pulp! He's a toad trying to eat swan meat. How dare he even think about the Xu family?"

"I told you last time that if you see any women from the Xu family, you have to go around them. Otherwise, we'll beat you every time we see you. The county magistrate has already agreed to this."

"How dare they disrespect the county magistrate! They deserve to be beaten even more!"

The workers listened for a long time and roughly understood what had happened. Everyone despised Xu's shameless behavior.

The beating of Xu Wulai was so brutal that every punch landed squarely, causing him to scream in agony.

The villagers who had just spoken up for Xu Wulai fell silent and shrank back into the crowd when they saw how ruthless the Xu family was, trying to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.

Seeing that Xu Wulai was barely breathing after being beaten, Xu Qing told everyone to stop.

At this moment, the village chief also arrived.

Xu Wulai, his head swollen like a pig's head, gasped as he saw the village chief, "Village chief, you must do me justice!"

The village chief disliked and loathed Xu the rascal who was always causing trouble.

He had lost face in front of the magistrate last time, and the magistrate had given him a good scolding afterwards.

He was serving as both the village head and the village chief of Xujia Village. The county magistrate said that if he, as the village chief, was not capable of handling the villagers' disputes, he could promote another village head to assist him.

The village chief said sternly, "You scoundrel Xu, you dare to disobey the magistrate's orders, so there's nothing I can do to help you."

Considering you have a child, we can spare you from being sent to the authorities, but you will no longer be able to live in the village.

"Move out of Xujia Village within three days, or else you will be handed over to the authorities."

Xu Wulai slumped to the ground, muttering, "Huiniang is just a servant of Xu Qing's family, not a member of the Xu family. Why should she drive me out of the village? How am I supposed to live if I leave the village..."