Pastoral Splendor

Wang Fugui stood there, stunned, as so many people ran towards him.

Today, he summoned dozens of people from his clan, intending to seize Changsheng by force while no one was home during the day. Unexpectedly, a large group of people appeared, a dark mass, carrying sticks and benches, and ran towards him. He was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he trembled with fear.

What on earth is going on? Weren't Xiao Laoda and his girl supposed to be working during the day? Why are so many people running out now? Sigh, since his great-aunt became paralyzed, no one has been going to Wangjia Village to deliver messages, so he hasn't been able to figure out the situation at all.

"Wang Fugui, you stop right there! People of Wangjia Village, listen up!" Yan Ying shouted with all her might, "Don't be fooled by this dog Wang Fugui! When my eldest sister was kicked back to her parents' home by them, it was your village's old scholar who personally wrote the divorce papers. It clearly states that my eldest sister and her two children have nothing to do with the Wang family! Now that he sees that my eldest sister has given birth to a son, he's trying to get you to come and snatch her away. We, Xiaojia Village, are not to be trifled with!"

The crowd behind them kept banging the ground with benches and sticks, shouting, "That's right! You want to bully our Xiao Family Village? Don't even think about it!"

The twenty-odd people from Wangjia Village looked at the dark group of people over there, feeling a little scared. When they heard Yan Ying say this, they suddenly realized what was going on. They stared at Wang Fugui and spat, "Brother Fugui, why are you lying to us? What did you say about the child your ex-wife gave birth to that you were supposed to have?"

"Isn't that right?" someone said angrily. "They even said that Old Master Xiao's family didn't have a son, so they insisted on taking your son to carry on the family line. Isn't that all made up?"

"Words are no proof, let's put it in writing. Go ask that old scholar! If our family had forcibly taken his son, would he have remained silent for so long? Is Wang Wangcai's family afraid of trouble?" Yan Ying tapped the ground with her stick. "Listen to me, everything must be based on reason. If you want to cause trouble, no one in Xiaojia Village is afraid of you!"

"Honestly, what a formidable girl!" The twenty or so people from Wangjia Village turned to leave. Yan Ying jumped in front of Wang Fugui and grabbed his clothes. "You just go and live your life with your Pear Blossom. Don't even think about coming to our Xiaojia Village to do anything crooked. This time I'll only teach you a lesson. Next time I'll definitely arrest you and take you to the prefect's office. I'll have Lord Lin lock you up on charges of gathering a crowd to cause trouble!"

Wang Fugui quickly covered his head, crying out, "Sanhua, hit me gently!"

Yan Ying gritted her teeth and struck Wang Fugui a dozen times on fleshy, non-lethal spots. Although she hated Wang Fugui, she couldn't kill him. She had to hit him hard and hurt him. When Yan Ying stopped hitting him, Wang Fugui was covered in mud, his clothes torn to shreds by the men from Xiaojia Village, revealing crisscrossing cuts from the sticks.

"Oh dear, Sanhua, I was wrong, I'll never come again, please stop hitting me, please stop hitting me!" Although no vital spots were targeted, Wang Fugui had already been beaten into a pig's head, with blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, his cheeks so swollen that his eyes were no longer visible, and his body covered in bruises.

"Get out of here!" Yan Ying stopped hitting him with the stick and spat at him hatefully. "If you come to Xiaojia Village again, I'll beat you to death!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Fugui felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He fled in panic, turning his back on Xiaojia Village without looking back.

"That was a satisfying beating! They dared to come and cause trouble in our village. Those people from Wangjia Village should have known better!" The villagers behind her expressed their indignation and surrounded Yan Ying, saying, "Sanhua, you should lead our village to make money. If anyone dares to cause trouble for you, our whole village will help you."

"Fellow villagers, I appreciate your kindness! As the saying goes, one should help those who are right, not those who are close to them. If I had done something wrong, I wouldn't have asked for your help!" Yan Ying smiled at the villagers. "Don't worry, we'll earn even more money next year!"

Da Hua and Gong Liang got engaged smoothly, and the wedding date was set for the third day of the third lunar month next year. Matchmaker Wu wiped her mouth and said, "The third day of the third lunar month, an auspicious day!" She smiled and carried the roast duck while burping as she went to lead her little donkey: "Let's go, let's go, see you next time!"

Gong Liang said in a trembling voice to Xiao Laoda and Xiao Da Niang, "Father, Mother, you are so kind..." The thought that the Xiao family had actually paid a thousand taels of silver out of their own pocket as a betrothal gift made him so grateful that he couldn't speak. His legs went weak and he was about to kneel down when Xiao Laoda grabbed him and said, "Gong Liang, what are you doing!"

Yan Ying chuckled and said, "Brother-in-law, a man's knees are worth more than gold!"

Aunt Xiao looked happily at Da Hua and Gong Liang standing together, her smile impossible to hide: "Gong Liang, as long as you treat Da Hua well, that's enough. We don't have any other expectations. We just want to live a peaceful and happy life together!"

Gong Liang nodded and said, "I will definitely treat Da Hua well. My parents died early, so they will be my real parents from now on!"

"Yes, yes!" Boss Xiao was overjoyed. He had thought that when Da Hua remarried, her son-in-law might not be happy that she had brought Ye'er and Changsheng, two burdens, not to mention that Changsheng even had his surname. Now everything was fine, and there were no problems. With his son-in-law making such a promise, he was relieved.

"Alright, alright, it's settled then. Come over to our house for the reunion dinner during the New Year." Aunt Xiao counted on her fingers: "There are still twenty-nine days left. We need to make good preparations this year."

"Sixth Sister, Sixth Sister!" A voice called from outside, and Liu Ada strode in: "Dahua got engaged again today? Such a happy occasion, why didn't you send a message back to your parents' home? As her uncle, I wanted to join in the fun!"

Aunt Xiao was somewhat embarrassed: "Brother, we sent you a letter when Da Hua got engaged, but you never came. Even when Da Hua got married, you only sent half a tael of silver. How could I possibly have the nerve to send you a letter?" Aunt Xiao spoke with a hint of resentment. Her family was really too materialistic. They said that a maternal uncle was the most important person in the family, so he should have come to see his niece's wedding, but he didn't even show his face!

Liu Ada frowned and said, "Those were those years, and now is now!" He looked at Erhua and said, "She got engaged, and you didn't even send a message! Now look at this, do you even have a family to rely on?" Erhua was the most suitable age to become a concubine, so now we can only see if Sanhua is willing.

"Brother, yes, yes, yes! Next time Sanhua gets engaged, I'll definitely send a message back to her parents' home!" Seeing Liu Ada was angry, Xiao Laoda was a little at a loss: "Sit down, sit down quickly!"

Liu Aqi sat down with a huff, glanced at Yan Ying, and said, "Your third daughter, I've found a good family for you. You'll never have to worry about food or clothing after you marry into that family, and you'll be adorned with gold and silver!"

"Big brother, our Sanhua..." Aunt Xiao couldn't help but say when she saw Liu Ada sitting there so proudly, "Someone has already come to propose marriage to our Sanhua!"

"What? What? I just turned 18 last time? How come someone's already trying to arrange a marriage?" Liu Ada jumped up, huffing. "Didn't I tell you last time that I'd take care of my niece's marriage? Quickly turn that family down! The marriage I'm talking about is a really great thing!" After saying that, Liu Ada glanced smugly at Xiao Laoda and Xiao Da Niang. If he were to reveal Master Peng's vast wealth, he didn't know how surprised they would be.

"Uncle, this marriage isn't your place to make these decisions, is it?" Yan Ying sneered. She didn't believe her uncle could arrange a good marriage. If something good happened, wouldn't he prioritize his own daughters first? "Uncle, as the saying goes, marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers. How can an uncle be the one to arrange a marriage?"

"Hmph, what right do you have to stand here and listen to this? You little brat, get back to your room!" Liu A glared at Yan Ying, and seeing that she still didn't move, he got angry: "How can you be so shameless? When it comes to your marriage, you're just standing here without moving!"

"Uncle, this is a major life event for me, how could I not care?" Yan Ying smiled at him: "What good marriage is it? Tell me!"

Liu Ada glanced at Yan Ying, and seeing that she showed no sign of leaving, cleared his throat: "You might as well listen to this. Our boss's surname is Peng. He's a merchant who travels around delivering goods. He has a large mansion with thirty or forty servants. Every day, he eats delicacies from land and sea and wears fine silks and satins..."

Aunt Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Brother, isn't your employer quite old? Why isn't he married yet? Is it because his wife is planning to remarry after he dies?"

"What are you saying!" Liu Ada said with a long face, "Our master's wife isn't dead yet!"

"Not dead? Then you're here to arrange a marriage for your boss's son?" Boss Xiao was also confused: "Why are you mentioning him? Just say it's your boss's son."

"How can you all be so clueless!" Liu Ada said angrily. "It's not our master's son, it's our master who wants to take on another concubine! He's already tired of having one wife and three concubines, so he wants to find a young and beautiful one. I think Sanhua is a good match, so he should hurry up and go enjoy the good life with her!"

Xiao Laoda and Xiao Da Niang were so angry that they trembled all over. Yan Ying picked up the stick that was in the corner and said, "I don't care if you are my mother's older brother or not. How dare you come to our door and say such things. You deserve to be beaten!"

Liu Ada jumped up: "Oh my, you little brat, you've gone too far! You even dare to hit your uncle?"

"Pah! I don't care if you're some kind of uncle or not. If you dare to come to our house and try to do something, I'll beat you up!" Yan Ying glared angrily. What a terrible relative! She had just managed to suppress one wave of anger, and now this one had popped up!

Liu Ya stood to the side, grinning foolishly, "Uncle, my third sister even hit Grandpa, you'd better leave quickly!"

Erhua also rushed up with a stick, spitting angrily at Liu Ada: "You actually want Sanhua to be your concubine? I'll beat you to death!"

Liu Ada covered his head and ran out, not daring to look back. He wished he had wings to fly. He ran a long way, then looked back at Old Master Xiao's house. Seeing the bright blue brick and tile house there, he was both anxious and angry. He spat and said, "They really don't know what's good for them. A house full of bad things!"

He stood there with a worried look on his face, thinking about how he had already praised his niece to his employer to the skies, which made Master Peng beam with joy and tell him to hurry up and mediate. He said that if she was brought into the house, he would give her a hundred taels of silver as a thank you.

It seems that he won't be able to get the hundred taels of silver now. Liu Ada saw two faces appear at the gate of the courtyard, exclaimed "Oh dear!" and quickly ran away.

Chapter 195 Conspiracy

"Ah Da, why are you back like this?" Liu Gaoshi came out of the house and was surprised to see her eldest son's face covered in dust. "Didn't you go to Xiaojia Village to arrange a marriage? Why are you back like this?"

Liu Aqi snorted and said, "Mother, don't mention it. All the maids in Sixth Sister's house are unruly. As soon as I brought up this marriage, Third Sister and Second Sister grabbed sticks and chased me out. They wouldn't let me say a word!"

Liu Gao's eyes widened in surprise: "What? This marriage isn't good? They're not satisfied with it? Then what kind of person do they want Sanya to marry?"

"Sixth Sister said someone has already proposed to that Third Girl. Sigh, it's my fault for not telling her sooner." Liu A sighed. "That Third Girl is really pretty and will definitely be popular. No wonder matchmakers are already at the door so early in the morning."

Liu Gao pursed her lips: "With your sixth sister's family background, what good men could possibly want to marry her? Although you said last time you came back that you saw a big brick house with tiles, didn't you just make your fortune by whittling bamboo sticks? How much silver could you possibly have saved? Now they're just coming to propose marriage, there's no engagement yet, what's the big deal! I'll go talk to your sixth sister and tell her to break off the engagement with that family and become a concubine for Master Peng!"

"Oh dear, Mother, you shouldn't go. Forget it. Those two girls are terribly fierce. I dare not go to their Xiao Family Village again. You shouldn't bother either." Liu Ada waved his hand. Although he felt a pang of heartache at the thought of the hundred taels of silver that had been lost, he couldn't do anything about it since the other party was unwilling.