Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Shameless

The village chief's wife was also somewhat surprised. Seeing Qiu's agitation, she quickly calmed her down, "I don't know about this either, but I think this is just a temporary measure. I'll go ask her."

"I hope it's as you say. If things don't go as planned, you'll have to deal with it yourselves!" She flung her sleeves and stormed off. The land behind them was still being divided equally.

Ji Meiqing looked at her land deed for a while, then went home. She handed the deed back to him and asked, "Are there any problems with what's written on it? For example, how is the harvest?"

"It's alright, the harvest is so-so." Lu Yu was also a little unsure how to answer. He never cared about these things, and the Lu family didn't make a living by farming. They only wanted a plot of land or two as a precaution.

Ji Meiqing glanced at him a couple more times, but ultimately decided to go and take a look herself.

She returned to the winery and continued helping with the brewing. The wines in the cellar were almost ready; these would be usable after a while longer.

After working for a while, a commotion suddenly broke out outside. Hearing the voices of Widow Li and Li Ming, Ji Meiqing quickly put down what she was doing and went out to see what was going on.

As soon as she stepped out of the courtyard gate, she saw Widow Li and Li Ming blocked at their doorway. Ji Meiqing looked at the people outside, all of them glaring fiercely at the mother and son.

Ji Meiqing watched their commotion, and after a while, she managed to rouse Lu Yu from his reverie. He looked at everything with a solemn expression.

"What happened?" He led Ji Meiqing over and walked directly into the crowd, saying to Widow Li, "Since you're here, please go inside first."

Widow Li nodded immediately, as if she had seen her savior. She wanted to go back, but was stopped by someone.

"Hey kid, let me tell you, this shameless slut seduced my uncle. If you dare let her go today, you..." Lu Yu attacked without thinking, and Ji Meiqing quickly pulled Widow Li and her son over.

Although Lu Yu lacked martial arts skills, he could still handle ordinary people. Ji Meiqing was a little worried, so she went back into the house to grab a handy wooden stick and ran out, giving the group a good beating.

Fearing someone might die, onlookers rushed forward to pull her away, but Ji Meiqing swung her wooden stick, and those who approached immediately took several steps back.

Seeing that everyone had backed away, Ji Meiqing put down the stick in her hand, stood on the ground, and glared fiercely at the people in front of her.

"Anyone else who wants to get beaten up, come on up here!"

The men looked at each other, not daring to come forward, all frightened by the fierce aura emanating from Ji Meiqing.

After looking at it for a long time, he finally said something harsh: "You can protect her for a while, but I don't believe you can protect her forever."

"We can't protect her forever, but to nip it in the bud, we'll get rid of you all now." She said coldly. Lu Yu walked back, a group of big men facing a small woman holding a wooden stick.

This scene is so weird.

After a while, Lu Yu came out with a wood-chopping knife, his face filled with murderous intent. The people in front of Ji Meiqing were so frightened that their legs went weak.

"So, who wants to go first?" Ji Meiqing took the wood-chopping knife from his hand, looked at it, and then stood there.

Lu Yu pulled out a large knife from behind him, even bigger than the knife in Ji Meiqing's hand, and the legs of those burly men immediately began to tremble.

Ji Meiqing glanced at them provocatively a few times, "Are you coming one by one, or... all at once?"

"..." Those people didn't say a word, their legs were shaking like sieves, and they ran far away.

Ji Meiqing watched their retreating figures and laughed. She dragged the wood-chopping knife back into the house, but after only a few steps, a question arose in her mind. She stepped back in front of him, "Why don't I see this wood-chopping knife or the copper knife in your hand? Where did they come from?"

"I looked in the storeroom. It's been there for years, but it's not rusty," Lu Yu replied matter-of-factly, as the wood-chopping knife in his hand was taken away.

Ji Meiqing was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant and went into the house with him.

Widow Li recounted the whole story, then wiped away her tears, sobbing, "I have lived a life of integrity. Since my husband's death, I have upheld the virtues of a wife, daring not to overstep my bounds in the slightest. But these days are truly unbearable. I have done nothing wrong, why are they treating me like this!"

"You don't need to pay attention to these rumors; they'll dissipate after a while. Besides... if you haven't done anything wrong, you should stand up straight even more." Ji Meiqing patted her back. They were about the same age, just like the Ji Meiqing of the past, except she didn't have children.

But now, seeing someone her own age worrying and crying over their family, she felt a strange mix of emotions.

I don't know whether to feel fortunate or sympathetic, but I always feel that since I came here, and didn't get married or have a child early, all her rights still belong to her.

"This matter is probably not a coincidence, and there may be some more turmoil in the near future." She analyzed carefully, and suddenly thought of her sister-in-law, Qiu. Although she hadn't had much contact with her, she didn't seem like a kind-hearted person.

Lu Yu suddenly walked over, his face serious. "Aunt Li, Qiu Shi is looking for you outside."

"Ah?" Widow Li's face turned pale, seemingly startled. Ji Meiqing sighed softly.

She stood up and asked Lu Yu, "Brother Lu, do you know why she came here?"

"I don't know." He shook his head. "She only said that she would tell Aunt Li if she had something to say."

Ji Meiqing squatted down again and said softly, "If anything happens, we're here for you. Although we can't control everything, we can make sure you have enough to eat and wear. Your biggest problem right now is food and clothing; everything else is secondary."

"Mm." She wiped away her tears, stood up and said, "I understand. I will remember Madam Ji's kindness."

"I don't need you to remember me, you just need to repay me with your actions."

She and Lu Yu escorted her to the front hall. Madam Qiu didn't bring many people with her; she only had a maidservant by her side. She sat in a chair and looked around.

Upon seeing Widow Li emerge, his expression immediately turned cold.

"Oh, our little widow's here." She greeted Widow Li with a forced smile. "What brings you out here? Have you already found a leave of absence and are you all set?"

"Mrs. Qiu, don't push your luck," Ji Meiqing threatened coldly from the side. "If you dare to utter any more arrogant words, I'll throw you out immediately!"

"Hmph." Madam Qiu snorted and took out an envelope from her sleeve. "Widow Li is shameless and has violated the virtues of a woman. Several elders of the Li family have jointly removed you from the Li family genealogy."