country bumpkin

Nobody in the world is a fool. They live in the same neighborhood; it's not like everyone can't hear what's going on. Every night, the Zhu family's house would be filled with Zhang Qingjiao's cries and Zhu Zhiqiang's beatings and curses.

The neighbors were all gossiping about it behind their backs.

Some villagers have large families, and their workshops are too small to accommodate so many people to work. Those who have donkey carts drive them back home with a lot of peanuts that need processing.

Xiao Zhe frequently visited villages to check whether the shelled peanuts were up to standard. Upon hearing about Zhang Qingjiao's ordeal, he felt both heartache and anger.

But he dared not cause trouble for the Zhu family. The rumors were all because of him, and if he met with Zhang Qingjiao again, it would only harm her.

Therefore, he could only silently observe Zhang Qingjiao's living conditions.

Mu Shuyun from Kongjia Village led Yunya to visit and chat at Granny Zhang's house.

Granny Zhang was in a bad mood. She had heard about her daughter's situation in her husband's family, and she was very angry and regretful.

Because of her son's offspring, she sent her daughter into a wolf's den.

Now that his son's wife has difficulty conceiving, it's like ending the family line, so what's the point of the arranged marriage? She's wavering between the two options.

Mu Shuyun also agreed with her bringing her daughter back, because Qingjiao could no longer suffer at her husband's house.

Zhang Qingguo, however, couldn't bear to part with his wife and refused to exchange his sister for her.

After 28 years of being single, I've finally found love, how could I possibly let go? My wife is such a sweet and delicate little cutie.

Zhu Mengmeng is 18 years old this year, younger than her younger sister. Even if she can't get pregnant, it's comforting to sleep with her at night.

Why would a wolf spit out meat it has already eaten? Even if it were his own sister, it wouldn't change his mind.

Old Mrs. Zhang was worried about this. Her daughter-in-law couldn't have children, but she still felt there was hope.

She thought it must be because her daughter-in-law was too young; she estimated that she would be able to conceive when she grew up.

However, the daughter is being abused. If we bring the daughter back, the daughter-in-law will also have to go back, and the son is unwilling to do so. This is a difficult situation.

Granny Zhang sighed and said to Mu Shuyun, "It feels like a huge stone is lodged in my heart."

Mu Shuyun also sighed, unable to think of a better solution for the time being.

At this moment, Yunya, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Grandma, why don't we go and talk to Grandpa, the most capable man in the village? Let the Zhu family know that they can't bully people like this. Maybe we can rescue Auntie without having to send Auntie back."

Granny Zhang's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again: "The most prestigious person in our village is the village chief, I'm afraid he won't get involved in this kind of thing."

But a glimmer of hope rekindled in her heart, and she thought that she had to try even if there was only a tiny chance.

Granny Zhang kept praising Yunya for being such a clever little devil. Yunya was so flattered by the praise that she sat on her little stool and giggled foolishly.

So Granny Zhang decided to visit the village chief Kong Youliang the next day with some homemade pickled vegetables and 10 eggs.

When she arrived at the village chief's house, she told him the whole story. Kong Youliang listened and pondered for a long time before finally saying slowly, "Granny Zhang, this is a difficult matter, but I can go to the Zhu family to sound them out first."

Granny Zhang left the village chief's house with profuse thanks, eagerly anticipating good news from Kong Youliang. She was no longer as clueless as before, as if she had seen a glimmer of light in the darkness.

The next day, the village chief went to Zhu Family Village by donkey cart. Upon arriving at Zhu Family Village, he handed the 10 eggs he was carrying to Granny Liang.

When Granny Liang saw the eggs, she chatted amiably with the village chief. After a while, the village chief steered the conversation back to the main topic.

The village chief spoke up, "Mrs. Liang, Zhang Qingjiao from our village is someone I watched grow up. Now that she's married to your son, we're all family, right?"

Granny Liang quickly chimed in, "That's right, that's right, we're all family."

The village chief continued, "Since we're all family, let's not beat around the bush. We've found out exactly what kind of life Qingjiao is living in your house. They say harmony in the family brings prosperity, so you need to keep an eye on your son. Our daughter won't be without family after she gets married. How can someone beat his wife like this?"

Granny Liang feigned ignorance, saying, "Village Chief Kong, that's all just hearsay. No, my son didn't hit Qingjiao. Hehe..."

The village chief said unhappily, "You know the truth for yourselves. You can't possibly not know what kind of life your daughter is living in our Kongjia Village! Your in-laws don't let her do any work, they pamper and spoil her. Is this how your family treats their daughter? Where is your conscience? Cough cough..."

The village chief grew angrier and angrier, until he finally started coughing.

Even the thick-skinned Granny Liang was scared. She was afraid that if the village chief went back and said something to her in-laws, her daughter would also suffer.

Granny Liang feigned grievance and said, "Village Chief Kong, don't listen to these gossipy rumors. Our son treats Qingjiao very well. The young couple just get too lovey-dovey at night, which leads to misunderstandings."

The village chief waved his hand: "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. We've already made our stance clear. Let me make this clear from the start: if any more stories of beating daughters-in-law reach our village, we'll take our daughters back with us."

Granny Liang nodded vigorously, assuring everyone, "Village Chief Kong, don't worry, we will treat Qingjiao well. There won't be any more rumors like this in the future."

After the village chief finished speaking and expressing his stance, he turned and left to return to the village.

Back in the village, the village chief went to Granny Zhang's house to explain what had happened at the Zhu family's house, saying that he had already warned them.

Granny Zhang and Zhang Chenggong both gratefully grasped the village chief's hand and thanked him repeatedly.

After finishing these trivial matters, Kong Youliang went to the commune to check on the recent business performance.

After Village Chief Kong left Zhujia Village, Granny Liang and her husband discussed family matters.

That evening, Zhu Zhiqiang returned home drunk, leaning on a cane. He went into his room, but didn't see his wife. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Qingjiao...Qingjiao, where have you been? Come out quickly, I'm back."

Zhang Qingjiao came out of her mother-in-law's room with her head down and timidly walked into her own bedroom.

Zhu Zhiqiang threw down his crutch, half-reclined on the bed with his legs dangling, and said with a mouthful of foul language and the smell of alcohol, "Hurry up and wash my feet, you bastard, if you don't serve your husband, which wild man do you want to serve?"

Zhang Qingjiao, with tears welling in her eyes, said softly, "No...no, I wasn't thinking about any other man. I was just helping my mother mend her clothes in her room."

Hearing the commotion in her son's room, fearing he was beating his wife, Granny Liang said, "Zhiqiang, Village Chief Kong from Kongjia Village came today and heard about Qingjiao's situation. You'd better treat Qingjiao well from now on, or your sister will suffer."

Zhu Zhiqiang mumbled a "Okay!" and then started shouting again.

Zhang Qingjiao got up to wash clothes in the morning, spent the whole day weeding in the fields, and cooked and washed again when she came back in the evening. She didn't get a break. Her mother-in-law then asked her to mend clothes. Just as she finished her work, she heard her husband calling her, so she was a step too late.

Zhu Zhiqiang sat up and stroked Zhang Qingjiao's cheek with his thick, cracked hands.

Her face was sallow. She had only been married a short time, but she had already become skin and bones. Her delicate face had shrunk even more, making her eyes appear larger than before.

He slid his hand down and pinched her small face, exhaling the smell of alcohol as he said, "Look at you, what a pretty little face, just the face of a vixen. But if you marry me, you should behave yourself and be well-behaved, understand?"

He shouted what he was about to say, which startled Zhang Qingjiao so much that she fell to the ground and knocked over the foot bath.

The water on the floor soaked Zhang Qingjiao's pants. She slowly got up, preparing to change her pants.

Zhu Zhiqiang grabbed her hand, pulled her back onto the bed, pressed her down, and unleashed a torrent of intense kisses upon Zhang Qingjiao.

Zhang Qingjiao struggled desperately, but the difference in strength was too great, and she could only keep her lips tightly shut. Zhu Zhiqiang, enraged, grabbed her neck with one hand and forcibly pried open her mouth with the other.

Just when Zhang Qingjiao was feeling desperate, she suddenly heard a commotion outside.

It turned out that the neighbor's house was on fire, and the fire was raging. Everyone was shouting for help. Zhu Zhiqiang was taken aback, and his grip loosened a little.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhang Qingjiao forcefully pushed him away and scrambled towards the door. Zhu Zhiqiang came to his senses and tried to chase after her, but his cane had been thrown too far and he couldn't reach it immediately.

He struggled to his feet and limped towards his crutch, but tripped over a basin of water on the ground and fell. Zhang Qingjiao ran out of the house and mingled with the crowd fighting the fire.

She looked back in the direction of her in-laws' house with lingering fear, her eyes filled with dread and disgust.

She knew she couldn't go on like this any longer; she had to find a way to change her fate, even if it meant escaping the village.

Zhu Zhiqiang got up from the ground and looked in the direction where Zhang Qingjiao had disappeared. He was filled with anger and resentment and cursed the ungrateful woman in his heart.

Zhang Qingjiao clenched her fists in the crowd, her eyes gradually hardening.