Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
âFurthermore, should you choose to propagate any baseless rumors about them, rest assured that I will enforce the village regulations as appropriate!â After advising Ms. Lin, the village chief proceeded to caution Qian Dashan.
Although Ms. Lin felt a surge of irritation, she refrained from defying the village chief, opting instead to vent her frustration through muttered criticisms.
âHe can be easily swayed for a meager sum! What sort of character does he possess? He shares the same ancestry as us, tracing back to our great-grandparents! Should he continue disregarding his relations, heâll undoubtedly face shame when reuniting with his forefathers in the afterlife!â âWhy didnât he invoke the village regulations when our land was sold?â
Qian Dashan intervened, halting Ms. Linâs tirade. âCease this now, or we may attract unwarranted attention!â
âThe village chief undoubtedly has his reasons for his actions!â
âHeâs acting in the best interest of the entire village. Our community will suffer if we antagonize them.â
âMaintain your distance and avoid any affront!â
Ms. Linâs vexation only escalated; she branded Qian Dashan a coward.
Qian Dashanâs patience finally waned, prompting him to deliver a resounding slap across her face.
âYou ignorant fool!â
âDo you grasp that our entire village ridicules us?â
âPurely due to your foolish prattle! Solely because of your malicious nature! Youâre severing our ties with well-off relatives and transforming them into strangers!â
Losing her composure, Ms. Lin engaged in a physical altercation with Qian Dashan.
âIâm the one speaking nonsense? Have you been bestowed with eloquence?
Crafty and devious, isnât your avarice for money quite evident?â
âYouâve estranged yourself from them through deceitful dealings, pocketing their funds. What relevance does that hold for me?â
Qian Dashan found himself increasingly vexed. Despite Ms. Linâs persistent strikes, he refrained from physically pushing her away.
As a man, he certainly possessed greater physical strength than Ms. Lin. Yet, he couldnât bring himself to strike her, fearing the potential consequences that could lead to her injury.
Meanwhile, Grandma Su Bin was aware of their altercation, yet her attempts to intervene were futile. Neither party paid heed to her, continuing their brawl without restraint.
She could only sigh inwardly, pondering how she ended up with a son who exhibited such reckless behavior. To compound matters, he had married a woman with equally heedless tendencies â a prodigal daughter-in-law indeed. While entangled in their heated exchange, a villager arrived, bearing urgent news.
âQian Dashan, your son was involved in a brawl in town and has suffered leg injuriesâ¦â
Qian Dashan and Ms. Lin were stunned. Ms. Lin ceased her assault on Qian Dashan.
âCould you repeat that?â
The messenger reiterated the distressing information.
Taken aback, Qian Dashan and Ms. Lin absorbed the gravity of the situation, swiftly making their way towards the town.
Su Bin and the others had initially planned to depart for the prefecture early in the morning. However, due to the engagement of Qian Shanmin and Su Lan, they postponed their departure to share a midday meal together.
The intention was to set out for the town later in the afternoon.
Having just concluded their lunch, an agitated Qian Dashan abruptly burst into their home, his demeanor distraught as he collapsed to his knees.
âSu Binâs wife, I implore you to save Erhu!â
âWe will forever be indebted to your benevolenceâ¦â
As he spoke, he began to strike himself on the face, the sound of each blow echoing in the room.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
His strikes were forceful, causing Qian Dashanâs face to start bleeding.
âWe acknowledge our past wrongdoings. We acknowledge the injustice weâve done to you, and we willingly accept any retribution you deem fitâ¦â âBut Erhu is blameless in all of this⦠Heâs never been involvedâ¦
âHeâs a mere 18 years old⦠I cannot bear the thought of him perishingâ¦â
By the end of his appeal, Qian Dashanâs words devolved into incoherent rambling.
Qin Zhenzhen turned her gaze to Su Bin, silently seeking his input on whether to intervene and save Qian Erhu.
In honesty, she was not a paragon of virtue. Both Ms. Lin and Qian Dashan had proven themselves unworthy of salvation..