"Minister Chen, this was originally..."
Xiang Hong wanted to argue, but was interrupted by Chen Zi'an's cold voice.
"This was originally given to you by me? Look at yourself, what kind of person are you? Am I blind?"
Xiang Hong: ...
Aren't you blind?
If you weren't blind, why would you find a woman that even villagers don't want?
But could she say that?
Xiang Hong dared not.
"Xiang Hong, you should be glad I don't hit women!" Chen Zi'an said, "You are slandering my reputation like this, and I will not let this go. I will go home and tell your father and uncle that I am waiting."
Xiang Hong's face turned pale, and she dared not argue further.
She understood now that no matter how she argued, the man in front of her wouldn't listen.
She was finished.
No, she wouldn't be.
She still had the Xiang family as her backing, and her uncle and father.
She had to go home and ask for help.
Xiang Hong, who left in a hurry, didn't notice Su Xiaoqin at all.
To be precise, she abandoned Su Xiaoqin and ran away.
Su Xiaoqin didn't expect Xiang Hong to abandon her and run away at such a critical moment.
Looking at Chen Zi'an, who was so cold he could freeze a person to death, and then at Su Xiaotian, she was scared.
"Grandma, I..." Su Xiaoqin looked towards Grandma Su, who was the easiest to talk to.
Grandma Su had a stern face, her eyes filled with disgust and heartache.
"Don't call me Grandma. I don't know a heartless child like you."
She was truly heartbroken.
"Grandma, I..."
"My grandma said she doesn't know you, so don't pester here." Su Xiaotian stood in front of Su Xiaoqin.
Although she was a smaller child, for some reason, the aura she projected was even stronger than that of the taller Su Xiaoqin.
"Xiaotian, I'm your cousin!" Su Xiaoqin glared at Su Xiaotian and said through gritted teeth.
Su Xiaotian shook her head and smiled, "These are the words you just said, have you forgotten so quickly?"
"Your own grandparents are waiting for you at home. If you still have a conscience, go back and see them!" Su Xiaotian's faint voice was just loud enough for the surrounding people to hear.
The neighbors who were watching were already feeling uneasy because they had misunderstood Minister Chen and his wife earlier.
Seeing the dispute between the two young girls, they naturally knew who to side with.
"How can you, a little girl, have such a dark heart?"
"You just said you had nothing to do with their family, and now you're clinging to them? Where's your face? Did you lose it to the land of claws?"
"Isn't her backing gone? That girl just now was from the Xiang family. This little girl thought she had latched onto a great supporter, but who knew that person treated her like a plaything and discarded her as they pleased!"
...
Listening to the crowd's chatter, Su Xiaoqin's face turned red.
How could these people be like this?
Was she wrong to resent Su Xiaotian?
Why couldn't anyone understand the pain in her heart?
"What do you know? What do you know? Why have I ended up like this? Isn't it all because of her?"
"If it weren't for her, Grandma, who likes girls, I might have been adopted by Grandma's family."
After Su Xiaoqin's hysterical roar, she was shocked to realize that she seemed to have revealed her secret.
That's right, for so long, she had always felt that if it weren't for Su Xiaotian, she might have been adopted by the eldest branch and enjoyed everything Su Xiaotian enjoyed.
After all, before Su Xiaotian was born, her paternal granduncle and grandmother had treated her very well. It was only because of Su Xiaotian's birth that she had lost her status in their hearts.
Even if they gave her a bite to eat, it was the worst, barely edible.
Grandma Su was almost amused to death by these words.
What was this girl thinking? Had she become foolish from wandering outside for so long?
"If I liked girls, would I adopt you? Su Xiaoqin, you think too highly of yourself."
"Even without Xiaotian, I wouldn't raise another family's child in my own home. It's not like I have so much grain that I don't know where to put it," Grandma Su said coldly.
Su Xiaoqin found it unbelievable.
"No, no, you were good to me before!"
"That was pity. You were so young, you couldn't get enough to eat or wear. Giving you a bite to eat was just an act of charity," Grandma Su said, shaking her head. "My husband and I have given food and drink to many people in our lives, but we have never seen anyone like you who not only doesn't repay but also thinks of harming others!"
"I didn't..." Su Xiaoqin quickly shook her head.
"You didn't? Do you dare say that it wasn't you who slandered our family at the commune? Su Xiaoqin, you think you're smart, but don't think everyone else is a fool. Walls have ears." Su Xiaotian said with a cold smile.
"Su Xiaoqin, whatever you do, there will always be traces left behind!"
Whatever she did, there would be traces left behind?
Was that true?
Su Xiaoqin was stunned for a moment.
Really?
Was that true?
She muttered, her steps faltering, as she left the entrance of the Chen family's house.
Grandma Su and the others watched Su Xiaoqin leave without saying a word.
The neighbors busied themselves apologizing to the family and saying many polite words before taking their leave.
"Xiu'er, hurry inside. You haven't finished your confinement period yet." Grandma Su urged Su Manxiu.
Su Manxiu smiled, "It's only a day or two difference, it's not important."
"You stubborn child, if you catch a cold and develop a chronic illness, it will be troublesome," Grandma Su urged anxiously.
"Just listen to your mother and go lie on the kang. Today's incident was the Xiang family's fault. Don't worry, the Xiang family will have to pay for what Xiang Hong did!"
Chen Zi'an wondered if he had been too lenient recently, to the point where even a young girl from the Xiang family dared to bully him.
If that was the case, he needed to remind the people in the county what kind of person he was.
He couldn't let Manxiu fight these people alone every time.
Su Manxiu was urged by her husband and mother to return to the kang.
The little one was lying on the kang, gnawing on his little fist, clearly awake for some time.
"Oh my, this little fellow is so sensible, he's awake but not crying!" Grandma Su said with a smile, "He's a trouble-saver!"
Su Xiaotian smiled and said, "Indeed, little brother is the most well-behaved!"
However, the most well-behaved little brother suddenly started crying loudly at this moment.
Su Xiaotian choked.
Alright, she shouldn't have praised him, she deserved a slap to her own face!
The adults looked at Su Xiaotian and couldn't help but laugh.
When the little fellow was nestled in his mother's arms, he finally stopped crying, and his little head still nuzzled around, searching for the "food bag."
Su Manxiu fed the little fellow while smiling, "You little thing, your sister just praised you, and you fell to the ground!"
The little fellow mumbled while eating, completely unaware of what he had done wrong.
Meanwhile, Xiang Hong, after hurriedly leaving Chen Zi'an's house, ran frantically towards her own home.
The Xiang family's residence was not far from Chen Zi'an's small courtyard, arriving in just over ten minutes.
The Xiang family's residence was two adjoining courtyards. Xiang Hong's paternal uncle lived in the left courtyard, and Xiang Hong's family lived in the right courtyard.
However, both families shared a large living room.
When she returned to the Xiang family, neither of the two heads of the Xiang family was present.
Xiang Hong's mother, Shi Xunfang, was a minor official in the county and was at home sewing clothes on a sewing machine.
Seeing her daughter's pale face, Shi Xunfang put down her needlework, walked to her daughter's side, and said with concern, "My child, I told you not to run around outside. Look, you're so tired your face is all pale!"
Her daughter was always running around with people outside, and Shi Xunfang, besides feeling sorry for her daughter, did not object.
After all, her daughter had the ability, and she was happy to see it.
As for the families that her good daughter had searched, she never even considered whether they were wronged.
Even if a few families died as a result, Shi Xunfang felt that they deserved it.
As for her daughter, she was naturally blameless, standing on the side of justice.
"Mom? Where's my dad? Where's my uncle?" Xiang Hong asked repeatedly.
"They're still busy outside. They said there's an important matter in the county today and they might be back late. Hong, what do you want to eat? Mom will make it for you! How about dumplings?" Shi Xunfang said with concern.
Her daughter must be tired lately and needed to be replenished. Coincidentally, they had gotten a piece of lamb at home, so lamb dumplings would be good.
"Mom, when will my dad and uncle be back?" Xiang Hong was very anxious.
"They said it would be midnight. What's wrong? Tell Mom if something happened."
Hearing that her father and uncle would only return at midnight, Xiang Hong could only place her hopes on her own mother.
She recounted the events, omitting her own slandering, especially the slander against Chen Zi'an.
She added the humiliation Su Manxiu had inflicted on her.
"What a bitch! She's just hooked up with Chen Zi'an, and she dares to attack a daughter of the Xiang family." Shi Xunfang's temper flared up immediately.
"Mom, what should I do? If my dad finds out, he'll beat me to death!" Xiang Hong cried softly.
Shi Xunfang felt sorry for her daughter and quickly said, "Don't worry, leave this to Mom. Mom will help you."
Hearing her daughter's promise and thinking that her mother was also a minor official with many people under her, Xiang Hong felt much more at ease.
She choked and said, "Mom, you're the only one who dotes on me!"
"I only have you and your brother. How can I not dote on you? Alright, don't think about it. We won't tell your dad about this. I'll sort it out for you tomorrow."
While comforting her daughter, Shi Xunfang began to plot how to deal with Chen Zi'an.
This Chen Zi'an, wasn't he just arrogant and overbearing because he had some strength?
A person like a rootless duckweed dared to challenge the Xiang family!
This time, she would definitely let Chen Zi'an know who was more powerful, the Xiang family or him.
Xiang Hong was satisfied and happily followed Shi Xunfang to the kitchen to help make lamb dumplings.
At this moment, Xiang Hong did not know that this was the only good thing she would eat in the near future.
After this, Xiang Hong's life suddenly plunged into a fiery abyss.
Chen Zi'an was not a soft-hearted person; he always kept his word. Moreover, this time he clearly intended to use the Xiang family to deter the restless local ruffians in the county.
That evening, he specifically arranged for people to inform the Xiang family of the matter and demand that the Xiang family make a decision.
The two heads of the Xiang family were actually somewhat afraid of Chen Zi'an, as he gave no one face.
However, they felt that the Xiang family's reputation had to be maintained. They couldn't possibly deal with their own child just because of a young brat, could they?
But soon, the two of them understood the whole story.
Neither of them expected Xiang Hong to come up with such a terrible idea and set her sights on Chen Zi'an.
Even so, slandering Chen Zi'an and his wife as having an illicit affair.
Idiot!
These two brothers couldn't bother with anything else and quickly found excuses to leave one after another.
Xiang Family.
Xiang Hong's father, the second son of the Xiang family of this generation, was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed onto the chair on the spot when he learned that his wife had already arranged for people to investigate Chen Zi'an.
Was this intending to completely offend Chen Zi'an? These two women were both idiots!
Idiots!
Xiang Hong's eldest brother was also so scared that he almost wet himself on the spot.
How did he not know that these two women from the second branch of the Xiang family were so foolish?
"Isn't it just Chen Zi'an? Why are you all making such faces? I don't believe I can't find any leverage against him!" Shi Xunfang said arrogantly, appearing indifferent.
"Idiot, is Chen Zi'an someone you can easily offend? Have you forgotten? How did the Yu family collapse completely before?"
These words reminded Shi Xunfang. How could she forget that Chen Zi'an, an outsider dragon, had completely dealt with the Yu family, who was ranked first in the county, in just one month? The remaining members of the Yu family didn't even know where they had ended up.
If one were to say, the Xiang family's status was truly incomparable to the Yu family's.
But was it too late to regret it now?
"Second Brother, let's completely split the family!" Xiang Hong's eldest brother said.
Although it was only a short time, this was his decision after weighing the pros and cons.
Chen Zi'an, such a ruthless person, would definitely not forgive the Xiang family easily this time. If they were still a family, perhaps Chen Zi'an would have wiped them all out in one go!
This second branch, these prodigal fools, it was one thing for them to act recklessly on a daily basis, but they actually dared to make a move against Chen Zi'an.
And the mother was also a muddled fool, not thinking about what kind of person she was, daring to find people to investigate Chen Zi'an.
When did these two women become so bold?
Didn't they know what kind of person Chen Zi'an was?
A toad jumping into a ginger nest – asking for trouble!
"Big Brother, it's not that serious, is it?"
Xiang Hong's second brother became even more frightened. His elder brother was actually suggesting splitting the family? Had it come to this?
"If we go to Minister Chen now to apologize and beg for mercy, there might still be a chance!" Xiang Lao Er's voice became lower and lower.
"Second Brother, don't be too naive. If we don't split the family, perhaps the Xiang family will have no more chances," Xiang Lao Da stated the facts plainly.
Xiang Lao Er naturally knew that his elder brother was telling the truth, but if they split the family, wouldn't their power be even weaker?