Regardless of what the villagers said about Zhan Dalang being heartless, Xiao Yao Shi paid no mind.
Seeing Zhan Dalang's slightly pale face, Xiao Yao Shi said with concern, "It's just a dog. It's its good fortune to be eaten by my son."
"Xiao Yu will never let you go!" Er Lang clenched his fists tightly, his eyes red with anger as he glared at Zhan Dalang.
Da Huang had been raised by Zhan Fei Yu, but it had also grown up with Er Lang and San Lang. When Da Huang went missing, Er Lang searched the village repeatedly, his voice hoarse from calling out. He even secretly shed tears at night, only to find out that Da Huang had been killed by Da Lang.
"Bad guy!" Little Niu Niu shouted in a childish voice, walked over, kicked Zhan Dalang, and then ran back.
"San Lang, how do you discipline Niu Niu? She dares to kick her cousin!" Xiao Yao Shi shrieked. But Little Niu Niu was only three years old, and Xiao Yao Shi, in her anger, raised her hand but unwillingly put it down.
Zhan San Lang quickly stepped forward, picked up Little Niu Niu, and said coldly, "Niu Niu also knows to care for Da Huang. She's much more conscientious than Da Lang!"
"Exactly, second sister-in-law, you should be thinking about how to explain this to Xiao Yu!" Ma Shi said protectively, patting Er Lang's shoulder. The family of four went back to their room.
After sending Er Lang and Little Niu Niu back to play, Ma Shi curled her lips disdainfully, "Da Lang is also a fool to dare to kill Da Huang. Isn't he afraid of Xiao Yu's revenge?"
"It's all because second brother and second sister spoil him," Zhan San Lang pulled over a chair and sat down, having a lot of opinions about the second branch of the family.
Ma Shi brought over the half-mended pants, poked a couple of stitches, and said, "Da Lang is considered a scholar, yet he associates with scoundrels like Liu Fu and Zhou Tian."
Just as Zhan San Lang was about to say that if Er Lang dared to associate with them, he would break Er Lang's legs, he heard Ma Shi complain, "They didn't even save a bite of dog meat for Er Lang. They don't care about their own brothers. If you ask me, Da Lang is the most heartless!"
Zhan San Lang stared dumbfounded at Ma Shi, who looked indignant. So, her anger was because Er Lang didn't get to eat the meat? Such a foolish woman was his wife!
Zhan Fei Yu did not retaliate, and the villagers did not feel surprised. It was a pity that Da Huang died, but in the end, it was just a dog. Since it was dead, they couldn't make Zhan Dalang pay with his life.
In the dead of night, a clap of thunder broke the silence. The wind howled like a wild beast. The villagers, awakened from their sleep, turned over and went back to sleep.
With a creak, a faint sound of a door opening was masked by the wind.
In the pitch-black night, where one could not see their hand in front of their face, Zhan Fei Yu felt neither fear nor cold. She walked directly towards a house in the village.
Zhou Tian slept soundly, undisturbed even by the thunder.
Liu Fu, who had been arrested by Constable Ma, was released that afternoon. He had only been detained for two days and had not suffered. Constable Ma did not bother with the matter of killing Da Huang. Zhou Tian, who had been worried for several days, finally slept soundly.
Zhan Fei Yu slipped the lit incense through the crack in the door. After waiting for a moment, she took out a dagger as thin as a cicada's wing and painstakingly jiggled the bolt open...
"Fire!" A shout broke the silence of the night, followed by the sound of bronze basins being struck, waking up the neighbors. Looking out the window, they saw flames soaring into the sky.
"Quick, put out the fire!"
"Get the water buckets, and bring the wooden basins from home!"
"Husband, put on your padded jacket before you go out."
The raging flames illuminated the sky. The wind fanned the fire, making it burn even fiercer. The villagers, seeing the intensity of the fire, knew it was beyond saving.
"Where is Zhou Tian?" The village chief retreated a few steps, scorched by the flames.
Although Zhou Tian's dilapidated house was in the middle of the village, it was not adjacent to the houses in front or behind. As long as they prevented sparks from igniting other houses, it would be fine.
Hearing the village chief's words, the chaotic crowd quieted down, and everyone looked around for Zhou Tian.
"Haven't seen him. Could he have been burned to death?" A man who was helping to fight the fire put down his water bucket and wiped his face. His house was the closest, and he had arrived the earliest, but he hadn't seen anyone.
It was late at night and cold. Zhou Tian must have been asleep in his bed. Looking at the raging fire, both rooms were reduced to beams and walls. Anyone would have been burned to death.
"Burned to death?" The villagers couldn't help but look at the burning house.
The village chief's face darkened. With the New Year less than ten days away, a death in the village, especially a fiery one, would bring bad luck for the new year!
"Could it be because Da Huang was burned to death?" a sharp and sarcastic voice rang out. After speaking, Xiao Yao Shi hid in the crowd.
"Zhan Er, control your wife!" The annoyed village chief shouted angrily. He couldn't argue with a woman, so he could only glare at Zhan Er, "If she continues to speak so carelessly, I'll send her to Third Aunt's place tomorrow to learn some manners!"
Third Aunt was also a member of the Zhan clan. She had worked as a maid in a wealthy family in her early years, then became a governess. With no children, she eventually returned to the village to live out her retirement. She was now seventy years old and the strictest when it came to educating young women.
When the villagers' daughters grew up, they would send them to Third Aunt to be taught a thing or two, to learn some skills for the inner chambers, how to get along with their husbands, how to deal with their mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, and how to get along with their sisters-in-law. There was a lot of knowledge in these matters.
"Village chief, my wife is not awake and her mind is muddled." Zhan Er, having been publicly embarrassed, could only endure it. His reputation in the village was ruined, and not only the village chief but even ordinary villagers looked down on Zhan Er.
Xiao Yao Shi dared not speak, but her words had planted a seed of doubt in the villagers' hearts.
No matter how much they disliked Zhou Tian, the scoundrel, Zhou Tian, who had grown up eating at everyone's table, was still someone they had watched grow up. A life lost like this was always a cause for sighing.
"Ah!" Suddenly, a villager standing in the corner was startled. Peering through the firelight, he saw, "Zhou Tian is here!"
Zhou Tian, awakened by the shouts, got up and stared blankly at the burning house, completely unaware of how he had fallen asleep outside or how his two rooms had caught fire.
Uncle Wang, the village's barefoot doctor, was also present. He checked Zhou Tian's pulse and examined him for external injuries.
When he looked up and met the villagers' burning gazes, Dr. Wang twitched his lips, "Village chief, Zhou Tian is fine. His constitution is strong, just a bit of liver fire."
"Zhou Tian, are you really okay?" A gossip-loving aunt asked.
Zhou Tian nodded, "I'm fine." He didn't hurt anywhere.
"The house is burned down, but the person is fine. Who wouldn't believe it's revenge?" Xiao Yao Shi, with her sharp tongue, chimed in again. Seeing Zhou Tian's momentarily violent expression in the firelight, she smiled triumphantly, "If it weren't for the law that murder is punishable by death, Zhou Tian would probably have been reduced to ashes by the fire."
The village chief, hearing this, was so angry he almost laughed, wishing he could slap the troublemaking Xiao Yao Shi to death.
"I didn't know how Xiao Yu and I dragged Zhou Tian out of the house and then set his house on fire!" Li Shi pushed through the crowd, her face ashen, holding Zhan Fei Yu, whose hair wasn't even combed.
Xiao Yao Shi's expression was awkward, but she was unwilling to give up and muttered, "Anyway, Zhou Tian only offended Xiao Yu."
"Second wife, what nonsense are you talking about? I went out with Feng Yu," an aunt who lived next door to Li Shi said fairly.
Disliking the troublemaking Xiao Yao Shi, the aunt raised her voice, "Zhou Tian isn't dead. He wouldn't even know if he was dragged out of bed and thrown into a corner."
Zhou Tian was a young man in his early twenties. Li Shi was not tall. How could one woman move Zhou Tian, even with Zhan Fei Yu?
"That's true," the villagers agreed, nodding. How much strength could Li Shi and her daughter possibly have?
Seeing that no one believed her, Xiao Yao Shi glanced sideways, then stubbornly said, "She doesn't have the strength, but someone does!"
The crowd followed Xiao Yao Shi's gaze to Zhan Laoda standing on the left. Years of farm work had indeed given Zhan Laoda considerable strength.
"Zhuzi and Da Linzi slept at my house last night!" Zhan Laoda said with a dark expression.
Seeing Xiao Yao Shi repeatedly splashing dirty water on Li Shi and Zhan Fei Yu, Zhan Laoda suddenly realized that the family he was protecting did not consider his wife and daughter as part of the family.
Zhuzi, who was mentioned, called out loudly, "Da Shan Ge, Da Linzi, and I discussed going into the mountains to see if we could set traps and catch some wild rabbits for the New Year!"
Zhuzi and the other two talked until it was completely dark. They were all men, and a quilt was enough to sleep on. Fortunately, it was like this, otherwise, Zhan Laoda would have had a hard time explaining tonight.
Finally, the instigator Xiao Yao Shi was severely scolded by the village chief again, and she dared not speak nonsense anymore.
The wind stopped, and the fire was completely extinguished. The villagers returned to their homes to catch up on sleep. Who knew how the fire started? It was extremely strange.
...
Zhou Tian was unharmed, but his house was burned down, and all his belongings were gone. He was a scoundrel who stole chickens and touched dogs, so the villagers were unwilling to help. In the end, he could only be temporarily housed in a half-collapsed dilapidated house in the village.
Pacing back and forth in the house, Widow Liu said uneasily, "Fu Er, could it really be that girl seeking revenge?"
"Mother, I asked Brother Tian. He really doesn't know what happened, but Sister Li can't possibly move Brother Tian." Liu Fu was a reckless person and didn't think it was Li Shi or Zhan Fei Yu.
As for Zhan Laoda, he was an honest person and wouldn't set a fire. Besides, Zhuzi and Da Linzi had stayed with Zhan Laoda that night, so it couldn't have been him.
Widow Liu was still uneasy. Before going to bed that night, she bolted the door to the main hall. Out of worry, she also moved a chair to block it.
If someone tried to pry the door open at night, the sound of the chair falling would surely wake her up.
However, Widow Liu's house was still burned. Fortunately, there was no wind that night. The fire had just started when Widow Liu woke up. She screamed Zhou Tian's name, and she and her son fled as if escaping for their lives.
The villagers who arrived later helped to extinguish the fire. However, Widow Liu's room was burned, and the kitchen where the grain was stored was also burned. Only the main hall and Liu Fu's room were relatively intact, though they were blackened by the thick smoke.
The repeated fires even alarmed the old patriarch. The villagers no longer believed it was an accident; coincidences like this were unheard of.
"If you ask me, it must be that dead girl causing trouble," Xiao Yao Shi said, slurping her porridge, unable to resist talking about the matter.
Although Ma Shi disliked Xiao Yao Shi, she was also a gossip. Excitedly and enthusiastically, she chimed in, "Zhou Tian and Liu Fu killed Da Huang, and their houses were burned. The third one will be our family. If our house is burned, it must be Xiao Yu's doing!"
"Shut up! Eat your corn buns!" Zhan San Lang looked at Ma Shi, who was gesticulating wildly, with a speechless and dark expression. Was this foolish woman happy that her house was burned?
Zhan Laotou also had a dark expression. He knew his younger daughter-in-law was foolish, but he didn't expect her to be so foolish.
Zhan Lao Er, however, put on a loving and protective attitude towards Zhan Fei Yu, "The fire is suspicious. Xiao Yu shouldn't be so heartless. Zhou Tian is left with only the clothes on his back. Widow Liu still has two rooms, but she has no grain left, and her belongings are mostly burned. In this cold winter, without food and clothing, I don't know if she can survive."
Ever since she became mute, Zhan Laotai had become skin and bones, her face always tense, and her eyes were sinister, making people's backs chill when she looked at them.
Upon hearing about the fires at the two houses, Zhan Laoda's hand, which was holding chopsticks, trembled, and the pickled vegetables fell onto the table with a clatter.
It wasn't that dead girl, but it must have been someone behind her! Thinking of her numb and swollen throat, Zhan Laotai's cloudy old eyes were filled with fear and unease.
"If someone is really burned to death, the yamen will definitely investigate. That dead girl is very cunning. She's killing without drawing blood!" Xiao Yao Shi was convinced that Zhan Fei Yu had set the fire. Her eyes darted around, and after eating, she planned to sunbathe under the banyan tree and talk about this matter.
Just as Xiao Yao Shi was feeling smug, half a bowl of coarse grain porridge was suddenly splashed all over her. "Ah! Mother, what are you doing!"
The Zhan family members eating around the table also looked at Zhan Laotai, who was holding an empty bowl, in surprise. The children of Zhan Dalang at the next table also turned their heads to look.
Zhan Laotai said something with "ah ah" sounds, her fierce gaze sinister and frightening, staring intently at Xiao Yao Shi, and then she shouted "ah ah" a couple more times.
Xiao Yao Shi wiped her face, trembling with anger, and complained sharply, "How can I wash my hair in this cold weather!"
After Zhan Laotai became mute, her authority in the Zhan family gradually disappeared. Otherwise, how would Xiao Yao Shi, her daughter-in-law, dare to yell at her?
"Mother is telling you not to talk nonsense. The village will investigate who set the fire." Zhan Lao Er guessed Zhan Laotai's intention. Mother was afraid of offending that dead girl and bringing disaster to the family.
Considering the current reputation of the second branch in the village, Zhan Lao Er, though unwilling, could only endure it. The dead girl was a good student, and the village chief and the old patriarch protected her.
Moreover, there was no evidence of arson. If Xiao Yao Shi went out and spoke carelessly, it would only make people think that the second branch was jealous of the dead girl's success.
Zhan Laotai forbade it, but Xiao Yao Shi insisted on going out to talk. However, she had to boil a pot of hot water to wash her hair first. Little did she know that before her hair was dry, Ma Shi, holding Little Niu Niu, ran out excitedly.
It was a rare good weather day in winter. The sunlight shone down, making people feel drowsy, but the villagers gathered under the banyan tree were all spirits.
"Alright, everyone be quiet." The village chief spoke, raising his hand to signal the gossiping women to quiet down. Then he looked at Widow Liu and Liu Fu, "Liu Shi, tell us about the fire last night."
Widow Liu's eyes were swollen from crying. If she hadn't been supported by a woman, she probably wouldn't have been able to stand.
Liu Fu was a petty thief all day long. Widow Liu was afraid he would ruin the family's belongings, so she put all her possessions in a cabinet in her room and locked it with a big lock. Who knew it would be burned to ashes by a big fire!
"I was choked awake by the smoke..." Widow Liu choked out the story.
The village chief frowned and asked, "You said you bolted the door to the main hall before going to sleep, and you used a chair to block the door. When you ran out, the bolt and the chair were still intact."
"Yes," Widow Liu nodded. After the fire, her first thought was that Zhan Fei Yu was taking revenge for Da Huang.
But after the fire was extinguished and she calmed down, Widow Liu felt something was wrong. The bolt was intact, so the arsonist couldn't have been hiding in the house from the beginning and set the fire after she fell asleep.
But after the fire started, she pulled Fu Er out into the yard, and she didn't see anyone run out from inside.
Widow Liu's words were like a drop of water falling into a hot oil pan. The villagers started chattering again, "Could it be ghosts?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? There are no ghosts or monsters," some disbelieving villagers shook their heads.
"Could it be Da Huang's ghost seeking revenge? Otherwise, why were only their two houses burned!" This speculation was believed by ninety percent of the women present.
Zhou Tian had no injuries, yet he slept from his bed into the corner of the wall; Widow Liu bolted the door, yet the fire still started. Wasn't that strange enough?
With a swish, the villagers' gazes all turned to Ma Shi. Wouldn't the third one be the Zhan family?
While eating roasted peanuts, Ma Shi spat out the peanut shells and said righteously, "Why are you all looking at me? It wasn't me who killed Da Huang. If there's revenge, go find Da Lang and burn the second branch's house!"
Regardless of what the villagers thought, no one suspected Zhan Fei Yu and Li Shi anymore. Most of them speculated about ghosts and monsters.
Some superstitious old women even asked Widow Liu to burn some paper money on the mountain, offer sacrifices, or find a Taoist priest to help her cross over.
...
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Zhan Fei Yu returned home at dusk and politely greeted the villagers she met.
"I don't know what the old Zhan family is thinking," an aunt carrying a basket shook her head as she watched Zhan Fei Yu walk by. "My father-in-law said that if Xiao Yu were born into our family, he would sell everything to support her studies."
A woman collecting clothes in the adjacent yard came to the门口 and said with a smile, "Who says not? Although Xiao Yu is a girl, if she marries well in the future, and the first branch has no sons, she will definitely support the second and third branches' cousins."
"You don't know, do you? I heard that a matchmaker from the county came to the village yesterday to propose a marriage for Li Shi," another woman came out of the yard and lowered her voice, "I heard Li Shi refused, saying that she had not divorced, and even if she had divorced, she would not remarry, and would live with Xiao Yu."
Li Shi's reputation in the village was truly good. She was kind and generous, managing everything inside and out. The only drawback was that she had not given birth to a son, but with a good daughter like Xiao Yu, it was better than ten sons.
"Zhan Da Shan is also a good person, but he is too filial. Everyone knows that the old Zhan family favors the second and third branches," the aunt with the basket shook her head disdainfully. Even if the first branch had no sons, the old couple would have a good life if they lived with the first branch.
Now that things had come to this, Zhan Laotai was mute, and Zhan Laotou, at his old age, carried a hoe to work in the fields. What was the use of favoring the second and third branches?
"Do you think the old Zhan family will also catch fire?" As soon as this was said, the three women couldn't help but look towards the Zhan family's direction. Now, only Zhan Dalang was left.
"Mother, I'm going to take a bath first." Zhan Fei Yu returned from the private school early today. Taking advantage of the daylight, she bathed and washed her hair. By the time she went to sleep at night, her hair would be dry.
Li Shi brought in another bucket of hot water and placed the gourd ladle on the bucket lid, "Remember to add hot water and wash quickly. You're not dirty."
"Mother, I know!" Zhan Fei Yu said with a cheeky smile. It was impossible for her to bathe only once a month like the villagers.
"Alright, I'll go cook first." Li Shi closed the door and walked towards the kitchen.
As it was nearing the end of the year, everyone's dinner time was delayed. After all, there were many things to prepare for the New Year, especially these past two days when the weather was good, which was suitable for washing quilts and clothes.
"Fire!"
"The old Zhan family is on fire!"
An excited and agitated shout rang out. The villagers who were eating ran out with their bowls. They had waited for days, and finally, they got their wish!
"Village chief grandpa, Zhan Dalang's house is on fire!" Shan Wa Zi ran to the village chief's house to report.
Da Huang was dead, and these friends who played well with Zhan Fei Yu hated Zhan Dalang to death. But he had been expelled from the private school, so Shan Wa Zi and the others couldn't find an opportunity for revenge.
Putting down his bowls and chopsticks, the village chief got up and walked outside. The executioner's axe hanging over his head had finally been lowered. Fortunately, it wasn't dark yet, which was much better than being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night. If he got cold a few more times, his old bones would probably give out.
The aunt next door knocked vigorously on the courtyard gate and said urgently to Li Shi, who opened the door, "The old Zhan family is on fire, let's go take a look!"
Li Shi had also heard the shouts and replied gently, "Xiao Yu is taking a bath inside. I won't go, to avoid causing trouble."
"That's fine, I'll tell you when I get back." The aunt also knew that Zhan Fei Yu was clean and tidy. Perhaps scholars were all like this, washing their hair and bathing every seven days in this cold weather.
It was also fortunate that Li Shi had moved out, otherwise, with such a waste of firewood, Zhan Laotai would have scolded them both to death.
Zhan Laoda's wooden house was a bit far from the old Zhan family's house. It was Zhuzi who ran over to call him, and only then did Zhan Laoda follow.
The air was filled with the smell of smoke. The fire was at the north wing of the second branch. Two of the three rooms used for sleeping were burned, and clothes, quilts, and other items were all burned.
However, it was better than Widow Liu's house. At least the old Zhan family's grain was safe.
"It must be that dead girl who set the fire!" Xiao Yao Shi wailed, her face streaked with black marks, and some of her hair was singed by the flames, but she was not injured.
Zhan Lao Er's face was grim and ugly. Although the copper coins could still be found in the ashes, the furniture such as the beds and wardrobes of the second branch were all burned, and their clothes and shoes were also burned. It would cost money to replace them.
Zhan Laotou stood in the courtyard, smoking his pipe and staring blankly, not stopping Xiao Yao Shi's curses. The fire was extinguished in time and did not spread to the adjacent houses, but it would cost money to replace things for the second branch, and the third branch would definitely argue.
Looking at the messy house, thinking of the new cotton clothes for the family of four for the New Year stored in the cabinet, which had cost her more than a tael of silver! Xiao Yao Shi's grief welled up, and with a ferocious face, she cursed, "That dead girl is so heartless. It's just a dog, does she want our Dalang to pay with his life?"
"You can't say such things. When I came, Xiao Yu was still washing her hair at home. Besides, your whole family was here. How could Xiao Yu enter the second branch to set a fire?" The aunt shouted to prove Li Shi and Zhan Fei Yu innocent.
It was possible to falsely accuse someone of arson in the middle of the night, but now that it was not dark yet, and the old Zhan family had more than ten people at home, who could sneak in to set a fire? Were these people all dead?
The village chief and two clan elders came out of the burned houses. The fire was extinguished in time. Although the furniture, clothes, and quilts were burned, the walls were still intact and could be plastered with lime.
"Alright, second wife, mind your words." The village chief looked at the frenzied Xiao Yao Shi. He understood her feelings and didn't scold her, but he still had to say what needed to be said.
Although the village chief's words were directed at Xiao Yao Shi, his gaze fell on Zhan Lao Er, "This fire has nothing to do with Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu is a scholar. If you slander her reputation, don't blame the village and the clan for standing up for Xiao Yu!"
"Village chief, I was talking to Uncle Hu outside just now. No one entered the Zhan family's courtyard," Da Lin Zi said.
His mother was going to buy some New Year's goods in the county tomorrow. Da Lin Zi happened to meet Uncle Hu, who was driving the ox cart back, and they stood outside the Zhan family's courtyard talking. If anyone had sneaked in, Da Lin Zi and Uncle Hu would have definitely seen them.