Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Going Too Far in Deception
Holding the rabbit, Chen Jie hurried towards home and quickly arrived at his thatched cottage.
Then, he found many people gathered in his yard.
He was greatly alarmed, worried that Su Yunjin and her sister had committed suicide at home while he was out.
Remembering Su Yunjin’s resolute attitude that morning, he didn’t think it was something she wouldn’t do.
Thinking this, Chen Jie rushed toward the courtyard of his home, and only when he entered did he hear the voices inside.
“The Su family, I think you’ve grown tired of living, daring to dig for wild vegetables on my turf. Today, if you don’t give me an explanation, I’ll flay you alive, you pathetic, unloved trash.”
The first voice he heard was a rough, fierce female voice, which Chen Jie recognized as Lu Qinsi, Brother Lu San’s wife, a famously fierce woman in the village, known for bullying others.
She would take advantage of her husband’s connection to the village fishery to bully people.
After listening for a while, Chen Jie understood the cause of the incident.
It turned out that as soon as he left that day, Su Yunjin had taken Daisy and Yun Rui out to forage for wild vegetables.
These days, wild vegetables weren’t found everywhere, so they had gone to the East River.
That area, being close to the river and rich with water vegetation, had the most wild vegetables, but it had long been claimed by the Lu Family.
Sister-in-law Lu, Lu Qinsi, was particularly tyrannical, having marked out an area as her domain, forbidding others to forage there.
Desperate with hunger, Su Yunjin had taken Daisy and dug up some wild vegetables, only to be caught by Lu Qinsi, who then followed them home, vowing to teach Su Yunjin, the trash, a lesson.
If the Su family didn’t pay a price this time, everyone would dare to dig on her turf in the future.
That’s what had led to the current scene. Chen Jie slightly furrowed his brow, then heard Su Yunjin’s voice from within the courtyard: “Sister-in-law Lu, I dug these wild vegetables. I apologize this time and won’t do it again.”
“Not gonna do it again? You think you have a future? You wishful piece of trash, I’m telling you, you need to return every single wild vegetable you dug up today. Then kneel before everyone present and kowtow to me, and I might forgive you. Otherwise, I’ll skin you alive.”
Hearing this, the villagers around frowned slightly; Sister-in-law Lu was too domineering. It would be enough to return the wild vegetables she dug up; why force someone to kneel and kowtow?
This was just too much bullying.
However, no one came forward to speak for Su Yunjin; after all, the Lu Family was notorious for being unreasonable, like a sticky plaster no one wanted to provoke.
At this moment, Su Yunjin’s face was deathly pale. Being from a scholarly family, she naturally understood the concepts of propriety, integrity, and shame, but Lu Qinsi was clearly trying to trample on her dignity, which she could not tolerate.
Thinking this, Su Yunjin said: “Sister-in-law Lu, don’t bully people too far!”
“Oh, you dare talk back? I’ll rip your mouth apart; you unloved piece of trash!”
As she spoke, Lu Qinsi was ready to strike. In fact, she had come today to assert her authority. Recently, as everyone’s home food supplies were running low and the rules for foraging were increasingly ignored, her claimed area had occasionally been encroached upon by others.
But those families had men backing them up and didn’t go too far, so Lu Qinsi didn’t dare to be too rough. Now that Su Yunjin dared to forage as well, she immediately got angry.
The families with husbands to defend them were one thing, but your gambling wreck of a husband doesn’t care for you, so how dare a ruined household like yours provoke me? Fine, I’ll take you, the easy target, to make an example.
As Lu Qinsi was about to pounce, the villagers around couldn’t bear to watch; how could Su Yunjin, a young lady from a scholarly family, stand up to a shrew like Lu Qinsi? Getting beaten was inevitable.
By this time, Su Yunjin was very pale, but her eyes were filled with determination. She had never fought before, but she did not want to be at anyone’s mercy.
Daisy lay by the window, peering outside. Her little dark hands clutched tightly to the wild vegetables—her sister had said that no matter what, she had to protect them.
But seeing her sister about to be beaten, she was terrified.
However, just as Lu Qinsi charged at Su Yunjin, a voice came from outside.
“What’s going on here?!”
Upon hearing the voice, everyone looked outside and saw Chen Jie come in, carrying a big fat rabbit. Their eyes immediately filled with envy; that rabbit looked like it weighed a good seven or eight pounds!
“Jiu Si’s back.”
The crowd greeted Chen Jie cheerfully and cleared the way for him at the doorway.
Chen Jie walked in.
Lu Qinsi also saw Chen Jie, especially the fat rabbit in his hands, and couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.
“Chen Jiusi, you’ve returned at just the right time. You better take care of your damned mess of a wife,” Lu Qinsi said, seeing Chen Jie and far from being afraid, she seemed even more arrogant, as if Chen Jie was there to back her up.
This was no surprise because the former Chen Jiusi was indeed a bastard. Last time, it was she who had blocked the door to bully Su Yunjin, and had even slapped Su Yunjin twice.
At that time, Chen Jiusi was inside the house but didn’t dare to make a peep. Later, people even said that Chen Jiusi did not stand up for his wife but instead scolded Su Yunjin for causing him trouble.
Who else would you bully if not such a coward?
And this turned Su Yunjin into a synonym for someone easy to bully. With her own man not backing her and her family all gone, if she wasn’t the one to be bullied, then who was?
Lu Qinsi pulled Su Yunjin over to Chen Jie and said, “Jiu Si, you’ve come back at just the right time. Take care of your worthless wife. She has no manners at all, sneaking onto my land to dig up wild vegetables. You need to give me an explanation for this. Otherwise, Brother Lu San won’t let you off the hook when he gets back.”
After hearing this, everyone looked towards Chen Jie. Su Yunjin also glanced at Chen Jie, but her eyes were filled with desolation. She knew Chen Jie wouldn’t help her; he was only tough at home but a coward outside.
With this thought, she lowered her head, preparing for the humiliation and beating that was to come.
Chen Jie looked at Lu Qinsi and spoke in an even tone, “What kind of explanation do you want?”
Lu Qinsi thought Chen Jie was frightened and going to compromise, so she said with a laugh, “Heh heh… I knew Brother Jiu Si was the most reasonable. Look, I won’t bully you two—I don’t want the wild vegetables anymore. Just have this wretched woman bow and apologize to me, and give me the rabbit in your hands; then we’ll call it even. How about it?”
Hiss~
Everyone around inhaled sharply upon hearing this. Lu Qinsi was really ruthless, trying to swindle a fat rabbit for a bit of wild vegetables—truly pushing the bullying too far.
Poor Su Yunjin, marrying such a useless man, and only able to put up with it while others shat on her.
If the man of the house isn’t tough, then the woman is in big trouble.
The people around watched with a mix of emotions, feeling pity for Su Yunjin’s tragic fate. No wonder they say a woman’s marriage is like being reborn.
The Su Family was also famously scholarly in the region. When Master Su was alive, everyone held him in high regard, but now, his daughter married Chen Jiusi, the gambling addict—it really was like suffering through eight generations of misfortune.
Chen Jie didn’t respond, but Lu Qinsi threatened, “Jiu Si, Sister-in-law isn’t pressing you, just give us a straight answer—are you going to make reparations or not? I’m the one asking you now. Once Brother Lu San comes back tonight, he won’t be as polite.”
Finally, Chen Jie opened his mouth to speak.