Chapter 10

“Brother Ming, please tell me, how do you want to solve this matter? Although Dahu is gone, the village will still be the judge for you, as long as it is not too much.” The village leader said, looking at Tang Chunming. He thought of the scene when Tang Chunming hurriedly came to him for help, saying that Dahu had never returned so late whenever he went into the mountains. He organized a group of young and strong men from the village to go into the mountains to look for him, but a group of people only found signs of tattered clothing that obviously belonged to Dahu, blood stains, and a few scattered bones from bones. After returning and telling Tang Chunming the truth, he had fainted on the spot.

“Also, there is Tang Sheng’s youngest child, Tang Chunrong. Right, you must have come to Pingshan village to see your brother, you look a lot like your father. In the future, he will also take the exam and be as famous as your father.” The village leader stated, directly revealing the identity of Tang Chunrong and also letting the Zhao family know, who thought that the Tang family did not care about Brother Ming. In the future, if Tang Chunroung has the status of a talent, it would be the Zhao family and Pingshan Village who would suffer.

If he handles things unfairly today, once the news spreads to Zhenshan Village, the people will not let it rest peacefully. Although Brother Ming has married out, he has after all been brought up in Zhenshan Village. At the same time he must also think about the gers who marry out of their village. If this is spread out to the people in the neighboring villages, how can the people of their village have a position to stand on if they need to seek justice for their wronged gers in the future. Even being a village leader for a small village, handling things is not as easy as dealing with other’s mouths.

Tang Chunrong’s eyes were red and he put his nephew down on the ground. He saluted the elders around him and several clan members, “This student is Tang Chunrong. I just came to see my brother yesterday only to find that my brother has not had a good life in the past few years. Tang Chunrong also hopes that the village leader and the elders can uphold justice for my brother. Brother, if you have any ideas, just say it. You and brother-in-law have done enough in the past few years, if there is no way to survive here, brother can return to Zhenshan Village with me as soon as possible.”

Wang Ying’s mouth twitched, this child, who let him make his own decision? But he had to admit that his stepson did a great job today.

Tang Chunming got up, his eyes were red and swollen, and the ginger juice had been smeared too much. “I never objected to Dahu wanting to be filial to his mother. That is something that Dahu and I should do.” Not only Zhao Pingchuan was the actor here, he could also, “It is just that Lin’er and I don’t want to live in fear and trepidation, unable to sleep peacefully. I would like the village leader to make Lin’er and I a separate independent household, even if it is hard and tiring, as long as long as we are able to stay together and not separate.”

“Mother, Grandpa Village Leader, please, Ah-Lin doesn’t want to leave mother.” Zhao Lin rushed over with a scared look on his face and hugged onto Tang Chunming’s legs tightly, for fear of being separated.

Tang Chunming quickly hugged him to comfort him, “No, mother will protect Ah-Lin.” After this incident, he needs to comfort his son, otherwise this episode will become a shadow in his heart.

“An independent family? Brother Ming wants to set up an independent family?” No one expected Tang Chunming to make this choice, even if the village leader thought about it, he still felt surprised when Tang Chunming said it.

“Brother Ming, have you really thought clearly about it? It is not a simple matter to establish your own household. Can you pay your annual tax?” The third elder uncle’s perception of Tang Chunming was very complicated, this matter has already affected the third Zhao son’s reputation. This is something he does not want to see, and he must find a way to reverse the third Zhao son’s reputation. The examination is a must and it is the hope of the entire Zhao family. So, he felt that Brother Ming’s move was very inappropriate, he obviously could have discussed it privately with the village leader. However, he had to make it known to the entire Pingshan Village that he was seeking justice. Wasn’t this forcing them to deal with it?

In any case, the reputation and status of the ger’s family is not as important as a man. For the older generation, it is of course the ger who is chosen to be sacrificed when necessary.

This move of Brother Ming’s is to completely tear off the relationship with the Zhao family? Can this weak ger really support the house? The third elder uncle expressed his doubts, Zhao Dahu usually did most of the work in the fields, and now he was pregnant again, what would he do to support himself and his little brother? Does he want to depend on the Tang family?

The people gathered around began to discuss, today Tang Chunming’s boldness has surpassed their previous impressions of Brother Ming. However, seeing Tang Chunming’s pale face and shaking body, along with seeing the poor Zhao Lin’s skinny body, it was really pitiful. Perhaps they were really forced by the Zhao family to make such a choice. With their impression of Grandma Zhao and Wang Chunhua, they really would think of tying up Brother Ming in the middle of the night. In that situation, even if Brother Ming wanted to do something, the rice would already be ripe. (1)

Except for a small group of selfish, broken-mouthed and trouble-loving people, most people still sympathized with Tang Chunming and scolded them on the spot for the sour words spoken by the former.

Some people couldn’t see that everyone was standing on Tang Chunming’s side and they still wanted to rub salt on the wound. They want to see others being more miserable than themselves, so they continue to be prideful.

Li Conggen’s wife, who had helped Wang Chunhua before, said leisurely while licking melon seeds, “I’m afraid Dahu has earned more than this amount of money in the past few years. I’m afraid he just wants to hold onto this money and doesn’t want to share it. Isn’t this the idea of Dahu’s family?”

“Bah! You think everyone is as greedy as you. What you did a few years ago, do you really think that everyone would forget about it after a few years? Your parents and brother are watching from heaven, how do you treat their grandson and son. Don’t you feel any shame at occupying your nephew’s house and fields!” Someone scolded him mercilessly.

“Who is greedy? Back then, my eldest nephew was willing to go there. Why are you meddling in our family, do you really think our Li family is easy to bully? We are just guarding the house and fields for our eldest nephew, so why should we let your family watch over them?” Li Conggen’s wife screamed at the person.

At this moment, a man ran over, out of breath and sweating. The man shouted at the crowd, “Is Li Conggen’s family here? Your nephewy actually came back from the battlefield, quickly go home to see. Your nephew has returned from the battlefield alive.”

“What?! That’s not possible?!” Li Conggen’s wife suddenly screamed.

“Impossible, didn’t they say that he died on the battlefield?” There were some people that also doubted [the news]. After not hearing anything for so many years, everyone thought that they had passed away.

“Haha,” the person who was just scolded by Li Conggen’s wife was immediately happy, “Li Conggen’s wife, didn’t you say that you were guarding for your nephew? The nephew is back, so why don’t you hurry up and return to the house and field?”

A lot of people laughed when they heard this.

However the village leader’s face was ugly. This is a matter of the Li family, and he did not have a good look. The village leader stared at Li Conggen’s family fiercely and Li Conggen’s family began to panic, it can’t be true. How can that little bastard come back alive, “It must be an imposter, right, no, I have to go back and have a look.” The bottom of his feet became oiled and he slipped out of the crowd in a blink of an eye. Normally he doesn’t even work so fast.

The village leader also wanted to hurry up and see what is going on, so the matter in front of him has to be dealt with quickly, “Brother Ming, are you sure you want to do this? You need to know that once you set up a household, you can’t go back. When the government comes down, it will be investigated. I can’t protect you.”

Tang Chunming was also happy when he heard the news just now. The wife of Li Conggen and Wang Chunhua were always in cahoots, and the bad rumors about him were spread throughout the village by Wang Chunhua though this person. It’s annoying to look at this person.

“Of course, when the time comes, I’ll have to ask the village leader to make a trip. I think it is okay for the house and land to be put under my name.” Tang Chunming wanted to sort out his private property.

“Of course…”

Before the words were finished, Grandma Zhao interrupted, this is the Zhao family’s house and the Zhao family’s land, why let this slut take it. “Bah! Why do you want to be a beauty? My Zhao family’s house belongs to you? Of course it belongs to my Zhao family. What kind of thing are you, you don’t even leave the roots to Dahu, so you want to take the house and land to subsidize a wild man?”

“Wild man?” Tang Chunming burst into flames, “Is it the wild man that Grandma showed me? Isn’t Grandma the same as me, did she also take the Zhao family’s house and land to do…”

“Shut up! “The third elder uncle roared, these two are really outrageous, these words can also be said casually? Do you still want your reputation? The third elder uncle glared at the restless Tang Chunming and yelled at Grandma Zhao, “Zhao family, when the family was divided, what you gave Dahu can be left as the bottom line. After so many years of filial piety from Dahu, isn’t that enough?”

“Third Elder Uncle, Uncle Village Leader, I didn’t ask for these things for no reason,” Tang Chunming’s impression of this third elder uncle is not as good as the village leader’s. He can see that the third elder uncle is only thinking about the Zhao family and treated him as an outsider. What he is doing now is just for others to see, and he does not really plan to really consider it for him. “After the separation, there was nothing but two acres of land. The house was built with my dowry. I still have the ticket stubs from the pawnshop, so this house is my dowry, but it does not belong to the Zhao family. As for the two acres of land, it is used to raise brother Lin and this on my stomach, of course, if Grandma doesn’t regard them as Zhao’s family, she can say otherwise.”

Thinking about it now, he is eager for Grandma Zhao to take back the two acres of land. In the future, he can openly disrespect Grandma Zhao and have nothing to do with the Zhao family. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be astonishing to let him go to the Zhao family door?

Grandma Zhao’s eyes are red, he is angry, he has lost a lot of money, and he already considers this house and place as his own, so he doesn’t want to watch it fly out again, “The child in your stomach is also a money loser. This good thing belongs to the Zhao family, you want to occupy the house and land, don’t even think about it, over my dead body.”

“Mother, can you say less.” Zhao Pingchuan knows that his mother is not willing, but today this matter must end. If he wants to restore his reputation for persecuting his brother and nephew, he must let Tang Chunming do what he wants, so that he still has a chance to tell outsiders that the Zhao family is benevolent. They must let outsiders see that they had the initiative to give out the house and land, he can no longer let his short sighted mother harm him.

“Village leader, Third Elder Uncle, no matter what, he is still my second brother’s wife and Lin’er is still my nephew. The Zhao family will not treat them badly.”

Wang Chunhua bitterly pinched the child next to him. The little ger, Zhao Mei had come back and the little child stood quietly watching the adults with his eyes were red from the pain. However he didn’t dare cry or struggle, otherwise his mother would make him suffer more pain.

The most important thing was that Wang Chunhua and Grandma Zhao were really alike in terms of their greediness and [fondness of] money. The abacus in Wang Chunhua’s heart was smashed, he had long regarded Zhao [Dahu’s] big house as his own. Now his heart blends like Grandma Zhao. Grandma Zhao couldn’t get Zhao Dahu’s house, so he had less of a chance of getting the house now. The expression on his face was distorted with distress.

Tang Chunming didn’t care how old Grandma Zhao yelled, and how Zhao Pingchuan showed his generosity and kindness. He just looked at the village leader, the third elder uncle, and the people around them. The village leader, the third elder uncle, and several other clan elders discussed it and the third elder uncle stood up and said, “Since you have taken the land of Dahu’s, you will be responsible for the filial piety for Dahu’s [family].” Regardless of whether what the old grandma did was right or wrong, it was a big crime to not show filial piety towards the old man.

“Bah, who wants him to be respectful? I’m worried that one day I will be poisoned by him with a package of medicine.” Grandma Zhao was so distressed that his heart was dripping blood, but he also saw the look in Zhao Pingchuan’s eyes. Today he hates Tang Chunming completely and he wants to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

“Return the two acres of land to the Zhao family. From now on, Brother Ming and the two children will have nothing to do with the Zhao family. Grandma Zhao can no longer use his elder status to persecute Brother Ming, otherwise how can I, as a mother, feel really comfortable leaving Brother Ming in Pingshan Village. Grandma Zhao’s personality has spread to the nearby villages and my Tang family cannot afford this ger.” Suddenly an unfamiliar voice rang out, and Tang Chunming and Tang Chunrong were both surprised. It was Wang Ying, Tang Chunming’s stepmother who had spoken.

The people in front of Wang Ying gave way. Many people have either never seen, heard, or had no impression of him. However, some gers who married from Zhenshan Village knew about him. There were many people standing in front and Wang Ying was standing in the back. No one had noticed and someone shouted in surprise, “Tang family? Brother Ming’s mother?”

The third elder uncle paused slightly, he originally thought that Brother Ming was not dependent on his mother’s family, but he didn’t expect that this stepmother would actually give him a head start, so he, the elder, would no longer be able to suppress Brother Ming. Forget it, he was willing to completely separate them as [Tang Chunming] wished. He didn’t believe that a ger could support the family. By then it would be Brother Ming that would have not face and it would not affect the Zhao family.

Wang Chunhua also shrank back. Compared with Wang Ying, his skills were scum. Wang Ying’s greatness was famous in the village, and they both came from Wang Family Village.

Wang Ying walked to Tang Chunming and Tang Chunrong, and met with the village leader and several patriarchs. Tang Chunming stood behind Wang Ying wittily and looked obediently. The corners of Wang Ying’s mouth twitched. This stepson used to be true and submissive, but now it is only for others to see, but the inside has changed. In fact, as long as he is not incapable of supporting himself, he really hopes that his stepson can change his temperament. He really looks down on the previous stepson, and hopes that he will not drag Ah-Rong in the future.

He helped the other to the end and Wang Ying continued speaking after finishing with the village leader, “ I didn’t want to be such a wicked person before, but now I don’t have to worry about Dahu. Now that Dahu is gone, I won’t be like I used to be and I will help you as a mother. If Pingshan Village really can’t tolerate my son, Brother Ming, I can still speak to Zhenshan Village.”

If this becomes fact, that they took the house and land and drove Brother Ming out of Pingshan Village, the people of Pingshan Village will really have no face to interact with the people in the other villages. Who would dare to marry his ger into Pingshan Village? Even the third elder uncle’s face was getting red.

Several patriarchs made eye contact, and they all felt that it was not good to be harsh, so they signaled that the village leader should deal with this matter as soon as possible and proceed according to what Brother Ming and his mother said. The village leader felt suffocated, he originally planned to give Brother Ming the two acres of land. The output of these fields could fill their mouths, but the third elder uncle was unwilling to insist on filial piety to keep Brother Ming happy. It was fine, but in the future the two children will have nothing to do with the Zhao family.

“Then according to the wishes of the Zhao family, Ming Brother Ming and the Tang family, the house and five acres of mountainous land belongs to Tang Chunming’s household. The Zhao Lin’er and the child in the belly of Brother Ming will have nothing to do with the Zhao family. The family does not need the filial piety of Brother Ming and the children. In the future, if Brother Ming and the children face difficulties, they will not be allowed to seek out the Zhao family even if they cannot survive. Third Zhao elder and the Zhao family, what do you think?”

Originally Grandma Zhao still had thoughts on the five acres of mountainous land, was that not the result of his son Zhao Dahu, now it belongs to this slut. But when he heard that this slut and the little bitches would not be able to seek the Zhao family even if they were dying he felt comforted. Although Wang Ying is now appearing on behalf of his stepson, in his opinion, he is only afraid that the stepson will return to the Tang family to rely on the Tang family to support him, so he won the house and land for him. But if Tang Chunming really wants to survive, Wang Ying will not go. No matter, he really wanted to see how this bitch would kneel down and beg him for food. He would give way today.

The village leader is a clever person and although these words sound unpleasant to others, when it comes to Grandma Zhao, he had no objection and said, “My Zhao family disdains him and will not let him eat a bite of rice from the Zhao family. I would rather dump it and feed the pigs and chickens!”

“I also agree that even if we starve to death, we will not go to the Zhao family. My Tang family still has this backbone. “Tang Chunming also said.

“Okay, everything is negotiated. Elder Zhao and Grandma Zhao, come with me to complete the documents to set up an independent family for Brother Ming. From now on, Brother Ming will be from Pingshan Village and no one will say that we forced a married ger out.” The village leader said sternly.

A shrunken man walked out of the Zhao’s courtyard and smiled inwardly. The gers and men in Pingshan Village showed a disdainful look. Such a man is really contemptuous. His own mother is making trouble outside, but he did not come out to help. Could Grandma Zhao rely on such a man that stays at home doing nothing? Zhao Dahu is no longer around and only the eldest Zhao son could be trusted. No one knows what the eldest Zhao son will be like in the future.