Laifu trotted behind Scholar Jiang, his face etched with worry. "Master Jiang, this servant feels you shouldn't get involved in this matter. I heard that Niu Caixia's mother-in-law is quite something, prone to shouting insults at the slightest disagreement. Why must you court such bad luck?"
Alas, ever since Scholar Jiang met Niu Caixia last night, he had become unusually proactive and serious...
He treated another person's troubles as his own, even devising ways to retort against the恶婆婆 (vicious mother-in-law).
Scholar Jiang paused his steps and shot Laifu a look. "Laifu, if this happened to you, what would you do?"
Hmph, it's easy to talk when it's not happening to you.
Laifu: "..."
Master Jiang, such a thing could never happen to me.
Because my parents, father-in-law, and mother-in-law are all long dead. Even my wife passed away from illness years ago...
"Wait and see my signal!" Scholar Jiang commanded.
Laifu wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded. "Y-yes, Master Jiang..."
The courtyard gate was wide open. A glance inside revealed the walls were piled high with dilapidated杂物 (miscellaneous items).
The weeds grew tall, almost encircling the outhouse and the storeroom.
Seeing this, Scholar Jiang sighed. Just as he was about to knock on the courtyard gate, he suddenly heard a piercing stream of curses from inside the house...
"You useless little slut, why are you always running to the Yun family's place? You're a widow, without a man by your side, yet you keep going into the Yun family's courtyard every day. Aren't you afraid of gossip from outsiders?"
"Pah, you cheap thing, the more I look at you, the more disgusted I feel. You have no shame at all. If you really want a man, then marry someone legitimately. Sneaking around with someone from the Yun family, don't you find it disgusting? Pah..."
"Mother, I, I wasn't sneaking around,呜呜!~"
"Not sneaking? Then why do you go to the Yun family every few days? Have you taken a liking to one of their sons?"
Niu Caixia: "..."
The argument inside paused for a moment. The old woman seemed to be gathering more unpleasant words.
Scholar Jiang listened, his anger flaring, his lungs about to explode.
Just as he was about to rush in and scold the old woman, there was another commotion from inside the house...
"Caixia, it's not that I'm saying this to you, but you've been divorced and have a child. Even if you remarry, you won't find a good family. A mere broken vessel, what makes you think you can be the main wife?"
"Mother has been thinking it over these past few years, and I feel I've wronged you, not letting you marry and not letting you find a man. But who was all this for? Wasn't it to keep this family going?"
"You say, what if you find a man who is idle, irresponsible, and spends his days drinking, gambling, and whoring, and beats his wife? Then how will this family survive?"
"If you really want to get married, it's fine. I think the Yun family in Dashui Village lives the best. They raise dairy cows and run restaurants. They must have money..."
"Get dressed up later and go to the Yun family to ask if any of their sons want to take a second wife. You're healthy and can still have children, so they shouldn't dislike you!~"
"If none of those sons want you, then ask their old man. Be his concubine or a陪房 (a maid who accompanies a bride) and serve him well. Then our family's life will be better..."
Scholar Jiang didn't hear a single word of what came after. He pushed Laifu aside and lunged into the room.
It was one thing to not look, but upon entering, Scholar Jiang's expression nearly cracked.
He saw Niu Caixia kneeling rigidly on the ground, holding a bowl of 大碴粥 (coarse grain porridge) with both hands, and offering it to a plump, corpulent old woman...
The old woman had a face full of coarse flesh and hair that was dark and shiny, not a single white hair on her head.
Her plump face was greasy, and her eyes were filled with cunning and malice.
Logically speaking, in these times, it was truly rare to see a country folk who was so plump and fleshy, like her...
One could imagine how comfortably Niu Caixia had taken care of her.
The moment Scholar Jiang appeared, Niu Caixia's face was filled with shock, and the old woman was even more stunned.
"Jiang... Mr. Jiang, why are you here?" Niu Caixia tried to stand up, but her legs were numb from kneeling, and despite great effort, she couldn't get up.
Scholar Jiang's eyes blazed, and he glared at the old woman on the kang, gritting his teeth. "You old pig, is this how you treat your daughter-in-law? Are you even human?"
Scholar Jiang, usually gentle and mild-tempered, couldn't help but curse...
Laifu shrunk his neck, walked to the edge of the kang, and scooped up Jiu Hong, who was crying like a little tearful girl, into his arms to comfort her.
Madam Cheng came back to her senses, her brow furrowed. "No, who are you? Who let you in?"
Good heavens, encountering a mad dog in broad daylight...
Scholar Jiang's fists clenched with a 'crackling' sound. "As a mother-in-law, not only do you not share household chores with your daughter-in-law, but you even tell her to go out and be a concubine? Is your brain filled with water? I see you're in good health, you'll live another thirty to fifty years, why don't you go be a陪房 yourself?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Madam Cheng was so angry she almost fell off the kang...
This descendant, who looked refined and elegant, how could his words be more foul than shit?
Madam Cheng's eyes widened. "Our family's business, when did it become your place, a stray dog, to interfere? If you don't get out, I, I'll call for help!~"
Really, encountering such a bird of a man in broad daylight, she'd have to ask Caixia to get her some dew to wash her eyes later...
Although Scholar Jiang appeared refined and serene on the surface, he was actually quite temperamental.
Seeing Madam Cheng's shamelessness, he didn't know what to say.
Niu Caixia gently tugged at Scholar Jiang's hem, signaling him to say less.
Every family has its own difficult scriptures to read. What can one do when faced with such an unreasonable mother-in-law?
A brief silence fell in the room. Just as Madam Cheng was about to chase Scholar Jiang and Laifu out, a cold laugh suddenly came from outside the door...
Turning to look, they saw Xiao Jinheng and Little Xi Tian slowly walking in.
Upon seeing them, Scholar Jiang quickly stepped forward and bowed. "County Princess, Young Master Xiao!~"
In front of outsiders, he dared not call Xiao Jinheng the Crown Prince...
Little Xi Tian let out a 'hmm' and looked at Madam Cheng. "You were going to call for help, weren't you? Why aren't you calling? Do you need me to help you call?"
Madam Cheng, completely bewildered: "???"
This was that little daughter from the Yun family in Dashui Village?
She had been enfeoffed as the County Princess of Dongping at such a young age. No wonder Caixia was willing to run to their place...
Madam Cheng lifted the quilt covering her legs and quickly got off the kang. "Oh, so it's the little County Princess. Your humble servant, your humble servant greets you!~"
Little Xi Tian saw her affected demeanor and almost vomited her breakfast.
Before she could angrily retort to Madam Cheng, Xiao Jinheng suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Presumptuous! You commoner, how dare you not kneel and kowtow when you see the County Princess of Dongping?"
Madam Cheng: "???"