Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 317 The Calm Lake (57)

At that moment, Zhang's mother didn't care about her bleeding nose. She raised her sleeve, wiped it haphazardly, and rushed over.

"Qiao'er? My Qiao'er? What's wrong? Don't scare your mother!"

Zhang's mother rushed towards Zhang Qiao'er in a flurry of activity. She tripped and fell to the ground.

Ignoring her own pain, she scrambled toward her daughter.

Zhang Qiao'er lay on the ground, her face deathly pale. The fierce woman was also stunned; she had never expected things to turn out this way.

The hand that was originally raised is still in the air, and the person forgot to put it down.

It is said that a mother's love makes her strong. At this moment, Zhang's mother didn't know where the strength came from, so she kicked the person away and hugged Zhang Qiao'er and started crying.

The crimson blood spread down her skirt to the ground, forming a large pool of blood that was shocking to behold. Zhang Qiao'er's face was as white as paper, and although she moved her mouth several times, she couldn't make a sound. One hand was resting on her stomach, and she looked pained.

Although Zhang's father felt that his daughter had embarrassed him and was angry, seeing her being bullied like that made him feel bad too. The father and son rushed over and gave the woman a sound beating.

As things spiraled out of control and became a complete mess, someone nearby yelled out.

"What's the point of just fighting? With that brute force, you might as well go and get a doctor to check on this guy, he looks like he's barely clinging to life."

Zhang's mother, her clothes disheveled and her hair a mess, pleaded in a low voice, sobbing, "Please, could any kind soul please call a doctor to save my daughter!"

Mr. Zhang slapped the woman across the face. He was already angry, and this slap was delivered with full force: "Where did this shrew come from, daring to hit my daughter? I'm not letting this go today. Even if my daughter is having an affair with your man, it's because you're incompetent at keeping a man in check. What right do you have to blame my daughter?"

While shouting, Zhang Laoda winked at his wife, judging from the man's clothes and appearance that he must be from a wealthy family, as he was wearing a lot of jewelry on his hands and head.

Old Zhang kept giving her meaningful glances, but his wife seemed oblivious.

He blinked so hard his eyes almost cramped, but his wife didn't react at all. She just stood there, not offering to lend a hand, not even asking him to come over and pull off the bracelet or necklace. Not bad, his younger sister had really messed up today. Who would pay for her medical expenses and nutritional supplements? This family certainly wouldn't be willing to part with their money.

Since she hit someone, she should pay some price. The woman was initially stunned and took the slap from Zhang's father.

After realizing what had happened, she called on the people she had brought to fight those people again.

Zhang's mother watched helplessly as her daughter, barely breathing and clutching her stomach, groaned in pain.

He yelled at the father and son who were still arguing, "You two still have the mood to fight? Hurry up and take Qiao'er to the clinic. With the bleeding like this, how can a person withstand it if it continues?"

The woman, her hair disheveled, yelled at the father and son, "You bunch of savages and peasants, how dare you fight with your old mother! Do you know who my father is? Do you know who my family is? I'll take you to the authorities in a minute and make you spend the rest of your lives in jail. This vixen deserves to be pregnant with a bastard anyway. Rather than let him be born to be despised, I've done a good deed today, a truly meritorious act."

Zhang Rongrong watched for a long time, clicking her tongue twice with some reluctance, and said, "Alas, what a tragedy, a living little life has just vanished. Some people, once they have a child, don't cherish it at all, while we, who beg and plead, can't even have a child. Perhaps this is that child's fate. If he had stayed, he would not only have to bear the stigma of being an illegitimate child, but he would also never be able to hold his head up high for the rest of his life. Letting him go like this might be a relief for him. May he find a good family to be reborn into."

Seeing that she was getting more and more sad, Xu Chaoyan quickly comforted her, saying, "Fate is predetermined. You two may not be destined to have a child now, but when fate comes, nothing can stop it. Just don't complain about how noisy he is then."

This farce finally ended when Zhang Qiao'er was taken to the clinic. Without thinking twice, Zhang's father forcibly snatched a donkey cart from the side.

On their way to the clinic, they got into another argument over stealing someone else's donkey cart lint, but that's another story.

After leading everyone away, he left a pool of bright red blood on the ground, just a few steps away from their shop. Xu Chaoyan sighed softly after seeing it.

Even though she despised Zhang Qiao'er's methods, it was still a living, breathing human being. She clasped her hands together and muttered something under her breath.

Seeing him muttering to himself for a while, Zhang Rongrong leaned over and said, "What are you praying for? Don't you think it's bad luck? Why don't you settle accounts with him tomorrow? It's not far from your shop, and people from all directions pass by here. Won't that affect your business? And that fierce woman from earlier, I remember she owns a silk shop in the east of the city. Her husband is a live-in son-in-law who relies on her to make a living in this county. Who knew he was a licentious man who actually had an affair with a widow. I've heard my father mention before that he's henpecked."

"He used to have his in-laws keeping him in check. But now they're getting older and can't keep him in check anymore. He's been messing around outside, and they'll come knocking on your door soon, demanding you hang some red decorations and set off some firecrackers to drive away the bad luck. Business people are most afraid of people making a scene, especially early in the morning."

Seeing Meng Jiuhe still standing there with an annoyed look on his face, Xu Chaoyan said, "What are you still standing here for? Go and fetch a bucket of water to clean this place up. Are you planning to leave it for the New Year?"

"Yes, my wife, I'll go right away. Little sister, little sister, quickly get me the broom and bucket." After saying that, Meng Jiuhe rolled up his sleeves, looking very energetic. He had finally cleared up the misunderstanding, and his wife was willing to let him do chores, so he definitely had to make a good impression.

Xu Chaoyan looked at Zhang Rongrong apologetically: "I originally wanted to have a nice get-together with you today and have a good meal, but look at this mess of troubles, it's just that you've made a fool of yourself."

"Hey, we're like family, it's just a meal, I don't care about this one. But judging from your husband's attentive manner, he probably knows he made a mistake. You should know when to stop. Besides, he's so smart and ruthless. Oh, no, I mean he's quite cunning. You should be careful. Don't let him scheme against you. If he really gets involved with that woman, you'll be the one who suffers."

A short while after they returned to the shop, Zhang Yueniang and Jiang Xinyi came back carrying two baskets. Sweat dripped from their foreheads, their hair was slightly disheveled, and their voices sounded hurried.

“We just came from that intersection and we saw the Zhang family dragging someone away in a donkey cart. They were cursing and swearing about you two as they went. We also got some information from passersby. That’s why we rushed back. Are you alright? Did you get hurt?”

Xu Chaoyan gave her a reassuring look: "Sister, we're fine, but it seems we can't do business today. Why don't we take a break?"

"Why bring up those things now? As long as everyone is alright, that's all that matters. Those Zhang family members are despicable. They actually came to cause trouble while we were away."

While everyone else was busy cleaning up the mess in the shop, Xu Chaoyan thought for a moment, then pulled her older sister aside and whispered something to her.

"We're off today, so let's go home and cook a nice meal to treat ourselves. I also have some things I'd like to discuss with you."

Xu Chaoyan rarely saw her so serious and immediately agreed: "Let's tidy up the shop first and see if we need to replace these tables and chairs or find a carpenter to repair them."

An hour later, after the shop was tidied up, everyone wisely left to leave the couple alone.

Xu Chaoyan was calculating the day's losses with a charcoal pencil. The more she calculated, the deeper her brows furrowed. Meng Jiuhe sat on a chair to the side, observing his wife's expression. He had originally planned to go over and say a few words to her, but seeing her brows furrowing deeper and deeper, and her whole demeanor exuding an aura of unapproachability, he realized that she was a stranger.

He didn't dare approach her at all at this time, lest he risk offending her. It wasn't that he was afraid of his wife; it was just that he was clearly guilty this time.

The food that was prepared in the shop has already been taken back by my sister and the others.

After closing the shop, the two strolled slowly home, remaining silent the entire way, neither of them uttering a word to break the silence.

As the two passed by East Street, Xu Chaoyan's attention was drawn to the letter-writing service. Her eyes lit up and her face lit up with joy, so she took a few steps in that direction.

Meng Jiuhe saw through her intentions, but it was too late to stop her.

"Can you write a divorce agreement?" Xu Chaoyan asked directly.

The scholar looked brimming with confidence: "There's nothing I can't write. As long as the money is right, I can even write a storybook for you if you just want to read one."

With a "thud," Xu Chaoyan placed a small piece of silver on the table: "Just write me a divorce agreement. Put aside what you're doing right now and write it immediately, I need it urgently."

The scholar looked on with a gossipy expression: "Young lady, why are you in such a hurry to get a divorce? You should think it through."

Meng Jiuhe, quick as a flash, grabbed the scholar before she could take it and pulled her away.

"My wife, let's talk this out. You can learn to write anything, and I'll write it for you when we get back."

The scholar was initially annoyed that someone was so tactless as to steal his business; he hadn't had any income for days. Seeing the loose silver, his hand trembled for a long time before he finally extended it.

When he looked up and saw that the person pulling him was Meng Jiu, he looked at him with surprise.

"So it's Scholar Meng. I haven't seen you for quite some time. You gave me those few dozen coins before, saying I should follow your lead before deciding whether to set up a stall. It's been quite a while now, and I haven't seen you pay a second installment. I'm really strapped for cash at home, so I came out." He looked guilty.