Keep Your Head Down
Others also laughed, everyone was just joking, but they didn’t expect that there were actually people who were eager to send their daughters to other families.
Chen Guixiang, not angry at being laughed at by several people, said proudly: “You are just jealous that I have both a son and a daughter. For those like you, even if you try your best to please, you won’t have this opportunity.
My daughter and son are highly sought after. They can marry and choose whomever they wish. You can just be jealous.”
Her daughter is a beauty known throughout the area. Those who came to propose marriage almost wore out the threshold, so there’s no need to worry about her not getting married.
It’s just that those families were too ordinary and not a good match for her daughter, so she refused them.
If it weren’t for the recent war and the mountain bandits, her daughter would have married a wealthy family in town long ago.
It is only these people whose children are ugly and worried about not getting married or finding a daughter-in-law.
Everyone was too lazy to pay attention to Chen Guixiang and directly changed the topic.
Jiang Yimian looked at Chen Guixiang a few more times.
After a while, she suddenly remembered that this woman was the one who said they were outsiders last time.
She raised her eyebrows, truly surprised. Hearing those words last time, she thought this person disliked the refugee outsiders settling here. Now it seems not to be the case.
She hasn’t even met them, let alone knowing what that family is like. Simply relying on wealth to marry off her daughter, this person is truly materialistic.
The original plan to build a house in the village in a few days instantly disappeared.
They should still live on the mountain. It’s quiet. If they really build a house in the village, with the current situation, they probably won’t have a peaceful life.
They might be criticized for even eating meat. Building a house is not urgent.
Fortunately, after a while, the ox cart stopped at the Village Entrance.
Little Zhang, as soon as she saw the ox cart, quickly climbed onto it.
Jiang Yimian and the others followed closely behind.
Seeing the empty ox cart instantly filled, Chen Guixiang was furious, glaring at the person who had just pushed her, and said unkindly: “I was here first, why did you push?”
That person didn’t bother to pay attention to her, only saying: “I’m already seated, you can wait for the next one.”
Chen Guixiang was furious. Her line of sight fell on the buckets Jiang Yimian and the others were carrying. Several people were carrying Back Baskets and buckets, occupying at least one seat.
She immediately said dissatisfiedly: “Yang, Elder Brother, look at these refugees. Bringing so many things takes up a lot of space. You will collect fewer Copper Coins later. Get one person off, let me sit. This child is young enough to walk to town!”
Saying this, she reached out to grab Gousheng.
Gousheng was caught off guard and was pulled and stumbled, about to fall off the ox cart. Jiang Yimian quickly reached out and pulled him, her gaze coldly sweeping across Chen Guixiang. She said coldly: “I will pay extra Copper Coins for the extra space.”
From the beginning, she had planned to pay extra Copper Coins, because the things she carried did indeed take up extra space.
Gousheng steadied himself, quickly hugged the Basket on his lap and checked it. Seeing that the Eggs were fine, he breathed a sigh of relief.
These were the eggs his mother had saved for many days. He hadn’t taken them all last time. These were all that remained. They were worth dozens of Copper Coins and couldn’t be broken.
Yang Er, who was driving the cart, quickly mediated: “Chen Shi, wait here for a while. I will be back in a while, the next trip will also go to town.”
But Chen Guixiang would not give up: “I want to go to town now, why should I wait?”
She was a resident of Qing Stone Village, these outsiders shouldn’t bully her.
Outsiders should keep their tails between their legs.
Yang Er was stunned, hesitated for a moment, and then said: “Then you wait here. Erniu is probably also going to town, he’ll be here soon.”
Erniu is an honest man. When he comes out of the village later and sees villagers waiting for the ox cart, he will probably give them a ride.
In the past, ox carts from other villages would also pass by at this time. But since the war, other villages have been looted by mountain bandits and no longer have oxen.
Now only his family and Erniu’s family in the few villages have ox carts.
Usually, only he sends people to town from Qing Stone Village, but sometimes when there are many people, Erniu will also send them.
He had greeted Erniu this morning and knew that he was also going to town.
Chen Guixiang was unhappy, and said unkindly: “No, I must take this trip. This child should get off.”
Saying this, she reached out to grab Gousheng again. This time, the force was even greater than before. However, before she touched him, Jiang Yimian tightly grabbed her wrist.
Chen Guixiang’s eyes widened, about to scold, Jiang Yimian exerted force, directly throwing her to the ground.
The tremendous force directly sent Chen Guixiang tumbling. With a “bang”, a cloud of dust rose from the ground.
Everyone on the ox cart was startled. Jiang Yimian simply said coldly, “Drive.”
Yang Er finally came to his senses, said “Oh”, saw Chen Guixiang get up from the ground, and was unharmed, so he quickly drove the ox cart away.
The ox cart was much quieter now, few people spoke, even Little Zhang kept her mouth shut.
Only her appraising glances occasionally fell on several people, not knowing what she was thinking.
Jiang Yimian didn’t bother to care about their thoughts. It’s just that they’re saying they’re hard to mess with, that outsiders are savage, etc.
Today’s events served as a warning to the others in Qing Stone Village.
Although they are outsiders, they are not to be bullied.
As for Chen Guixiang, that person was the one who started the trouble, she was simply acting in self-defense.
This grudge has been established, but they don’t come to the village often, so they don’t have to worry about this person causing trouble.
This Chen Guixiang is interesting. She looks down on outsiders, yet wants to associate with wealthy outsiders. It’s contradictory.
The ox cart traveled on the bumpy mud road, and after about a quarter hour, it passed several villages in a row.
Many people were carrying Back Baskets and carrying things on foot to town along the way, many villagers and many from other villages.
When the ox cart passed those villages, it became lively again.
“Sigh, those mountain bandits are really damned! Did you see? Several villages were burned, the ground is full of black ash, the decades-old willow tree at the Willow Tree Village entrance was burned to charcoal.”
“That’s right, I used to dislike our village’s remoteness and the trouble of going out. Now I’m really fortunate. Otherwise, Qing Stone Village would have probably been looted by mountain bandits.”
Jiang Yimian looked at the village not far away.
Many thatched huts showed signs of being burned, half black and half withered, very conspicuous.
There were many black ashes on the ground, probably not cleaned up yet.
Several villages had similar scenes. However, there were more oilcloth lean-tos than burned thatched huts. Among them were some newly built thatched huts and earth houses.
Now, many people are building thatched huts.
She didn’t take this route last time she went to town, and she didn’t pay attention to the villages near Apricot Flower Village. Now, seeing these burned villages, she was a little startled.
Those mountain bandits were indeed ruthless. Fortunately, the villages are slowly recovering now, and the Government said that they don’t have to pay taxes for two years. Two years is enough for them to recover well.
Just as she was thinking, Little Zhang suddenly called everyone mysteriously, lowering her voice and saying: “Do you know what exactly happened in these villages?”