Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 146

After being driven off, the elder sister-in-law (Feng Daju) grew angrier the more she thought about it, and she turned her resentment on Feng Qiufang.

“You tricked us! That little widow clearly has no intention of marrying. Hurry up and give me back those five taels of silver!”

Feng Qiufang’s face was just as unpleasant. After today’s fiasco, she finally realized, Cuihua was no easy woman to control. She had her own mind, and this matter would be hard to pull off.

“The money wasn’t taken by me. I don’t have a single coin on me. Don’t come asking me!” The moment money was mentioned, Feng Qiufang pushed all responsibility away.

When Feng Daju heard her say she had no money, she exploded, shouting, “What do you mean by that? You must give me the silver today! I don’t care who in your family took the betrothal gift. This whole idea was yours. Now that it’s failed, it’s already kind enough that we don’t blame you, so hand over the silver at once!”

Inside, Feng Qiufang was cursing Li Zhi for coming up with such a rotten idea. Did he really think that little widow was someone easy to handle? But since there was still family relation, she couldn’t afford to turn things too sour with Feng Daju. So she said, “I truly don’t have the silver on me. Come back with me, we’ll discuss it further.”

Feng Daju, having swallowed a bellyful of humiliation at Ying Su’s house, looked grim. She snorted, “If you don’t have the skill, don’t take the job! Look what a mess you’ve made, making me suffer this kind of loss for nothing!”

That jab left Feng Qiufang unhappy too. “What do you mean by “my rotten idea”? When I went to your house, your cousin agreed in a heartbeat. One hand can’t clap alone. If you weren’t after that widow’s money, you wouldn’t have agreed in the first place.”

Back at the old house, Feng Qiufang put on a pitiful face in front of Li Zhi and the old man, imitating Cuihua’s fierce attitude. She even emphasized, “She even said whoever accepted the betrothal gift should be the one to marry! Father, who do you think she was aiming those words at? I already told her it was you who accepted the silver. We showed her goodwill, and not only did she refuse, she even treated us like villains!”

The old man’s nose nearly twisted with rage. She knew perfectly well it was he who had taken the money, and she dared to spout such outrageous words! His anger flared. He had long seen that the little widow was no pushover. With a heavy snort, he growled, “Parents’ orders, matchmakers’ words, what storm can a little widow with no family background stir up? Since she won’t yield to soft words, just go and carry her back!”

He turned to Feng Daju. “Pick a good day in the next two days and come take her as wife. If she refuses to come, let Erlang and Sanzi tie her up and send her over!”

Li Wei muttered uneasily, “Father, isn’t that… not so good…”

Only to be blasted at once, “What’s not good about it? That ungrateful widow! I’ve already arranged the marriage for her, and in front of everyone she dared to humiliate me? Isn’t that slapping my face? And we thought her madness had cleared, that she’d be easy to manage, yet she’s so stubborn! And what about this marriage isn’t good for her?”

Wei Ying tugged at Li Wei’s sleeve, signaling him not to argue. When the old man was in a fury, anything said would just add fuel to the fire. Li Shuang and Li Qiao, the younger girls, were so frightened they didn’t even dare breathe.

Li Yunyao lifted her fingertips, freshly stained with bean-dye, blew on them, and smiled. “Grandfather is right! Our whole family is looking out for her. Once she’s married, she’ll realize how much thought Grandfather put into this.”

Feng Daju curled her lip. “That little widow doesn’t look like someone easy to seize. You think you can just tie her up? If she hides in her own house, I don’t think even you could get in! If you truly can’t make the decision, then just return the silver, so I can explain myself to my father and brothers!”

“I can make the decision! If she dares hide inside, then smash her door down!” The old man valued those five taels like treasure. When the eldest girl of Second Brother’s family got engaged, the betrothal gift was only two hundred copper coins. For the second girl, Li Shuang, it was just five qian of silver.

Only Yunyao’s match had been a decent one, bringing in two taels of silver. Now, for a widow, Feng Daju’s family had given five whole taels! It wasn’t even their own daughter being married off. Where else could one find such a good deal? He was never going to return that money.

“Father, tying her up doesn’t look good. I think it’d be better… to have Dayou come over and meet Cuihua first. If a man shows interest, there are plenty of ways to make things work…” Li Zhi said with a sly smile, offering a sneaky idea.

The old man understood well enough. Not only did he not object, he nodded in agreement. “Fine, let’s do that. Have Youzi come tomorrow.”

Feng Dayou was the blind-date candidate Feng Qiufang had originally suggested for Ying Su. Feng Daju said, “Alright then, but if Youzi comes and still nothing works out, then you’ll have to return the silver!” In her heart, she was thinking, “Once that little widow enters our family, all her money will belong to Youzi. Then we’ll properly teach her a lesson and pay her back for the humiliation she gave me today.”

Ying Su had no idea that people still hadn’t given up, plotting against her behind her back. Madam Li, seeing her upset, deliberately tried to comfort her. “Who knows what the old house is thinking, but don’t worry, this marriage will never happen. If they dare come again, I’ll call Dalang back.”

Before Ying Su could respond, the little bun bared his teeth and snapped, “If they dare come after my mommy again, I’ll chase them with a kitchen knife!”

He was just copying what Ying Su had said earlier. Ying Su quickly corrected him. “You’re too young for that. No one will be scared of you. Mother can handle them herself. Don’t you start with any ideas. In a few days, when your grandfather’s house is finished, we’ll move back there.”

Madam Li was startled. “Cuihua, you really found your family? But with how things are now, if you go back with the little bun, won’t people in your village gossip?”

“Let them talk, it doesn’t matter! Even here, don’t people gossip behind my back? My mother has been searching for me for years, and now her health isn’t good. I want to go back soon and be filial while I still can.” Ying Su said firmly.

Madam Li knew Ying Su was always strong-willed. Seeing her decision was made, she didn’t say more. After all, Huzi wasn’t really Erlang’s child. Though she’d watched him grow and had feelings for him, he wasn’t her true grandson.

Li Jinfeng piped up from the side, “Cuihua, where’s your home? If you take Huzi back, will you still come visit us? I’m getting married at the end of August. Will you come back then?”

This little girl had a fairly good relationship with Ying Su. She was simple and straightforward, without tricks or schemes, so Ying Su treated her kindly. She had even promised before to prepare a dowry gift when Jinfeng married.