Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 155

Her face showed deep sorrow, as if she had suffered a great injustice, yet she stubbornly endured it.

Officer Zhou’s heart tightened at the sight. Though Miss Shen was clever and sharp, facing something like this, she must surely feel lost and helpless.

“I may be a widow, but I have always guarded my purity. I would never commit such a filthy act! For us women, our chastity and reputation weigh as heavily as the sky itself. If one loses virtue, how could she still have the face to live in this world? To be accused of adultery is the gravest of sins! Not only would one be condemned for a lifetime, but even drowned in a pond as punishment!”

“He seeks to ruin my reputation, to force me to my death! If I were wronged and perished, my poor child would surely not survive alone. He aims to take both our lives! Such vicious intent, worse than that of a beast!”

Ying Su’s words were sincere, her phoenix eyes shimmering with tears. Though her face was delicate and fragile, at this moment she appeared both enduring and resolute. Her slender figure looked weak as swaying willow, yet she stood upright like green bamboo, carrying an unyielding pride that stirred hearts all the more.

“I… I didn’t! Her husband’s family already took my betrothal gift, she’s my fiancée who hasn’t yet entered my household!” Feng Dayou shouted in panic. He dreaded entering the yamen; if he were sent to the dark, hopeless prison, his life would be over!

Officer Zhou slammed the scabbard of his sword hard against Feng Dayou, growling fiercely, “Behave yourself!” Seeing the mist clouding Shen Cuihua’s once-clear eyes, he could barely restrain himself from kicking the beast kneeling on the ground, just to vent her anger for her.

In the crowd, Feng Qiufang and her husband shrank their necks. If Feng Dayou dragged them down with him, what then? They remembered well, wasn’t this Officer Zhou the same man who knew Shen Cuihua? Last time, he even delivered her a ten-tael silver reward on behalf of the magistrate, praising her great service! No doubt, he would stand firmly on her side.

Ying Su’s phoenix eyes turned icy as she looked at Feng Dayou, her beautiful face full of pride. In a cold voice, she said, “Better to starve than lose one’s virtue! Though I am a widow, I will never bow for mere grain!”

“Though my husband has been gone for five or six years, I still live in his household, keeping my widowhood in his honor! My sole intent now is to raise my child into an adult. I have no thoughts of remarriage, and my mother-in-law knows this well.”

“And the one who took the betrothal money was not my mother-in-law, but her father-in-law! Besides, I have my own parents and mother-in-law above me, and elder and younger brothers below me. How could unrelated outsiders decide my marriage? They had no authority to make such a decision!”

Her every word rang loud and firm, like stones striking the ground with clarity. The breeze lifted her plain indigo robe, making her figure resemble bamboo in the mountains, gentle yet unyielding. Her features, once tinged with an earthly charm, now seemed refined and almost ethereal.

Shen Changyun listened at the side, his heart aching with both sorrow and fury. Finally able to speak, he quickly said, “My sister speaks the truth! Though she is widowed, she still has the Shen family standing strong. Don’t think she and her child can be bullied just because they’re alone! Whoever dares to lay a finger on her, my brother and I will never allow it!”

Now grown into the shape of a man, Shen Changyun stood tall, commanding presence. As he tugged the man beside him and declared them brothers, Ying Su’s eyes shifted toward the other figure. To her surprise, it was the man from the Canal Gang who had once asked if she knew him!

How could he know Changyun? No wonder he had asked her before, it seemed the original Cuihua did know him.

Shen Changge was also stunned. Wasn’t this the same woman he had spoken to at the Canal Gang? And she turned out to be his younger sister? Could there have been some mistake? He rubbed his chin in doubt.

That aside, once Shen Changyun spoke up, the villagers buzzed with discussion. So Shen Cuihua did have family after all! Hadn’t they heard she was bought by Madam Li from a tooth woman? When did she find her kin again? Looking at the two young men, one fair and handsome, the other sturdy and valiant, they both inspired respect.

Truly, Shen Cuihua was blessed! She had once been deranged and witless, yet after her affliction was cured by an immortal’s enlightenment, she not only regained her senses but even reunited with her family so quickly.

Soon, a villager spoke up, “Miss Shen has always been upright in our village, quiet and withdrawn, rarely leaving her home. We can all testify to this!”

Others, eager to share in Ying Su’s good fortune, chimed in as well, “We can all testify! It’s this man spouting nonsense!”

To avoid offending the Lis of the old residence, they didn’t mention that the household had accepted Feng Dayou’s betrothal money, instead focusing solely on clearing Ying Su’s name.

Hearing these voices rise one after another, Feng Dayou grew even more frantic, crying out in desperation, “It was all Feng Qiufang and her husband’s idea! It was Feng Qiufang who came to me to arrange this match. She even said the little widow, Miss Shen’s family, had money! If I married her, I’d live in wealth and comfort forever!”

At once, Feng Qiufang and her husband, hearing him drag them in, quickly tried to cut ties. “He’s talking nonsense! Cuihua, don’t believe him! We were tricked by him too!”

Li Zhi, in secret, pinched Feng Qiufang’s waist hard, making her tear up in pain. She hurriedly continued,

“He heard you had money, saw you were pretty, and pestered me to arrange the match. He even forced five taels of silver into Old Master Li’s hands at the old residence, insisting on sealing the marriage!”

The two immediately began biting at each other like dogs. Hearing Feng Qiufang’s words, Feng Dayou’s face flushed red with fury. He roared back, “She’s lying! She was the one who came to me about the match. When my sister was driven out that day, I went to demand my money back, but Li Zhi gave me the idea, he said you were just a weak widow, easy to take advantage of. As long as I forced myself on you, I could secure the marriage! That’s why I snuck into your home that night!”

At these words, Li Zhi broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly protested, “Cuihua, don’t believe him! He’s just dragging us down with him! You only just helped Brother Yin resolve the matter with the Zhang family’s how could I ever plot against you?”

His words sounded earnest and sincere, but Ying Su only sneered coldly. With casual indifference, she said, “Yes… it’s not unheard of for people to repay kindness with betrayal. Whether there was scheming or not, Third Uncle and Third Aunt know in their hearts, and so do I.”

“You shameless pair, Li Zhi and Feng Qiufang! Cowards, the both of you! I was blind to trust your words! You were the ones who told me to make a scene at Miss Shen’s door, to ruin her reputation then, if she wasn’t drowned, she’d have no choice but to follow me! It was all your idea!” Feng Dayou spat on them several times in rage.