Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 157

Before Ying Su could speak, Madam Li couldn’t hold back anymore. She stood up, her face full of indignation, and said to the crowd who were pleading for mercy.

“Back then, when Zhang Duomei said Cuihua was a jinx, all of you believed it! Some even shouted to burn her alive! If Cuihua hadn’t proved she wasn’t a jinx, then the one tied to the fire and burned today would be her! She would be the one dead now! If that’s the case, then Zhang Duomei is no different than a murderer! Why should she be allowed to kill and now still have all of you defending her?”

Shen Changyun’s veins stood out on his clenched fists. He suddenly stepped forward, face full of anguish.

“She’s pitiful? And my sister isn’t? Her husband died young, she’s raising a child all alone, first she was insulted and slandered, then she was called a jinx! Why must she pity this venomous woman? My sister hasn’t suffered any loss? Do you really think unless my sister was actually thrown onto the fire to burn, it wouldn’t count as a loss?”

Shen Changge reached out and patted Changyun’s shoulder to calm him, then took a step forward. He clasped his fists to the crowd and said in a steady voice.

“I am Shen Cuihua’s eldest brother. This matter today, our Shen family absolutely will not let it go just like that! And none of you should use morality or empty reasoning to pressure her, a lone woman.”

“Even if my sister has a kind heart, she still has an elder brother, me! And I’ll put it plainly here, this matter will not just pass like that!”

“Our Great Qing is a country that upholds justice and law! If everyone could just say ‘forgive me’ after committing a crime, and everything be brushed aside, then wouldn’t our empire fall into chaos? Even if the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is punished as any commoner. Why should she commit crimes and walk free just because you plead for her?”

Having lived in the army, Shen Changge’s words were forceful, well-reasoned, and carried the blunt edge of a soldier.

Ying Su hadn’t expected this man to be her “cheap” older brother and surprisingly, he wasn’t half bad.

Hearing his words, her heart lightened. Zhang Duomei’s malice was too deep; she had no intention of letting her off easily! Moral coercion didn’t work on Ying Su at all.

But since Shen Changge was willing to play the villain, all the better.

“This… this may be so, but in the end it’s still a human life. Cuihua, you’re a blessed person, why stain yourself with killing karma because of her?” Elder Zhang tried to persuade her with reason and sentiment, hoping she would show mercy.

Ying Su smiled faintly and walked over to Elder Zhang, bowing politely, “Elder, it’s not that I, Shen Cuihua, refuse to forgive. But put yourself in my place, if today it had been your daughter or granddaughter who was humiliated like this, would you so easily let it go?”

She paused, then continued, “But since everyone is pleading for Zhang Duomei, if I still insist, it would seem I lack compassion.”

Turning to Officer Zhou, her clear face calm as still water, she said evenly.

“Right and wrong, you’ve seen it all with your own eyes, Officer Zhou. Those three crimes of Zhang Duomei, I won’t press charges further. But if she’s let off so lightly, I fear she won’t learn her lesson, and might repeat it, even set a bad example, encouraging such vile behavior! I hope you can punish her severely, to serve as a warning.”

“This kind of wicked person must never be indulged!” Officer Zhou declared righteously. He motioned for the yamen runners to take Zhang Duomei away. Then he turned to the villagers and said, “Miss Shen has rendered service to the magistrate’s office. Whoever dares trouble her is going against the government itself, and the county magistrate will never forgive that!”

With that, he nodded at Ying Su and turned to leave with his men. Passing Shen Changge, he cupped his fists and saluted, “Centurion Shen, I’ll take my leave first.”

Though only a minor centurion of the Northwest Army, Shen Changge held a rank of sixth class, while a county magistrate was but seventh class. For Officer Zhou, such a bow was proper.

The villagers didn’t know what “centurion” meant, but seeing even Officer Zhou bow to him, they started whispering. Who would have thought that the once-despised, rootless young widow actually had a brother holding office!

Almost everyone secretly recalled if they’d ever mistreated Shen Cuihua before.

Realizing how powerful her family suddenly seemed, Li Zhi quickly nudged Feng Qiufang and exchanged a look. The couple forced smiles and walked over to Ying Su, flattering her.

“Cuihua, please don’t blame your Third Uncle and Aunt! We were shortsighted, fooled by that beast Feng Dayou! We’re all one family, there’s no grudge we can’t let go of.”

Ying Su only sneered coldly and ignored them. Instead, she turned to Shen Changyun, “Little brother, why did you come here?”

Feng Qiufang and Li Zhi were left awkward, standing there with stiff smiles, cursing Ying Su in their hearts.

“Father and Mother saw you hadn’t returned to the village in a long time, so they sent me and big brother to check on you. I went to Weixuan’s shop to see if you were there, but instead I heard your younger sister-in-law telling your brother and sister-in-law that something had happened to you! So I went to the yamen with big brother, and here we are.” Shen Changyun explained.

Then, pulling the man beside him forward with excitement, he said, “Second sister, I didn’t have time to tell you yet, big brother is back!”

Shen Changge studied Ying Su, his eyes turning slightly red. On the way, Changyun had already told him, his little sister had forgotten the past. No wonder she didn’t recognize him. But remembering how much she had changed since he last saw her in the guild, his heart ached as if pierced by needles.

His little sister, once so gentle and soft, timid and kind… Back then, even seeing a sparrow killed by a cat would terrify her into tears for half a day.

Now, she seemed like a completely different person. How much suffering must she have endured all these years to transform so? If not for great hardship, how could she have grown so tough, so sharp, so unyielding in the face of peril?

Earlier, any ordinary woman would have been unable to explain herself, but his frail sister bore it all alone, speaking with reason, calm and composed, advancing and retreating with perfect poise.

A surge of pride suddenly filled Shen Changge. His little sister would always be the best.

“Second sister, big brother earned merit in the army and was promoted. I’m a centurion now, commanding a thousand soldiers!” Shen Changyun proudly boasted, face full of excitement, as if it were his own honor.

A hint of awkwardness flickered across Ying Su’s face. Remembering that awkward encounter with Shen Changge in the guild, she felt the urge to cover her forehead, not knowing how to greet this brother.

Just then, a rough, broad palm landed on her head, tousling her carefully braided hair into a mess. Startled, Ying Su looked up to see Shen Changge.

And under her shocked gaze, Shen Changge boldly reached out and pinched her cheeks, stretching them to both sides. Amused by her dumbfounded expression, he laughed heartily, his mouth curved in a bright grin, “Little sister, you really did forget your big brother! Definitely eserves a beating!”