"You old hag, you hurt her and you owe me five hundred dollars. You kidnapped her, then you dare to say she's missing. I've searched half the village for her, it seems that you did this. Did you?!"
After being slapped, the old woman's head was spinning. She had been cursed at for so long, and without food or drink, she hadn't even the strength to retort.
The old woman was so beaten that she couldn't utter a word. She would only dare to assert herself before the weak, but against the aggressive, she was nothing but a coward. If she were truly a fierce woman, the old man would not have been able to hit her from their young days until now.
And the village simpleton is just like the old man, the very same disposition. He's likely a wife-beater too. Otherwise, even the biggest fool would have someone willing to marry their daughter to him, given the generous bridal gifts.
