The once bustling courtyard suddenly fell silent, and the pounding in the village chief's heart intensified as he instinctively looked toward Old Zhou.
This question came so abruptly that Old Zhou momentarily failed to control his facial expression, which twitched but he remained silent.
Soon after, the sound of sobbing emerged.
Old Zhou turned his stiff neck to look and saw his elderly wife covering her face as she cried. He finally regained his senses, lowered his head to wipe away tears, but his hands began to tremble slightly.
Ms. Qian raised her hand to beat him, leaning on him and saying, "It's all because of your incompetence. Otherwise, your younger brother wouldn't have sold himself. Why did you have so many children if you can't provide for them? How am I supposed to face your parents now..."
The more Ms. Qian talked, the angrier she got, and the harder she hit him. Old Zhou didn't resist and just crouched down, covering his head while she struck him.
