Although they both share the surname Ma, he was a third-generation peasant, and Ou Xiangnan was just like Ma Xuerong, belonging to the "black fifth category."
Ou Xiangnan was three years older than Ma Chengwen and far more shrewd. He instigated Ma Chengwen to inform on Ma Xuerong, accusing her of misconduct. She was already of a low-status background, engaged in chaotic relations between men and women, and now was pregnant - a serious issue indeed.
In this era when people distorted truth and facts, many took advantage of the chaos for personal gains.
Such was the character of Ma Chengwen. He had hated Ma Xuerong all along, and now, on seeing the sense in Ou Tiannan's accusations, he felt justified in exposing her. He brought to light the man behind her, wanting to see just how special he was, thereby avenging his own humiliations.
