Er Liang nodded obediently, "Alright, I'll definitely tell the mistress."
Doctor Chen looked at the ferocious wound on Er Liang's chest, his face growing somber, "This is a sword wound." For these common folk, those who wielded swords and knives—what sort of good could come from them?
Muniang hurriedly said, "Yesterday, I took him to the city for some fun, but we offended a noble young master there. In a fit of rage, the young master stabbed him with a sword. I was so frightened. Doctor, will he be alright?"
Doctor Chen's expression eased a bit as he stroked his beard, "The wound is deep and nearly hit a vital spot. Fortunately, you stopped the bleeding in time, and it didn't turn into something serious. This foolish lad is quite fortunate. I will apply some medicine for him—you must change the dressing once a day thereafter."
Muniang wiped her brow, relieved that she had concealed the truth, "Alright, thank you for your troubles."
After Doctor Chen had re-bandaged the wound, he handed Muniang a small porcelain bottle, "Remember, change the dressing once a day, and don't let it get wet. Otherwise, the wound may fester."
Muniang nodded and dressed Er Liang properly.
"And," Doctor Chen coughed awkwardly into his fist, "although you are newlyweds, you must be moderate. Postpone intimacy for now, as it could tear the wound."
Muniang almost choked on her own saliva, knowing Doctor Chen had misunderstood. She forced a laugh and struggled to twist her mouth into a smile, "Alright."
Eager with curiosity, Er Liang leaned in closer, "Mistress, what is intimacy? Why must we be moderate?"
Muniang's cheeks flared red as she smacked him on the forehead, "Because you're too silly!"
Doctor Chen sighed internally. Such a fine young woman, already unfortunate for having endured so much with her own mother, was now married to a fool. Her life, it seemed, was over.
The news of Muniang marrying a fool quickly spread throughout the village. Some sighed in pity for the girl whose life was thus ruined, while others took malicious pleasure in her great misfortune. Regardless of what others thought, Muniang was just relieved that the matter with the man from the wilderness was covered up. In these ancient times, where moral integrity was valued more than life itself, especially in a remote and impoverished village, the villagers could have drowned her in a pig cage to preserve their honor.
Old Madam Qiao and Mrs. Ji returned to the Qiao family with their tails between their legs, and peace was no longer found in the Qiao household.
Sitting on the kang bed, Old Lady Qiao slapped the wooden frame, wailing to the heavens, "That shameless little wretch has really turned against us! She doesn't even respect me, her own ancestor, and dared to lay hands on me! Oh, my back! I must flay that little beast's skin!"
Qiao Dazhi, who was fed up, slammed the table and bellowed, "Who asked you to provoke her? Her reputation is now like a dung heap, and you still eagerly throw yourself in front of her as if you're afraid others won't know she's from the Qiao family. I've said it before—all we had to do was sever ties cleanly, but you had to go make trouble. You created such a scene at their house this time; who knows how many people are laughing at us behind our backs!"
Qiao Dazhi had always valued his reputation. He was already irritable from the backlash and gossip caused by Muniang's misfortune, and now with Old Lady Qiao, Madam Zhao, shamelessly stirring up more trouble, it only made it seem as if the Qiao family was inextricably linked with that shameless granddaughter.
Old Madam Qiao had thought Qiao Dazhi, if not comforting her, should at least share her indignation. She had not expected him to blame her for the situation. Her heart sank in despondency, and her cries grew louder, "Aiyo, you heartless creature! I have been bullied by that mother and daughter to this state, and you are blaming me instead. That shameless girl hid a wild man, and yet you can stand to watch, aiyo my back! I don't want to live!"
Standing beside her, her youngest son Qiao Yuanzhen could not bear to watch and spoke up, "Mother, everyone outside is saying that the man with Qiao Muniang is her husband, why must you insist on holding onto this grudge? When people talk about her, they inevitably associate her with our Qiao family. What good does it do us to lose face over nothing? Father has already said that we have nothing to do with those two, so we shouldn't bother with their affairs and let ourselves be needlessly troubled by them."
In everything Qiao Yuanzhen said, he was making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with Qiao Muniang, and his tone was full of contempt.
Old Madam Qiao, choked by her dearest youngest son, found herself at a loss for words for a moment, standing there speechless.
Qiao Dazhi snorted coldly, "You ignorant woman with more hair than sense, Yuanzhen is aspiring for scholarly honor, and reputation is more important to him than life itself. If our family gets tangled up with that mother and daughter and ruins our reputation, it is the destruction of Yuanzhen's future prospects!"
Only then did Old Madam Qiao realize the gravity of her mistake. She dared not cry out any longer and quietly sobbed and wiped her tears away.
Mrs. Ji had originally wanted to seize the opportunity of Old Madam Qiao being angry at Muniang to share her grievances about being slapped, but seeing the current situation, even Old Madam Qiao dared not utter another word. Not to mention, Qiao Yuanzhen was everyone's darling, and everything had to focus on his reputation. At this moment, Mrs. Ji too didn't dare to make more trouble, feeling aggrieved within her heart, believing she had received slaps for no reason and was now disliked by both sides.
The fourth son's wife, Madam Liu, glanced at the swollen cheek of Mrs. Ji and sneered delightfully within herself. This brainless woman, what is she good for besides flattering Old Lady Qiao and egging her on? She deserved to have been beaten for nothing!
Mrs. Ji felt the mocking gaze of Madam Liu and glared back at her fiercely. Yet Madam Liu was not one to be trampled on, meeting Mrs. Ji's glare without submission. Mrs. Ji's heart filled with hatred, almost twisting the hem of her garment into a rag, yet she dared not voice a single word.
Qiao Yuanming, as the one who has always placed great emphasis on filial piety, felt uneasy seeing his mother being bullied this way and even scolded by his fifth brother and father. He was about to speak on behalf of his mother, Madam Zhao, when his own wife, Madam Liu, gripped his sleeve tightly. Madam Liu glowered at him fiercely, signaling him not to act rashly. This husband of hers was truly a foolishly filial son, who because of his direct and simple nature had suffered many losses at home and still showed no sign of learning from them.
Qiao Yuanming, pulled back by Madam Liu, was of course unhappy. After all, with the male chauvinism inherent in feudal ideology, who would want to be controlled by their wife all day long? It was bad enough that she took charge in major matters, but now, when he just wanted to speak out for his mother, she was still trying to stop him. Qiao Yuanming's anger rose swiftly, and he tried fiercely to shake off Madam Liu's hand.
As the two were at an impasse, they heard Qiao Dazhi speak, "Enough already, let's all disperse. Hurry up and finish lunch so we can get to the fields to work. If we don't finish today's tasks, why are you all standing around like fools?"
Qiao Dazhi was known for his temper, and naturally, no one dared to disobey; they immediately scattered.
Qiao Yuanming glared fiercely at Madam Liu, shook his sleeve, and left. Madam Liu followed behind, returning to their wing together.
Upon entering the room, Qiao Yuanming began to vent, "What is wrong with you? My mother has been humiliated, and I just wanted to say a few fair words, why are you stopping me!"
Madam Liu went straight past him without a glance, her expression blank as she picked up the embroidery basket from the bedhead and began to make knots, "Indeed, I must be full and idle to bother with you, a man without a brain."
Madam Liu's pride and disregard struck a severe blow to his masculine pride, and his anger intensified, "Liu Cuiliu! Don't put on such airs with me, don't forget who's the head of this household!"