Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 129 - 129 130 Became a Scholar_1

?Chapter 129: Chapter 130: Became a Scholar_1 Chapter 129: Chapter 130: Became a Scholar_1 Qingya frowned in disgust; this man had even wet his pants, truly no man at all!

Muniang watched Qiao Dalang, who lay motionless on the ground, with a cold gaze, “Just because I didn’t cut today doesn’t mean I won’t in the future. If I hear even the slightest rumor or gossip out there, my knife won’t miss like it did today!”

Qiao Dalang shuddered and nodded, “Yes, yes, yes, I definitely wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare.”

All he wanted now was to hurry out; he was filled with regret for why he had come here today.

Muniang curled her lips into a slight smirk, “I, Qiao Muniang, am not someone you can mess with. Don’t think those petty rumors you hold can actually harm me. Even if there were anything, it wouldn’t cost me a hair; but as for you, I won’t care about anything else. If I hear the slightest noise, I’ll count it on your head, and then, it won’t be as simple as chopping off a hand.”

This threat turned Qiao Dalang and Qiao Lianhua pale with fear, making them shrink their necks and nod vigorously.

“Throw them out, don’t dirty my floor!” Muniang ordered coldly.

Qiao Lianhua and Qiao Dalang returned home in a sorry state with faces swollen like pig heads and blood at the corners of their mouths, which shocked Mrs. Ji. She hurriedly asked what had happened, but the siblings dared not utter a word, simply saying they had encountered some hoodlums in town who had beaten them up.

Today was undoubtedly the biggest nightmare of their lives for the siblings; they were lucky to have come out alive and dared not harbor any more crooked thoughts.

“Lady is just too merciful. People like these aren’t worth pitying even if they die. Furthermore, the ones who can keep a secret the best in this world are the dead,” Hong Luo, who had emerged from a significant family, had a more calculated mind.

Muniang shook her head, “If someone really died, it’s not certain we could get away unscathed. After all, we are just merchants. We may have money in Tupo Village, but outside, we’re not that significant. I don’t want to cause trouble; besides, we all live in the same village. I don’t wish to be so cruel. Rest assured, those two are easy to control. A scare will suffice; they’ll avoid us for the rest of their lives.” As for the rumors about her and Wu Haoli having an affair, she didn’t take them seriously. She conducted herself with integrity, so she truly feared no gossip.

Hong Luo had no choice but to nod, also knowing that these siblings were both stupid and inconsequential; even if left alone, they wouldn’t dare cause any trouble.

Qiao Lianhua was sick for a month, and Xia Bing made a point of visiting her every day, which deeply moved Qiao Lianhua.

“With you as my good sister, I’m truly fortunate in this life,” Qiao Lianhua said tearfully from her bed.

Xia Bing gathered her courage to glance at Qiao Lianhua’s swollen face that resembled a pig’s head and smiled, “Naturally, our relationship has always been good, even better than real sisters. How could I not care for you?”

“Good sister, for that very sentence, if there’s ever anything I can help you with in the future, I will definitely assist!” Qiao Lianhua said, moved.

Xia Bing’s eyes lit up; that was exactly the affirmation she was looking for. She immediately made a sorrowful face and furrowed her brow, “Speaking of which, I do have a troubling matter.”

“What is it?”

“I’m not getting any younger, and my parents are eager for me to marry soon. But in Tupo Village, there are nothing but poor families that can barely make ends meet. My parents have been looking for a year and haven’t found anyone suitable. I’m really afraid that I’ll be too old to marry off,” Xia Bing said these words, gradually watching Qiao Lianhua’s reaction.

Qiao Lianhua said, “Then we’ll have to see if there are any suitable ones in the other villages. Our village is poor, and every girl here is thinking of marrying out.”

Xia Bing sighed and said, “My family isn’t familiar with anyone in other villages. Who would matchmake for me? It’s not like you, who could easily find a good marriage prospect in town.”

Her words were intentionally flattering Qiao Lianhua and deftly steering the conversation toward Tofu Zhang.

Qiao Lianhua did feel a touch of pride. She knew it was only because Mrs. Ji’s own sister had married well that she now knew so many respectable families.

With a look of envy, Xia Bing continued, “I really envy you for having such a good connection. It would be so nice if I could have a good marriage match like that.”

Qiao Lianhua followed her lead, “Why not, let my aunt introduce one for you? As for Tofu Zhang, if you really fancy him, I’ll let you have him. I don’t like him anyway.” She said this with extra pride, as if Xia Bing was picking up her leftovers.

Xia Bing was furious but still held back, “Really? Lianhua, you truly are a good sister to me.” Marriage to Tofu Zhang was the best possibility for her. Otherwise, marrying a farmer meant she might not even get to eat oil or meat all year round.

Qiao Lianhua arrogantly lifted her head, “It’s no big deal. I’ll talk to my aunt about it later.”

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she spoke in a hushed voice, “But you mustn’t breathe a word about Qiao Muniang’s affair, you hear?”

Xia Bing was startled, “Why not?”

Qiao Lianhua hesitated, “After all, she’s still my sister, isn’t she? Even if her reputation is ruined, I can’t just ignore it. Just don’t mention it, otherwise, I might not help you with this marriage business anymore.” She couldn’t admit that if even a whisper got out, Muniang would be held accountable and come to settle scores with her.

Xia Bing naturally didn’t believe her. She knew exactly what kind of person Qiao Lianhua was, who hated Qiao Muniang to the core and wished for her to be disgraced. But Xia Bing didn’t care about the specifics, and seeing Qiao Lianhua like this, she knew she wouldn’t be told, so she replied, “It’s your family’s business. I naturally won’t talk about it. Do I look like someone who can’t keep her mouth shut?”

But truth be told, if it wasn’t for Qiao Lianhua holding the marriage affair over her, she wouldn’t have heeded her warning at all.

Qiao Lianhua was finally at ease, and the two sisters started to chatter again.

Er Liang’s physical resilience was truly remarkable. Such a severe injury would have kept an ordinary person bedridden for at least two months, yet just after a month, he was able to get out of bed and walk. Mrs. Lin had been worried and told him to stay put, but Er Liang, who couldn’t bear to idle, insisted on getting up. Muniang didn’t stop him either, thinking it was good for the body to move around more, and staying cooped up in the house might lead to more ailments.

Muniang had previously asked Zeng Gang to start building a separate row of bungalows to be used as an embroidery room. Now, the construction was completed. Zeng Gang had been blaming himself for the accident with the collapsing beams, claiming the house he built wasn’t sturdy enough. He only accepted half the payment from Muniang, who knew he was an honest man and didn’t push the issue further, but in the end, she gifted each craftsman with five pounds of fine mutton.

The Embroidery House, managed by Madam Liu, ran smoothly, and the business was flourishing more than ever without any negative impact from the previous incident with the damaged screen. Muniang was pleased with the success and stepped back to let Madam Liu take the reins. Life had settled down for Muniang with no ripples from Qiao Lianhua’s end in the village and no gossip circulating; it seemed that they had truly been chastened this time.

However, a piece of big news soon shattered the long peace of Tupo Village.

“Lady, the results have just been posted today, and it’s said that Qiao Yuanzhen has become a Scholar!”