Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 275 - 275 276 The eerie calm_1

Chapter 275: Chapter 276 The eerie calm_1 Chapter 275: Chapter 276 The eerie calm_1 Muniang furrowed her brows but ultimately decided not to say anything. Although the child was indeed pitiable, she had no intention of involving herself in Mrs. Liang’s affairs. It was not appropriate to meddle in other people’s business, especially when their relationship was that of enemies.

“You’ve learned quite a few characters these past days, haven’t you? I’ve heard that Miss Lu is quite playful. Just be sure not to forget that it’s your job to study with her, and don’t let her lead you astray,” Muniang deftly changed the subject.

Tianniu promptly replied, “I would never! I will definitely make sure that Qi studies well. Otherwise, Mr. Lu will definitely not want me as a tutor anymore.”

Muniang had only intended to give her a mild scare to keep her focused, so she wouldn’t squander the opportunity through play. She hadn’t expected Tianniu to react so vigorously. The girl was mature beyond her years and particularly sensitive when it came to her studies. The opportunity was hard-won, and she knew to cherish it; there was no need for others to say much more.

Muniang patted her on the head, “Tianniu, just concentrate on your studies. Don’t worry about anything else. Even if you can’t continue with Lord Lu in the future, I’m still here. I won’t let you miss out on your education.”

Tianniu’s heart finally settled, and she nodded in acknowledgment.

The next morning, Muniang went out to check on the embroidery room in the village. Near the river, she spotted a frail figure in tattered clothes, hair unkempt. Although Tupo Village was impoverished, nobody was that cruel to a child. Could the child have gotten into a fight with some village kids?

Muniang walked closer and discovered it was Wang Qingmei, squatting by the river cleaning a wound. There was a large cut on her calf, probably from falling onto something sharp; the blood hadn’t even stopped yet, and her body was bruised.

Muniang frowned repeatedly. How could a child’s fight be this vicious? Which family’s child had no manners at all?

“Who did this? Why didn’t you go home and let your parents take care of the wound? Even if you’re scared of being scolded, you can’t risk your health. Look at this wound,” Muniang reproached, automatically assuming that the child got hurt fighting with others and was afraid to tell her parents, thus trying to handle it herself. But how could such a deep wound be hidden? Wouldn’t delaying treatment only make it worse?

Wang Qingmei’s face turned pale instantly; she quickly stood up, stammering, “I… I didn’t fight.”

“You didn’t fight? Then who bullied you? Hurry home to your mother. This wound is quite severe. If you don’t get it treated, it could scar, and that won’t look good later on,” Muniang frightened her on purpose, knowing girls valued their appearance. Surely Wang Qingmei would rush to her parents after hearing this.

But Wang Qingmei’s complexion grew even paler, her lips trembling uncontrollably, “You—you—you, don’t tell my mother you saw me. I—I didn’t see you!”

With that, she limped away hastily, ignoring the injury on her leg.

Muniang watched her go, astonished. What did the child mean by that? Not to let her mother know? Her mother—

Muniang suddenly recalled what Tianniu had said the day before—about Qingmei surely facing a beating upon returning home.

Muniang had heard the term “being beaten” quite a few times, and it was mostly the boys from Honghai who endured the beatings. But their punishment was merely the kind that caused pain for a day and then was over. Seeing someone beaten to such a state, could she really be considered a mother?

Muniang returned home and related the incident to Li Qinghe, who sighed, “The Wang family is the household in our village that least favors girls. Having given birth to three daughters in succession certainly frustrated Mrs. Liang, and she harbored even greater resentment toward her daughters. Thus, her harsh treatment of Qingmei is hardly surprising to me.”

“Which household doesn’t favor boys over girls? But at least they know she’s their own flesh and blood, right? How can Mrs. Liang bear to treat her so cruelly?”

“What else can she do? Mrs. Liang has to serve her husband, her in-laws, and her precious only son at home, with all her pent-up anger. Who else can she vent it on if not Qingmei, who is the least favored? Qingmei indeed has a tough life, but there’s not much we can do about it. It’s the Wang family’s own affair after all, and our meddling would be useless. Besides, Mrs. Liang is not someone to be trifled with. Even if we got involved, it wouldn’t change anything. We can only hope that Qingmei will marry into a good family in the future and escape this kind of life.”

Qinghe spoke without any reassurance, as she knew very well that when Mrs. Liang married off her daughters, it was akin to selling them; she never considered the character of the groom’s family. Weren’t her two eldest daughters married off just like that?

Muniang pursed her lips, ultimately remaining silent. Although the situation she witnessed during the day made her very upset, she also knew that she was powerless to change it, as Mrs. Liang was legitimately Qingmei’s own mother.

In the following days, Muniang didn’t leave her home, partly to take care of Qinghe, but perhaps subconsciously she wanted to avoid meeting Wang Qingmei. The feeling of watching someone else struggle and being unable to lend a helping hand was truly uncomfortable.

——

“General, news from the Capital City has arrived. When the news that you defied the imperial decree reached the Capital City, the Emperor was indeed slightly angered, but it seems he did not blame you. However, Marquis Chen was furious, and if you were in the Capital City now, he would probably have taken the family law into his own hands to deal with you,” the man in black wiped his forehead quietly. With the master and the young master both being so formidable, it was not easy for him to be caught in the middle.

He continued, “Nevertheless, Marquis Chen later personally visited the palace, seemingly to explain things on your behalf and to take the blame by asking the Emperor to punish him directly for the failure of a son to be filial.”

Yu Ze’s eyes darkened with a hint of obscure emotion, “And then?”

“Then the Emperor did not hold you to account, saying that the General’s refusal to accept the imperial edict might be due to personal reasons. Since the General is unwilling to accept the honor and the bestowed marriage, then let it be.”

“Did he really say that?”

“Yes!”

Yu Ze furrowed his brow, the ease of this compromise, this calm progression of events, seemed too strange. For ten years, he had been stationed at the border, scarcely in touch with the former Crown Prince, now the Emperor. He did not even know how much the Emperor had changed. At least based on his previous temperament, he was sure to become enraged, as defying the decree was essentially a slap in the Emperor’s face. More importantly, the Emperor had been publicly defied and yet could not execute him to vent his frustration. This, for any ruler, let alone an ordinary man, was an intolerable insult.

Now, his calm acceptance and forgiveness—was it because he had learned to be patient, or did he have other plans?