Chapter 109 – Come to My House
However, even these few possessions, when piled up, made quite a large stack.
Yan Bozhang, Mrs. Li, Liu Qianhe, and Liu Qianqian watched as the family from the Yan family’s third branch moved out and piled their junk in the yard. They all had smirks on their faces, especially Liu Qianhe and his daughter.
They wondered how Yan’s third branch would manage to move all this junk without a cart.
With nowhere to go and so many possessions, Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun were somewhat anxious.
Seeing Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuxue, Yan Shuqin, and Yan Shuyun worrying, Liu Qianhe felt overjoyed.
He glanced at Yan Xiaosi and saw her standing there with her chin in her hand, not saying a word. This made him even happier.
She was very arrogant just now, why isn’t she continuing her arrogance now? “Ms. Zhong, it’s not that I, as the village chief, am heartless. This broken temple and the yard in front of it belong to the whole Shaoyao Village. We are short of sun-drying spaces, and we need to dismantle this temple to build more. While it’s still daylight, you should quickly take your children and possessions and leave.”
He needed to say a few nice words in front of so many villagers.
“Village Chief Liu, how come I’ve never heard that our village is short of sun-drying spaces?”
Tian Dazhuang and his mother Ms. Wang hurried over, just in time to hear Liu Qianhe’s harsh words. Seeing the Yan family’s third branch’s possessions piled in the yard, Tian Dazhuang immediately frowned and walked up to Liu Qianhe.
“Last autumn, there was enough space for drying grain and corn. Why is it not enough this year? Why do you need to demolish the old temple to build a drying ground?”
“Tian Dazhuang, how dare you talk to my father like this? Don’t you realize he’s the village chief?”
Seeing Tian Dazhuang standing up for them, Liu Qianqian glared at him and snapped.
“Master Yan is here. This temple was built with money from the Yan family. The land belongs to the whole Shaoyao Village. Yan Xiaosi and his family have been living here for years for free, which is already a great favor. Master Yan, isn’t that right?”
As Liu Qianqian spoke, she looked at Yan Bozhang for confirmation, hoping he would reprimand Tian Dazhuang.
Yan Bozhang glanced at Liu Qianqian, furrowed his brows and then glared at Liu Qianhe.
His gaze was a warning for Liu Qianhe to control his foolish daughter. The Yan family was a prestigious household in Shaoyao Village. His father was once the county’s dignitary, and he himself was currently a scholar at the county court. The Yan family could not bear the reputation of being villainous. He had approached Liu Qianhe to deal with the matter, aiming to evict Yan’s third branch from the broken temple without damaging the Yan family’s reputation.
Liu Qianhe had been the village chief for many years, so how could he not understand this? Sensing Yan Bozhang’s displeasure, he felt a chill in his heart.
“Qianqian, shut up,” he ordered.
Suddenly scolded by Liu Qianhe, Liu Qianqian was puzzled. She felt she hadn’t said anything wrong and stomped her foot in frustration.
“Dad, why are you yelling at me? I didn’t say anything wrong. This temple was originally built with Yan family’s money. If Master Yan wants to drive Yan Xiaosi and his family away, it’s only natural.”
The surrounding villagers sighed.
So, it turned out that the excuse of demolishing the old temple to build a sun-drying field was just a pretext. It was Master Yan who wanted to drive the widows and orphans of Yan’s third branch out of the temple.
The villagers’ gaze towards Yan Bozhang and Ms. Li couldn’t help but become strange.
Ms. Li didn’t care, but Yan Bozhang worked in the county court. If this matter spread to the county office, it would greatly damage his reputation and hinder his promotion.
“Liu, Qian, He.”
Yan Bozhang was already furious, angrily calling out Liu Qianhe’s name.
Liu Qianhe’s heart skipped a beat, and he slapped Liu Qianqian on the face.
If Liu Qianqian stayed and said something wrong again, angering the Yan family, the consequences wouldn’t be as simple as getting slapped.
Liu Qianqian, not daring to defy Liu Qianhe, glared fiercely at Yan Xiaosi before leaving tearfully.
Yan Xiaosi just shrugged innocently.
She must be blaming her again for the slap she just received. It was just one false accusation after another.
“Village Chief Liu, since we’re all from the same village, let Aunt Yan, Shuqin, Shuxue, Shuyun, and Xiaosi stay in the old temple for a little while longer.”
Knowing that reasoning with Liu Qianhe wouldn’t yield any good results, Tian Dazhuang changed his tone and pleaded with Liu Qianhe.
“Once they leave this broken temple, Village Chief Liu, where do you suggest Aunt Yan, Shuqin, Shuxue, Shuyun, and Xiaosi live?”
Not giving Liu Qianhe a chance to humiliate Tian Dazhuang, Yan Xiaosi directly spoke.
“Big Brother Dazhuang, don’t waste your breath. Even if you kneel down and beg him, he won’t allow us to stay in the broken temple for another day.”
While speaking, Yan Xiaosi gave Yan Bozhang a glance.
“Please go back and tell Master Yan, even if he drives us out of this broken temple, our family will not go to the Yan mansion to ask for his mercy.”
Turning her gaze back, she said to Liu Qianhe, “Village Chief Liu, there’s no need for you to stand here worrying. We’ll leave here by the end of the day, we won’t put you in a difficult position.”
The last words from Yan Xiaosi were filled with meaning. Those who understood could tell that the Yan family was putting pressure on Liu Qianhe.
Yan Bozhang’s face turned green and red upon hearing this.
What a sharp tongue.
He brushed his sleeve, gave a cold snort towards Yan Xiaosi, “I hope you have as much backbone as your dead father.”
Having said that, he walked away in anger, and Ms. Zhong gave Yan Xiaosi a glare before following him.
With the Yans gone, Liu Qianhe naturally didn’t want to stay and be gossiped about by the villagers, so he left as well.
Soon, only the few people from the third branch of the Yan family, the Tian mother and son, and a few onlookers were left in front of the dilapidated temple. When the last few onlookers left, Tian Dazhuang looked sympathetically at Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, Yan Shuyun, and Yan Xiaosi before saying, “Aunt Yan, Shuqin, Shuxue, Shuyun, and Xiaosi, if you have nowhere to go, you can stay at my place for the time being. Although my house is not spacious, at least it can shelter you from the wind and rain.”
Hearing his words, Ms. Wang quickly interrupted, “Dazhuang, what nonsense are you talking about? Shuqin, Shuxue, Shuyun are all unmarried girls. If you invite them to our house, won’t it ruin their reputation? Reputation is very important to a girl. If it’s ruined, how will they get married in the future?”
Thinking carefully, Tian Dazhuang found that his mother seemed to make sense. After considering it for a while, he said, “Mom, how about I set up a shed in our cornfield? I can sleep there at night. On the one hand, it will protect the soon-to-be ripe corn, and on the other hand, it won’t affect the reputation of Shuqin, Shuxue, and Shuyun. It’s a win-win.”
Ms. Wang frowned when she heard this.
She was extremely angry with her stupid son.
“What a bad idea you have. There are many mosquitoes and bugs in the cornfield. Is it a place for people to sleep? Besides, how can I be reassured if you sleep in the cornfield alone at night?”
“Mom, I have thick skin and I’m not afraid of mosquito bites.” Tian Dazhuang patted his sturdy chest and put one arm around Yan Xiaosi’s shoulder, then said to his mother, “Mom, if you’re worried about me sleeping alone in the cornfield, I can ask Xiaosi to come with me.”
