newbobooks Chapter 277: Run Away
Chapter 277: Run Away
"Dad, this is bad! We ran into bandits on the way while transporting sweet potatoes!" Li Gang shouted. "They were extremely vicious, wielding gleaming swords, and they surrounded our team tightly."
"If we hadn't fought to the death, the consequences would have been disastrous!" Li Gang patted his chest with lingering fear. "Dad, what do you think we should do if bandits come to our village?"
The old village chief frowned and said solemnly: "It seems that the speed of building the wall needs to be accelerated. Our village must be well defended as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous if bandits attack." The old village chief paced back and forth in the house with his hands behind his back, and his worried look was distressing.
After returning home, the other men who were transporting sweet potatoes also told their families the shocking news.
The next day, the men who had been transporting the sweet potatoes took the initiative to join the wall-building team. They were all energetic and enthusiastic. Some of them moved stones, while others mixed mud. Everyone wanted to finish the wall quickly.
Li Gang shouted loudly: "Let's work harder and repair the wall as soon as possible to protect our village!" Others responded one after another, and shouts came one after another.
With the wall, their wives and sons can live in peace, without having to worry every day, being disturbed by nightmares at night, or even trembling with fear at the slightest sound.
When the wall was being built, Zhao Cunliang's family provided two laborers. For the first few days, Tian Guilan boasted about how her family contributed a lot of labor and how hard they worked, and that having sons was the best thing. She had so many sons, no other family could match hers.
But when the sweet potato delivery team returned, the situation was completely different. Every household had at least two laborers, and everyone worked together, focused on repairing the wall as quickly as possible. Xiuying's family was especially strong, with five strong men.
However, Tian Guilan's beloved sons Guangzong and Yaozu were attacked by wild boars and became incapacitated. This heavy blow made Tian Guilan completely depressed.
Tian Guilan's usual arrogant demeanor had vanished without a trace, replaced by a face full of sorrow and despair. Her eyes were dull, her hair was disheveled, and she seemed to have aged a dozen years in an instant.
In the past, she would show off wherever she went, but now she is like a frost-bitten eggplant, hiding at home and not daring to go out, for fear of hearing other people's gossip.
"Is the meal ready?" Ma Ergun, sprawled on the bed in the main room of Zhao Cunliang's house, yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'm starving!"
Ma Ergun looked impatient and kept turning over, making the bedding a mess.
Wang Fuping also shouted, "Hurry up and boil some eggs for Caifeng! These clothes need to be washed too!"
Wang Fuping crossed his legs, holding a straw in his mouth, looking relaxed but speaking in a firm tone.
"Hmph, hurry up! Don't dawdle!" Ma Ergun yelled again, "Can't you see we're waiting here?"
As he spoke, he kicked the edge of the bed, appearing extremely arrogant.
Seeing that there was no movement outside the house, Wang Fuping was immediately furious and cursed: "Your two boys are already impotent, even worse than girls! This is the retribution for harming my daughter!" Wang Fuping's face turned red, veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes were full of anger and resentment.
When Tian Guilan heard this outside the house, her heart skipped a beat and she ran in furiously, shouting at the top of her voice: "What retribution? I tell you, I never liked your daughter at all! I was wrong, so I beat your daughter and brought her back! Your daughter looks like this now, she won't get married even if you pay her for money!" Tian Guilan put her hands on her hips, spitting everywhere, looking arrogant and unreasonable.
"You're talking nonsense!" Wang Fuping was so angry that he was shaking all over. He pointed at Tian Guilan's nose and cursed, "If you weren't so cruel, would my daughter have become like this? It's all your fault!" Wang Fuping's eyes were as big as copper bells, and his voice changed.
Tian Guilan showed no sign of weakness and hit back, "Your daughter is a loser, can you blame me? I, Tian Guilan, am not afraid of you!" Tian Guilan held her head high with a fearless look. Her arrogant attitude made people angry, and she forgot that she had been beaten by Wang Fuping a few days ago.
Wang Fuping was so furious with Tian Guilan that he couldn't stop scolding her. His rage clouded his mind and he rushed over with clenched fists, roaring, "You vicious woman! I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"
Wang Fuping's eyes were red, and the veins on his forehead were bulging. He looked so angry that it seemed as if he wanted to eat Tian Guilan alive.
When Tian Guilan saw this, her heart skipped a beat and she thought to herself that something was wrong. Without thinking, she ran away.
Her face was filled with panic, and her feet seemed to be greased as she ran so fast, shouting, "Oh, help!"
Humph, if you can’t win, run!
Tian Guilan ran desperately, muttering to herself, "A good man never suffers a loss in front of him. I'll find a chance to settle the score with you later."
Tian Guilan ran furiously, breathless, and finally, with no other options, she hurried to the village chief's house. Her clothes were ripped in several places by branches, her hair was disheveled and stuck to her face, and she looked utterly miserable. Her injuries from Wang Fuping's previous beating hadn't healed yet, and now, new and old grudges surged back at her, leaving her furious and frightened.
The village chief frowned when he saw the two of them, and shouted, "Stop arguing, be quiet!"
The village chief looked at Tian Guilan seriously and said, "Since you don't want to help, Tian Guilan, then pay the money. Beating a good girl like this will cost you a lot of money."
At this time, Ma Ergun also hurried over. He glared at Tian Guilan and said viciously, "You must pay at least fifty taels! Not a penny less!"
Tian Guilan's eyes widened as she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Fifty taels? Do I look like someone with fifty taels of silver? If I had that much, would I still be staying in Futian Village? I would have gone to the city to live a carefree life long ago!"
When Tian Guilan said this, the village chief glared at her fiercely, a look that seemed to pierce through her. The village chief's eyes were full of majesty and dissatisfaction, and he snorted heavily.
"Tian Guilan, the Futian Village of today is not the same as it used to be! Many people from other villages envy our village's current situation. Don't be ungrateful! You are blessed to be in Futian Village!"
Tian Guilan forced a forced smile and said sarcastically, "Village chief, look at us! There are so many wastelands and barren mountains in our village, and no one has come to seek refuge here! Stop bragging here."
"Our village has only been in a better situation for the next year or two. Who knows how long it will last? We might return to our previous poverty one day." Tian Guilan continued, her sarcastic tone particularly irritating.