Free Web NovelChapter 414: Chapter 161: Stalemate
On the morning of the sixteenth of July, the village was in an uproar bright and early.
Chunyue and Li’an had asked Mr. Zhao and his wife to be their matchmakers, but no matter who they enlisted, the matter would never be approved easily at the old family residence.
The old madam lay on the ground wailing, a blubbering mess of snot and tears, accusing the Zhao Family of bullying them.
Her wails were more grating than the caw of a crow. "Oh, heavens above!" she cried. "Just send a bolt of lightning to strike me dead! At least in death I’d find some peace, better than being alive and trampled into the mud."
"Oh, Third Son! My Third Son! Come back and see! People are shitting and pissing on your parents’ heads!"
"Oh, Lord in Heaven, my life is so bitter! Why did I have to marry into the Chen family? You people from the Zhao Family will all die miserable deaths! Did I dig up your ancestral graves in a past life? Or murder your ancestors? Why must you torment me like this?"
The heads of both the Chen and Zhao families arrived. The Zhao Family was delighted with the match, but the members of the Chen family, of course, were vehemently opposed.
But their opposition was useless. Even if they argued until they were blue in the face, Li’an was willing. What could they do?
The old madam’s tantrum grew more violent, and she even dragged the bedridden Chen Dachang out of bed.
It was a mystery where she found the strength, but she started dragging Chen Dachang toward the courtyard.
Halfway there, she couldn’t drag him any farther. Chen Dachang remained silent, like a living corpse. The old madam, in a fit of rage, sat on top of him and began slapping his face left and right.
The old residence was in complete chaos.
Chen Wanqing had expected this, but when she heard the old madam was threatening to slam her head into a wall to force Li’an to change his mind, she was still a little shocked.
The old madam cherished her own life above all else. She had threatened to die before but had never actually followed through.
’But this time, did she actually slam her head into the wall?’
"She did, but someone pulled her back in time. Not a scratch on her, and she wasn’t frightened at all. She looks perfectly healthy."
Hearing this, Chen Wanqing understood. This was just another one of the old madam’s scare tactics.
But Li’an had made up his mind. Her threats were useless. He remained adamant about marrying into Chunyue’s family.
The old madam, out of options, ran to Chunyue’s front door and began to curse up a storm.
She said the mother and daughter were so desperate for a man they’d gone crazy. She accused them of being calculating, of wanting a grandson someone else had painstakingly raised to come and work for them like an ox. The old madam even cursed Chunyue’s mother, saying her heart was black and she deserved to be blind.
Chunyue’s mother was so angered she hid in the house and cried, while Chunyue stood in the courtyard, her eyes red, nearly snapping the wooden bar used to block the gate.
But the more the old madam acted out, the colder Li’an’s heart grew, and the more he hated his unreasonable family.
He was determined to marry into their family, and to that end, he carried the old madam on his back to the old residence and tossed her directly into the courtyard.
The old madam was at her wit’s end and came up with another foolish plan.
She had someone send a message to Chen Bai, claiming she was on her deathbed and wanted to see her son one last time.
The messenger told Chen Bai plainly that it was a lie.
But even if it was a lie, Chen Bai had to go. Otherwise, if the old madam actually came to the county seat and created chaos for his wife and in-laws, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Chen Bai returned to the village. The moment the old madam saw him, she grabbed him and launched into a tearful tirade.
She cried until Chen Bai’s scalp tingled, and only then did she state her purpose.
She wanted Chen Bai to tell Li’an about the disadvantages of a man marrying into his wife’s family.
Chen Bai’s face was wooden, his mouth so stiff he couldn’t move it.
He asked his mother directly, "What’s so bad about marrying into the wife’s family?"
"Are you stupid?! When you marry into their family, your children have to take their surname, and you have to live your life at their beck and call! In that house, you’ll do the most work, eat the least food, and none of the money will end up in your pocket. You’ll be nothing but an old ox who works himself to death for no reward!"
Chen Bai laughed softly. "So in your eyes, marrying into another family is worse than selling yourself into servitude. In that case, why didn’t you stop me when I was about to do it? Back then, you gleefully accepted the ’betrothal gift’ from the Qian Family and said behind my back that at least I was good for something. Why didn’t you mention then that I would be living a life unfit for a human?"
Recalling the past, Chen Bai felt a wave of dizziness. He couldn’t be bothered to say anything more to the old madam and got up to leave.
"I won’t say a single word of what you wanted me to tell Li’an. If you want to say it, say it yourself."
The old madam chased after him, cursing at his back, "I knew you were a wretched son! I knew I couldn’t count on you even after I’m dead! Why did I even give birth to you? I should have drowned you in a chamber pot the moment you were born!"
Chen Bai’s heart grew even colder.
He had originally planned to go straight back to the county seat, but this time he took a detour and headed to Chunyue’s house.
Chunyue’s courtyard was quiet, and it didn’t seem like anyone was home. Chen Bai thought for a moment, then headed toward Xiaoao Mountain.
