Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 24: Chapter 024 Whose Hand is More Valuable?_1 Chapter 24: Chapter 024 Whose Hand is More Valuable?_1 This comment did indeed make some sense; villagers looked at Mrs. Ji’s figure and truly couldn’t compliment Qiao Yuanzhen’s taste.

Yet, these words instantly enraged Mrs. Ji, “What do you mean by there being plenty of women better than me? You shameless little slut, you think you can do whatever you want just because you have the face of a seductive bitch?!”

But with a “smack,” Qiao Yuanshan slapped Mrs. Ji across the face, furiously saying, “Don’t push your luck, shut your mouth, or I’ll kick you out of the Qiao family tomorrow!”

Qiao Yuanshan had never dared to speak to Mrs. Ji in such a harsh tone before; Mrs. Ji, who was still intent on causing a scene, suddenly went quiet when she saw her husband’s sinister gaze, and a hint of fear appeared in her eyes.

Muniang, however, had no interest in watching their drama unfold; she turned to Erliang’s palm, which was already mangled and bloody. Her heart clenched with pain; she knew full well the force of Mrs. Ji’s pressure on top of her. It was a stroke of luck that Erliang’s hand bones weren’t completely shattered after hitting the stone.

Qiao Yuanzhen’s face turned bright red, fearing that his good reputation would be ruined for life. He was angry and anxious, especially unable to bear the pointing and murmuring of the surrounding villagers, wishing he could just bury his head in the ground.

The whole affair eventually came to a close with the arrival of Doctor Chen. The elderly doctor had exhausted quite a bit of energy walking half running and half walking to the scene, panting heavily yet hastily attending to Qiao Yuanzhen’s wounds.

Muniang also knew a bit about dressing wounds; she took Doctor Chen’s medicine to stop the bleeding and bandage Erliang. Mrs. Ji, seeing their close and intimate actions as if no one else was around, wanted to make a sour comment but was too scared by Qiao Yuanshan’s slap to utter a word.

Qiao Yuanshan, the eldest son of the Qiao family, had to step forward for the family’s reputation.

“Today’s incident wasn’t a big deal at first, just some women who like to quarrel, but it turned into all these rumors. Let’s all take a step back and forget about it; however, since Erliang injured my younger brother, no matter what, your family did harm a person, and you still owe compensation for medical expenses,” he stated.

His words sounded reasonable and magnanimous, yet in fact, they favored his own side; the villagers all thought Qiao Yuanshan was being rational for once.

But Qiao Yuanshan had more cunning plans in mind: if the quarrel continued, the Qiao family’s reputation would be completely ruined. Better to just demand compensation for the medical bills, and the amount would still be at their discretion!

However, Muniang was not someone who could be easily bullied; her expression was ice-cold, “Then how about my husband’s injuries?”

Qiao Yuanshan was taken aback, having clearly forgotten this issue. Mrs. Ji started shouting, “He got what he deserved, why did your shameless little hussy spread rumors?”

Muniang sneered, “As if Aunt Ji’s mouth is any cleaner.”

Mrs. Ji’s face turned pale, and she was about to explode but was silenced by a fierce look from Qiao Yuanshan.

Loudly, Muniang declared, “My husband and I haven’t uttered a single defamatory word against Aunt Ji; the villagers can bear witness. We’ve only stated the facts for everyone, but if Aunt Ji feels guilty as a thief, she has no one to blame but herself. More importantly, she injured my husband, which was seen by everyone. I’m usually timid, but this time, I cannot tolerate it! Is Qiao Yuanzhen the only person in their family, and my husband isn’t?”

“That’s right; Muniang and her husband clearly didn’t say anything, unlike Mrs. Ji who’s always foul-mouthed. Mrs. Ji injures someone else’s husband and still thinks she’s in the right!”

“Exactly, exactly, both sides have been injured, and it’s still uncertain who will compensate whom for the medical expenses!”

Villagers started speaking one after another.

Qiao Yuanshan was displeased and said sharply, “How can my youngest brother’s arm be compared to that fool’s? My youngest brother is going to compete for the Number One Scholar! What if something happens to his right arm that affects his official career?”

Qiao Yuanming also quickly joined in, “The youngest has always been the most precious in the family; our parents can’t bear to have him do any chores. Now that his arm is injured, what if he has problems holding a pen in the future?”

Muniang sneered, “Compete for Number One Scholar? He hasn’t even passed the child student examination and he’s already thinking about being Number One Scholar! Just because there aren’t many literate people in our village doesn’t mean that’s the case in the whole country. This one-in-ten-thousand chance isn’t something you can achieve just by studying for a few years!”

Muniang’s words clearly struck a nerve in Qiao Yuanzhen’s pride, and he said in a deep voice, “What do you mean by that? Don’t speak so rudely, just an ignorant woman!”

“Oh? I’m ignorant? At least I know how to make money, what about you? My husband is strong as an ox; his hands are our livelihood for a lifetime. Your hands can neither lift nor carry, and you don’t even have a title to your name. You’re just a living waste. What’s the difference between having a useless hand and being crippled? Don’t talk to me about the future. I can’t see that far. Just talk about now. Are your precious hands more valuable than my husband’s?”

Muniang couldn’t stand such self-important, ignorant frogs in a well. There were hardly any literate people in Tupo Village, and Qiao Yuanzhen, after studying for a few years, really thought too much of himself. He hadn’t even passed the child student exam yet!

Qiao Yuanzhen shivered with anger, pointing at Muniang’s nose, unable to utter a single word. Li Qinghe was anxious as she watched, but she could not really find fault in Muniang’s words, she wanted to intervene but Muniang’s expression was truly ugly to behold. After all, the Qiao family had indeed gone too far, so she could only hold back.

Doctor Chen finished bandaging Qiao Yuanzhen and interrupted their quarrel at the right moment, “You’d better carry Qiao home now. His foot is injured, and it doesn’t look good with everyone watching you argue here, losing your family’s face.”

Qiao Yuanshan glared at Muniang resentfully, “This isn’t over!” Only then did he and Qiao Yuanming carry Qiao Yuanzhen away.

Mrs. Ji also left sheepishly. If she stayed any longer, who knows what else the villagers might call her for her shamelessness.

As the crowd dispersed, Li Cheng was somewhat at a loss, not knowing whether to stay or go. The words pointedly spoken by Mrs. Ji were like thorns in his heart. Could Muniang come to loathe him because of them?

Yet Muniang seemed to have forgotten Mrs. Ji’s words and sincerely thanked Li Cheng, “Brother Li, thank you. If it weren’t for you today, my husband might have been bullied by those people from the Qiao family.”

Li Cheng was particularly embarrassed, “What are you talking about? I hardly helped at all—only made matters worse…”
Muniang smiled, “My aunt-in-law has always been outspoken, just talking nonsense. I won’t take it seriously. And I’m already a married woman; naturally, I wouldn’t entertain those thoughts.”

Not only did these words quash Li Cheng’s hopes, but they also saved his face. Although Li Cheng was simple-minded, he understood this much and immediately nodded in agreement, “Yes, she’s definitely talking nonsense. You and your husband have such a good relationship; everyone in the village is envious.”

Muniang just smiled without saying anything—who in the village would envy her for marrying a fool?