Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 312 The Calm Lake (52)

"Get that beast out here! I'm going to break his legs!" A fierce voice suddenly came from outside, along with the sound of a stool being smashed.

Xu Chaoyan frowned repeatedly, wondering which scoundrel had come to cause trouble. Their small shop had never encountered such a situation since it opened.

She quickly took off her apron, grabbed a fire poker, and went outside when her sister-in-law was outside alone.

Just then, Yue Niang and Jiang Xinyi went out to get something from the butcher and hadn't returned yet, leaving only the two of them in the shop.

When she came out, she found Meng Jiuxia carrying a pottery pot. Although she looked scared and her body trembled, she still stood there without moving an inch.

"What do you want to do?"

Mr. Zhang and his sons were banging on the table with sticks.

The two burly men looked fierce and menacing, and now they were banging loudly on the table.

Meng Jiuxia trembled with fear, but she didn't move an inch. Her usual fierceness had vanished; after all, even a young girl like her was intimidating enough by the presence of those two burly men.

Upon seeing Xu Chaoyan emerge, he seemed to have found his anchor and called out in a tearful voice, "Sister-in-law."

Xu Chaoyan quickly shielded her behind her and looked at the group of uninvited guests, asking casually, "What do you want? Do you want to smash up the shop?"

The eldest son of the Zhang family squinted at her from head to toe, his face full of disdain: "You're Meng Jiuhe's ugly wife. Where's your husband? Hurry up and call him out. You have to take responsibility for what you've done. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless and making a scene at the school. We'll show him how a morally corrupt person can't stay in the county school and how he can participate in the imperial examinations."

Zhang's mother chimed in, "Get that bastard out here right now! He ruined my daughter like this, and he just walks away like that. He has to give us an explanation today, or we'll go to the county school to ask the teacher for a fair judgment."

Xu Chaoyan looked at the fierce-looking people in front of her, their mouths chattering incessantly as if they were spewing excrement. She had a terrible headache; several people who had originally wanted to go into the shop to buy breakfast had been scared away by the Zhang family.

Meng Jiuxia asked in a low voice, "Sister-in-law, what's going on? Why are the Zhang family members so fierce? What did my brother do to deserve this? Why are they here seeking revenge?"

Xu Chaoyan was also confused for a moment, and said softly, "I also want to know what your brother did to commit murder and arson. Judging from this situation, it's probably more serious than murder and arson. Right now, I'm here to hold things up. You go and find your brother and the others. You made trouble for yourself, so you have to solve it yourself. Do you think I'm just bored? It's really annoying."

Looking at the fierce-looking Zhang family members, Meng Jiuxia felt a chill of fear and tugged at her sleeve, saying timidly, "Sister-in-law, can I not go? Look how scary these people are."

Xu Chaoyan coaxed her repeatedly, "You have to go now, whether you like it or not. They'll eat us alive if it's just the two of us. Go find your older brother and have him clean up this mess. These sticks don't have eyes; be careful, or one of them might hit you and leave you with a broken arm or leg. Who will you hold accountable then?"

Meng Jiuxia nodded vigorously upon hearing this: "Sister-in-law, I'll listen to you, I'll go right now."

Seeing that she was in a hurry to leave, Zhang's father and the others assumed she was going to inform someone and kicked a bench to block her way: "Why do you think you can run away after saying just a few words? Are you all like cowards, hiding your heads in the sand?"

Meng Jiuxia's leg was hit by the kicked bench, and she winced in pain. As the saying goes, even a clay figure has some temper. Even though she was a young girl, her face changed color after being kicked by a bench, and her temper flared up instantly.

"Who are you calling a coward? You've come to my shop out of nowhere and are making a scene. I haven't even settled accounts with you yet, and it wouldn't be unjust for us to call the authorities and have you arrested today. Get out of my way right now. If you don't, I'll..."

Zhang's mother glared at her and said, "You little brat, how dare you yell at us? We are your elders, after all. Your family really has no manners. You are a wretched girl who was born of a mother but not raised by one."

"Who are you calling a motherless person? Your mouth stinks. Did you eat shit? Even dung beetles are being eaten by you."

You can insult her about anything, but you can't insult her parents. That crosses her bottom line and reopens deep wounds in her heart.

After looking around, Meng Jiuxia turned around and ran back to the back room, grabbed a kitchen knife, and yelled at them, "Get out of here right now! If you cause any more trouble, I'll chop you to death!"

Zhang's mother didn't take her threats seriously at all. A little girl's hand was trembling even holding a knife; what was there to be afraid of? Her eyes were filled with contempt and disdain.

"Bring Meng Jiu and that bastard out here right now. We won't leave until we give my daughter an explanation."

Xu Chaoyan listened to them constantly saying they wanted to give Zhang Qiao'er an explanation, and she was very puzzled. She held back for a long time, but finally couldn't bear it anymore and asked a question.

"What explanation does my husband have for you? Last time you got him drunk, causing him so much suffering. Just seeing the doctor cost a lot of money. I haven't even come to you yet, but you've come first. Let's settle this score today."

Mr. Zhang slammed his hand on the table: "A few cups of wine turned him into this state. He's as weak as a chicken, yet he dared to bully my daughter. A real man should be courageous and responsible, not a coward."

Xu Chaoyan looked at them with amusement: "Then why don't you move aside? You've been shouting here, demanding that we find the person. How can we find the person for you if you don't move aside? Sister-in-law, hurry up and find your older brother and explain things clearly today to avoid being slandered. We run our shop honestly and uprightly; do we have to be afraid of these petty people?"

After a brief, murmured discussion, Zhang's mother and her entourage parted to make way for them, not forgetting to add a few threats: "Meng family girl, if you take this opportunity to go through customs or anything, and this matter comes to light, don't blame us for being heartless if it affects your elder brother's path to the imperial examinations."

After Xu Chaoyan nodded to her sister-in-law, Meng Jiuxia felt relieved and ran towards the county school.

After all that commotion, Zhang Qiao'er was sitting to the side, protected by her sister-in-law, who looked very cautious. She wondered why this person was acting so strangely today.

She simply sat down and ate her breakfast in peace. Usually, she was always in a rush, but today, thanks to these people, she could finally enjoy a proper meal.

Seeing the several plates on the table—large meat buns, shredded bamboo shoots in chili oil, cold shredded vegetables, and thick rice porridge—Zhang's mother was filled with envy. In her own family, even a bowl of thin porridge was a luxury; the Meng family certainly lived a comfortable life. It seemed her daughter had a keen eye after all.

Xu Chaoyan suddenly felt uncomfortable being stared at while eating. She put down the steamed bun with fresh bamboo shoots and meat, took out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, and looked at everyone with a smile.

"You want to eat too."

Zhang's mother nodded, her lips pursing slightly involuntarily. "Isn't that obvious? I did get a bit hungry this morning because I got up so early. You're quite sensible to ask us if we want to eat. Remember to give me a couple more meat buns. And make the rice porridge thicker. And bring plenty of side dishes too."

She also asked her family how many they planned to eat, and they each gave her their number.

Xu Chaoyan slowly and deliberately picked up her large pork and bamboo shoot bun. The oil dripping down the bun's surface made Zhang's mother smack her lips a few times. She hadn't seen oil droplets in a long time.

"I'm telling you, you really have no sense of propriety. Hurry up, my daughter is starving. Don't let her get too hungry, or you'll be in for a world of hurt later."

"Want some? Fresh bamboo shoot and pork buns are four coins each, and shredded bamboo shoots are three coins a plate. Rice porridge is one coin a bowl, but it's not as thick as this, so that's a different price."

Zhang's mother was so angry that she pounded her chest, stamped her feet, and cursed, uttering all sorts of nasty words. Later, she was so angry that she wanted to overturn the table, but Xu Chaoyan warned her.

"Flipping the table is fine, just give me two hundred coins and you can flip as many as you want."

At this moment, Zhang's mother was so angry that her face turned red, and she felt like she was about to burst out of her straits. Xu Chaoyan then stopped provoking her.

Zhang Qiao'er, who had been silent all along, spoke up at this moment: "Why should a young lady like you make things difficult for an old man? Look how angry my mother was, she almost couldn't catch her breath. We just came to see Brother Meng, why are you so jealous? After all, we grew up together."

After saying that, she started wiping away tears, which Xu Chaoyan hadn't expected.

Then they saw a few people standing outside, gathered around watching the commotion. They happened to be near Zhang Qiao'er and, after hearing her words, started whispering among themselves.

They say the shop owner is so jealous that he can't even tolerate someone he grew up with. Even just dropping by for a visit resulted in being targeted. Xu Chaoyan finally understood; the aroma of tea was indeed irresistible.

Zhang Qiao'er wiped away her tears for a long time, and her sister-in-law quickly handed her a water pouch, saying in a somewhat ingratiating tone, "Little sister, have some water to soothe your throat. You have to take care of yourself too. As the saying goes, ugly people are often troublesome, so don't bother with her."

Zhang Qiao'er nodded, then suddenly covered her mouth and let out a soft moan. Her mother and sister-in-law looked very nervous, patting her back and handing her handkerchiefs.

Xu Chaoyan felt something flash through her mind, but it was too fast for her to grasp, and the chaos in front of her gave her a headache.