Chapter 162: Thick-Skinned Indeed
Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Thick-Skinned Indeed
"As they say, a big forest has all kinds of birds." Fu Xiaoxiao and Chen Xiu walked along the road, thinking about Chen Dali earlier. She was truly disgusted.
"No worries. We’ll tell Dad when we get home, and he’ll deal with him." Chen Xiu patted Fu Xiaoxiao’s hand, telling her not to be angry.
Chen Xiu chuckled, seeing the confusion in Fu Xiaoxiao’s eyes, and explained with a smile. "Don’t be fooled by Mom’s usual fierceness; Dad is the real force to be reckoned with."
Fu Xiaoxiao blinked, remembering Chen Chuan’s honest face. Was he really the toughest?
Soon, Fu Xiaoxiao witnessed Chen Chuan’s prowess. When Chen Xiu and Fu Xiaoxiao passed by the fields on their way home, Chen Xiu immediately called over Chen Chuan to tell him how Chen Dali had disgusted them, emphasizing that Fu Xiaoxiao was affected.
"Hmm." Chen Chuan nodded indifferently, picked up his hoe, and went back to work.
Chen Xiu signaled Fu Xiaoxiao to be patient. They sat by the field watching, waiting for Chen Dali, who had gone to "run an errand," to return with a stern face and continue working. Chen Chuan walked straight over to Chen Dali and knocked him to the ground with a punch.
Chen Dali hadn’t even reacted before he was pinned down and beaten by Chen Chuan.
After Chen Chuan had delivered a few hard punches, the men nearby finally reacted and hurried forward to restrain Chen Chuan.
"What’s happening? Why did you start fighting all of a sudden?"
"Chen Dali, what did you do to provoke Old Chen again?"
"You weren’t trying to talk to Chen Xiu again, were you?"
Everyone held Chen Chuan back but looked at the stunned Chen Dali with reproach.
Fu Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened, impressed by Chen Chuan’s swift action. "Just like that, you can go straight for a punch?"
"Don’t be fooled by Dad’s usual quiet demeanor; Dad’s super protective, never allowing our family to be bullied." Chen Xiu looked at Fu Xiaoxiao, smiling. "The night I returned, Li Si’s dad was beaten into a pig’s head."
"The Li Family didn’t make a fuss?" Fu Xiaoxiao smiled knowingly, understanding who did the beating.
"A fuss wouldn’t help; directly fighting would escalate into a conflict between two villages, and besides, they don’t have the guts! They only bully me because I’m easygoing. In front of my parents, they don’t even dare utter a word." Chen Xiu scoffed, noting that they only target those with a gentle disposition. As soon as someone fiercer comes along, the Li Family becomes like quails, too afraid to make a sound.
This was what Chen Xiu despised about the Li Family, flaunting their authority in front of her, but turning mute as soon as her parents arrived.
"If we were from the same village, Dad would definitely visit their home every day." Chen Xiu had no doubt that Chen Chuan, for her sake, would never let the Li Family off.
-
After being restrained, Chen Chuan no longer attacked Chen Dali but picked up his hoe from the ground and continued working.
The crowd, seeing this, pointed at Chen Dali and went back to their work.
"He clearly hit me, so why am I being blamed?" Chen Dali shouted defiantly after regaining his composure.
Upon standing up, he saw Chen Chuan throwing down his hoe and rushing over again, promptly retreating in fear, scrambling to hide behind someone.
Li Yanan was not far away. Watching Chen Chuan suddenly start a fight, the women were startled, but she merely glanced at Chen Dali coldly, sneering.
"Now you understand why I never considered him? Such a weakling, dreaming of marrying our Xiu’er? Not in a million years!" Li Yanan said disdainfully.
Upon hearing Li Yanan’s words, the aunts grasped the situation: Chen Dali had been pestering Chen Xiu, wanting her to marry him again.
Aunt Wang stepped forward first, hands on her hips, eyebrows furrowed into a "川" character, glaring at Chen Dali with anger.
"Were you bothering Xiu’er again? I knew Old Chen wouldn’t hit for no reason. How could you behave like this?"
The aunt next to Aunt Wang chimed in. "You’re still young, should be working hard. Look at you now, how do you look? Xiu’er is divorced, but deciding whether to remarry is her own business. Why do you persistently chase her to marry you? She owes you nothing."
The surrounding villagers nodded in agreement.
"Dating requires mutual consent. If Xiu’er isn’t willing, your persistence is disgraceful. Speaking so plainly and yet not letting go - that’s bullying!"
"Exactly, you’ve gone too far. How is this different from being a thug?"
Villagers voiced their disapproval of Chen Dali in unison.
Listening to the accusations made Chen Dali’s face turn from blue to white. He glared angrily at the villagers around him, shouting, "What do you know! You’ve all been fooled by her. She clearly promised to marry me when she grew up! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have waited so many years. She’s just vain, chose to marry Li Si, an army man."
Chen Dali’s attempt at deflecting anger amused the villagers.
"Who takes a child’s words at age three seriously?"
"He’s clearly using it as an excuse, claiming she should have married him. With good conditions, why endure hardship to marry him, a pauper?"
"Exactly. When Xiu’er married, the Chen Family provided plenty for her to take along. What could Chen Dali offer, coming with two slabs of meat expecting to marry her? If I were Yan Nan, I’d refuse too."
"Of course. Which loving mother willingly gives her daughter away for free?"
"How dare he accuse Xiu’er of vanity? Who prefers wild greens if there’s proper food?"
Both the aunts and uncles shared a common view.
Chen Xiu was a girl they had watched grow up, and they knew her character. Even with a divorce, it must surely be Li Si’s fault. She had given the Li Family two sons, worked like a slave for years. If that isn’t a good wife, what is?
Li Si disregarded his spouse; he’ll regret it one day.
Chen Dali flushed under everyone’s scorn.
Fu Xiaoxiao was witnessing such a supportive village atmosphere for the first time, where everyone stood up for Chen Xiu.
"Your village vibe is really great," Fu Xiaoxiao remarked.
"Yes, our village may not be the wealthiest, but it’s certainly the most harmonious." Chen Xiu smiled at Fu Xiaoxiao. "In our village, no one says a divorce is automatically the woman’s fault."
Fu Xiaoxiao nodded. It was no wonder Li Yanan wasn’t worried about her daughter being divorced; she even urged her to leave Li Si promptly.
In other villages, family members rarely advocate for one’s rights, often smoothing over things or, like Lu Lin’s mother, immediately finding another man to marry her off after a divorce.
All said and done, Fu Xiaoxiao was deeply moved by this scene.