Reborn, Xie Sui's heart was no longer that of a young man. He didn't get angry easily, nor was he impulsive. It was the tolerance of someone who had experienced hardships, coupled with gratitude. To be reborn, with his wife and children by his side, and his whole family well, he cherished such days.
Therefore, for trivial matters, he let them pass and didn't pursue them relentlessly.
However, he didn't expect that his leniency would make the Zhao family think he was easy to bully.
Zhao Youfang hated Xie Sui to the bone. Because of him, his hard-earned connection with Yan Xiaoliang was severed. His dream of getting rich in the city and becoming a city dweller was shattered.
It was all Xie Sui's fault. Zhao Youfang didn't dare to hate Yan Xiaoliang and could only resent Xie Sui. He chose the path of least resistance, believing that Yan Xiaoliang, being a government official, was more difficult to provoke.
This time, he had miscalculated. The fact that Xie Sui could invite Yan Xiaoliang to his housewarming banquet was a testament to Xie Sui's capabilities.
The Zhao family dismissed Xie Sui's harsh words. What could he do?
Two large surnames in the same village. They weren't afraid of the Xie family in a group fight.
After two days of silence, the Zhao family felt smug. Xie Sui was just a paper tiger, all bark and no bite. Nothing happened, right?
But on the third day, trouble struck!
Early in the morning, two cars drove into the village: a minivan and a sedan. This attracted the attention of everyone in the village; sedans were a rarity.
Anyone arriving in a sedan must be an important figure.
The car window rolled down, and the driver asked, "Does anyone know where Zhao Xuefei's house is? Please lead the way. Thank you."
They were going to Zhao Xuefei's house. The villagers were curious and immediately led the way. The sedan took the lead, followed by more than half of the village. They soon stopped at the Zhao family's entrance.
The driver got out and opened the rear door. A well-dressed woman in her forties with a stern expression stepped out. Several burly men also emerged from the minivan, clearly people not to be trifled with.
The village chief stepped forward to greet them. "Who are you looking for? I am the village chief here. You can talk to me if you have any business."
"Village chief? This is none of your business. I'm looking for Zhao Xuefei. Does she live here?"
"She's my niece. What do you need her for?"
"Niece? Heh, you're not much of a village chief. Having a niece like that, how can you still be the chief?"
This remark was out of line. Before the village chief could react, the woman had already reached the Zhao family's door. Without entering, she shouted, "Zhao Xuefei, get out!"
Whoa, someone's here to cause trouble. Who did the Zhao family offend?
Zhao Youfang and his brother came out first. Seeing the situation, they felt a pang of unease. "Who are you? Why are you looking for my sister?"
"You are her brothers? Where are her parents? Are they all dead? Why aren't they coming out?"
"Auntie, watch your mouth. Don't think we're easy to bully just because you're shouting insults at our house!"
The woman sneered, "Watch my mouth? Zhao Xuefei dared to do shameless things, and she still wants me to watch my mouth? No matter how disgusting my insults are, they're not as disgusting as what she did.
If she doesn't come out, that's fine. Today, everyone in the village is here. I'll tell you all what a shameless little vixen she is, daring to seduce my husband!
My husband is almost fifty, older than her father. How could she bring herself to do it?"
Boom!
The crowd erupted. Zhao Xuefei seduced someone else's husband, and they came looking for her? This was unprecedented. The Zhao brothers' faces turned ashen. How could this be possible?
Zhao Youliang was furious. "You're slandering my sister's reputation. Do you have any proof? You said your husband is almost fifty. My sister is young and beautiful. Would she be interested in an old fossil!"
The woman said, "She wasn't interested in the man, but she was interested in his money. What a clever move. In just two months, she tricked several thousand yuan from my husband! If I had known, I would have used that money to buy a TV. I didn't know this little slut was doing such good deeds!"
"Several thousand yuan? That much!"
Several thousand yuan was equivalent to hundreds of thousands in later generations. It was certainly not a small sum.
"Impossible. Who are you? What you say doesn't count. Let your husband come. Without proof, you're slandering my sister."
The woman said, "Make her come out, and I'll tell her that her reputation isn't worth me sacrificing my husband's future."
The village chief understood. The other party was likely an official and didn't want to reveal their identity. He persuaded them, "Let's go inside to talk. Let's talk it over properly. This kind of thing is embarrassing for everyone."
The woman tacitly agreed. Indeed, it was not an honorable matter.
The Zhao family's door was closed. The villagers peeked through the cracks in the door, but they were in the main hall and couldn't hear anything. However, the news of Zhao Xuefei seducing an old man had spread throughout the village and was even spreading to neighboring villages. It was foreseeable that Zhao Xuefei was completely ruined this time.
No one would marry her, even if they were paid.
They stayed inside for the entire morning before leaving. No one knew what terms were agreed upon.
This kind of thing wasn't a crime. They couldn't arrest her and send her to jail, could they?
The Zhao family stayed indoors. The village chief didn't reveal anything. The rumors grew more outrageous, with some even saying that Zhao Xuefei was pregnant with his child, and that was why he let them go.
The Zhao family.
"Gloomy and desolate" was an understatement of their situation. Zhao Tielin, who had always doted on his daughter, slapped her for the first time. Zhao Xuefei could only cry and couldn't say a word.
"Shameful! How can we, the Zhao family, live in this village?"
Zhao Youfang suddenly said, "It's Xie Sui. It must be him. He said he would take revenge on us and make us unable to live in the village."
Zhao Xuefei exclaimed excitedly, "It was him! Who else could it be? Xie Sui, I hope he dies a horrible death."
Zhao Youliang's wife couldn't help but say, "Xie Sui asked you to sleep with his husband again? You're really capable of doing such things at your age."
"Shut up!"
Zhao Youliang raised his hand and slapped his wife. His wife instantly exploded, crying and hitting him. "You're hitting me too? Why don't you hit your disgraceful sister?
It's all because you all spoiled her. What kind of girl is like her?
With a sister-in-law like this, I can't hold my head up. How can I go out in the future!"
The Zhao family descended into chaos again. The children cried along. Zhao Tielin puffed on his pipe and finally hardened his heart. "Let's move. We'll all go to the city to work."
"The county town? That woman's family is from the county town. What if we run into them? Aren't we walking into their territory?"
"Not the county town, then the city. I don't believe that with such a big world, there's no place for us to settle."
Zhao Youfang was tempted. Going to the city would be great. The city was so vast, and there were many ways to make money. It was a viable option.
Zhao Youliang said, "But going to the city requires money. Father, do we have that much money?"
Leaving their hometown and moving far away, they couldn't take a single step without money. They couldn't become beggars, could they?