Chapter 20: Hitting People Randomly Is Simply Wrong

Chapter 20: Hitting Someone Is Simply Wrong

In the seventh year of Jinghe, Wen Xi and Yan Fengan happened to run into each other at Peach Tree Gully during the Qingming Festival. That same year, on the Dragon Boat Festival, the two encountered each other again in the village.

This time, though, Li Qiaozhen had a grip on his arm and was swinging a rattan switch, beating him as he tumbled and scrambled down the main village road, yelping in pain.

When someone asked what was going on, Li Qiaozhen grabbed Wen Xi by the side of his mouth and said he'd gotten greedy and swiped the mung bean cakes that Wen Liu had brought back from town.

Mung bean cakes were a cooling summer treat for the Dragon Boat Festival. The rich folks in town would eat zongzi and salted duck eggs that day, and also a piece of mung bean cake to pray for peace and good health. Wen Liu had studied for two years, but he hadn't learned much from his textbooks. Instead, he'd picked up all sorts of fancy, show-off habits outside of class. When he came home for the Dragon Boat Festival break, he shelled out money for three mung bean cakes.

The mung bean cakes were so sweet that eating a whole piece by yourself could get cloying fast. So as not to waste any, Li Qiaozhen cut one cake into four small pieces. After the three of them each had a piece, one was left on the plate.

Wen Xi knew his place in the household all too well, so he sure as hell wasn't gonna fool himself into thinking that piece of cake was meant for him.

Knowing something was one thing, but what he felt inside was another.

During the festival, they were all chowing down on zongzi and savoring pastries, while Wen Xi could only watch. When he got hungry, he'd just drink more cold water to fill his belly. That water had no flavor and did nothing but bloat his stomach. Wen Xi was so hungry he was seeing stars, and with a piece of mung bean cake sitting right there on the table, how could he not crave it?

When no one was looking, he stuffed the cake into his mouth. Scared out of his wits, he didn't savor it like the others did. He swallowed it whole, only vaguely catching a hint of sweetness.

But after eating, his hunger didn't ease up one bit. Instead, it landed him in a heap of trouble.

That mung bean cake was pricey—how could someone as lowly as him dare to eat it? In the blink of an eye, the pastry was gone, and he was the thief. Li Qiaozhen was livid and chased him around the yard, whaling on him.

Everyone's got a survival instinct. With no one at home to step in, Wen Xi was scared she'd beat him to death in her rage, so he had no choice but to bolt outside, praying he'd run into some kind-hearted neighbor to save his life.

There were plenty of neighbors in the village who couldn't bear to watch, but few actually came out to defend Wen Xi.

Li Qiaozhen's mouth was too foul, and getting dragged into their family's mess for nothing just wasn't worth it. Besides, this kind of thing went down every few days—who had the energy to play referee every time?

With the neighbors being useless, Wen Xi, at his wit's end, thought of the man who'd once given him a steamed bun and taught him to write.

He knew where Carpenter Yan's place was, so he took off west as fast as his legs could carry him. Li Qiaozhen chased after him, cussing him out the whole way. With the mother and son raising such a ruckus, the Yan family naturally came out to see what was going on.

Li Qiaozhen's rattan switch came down on Wen Xi again and again, leaving bloody welts on his arms and legs. Yan Fengan watched in alarm, stepped up, grabbed her wrist, and shoved her back a few steps. Planting himself in front of Wen Xi, he said angrily, "What right do you have to beat him like this!"

Stumbling from the shove, Li Qiaozhen steadied herself, planted her hands on her hips, and shot back, "I'm his mother. What right do I have? I'll tell you what right."

Yan Fengan raised his voice: "So what if you're his mother? Hitting someone is just plain wrong."

Li Qiaozhen snorted coldly. "He stole food, and I, as his mother, am disciplining him. What's wrong with that? Who the hell do you think you are, sticking your nose into other people's business?"

At that time, Yan Fengan hadn't yet passed the Xiucai exam—he was just an ordinary scholar. Why would Li Qiaozhen give him any face? Seeing him stand there defiantly in front of Wen Xi, she sneered, "I think you've read too many books and gone soft in the head. He was born to me, raised by me. I can beat him or scold him whenever I damn well please. What business is it of yours, an outsider? Can't stand it? Then take him away! Take him to your house and protect him all you want."

Chen Lanfang knew Li Qiaozhen's mouth was full of nothing but crap. Though she felt sorry for Wen Xi in her heart, she didn't want her son dragged into this mess. She quickly said, "How ridiculous! Who wants to meddle in your family's mess? If you're gonna beat your kid, take him home and do it. What are you making a scene in front of our door for? It's a damn festival, and you're bringing bad luck!"

The Yan family was well-off, and Chen Lanfang always strutted around like a damn rooster. Li Qiaozhen had been nursing a grudge against her for ages, and now she finally had an excuse to pick a fight.

Hearing Chen Lanfang call her bad luck, she shot back without missing a beat, "I'm bad luck? You think your family is some prized treasure?" Knowing that Chen Lanfang doted on her youngest son, she turned her attack on Yan Fengan: "Your son here usually keeps his nose buried in his books and doesn't give a damn about anyone. Why's he suddenly standing up for our Xi Geer today? Could it be he's got some dirty intentions?"

She clicked her tongue twice and spat, "Our Xi Geer is still so young, and you've already got such filthy ideas in your head. And you call yourself a scholar. Shameless!"

The village women might not have had Yan Fengan's book learning, but they ran circles around him when it came to quarreling. With just that one remark, Yan Fengan was so furious he nearly passed out. His face flushed bright red as he said, "You're talking complete and utter nonsense!"

"Whether I'm talking nonsense, you know it in your own heart. Good thing I saw through your intentions today, or who knows what kind of beastly things you'd do. You—"

Before Li Qiaozhen could finish, a basin of dirty water suddenly came pouring down from above, soaking her from head to toe. Not only was she soaked through, but her hair and face were covered in rotten vegetable leaves.

On the steps, He Jin stood there holding a wooden basin, snorting, "What stray dog is making all this racket? If you don't leave now, I'll throw shit next time."

He Jin had always been a fiery little pepper since childhood. At this time, he had just married into the Yan family and hadn't yet reined in his temper. Hearing Li Qiaozhen's filthy words, he couldn't stand it.

Li Qiaozhen's pathetic appearance drew laughter from the crowd of onlookers. She was both furious and humiliated, so she could only grab Wen Xi by the ear and vent her anger: "It's all your fault, you little wretch. Just wait until we get home—I'll deal with you."

Wen Xi winced in pain. As he left, he turned back and, through tears, said sorry to Yan Fengan, who stood protectively in front of him.

He had come seeking help, but instead he had unjustly sullied Yan Fengan's reputation and made him listen to all those awful words. If he had known this would happen, he might as well have stayed home and let Li Qiaozhen beat him to death.

Yan Fengan was a kind-hearted man by nature. Seeing Wen Xi in such a state only deepened his pity. Knowing the boy would surely be beaten again when he got home, he opened his mouth to say something but realized he truly had no standing to do so.

As a man, getting into a quarrel with a shrew like Li Qiaozhen over a young man like Wen Xi would reflect poorly on him regardless of right or wrong.

This incident had weighed on Yan Fengan's mind ever since. That was why today, at the Wen household, he—usually so gentle and polite—had spoken so harshly.

The past flashed before his eyes. The smiling Yan Fengan seemed to overlap with the man who had once stood in front of him. Tears glistened in Wen Xi's eyes as he looked down at the road beneath his feet and muttered, "It's been so long. You still remember?"

Yan Fengan replied, "You were only twelve or thirteen then, and your mother used such words against me. I've never been slandered like that in my life, so of course I remember it well."

Besides his own indignation, there was also his pity for Wen Xi.

Yan Fengan didn't have the heart to say that after that incident, he had nightmares for several nights in a row. In his dreams, Wen Xi was covered in wounds, pitifully crawling at his feet begging for help, and no matter what he did, Wen Xi would always be dragged back home by Li Qiaozhen in the end.

That incident left Yan Fengan feeling both miserable and powerless, nearly becoming an obsession. It wasn't until today, when he had rightfully taken Wen Xi away from the Wen family, that this burden finally lifted from his heart.

Hearing him bring up that old matter, Wen Xi said, "That was my mother deliberately making things up. I know you're not that kind of person."

Yan Fengan raised an eyebrow and asked, "You know? Then tell me, what kind of person am I?"

Wen Xi's thoughts churned, but in the end he only said, "You're a good person."

Hearing how vague his answer was, Yan Fengan chuckled. "I'm not stupid—you can't fool me with that. You're probably thinking to yourself, this man is unpredictable, changing from one moment to the next. A good person? He's nothing but a lunatic."

His thoughts exposed, Wen Xi's eyes grew red, and his cheeks burned with embarrassment.

He weakly protested, "I didn't think that."

At least not at this moment. Yan Fengan had not only stood up for him but had also gotten back the ten copper coins he had painstakingly saved. Wen Xi truly thought he was a good person.

As for the fact that Yan Fengan had once joined Wen Liu in bullying him, Wen Xi no longer wanted to dwell on it. All the good and bad things that had happened between them were in the past. If he kept clinging to them, he would only make himself miserable. He also didn't want Yan Fengan to keep dwelling on those things, so he pretended to be magnanimous and said, "I know you've changed for the better."

Yan Fengan was still smiling, but there was a hint of bitterness and helplessness in it now. "Actually, I've never changed."

Wen Xi didn't understand what he meant, and Yan Fengan didn't explain further. Changing the subject, he said, "We got back ten taels of silver. Mother and the sisters-in-law should be pleased."

"Of course." Wen Xi had been overjoyed just to get back his ten copper coins, let alone such a large sum as ten taels.

Yan Fengan continued, "This money was coaxed out of my mother, so it should all go back to her. Once I earn money with my own skills in the future, I'll give it all to you to keep."

Wen Xi hadn't thought that far ahead. For him, being able to eat his fill was already the greatest blessing. The idea of keeping money was something he didn't dare imagine.

Besides, Yan Fengan was a scholar supported by his parents. What money could he possibly earn? Unlike his two older brothers, he had no trade.

It didn't seem right for both of them to be idle eaters at home. Perhaps he, as the husband, should also make an effort.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than Wen Xi felt discouraged, because he had neither a trade nor education. Even if he wanted to earn money, he had no way to do so.

With a worried heart, Wen Xi walked home with Yan Fengan. Once inside the courtyard, Yan Fengan handed the silver to Chen Lanfang in front of both sisters-in-law.

That ten taels of silver had been given by Chen Lanfang after Yan Fengan had tricked her into believing the academy needed to buy some expensive books. Little did she know he had given the money to Wen Liu.

Before she could even get upset, the money had been retrieved, and Chen Lanfang was completely dazed. Though it might not be appropriate to think this way, she truly felt as if a windfall had landed in her lap.

Li Wan and the others were overjoyed too. The mother-in-law was generous, and as long as she had money, she would never treat them poorly. Every time the two of them went back to their parents' homes, Chen Lanfang would spend money to prepare some good things for them to bring along, so they could hold their heads up in front of their families and give their brothers and sisters-in-law nothing to gossip about.

Yan Fengan took in everyone's expressions and added, "Wen Liu borrowed this silver from me. Now that it's been retrieved, I have no further ties with him. Although Wen Xi is their child, he never received a single kindness from them growing up. After this matter, there's no need for our families to interact anymore. From now on, we'll just treat each other as ordinary neighbors."

Yan Fengan had a pretty good idea of what his family was thinking. Completely severing ties with Wen Liu this time also served as a reassurance to them.

Chen Lanfang had long been disgusted by the Wen family, and she nodded repeatedly at his words.

No matter what, they were still Wen Xi's family on his mother's side, and Li Wan, afraid he might feel upset, patted his shoulder and comforted him, saying, "Parents like that aren't worth keeping. From now on, we're all your family."

Wen Xi felt no sadness in his heart. He had stopped treating Wen Shishan and Li Qiaozhen as his parents long ago, ever since they forced him to take his sister's place in marriage. Now that the connection was severed, it actually saved him from one more troubling matter.