Chapter 219: Aftermath of Village 93

Chapter 219: The Aftermath of Ninety-Three Village

At the end of last year, when Chen Dong was caught assaulting Su An, everyone initially condemned Chen Shuming's family unanimously. However, as time passed, people started to change their tune.

Firstly, Chen Shuming's family was in a dire situation. Chen Dong was to be executed, and Chen Shuming had been dismissed from his position. People instinctively felt sorry for the underdog.

Secondly, Su An hadn't been physically harmed. Instead, she had received 400 yuan and a small gold bar as compensation from Chen Shuming. For the people of Ninety-Three Village, this was a windfall!

Everyone was equally poor, and suddenly, one person became wealthy. Initially, people felt a sense of justice, but gradually, they started to feel bitter.

Some even wished it had been their own daughter who had been assaulted by Chen Dong, so that the fortune would have fallen into their own family.

Then, the village gossip took a nasty turn. Many felt that since they were all from the same village, Su An's family was too harsh, pushing the Chen family to ruin and taking away the wealth accumulated over generations. With so much compensation, and Su An not having suffered any physical harm, jealousy started to creep in.

The villagers' resentment towards the wealthy made them jealous. They huddled together, spouting bitter remarks. Chen Shuming straightened his back, and amidst the discussions, the Chen family started to be seen more as victims than villains.

As the words "divorce certificate" emerged, the air in the room instantly turned icy.

The divorce certificate lying on the ground was like a punch in the gut to those who had been gossiping about Su An's good fortune.

Back then, divorce was worse than death, especially in the countryside. Many women would sooner poison themselves or hang themselves than get a divorce.

Wang Yongzheng was dumbstruck, his smile fading away. He crouched down, picked up the divorce certificate, and opened it. Sure enough, the name on it was Su An!

Hobbling on his crutch, Wang Yongshun awkwardly pushed through the crowd to look at the divorce certificate in Wang Yongzheng's hand. "It really is a divorce certificate. An An has divorced. My An An has divorced!!!!!"

Before his words could sink in, the crowd erupted.

"No way? Su An has divorced?"

"Last time I heard, she was almost pleading with the police officer to keep it under wraps and not tell her in-laws!"

"How can such things be kept secret? The police across the country are all part of the same department. The higher-ups would definitely find out!"

"Oh dear, what a mess! I heard her in-laws are big leaders in a large factory. Even ordinary families wouldn't want a girl whose reputation has been ruined, let alone high-ranking city officials!"

"They have money and jobs. They can marry any virtuous girl they please!"

A short, stout village woman turned to the woman beside her and asked, "Su An, isn't she even as old as your Lai Gou?"

"My Lai Gou is 19 this year! The same age as Su An!"

"This is truly heartbreaking. Only 19, and her whole life has been ruined by that beast Chen Dong. She was supposed to be a high-ranking official's wife, and now she's been cast aside!"

A Wang family auntie immediately started cursing, "That scoundrel who deserves to be put down has done great harm! Our An An is going to be ruined by him. Some people in the village even felt sorry for him, saying our Wang family was being too harsh!"

"You blind fools!!!!"

"You were all envious of our An An, weren't you? I hope your daughters all get harassed and divorced by their in-laws!!!"

"Black-hearted, rotten scum! You even envy the compensation for such a thing. May the heavens strike you down!"

On the other side, Wang Yongzheng seemed unable to hold onto the divorce certificate, and it floated out of his hand, landing at the feet of a villager. The divorce certificate was then passed around for everyone present to see.

Wang Yongzheng anxiously unfolded the letter in his hand. It briefly greeted the Wang family, saying that the family had now settled in City A and left an address on Fuqing Street, asking the uncles to write or visit them at that address if they ever came to City A.

In the end, Su An simply stated that she had left Zhao Daxing, the domestic abuser, and anticipated that the village's attitude might shift after her departure. After all, jealousy is a common trait among the poor. Su An had taken a large sum of money to live in the city, while Chen Dong was to be executed. Regardless of right or wrong, people instinctively sympathize with the weaker party.

After reading the letter, Wang Yongzheng folded it, tucked it into his pocket, grabbed a shovel, and stormed off towards the Chen family in a rage.

During this time, Chen Shuming had been spreading rumors and defaming Su An and Wang Xuanying. Wang Yongzheng had harbored a deep hatred for the Chen family after Su Ping was forced to drink by Chen Jiahua. With the incidents involving Wang Xuanying and Su An, the feud between the Wang and Chen families had become unbridgeable. It was either the east wind prevailing over the west wind or the west wind prevailing over the east wind!

Behind him, Zhang Shuangshuang gently pulled on Li Yulan's sleeve, and Li Yulan immediately fainted.

Zhang Shuangshuang called out with concern, "Mom!!!"

"Mom, are you okay?"

The onlookers couldn't bear to watch. "Oh, Aunt Li loves An An and Ping Ping dearly. She's old now; she can't handle this kind of shock!"

Most people remained detached, watching as Wang Yongzheng headed towards the Chen family with his shovel in hand, following behind to see the spectacle. A few members of the Chen family even outpaced Wang Yongzheng, rushing ahead to deliver the news.

At the Chen household, Chen Shuming sat by the stove, smoking a pipe, his face full of worry.

Chen Jiahua also sat by the fire, head down, while his wife, Ge Xicui, looked pale, with a bowl of traditional Chinese medicine in front of her.

"Xicui, you know our family's situation. Don't blame me for speaking harshly. The IUD has been removed at great expense, the doctor has been consulted, and the medicine for body conditioning has been prescribed. I'm old and can't wait much longer. If you can't give me a grandson within two years, don't blame me for finding a new wife for Jiahua to have a child with!!"

"Did you hear me clearly?"

Ge Xicui had always been terrified of Chen Shuming. Hearing such harsh words, she didn't dare to argue, only casting a pleading look towards her husband.

Chen Jiahua turned his head away, avoiding Ge Xicui's pleading gaze!

His father wasn't wrong. Giving her two years was already very lenient. Who doesn't want a son? What woman doesn't bear sons? If she can't give me a son to carry on the family line, what use is such a woman?

Seeing that Chen Jiahua ignored her plea, Ge Xicui braced herself and said to Chen Shuming, "Dad, having a son isn't just my responsibility. The doctor said I'm still young and can recover with some care. But, just to be safe, shouldn't Jiahua also see a doctor?"

Chen Jiahua wasn't up to it, barely active once a fortnight, and even then, he faltered before anything could start. How could he possibly father a son? Was she being forced to seek help elsewhere?

That old man was tough and still so active. Now that the opportunity had come, he wondered how Chen Shuming would continue his antics in the future!