Chapter 676: Chapter 676: Taking Back the House and Land
"Just because you think you have two ounces of meat in your pants, you assume everyone revolves around you. If those two ounces are for fighting over things, why not just have it cut off? And why should Mingxiu compete with you? Why not take this up with Mingxiu’s parents? How bold, bullying an orphan and acting like it’s something fresh and refined."
"If you’re so capable, why don’t you become a bandit in the mountains and rob whoever you dislike? You only dare to act tough here with Mingxiu."
Gu Taohua cursed at the Li Family’s elder cousin rolling on the ground.
The Li Family’s aunt held her beloved son and screamed, while the elder cousin’s wife glared at Gu Taohua and Li Mingxiu, and the Li Family’s patriarch trembled with anger.
The Clan Leader stepped in to mediate, saying, "Mingxiu, setting up a female household is a big deal. As a young woman, you don’t know how hard the world is. Without the Li Family to back you up, wouldn’t others bully you to death seeing you all alone?"
Li Mingxiu pointed calmly at the uncles and cousins and said, "Clan Leader, you’re mistaken. After my parents died, the ones who bullied me most were them. Only when I went outside did I realize the skies were clear, but in the Li Family, it was raining."
The Clan Leader, being a man, naturally sided with the men of the clan.
They were all birds of a feather.
When Li Mingxiu was bullied, he pretended not to know. Now that she’s just reclaiming her parents’ house and land, the Clan Leader couldn’t wait to jump up and fight for justice on behalf of the elder cousin.
The suffering Li Mingxiu endured in the Li Family was due in no small part to the Clan Leader’s indulgence.
Su Qing sneered, "Since the Clan Leader loves to back people up so much, why didn’t you step in to back Mingxiu up when she was bullied? Why didn’t you step in when her house and land were taken? Why didn’t you speak up when they wanted to sell her to an old widower? And now you suddenly remember to back her up? Are you impotent or just blind?"
Gu Taohua said, "Impotent and blind, so the Clan Leader should stop causing trouble."
The curses were quite vulgar.
The Li Family’s Clan Leader was furious, glaring at Su Qing and Gu Taohua with eyes like daggers.
"Who are you, little girl, to meddle in our Li Family’s affairs? Watch out or your meddling will be the death of you." The Clan Leader tapped the ground with his cane.
Gu Taohua said, "I am Li Mingxiu’s employer. Li Mingxiu signed a work contract with my family. Now that she’s being bullied by the Li Family, do you think I’m not supposed to intervene?"
The Li Family’s Clan Leader was struck dumb.
Turns out she’s Tong Dajiao’s daughter, a legendary woman no man has dared to marry.
All the Li Family together probably couldn’t provoke her.
The Clan Leader looked at Li Mingxiu sinisterly. He should have stopped her from going to work at the weaving workshop back then.
When Li Mingxiu was hired as a cotton worker at the workshop, he was pleased, thinking he could share her wages with the rest of the Li Family.
Unexpectedly, Widow Tong was quite cunning; wages could only be collected by the individual.
To this day, he hadn’t seen a penny from Li Mingxiu. When asked, the answer was always that the money was temporarily put with the employer to earn interest.
Because of his benevolence, the orphan Li Mingxiu relied on Tong Huaqiong at the workshop and turned into a wolf cub, biting back at the Li Family.
A Li Family girl setting up a female household was a huge embarrassment if word got out.
He felt the clan hadn’t mistreated Li Mingxiu, and her making such a fuss was heartless.
The daughter-in-law of the Li Family’s Clan Leader crossed her arms and said coldly, "Mingxiu, you’re too young to know better. You think others are helping you, without knowing you’re being taken advantage of? Why would others help you? Isn’t it so they can tie you down to keep making money for them by cotton-picking?"
"We are the real family. As the saying goes, ’One brushstroke can’t write the word ’Li’. Whatever the matter, we can resolve it privately. It’s not a big deal. Our family truly looks out for you. Setting up a female household and leaving the Li Family, your parents in the ground wouldn’t agree. One day you’ll regret it. Who would want to marry an orphan with no family? Listen to your aunt; only our Li Family truly cares for you."
Li Mingxiu rolled her eyes at her aunt and said, "I’ve not missed a penny working as a cotton-picker. I worked myself to the bone for my eldest uncle and second uncle’s families since I was little, did they give me a penny? Never mind money, I rarely had a full meal. Don’t say I grew up on the northwest wind; I survived by farming my own land."
"Aunt, you keep saying my parents wouldn’t agree to me setting up a female household. How do you know? After all, talk is cheap. Why don’t you go ask my parents underground if they agree? And while you’re at it, ask them how they’d feel about my house and land being taken by Uncle for my cousin. You go now, and I’ll wait here."
Li Family’s Fourth Aunt: "..."
Was she being cursed to die?
She didn’t realize this girl’s words could be so piercing.
Li Mingxiu’s expression suddenly changed, and she said sternly, "Aunt, since you say this is Li Family business, you clearly have the surname Wu, so you have no right to meddle in our Li Family’s matters. You’re all talk, everybody wants to say a few words."
Li Family’s Fourth Aunt was dumbfounded.
Li Mingxiu looked around at the Li Family crowd, her eyes showing no fear.
"This house and land, I won’t let anything that’s rightfully mine be taken away."
"Since my elder cousin doesn’t want to return it, I’ll take it back myself."
Li Mingxiu rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a hoe from the corner of the courtyard, and smashed the lock. Gu Taohua and Su Qing went inside to help throw out all the belongings of the elder cousin’s family.
Two government officials stood guard at the door, and none of the Li Family dared to approach.
The elder cousin’s wife, seeing the house gone, unwillingly burst into the house, cursing that Li Mingxiu was cursed enough to kill her parents and would bring misfortune to the rest of the Li Family.
"Then I’ll show you how I’ll bring misfortune to you."
With that, Li Mingxiu grabbed the elder cousin’s wife and slapped her back and forth before tossing her out like a chick.
If she didn’t assert herself, the Li Family seemed to have forgotten how strong she was.
Ever since she started mixing with Tong Huaqiong at the workshop, eating and sleeping well and the constant cotton-picking increasing her arm strength, the elder cousin’s wife lay in the yard too pained to scream.
Very quickly, the house was cleared.
If something couldn’t be thrown out, Li Mingxiu smashed it. The crashing sounds from inside made the Li Family’s hearts skip a beat.
Now that she was setting up a female household, Li Mingxiu wouldn’t live in this house again. If the elder cousin wanted to live there, she didn’t mind; he could just buy it with silver.
Once the house was reclaimed, it was time to reclaim the land.
She called the village chief to measure out the five acres of land.
The elder cousin was still unwilling to surrender the land deed. Li Mingxiu looked at the elder cousin’s two sons and said ominously, "You better watch out for your two kids."
Frightened, the elder cousin quickly handed over the land deed to Li Mingxiu.
Madwoman, they’re all mad. Who knows what this madwoman might do?
After a long day, the house and land were finally reclaimed.
"Second uncle, my mother’s set of jewelry that you took back then, you either return it or give me a hundred taels of silver."
Li Family’s second uncle was suddenly put on the spot by Li Mingxiu, trembling in fear.
He thought Li Mingxiu was too young back then to remember, but now she came collecting, like a vengeful spirit.
Li Family’s second uncle said, "What jewelry? Don’t make false accusations."
Li Mingxiu told the government officials, "I accuse my second uncle of stealing the jewelry my mother left behind."
The officials moved forward to arrest someone.
Li Family’s second uncle sat down on the ground in fear.
The set of jewelry was in the house, kept in a box by Li Family’s second aunt. She always said she’d use it to control her daughter-in-law, showing it to her without letting her have it, having the jewelry would keep the daughter-in-law submissive.
"Second uncle, this is the last time I ask you, will you take it out, or compensate me a hundred taels of silver?"
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