“They still have some matters to attend to, so we’ll head back first,” the village chief added. Seeing this, Yu Bingsheng said nothing more. After bidding farewell to Yu Hongwen and the others, he headed straight back toward the village.
Yu Banxia took them directly to the livestock market, where she spent ten taels of silver on a sturdy donkey. As for the cart, she could ask her uncle to make one, saving unnecessary expenses.
Next, she hired an ox cart to take them to Cloud Mountain Academy first.
Wu Zhuxiang grew excited. Fortunately, Yu Hongwen had been teaching Huzi the basics at home, so he was able to answer the teacher’s questions fluently.
He was quickly accepted. As for Yu Hongwen, although he hadn’t studied for years, he had once been the top scholar in the county-level exams.
Never mind that he was forty-one—there was even a man in his fifties still studying as a county scholar in the academy.
After paying a year’s tuition for her father and nephew, along with various other expenses, Yu Banxia still had over one hundred and thirty taels left.
But she wasn’t worried. She would work hard to earn money and ensure her family lived a good life.
Leaving Cloud Mountain Academy, they took the ox cart back to Anping Village.
The cart swayed and jolted, and Yu Banxia still wasn’t quite used to it. Soon, she leaned against her sister-in-law and fell asleep.
“This girl was exhausted last night and has been running around all day today—she’s even snoring softly,” Wu Zhuxiang said affectionately, holding her as she spoke to the others.
Yu Hongwen chuckled. “Let her sleep for a while. She must have been tired from saving someone last night.”
“Yes, Father,” Wu Zhuxiang replied cheerfully.
Now that her son was going to study in town, their family would likely move there soon to open a shop. Life was looking brighter day by day.
Just as the ox cart was about to enter the village, a woman suddenly rushed out, carrying a wooden basin, and splashed its contents all over Yu Banxia.
The smell of blood startled Yu Banxia awake. Seeing herself covered in blood, she was frightened.
Wu Zhuxiang patted her back soothingly. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, Xiaxia. It’s okay.”
She herself was also splattered with blood. After comforting Yu Banxia, she rushed off the ox cart and lunged at the woman.
“You old hag, what kind of mischief are you up to now? If you’ve scared my Xiaxia, I’ll take your wretched life!”
“Shameless old hag! First, you schemed against my Xiaxia, and now you keep causing trouble. When will you ever stop?”
The woman being pinned down and beaten was none other than Madam Ji, Xu Xiucai’s mother.
Yu Banxia sniffed the smell on her clothes and nearly vomited. Even Yu Hongwen, usually mild-mannered, could no longer stay calm when he saw his daughter covered in blood.
“Madwoman! You madwoman!”
“Evil woman, you old hag! How dare you treat my aunt like this!” Little Tiger also threw stones at Madam Ji.
Madam Ji howled in pain as she was beaten, and soon villagers gathered around.
Upon learning what had happened, they couldn’t help but scold Madam Ji. “You’re the mother of a scholar, yet you act like a shrew. Have you no shame?”
“What has Little Banxia ever done to you? Before, you demanded money and she gave it, you demanded goods and she provided them. How can you still be unsatisfied? It was you who strung her along back then.”
“Now that she’s returned from the Gate of Hell and come to her senses, you first propose marriage and now splash her with blood. Do you think Anping Village has no one to stand up for her?”
“Exactly! How shameless!”
“Get out of here!”Madam Ji wailed as she shouted, “A bunch of ungrateful wretches! This dead girl tried to kill herself once, and her whole personality changed. Haven’t any of you suspected anything?”
“When did she ever know medicine? I think she must be possessed by some evil spirit. That was black dog blood and rooster blood—I was helping her!”
“Once the evil spirit leaves, your Yu Banxia can return. Instead of thanking me, you hit me. Just wait until Yu Banxia recovers and see how she scolds you!”
Yu Banxia trembled with rage, picked up a nearby tree branch, and strode toward her.
“Leave, my foot! You ruined my perfectly good clothes like this—you have to pay for them, you old hag! I think it’s you who’s possessed by a greedy ghost!”
As she spoke, she raised her hand and struck down hard.
“Ow—!”
“You little bitch, how dare you hit me? Ow—!”
“My son will never let you get away with this, you little bitch! Stop it! I’m your future mother-in-law—how dare you hit me!”
“What a fierce evil spirit! You still haven’t left? It seems the dose wasn’t enough!”
Madam Ji alternated between howling and cursing furiously.
Yu Banxia struck Madam Ji again and again, infusing each blow with Wood Elemental Power. It left no marks but sank the pain deep into her flesh.
“Go ahead and try, you old hag! Shameless old woman, no one can sweet-talk like you. How many things did you coax out of me back then?”
“Now that my mind is clear and I’m no longer licking the filth off your worthless son’s feet, you think I’m possessed by an evil spirit? I think it’s you who’s possessed by a greedy ghost, you shameless old crone!”
“You think you’re so virtuous? Who was it who climbed into old widowers’ beds to raise her son? That Wu fellow from your village, and what about Xu Baochang, Xu Dahe—haven’t you worn out their beds?”
“Shameless creature! You’re worse than the girls in the brothels—at least they’re open and dignified, not like you, sneaking around behind people’s backs and wrecking families!”
Hearing Yu Banxia’s merciless exposure, Madam Ji’s eyes filled with disbelief and panic.
Quite a few people from Little Xu Village had come to watch, including the wives of some men whose beds she had climbed.
“You old whore! How dare you seduce my husband? I’ll beat you to death!” Sure enough, several women who heard this immediately rolled up their sleeves and charged at her.
Madam Ji was pinned down and beaten, soon left bruised and swollen.
Wu Zhuxiang waved her hand angrily. “Enough! Stop hitting her, or you’ll kill her!”
“Mother, mother, stop, stop! All of you, get away, get away from her!” Xu Xiucai finally arrived, heartbroken as he cradled his mother in his arms.
He glared furiously at the crowd, his gaze finally settling on Yu Banxia. “My mother was only trying to help you. How could you be so ungrateful?”
“Yu Banxia, I, Xu Ziyan, misjudged you.”
“Just wait until I return after passing the imperial exams—I’ll make every one of you pay.” Xu Xiucai tried to lift his mother but failed several times, drawing mocking laughter from the crowd.
Yu Banxia blocked his path. After much effort, he managed to hoist her onto his back, then glared at Yu Banxia with difficulty.
“My clothes are ruined, and you think you can just walk away like this? And why should that uncle suffer such undeserved misfortune?”
The oxcart owner glared at him furiously. Xu Xiucai snapped, “What do you want?””Compensation. For my clothes, my sister-in-law’s, and my Huzi’s, one tael. And for the coachman uncle’s as well.”
“Right, compensation.”
“Compensation. How dare a scholar act without taking responsibility?”
“Exactly, and he calls himself a scholar? I spit on him!”
Hearing everyone’s words, Xu Xiucai gritted his teeth. “Your clothes are old and worn—how could they be worth a tael of silver?”
“I say one tael, it’s one tael. Otherwise, don’t even think about leaving our village.”
“Compensation!” Even the people of Xiaoxu Village began to shout.
In the end, Xu Xiucai clenched his jaw, pulled a tael of silver from his pocket, and threw it at Yu Banxia. His eyes blazed with fury. “Yu Banxia, I will make you regret this!”