The village chief stroked his beard, looking entirely unperturbed.
“It’s simple enough,” he began. “You’ve used that land for three years without giving Li Miaomiao a single bean or melon. Since the potatoes are already planted, you will split the harvest: half is yours, and the other half—along with the land itself—will be returned to Li Miaomiao.”
“But—” Father Lin barely managed to utter a syllable before the village chief shot him a sharp, piercing glance, his previous amiability vanishing instantly.
“Do you have an objection?” the chief asked coldly. “Your family has bullied Li Miaomiao and usurped land that rightfully belongs to her. She could easily take this matter to the magistrate. If she does, it won’t just be a simple matter of land and potatoes anymore.”
Lin Dalang, desperate to protect his future prospects from such a scandal, immediately pulled his parents behind him and donned a mask of polished politeness.
“Grandfather Village Chief, we accept your arrangement.”
The chief sighed as he looked at Dalang. What a fine-looking young man, yet he is such a heartless knave, he thought. He turned his attention back to the girl. “Li Miaomiao, do you have any objections?”
She had none—not a single one. Folding her hands and bowing respectfully, she replied in a crisp, melodic voice tinged with a smile, “Grandfather Village Chief is wise.”
Glancing at the Lin family from the corner of her eye, she added with a smile, “Since today is as good as any, why don’t we go and settle the division right now?”
The village chief, wishing to resolve the matter quickly and avoid further trouble, readily agreed. “Very well. Let’s go handle it now.”
The Lin parents were livid. Having occupied the land for three years, the prospect of surrendering half the harvest was a bitter pill to swallow. Their schemes had crumbled, and they had no choice but to swallow their resentment.
“After you, Grandfather Village Chief,” Li Miaomiao said with a polite, inviting gesture.
Watching her display such refined manners, Li Xiaorou couldn’t help but wonder, Did falling into the river yesterday manage to wash her brain clean and make her smart?
The land was located on the back mountain. There were several paths leading up, including one that passed right by the end of the village where Xiao Xian lived. Because that path was rarely used, it was overgrown with wild grass.
Given the village chief’s age and weak legs, the group opted for the more frequently traveled route.
As they passed through the village, several residents carrying hoes on their way to the fields paused to greet them. Seeing Li Miaomiao carrying a wood-chopping blade while Li Xiaorou walked along empty-handed and swaying gracefully, one woman couldn’t help but speak up.
“Li Miaomiao, I heard your dowry consisted entirely of stones,” the middle-aged woman said, her face deeply lined and skin swarthy. Her tone was masked in a facade of concern. “Not only did you deceive Xiao Xian, but he’s also dirt poor. How will you even survive? If you ask me, you’d be better off as a concubine for Lin Dalang, serving your own sister.”
Li Miaomiao searched her predecessor’s memories and identified her as Auntie Liu—a woman who lacked any real talent but possessed a notoriously loose tongue.
Hearing her words, others who had been preparing to head to their fields chimed in.
“She’s right! The Lin family has fields, and Dalang is handsome. Wouldn’t life be grand if you had two children in three years?”
“Exactly! What’s wrong with being a concubine? It’s still better than marrying a cripple.”
While history had traditionally placed restrictions on men taking concubines, in this era, it was common enough. As long as a man could afford it, the local authorities generally turned a blind eye.
Hearing the villagers’ remarks, the Lin parents looked smug, their smiles stretching ear to ear.
Mother Lin pulled Li Xiaorou to the front, beaming brighter than a blooming morning glory. “Auntie Liu, my son wouldn’t dream of marrying a heartless, ugly woman. Our Xiaorou is much better; she’s not only considerate and caring toward Dalang, but she is also exceptionally good to me.”
Upon hearing the praise, Li Xiaorou’s face flushed as she coyly replied, “Mother, I will certainly continue to be a dutiful daughter-in-law to you and Father.”
Father Lin stroked his beard and laughed heartily. “Xiaorou, as long as you give us a few sturdy grandsons, your mother and I certainly won’t treat you poorly.”
The village chief, who had thought the mother was simply being unreasonable, couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the father’s shamelessness.
These remarks prompted the villagers, who were convinced of their own benevolence, to express their pity for Li Miaomiao, and some even began offering “helpful” suggestions.
“Li Miaomiao, you’ve only been with Xiao Xian for a day,” Auntie Pang said. “Why not beg Lin Dalang to forgive you…”
Before Auntie Pang could finish, Mother Lin’s expression twisted into one of disgust. “My son isn’t about to marry a rag that someone else has already used.”
Li Xiaorou caught the thoughtful look in Li Miaomiao’s eyes. She assumed Miaomiao was jealous of her and regretting her marriage to Xiao Xian. Determined not to let this “vixen” into their family, she put on a show of gentleness and understanding.
“Even though my sister has already consummated her marriage to her husband,” Li Xiaorou said to the crowd, “if she is unhappy, I am willing to persuade Dalang to take her in as a concubine.”
“Xiaorou, you are too kind,” Mother Lin sniffed. “A person like her isn’t fit to cross the threshold of the Lin family.”
Watching the two women perform their little act, Li Miaomiao felt an urge to laugh. And indeed, she couldn’t hold it back; her laughter rang out clearly, as if she had just heard something truly delightful.
“This girl…” Auntie Pang tutted, taken aback.
Li Miaomiao slanted a gaze at her, her eyes curving into a clear, sincere expression. “Auntie Pang, I recall your eldest son lives in the county seat, doesn’t he? Didn’t they just have a lovely baby girl?”
Thinking the girl was complimenting her son’s success, Auntie Pang beamed. “My granddaughter is three years old this year. She—”
Li Miaomiao cut her off, her smile never wavering. “Since you are so fond of the idea of being a concubine, surely you aren’t too old for it yourself? Why don’t you send your granddaughter ahead to start?”
Compared to their veiled, insulting remarks, her blunt, dirty jab stung far worse. Auntie Pang’s face turned black with rage. “You…”
Ignoring her, Li Miaomiao turned to face the three members of the Lin family, her smile laced with contempt. “A ‘rag’?”
“A man who is impure and trysts with women before marriage? I wouldn’t have him even if he were the last man on earth.”
With a single sentence, she struck at both of them. While ostensibly scolding Lin Dalang, she was pointedly insinuating that Li Xiaorou had lost her virginity before marriage.
The trio’s faces shifted instantly; Li Xiaorou, in particular, looked mortified. Mother Lin pointed a trembling finger at her nose, shrieking, “Who are you calling dirty?”
“If the shoe fits, wear it,” Li Miaomiao retorted.
Seeing them bristling, clutching their hoes and carrying poles so tightly their knuckles cracked, Li Miaomiao remained unfazed. She walked calmly to the side of the road, where a locust tree stood, its trunk roughly as thick as the arms of two grown men.
She raised the wood-chopping blade and swung it with all her strength.
With a single stroke, the tree was severed, leaving only a stump. As the tree crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, the villagers scrambled to get out of the way.
Li Miaomiao strolled toward them, dragging the blade loosely at her side, and said in a tone of careless indifference, “My father is gone, and I am all that is left of my family.”
“I have a terrible temper, and I don’t care to hear anyone whispering behind my back. There’s a saying: ‘The man wearing no shoes has nothing to fear from the man wearing boots.’ As it happens, that’s exactly my state right now.”
The villagers were suddenly reminded of her unhinged behavior during her wedding the previous evening. They all concluded that the trauma had driven her completely mad.
“She’s gone crazy!”
People would rather offend a thug than a madwoman; a thug might eventually move on, but a lunatic would never let you go. Realizing this, they backed away in terror.
Li Miaomiao was very satisfied with their reaction. It was perfect, really—she had no desire to associate with these people who thought their meddling was “kindness.”
“From now on, whoever dares to speak ill of me or my husband in my presence will meet the same fate as this tree in Auntie Pang’s yard.”
“You… are you threatening murder?”