The villagers all nodded vigorously, looking at Old Madam Wen and Wen Laoda as if they were looking at some kind of freaks.
“So your son needs money to study, and you sell your daughter—no one says anything—but selling your niece… oh my heavens! How did he even come up with that?”
Wen Laoda, who cared a lot about face, immediately felt as if his dignity had been thrown to the ground and trampled.
Old Madam Wen hurriedly said, “Third son, you unfilial brat… all of them are my granddaughters! I decide who marries whom.”
“Oh?” Wen Ye’s gaze turned icy as she stepped forward, swinging the blood-stained firewood knife.
“Don’t come any closer!” Old Madam Wen screamed in fear and hid behind Wen Laoda, her face twisted in terror, her mouth hanging wide open.
Wen Laosan was also frightened and quickly grabbed Wen Ye. “Ye girl… Dad knows you’re angry, but—don’t be so rash! Let’s talk this through calmly…”
“Talk about nothing! The only solution now is—divide the family!” Wen Ye said coldly.
Old Madam Wen widened her eyes. The third branch was the most important labor force in the family—how could they be split off?
“You… you can forget it! I haven’t even made you pay for medical expenses yet, and you still want to split the family!”
Wen Laoda quickly stepped forward. “Right, medical fees! You injured someone, you must pay, otherwise we’ll send you to jail!”
“Sure, I agree to go to jail,” Wen Ye sneered. “But if I go, can you handle the consequences?”
“When I’m dragged to court, I’ll say: the son of the Mingde Academy, Wen Chengwen, needed money for school. His clever brain decided his father and grandmother should sell his cousin to pay tuition.”
“Tell me, will he still be able to take the imperial examinations after that?”
Old Madam Wen and Wen Laoda’s expressions changed instantly.
“We can’t report this to the authorities,” said a man in his fifties squeezing through the crowd—it was the village head, also surnamed Wen.
“Our village hasn’t had a lawsuit in over ten years. If we report this, it’ll be humiliating!”
“And about you selling your daughter to raise money for Chengwen… oh dear, if it were his own sister, it might still be defensible. But this is a cousin—you’re just using others for your own benefit! You should think about Chengwen’s future!”
Old Madam Wen and the others tightened their lips. Chengwen’s future could not be ruined.
Wen Laoda’s expression shifted. “We never said we’d send you to jail. But if someone is injured, compensation is only natural!”
Wen Ye said, “Agree to split the family, and I’ll pay you one hundred wen.”
Wen Laoda’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Split the family? One hundred wen? Bah! I’ve never seen anyone so shameless! At minimum you must pay thirty taels!”
Wen Ye smiled. “Not agreeing? Fine. Then don’t split.”
“But don’t regret it later.”
“Regret nothing! Stop talking nonsense and pay up—thirty taels!”
“You wish!” Wen Ye said, placing her hands on her hips. “If we don’t split, then we’re still one family. Our money is Grandma’s money, and Grandma’s money is our money too. If you want compensation, just take it from Grandma’s money jar—take as much as you want.”
At this, Old Madam Wen and Wen Laoda felt their worldview shatter. They had never seen anyone so shameless.
Old Madam Wen trembled with rage, unable to speak.
“Not satisfied? Go report me to the authorities then!” Wen Ye said lazily.
Old Madam Wen and Wen Laoda nearly spat blood from anger.
Madam Luo couldn’t hold back and cried to the village head, “Village head, look at this girl! She injured someone and refuses to pay compensation!”
The village head twitched his mouth. He despised people who sold children—especially those who sold other people’s children.
He said, “I think Ye girl has a point. If the family isn’t divided, then it’s still one household. All past earnings were handed over anyway—if you want money, you must ask the old lady for it.”
“As for compensation… it should naturally come from the old lady too. I can’t judge this. If you disagree, go report it to the authorities yourselves.”
Seeing that Old Madam Wen was clearly afraid of that, the village head wasn’t worried about threatening them anymore.
At these words, Old Madam Wen and the others looked like they had swallowed a fly—unable to spit it out or swallow it down.
Old Madam Wen rolled her eyes and fainted on the spot.
“Mother! Mother!” Madam Luo cried.
“Quick, take her back and call a doctor!” the village head said, shaking his head.
Wen Laoda and Madam Luo carried Old Madam Wen back into the room together.
Seeing her unconscious, Madam Lin felt a wave of lingering fear and tightly held Wen Ye and Wen Lan’s hands.
Soon, the village physician Li arrived.
Inside the room—Wen Laoda, Madam Luo, and Wen Laosan stood by the bed, while Wen Ye’s family remained at the doorway.
After taking her pulse, Doctor Li said, “Is my mother going to die?” Wen Laoda asked anxiously.
Doctor Li replied, “The firewood knife was dull; the wound isn’t deep. It’s a minor injury. As for the waist, she’ll recover in about half a month.”
Outside, Madam Lin and Wen Lan finally sighed in relief.
Wen Ye snorted softly. She had measured her strike carefully—the arm wound only looked serious because of blood loss.
Wen Laoda still refused to accept it. “Impossible! Look at all that blood…”
Doctor Li glared at him. “It’s a minor injury. If you don’t believe me, take her to town for another doctor.”
Wen Laoda didn’t dare argue. “How much will it cost?”
“Just a few sets of medicine—about one hundred wen,” Doctor Li said.
He applied medicine, bandaged the wound, and packed up. “Pay up.”
Reluctantly, Wen Laoda pushed Wen Laosan. “Third brother, hurry and take out the money.”
Wen Ye walked in coldly. “Isn’t all our family money in Grandma’s money jar?”
Wen Laoda finally snapped and raised his large hand to hit her. Wen Ye’s eyes turned cold as she pulled out her blood-stained knife.
“Ah!” Madam Luo fell to the ground in fright.
Wen Laoda was also shaken and turned to Wen Laosan. “Third brother!”
Wen Laosan’s expression was complicated—anger at their attempt to sell his daughter, mixed with worry for his injured mother.
“Big brother, no matter how loud you shout, I don’t have any money! All our earnings are with Mother!”
Wen Laoda was choked speechless—no one knew better than him how empty Wen Laosan’s pockets were.
Madam Luo, terrified of the knife, quickly went back and produced one hundred wen.
Doctor Li took the money and left.
Wen Ye led Madam Lin and Wen Lan out. Wen Laosan followed behind as well.
“Third brother! Stop right there! Mother was injured by that little beast, and you’re not even saying a word? What kind of son are you?” Wen Laoda shouted angrily.
“Who told you to sell my daughter! Don’t you have a daughter yourself?” Wen Laosan glared at him, then turned and left.
Wen Laoda’s face twitched violently in anger, unable to respond.