Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11956

Hearing the assurances from the village elders, Yang Ruoqing smiled; this was her real purpose for coming today.

The villagers might not be able to resist the influence of Mai Lao Er and his wife, or Mai Lao Er's relatives and friends might spread rumors. Therefore, Yang Ruoqing had neither the energy nor the interest to explain this matter to each person individually. The village elders, on the other hand, were the most authoritative and had the right to speak in the village. Letting them intimidate those villagers who were gossiping behind her back was the most appropriate way to deal with them.

Meanwhile, Luo Fengtang went to Tie's maternal home.

Everyone has a weakness, and Tie's weakness and reliance came from her maternal family.

She had two older brothers and two younger brothers in her family, so she remarried to Mai Lao Er. Mai Lao Er treated her like a goddess and dared not neglect her in the slightest.

Even though Tie Shi took her anger out on his two biological daughters every day, Mai Lao Er not only dared not express his dissatisfaction, but even became an accomplice in order to please Tie Shi.

As for Mai Lao Er and Tie Shi themselves, Yang Ruoqing wouldn't waste her breath arguing with them.

The village elders would naturally go and relay the message, bringing a document with black and white text for Mr. and Mrs. Mai to put their fingerprints on.

The document states that during the ten years that the Luo family adopted the Mai Sui'er and Mai Li'er sisters, the Luo family would bear all the expenses related to the sisters' food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

The two sisters have no relation to Mr. and Mrs. Mai, and they are not allowed to harass the sisters or demand money from them by using their relationship as the sisters' father and stepmother.

During these ten years, the marital relationship between the sisters Mai Sui'er and Mai Li'er was not to be interfered with by Mai Lao Er and his wife.

Ten years from now, when the two sisters come of age, their marriage and future arrangements will be discussed again. After the words "discuss again," Yang Ruoqing also emphasized that "respecting the wishes of the two sisters is the top priority."

Yang Ruoqing handed the document to Yang Huazhong and several village elders, asking them to go to the small dark room to talk to Mai Lao Er and his wife.

After explaining these matters, Yang Ruoqing strolled back to the Luo family home.

In a small dark room.

Yang Huazhong, Wang Hongtao, and another village elder took the opportunity of delivering today's meals to open the door to the small dark room.

Mai Lao Er and Tie Shi spent most of the night in this small, dark room.

Why do I say "most of the night"? Because Yang Ruoqing had captured them and interrogated, beat, and scolded them until it was already past midnight.

The couple was exhausted from the ordeal last night, so after arriving at the small dark room, they collapsed on the haystack in the corner, snuggled under a quilt, and fell fast asleep.

When they woke up this morning and calmed down, they were really anxious.

Like two trapped beasts, they pounded on the door and stomped their feet in the dark room. Tie Shi, in particular, cried out to the heavens and the earth, every word of which revealed her worry for the three children she had entrusted to her parents' home.

At that moment, seeing Yang Huazhong and the other two come in to bring food, the couple rushed over as if they had seen saviors. In particular, Mai Lao Er slid down to kneel in front of Yang Huazhong and the others.

"Village head, village elder, Uncle Hongtao, my wife and I know we were wrong, we'll never do it again, please, please have mercy and let us out!"

Tie was also crying and pleading from the side.

Yang Huazhong and the other two exchanged glances, none of them budging.

Yang Huazhong put the food he had brought on the ground and said, "Eat this first."

"Okay, okay, let's eat now!"

The couple was truly starving. They had only brought two bowls of porridge with pickled vegetables and two cornbread buns, without a trace of meat, but they wolfed it down as if they were eating some incredible delicacy.

After finishing his meal and licking the bowl clean, Mai Lao Er put down his bowl and shamelessly approached Yang Huazhong again.

"Uncle Village Head, we've finished eating. Please, give us a straight answer: when can we be released?"

Tie Shi chimed in, "That's right! My three kids are still at my parents' house. In this freezing weather, you've locked us up in this dark place. My three kids are going to starve to death!"

Wang Hongtao glared at them coldly and snapped, "Don't you know why we locked you up here? You dare to complain?"

Tie was startled by Wang Hongtao's shout. Looking at Wang Hongtao's fierce and menacing appearance, he didn't seem like the type to tolerate her.

Tie shut his mouth sheepishly and hid behind Mai Lao Er, not daring to make a sound for the time being.

At this point, Wang Hongtao said again: "You have committed too many crimes, including child abuse, human trafficking, and marriage fraud. If we take you to the yamen, you will be given at least fifty strokes of the cane and locked up for half a year!"

"What? You think you can get out of that little dark room after only a few hours? You're dreaming!"

"Uncle Hongtao, we're all from the same village. Please, for the sake of my five children, we know we were wrong. Please don't report us to the authorities!" Old Mai pleaded desperately.

"If we go to jail, our children will really starve to death..."

Wang Hongtao snorted coldly and pointed at Mai Lao Er: "People like you, do you even deserve to talk about raising children? You've almost killed a perfectly good daughter!"

"Whether to report it to the authorities or not, hehe, it's not up to me to decide, it's up to Qing'er!"

"As you all know, Qing'er has a close relationship with the county magistrate. Last time the Luo family held a banquet, the county magistrate and his wife came to offer their congratulations. If they wanted to throw you two heartless people into jail, it would only take a word from Qing'er!"

Mai Lao Er and Tie Shi bent over, heads bowed, both terrified out of their wits.

At this moment, another village elder coughed, stepped forward, and said, "This matter of yours could be a big deal or a small deal, but since you are all from the same village, there is now a chance to turn things around. It depends on whether you can seize it."

"If you manage to get through to them, you'll only be locked up for three to five days, then you'll be released and go home to live your lives as usual."

"What if we can't handle it..."

"Uncle, whatever the method, we have to seize it!" Old Mai shouted anxiously. "Stop keeping us in suspense, just tell us quickly, we want to get out of here as soon as possible!"

"What's the rush? You have to speak one sentence at a time, and eat one bite at a time, understand?"

The village elder, who was being urged, was extremely unhappy. He thought, "I finally have a chance to keep you in suspense, and you won't even let me do it? What kind of nonsense is this!"
"Alright, alright, we'll learn from you. Now, please continue, what's the best way to save us?"

"It's not really a solution. Here's what happened: Qing'er was originally planning to send your two daughters back today, but they knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying they didn't want to go back, that going back would only lead to their deaths, and that you should settle accounts with them later..."

Settling scores later? Mai Lao Er turned his head and glanced at Tie Shi behind him. Tie Shi's back teeth were grinding together, and she was practically swearing that she would settle scores with them later.

Mai Lao Er secretly glared at Tie Shi, reminding her to control her expression and whether she still wanted to leave.
Tie quickly lowered her head.

Mai Lao Er turned around and bowed and scraped to the village elder and Yang Huazhong, saying, "How could we? We really know we were wrong. We will definitely take good care of the sisters when we get back. We really know we were wrong."

The village elder raised his hand and waved it: "The problem now is that your two daughters absolutely refuse to live with you. Your Mai'er kowtowed to Qing'er, and her forehead is all swollen from it, which is making things very difficult for Qing'er!"

When Mai Lao Er heard this, he was furious. His own sons had actually gone to kowtow and beg for shelter? This was a disgrace to Mai Lao Er!
“Your daughter, Mai Li’er, also said that if you ask her to go back, she’ll kill herself. She’s not willing to live under the same roof as you anyway.”

At this moment, Wang Hongtao chimed in, "So there's no other way. We can't just watch the child actually die. So after thinking it over, we can only make you two get out of Changping Village, or send you to jail, so that the child can have peace of mind."

Upon hearing this, Mai Lao Er and Tie Shi felt their hearts sink.

"This is going to kill us!" Old Mai's voice was trembling with tears. "Didn't you say there was a way? How are we supposed to handle this?"

The village elder stroked his beard, seeing that the time was right, and said, "We're all from the same village. It wouldn't be right to force you two to your deaths just for the sake of your child."

"Besides, you two have three children. If you die, those three children will suffer too, won't they?"

"Yes, yes, village elders, you are so kind and compassionate, please show us the way."

“The best course of action is for you to respect your daughter’s wishes and ask Qing’er and Tang Yazi to take her in.”

"what?"

Mai Lao Er and Tie Shi looked at each other, dumbfounded once again.

Mai Lao Er looked troubled: "Then...I'm afraid that won't work, will it?"

The old villager glared at him: "What? Why not? Still plotting to use your daughter to trick someone into marriage for money? Is your daughter your cash cow? If you keep thinking about this, I'll be the first to report you to the authorities!"

Mai Lao Er shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, no, I would never dare to think like that, it's immoral."

"Then why did you say no?"

"Of course not! The Luo family has a whole house full of children and grandchildren. They can't just take in anyone who begs them, can they? Qing'er would probably kick me out the door. I don't dare to ask them!"

That’s what happened!
The village elder, Yang Huazhong, and Wang Hongtao exchanged a secret glance.

Wang Hongtao said, "Mai Lao Er, you're not entirely naive. If you go and beg, Qing'er might have been about to soften her heart and agree, but seeing you, she'll be furious and definitely won't agree!"

Mai Lao Er nodded vigorously: "That's what I think too. I don't dare to go near Tang Ya Zi and Qing Er. Please, please put in a good word for me, Uncle Village Head! I'm begging you!"

Yang Huazhong hadn't spoken since he came in, even though the document in black and white was hidden in his sleeve. He had been waiting for this crucial moment.

"If you truly want to correct your mistakes and make amends to your daughters, we can help you put in a good word for them with Qing'er."

"If she is willing to adopt your two daughters, it would be a good thing for them, at least they would have no worries about food and clothing. It would also be a good thing for you two, as it would ease your burden!"

"Yes, yes, yes, this is indeed a great thing. Those two girls, don't underestimate them because of their young age, they have big appetites..." Old Mai stopped mid-sentence, covering his mouth.

It's ridiculous for a father to complain that his own child eats too much!

Yang Huazhong said, "However, one thing needs to be made clear: once Qing'er agrees to adopt your two daughters, you cannot interfere with their affairs during the adoption period!"

"No, no, absolutely not! Qing'er can help us raise our daughter without us having to spend any money on her. It's like a windfall! We're overjoyed..."

"Okay, that's settled then. You guys wait for news!"

After Yang Huazhong and the other two village elders left the small dark room, the room was locked, and the gate of the ancestral hall outside was also locked.

After leaving the ancestral hall, Yang Huazhong and the other two exchanged a smile.

Wang Hongtao asked Yang Huazhong, "Brother Village Head, you've already said all that, why don't you just take out the documents and let the couple put their fingerprints on them?"

After all, the three of them came to the small dark room to get Mr. and Mrs. Mai to put their fingerprints on the document. But as they talked, the conversation went off-topic.

Yang Huazhong gave Wang Hongtao a meaningful look, said nothing, and just smiled.

Yang Huazhong's smile left Wang Hongtao completely baffled.

No, Brother Lizheng, you don't usually smile like this. You're such a kind and honest person, but now you're smiling like... a cunning old fox?
The old man from the village grinned, revealing his missing teeth, and said, "Hongtao, you're still a bit green in this area. You need to learn more."

If you take the initiative to bring out the documents and have the couple put their fingerprints on them, then the couple will have the upper hand. They might even use this matter to blackmail you, or even demand things from the Luo family!
Now, things are reversed. The initiative is in their own hands, and the Mai couple are now begging Yang Ruoqing to take in their two daughters.

Wang Hongtao finally realized what was happening. He slapped his head a few times and exclaimed, "I've learned something! You guys are really amazing!"

At this moment, in the small dark room.

Mai Lao Er was overjoyed and said to Tie Shi, "It's a good thing that those two good-for-nothings are really going to be sent away. It will reduce the pressure on me to support my family. It's great!"

However, Tie Shi did not think so.

"Even if you feed those two girls to death, they won't eat much, and they can stay home and do chores. Sending them away like this feels like a huge loss to me."

"You're overthinking it, woman. They're helping us raise our child, what's a loss for them! No matter where they go, she's still our daughter. When she reaches marriageable age, the dowry and the food and drink from her husband's family will all be given to us, not to the Luo family!"

"What if the Luo family adopts them?" Tie asked again.

"Then you're overthinking it. The Luo family's children can't be adopted. Didn't you hear the village head and the village elders talking about 'taking them in'? There's a huge difference between taking them in and adopting them!"

"Take them in?" Tie frowned and sat on the haystack, continuing to ponder. "Sigh, I'm always worried that if we take them in, they won't let us interfere with their marriages, and all the effort you've put into raising these two girls will be wasted."

“Wheat Ear is ten years old and Wheat Grain is six years old. These two children have eaten our food for 16 years. We'd better get this money, or we'll lose both our money and our children, which would be a huge loss!”