Chapter 5 Neighborhood Disputes

Chapter 5 Neighborhood Disputes

Chapter Summary: "Today, let Uncle Sun see if one hand can clap!"

"Tsk tsk! They're barely making ends meet, how did they manage to offend the young master again?"

"How can it be that Miss Zhao is being nosy? It's clearly that Young Master Li is as meddlesome as ever..."

"Make way! Make way!"

In the back alley of Zishi Street, in front of the Zhao family's house, Pan Yue and Yun Ge walked through the bustling crowd, listening to the neighbors' conversations, and quickly pieced together the whole story.

The troublemaker Li Yanei, as described by the neighbors, was originally surnamed Fan and named Duo. Later, he was adopted by Li Ke, a high-ranking official in the capital who served as the Vice Minister of the Privy Council and a Councilor of State Affairs, and changed his surname to Li. He usually relied on his adoptive father's favor to bully the villagers and act arrogantly. The leader of the gang loved to harass respectable women.

Zhao Wan, the young lady of the Zhao family, is eighteen years old this year. The neighbors describe her as being as beautiful as her name suggests.

She was gentle and kind, with a beautiful face; she was friendly to her neighbors and had a good reputation throughout the county.

No one knows when or where the "tyrant Li" who roamed the village saw his true face. The night before last, around half past 9 PM, a group of idle men who often followed Li the Young Master and roamed the village suddenly surrounded the Zhao family's door. They loudly left a message saying that their master had had someone calculate that 9:45 AM two days from now would be an auspicious day for marriage, and the Young Master would send someone to fetch Lady Zhao.

If it were truly a case of mutual admiration and love at first sight, it would be a beautiful story. But what about that young master Li…?

The Gao family's daughter from the neighboring county was rejected less than three months after her marriage and is now insane and wandering the streets; the Guo family's second daughter from the back alley, unable to bear the humiliation for less than two months after her marriage, threw herself into the river alone... The women chosen by Li Yanei, whether strong-willed or gentle, all met with a bad end.

Therefore, on the night that Li Yanei "presented his betrothal" to the Zhao family, all the neighbors could testify that the Zhao mother and daughter hugged each other and cried all night until dawn.

The next morning, just as Pan Yue was getting to know her neighbors while carrying tea and fruit, a group of idle men indeed brought over a bridal sedan chair that was about 80% new.

Upon entering, apart from Zhao's mother, who stood guard at the door with tears streaming down her face and her temples frosted with white, there was no trace of Zhao's young lady anywhere inside or outside.

For this group of idle thugs who bully others by taking advantage of their power, wasting a little time was a small matter; losing face for Li Yanei was a big deal.

So, without thinking twice, the idlers grabbed benches and started smashing things on the spot!

Clang!

When Pan Yue and her companion arrived, the group of idlers had already swaggered away, carrying wooden sticks and spitting as they went.

"...Judging from what they said just now, if Granny Zhao doesn't reveal where Miss Zhao went, will she come again tomorrow?"

"Of course!!"

Pan Yue turned to look.

The one who responded was Old Zhang from the next alley, hands in his pockets, neck hunched, pretending to be profound, and said, "Don't you guys know what kind of behavior Young Master Li usually does?"

"Tsk tsk! What a disgrace!"

Directly in front of him stood a man with high cheekbones and a harsh face; the neighbors called him Sun Erlang.

"If you ask me, Madam Zhao, who usually seems so gentle, acted terribly today! She's unfilial!"

He spat lightly to the side, looked at Granny Zhao below the hall, and said without restraint, "You only care about escaping for your own life, leaving your old mother alone at home. How is Granny Zhao going to deal with those scoundrels?"

Pan Yue followed his gaze and looked down at the Zhao family's corridor.

The clear spring sunlight pierced through the bustling crowd, dividing the hall into two opposing halves of light and shadow.

In the light, tables and chairs were overturned, while in the dim light, curtains swayed precariously. Broken porcelain and tattered clothes were scattered everywhere. A woman felt sorry for the mess and sighed as she tried to go forward, but after looking around for a long time, she could not find a place to stand.

With her temples streaked with white, Zhao's mother sat listlessly in the dimly lit corner, her tears dried up, her expression blank, as if she had aged ten years overnight.

Pan Yue was hesitating whether to "meddle" when the words "unfilial" reached her ears through the bustling crowd, and she felt a heavy tremor in her heart.

It was as if the regrets of yesterday, which had not been allowed to be pondered, had returned in a mighty torrent.

As if in a past life yesterday, when she was overjoyed to leave the mountains and excited about the world beyond, what kind of life did her mother, left behind in the mountains, lead every day?

Have you ever sat idly on the porch like Zhao's mother, waiting for her to appear? Day after day you hoped, only to have your hopes dashed...

Have you ever been surrounded by idle, gossipy neighbors who point fingers and talk nonsense?

Otherwise, how could my mother's temples have turned gray in just two years? Why would those gossipy women label her "Jinlian"?

A sliver of sunlight swept past the corner of Pan Yue's eye, causing her to furrow her brows slightly and her gaze to flicker.

"Brother Yun, please take care of him!"

"Make way! Make way!"

She shoved the tea and fruit basket into Yun Ge's hands, ignoring the stares from the left and right, and pushed through the crowd until she reached Granny Zhao.

"Grandma Zhao?"

She crouched down, bringing her eyes level with Zhao's. When the other woman looked up at her, her eyes curved slightly downwards. She gently rubbed Zhao's hands, which were as smooth as tree bark, and said softly, "The sun is too strong outside. Shall I help you into the inner room?"

Granny Zhao scrutinized her features with her cloudy eyes, as if she could see something in them. She pursed her thinning lips and nodded gently, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, madam."

"Who is my wife?"

"Looks unfamiliar! Brother Yun, did you bring him? Is he a relative of yours?"

"spit!"

Under the eaves, people chatted amongst themselves, their voices carried on the gentle spring breeze.

Pan Yue initially didn't want to pay attention, until Sun Erlang's indignant and sarcastic voice rang out again.

"Look at her seductive appearance! Could she be an old acquaintance of Young Master Li, just like that Zhao family lady, also a woman of loose morals!"

Granny Zhao, who was holding Pan Yue's hand, suddenly stopped. With a clang, the porcelain cup that had been crushed under her feet made a distinct and clear sound of breaking.

Pan Yue instinctively grasped her hand, and when she looked up and saw her disheveled hair and tearful expression, her heart sank.

"Second Uncle Sun!"

Pan Yue helped Granny Sun up, their backs turned to the outside, trying her best to ignore the almost tangible gazes cast from under the eaves, and said in a low voice, "Mind your own business and don't worry about what others are doing!"

"Ah! He's literate!"

As if he had heard a joke, Sun Erlang looked around for agreement, then quickly put his hands behind his back, stroked his non-existent beard, and said in a affected tone, "My lady is mistaken. The two lines are 'Sweep the snow from your own doorstep, and don't worry about the frost on someone else's roof'!"

"Uncle Sun is truly talented!"

Pan Yue helped Granny Zhao sit down carefully in the hall, smiled at her to show that it was alright, then pulled her hand away from her tightly clenched grip and turned to look at the almost completely packed doorway outside.

After a moment's thought, he stepped forward and said, "I see that Second Uncle is chatting happily with the neighbors, as if they have known each other for a long time?"

"That's natural!"

With a sudden flick of his mustache, Sun Erlang raised his head like a fighting rooster, his face beaming with pride, and said, "Young lady, it's understandable that you're new here and unaware of the situation; my Sun family ancestors were from Yanggu County, and there's no one in Yanggu County that I, Sun Erlang, don't know!"

"Second Uncle knows Zhao Xiaoniangzi?"

“Of course I recognize her!” Sun Erlang glanced at her and continued, “I’ve watched her grow up since she was a child!”

“In that case,” a barely perceptible glint flashed in Pan Yue’s eyes as she stepped closer and slowly spoke, “Second Uncle has many friends in the village and has watched Zhao Xiao Niangzi grow up since she was a child. May I ask, Second Uncle, in the past eighteen years, have you ever seen Zhao Xiao Niangzi flirting with anyone or being indecent?”

"this……"

Sun Erlang raised his eyebrows, sensing her ill intentions. His triangular eyes widened further, and his neck gradually turned red.

"Although I never saw it with my own eyes..."

"You didn't witness it yourself!" Pan Yue interrupted him sharply, not giving him time to ramble on. "Where did you get the idea that I'm indecent? I just heard the neighbors mention that Second Uncle is a scholar. Don't you know that hearing is believing, but seeing is believing?"

"you?!"

Having been humiliated in front of everyone by a newcomer, the question of right or wrong no longer matters.

Sun Erlang caught a glimpse of the neighbors echoing his words, and his face instantly turned red with anger. He lifted his robes, pointed at Pan Yue, who remained calm and composed below, and cursed, "Foolish woman! Truly foolish woman! You don't believe me when I say you're uneducated! If it weren't for Zhao Xiaoniangzi's seduction, how could Young Master Li have taken a liking to her?"

He rushed forward, spitting as he shouted, "Foolish woman, don't you hear, 'One hand clapping makes no sound'?"

"A silent, one-handed clapping game?"

The spittle flying everywhere felt like spoonfuls of scalding hot oil being poured into Pan Yue's burning heart.

"Sizzle!"

Pan Yue stared at the furious Sun Erlang, her hands suddenly clenched into fists, and before he could react, she strode forward and said, "Today I'll show Uncle Sun whether a slap can make a sound!"

"What...what are you doing! How dare you!"

Seeing Pan Yue stride angrily across the porch and get serious, Sun Erlang, who had just been red-faced and furious, panicked and turned to run away without a second thought.

"Sun Er, don't be afraid! Argue with her!"

"Why should Sun Er be afraid of a mere woman?"

But the neighbors, who loved excitement and didn't care about right or wrong, saw that Sun Er, who always considered himself a scholar, had fallen into a bad situation. Instead of backing down, they intentionally or unintentionally stepped forward and blocked his way.

"Get out of my way! You dare!"

Before Pan Yue could finish the sentence, "You dare!", she was already in front of him. Ignoring his fierce expression, she grabbed his shirt with her left hand and raised her right hand high, ready to slap him.

"Yunyun?"

A familiar voice, accompanied by the sound of several neat and powerful marching figures, came through the bustling street.

Upon hearing the noise, onlookers on both sides stepped back to make way.

Pan Yue, who was standing directly in front of the crowd, paused, released Sun Er, and looked up at the newcomer.

Dressed in the uniform of a constable, draped in a full cloak of sunshine, Wu Song, who had come across the long street, was even more majestic and imposing than ever before.

"...You don't even know him? He's the newly appointed head of the military!"

"Is that the tiger-slaying hero? Truly extraordinary..."

Discussions arose again, and neighbors rushed forward, getting closer and closer.

"That's really true!"

Before the villagers could get a good look at the hero, their eyes met, and Wu Dutou's bright, fox-like eyes lit up, and he subconsciously quickened his pace.

"Officer, help me!"

Before he could get close, a staggering figure stumbled from under the corridor and headed straight for Wu Song.

Originally, Sun Erlang had broken free of his shackles. Upon hearing that the visitor was the newly appointed Martial Commander, he rushed into the crowd without a second thought.

Songsong was startled by the sudden approach of the figure, dodged to the side, patted his chest, and muttered, "The human world is indeed dangerous!"

Yu Guang caught Pan Yue's gaze and stepped forward happily, saying, "What brings Yunyun here?"

Pan Yue's eyes held a faint smile that she hadn't had time to retract. She glanced at him, then at Sun Erlang, whose hands were pinned in the crowd and whose face was full of disbelief. She turned to him and said, "And you? It's still early. Why are you on Zishi Street?"

"That's it!"

Songsong slapped his forehead and beckoned his two attendants to come closer.

"Captain!"

Pan Yue looked at the three people who approached in unison.

Besides the two accompanying men, a dejected old man followed behind.

"And who is this?" She turned to look at Wu Song.

“Uncle Fan from the south of the city.” Songsong still held onto the corner of her clothes as she replied, “I just arrived in the county today, and the magistrate ordered me to come here with Uncle Fan, saying he wants to take his son back!”

"son?"

Pan Yue looked puzzled, glanced around, and asked, "How old is Fan Jialang? Did he get lost near Zishi Street? Do you have a portrait?"

"That's not true!"

Songsong turned to look at the mess on the ground below the Zhao family's hall, her eyes filled with confusion. She then turned back to Pan Yue and explained, "Fan Cheng, the son of the Fan family, is twenty-three years old this year. According to Uncle Fan, his son is a student at Qingchen Academy in the south of the city. He has been diligent and studious since childhood, but recently... he has been bewitched by a vixen in the back alley of Zishi Street, and he didn't come home last night..."

"really?!"

Upon hearing the words "vixen," Pan Yue's eyes flashed. Before she could speak to stop them, Sun Erlang outside the door spat heavily and turned to his left and right, arrogantly saying, "Did you all hear that clearly? I, Sun Erlang, am not just spouting nonsense. That Zhao family lady is a shameless vixen who would do such a disgraceful thing! Bah!"

"How could this be?!"

"You can know a person's face, but not their heart..."

The neighbors started whispering and gossiping, and rumors began to circulate again.

The words "indecent," "vixen," and "shameless"... fell into Pan Yue's ears like a gentle spring rain. Pan Yue felt as if dark clouds had suddenly gathered above her head, and the kind-faced neighbors who had just been friendly suddenly changed their expressions.

She brushed away Wu Song's hand that was holding her, stepped forward, stared at the repulsive Sun Er, and said sternly, "A fox spirit? Sun Er, if you have truly read ten thousand books, you should know that foxes are loyal and only have one companion in their lives; while humans are fickle, changing their minds frequently, and do not know what true love is!"

Behind Pan Yue, Songsong stared blankly at her back as she loudly uttered the words "fox loyalty," her clear eyes shining like the moon.