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This village, compared to Zijia Village, is much more remote and impoverished!
At the same time, the villagers who had been closely watching the carriage were lost in their imaginations, wondering who the wealthy individuals inside such a luxurious carriage could be. Perhaps one of them was someone from their village who had returned home in glory?
As the carriage continued along the only wide road made of fine sand and stones leading into the depths of the village, many children and curious villagers ran alongside it, closely following and peering in through the windows to catch a glimpse of the people inside.
Miao'er leaned out to see the many villagers and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, these Murakami folks are really quite amusing."
"It's not amusing; it's just that rarity is precious. They must be guessing what kind of people are inside this carriage!" Ziyan replied with a faint smile.
"Sister, aren't we attracting too much attention? If Second Uncle and Second Aunt come over, there might be quite a show to watch!"
"Child, how can you speak like that? Regardless, they are still your elders." Zhou said, feeling embarrassed. After all, Miao'er and her son were still in the carriage. Her eldest daughter’s disdain for her maternal relatives was a bit too much, so she had to reprimand her somewhat carefree daughter.
"Oh!" Ziying's head drooped immediately after being scolded by Zhou.
"Mother, don't blame my sister for speaking her mind; she has a point. I think Second Uncle and Second Aunt might come over with ulterior motives. You should be careful not to fall for their tricks," Ziyan said softly to her mother while glancing at her aggrieved sister and then at her mother, who cared about appearances.
"Uh? Sigh—well, if they do come over, we can just give them a small gift. It's New Year's after all; there's no need to create any unpleasantness. That should work, right?" Zhou sighed lightly while making a final compromise with her two daughters.
"Yes! That works as long as you keep your composure in the future!" Ziyan smiled and nodded in response to Zhou while also making a funny face at her sister Ziying, who was looking at her like a hero.
"Alright, from now on, whatever I do will depend on you two sisters. You really are two little housekeepers!" Zhou said with a hint of embarrassment and helplessness as she shook her head.
"Sister, it's nothing; every family has a few troublesome relatives," Miao'er said as she took Zhou's hand to comfort her. This made Zhou's expression soften considerably.
Before long, the carriage stopped at Grandma Zhou's Yard Entrance. As Ziyan's family stepped down from the carriage, the surrounding villagers who had followed to watch immediately recognized them.
Thus, the villagers began to murmur among themselves in astonishment. Someone exclaimed loudly, "Oh my! Isn't this Purple Zhou? I heard that her husband was forced to death by his own family! How did this family manage to thrive without a man?"
"You probably don't know this, right? I heard that one of her two daughters has gotten involved with a high-ranking official. It's unclear whether she's becoming a concubine or the main wife, but their family is definitely not what it used to be! They've struck it rich."
"Yeah, just look at that carriage! How beautiful and luxurious it is! Tsk tsk—"
Countless voices of discussion filled the air. After vaguely hearing these people's comments, Zhou's expression gradually turned sour. When she heard someone say her daughter was becoming a concubine, she immediately wanted to turn around and argue with those gossiping women. However, Ziyan pulled her back.
Ziyan shook her head while advising Zhou, "Mother, there's no need to pay attention to or argue with these people. We don't rely on them for our livelihood. Just focus on living well ourselves; in time, all rumors and gossip will fall apart on their own. Cheer up!"
"Yes, sister! Yan'er makes a good point. You are a person of great fortune and blessings; you shouldn't stoop to the level of these ignorant folks who will likely never have a chance to rise." Miao'er chimed in at the right moment.
"Mm-hmm! I'll listen to you both," Zhou nodded repeatedly in agreement.
At the same time, Miao'er nodded and continued, "That's right! Both of us have weathered many storms in our lives; we must learn to remain calm in everything moving forward."
"Mm-hmm, I’ll learn more from my sister-in-law in the future," Zhou said humbly, smiling slightly at Miao'er with admiration.
"Oh! What are you saying? Ever since the first day I met you, I've considered you family, like a sister," Miao'er replied warmly.
"Yan'er, Ying'er, oh my two little granddaughters!" Just as everyone was heading toward the courtyard gate, Grandma Zhou came striding toward Ziyan and Ziying.
At the same time, Zhou Laoda appeared holding a long string of firecrackers. As soon as he saw Ziyan and the others enter the courtyard, he immediately lit the firecrackers in his hand. Soon after, everyone heard the loud 'crackling' sounds echoing around.
Once the long string of firecrackers finished exploding—having almost gone around ten big circles—Old Master Zhou came out from inside carrying several chairs. He placed them around a small low table in the yard.
At that moment, Ziyan and Ziying had just finished hugging and exchanging pleasantries with Grandma Zhou. The two sisters then quickly ran over to Old Master Zhou. "Grandpa, we're here to wish you a Happy New Year!"
"Mm-hmm, good good good! With you here, this year will truly feel complete for me," Old Master Zhou said joyfully, unable to contain his happiness.
The villagers watching the commotion were still reluctant to leave, and among them was naturally the Second Aunt mentioned earlier by the family in the carriage.
"Oh, my sister is back!" Just as everyone was enjoying themselves, a sarcastic voice, tinged with flattery, rang out.
Everyone turned their disdainful gazes toward the source of the voice and saw the oddly dressed Second Aunt Mao leisurely making her way into the courtyard while greedily eyeing Zhou, Ziyan, and Ziying, the three women.
No one wanted to pay her any attention; Old Master Zhou and Grandma Zhou were busy inviting everyone to take their seats. Thus, everyone shifted their focus away from that peculiar woman.
Seeing that no one was willing to engage with her, Mao seemed unfazed and moved closer to Ziying, reaching out to grab her hand.
Before Ziying could refuse, she shamelessly exclaimed, "Oh dear, young lady, your dress fabric is truly exquisite. It seems your family has really prospered! Have both you sisters married into wealthy families and become young mistresses? Just remember not to forget your Second Aunt's family in the future."
"Second Aunt, what nonsense are you talking about?" Ziying retorted angrily, directly shaking off Mao's hand.
"Oh, just a few days into marrying into a wealthy family, and you've already developed a young mistress's temper?" Mao said with a forced smile, feeling resentful after being ignored since she entered.
"Second Sister-in-law, if this kind of nonsense came from someone else's mouth, it would be one thing. But you are their Second Aunt. You can't just spout such ridiculousness here!" Zhou felt uncomfortable seeing Mao targeting his daughter as soon as she walked in.
"Oh my sister, I’m not saying anything untrue! The word has spread outside long ago; who doesn’t know that your two daughters have become concubines for some noble in the Provincial Capital? Tch! Why would I need to make things up?" As Mao spoke sarcastically, she deliberately raised her voice several times, as if afraid that the villagers gathered by the courtyard gate wouldn't hear her.
"Get out."
"You get out." Upon hearing this, both Old Master Zhou and Grandma Zhou could no longer contain their anger. Almost simultaneously, they shouted at her.
"Dad, Mom, I was just stating a fact. Why are you so angry? Is it because your daughter is family while your daughter-in-law isn’t?" Hearing the elders of the Zhou Family shouting for her to leave, Mao decided to raise her voice even more.
At this moment, the crowd by the courtyard gate began to murmur among themselves.
Ziyan looked up at the sky in speechless disbelief. Wasn't she just visiting her grandparents? Why did it have to provoke jealousy and lead to so many rumors flying around?
Just as Ziyan was about to teach Mao a lesson, little did she know that someone else had already lost patience and was about to take action against Mao.
Mao pretended to be upset and approached an unknown old lady at the Yard Entrance, feigning tears as she said, "Grandma, look at how biased the Old Zhou Family's parents are—"
However, before she could finish her sentence, a long bench in the courtyard suddenly flew toward Mao's thigh like an arrow, propelled by the true energy of a Demon Prince.
By the time everyone realized what was happening, the malicious Mao had already collapsed to the ground with a loud 'crack,' followed by a sharp wail: "Ah—my leg, my leg is broken! Help me—"
Everyone turned toward the courtyard, but no one could see who had struck. It seemed that the Long Bench had spontaneously slammed into her leg.
Instantly, the crowd was thrown into chaos. Many villagers quickly grabbed their children and fled as if they were escaping from danger. Those without children also hurriedly made their way out.
These low-quality villagers could stir up trouble all they wanted, but when something happened, they scattered faster than rabbits.
Even the old lady who had been talking to Mao was startled by the sudden incident and stood frozen for a moment before running away.
In the end, only Mao remained on the ground, wailing and crying. Her cries soon drew back Ziyan and Ziying's Second Uncle, who had been gambling at a neighbor's house not far away.
Upon entering the courtyard, he didn't rush to help his wife but instead curiously glanced at the luxurious carriage outside and then looked around at everyone for a while before saying, "Oh, so it's my sister who has returned. Have you struck it rich now?"
"You gambling fool, remember to come back quickly and take your wife to find Doctor Niu at the village entrance, who specializes in treating injuries," Old Master Zhou scolded him impatiently.
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