“Stop fighting, stop fighting!”
“What’s going on? Weren’t you all playing just fine? Who’s fighting? It’s New Year’s—what a mess!”
“They’re from Xiahe Village! Those brats always come here to bully people!”
As soon as they heard it was Xiahe Village, the older boys of Qingluan Village lost all interest in playing and rushed forward to join the fight. But just as they got involved, the adults arrived and stopped them.
Shi Wuxiang had already forced himself to overcome his discomfort and walked to Yuan Zhao’s side. Most of the blows had been taken by Shi Qingyue, so Yuan Zhao’s face remained unmarked, though clear finger marks showed on his neck.
“Are you alright? Does your throat hurt?” Shi Wuxiang asked softly. “Don’t open your mouth—you’ll get a mouthful of cold air.”
Yuan Zhao shook his head, indicating he was fine.
“What happened?” Shi Wuxiang asked coldly.
“We were playing just fine when they suddenly rushed over and pinned Yuan Ge’er to the ground! Several of them piled on top of him!” Shi Qingyue spat out some blood. “A bunch of filthy bastards!”
Hearing that a young ge’er had been bullied, the elders of Qingluan Village looked even more displeased. The ones fighting were half-grown boys who already knew proper conduct.
This was clearly intentional. No wonder Yuan Zhao was so angry.
Shi Wuxiang directly picked up the dazed and frightened Yuan Yuan and placed him into Yuan Zhao’s arms. Then he lowered his gaze to examine the boys, who hadn’t even reached his shoulder.
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
With swift, decisive movements, several crisp slaps echoed across the frozen river. The boys clutched their stinging faces in panic.
“Scholar Shi!” someone from Qingluan Village said nervously. “It’s not good to hit them like this. It could cause trouble between the villages.”
“Then let it cause trouble.” Shi Wuxiang’s voice was colder than the bitter winter air. He looked at the boys. “Go on. You can run home and complain now.”
These children only dared bully those smaller or similar in strength. Faced with someone like Shi Wuxiang, they didn’t dare make a sound.
Even when told to leave, they didn’t dare move, only covering their faces and crying quietly as if they were the wronged ones.
Though they didn’t leave, the adults from Xiahe Village soon arrived along the river. The moment they saw their children had been hit, they immediately started shouting.
“Which bastard hit my child?!”
“I did,” Shi Wuxiang said. “Your children lack discipline. They bully the weak. They bullied my family and my husband. Since you’re here, you should give us an explanation.”
The woman immediately grew anxious. She looked between Shi Wuxiang and Yuan Zhao. “Zhao-ge’er, you came from our village too. My Dabao didn’t mean any harm. Hurry and say something!”
Yuan Zhao sneered. “Bullying people and you call that no harm? Auntie, with that kind of nonsense, next time you’ll be visiting your son in jail!”
“You little slut, what did you say?!” the woman shouted angrily. “Don’t think you’re something special just because you married out! Who do you think you are, talking to your elders like that!”
Shi Wuxiang subtly signaled Shi Qingyue with his eyes. The latter immediately stepped forward and shoved the woman, snarling, “If you’re going to talk, keep your distance. You stink!”
The commotion on the frozen river couldn’t be hidden. Soon, the village heads from both villages arrived and persuaded everyone to move to the shore, back into Qingluan Village.
Shi Wuxiang was a scholar and a respected figure in Qingluan Village. Many wanted to curry favor with him. On top of that, Yuan Zhao was known for his good nature, and the village women all liked him—not to mention Yuan Yuan, who diligently helped at the stall every day. Sensible children were always loved.
For the Shi family to be bullied—it was almost laughable.
Village Head Liu of Xiahe knew exactly what his villagers were like. No matter how the women pleaded, he insisted their children apologize.
They had already been beaten and still had to apologize. The women were furious, stiffening their necks in defiance, thinking Shi Wuxiang couldn’t do anything about it.
But Shi Wuxiang said, “You assaulted a scholar’s family. At the very least, that’s a beating and a few days in custody. If you refuse to apologize, even better—you could use the lesson.”
Although his words carried a hint of exaggeration, if the yamen runners were informed of his request, they certainly wouldn’t let the matter go lightly. If things escalated, a beating would be unavoidable.
The villagers of Qingluan Village puffed up with pride, chests out and heads high, glaring at the people from Xiahe Village. They were determined to hear an apology—otherwise, they would report it to the authorities.
Shi Wuxiang truly couldn’t understand it. It was only an apology he wanted, not their lives—so why act as though they were being humiliated?
It just showed that when children weren’t taught properly, the fault lay with their parents.
“You useless brat, always causing trouble! You stir things up in the village, and now you’ve taken it outside! What good could possibly come from that? Look at you now—hurry up and apologize!”
“All you do is cause me trouble! You pick fights with anyone and everyone, and now you’ve gotten yourself bitten—serves you right, and now you can’t even shake it off!”
“…”
The veiled insults flew back and forth, and Village Head Liu’s expression darkened. He was newly appointed, yet the older villagers of Xiahe Village neither listened to him nor respected him. Still, he had to step in to deal with their mess.
He had humbled himself to resolve the issue, but the other side clearly had no intention of settling it—despite how hard he had just tried to negotiate with Village Head Niu.
Village Head Niu’s face didn’t look any better. A bunch of shameless old fools, insulting people right on his turf. Under normal circumstances, he would have already called the men of the village to drive them off. But this wasn’t strictly his matter, so he couldn’t act rashly.
“If you’re this unwilling, then we’ll report it to the authorities,” Shi Wuxiang said calmly. “During the New Year, there are plenty of patrol officers in town. Just say I’m the one who called—they’ll come immediately.”
“I’ll go!” Village Head Niu’s second son answered and immediately dashed off.
Only then did the people of Xiahe Village start to feel afraid. They all turned toward Village Head Liu, urging him silently to say something.
When he ignored them, they quickly put on ingratiating smiles and began speaking more softly.
“Scholar Shi, we’re all from the same town—why make things so unpleasant? If you want an apology, we’ll apologize. We’re truly sorry!”
“We’re sorry—we shouldn’t have bullied anyone or started a fight.”
“Zhao-ge’er, say something. It’s New Year’s—let’s not make things unpleasant, alright?”
Shi Wuxiang let out a soft laugh. Just as the women thought there might be room to turn things around, he coldly uttered two words:
“Too late.”
It had been something that could have been resolved with a simple apology. Yet they had insisted on looking down on others, refusing even to lower their heads to say “sorry.”
When they were hurling veiled insults earlier, they hadn’t apologized. Now they only did so because they were afraid—not because they knew they were wrong.
Since reason didn’t work, then the rod would.
“I already gave you a chance. Since you refused it, there’s nothing more to say. I’ve memorized your faces—you may run, but you can’t hide forever. Go ahead and leave. I’ll bring the officers to your village myself.”
His tone was merciless, not granting them the slightest regard.
Without another word from him, the group actually stood there in the cold wind, waiting for the officers to arrive.
Fortunately, Niu Dalin had taken an ox cart, so the trip was quick. He returned soon with two yamen runners—and they were familiar faces.
Zhang Dacheng and Wu Nian were already irritated from having to work during the New Year. Now that they heard something had happened to Shi Wuxiang of Qingluan Village, they naturally didn’t dare vent their anger at him—so the people of Xiahe Village would bear the brunt of it.
On the way, Niu Dalin had already explained everything. Even though he hadn’t seen the beginning, he had heard and witnessed everything afterward—including every single veiled insult.
“You again, Xiahe Village! I swear you people are just asking to spend time in jail!” Zhang Dacheng barked. “There’s never a day when you’re not causing trouble!”
Village Head Liu sighed. “Officer, it’s my failure to manage my people. Punish us however you see fit.”
The women from Xiahe Village immediately grew displeased, wanting to argue, but seeing the officers’ expressions, they didn’t dare make a scene. Instead, they turned pleadingly toward Shi Wuxiang.
“Scholar Shi, it’s all our fault. Please, be magnanimous and forgive us! We’re begging you! Zhao-ge’er, you’re from Xiahe Village too—say something for us!”
“Scholar Shi, Zhao-ge’er…”
Only now, when they were about to be beaten, did they beg for mercy. And they even had the nerve to ask Yuan Zhao—forgetting that it was their own children who had bullied his younger brother.
If they were let off now, wouldn’t that mean they had been bullied for nothing?
Shi Wuxiang stepped in front of Yuan Zhao, looking at them with composed calm. “I already said—it’s too late. It seems none of you listened.”
He knew exactly what kind of people they were. Their tears and pleas were just tactics—retreating to advance. They would never change. Their rotten nature was deeply rooted in most of Xiahe Village.
They were simply selfish and cruel for no reason at all.
The yamen runners had only come out of respect for Shi Wuxiang. Otherwise, they would have been content to carry out their duties quietly in town. Hearing his words now, they immediately understood what to do.
The two men drew the long blades from their waists and pressed them against the women who had been crying the loudest, letting out a cold chuckle.
“Come with us. If the children can’t be beaten, their parents certainly can.”
If you fail to teach your children, you take the punishment.
No matter how the families begged or how the children cried, Shi Wuxiang remained unmoved. Those who refused to learn had no credibility.
“We’ll apologize! We’ll apologize to Yuan Ge’er—please let our parents go!”
Shi Wuxiang gave a cold laugh. “Who cares for your apology?”
They hadn’t apologized in the beginning. Doing so now only added insult to injury. Forgiveness wasn’t what they wanted—what they wanted was justice.
His stance was firm, and Zhang Dacheng and Wu Nian wasted no more words. They tied the offenders up with rope and dragged them away.
The remaining villagers of Xiahe Village were terrified. They looked at Shi Wuxiang with fear, yet their resentment seemed to pass through him and settle on Yuan Zhao instead.
A bunch of cowards who bullied the weak and feared the strong.
“That’s enough—you outsiders, leave now!” Village Head Niu shouted, driving them off. “Go across the ice—don’t step into our village!”
Village Head Liu gave Yuan Zhao an apologetic glance before herding his villagers away across the frozen river.
—
After all the commotion, everyone had been left shivering in the cold wind. Yuan Zhao simply invited them all to his home to warm up.
Some had spoken up, others had helped fight or break things up—so they were all welcome.
As soon as they entered the Shi family courtyard, they couldn’t stop marveling at the house—how well it was built, how neat the bricks and tiles were, how pleasing the colors looked.
Seeing guests arrive, Madam Shi quickly came out with Jia Xiaomei to greet them. “Come in and rest. Xiaomei, pour some tea.”
“Yes.”
The villagers were stunned, asking as they walked, “Who’s that? A relative? Why haven’t we seen her before? Could she be a concubine?”
“Really? A concubine? Isn’t she a bit old? With A-Xiang being a scholar, couldn’t he find a better match?”
At the mention of “concubine,” the villagers suddenly found something to chatter about, cracking seeds and talking over one another until Madam Shi could barely get a word in.
She quickly smiled and explained, “She’s just here to help with work. Don’t say such things—what about the girl’s reputation?”
“So she’s just a servant?”
“That’s normal. A-Xiang is a scholar—of course he’d have someone to serve him!”
“Exactly! Your family is really doing well. My child is still idling at home—can’t even find work!”
Before Madam Shi could respond, Jia Xiaomei returned with tea. Setting it down, she said with a smile, “Aunties, have some tea. It’s hot—drink slowly.”
“Ah, alright!”
“This servant is quite capable.”
Villagers were like this—once they believed someone was beneath them, they became sharper-tongued, eager to assert themselves.
Madam Shi gently defended her a few times, lest they think the Shi family was easy to bully.
Gratitude was one thing—respect was another.
Soon, the hall floor was covered in melon seed shells, with dried fruit pits scattered everywhere.
“We should get going. We’ve practically eaten our fill here—how embarrassing! I’ll come earlier when visiting tomorrow!”
“Sister Zhang, we’ll visit often from now on. You should come to our place too—don’t be shy!”
“These snacks are really good, but the candied fruit—Zhao-ge’er bought that, right? Young people don’t know how to manage money. As a mother-in-law, you should step in more.”
Amid the laughter, that remark stood out sharply.
Yuan Zhao had been standing to the side the whole time, smiling politely. He had barely eaten anything, yet still got criticized out of nowhere. His eyes widened in shock.
“I bought the candied fruit,” Shi Wuxiang said immediately, his gaze settling on the woman. “Do you not find it tasty, Auntie?”
The woman gave an awkward laugh. “Oh, you bought it? Well, no wonder—it’s delicious, truly delicious!”
“If it’s so delicious,” Shi Wuxiang frowned at her, asking with complete sincerity, “then why couldn’t you keep your mouth shut like everyone else?”
The words were blunt, shocking even Madam Shi, who immediately smacked his arm twice in alarm.
The woman stood there frozen for a moment before finally realizing—he was mocking her for talking too much.
She would be lying if she said she wasn’t angry. But with the troublemakers from Xiahe Village already taken away, even if she had all the courage in the world, she didn’t dare talk back now. She forced an awkward laugh, clutched her handful of melon seeds, and hurried off.
The other women couldn’t help but snicker. They offered a few words of comfort to the Shi family, exchanged farewells, and left with their children.
“You—you!” Yuan Zhao walked over and punched Shi Wuxiang lightly on the arm. “If you talk like that, that auntie will be upset… although I don’t even remember which family she’s from…”
“She spoke like that about you. Were you happy?” Shi Wuxiang asked.
“Well… a little unhappy,” Yuan Zhao admitted honestly, even holding up his thumb and index finger to show just how small that “little” was.
Shi Wuxiang chuckled softly. “Then why care about her feelings? Since when do unrelated people matter more than yourself?”
Yuan Zhao blinked a few times. That actually made a lot of sense!
After comforting him, Shi Wuxiang glanced at Madam Shi. “Why did you hit me just now?”
“For that mouth of yours that loves to talk nonsense,” she scolded, shooting him a glare. “Don’t speak recklessly when there are villagers around.”
“This is what’s troublesome about village life,” Shi Wuxiang said lightly. “Back in town, everyone kept to themselves behind closed doors. There weren’t people constantly gossiping like this.”
Madam Shi sighed softly. But given their current situation, they really had no choice but to stay in the village. It wasn’t easy to establish oneself in town.
Just like before—back then, their family had been considered respectable in town, yet they had still fallen from grace overnight. Nothing in life was easy. But studying and earning official rank was different—either you could do it, or you couldn’t.
Jia Xiaomei began cleaning the main hall.
Yuan Zhao went to check on Yuan Ge’er. The little one had been frightened; Ranran said he had been sleeping ever since coming back.
Yuan Zhao reached out and touched his forehead. It was slightly warm—from sleeping on the heated kang.
The tip of his nose and the corners of his eyes were still red. He had clearly been crying.
That redness made Yuan Zhao’s chest ache. Shi Wuxiang had been right—apologies were useless. Only when they were punished and felt pain would it truly count as retribution.
“Mother…” a soft, childish voice murmured.
Yuan Zhao’s eyes immediately filled with tears. Yuan Ge’er had never met their parents, yet he still longed for them.
“Good baby, eat well, grow big and strong…”
Yuan Zhao softly recited the little rhyme their mother used to sing, gently patting Yuan Ge’er’s fragile shoulder—while his own shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Quiet sobs filled the room.
Shi Wuxiang stood silently outside. It occurred to him that Yuan Zhao rarely cried in front of them. The few times he had were just small quarrels.
This was the first time he had cried like this—so heartbreaking to hear.
Shi Wuxiang stepped back a few paces, then deliberately made some noise as he returned, knocking lightly on the door.
“Yuan Zhao, are you inside?”
Inside, Yuan Zhao hurriedly wiped his tears. After taking a few deep breaths, he patted his face, rubbed his eyes hard, and opened the door.
“…What’s wrong with your eyes? Did something get in them?” Shi Wuxiang asked.
“Maybe… they just feel a little scratchy,” Yuan Zhao replied hoarsely.
“Don’t rub them. Want me to blow on them?”
Yuan Zhao quickly let go and blinked hard a few times. “Oh—it’s fine now! Doesn’t hurt anymore!”
Shi Wuxiang snorted softly. “Alright. Come out with me.”
“Okay.” Yuan Zhao didn’t even ask why. He immediately straightened his clothes, brushing off dust as he complained, “It’s all their fault. My new clothes are dirty now—so annoying…”
“Don’t be annoyed. I’ll take you to eat something fresh tonight,” Shi Wuxiang said. “For now, let’s go pick up the pot.”
Yuan Zhao thought it was just another pot like the ones at home. As he followed along, he asked, “Why did you make another pot? Are we going to town to get it? We’ll need the cart, otherwise we’ll have to pay for a ride.”
“My mistake,” Shi Wuxiang said suddenly. “Brother Dasen brought back a copper pot from town. He said people use this kind for boiling meat. I thought we could borrow it and return it tomorrow.”
“Oh! Then is it good? How do you eat it?” Yuan Zhao swallowed, intrigued by something so new.
“It’s good. Slice the meat thin, swish it in the broth until it cooks, then dip it in sauce. You’ll like it.”
“Wow…” Yuan Zhao smacked his lips. Scholars really did know a lot!
—
Niu Dasen had gone through quite some trouble to get that pot. It was rare even in the county town.
But he lent it to Shi Wuxiang without hesitation. Good things were meant to be shared with those who appreciated them.
After thanking him, they brought the pot home. Once it was cleaned, Shi Wuxiang began preparing dinner.
His knife skills weren’t great, so slicing the meat thin was left to Madam Shi. With so many mouths to feed, they needed plenty—otherwise it wouldn’t even be enough for Shi Qingyue alone.
Yuan Zhao and the others helped wash and chop vegetables. Before long, the kitchen was filled with plates of meat and greens.
“I want to nap a bit more. Wake me when it’s time to eat,” Shi Qingyue said suddenly.
“Don’t torture yourself. Just hold on,” Shi Wuxiang chuckled, carrying the food into the main hall. “It’ll be ready soon. This is best eaten at sunset.”
As the sky darkened and the moon rose above the treetops, the hot pot began to boil.
Everyone had their own bowl of dipping sauce, each prepared differently.
Yuan Zhao found it all fascinating. He swished slice after slice of meat in the broth, pulling them out as soon as they changed color and piling them onto Yuan Ge’er’s plate—only starting to eat himself once the plate was heaped high.
“Eat more vegetables,” Shi Wuxiang said, placing a slice of cooked potato into his bowl. “It’s soft already—if you don’t take it now, it’ll fall apart.”
“Okay, okay…” Yuan Zhao said between mouthfuls.
Though it was the coldest time of winter, everyone in the room ended up sweating. Steam filled the air, turning their faces red.
Shi Wuxiang took a small drink, but this time guarded the wine carefully, not letting Yuan Zhao sneak any—he couldn’t handle another night of chaos.
“So good… the ‘mo-mo eggs’ are so good,” Yuan Zhao said, chewing on a piece of potato. “Delicious.”
“You… like these ‘mo-mo eggs’?” Shi Wuxiang winced at the name.
Yuan Zhao looked at him, puzzled. “They’re soft and tender—of course they’re good! Back when the Yuan family wouldn’t feed us, we’d pick up discarded ones from the fields and roast them over a fire. They were so good!”
Without another word, Shi Wuxiang scooped all the potato slices from the pot into bowls for him and Yuan Ge’er.
Shi Qingyue shot Madam Shi a look, and she couldn’t help but laugh, adding more food to Shi Qingyue and Shi Qingran’s bowls.
These younger brothers—always getting jealous of a couple’s affection.
—
After cleaning up the dishes, everyone returned to their rooms. Yuan Zhao collapsed onto a chair, head tilted back.
“I’m so sleepy… did someone drug me?” he mumbled, shooting Shi Wuxiang a suspicious glance. “Why are you fine?”
“You’ve got carbon monoxide dizziness,” Shi Wuxiang said gently.
“Carbon? I didn’t smell any… why would I—”
“…Just stay dizzy.”