His third and fifth great uncles nodded their head, “Of course, your studies come first. In that case, you and your wife should move to Feng Ye Village and live there peacefully. Then that’s settled!”
Miao Chu He sighed in relief after hearing those words.
To the villagers in Feng Ye Village, a new Master Juren wanting to build a home there was something to be proud of. Why would they not be when the Master Juren chose them out of so many places?
To be honest, Miao Chu He was only using that as an excuse. He randomly chose a quiet and peaceful piece of land in Feng Ye Village and started the planning and construction. The couple had moved into the Lu Family’s home while their house was yet to be completed.
When Madame Xia found out about it, it was already late at night. Both mother and daughter-in-law were anxious and angry as they rushed to their third great uncle’s house in a mess. There, they begged for forgiveness in place of Miao Tian Bao while devastated over the loss of their money and properties to the clan.
Their third great uncle was expecting them. Before they had a chance to speak, he scolded them with all his might. He berated Madame Xia for not educating her son and bringing him up into such disappointment; he also chastised Madame Zhao for not being a good wife as she never advised her husband on how to behave and act morally.
Both of them thought that they were being scolded unfairly. As such, their third great uncle smirked in response and demanded his youngest daughter-in-law to narrate what had happened while they were gone.
After that, they were shocked and petrified.
Although they were upset over the loss of the riches, they were also very distressed because of Miao Tian Bao. It would not be enough if he were punished by the rules of the clan for what he had said.
They dropped to their knees and begged for mercy. They begged their third great uncle to spare Miao Tian Bao from the punishments.
To be honest, their third great uncle could not do much to Miao Tian Bao. His mother and wife had come begging for forgiveness and promised that they would never disturb anyone or cause more trouble again. Since the dust had settled, their third great uncle decided to let it go this time.
Meanwhile, Miao Tian Bao had been cast away in the dark and damp wing-room. His anger had subsided after half a day of confinement, and he had long started to feel afraid.
His punishment had served as a strict warning which stripped him of his arrogance. His face was now pale from the fear of being locked in a dingy, dark room.
Their third great uncle did not argue further with them and left with a huff. The mother, son, and daughter-in-law kept thanking him as they watched him leave.
“Miao Chu He! That unfilial bastard! I never knew that he could be so cruel!” Madame Xia cursed when they arrived back at home.
“Forget it, Mother! Those who are weaker will never win against the strong. Since the milk has already been spilled, what else can we do?” Madame Zhao sighed. She could not understand why her mother-in-law and husband hated her brother-in-law so much, especially when he had never done anything to them. She thought spitefully: It’s all your fault that things turned out this way now!
“After everything has calmed down, maybe we could go and make up with Chu He. I’ll go meet Yu Er and talk to her. Who knows—”
“You treacherous woman! How dare you side with them when you depend on me for your meals and your clothes?” Miao Tian Bao kicked her without letting her finish her sentence.
Madame Zhao shrieked as she fell to the ground. She was in pain as she cried angrily, “Otherwise, you tell me what we can do! Surely, we can’t get the wealth back after he has donated them! Do you think you can snatch it back? You can’t, and you can only back off now! Besides, do you think you can accuse him of being unfilial? Have you not understood that your third great uncle would side with him? If he were unfilial, would he offer to pay for the renovation of the ancestral hall, expenses needed during festivals, and money needed to care for the elderly? That’s fundamentally not possible!”
Filial piety to the ancestors was the most important. Since Madame Xia and the two of them were not starving from poverty, it would be impossible to accuse Miao Chu He of being unfilial. However, it would be more difficult to blame him for anything else.
“Shut up! Oh, we’re all stupid, and you’re the smartest, huh? Well, have you gone to school before? Are you very sensible now? Besides, did you become a Master Juren who wanted to teach me a lesson? Bloody woman! Get lost and make us something to eat! I’m hungry!” Miao Tian Bao snapped at her.
Madame Xia unceremoniously glared at her and added, “Haven’t you heard him? Do you want to starve your husband? Go cook something!” Damn it! Why must she be so honest? The truth hurts, and how could she not understand that? She brought this upon herself for pushing it!
Madame Zhao trembled, afraid of confronting the mother and son duo. She sniffled and softly responded with an “okay” before getting onto her feet. With a heavy heart, she retreated to the kitchen to prepare something for her husband. Why did she marry a man like him, and why was her mother-in-law a woman like her? How can she continue living the rest of her life in this house?
While Miao Tian Bao was forced to admit his guilt to his third great uncle, he was indignant. So, he went around complaining to everyone about how Miao Chu He had never cared for him, and how he was not a real brother to him. Soon, some people began to feel bad for him.
Thus, his gang of friends came up with an idea for him, telling him that he could become rich under his brother’s name. After all, he was Miao Chu He’s biological brother, who would dare to turn him away? Who would have the guts to confront him? If anything did happen, would Miao Chu He dare to ignore him?
Miao Tian Bao’s eyes lit up brilliantly. Then he brought a few no-good friends along with him to bully others.
Of course, he did not dare to cause more trouble at the Miao Family’s Village, but the other villages were not so lucky.
Apparently, everything turned out the way they expected it to. Bearing his brother’s name, he conned and tricked people, asked for money, furniture, poultry, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc. No one dared to confront him. They endured his behaviour and watched their belongings disappear. Otherwise, they would suffer more if the Master Juren complained about them to the county magistrate.
When Miao Tian Bao had a taste of the sweet life, he began to be more arrogant. Once, he saw a thin and beautiful girl at Bai He Village. He suddenly felt lustful and tried to take advantage of her. That girl escaped, but Miao Tian Bao got furious for being humiliated. He and his friends followed her home, forcing her parents to make her his mistress.
The girl’s family was shocked, angry, yet afraid. They did not dare to talk him out of it, so they had the girl escape the house to get help. Coincidentally, she was already engaged to a young hunter in the village. The hunter was a strong and energetic young man. When he heard his fiancée was being humiliated, he was filled with rage. He brought a few brothers of the same physique and rushed to his fiancée’s house to fight off Miao Tian Bao and his friends.
Everything had gone so out of hand that they could not hide the matter from their third great uncle and the others anymore. Just as they got wind of Miao Tian Bao’s antics, he was outraged and sent someone to fetch Miao Chu He.
Miao Chu He was shocked and frustrated at the same time as he trembled in anger. If word got out that he was silently supporting his brother’s wrongdoings, his reputation would be ruined!
He quickly decided to give a personal apology to the girl’s family and the hunter, giving them money as compensation. He also asked them not to spread the word of what had happened. He decided that he would compensate anyone who was bullied by Miao Tian Bao if they came to him and explained what happened. The news spread and with the girl’s family and the hunter as proof, everyone flocked to Miao Chu He asking for compensation. He had no choice but to pay everyone with what they had lost. With everyone satisfied, it was a close call as nothing went out of hand.
As for Miao Tian Bao, the elders could not tolerate him any further.
As the head of household and his elder brother, Miao Chu He handed the duty of dealing with Miao Tian Bao to the clan elders. He must be taught and disciplined, as they wanted him to turn over a new leaf and start again as a proper gentleman.
However, that was just an excuse. The truth was that Miao Tian Bao had been placed under house arrest indefinitely.
To Madame Xia and her daughter-in-law, the bad news came out of the blue. She lost her arrogance as she succumbed to a crying mess, begging their third great uncle to show mercy for Miao Tian Bao.
At that moment, their third great uncle sentenced her under house arrest as well because he couldn’t care less about her pleas. He blatantly scolded her and ordered his men to chase her out of his house.
They brought this upon themselves, so they should not blame him for it. He could not believe that Madame Xia and her daughter-in-law knew nothing about all the immoral antics that Miao Tian Bao had done. Perhaps they secretly supported him as they could have a share of the things that he had taken. They should have known that if that useless scoundrel ruined Miao Chu He’s reputation, it would bring dishonor to the entire Miao Family’s Village. They probably couldn’t care less, but he did!
If anyone dared to mess with the Miao Family’s Village, he would never let them leave unscathed.
Madame Xia and Madame Zhao were in despair when they got home, crying their eyes out. Madame Xia also cursed and swore at Miao Chu He.
As for Madame Zhao, she was fine after a couple of days of despair. She had secretly contacted her family in the meantime, and she calmly broke the news to her mother-in-law: She wanted a divorce.
Madame Xia was stunned as she stomped her feet and scolded Madame Zhao.
It did not distress Madame Zhao as she calmly recounted Miao Tian Bao’s every action. She was too good for a man like him. As a wife, why was it unreasonable to ask for a divorce? If Madame Xia agreed to it, they could part in peace. If she forbade the divorce, the Zhao Family’s men would come and settle it out with the Miao Family’s elders.
It left Madame Xia no choice but to sign the divorce certificate after an episode of a furious outburst. Madame Zhao carefully kept the divorce certificate and left on the next day when her family came to retrieve the marriage dowry.
As she looked at her empty house, Madame Xia was furious, and the flame of vengeance engulfed her heart like the venom of a snake spreading across her veins. How could she not hate this place? She thought of the time when she first came to the Miao Family through a wedding ceremony. She truly wanted to make this place her home and spend the rest of her life with her husband in peace. Therefore, just like every other stepmother elsewhere, she hated Miao Cui Lan and Miao Chu He from the very first day. That was because they were not part of her family. They were “outsiders”. The only way to make her feel at ease would be to get rid of them.
However, she did not expect that ever since her husband disowned Miao Cui Lan after escaping from her family, everything spiralled out of control.
