Chapter 254: Exposé at the scene

Zhang Shen sternly refused, and indeed the scene quieted down.

However, it lasted only a moment, and then, like a beehive buzzing, it exploded.

People simply stopped queuing, rushing to crowd in front of Zhang Shen, all talking at once to recommend themselves:

"I heard your daughter is no longer young; a man should marry when grown, a woman should wed when grown—if you don't see for yourself, how can you know she's not suitable?"

"My second son is sixteen this year, already taller than me; the whole village praises his handsome looks, comparable to the wealth-bringing boy in New Year paintings!"

"My little son is a praised farming expert; once he marries into your family, he'll manage the workers in the fields, and your daughter can then fully enjoy leisure at home!"

"When talking about marriage, you can't just look at the present! Our family line must also be passed on; the fortune-teller said my dark-skinned son has prosperous descendants, and he will surely make the Gu Clan's sole sprout branch out, filling the house with children!"

"I have three sons and ten nephews! If the Gu Clan's young lady takes a liking to one, bringing him back as a child groom would be fine! Raised from childhood, they'll be obedient and well-behaved, and when grown they'll be of one heart with their wife!"

……

Gu Xixi's face slowly darkened.

He Jinglan sighed in admiration, "Besides, they're quite good at finding advantages, each with their own angle."

Shitou nodded with a complex expression, "Without some distinctive trait, it's hard to stand out."

The two stood together, gazing outside in the same posture, and simultaneously sighed.

He Jinglan said, "Indeed, fierce competition best brings out people's potential."

Shitou nodded again, "I definitely couldn't come up with so many tricks."

At this point, Zhang Shen had exhausted all good and bad words, and was already somewhat weary of dealing with them.

Most of those who came to propose were still polite, but some, impatient, began to speak rudely:

"Hey, big sister, you're just a servant helping out—can you really make decisions for the master? Or should you call your daughter out; maybe she herself would be willing!"

Zhang Shen's face sank, and she bluntly retorted, "Even if I am a servant of this household, what are you?"

"I've never seen a wealthy family that would cram their son into another's house by force."

The crowd laughed.

Although those present didn't know each other, everyone knew who everyone was.

If life weren't so tight, who would rush to send their son to become a son-in-law?

Zhang Shen lifted her face and continued, "Besides, do you know my daughter's willingness better than I do? You're like a maggot in a latrine that's become a spirit—after eating a few mouthfuls of filth, you think you know what's in people's hearts!"

The speaker was a woman wearing coarse brown hemp clothing.

Amidst the laughter, her face flushed red; she huffed and puffed for a while before squeezing out: "You, you—what are you proud of? You're just relying on others' power!"

In the courtyard, He Jinglan and Shitou rolled up their sleeves with fierce looks, already assuming a fighting stance.

If Zhang Shen couldn't outshout that shrew, the two would immediately step in!

All that was heard was Gu Xixi's cold laugh: "One after another, never ending, huh."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was unmistakably gritting her teeth.

When the two beside turned to look, Gu Xixi had already stepped out, walking swiftly.

Shitou followed, waving at He Jinglan, "Jing Lan sister, let's go too!"

Just now, Zhang Shen hadn't let them interfere, fearing it would cause more trouble if they got involved.

But those people were relentless.

Seeing that the sky was about to darken, if they didn't speak up now, would they really think the Gu Xixi household had no one?

Zhang Shen pointed at the brown-clad woman's nose, "Filthy-mouthed hag! Who are you calling a dog?"

"Everyone who comes to propose brings some joy; as long as it's not excessive, I think there's no need to make things ugly. So I try to be polite to everyone."

"Yet you actually treat yourself as a guest?"

"I'll lay it out here today: not to mention becoming a son-in-law, your boy isn't even fit to work for my family as a laborer! If you don't scram, I'll have a broom attend to you!!"

The other proposers would love fewer rivals, and they all clamored.

The brown-clad woman's face felt as if she'd been slapped twice, burning hot.

Her lips were almost bitten bloody; seeing that proposing was hopeless, she ruthlessly decided to openly spill the beans:

"I think it's because your daughter is immoral that you're ashamed to agree to her marriage."

Gu Xixi had just stepped over the threshold when she heard this, and her brows furrowed.

He Jinglan and Shitou, following closely behind, both jumped in fright and hurriedly looked toward Zhang Shen.

Everyone in the household knows how dearly Zhang Shen cherishes Gu Xixi.

Others may scold Zhang Shen, but slandering Gu Xixi truly touches her reverse scale.

Indeed, Zhang Shen's face instantly darkened as if she wanted to devour someone, "Worthless wretch! Shut your mouth, old lady!"

She cursed while rushing to the back of the gate to grab a broom, then began chasing and beating the woman.

"Filth from the latrine, everything in your eyes is dirty! I'll gouge out your rotten eyes right now, then tear that rotten mouth of yours!"

The brown-clad woman hurriedly dodged, but took a blow to the head, pain making her mouth twist, and she shouted even louder:

"Everyone's listening, as the saying goes, paper can't wrap fire! That Mr. Liu who teaches in their village has long had an affair with the Gu Clan's daughter—someone even saw them meeting privately at night!!"

Now even He Jinglan and Shitou were fuming.

Shitou put on a stern face, "Jing Lan sister, you curse her to death first; I'll go get a slingshot."

He Jinglan nodded solemnly. "Rest assured, I always reason with people."

The brown-clad woman had already fled outside the crowd.

Seeing Zhang Shen blocked over there unable to come over for a moment, she turned around and smiled triumphantly.

"The previous son-in-law of the Gu Clan ran away before even formally marrying—why? Surely he discovered the fiancée was cheating with another man and didn't want to wear a green hat for life!!"

"You still want to send your sons to become sons-in-law—not only are you pushing them into a pit of fire, but you must also worry about bringing shame to your ancestors, so that at night the ancestral graves will glow with green light!!"

Zhang Shen, furious, waved the broom in the air, "You lowly hoofed thing, just you wait!"

He Jinglan stepped forward to support Zhang Shen, comfortingly patted her fear, then raised her voice and said, 'Typical of those who can't get meat, they say meat smells bad!'

"If what you say is true, why then do you today shamelessly seek a marriage? You also said, who would deliberately send their own child into a fire pit?"

The woman in brown choked, her speech stammering.

How could He Jinglan give her a chance to speak? She sighed and said, 'Oh, I see, you must have been having an affair with the child's father, giving birth to an illegitimate bastard that cannot see the light!'

"Hmm... or maybe you're a vicious, greedy stepmother, selling your son for betrothal gifts!"

The woman in brown was left speechless, 'I...'

He Jinglan, oblivious to her presence, continued to think, 'Oh right, you must also hate your husband's family to the bone, doing this just to make their ancestral graves glow with green light at night?'

Gu Xixi gave an approving glance, using their own methods against them—very good.

The woman in brown was both anxious and angry, yet unable to retort, her face flushed and she panted.

At that moment, Shitou came running out holding an iron slingshot.

As he aimed, for some reason he turned his head to glance deep into the courtyard, and suddenly he became full of confidence.