CFRSIO Chapter 13

The village chief of Tao Village was so angered by the shameful affair that he fainted at home.

“Old man!”

“Dad!”

The village chief’s wife and Tao Shuda were both terrified. Aside from their fear, the two also felt extremely embarrassed, especially Tao Shuda. He had already reminded Tao Wenyu not to meddle in affairs, but what was the result?

In the end, it was more than just meddling! This was completely dragging the reputation of Tao Village, his own reputation, and He Jun’s reputation through the mud! Did he have to be so impatient!

This incident was disgraceful, and Xinghua Village no longer wanted to be associated with it. When the village chief of Xinghua Village learned of this, he put on a stern face and called away the villagers of Xinghua Village.

He stated directly, “These are people from that village; let their village handle the matter. What does it have to do with Xinghua Village?”

The village chief of Xinghua Village was indeed angry. Xinghua Village relied on the blooming of apricot blossoms every year to make a fortune, and now such a scandalous event had occurred. How would people view Xinghua Village in the future?

With this sentiment, the village chief of Xinghua Village remained indifferent to the matter.

“Yuan’er! My son!” Third Aunt Tao ran over unsteadily.

Her behavior was truly irrational. The clearest thing everyone saw was Tao Wenyu, who was on top of Tao Zhiyuan. Due to their positions at the time, Tao Wenyu’s face was almost facing outward.

Everyone vaguely felt that the other person resembled Tao Tong Sheng from Tao Village.

As a result, whether the messenger was jealous of Tao Zhiyuan’s good fortune or truly ignorant, they definitively declared that Tao Zhiyuan and Tao Wenyu had engaged in misconduct.

This utterly terrified Third Aunt Tao, who viewed her son as her entire world. Third Aunt Tao, being a woman without much complex thought, rushed over in a daze, shouting along the way, which only made the situation more awkward.

As a mother, she could naturally recognize whether it was her son or not.

Upon seeing that it was indeed Tao Zhiyuan and Tao Wenyu, Third Aunt Tao was beside herself with fury. She didn’t care about Tao Zhiyuan’s attitude in this matter; in her eyes, her son was completely blameless.

She rushed forward, grabbed Tao Wenyu, and slapped him across his fair and tender face.

“You slut! How dare you seduce my son! Is my son worthy of someone like you?”

“You worn-out shoe! You trash! My son is destined to become a scholar and an official! Do you think being the village chief’s son is enough?”

Third Aunt Tao continued to curse and strike Tao Wenyu. Tao Wenyu’s clothes were already disheveled from his actions with Tao Zhiyuan, and under this one-sided beating, they became even more tattered. Some of what she said became increasingly inappropriate.

“My son is no ordinary person! Do you think you’re the only one who’s the village chief’s son!”

“My Yuan’er is far nobler than you!”

“Damn slut! Trash! Promiscuous worn-out shoe!”

In the end, it was people called by the village chief of Xinghua Village who separated them. For some reason, the village chief of Xinghua Village returned after learning that Third Aunt Tao had gone over. He then ordered someone to cover Third Aunt Tao’s mouth.

Tao Wenyu’s appearance was peculiar, and he was still somewhat dazed, unable to explain anything.

He appeared extremely disheveled under Third Aunt Tao’s blows, his appearance so disheveled that it was unbearable to look at.

The village chief of Xinghua Village was old enough to be their father; he couldn’t keep staring. Of course, not everyone knew this, and they all had such ethical and moral values in their hearts.

Eyes, both lustful and vile, fell upon Tao Wenyu.

“Tao Shui’s wife! Quickly cover him up!” the village chief of Xinghua Village angrily reprimanded, his angry gaze falling on Third Aunt Tao several times. However, his gaze quickly disappeared, and not many people noticed.

But upon closer inspection, something seemed amiss. When the village chief of Xinghua Village appeared, Third Aunt Tao also displayed an unusual expression, her eyes frequently sweeping towards the village chief of Xinghua Village. Her expression conveyed a sense of grievance.

Then she withdrew her gaze and looked at Tao Wenyu with anger, as if Tao Wenyu had destroyed something extremely precious to her.

Had he ruined Tao Zhiyuan’s future?

Unfortunately, there were many onlookers, and no one noticed.

The village woman who was addressed immediately responded, “Ah… Oh, okay!”

However, she wasn’t very happy. With the incident escalating to this point and Tao Wenyu’s lack of self-control, she didn’t want any association with such a person, as she still had unmarried juniors at home.

So, although she stepped forward obediently, she didn’t intend to use her own clothes. She casually picked up a discarded piece of clothing to cover him, slightly tidying Tao Wenyu’s disheveled robe.

Seeing that there was no benefit to be gained, many men showed expressions of regret.

There were not only a few village women from Tao Village, but also several other villagers. The apricot blossom festival in Xinghua Village was still ongoing, and Tao Village had caused such a scandal; it was no longer appropriate for them to stay.

“Tao Dagang, take the people from Tao Village and escort these two unruly individuals back to Tao Village!”

Third Aunt Tao was still glaring angrily at the unconscious Tao Wenyu on the ground. However, upon hearing the village chief of Xinghua Village’s words, she froze for a moment, as if she couldn’t believe such words would come from anyone.

Tao Dagang also felt ashamed, and since the village chief had personally singled him out, although he was unwilling, he stepped forward with a sour expression.

He couldn’t understand why Tao Wenyu would do something so shameful and disgraceful. He was the village chief’s son, yet he was so shameless.

What would happen to the other unmarried young people in the village!

They escorted the people back, along with the frenzied Third Aunt Tao.

No one noticed that in the crowd, several pairs of eyes were staring at them with unease.

The distance between the two places was not far, but all the villagers of Tao Village had unhappy expressions.

Among the group, only Mother Tao was still looking at her son with heartache, wiping his face with a handkerchief.

Tao Zhiyuan had no idea what had happened. If he had known, he would have died of shame right then and there.

“My son… it’s all Tao Wenyu, that slut!” Mother Tao still believed the fault lay with Tao Wenyu.

Mother Tao’s actions made the Tao villagers, who were already angered by the incident, even more annoyed.

“Third Aunt Tao, there’s no need to cry injustice here. If you ask me, one clap doesn’t make a sound.”

“It’s hard to say whose fault it is.”

“Exactly, exactly. I always thought Brother Yu was well-behaved. It’s hard to say who’s responsible for this!”

“Brother Yu is also the village chief’s child, and recently there have been good marriage proposals. Why would he be so foolish!”

“I think he was wronged by Zhang Qing’an, so he turned his attention to Brother Yu. Speaking of which, Brother Yu is Tong Sheng’s cousin.”

“Oh dear, oh dear, the fate of childhood sweethearts.”

A few women didn’t feel that what they were saying was wrong at all. After speaking with laughter, they burst into a fit of giggles.

As for the men, none of them made any move to help.

This made Third Aunt Tao feel extremely desolate. She became even more enraged and rushed forward, wanting to scratch these heartless gossips and show them her prowess.

However, this incident had now angered the masses. Did anyone not have sons or daughters waiting to be married or wed? Even if they didn’t have sons or daughters waiting to be married or wed, did they have nephews or nieces of marrying age? Yet now, these two had caused such a scandal.

How could they forgive this.

One was the village chief’s child, a Shuang’er praised by everyone in the village.

And the other? He was a Tong Sheng, about to take the imperial examinations, and had been personally recognized by the academy teacher as a scholar capable of becoming a Xiucai or Juren.

While one Shuang’er might not be much, what about a scholar? If Tao Village produced a Xiucai or even a Juren, that would be a great fortune, an honor! It would be like their ancestors’ graves smoking with good fortune!

Now that it had turned out this way, forget about the imperial examinations; the academy would likely have opinions.

“You!” Third Aunt Tao trembled, her face streaked with tears and snot, appearing somewhat deranged. “My son! He’s a Tong Sheng!”

“What right do you have to speak about my son like this! He is no ordinary person!”

“You are just lowly villagers! What right do you have to say such things!”

Third Aunt Tao really…

Successfully angered the crowd once again. Several people directly threw the mother and son by the roadside. The others returned home.

Tao Wenyu, who was taken back, did not receive much better treatment and was directly thrown at the doorstep of his home.

When the village chief’s wife came out to look, everyone was giving her dirty looks. If looks could kill, the village chief’s wife would have been riddled with holes long ago.

“Dagang, thank you for bringing Brother Yu back. That…”

“Forget it,” Tao Dagang interrupted coldly. What was the meaning of having a woman come out now? Did she not intend to provide an explanation?

“We have other matters, so we won’t be staying.”

“Hey! Hey! Dagang! Tao Shui’s wife!” The village chief’s wife called out several times, but no one paid her any attention.

More were people coming out to watch the spectacle. The village chief’s wife had never been watched by so many people before. She felt both angry and ashamed.

Looking at her son lying on the ground, looking at the marks on his body, the village chief’s wife, as a married woman, understood the meaning of those marks. Her heart sank. Brother Yu had indeed been taken advantage of! Then how would he get married in the future?

Tao Shuda refused to help, and the village chief of Tao Village was still unconscious. The village chief’s wife had no choice but to carry the unconscious Tao Wenyu inside by herself.

“My son… Yuan’er!” Mother Tao, a woman, did not have the strength to help Tao Zhiyuan up. She could only cry out as if calling his soul, crying and patting Tao Zhiyuan.

During this time, people passed by. Most of them recognized Tao Zhiyuan and his mother and offered to help, but their words were mostly playful, with little sincerity.

Mother Tao said, “Help me go find Xing…”

She only managed to say half the sentence before swallowing it and then began to rave again, shouting wildly, as if everyone standing in front of her and her son were cunning villains.

“Get lost! All of you get lost!! Hurry up and get lost!! I don’t need your pity, you sluts! Get lost!!”

They couldn’t deny that they were there to watch the fun, but it was also possible that there were kind people who wanted to help. However, their good intentions were met with hostility, and Third Aunt Tao’s reaction truly made them feel that their kindness was being disregarded and treated with contempt, making them feel uncomfortable.

They all left, finding her behavior unbearable.

Lin Yunliang looked at the person who appeared with surprise. “Come in.”

“Why are you here so late at night?” Lin Yunliang said, not showing much curiosity.

After Lin Yunliang and Manager Wang left Xinghua Village, they parted ways. Manager Wang returned to town, and Lin Yunliang returned to Tao Village.

A Quan chuckled, his eyes bright, as if he had discovered a monumental secret and was eager to share it.

“What have you discovered?”

A Quan had a happy and loving family when he was young, but later disaster struck. He fell into hardship and became a small beggar. After being a small beggar for several years, he had developed some skills in judging people and sharp intuition. It was because of this that he intentionally bumped into Lin Yunliang, which led to his current good fortune.

Therefore, during the chaotic situation at the time, when everyone was only focused on the entertainment, A Quan saw something from Third Aunt Tao’s words and reactions. Some thoughts began to form in his mind.

He remembered that Master Lin had said he would temporarily stay in Tao Village and that people should not disturb him unless it was a major issue. Master Lin called this “vacation.”

However, A Quan’s gossiping heart was burning fiercely, making him unbearable, so he scurried over.

Lin Yunliang poured him a cup of water and listened as he recounted his findings.

“You’re saying that Tao Zhiyuan might not be from Tao Village.”

“I don’t know,” A Quan couldn’t explain the feeling, but he had a strange sense.

The interaction between Third Aunt Tao and the village chief of Xinghua Village at the time was minimal. For a small beggar who had learned to read people’s expressions, it was quite obvious.

“I just feel like there’s something not right between them,” A Quan said excitedly. “Master, do you think they might really have something going on?”

“But isn’t Tao Village very insular?”

“This Third Aunt Tao is quite capable, to have kept it hidden for so long and not let anyone discover it.”

“This matter is too far-fetched.”

A Quan had already made up his mind about this matter, so his words were less guarded.

Moreover, as someone who had been with Tao Zhiyuan for a period, A Quan felt that these things didn’t need explanation; it was obvious at a glance that they were true.

Lin Yunliang also wore a smile of amusement on his face. Yes, it was a bit far-fetched. He didn’t believe no one would help.

The insularity of Tao Village was known to everyone in the vicinity. Yet, they allowed someone who was not from their village to use the surname Tao and reside in the village.

Previously, Lin Yunliang had a doubt: why did the village chief of Tao Village disagree with Tao Wenyu being with Tao Zhiyuan?

They were already relatives; what was wrong with strengthening ties through marriage? Besides, Tao Zhiyuan’s talent had been personally recognized by the academy teacher.

Therefore, the possibility of him becoming a Xiucai or Juren in the future was not low. Lin Yunliang had not interacted with the village chief of Tao Village, but he had seen him a few times and could tell he was greedy for wealth and power. Would he abandon such an excellent choice? It didn’t seem to fit his temperament.

Unless, Tao Zhiyuan was not from Tao Village, but the child born to Third Aunt Tao with someone else, which would be a disgrace to Tao Village.

That was why he was rejected by the village chief of Tao Village.

Ah, this matter was becoming quite interesting.

“Go to Xinghua Village and inquire about this. I need concrete evidence.” Such baseless rumors could be useful, but they were far less shocking than genuine evidence.

According to what Lin Yunliang had learned, if a married woman had an affair, it was illegal, and she could even be beaten to death.

If this matter were true, then Tao Zhiyuan’s life would truly be ruined.

As an illegitimate child, the academy would no longer be willing to accept him, and no Xiucai would be willing to vouch for him. He might even have his Tong Sheng title revoked.

Lin Yunliang thought to himself, this is not enough. This is just the beginning. He didn’t think this would be enough to exact revenge—revenge for what Zhang Qing’an had endured.

Even if this matter were not true, he would find a way to make it true. Third Aunt Tao was just a woman; what if she had a Tong Sheng son? Now, she was being shamed by this very son whom she had always prided herself on.

This matter did not affect Zhang Qing’an, at least not yet.

Lin Yunliang had even specially released Siam. He asked Siam to accompany Zhang Qing’an well. As for the hairpin, he still hadn’t sent it.

Before, he felt it wasn’t appropriate, but this time, he felt it was better to deliver it in person.

Yes, he wanted to deliver it in person.

When Tao Zhiyuan woke up, he finally understood what had happened and was completely stunned. His mind couldn’t process it. He understood every word, but when they were put together… he couldn’t process it.

What did it mean that he and Tao Wenyu had an affair? He admitted that he did interact with Tao Wenyu in private, but he was a scholar; he read the books of sages, how could he do such a shameful thing!

Moreover, he clearly remembered that the reason he went to Xinghua Village was because Zhang Qing’an had sent someone to invite him.

The person Zhang Qing’an sent told him that Zhang Qing’an wanted to talk things over with him again and clarify their marriage engagement. Then he would decide whether or not to break off the engagement.

But he couldn’t say this either, and even if he did, no one would believe him.

He had already been seen by many people during his “pleasures” with Tao Wenyu.

“Yuan’er, tell me yourself, what exactly is going on with this matter? You and Tao Wenyu, is it really as they say?” Third Aunt Tao grabbed Tao Zhiyuan’s arm, her expression frantic.

They had been out in the wind all night, and their current conditions were not good.

Tao Zhiyuan felt his head spinning. The sudden events left him unable to recover, feeling dizzy and disoriented. The incessant questioning from Third Aunt Tao in his ears also made his head ache severely.

He fainted outright.

“Yuan’er! My son!!”

“Wake up quickly!”

Tao Zhiyuan’s sudden fainting made Third Aunt Tao panic. As a woman, she didn’t have the strength to carry Tao Zhiyuan. In the end, it was a group of villagers who were not afraid of a commotion who helped carry Tao Zhiyuan to the medical clinic.

Tao Zhiyuan, having endured the wind all night and then suffering a “blow,” directly fainted. The medical clinic had to administer several needles to him to barely wake him up.

However, when he finally woke up, he appeared somewhat dazed.

The medical clinic said that he would recover quickly.

Third Aunt Tao was not wealthy and had relied on others for support over the years. Now, she had no money to pay the medical clinic. Although the clinic wasn’t a charity, they could see Third Aunt Tao’s predicament and were willing to extend credit, but they also required Third Aunt Tao to settle the bill as soon as possible.

Third Aunt Tao had no other option and ended up asking people to carry Tao Zhiyuan to find Zhang Qing’an.

Many fellow villagers felt this behavior was absurd. Her son had recently been involved in such a scandalous affair with someone else, and now she was taking her son to see their future in-laws? This behavior was truly… a bit too shameless.

However, they were also happy to see Zhang Qing’an’s family in distress. Therefore, they were willing to lend a hand.

Lin Yunliang, who heard about this situation at home, almost spat out the water he was drinking.

He wanted to ask Siam if the people in this small world were all so lacking in character. To some extent, it was fortunate that the original body had died, otherwise, this situation would only make outsiders like them feel more ashamed.

The Tao village chief’s family also heard about the situation. The Tao village chief almost fainted again. This woman! Was she an idiot?

Third Aunt Tao’s appearance was as if she was going to seek retribution, which made it even more absurd.

Father Zhang, on the other hand, was calm. Mother Zhang and Zhang Qing’an were somewhat confused. They were unaware of these matters. However, Father Zhang knew. This matter was originally his and Lin Yunliang’s scheme.

Therefore, he was not surprised by this situation.

However, he still underestimated Third Aunt Tao’s shamelessness. This woman had actually come to ask Zhang Qing’an to continue the marriage with Tao Zhiyuan!

She also wanted the Zhang family to take good care of and serve Tao Zhiyuan in the future, and for the Zhang family to buy ginseng immediately to nourish her precious son.