Spring scenery in the fields

Chapter 220: Shenjia Village's Past Events 2

After dinner, Shen Yuanshan stayed at home.

Ji Wenhe went out to release the ducks and geese.

When I got outside the village, I ran into Niu Guilan: "Aunt Niu, I'm visiting."

"I went to Zhaojia Village for a walk. If you are busy, I will go back."

"Hey."

Going to Zhaojia Village so early in the morning? Probably to find out something.

I dug some wild vegetables by the river and drove the geese and ducks back home.

In the shed, Miao Zhaodi, Wang Erfeng, Zhou Xiaoyu, Li Chunhong, Lan Qiuhua and a few others were gathered together talking and laughing.

"I just ran into Aunt Niu at the entrance of the village. Did she go to Zhaojia Village and take a look around? Didn't she say anything when she came back?"

Given her personality, it would be impossible for her to hold back and not say it.

Zhou Xiaoyu replied: "I told you that Zhao Sanniang is pregnant, but her parents didn't say they would come over to see her."

"That's right. After all, she is my daughter. If she were far away, it would be understandable for me not to come."

Wang Erfeng sighed.

"Our village is so close to Zhaojia Village, just a few steps away. It's worth a visit to see the baby born after ten months of pregnancy."

Even if they don't love their daughter, they have to save face. This family doesn't even want to save face.

"I think they still think their daughter is embarrassing. I heard from Guilan that Sanniang didn't give her a good face when she returned."

Lan Qiuhua took over the conversation: "How can I show my good face when I go back? I live in the woodshed at home and don't even have a decent bed."

"She has only been home for two days, and she is already looking for someone to arrange a marriage for her. She can't wait to marry her off."

Ji Wenhe walked across the wasteland and listened to Zhou Xiaoyu again.

"If I were Sanniang, I would never go back to my parents' home in my life, and don't expect me to give them gifts during festivals. If you don't treat me as your own daughter, why would I be nice to you?"

"You can say that, but you can't really do it."

Lan Qiuhua patted the small stool beside him, motioned for Ji Wenhe to sit down, and continued.

"If I really did that, I would be scolded to death by the villagers, and even my children would be disliked by the villagers."

Several people sighed.

"By the way, Aunt Lan, I heard that there used to be an ancestral hall in the village, but it was later burned down. What was the reason?"

"I don't think I've heard of this. When I got married, there was no ancestral hall in the village."

She didn't ask, just thought there was no such thing in the village.

"I know. I heard it from my family."

Several people looked at Miao Zhaodi.

"There was a widow in the village who got together with a bachelor in the village. They were both single, so it shouldn't be a big deal for them to get together."

"The bad thing is that the widow had a grudge against a family. The family had a dog and ate the widow's chickens."

"The widow came to the family, but they refused to acknowledge her. Because of this incident, the two families became enemies and often quarreled and even fought."

"That family bullied the widow again. There was no man in the house. When they saw her talking to a man for a long time, they started to make up stories."

"The widow and the bachelor fell in love with each other, and the other family saw them and said that they were having an affair, so the two families had a fight again."

"The rumors got worse and worse, and the widow couldn't stand it anymore, so she hanged herself."

Ji Wenhe asked: "Then why burn the ancestral hall?"

Li Chunhong guessed: "Because their story was known to the villagers, the elders took them to the ancestral hall, right?"

Miao Zhaodi nodded: "The widow was arrested, and the elders said they would drag her to the pond and drown her. No matter how they explained, they would not listen and locked her up in the ancestral hall."

"Later, the widow hanged herself in the ancestral hall. The bachelor wanted to sneak away with her, but when he arrived at the ancestral hall, he saw her hanging body."

"Afterwards, he buried the widow's body, and in one night he not only burned down the ancestral hall, but also the family's house."

"He destroyed all the vegetable plots and rice seedlings in the paddy fields. The elders decided to drive him out of Shenjia Village."

Ji Wenhe asked again: "Then why was the ancestral hall not completed? Could it be that they were afraid that the widow's ghost would stay in the ancestral hall?"

She nodded and continued, "I heard that on the seventh day, someone in the village went to the toilet at night and saw the widow wandering around the ancestral hall."

"Some people said they heard a widow crying in the middle of the night, saying they were wronged."

"Anyway, there are all kinds of rumors. The villagers believe that the widow's soul is in the ancestral hall. After much discussion among the elders, the ancestral hall has not been rebuilt."

Ji Wenhe felt that the matter was not that simple. The ancestral hall was very important to a family. It was impossible that they would not rebuild the ancestral hall just because they were afraid of an wronged soul.

Based on the revenge ghost movies she had seen, she guessed, "Aunt Miao, did Uncle Zhuan ever tell me that someone in the elder family died inexplicably, or suddenly fell ill, or something like that?"

Miao Zhaodi put down her needle and thread and turned to look in the direction of the village: "Now that you mention it, I seem to remember it."

"He said that there were two elders in good health who were wandering around halfway up the mountain when they suddenly fell and rolled down the hillside."

"Both of these elders thought that the widow had cheated on her and didn't believe what they said."

"That's all I know. I didn't ask any more questions later. I don't know why the ancestral hall was not rebuilt."

Ji Wenhe nodded in understanding, perhaps the bachelor came back pretending to be a ghost to scare them.

He was able to do so many things after her death, it seems that he really loved her.

If they were together, they would probably live happily.

"The family that fabricated the rumor moved away from the village?"

"I don't know. They must have moved away. After the incident, their family was so scared that they dared not go out."

If I continue to stay in the village, I won’t be well received by the villagers.

"I tell you, I felt a lot more relaxed after those old guys died."

Zhou Xiaoyu looked at Wang Erfeng: "Me too."

Seeing Ji Wenhe's puzzled expression, Lan Qiuhua explained: "Your Aunt Wang would quarrel with her father-in-law and mother-in-law, and the elders of the clan would say that she was disrespectful and uneducated."

"Because of this, your Aunt Wang had an argument with the village elders and they almost came to blows."

"Once the fight got really bad, several elders called your great uncle over and told him to divorce your aunt Wang."

"They say that the Shen family cannot tolerate such an uneducated woman, and your uncle must divorce your Aunt Wang."

Wang Erfeng took over the conversation: "I never take the initiative to cause trouble. They were the ones who started it. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I quarreled with her and fought with her."

"An old man even said that I had ruined the reputation of Shenjia Village. Since the ancestral hall is still there, he asked me to kneel in it every day."

"I thought to myself, if anyone dares to make me kneel in the ancestral hall, I will burn it down with fire."

"Your uncle wouldn't dare to divorce me. If he did, his family wouldn't have the money to find another one. If he really divorced me, I would make the entire Shenjia Village restless."

She has a bad temper, but she never causes trouble. As long as others don't provoke her, she will be nice to everyone.

When my father-in-law was alive, he disliked her and said that she controlled men too much and should not let men do laundry and cooking.