Chapter 8, Qiao Zheng.

Early this morning, Widow Chen came to look for Miss Yu, and they went up the mountain together to catch mountain chickens.

啊 ?

Mr. Wang is getting older this year. His son passed away early, before getting married. Now, only Mr. Wang is left alone. Since he lives close to the Xiao family, he obtained a few plots of land from them. He relies on farming to support himself.

"What about me?" Yuniang was somewhat surprised. In ancient times, the social status of women was very low. As mentioned earlier, they had to obey their parents at home, listen to their husbands after marriage, and if their husbands passed away, they had to listen to their sons. If they didn't have any sons, they had to listen to their husband's family. When would they be able to make decisions for themselves?

Hearing Xiao Mo's words, Qiao Zheng also fell silent.

As Xiao Mo needs to nourish his body and there are no chickens at home, Yu Niang thought of following Chen Guafu to the mountain to catch some wild chickens. If there are no wild chickens, other mountain delicacies will do.

After Meng Qiuxiang finished speaking, Lin Chong and several elderly people sighed and shook their heads. The situation of the Xiao family, although many families in Changle Town have experienced it, there are indeed very few loyal and righteous people like Yuniang!

Because Wang Lao-tou is a farmer of the Xiao family, he called Yu Niang "Madam".

After understanding Xiao Mo's meaning, Xiao Dingshan also spoke up. He touched his beard and said, "Xiao Mo is right. It is indeed up to him to have the final say now. If what he says doesn't count, then there's still me!"

Although the Xiao family has slowly declined now, the prestige of the older generation of the Xiao family is not something these elders will forget.

There was a sudden shock in everyone's heart. Seeing that Yuniang had no intention of dodging, it was already too late to offer help. At this moment, someone shouted, "Stop!"

At this moment, an elderly man stood up and asked Yuniang, "Yuniang, where did you go? You didn't inform anyone before leaving, causing everyone to worry!"

After Yu Niang finished speaking, Meng Qiu Xiang also fell silent, her heart in a state of indecision, unsure of what to do. At this moment, several people entered through the main gate, Yu Niang's father Qiao Zheng and Yu Niang's older brother, Qiao Wenxuan.

Although there are only two people in the Xiao family now, Meng Qiuxiang and Xiao Mo, it should be said that Xiao Mo listens to Meng Qiuxiang. However, as the ancient saying goes, "At home, one follows their father; after marriage, one follows their husband; after the husband's death, one follows their son." Therefore, Xiao Mo says that he is the one in charge of the current Xiao family, and he is not wrong!

According to Xiao Mo's intention, he is determined to stay with Yu Niang!

Yu Niang and Widow Chen were walking in the town when they were soon blocked by someone. Yu Niang took a closer look and found it was Mr. Wang, who lived opposite the Xiao family.

After Qiao Zheng finished speaking, he went around to the back of Meng Qiuxiang and tried to grab Yuniang. Yuniang didn't dare to run away, so she stood still and let Qiao Zheng's stool hit her head.

The old man's surname is Xiao, his given name is Dingshan. He is the cousin of Xiao Mo, and also distantly related to the Xiao family. He is considered an elder in Changle Town. His son, like Xiao Hao, the elder brother of Xiao Mo, has not returned after joining the army and heading north. Now, there are only Xiao Dingshan and his old partner at home. However, Xiao Dingshan is considered a wealthy family in Changle Town. With the government's relief and their good health, they are not worried about their livelihood.

The Xiao family was already left with only widows and orphans. Now that Xiao Mo's condition has improved slightly, if they were to continue with the lawsuit at this time, where would they have a way out?

Xiao Mo leaned against the side door of the front hall. Although he managed to climb out of bed, his body still felt a bit weak. He nodded to Yu Niang and then said to Qiao Zheng, "Uncle Qiao, please speak your mind. After all, Yu Niang is still a member of the Xiao family. I hope you will show mercy for the sake of my late father. "

"What's wrong?" Yuniang asked, holding a mountain chicken and a gray rabbit in her hands, looking puzzled.

Yu Niang shook her head again, Qiao Zheng was furious and said, "Alright, today I will kill this beast of yours!"

However, after all, Yuniang stayed in the Xiao family for three years, always being very modest, and taking good care of Xiao Mo's mother and son wholeheartedly. She even sacrificed her dowry for the Xiao family. Meng Qiuxiang also witnessed all of this.

Upon seeing that Yu Niang had returned, Meng Qiuxiang widened her eyes, stopped crying, and a look of joy appeared on her face. However, she immediately turned her head away.

After entering the door, I saw Lin Chong, the head of the Xiao family, sitting in the front hall. There was a middle-aged man sitting beside him, with a dignified expression. In addition, there were several old uncles from the town, all of whom were well-known elders in Changle Town. After hearing about Yuniang's disappearance, they all came to the Xiao family.

After entering the door, seeing Yuniang kneeling in front of Meng Qiuxiang crying, Qiao Zheng couldn't help but turn pale and was about to lose his temper. Fortunately, Lin Chong noticed Qiao Zheng's unfavorable complexion and stood up in time, shouting, "Bo Jun!"

Zi Heng...

Yu Niang quickly bypassed Old Wang and ran towards home.

As Xiao Mo finished speaking, everyone's attention turned to Yu Niang.

After seeing Yuniang, Mr. Wang anxiously said, "Madam, you finally came back!"

Qiao Wenxuan is in his early twenties this year. He got married at the age of sixteen to Mrs. Wang. They have a son and a daughter. The older one is three years old, while the younger one is still in infancy.

This is also because the Xiao family is a scholarly family in Changle Town, which is why the incident caught the attention of these people.

Qiao's face turned black, he casually grabbed the chair next to him, and was about to attack Yuniang. Fortunately, Qiao Wenxuan stopped Qiao, and Qiao gave Qiao Wenxuan a glare, saying, "Get lost!"

Upon hearing the question, Yuniang replied, "I went into the mountains early this morning with Sister Chen and caught some mountain delicacies. I wanted to use them to nourish Uncle's body..."

Upon hearing the command to stop, Qiao Zheng actually stopped, his hand holding the chair frozen in mid-air. He was surprised to see that the person who spoke was none other than Xiao Mo, who had been bedridden all this time!

Where did Yuniang go?

Yuniang's heart is indeed a bit bitter. Originally, she thought that after Xiaomo woke up, she would finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. But she didn't expect that after Xiaomo woke up, her heart would be immediately captivated by Hu Yunxue. The hope of passing on her own thoughts and expectations of becoming Xiaomo's wife is now diminishing.

As a distant relative of the Xiao family and also an elder, Xiao Dingshan is certainly qualified to say such things.

Bo Jun is Qiao Zheng's pseudonym. After hearing Lin Chong's words, Qiao Zheng nodded at Lin Chong. Lin Chong is the local magistrate of Changle Town and also the god of wealth in Changle Town. Qiao Zheng is a businessman and often interacts with Lin Chong. The relationship between the two families is also good. With Lin Chong's support, Qiao Zheng's temper is not as bad as before. He snorted angrily, pulled Yu Niang's clothes, and said, "Let's go, come back with me!"

As for the following words, Yuniang's voice was very soft, and she didn't dare to look up.

After Xiao Mo appeared, Qiao Zheng was first surprised, and then he heard Yu Niang calling Xiao Mo Zi Heng. A trace of seriousness flashed in his eyes. Now, hearing Xiao Mo's words, he sneered and pointed at Meng Qiu Xiang, saying, "Zi Heng, it's not that I don't reason with you. Of course, I know what you just said. But Zi Heng has been bedridden for three years, and many things have happened during this time. I'm afraid Zi Heng doesn't know either. As for Yu Niang's matter, my sister-in-law and I have discussed it a long time ago. My sister-in-law's intention is that Yu Niang can leave the Xiao family. If you don't believe it, you can ask your mother!"

When Yuniang entered the room, Lin Chong was comforting Meng Qiuxiang, who had fallen onto a chair, tears streaming down her face as she murmured, "What are we going to do? How can my son and I live in the future?"

Upon hearing Xiao Dingshan's words, Qiao Zheng asked, "Then please tell me, what should we do about Miss Yu's situation?"

Upon hearing Meng Qiuxiang's words, Yuniang's heart felt a pang of sadness and tears began to fall. She quickly ran to Meng Qiuxiang and knelt down before her, saying, "Mother, Yuniang has returned. It was my fault for not informing you before leaving!"

Xiao Mo said, "Of course, she is still a member of the Xiao family. Unless Miss Yu voluntarily leaves the Xiao family and goes back with you, I cannot force my nephew to follow you. Therefore, we still need to ask Miss Yu herself!"

In that case, if Yuniang were to leave the Xiao family, she would probably have no choice but to marry someone as a concubine, so Yuniang is extremely unwilling to leave the Xiao family.

You, of course, include Xiao Mo as well.

After taking a glance at Meng Qiuxiang, Xiao Mo didn't need to ask. He knew what Meng Qiuxiang meant at noon. Therefore, he must have talked to Qiao Zheng before about returning Yu Niang's innocence and letting her leave the Xiao family. Xiao Mo said, "Yes, my mother did say that before, but Uncle should know that the current Xiao family is under my control, right?"

So early in the morning, Yuniang and Widow Chen went into the mountains. By the afternoon, the two women had not gained much, only two mountain chickens. After discussing it together, Widow Chen and Yuniang felt that it was not easy to go into the mountains once, and now it was early spring, and the poisonous snakes in the mountains had not yet come out. It was a good time for hunting, so they wanted to catch more mountain treasures to take back.

Hearing Yuniang's crying, Meng Qiuxiang couldn't bear it in her heart. But this time, she was really scared by Yuniang. If Yuniang still hasn't returned now, when the Qiao family comes, Meng Qiuxiang is afraid that she won't be able to explain clearly. If Yuniang really disappeared at the Xiao family, the Qiao family might even report it to the authorities.

Mr. Wang said, "Madam, please hurry back home. The old lady is extremely worried. Even the village chief has come to your house. Many villagers thought you had gone missing, and they are currently discussing how to find you!"

Of course, if Yuniang comes from a royal background, with a body like that of a golden branch and jade leaves, then that's another matter!

Upon hearing Meng Qiuxiang's softened tone, Yuniang quickly said, "Mother, Yuniang is not afraid of hardship. Yuniang has said that in this life, she is a member of the Xiao family. Even in death, she will be a ghost of the Xiao family. Mother, Yuniang doesn't want to leave, she doesn't want to leave you all!"

Meng Qiuxiang snorted and said, "Taking care of your body, isn't your own body not a body anymore? As a girl, if you go to the mountains, what if something happens..."

Yu Niang broke free from Qiao Zheng, ran behind Meng Qiuxiang, huddled and shook her head, unwilling to go back with Qiao Zheng, but also afraid to speak out.

Until evening, Yuniang and Widow Chen stumbled upon a rabbit hole by accident and caught two gray rabbits. Only then were they satisfied and went down the mountain, but it was almost night time.

However, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, one cannot give up!

Qiao Wenxuan lowered his head and let go of his hand, Qiao Zheng pointed at Yuniang and said, "Beast, are you leaving or not?"

Upon hearing Meng Qiuxiang's words, Yuniang widened her eyes and burst into tears. She clung to Meng Qiuxiang's legs and cried, saying, "Mother, where did Yuniang go wrong? If you tell me, Yuniang will correct it. But please don't make me go back with Father..."

Uncle... Upon seeing Xiao Mo getting up from the bed, Yu Niang promptly stopped Qiao Zheng from causing harm to herself. She shouted out, but halfway through, she changed her words.

At this point, Meng Qiuxiang sighed and softened her tone towards Yuniang: "Child, our Xiao family has let you down over the years. After your husband and you paid respects to heaven and earth, he went to serve in the military and never returned, not even his body. Your uncle has been sick since then, and you have been managing the family all this time. Why do you have to suffer like this?"

The following words are somewhat ominous. Meng Qiuxiang did not say them out loud. She paused for a moment and then said, "Your father will be here soon. This time, you should go back with him. Our Xiao family can no longer keep you here!"

Because Yuniang knows that if she leaves the Xiao family like this, the unknown fate awaits her. In this era, widows who want to remarry are only sought after by men who have lost their wives or are seeking a second marriage.