Chapter 59: The Ugly Ger’s Farming Story

This shout did not come from Luo Jiao! It came from a slightly overweight man wearing dark clothes who stood not far behind Qiu Da and Luo Jiao.

“Wi… wife…”

Qiu Da never expected to be caught cheating by his own wife. He knew that adultery was the most intolerable thing! If the village head found out, he couldn’t imagine the consequences. In a panic, he saw Luo Jiao hastily dressing and immediately calmed down. He pointed at Luo Jiao, wearing a righteous and resolute expression.

“It’s this scoundrel who seduced me! I didn’t want to, but he took off his clothes and forced himself on me!” Qiu Da had already dressed himself, while Luo Jiao was still hurriedly putting on his clothes. Seeing Qiu Da shamelessly spouting nonsense, Luo Jiao felt both angry and anxious. He trembled as he reluctantly put on his clothes, his eyes filled with resentment as he stared at Qiu Da, who was denying everything.

“I’m the scoundrel? Qiu Da, you are shameless! Today, neither of us will have a way out. Even if I, Luo Jiao, die, I’ll drag you down with me!”

Qiu Da’s wife listened to the two of them arguing like dogs, biting his lip and shedding tears. He was truly disappointed in Qiu Da.

The next morning, while Li Changfeng and Xu Qing were having breakfast, they received a notification from a half-grown boy in the village. All the villagers were to gather in the village ancestral hall at noon. The village head and several respected elders had something to say.

Xu Qing gave the boy some treats while tentatively asking, “What’s happening? Why the urgency?” Despite being in the village for a while, he had never attended a village meeting before.

The boy holding the snacks he rarely had, also found the “ugly ger” in front of him not ugly at all. In fact, he seemed quite gentle. The boy replied, “According to my Ama, they want to drive out two people who have been disrupting our village’s morals.” After speaking, the boy hopped away happily. He wasn’t originally assigned to deliver the message, but since no one else wanted to go, he volunteered. He grinned as he looked at the snacks in his hand, his mouth watering. What a lucky break!

“Drive them out?”

Xu Qing was unaware of any actions that would disrupt the village’s customs, but he was somewhat surprised by the idea of being driven out of the village. In this time and space, the village was the root of the rural people, and they would only leave the village as a last resort.

Li Changfeng scooped another bowl of hearty bone soup for Xu Qing and carefully blew on it to cool it down. “To preserve the reputation and interests of unmarried gers and children in the village, we have to drive away people who committed some inexplicable things in order to maintain the dignity of the entire village.”

Having a bad reputation meant that even selling vegetables in town could lead to being drowned in spittle.

Xu Qing took the bone soup and looked at Li Changfeng with a half-smile. “You seem to be quite clear about this matter.” Li Changfeng remained silent, only helping Xu Qing with the food.

When Xu Qing and the others arrived calmly at the ancestral hall, it was already crowded. Xie Ama spotted Xu Qing from a distance and squeezed through the crowd to join them. “You’re pregnant, so don’t go inside. Just stay here and listen for a while. After all, it’s all about dirty matters.”

Xie Ama’s tone was filled with disgust, which Xu Qing had never heard from him before. “What exactly is happening?”

“The village head is here. Just listen from here. Don’t join the commotion inside,” Xie Ama said anxiously, intentionally grabbing Xu Qing’s hand, afraid that in his excitement, he would forget that they were two people and try to go inside.

As soon as the village head and several respected elders arrived, the previously chattering crowd fell silent. The village head had a serious expression as he walked back and forth on the platform. “Today, I have gathered everyone here not to talk about something good in our village, but rather an incident that brings shame to the entire village!”

As soon as these clearly spoken words were heard, the people below started to become restless.

Some of them said:

“I heard it’s from the Zhang family!”

“I knew that person was not sincere when they married into our village!”

“That’s right, that’s right!”

The villagers commented, “Tsk tsk, Qiu Da is really something!”

“Yeah, he let such a ger ruin him.”

“Well, it takes two to tango. Both of them are no good!”

“Quiet! Quiet!”

As the voices below grew louder, the village head had no choice but to shout loudly.

“Bring those shameless individuals to me!”

Upon hearing the village head’s words, two strong men from the village brought Luo Jiao and Qiu Da, bound together, and brought them up. The crowd immediately lowered their heads, whispering and murmuring, and soon discussions broke out.

“Ahem, everyone, please be quiet!”

Once there was silence below, the village head continued with a sorrowful expression, “Because of the improper behavior of these two individuals, they have tarnished the long-standing purity and reputation of our village! What about the unmarried young gers of our village in the future? How can they find husbands in other villages?”

“Yes! My son has been in discussions for marriage in recent years!” A plump Ama immediately exclaimed, showing his impatience.

“That’s right! We can’t let them off lightly!”

“No, we can’t!”

Gradually, the villagers began to shout loudly, and the village head felt exhausted. “Quiet! Quiet! Therefore, for the sake of our entire village’s reputation and interests, I and several senior elders have discussed and decided to drive Qiu Da and Luo Jiao out of our village! They will never be allowed to return for eternity!”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Xu Qing listened to the sounds of cheering and sighing from the villagers, and he saw Qiu Da and Luo Jiao being silenced. Qiu Da had an expression of worry and despair, desperately trying to break free from the restraints. He knelt down in front of the village head and the others, repeatedly kowtowing, hoping they would change their decision.

Meanwhile, Luo Jiao sneered at Qiu Da’s behavior, his face numb. He turned his head towards the entrance of the ancestral hall, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Zhang Ming, his husband, had come to see him last night after he was captured. Initially, Zhang Ming didn’t believe that his own wife could commit such acts, but the gruesome reality was now before his eyes.

In the end, Zhang Ming left with a heart full of disappointment, while Qiu Da’s wife handed him a divorce certificate and walked away without even needing his signature. The decision was made after consultation with the elders, and as for Qiu Da’s house and fields, he had to handle them on his own before going to the government office to cancel his household registration.

It was not until Xu Qing and the others were preparing to leave that a haggard-looking Zhang Ming appeared. “That’s Zhang Ming,” Li Changfeng whispered to Xu Qing. Xu Qing glanced at Zhang Ming’s face and remembered him as the person who mocked him on the road with a fat man. He recalled Zhang Ming mentioning a bet with someone from a neighboring village, wagering whether Xu Qing would become more attractive or remain the same after so many years. The fat man had envied Zhang Ming’s wife, saying that he became more handsome as time went on. Unexpectedly, Zhang Ming’s wife turned out to be Luo Jiao.

Step by step, Zhang Ming approached Luo Jiao, who was kneeling on the ground, and stared at him intently for a while. Then he took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and Luo Jiao didn’t lower his head to look. “The divorce certificate, right? Well, you should have divorced me. It’s what you deserved.” Luo Jiao had originally married Zhang Ming based on his family’s decision, and he secretly disliked him, which led him to commit such acts behind his back. However, after last night’s incident was exposed, Luo Jiao realized that Zhang Ming truly cared for him.

Zhang Ming’s eyes were swollen and he could barely open them. Upon hearing Luo Jiao’s self-deprecating words, he tugged at the corner of his mouth. “No, it’s a ¹separation. In the end, I can’t bring myself to write a divorce letter to you. Take care of yourself.” After saying that, he bowed to the village head and the other elders, then left with his exhausted body.

Luo Jiao lowered his head to look at the separation letter, then lifted his gaze to watch Zhang Ming’s receding figure. His heart ached. “I’m sorry, truly sorry.” No matter how many tears he shed now, he couldn’t hold on to this man whom he had hurt so deeply.

Li Changfeng and Xu Qing returned home. Xu Qing’s mood was inexplicably melancholic. “What’s wrong? You seem down,” Li Changfeng poured a bowl of hot water for Xu Qing and asked with concern, seeing his listless appearance.

Xu Qing took a sip of water and sighed. “I didn’t expect Zhang Ming to be so good to Luo Jiao. It ended up like this, and he still can’t bear to issue a divorce letter.”

Just for this reason, Xu Qing completely forgave Zhang Ming for his past rudeness.

“He brought it upon himself. Let’s not think about them. Come on, let’s think about how we’re going to build the house. With fewer chores with the fields these days and more people, we can build it quickly. When it gets cold, you can stay indoors and not go out.”

Xu Qing immediately put aside Luo Jiao’s matter and excitedly gestured with a stick on the ground. “This is what I’m thinking. Let’s build four large tiled houses, a livestock pen, a firewood shed, a large kitchen, and a bathing area!…”

Li Changfeng listened to Xu Qing’s enthusiastic gestures and spoke without a hint of impatience. Even when Xu Qing mentioned planting peach trees in the courtyard, he didn’t immediately voice opposition.

“Plant mulberry trees in the front, willows in the back, and don’t plant ‘ghost-clapping’ in the courtyard.” The term ‘ghost-clapping’ refers to peach trees.

Because peach blossoms, peach branches, and peach fruits are all blood-red in color, evil spirits and monsters are willing to dwell in peach trees. Therefore, rural households dare not plant them in their courtyards. However, people often say, “Peach wood wards off evil,” emphasizing ‘peach wood’ and not ‘peach trees’!

After finishing the discussion about the external structure, Xu Qing started contemplating the interior of the house. He remembered that winters here could bring heavy snowfall. “And there should be a cellar to store plenty of food, as well as a kang in the house!”

“A kang?” Li Changfeng was unfamiliar with the term and had no idea what it meant, but since it had the word “fire” in it, it must mean it provided warmth.

A kang, also known as a heated bed, is a common heating device found in northern dwellings. It was also introduced into the imperial palaces, including the ²Shengjing Imperial Palace. In the palace, there were many fire kangs, and several beds were set up in one room. This arrangement solved the problem of sitting, sleeping, and living, and the large surface area of the kangs emitted heat, maintaining a higher temperature indoors. For example, in the ³Guanju Palace of the eastern wing, there were seven kang beds in one room.

After organizing the words in his mind, Xu Qing sat down and explained to Li Changfeng, “A kang is a brick or stone structure that is typically about 1.7 to 2.3 meters wide and its length can vary depending on the room size. Inside, there are kang walls made of bricks with a flue, and on top, there are relatively flat stone slabs covered with smoothed clay. Once the clay dries, bedding can be laid on top, and it can be used.”

Seeing that Li Changfeng had no further questions on his face, Xu Qing continued, “The kang has a hearth and a chimney. The hearth is used to burn firewood, and the smoke and hot air generated from burning the firewood pass through the kang walls, heating the stone slabs on top and producing warmth. The smoke eventually exits through the chimney. Usually, the hearth of the kang is connected to the cooking stove, allowing the heat from cooking firewood to warm the kang, eliminating the need for a separate fire.”

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Thingyan: Changfeng, you freaking awesome 🥹🥳🙏

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¹ In ancient China, divorce and separation were distinct concepts with different implications.

Divorce, known as “liúhūn” (流婚) or “bàoliú” (抱流), referred to the legal dissolution of a marriage. It involved terminating the marital bond and restoring the individuals to their single status. Divorce was typically initiated by the husband, but in certain cases, the wife could also petition for divorce. Valid reasons for divorce included adultery, barrenness, disobedience towards in-laws, or cruel treatment. Divorce required the involvement of a legal authority, such as a judge or magistrate, who would review the case and issue a divorce decree.

Separation, on the other hand, was known as “chúhūn” (处婚) or “liúchú” (留处). It involved a temporary or permanent separation of the couple without formally dissolving the marriage. Separation allowed the couple to live apart, usually due to irreconcilable differences or conflicts, while remaining legally married. It provided an alternative to divorce and allowed the possibility of reconciliation in the future. During separation, the couple would often have separate residences and could lead independent lives. However, they would still be bound by the marital ties and obligations.

It’s important to note that divorce and separation in ancient China were heavily influenced by Confucian principles and societal norms, which placed a strong emphasis on maintaining family harmony and upholding social order. Divorce was generally seen as a last resort and carried social stigma, especially for women. Separation provided a middle ground that allowed some level of flexibility while preserving the formal marriage.

² Shengjing was the capital city of the Qing Dynasty in China, located in what is now Shenyang, Liaoning province.)

³ Guanju Palace, also known as the Palace of Serenity and Great Benevolence, is a palace located in the Shengjing Imperial Palace. It is one of the main buildings within the palace complex, which served as the residence for the emperor and his concubines during the Qing Dynasty.)