After breakfast, the whole family went to their uncle’s house to discuss going to Zhang’s house to pick up the remains.
The Zhang family lived in a poor mountain valley in Daliang Mountain. It took two buses to get there from Mingxi County, which took almost a whole day. How would they negotiate with the Zhang family in the middle of the night? And after the negotiation was completed, the exhumation of the grave would also require a ceremony and time...
Several people were discussing how to go, how many people to go, and how many days it would take.
Second Aunt Xia suddenly came in happily, "Oh, why take a car? Take our Lili's son-in-law's car!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a heavily made-up girl followed in from behind her.
The blue-green eyeshadow sparkled in the sun, the fly-leg eyelashes stuck together, and the big red lips reminded Xia Mian of a #first-time-makeup# topic post she had seen.
The way the various monsters and demons are drawn is not to make them look natural, but only to let people know clearly how many types of eye shadows are used and how thick the powder is applied.
She is Uncle Xia’s second daughter, Xia Li. She went out to work after graduating from junior high school, so despite her appearance, she is actually only seventeen years old, only one year older than Xia Mian.
Uncle Xia frowned slightly, "Lili is looking for a partner at such a young age?"
Second Uncle Xia's reaction was very different. His eyes lit up and he said, "Our Lili has made it big. She found a son-in-law who owns a car?!"
Xia Li blushed for a moment, then glanced at Xia Mian with a hint of pride, "I haven't decided yet, but I heard something happened at home this time, so I came back with you to help."
Xia Mian pretended not to see it.
Second Uncle Xia stood up happily, "He was so thoughtful that he drove back from Linshi so early in the morning. If he is not a son-in-law, then what else could he be?"
"What car does my son-in-law drive?" he asked in an excited tone.
Xia Li tried to speak in a nonchalant tone, "I drove a small van today because I thought I could use it for something at home. After all, the Santana is too small."
"What about the other two cars?" Uncle Xia and Aunt Xia's eyes sparkled.
Xia Li said even more casually, "We are engineers, so we have a lot of cars."
If he hadn't been unable to resist secretly observing everyone's expressions, he would have been pretending to be perfect.
Second Uncle Xia was much more straightforward, and said proudly, "Then it will be much more convenient for us to have a car." But in the end, he still talked about money, "It will cost a lot of gas to drive to Daliangshan, right?"
Xia Li said, "It's cheaper than taking a bus anyway."
Uncle Xia said, "Well, if they are willing to help, we certainly can't let them suffer any loss, even if we have to pay a little more money."
Second Uncle Xia immediately said, "Then I'll go see how many people can sit in it and how much gas it will cost."
Uncle Xia also went out with me. It was obvious that I didn't trust the character of Uncle Xia's family, so I had to confirm it in person.
Xia Li waved to Xia Mian, "Xia Mian, don't you want to get up? Let's go."
Xia Mian said expressionlessly, "No, I have something else to do." Worried that Xia Li would not give in, she simply turned around and talked to Xia Wenyue.
She didn't want to listen to Xia Li's low-level bragging.
Because of the age difference of only 10, the two of them have always loved to compare themselves since childhood. Originally, the original body thought that he lived a better life than Xia Li. After Xia's father passed away, the Xia family became increasingly poor.
On the contrary, Xia Li, because she started working early to earn money, would dress up every time she went home, and would tell Xia Mian how wonderful the outside world was:
"Every big boss who comes to our store has a mobile phone."
"The big boss gave me a tip of 100 yuan."
"Alas, what's the point of studying? Look, I only make 300 yuan a month now. When you finish college, I can earn 20,000 yuan in 15 years."
"Even if you are a college student, what's the use? Our boss hasn't even graduated from elementary school. Don't college students still have to work part-time?"
"There was a sister in our store who was favored by a big boss. He gave her lots of flowers and five gold rings. Later, they got married and she became his wife in no time. The college students had to call her the boss' wife."
…
In this age where people laugh at the poor but not at prostitutes, these words more or less shook the original body. Xia Li saw this and preferred to seek a sense of presence in front of the original body, always encouraging her to drop out of school and go out to work.
Now that she has brought back a "boss" who owns a car, Xia Li must be so proud.
I guess he would keep repeating himself as a successful example in her ears. This problem couldn't be solved by force, so Xia Mian decided to adopt an evasive tactic.
When Uncle Xia came back, his face was solemn and complicated. Although Xia Wenyue did not go out, she was obviously very familiar with that family. She just sneered and said, "Brother, don't worry about it. It's your own daughter who wants to humiliate herself. Why should you do anything about it?"
When Xia Mian met Xia Li's prospective boyfriend Wang Tao, she understood why Uncle Xia and the others shook their heads and sighed.
The man looked to be almost thirty years old, with a plump figure and about the same height as Xia Li. He wasn't ugly, but he wasn't pretty either. He could only be described as extremely ordinary.
With car keys in his hand and a mobile phone tucked under his arm, he walked with a bowed step, trying hard to show off his aura of a wealthy man.
It was obvious that Second Uncle Xia's family was very fond of this trick and were conquered in an instant.
Uncle Xia just said a few words, "Are you really too old? Have you really never been married?"
I was refuted by Aunt Xia's theories like "you will love others more when you get older" and "you will know how to cherish others more after you get divorced."
After Uncle Xia sighed, no one said anything else.
Since Wang Tao came with Xia Li, he was naturally willing to help.
So the matter was settled. Wang Tao drove and took the three brothers Xia Wenyue, Xia Hai, Xia Mian, and Second Aunt Xia who insisted on taking the car to Daliangshan.
Xiao Feng stays at Uncle Xia's house temporarily. There will be inevitable fights there. This is different from the usual disputes. Zhang Qiming has been arrested, and Zhang's mother will spare no effort to save her son. Xiao Feng will be her only breakthrough. Who knows what the other party will do in a frenzy.
That was the woman who raised four "brother-supporting demons".
Yes, Zhang Qiming has a sister who has devoted almost half of her life to him, so he was able to leave Daliangshan, and that is why he is so accustomed to using women to exchange for benefits.
Before leaving, Xia Mian took out their household registration books and held Xiao Feng in her arms, "Aunt and the second aunt are going to your grandmother's house to pick up your mother. We are afraid that your grandmother will take you back, so you wait for us at home, okay?"
Xiao Feng held the household registration booklet tightly in her hands and nodded obediently, "Auntie, I will be good and I won't cry."
Don't cry, it's Xia Mian who wants to cry. She hugged Xiao Feng and said, "Auntie will be back as soon as possible. You can play with brother Qiangqiang and sleep with me at night."
Qiangqiang said at the side, "Mian Gu, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of my brother."
Xia Mian touched Xiao Feng's head and got into the car with a determined heart. From the rearview mirror, she saw Xiao Feng ran two steps after the car, but was grabbed by Qiangqiang again. Her aunt-in-law brought out some delicious food and called the two of them back.
Xiao Feng didn't seem to cry, and Xia Mian breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone set out early in the morning, and it was already noon when they arrived at Zhangjiaao on the bumpy ride. Xia Wenyue asked Wang Tao to park the car at the entrance of the village and let the pedestrians get off.
Xia Wenyue stopped a fellow villager passing by and asked for directions, "Which one is Zhang Qiming's home?"
The fellow villager carrying a hoe looked at the van behind them, his face full of smiles, and pointed to the most conspicuous blue brick courtyard not far away and said, "See, that most imposing courtyard is their home. I am his eldest brother. What do you want to see Qiming about?"
The fellow villagers sighed with pride, "That kid is the most promising one in our village!"
Obviously, no one in the village knew about Zhang Qiming's affairs.
In such a secluded small mountain village, if the Xia family didn't come, the Zhang family would be able to keep it secret for their entire lives.
But how could the Xia family agree to this
Xia Wenyue was the first to start crying at the top of her lungs, "Oh my poor girl, you were so young, and yet you were killed by that bastard Zhang Qiming~"
The loud voice with a unique accent instantly spread throughout the village surrounded by mountains. Even without a loudspeaker, everyone in the village could hear it.
The fellow's face changed, "Who are you? What nonsense are you talking about?"
Second Aunt Xia immediately started to wail, "My daughter, a college student~ That bastard Zhang Qiming killed her just to cheat her out of 10,000 yuan~"
"Even if she's caught by the police, so what? Our girl won't be able to come back."
Xia Wenyue immediately followed up, "The Zhang family has already suffered retribution. Zhang Qiming deserves to be shot. Our poor girl, Second Aunt is here to take you home..."
Second Aunt Xia sang again, "You beast who can kill even your own son for money deserves to have no descendants~"
Both of them were masters in their respective fields. Their short shouts could be heard far away, echoing for a long time in the small mountain village.
Soon, people who heard the news rushed over. The leading few men were holding sticks and hoes, obviously wanting to drive us outsiders away.
The three Xia Hai brothers also pulled out a few hoes from the trunk and stood in front of Xia Wenyue and Aunt Xia.
Xia Mian stared closely at the old lady who came over with bound feet. The old lady had a haggard face and stared at the Xia family as if they were facing a great enemy: "Who are you? Why are you wronging our Qiming!"
"We are wronged?!" Xia Wenyue said angrily, "Zhang Qiming has already been imprisoned, and we are wronged? Why don't you say that the country is wronged?"
Xia Wenyue started crying again, "Poor Chunchun, such a good girl. She graduated from college by herself, but she got married with nothing, and she still found a job and gave birth to a son~"
"That beast is not a human being. Not only did he find a mistress outside, but he also killed Xia Chun for money~"
Second Aunt Xia lay down at the feet of the most vicious man and said, "Come on, beat me to death, beat me to death? Anyway, you have already killed one of our girls, so if you kill me, you can go to jail with that beast Zhang Qiming!"
Second Aunt Xia looked at the others who were hesitant and shouted, "The Zhang family is so heartless that they killed someone and concealed it from the villagers. Zhang Qiming has been in prison for a long time. The police said that murder is against the law and he must be shot!"
Xia Mian also stood up to stop those who were ready to make a move, "Don't disbelieve me, it was Zhang Qiming who set fire to my place. Not only did he kill my sister for money, he also killed Xiao Feng for another sum."
She looked at Zhang's mother and suddenly shouted, "You know it very well, don't you? Your Zhang Qiming is just a worker. How could he suddenly have so much money to build a house for you? Have you never doubted it?"
"Or you know it very well! You are also Zhang Qiming's accomplice!"
Zhang's mother's face turned pale, "How could I know that our Qiming was wrongly accused?"
Xia Mian said, "So you obviously know that Zhang Qiming has been arrested and imprisoned."
People in the deep mountains stick together to protect their own people, but if they want to kill someone maliciously, that is absolutely another matter.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhang's mother said anxiously, "This family wants to extort money from us because we are rich. They are slandering us!"
Second Aunt Xia said, "False accusation, if it was me who falsely accused you, I would immediately compensate you 10,000 yuan! If it wasn't false accusation, do you think I would pay you 10,000 yuan?"
Xia Mian said, "Old lady, you don't think you can keep it secret, do you? In at least half a year, and at most ten years, Zhang Qiming will be sentenced."
"On the day of the trial, I will take photos and have you send them back. I will post them all over the village so that everyone in the village can see what kind of murderer your village has produced!"
Zhang's mother's face changed drastically, and the most ferocious man also looked at the old lady fiercely, "Second Aunt, is what this girl said true? Was Xia Chun really killed by Qiming?"
Someone who was watching the fun asked directly, "My uncle Zhang went out in a hurry a while ago. Where did he go? Did Qiming really get into trouble?"
Xia Wenyue cried for the first time, "Xia Chun, I hope you have a spirit in heaven. That beast got his retribution. He was shot and the one he married later was also arrested."
"Now that this old hag is doing bad things, you might as well continue to show up and take her away as well..."
"They also abused your son," Xia Wenyue cried in a rhythmic tone, "Second Aunt won't take you back, so you stay here and avenge your son and yourself. After they are all taken away, Second Aunt will come to take you back."
People in the poor mountainous areas are even more superstitious, and their faces changed when they heard this...
Second Aunt Xia also said, "Old pious woman, have you been able to sleep these days? Didn't our Xia Chun knock on your door?"
Xia Wenyue cried, "Of course it's Zhang Qiming's mother, such a black heart and rotten lung, Chunchun~ You must take this old thing away first~"
The old lady's eyes rolled back and she fainted.
The men from Zhangjiaao rushed up and started fighting. Xia Mian directly grabbed a hoe and wielded it vigorously, forcing all the big men to retreat into the courtyard.
Then she put the hoe on the ground and said, "If you have the guts, beat us to death. If you can't, I will publish the story about Zhang Qiming and your Zhangjiaao in the newspaper and tell the world."
"By then, the entire China and Ming Province will know that you, Zhangjiaao, are harboring a murderer."
Second Aunt Xia's next words cut into their hearts, "Then let's see who dares to marry into your village. Your entire village will be left without descendants!"
The people in the closed mountain village are unruly and pay more attention to reputation. After Xia Mian used the Zhang family's phone to confirm Zhang Qiming's crime with the police station on speakerphone, the Zhang family could not withstand the pressure from the village.
Xia Chun's body was brought back to Mingxi County three days later.
The Xia family did not hold a grand ceremony to relocate the graves, and only notified close relatives.
Everyone who was free came. Father and Mother Xia were popular, and Xia Chun was indeed the best child of the Xia family's generation. Everyone felt very sorry for him.
Aunt Xia only called once and said she was too busy to leave, so she didn't come back.
Xia Chuan couldn't help but curse, and Second Uncle Xia also muttered, "Wen Xing is really a city person, looking down on us, and not even coming back to see such a big thing."
Xia Wenyue had no expression on her face. Grandma Xia symbolically wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, but it was hard to tell that she was very sad.
On the day of Xia Chun's burial, Xiao Feng was the only one wearing mourning clothes. He held Xia Mian's hand tightly, and kowtowed and burned paper according to Uncle Xia's instructions.
Causing everyone to cry continuously.
When the coffin was buried, Xiao Feng suddenly leaned on Xia Mian's shoulder and finally cried out, "Aunt... Mom... Mom..."
This was the first time he called mom in such a long time.
Xia Mian's heart seemed to be tightly grasped, and it hurt so much that she couldn't help but burst into tears while hugging the child. "Baby, you still have your aunt. You should follow your aunt from now on."
Xia Li, who was standing next to Xia Mian, suddenly burst into tears, "Sister Chun! Sister... you, why did you leave..."
She didn't wear any makeup today, and her eyes were swollen like peaches. When Xia Chun's body was brought back, she cried bitterly.
Second Aunt Xia and Second Uncle Xia were also wiping their tears, but Xia Mian believed that they were truly sad at that moment.
It just doesn't affect their continued plotting against Xia Mian and Xiao Feng.
After Xia Chun's grave was moved, Xia Mian sent off all the relatives one after another and began to pack her luggage to prepare to go to Yan City.
Xiao Feng rubbed Xia Mian's legs listlessly, and only perked up when he saw her packing her luggage, "Have you been to Yan City?"
"right!"
The little guy had spent too much energy yesterday, and his eyes were still swollen. Xia Mian picked him up distressedly, kissed his forehead and said, "We are going to Yan City soon this time. What kind of house do you want to live in, baby?"
Xiao Feng didn't say anything, but just stretched out his little arms to circle Xia Mian's neck, and leaned his little head against Xia Mian's neck. It was not like the simple dependence as before, but a bit like being coquettish.
It's quite rare.
Xia Mian didn't bother to clean up and just wandered around the yard with Xiao Feng in her arms. Xiao Feng rubbed her cheek and lay on her shoulder without moving.
Xia Mian's heart is about to melt.
Just as she was wandering around, Qiangqiang ran in and hurriedly reminded her, "Mian's sister, Second Grandpa is leading people behind us."
Xia Mian laughed, he must have come to play with Xiao Feng, but he ran into Uncle Xia at the door.
It's no wonder he made a fuss, because most children would have this reaction when they see Uncle Xia or Aunt Xia.
This family is so annoying.
As soon as Qiangqiang finished speaking, Second Uncle Xia and Xia Li walked in together.
"Mianmian." Uncle Xia called.
Her eyes were still red. After yesterday's event, the elders who helped with the chores were all exhausted. Even Uncle Xia and Aunt Xia, who were usually diligent, were lying in bed and hadn't gotten up yet.
Xia Mian thought that Second Uncle Xia would be able to have two days of peace, but she didn't expect him to come and cause trouble so soon.
Xia Mian rolled her eyes, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing." Uncle Xia said with a smile, "I just want to ask what your plans are. I see that school has already started for several days. Are you not going to go to school?"
As he spoke, he peeked into the room and saw Xia Mian's packed high school textbooks. A look of joy flashed across his face, "You really don't plan to go to school?"
"Your sister must have spent a lot of money on this. Are you out of money?"
Xia Mian put Xiao Feng down and asked him to go play with Qiangqiang, but Qiangqiang turned around and ran out quickly.
Xia Mian was speechless. Of course there was no way Xiao Feng could follow her out. Ever since she came back from Daliangshan, the little guy had been sticking to her side, never leaving her side.
Uncle Xia didn't feel discouraged when he saw Xia Mian ignored him. He looked at Xiao Feng and continued, "Xiao Feng, what are you going to do? Are you going to the Zhang family to ask for money?"
"And the house in Ming City..."
Xia Mian said coldly, "It's none of your business. If you're not tired, we are. Go back quickly. We'll pack up and get some sleep."
Second Uncle Xia said, "It's only morning now, why are you sleeping..."
"Dad!" Xia Li pulled Uncle Xia down and gave him a look, and Uncle Xia finally shut up.
Xia Mian thought Xia Li had grown up and was feeling satisfied, but then she heard her say, "Xia Mian, I think working part-time is really good."
She had put on her "exquisite" makeup again today, and her thick, fly-leg eyelashes fluttered, making Xia Mian's eyes hurt. She wanted to pull them out.
But she said smugly, "Have you seen my Wang Tao?"
"He's really impressive. He has dozens of workers under him. He can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars from one project."
At this point, Xia Li stretched her neck to show Xia Mian her thin gold necklace, "See? He bought this for me."
"I've recently taken on a big project in Yan City. If it's successful, I estimate I can make several million! Then we can buy a house in Yan City!"
Xia Mian felt a headache after listening to this, but considering how sad she was for Xia Chun yesterday, Xia Mian decided to endure her performance. She was afraid she wouldn't see her again in the future anyway.
Because he was leaving, Xia Mian decided to be a little more tolerant.
However, her rare decision was ultimately of no use, as the second branch of the Xia family really did not deserve to be treated gently.
Xia Li wanted to show off, but she also insisted on pulling her, "Why don't you come with me? I'll ask Wang Tao to arrange a job for you that pays more."
"I can earn quite a bit of money in a month by doing laundry and cooking on the construction site."
At this point, she smiled ambiguously, "The key is to meet a lot of bosses. When those bosses are working on projects, they eat and live on the construction site. Don't look at them as dirty, they have money in their pockets."
Knowing it very clearly, Xia Mian rolled her eyes and didn't bother to pay attention to her. She didn't expect that the other party would go further.
Xia Li suddenly lowered her voice and said in a tone of "I have a surprise for you", "Our Wang Tao has a brother from the same village. Although he is not as good as you, he also makes a lot of money."
As soon as she finished speaking, the plump Wang Tao came in from the door with a dark, tall and thin man, as if to cooperate.
"Brother Tao!" Xia Li shouted happily, winking at Xia Mian and saying, "Speak of the devil, and he will appear. Brother Zhigang is here too."
After the dark-skinned young man came in, his eyes fell straight on Xia Mian, looking her up and down.
Xia Li introduced proudly, "Brother Zhigang, this is my sister Xia Mian. How is she? Pretty, right? She's a high school student!"
He smiled ambiguously at Xia Mian again, "Xia Mian, this is Brother Zhigang, is he capable?"
A look that says "Look how much I miss you".
Xia Mian laughed in anger, so this was the idea. Second Uncle Xia was really bold, he actually brought people to come to the house to meet the man!
The hibernation thumb presses the bases of the fingers one by one, and the joints make a crackling sound.
Brother Zhigang didn't know the danger was coming. He looked at Xia Mian with a critical look, "Why are you wearing a hat in the middle of summer? What's wrong with your hair? Are you sick?"
Xia Li hurriedly explained, "Alas, it's not because of what happened some time ago..."
"You tell me to shut up!" Xia Mian shouted at Xia Li.
Then he looked at the dark-skinned young man, "Who are you? Are you sick? Why do you care about my hair when we first met? Why do you care about other people's business? When you were cleaning the shit outside, did you try to taste the saltiness?"
Wang Zhigang's face darkened, and he was about to speak, but Xia Mian ignored him and turned to Xia Li and said angrily, "Do you think I'm you? You want to be trash, but you let these scum pick on you. Don't drag me into this, get out of here!"