Aunt He screamed, “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Her scoundrel brother He Donglai added, “You heartless beast! You dare splash water on your own aunt—what won’t you do?”
The village was in a lull between harvests, so when word spread that the infamous “little chili pepper” Aunt He was back, people flocked to see the spectacle.
He Zifeng, holding an empty basin, said casually, “Oh, I didn’t see you.”
This nonchalant attitude infuriated Aunt He. “I’m standing right here! You clearly did it on purpose. I didn’t believe what your father told me about you before, but now I see it with my own eyes. A son who dares to hit his father and curse his mother will surely go to the deepest pits of hell!”
In the countryside, such superstitions were taboo; saying this was akin to a curse.
Her words were venomous, more fitting for an enemy than a relative.
He Zifeng replied calmly, “If I’m going to hell, I won’t be going alone. Why don’t you ask my father what he’s done? We might even have a family reunion in the underworld. As for you, judging people without knowing the facts will earn you a spot in the realm where tongues are ripped out.”
Aunt He could criticize others, but she couldn’t take criticism herself. Her face turned red with anger. “How dare you! I say one thing, and you’ve got ten replies waiting for me.” She rushed at him, fists raised.
But before she could land a blow, several village women intervened. They’d long sympathized with He Zifeng’s plight. The He family had wealth and land but gave him only ten taels when he moved out, and now they were stirring up trouble. It was despicable.
“Mind your own business,” one woman snapped.
“You show up empty-handed and then start shouting threats? This is our village—who do you think you are? Even the mayor declared that He Zifeng has no ties to your family.”
Surrounded by these women, Aunt He suddenly let out a shriek. Someone had pinched her hard, but with so many hands around, she couldn’t tell who. “Who dared pinch me? Rotten scoundrel!” she yelled, her dignity in tatters.
He Zifeng didn’t fear his aunt, but seeing the women stand up for him was heartwarming. “Thank you, ladies,” he said. “I may not be much, but I won’t let anyone trample over me. I’m a rough man—if there’s an accident, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He was the strongest man in the village, and his words made He Donglai’s face darken as unpleasant memories surfaced.
Aunt He, now disheveled and surrounded, screeched incoherently. Someone had pulled her hair, leaving her a mess. She plopped onto the ground, wailing, “My nephew doesn’t treat me like a human being!”
He Zifeng remarked coldly, “Aunt, maybe you should look in the mirror. Even if you don’t care about your own dignity, think of your sons—they’ll have to live with the shame of your behavior.”
A rotund woman in the crowd chimed in loudly, “Isn’t that Hongyan? I remember the old lady nearly arranged a marriage for her with Aunt He’s family. Thank goodness it didn’t happen!”
All eyes turned to Hongyan, who had married into a modest but stable family. Embarrassed, she hurried away, afraid of being associated with the scene.
Aunt He’s lips trembled in rage, and Hongyan’s reaction only confirmed He Zifeng’s point.
Former village chief Xu, still bitter over losing his position, saw the commotion as an opportunity to lecture. “The mayor didn’t say you could disrespect your elders. You’ve lived all these years and still act like this?”
Just as Xu was getting comfortable in his moral high ground, the new village chief, Liuzi, stepped in. “Old Xu, this is a family matter. The mayor split their household because the parents were cruel. Even the mayor couldn’t stand their behavior, and now you’re defending them? No wonder the mayor gets mad when he sees you.”
Xu’s face turned red as he stormed off, muttering.
Liuzi, now surrounded by supporters, scoffed. “Still thinks he’s the village chief? No self-awareness at all.”
“Exactly,” someone added. “You don’t lose a post like that unless you really mess up. Even the neighboring villages have heard about it.”
Xu overheard this and fumed, his face flushing crimson.
Seeing his ally humiliated, He Donglai tried to calm him down. “Don’t listen to them,” he said, hurrying after Xu to smooth things over. Xu might’ve lost his position, but he still had connections, and He Donglai couldn’t afford to alienate him.
Meanwhile, Aunt He sat on the ground, hair a mess, looking like a madwoman. Even He Zifeng couldn’t help but sneer. “Aren’t you going with them? What’s the point of sticking around?”
Furious but with no choice, Aunt He began to leave. Before she got far, Aunt Li, an old rival, called out, “Well, well, isn’t it the infamous little chili pepper? Still causing trouble at your age? You haven’t lost your touch!”
Aunt He’s face darkened. “What’s it to you? Go look in the mirror, you ugly pancake-faced hag. If I looked like you, I’d never step outside!”
Aunt Li laughed. “Being pretty didn’t help you, did it? Rejected then, rejected now. Want me to tell the youngsters about how you got chased off with a broomstick?”
Hearing this, the younger villagers looked at Aunt He with curiosity and disdain. Enraged, she charged at Aunt Li, but the older woman ran into He Zifeng’s backyard.
Chasing her down, Aunt He didn’t notice the covered pit ahead. With a loud *splash*, she fell into the manure pit, sinking up to her shoulders.
The stench was unbearable. Climbing out, covered in filth, she looked horrifying.
“My fertilizer!” He Zifeng exclaimed. “Do you know how hard it was to gather that?”
The onlookers recoiled in horror at the sight and smell. Aunt He, humiliated, rushed towards the village river to wash up, but the villagers blocked her way with sticks.
“Go wash at your own house!”
“Don’t you dare pollute our river!”
Defeated, Aunt He returned to He Donglai’s home, her presence terrifying children along the way.
“Waaaah! The smelly ghost is coming!”
Doors and windows slammed shut as families kept their distance, watching her closely until she disappeared into He Donglai’s house.
Moments later, a sharp scream pierced the air—Xiao Wanshi had fainted at the sight of her filthy sister-in-law.
Not long after, she woke up, gagging from the smell and fainted again, the courtyard in total chaos.
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