Chapter 24: Damn Your Feelings and Dignity!
Translator: Flying Lines
Edited by Lord Immortal

Aunt Cui had asked someone to confirm that Geng Zhishan had gone to the mountain, So she knew that he wouldn’t return for now.

As for those two men, they had been tangled. So Aunt Cui came here without a note of fear. As soon as she roared out a command, three women immediately came to Xie Mengxuan and carried her on one woman’s back to the house. As soon as the door closed, they began to take off her clothes.

Xie Mengxuan had delicate and fair skin. These women were jealous since they were a sharp contrast to Xie in the villagers’ eyes. Indignation had already rooted in their heart. So they took the opportunity and pinched her. After a while, there were plenty of bruises left on Xie Mengxuan’s waist and abdomen. But she knew that it was useless to scream, so she did not make a sound. She still tried to struggle to free herself, though. However, one of her legs was injured, so she was at an unfair disadvantage against these three strong peasant women who had been used to manual labor. Thus, she was quickly pinned down, and Aunt Cui started to untie Xie’s dress, with a sneer on her face.

Xie Mengxuan was frustrated at the moment, but she still stared wide-eyed at them instead of crying. She would bear the humiliation in mind and would not let them go in the days to come!

She must find out the truth. She must! Xie Mengxuan stared at Aunt Cui without ferociously. At that moment, Aunt Cui was somehow afraid to continue her actions. She hastily took the quilt to cover her head and began to untie her dress again. Just as she was about to make it, there came Geng Zhishan’s voice from outside.

“Who dares to touch my wife?!”

“Bang!” He slammed the door and stormed in. Xie Mengxuan crumpled, and her eyes reddened as she was trying hard not to cry. She was born in comfort with a silver spoon in her mouth and was a damsel. How could she calm down when it came to her chastity?

Geng Zhishan got inside the house and saw their actions. He shouted and raved at them and then threw them out. He carefully covered the quilt over Xie Mengxuan and helped her get to her feet, comforting her, “Darling, I’m sorry. I did not take care of you well enough. How are you? Is there something wrong?”

“It’s all right.” She stopped her sobs with an immense effort and turned her back to him without saying anything.

“Geng Zhishan, damn your eyes. We are helping you check whether the woman is a virgin or not. You should reward us in that way. That’s your gratitude? Are you really going to become an enemy of us by protecting her?” Aunt Cui shouted from outside the house.

Geng Zhishan’s eyes blazed with fury, and he was going to step out. But Xie Mengxuan held his hand and stopped him. Then she get herself dressed and let Geng Zhishan hold her to go out.

At this moment, she had rough hair, and her clothes were messed with wrinkles, but she looked severe. She was standing in the corridor with an inborn authority.

“Aunt Cui, don’t talk nonsense without any evidence,” she said firmly in a deep voice.

Geng Zhishan also chimed in, “If you’re talking about the man in white, then you’ve misunderstood. He’s my cousin who lives far from me and just arrived yesterday.”

Other people’s faces changed suddenly as soon as Geng Zhishan said so. If it was true, then it was they who were wrong.

Aunt Cui’s face also turned pale. How could this happen? She cleared her throat and said, “Even if he is your cousin, it’s not good for him to stay in the house with your wife alone.”

“My wife’s legs haven’t recovered yet, and my cousin is a doctor.” Geng Zhishan simply refuted.

Well, what the women had done became a laughingstock this time. Some people began to whisper inconspicuously. Aunt Cui’s face warped at his reply. But she soon thought of a point and said, “Fine, but Xie Mengxuan, are you the wife of Geng Zhishan?”

Others were stunned for a moment at her words. ‘What happened?’

Geng Zhishan squinted at Aunt Cui.

She seemed to know too much.

“No, I’m not.” Xie Mengxuan answered without hesitation.

Geng Zhishan stood aside and slightly lowered his head without saying a word, showing that he was a simple and honest man.

Aunt Cui nodded and said, “If you are not his wife, why do you deceive Geng Zhishan? As unsophisticated as Geng Zhishan is, don’t you think it is too vicious for you to do so?”

Aunt Cui was good at suing her victim before she was prosecuted. However, Xie Mengxuan laughed grimly, “Am I vicious? Does Aunt Cui sense that you are the one who was vicious? Geng Zhishan was pressed to lie because you are going to kick me off.”

“That’s correct. I wouldn’t have got such a good wife if you hadn’t keep driving her off.” Geng Zhishan chimed in.

“Huh? It sounds something wrong.”

Xie Mengxuan looked at him doubtfully. But Geng Zhishan smiled fatuously, “Although we are a couple in name only, I believe I can affect her and melt her heart with time. She will be my real wife in the future.”

Aunt Cui sneered and shook her head, “You are such an unreasonable person. Since it is not true, why do you never refute being called Mrs. Geng? You seemed to acquiesce that you are the apple of Geng Zhishan’s eye. Are these the proper manners of a lady? Well, Geng Zhishan is silly, but do you think we are also all stupid?”

Aunt Cui directly ignored Geng Zhishan’s words and only dragged Xie Mengxuan into the argument.

Aunt Cui might not know what she really looked like, but Xie Mengxuan observed her carefully. She noticed that Aunt Cui was trying to put on airs, and it was really an improper imitation of her.

Xie Mengxuan blinked and chuckled, “Well, listen carefully. What you said seems to be inconsistent with your identity as an ordinary peasant woman.”

Xie Mengxuan was a bit embarrassed to hear Geng Zhishan’s words, and now she ignored his words, too.

Geng Zhishan hummed and stood aside, looking aggrieved in silence.

Aunt Cui frowned, for Xie’s words were not at all pleasing to the ear. She argued, “The truth speaks louder. And it isn’t related to the fact, whether I’m an ordinary peasant or not. So please give us a convincing reason.” With that, Aunt Cui stepped forward aggressively.

Xie Mengxuan sat up straight and patted the armrest, “It’s too ridiculous for you to ask for a reason. The matter of Geng Zhishan and I is none of your business! Even if I have to explain, I would like to explain to Geng Zhishan, not you.”

Aunt Cui was humiliated by her, so her face became gloomy. “Well done. If you insist on this, it means you are going to neglect our feelings and our dignity, aren’t you?”

“Have you ever thought about my feelings and my dignity?” Xie Mengxuan looked into Aunt Cui’s eyes with a sneer, not compromising in the least.

The deceitful attitude of Aunt Cui, which was still maintained by Xie before, had now been exposed in the crowd. Anyway, things had got ugly between them, and they wouldn’t see each other in the future.

So who cares?