Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Hashing It Out
Madam Zhang yawned so wide her jaw cracked, then shuffled into the kitchen with sleep still clinging to her eyes.

Her eldest daughter-in-law was already at the wooden basin, scooping cornmeal for porridge. When she saw Madam Zhang, her hand paused, and she hurriedly tipped the last half bowl back into the basin as if the grains might hide.

Madam Zhang snorted. She picked up the bowl herself and dumped another half bowl from the basin back into the jar. “My son is out working at the Dam Worksite and can’t even get a full meal, and you lazy lot sit at home every day eating this much. Don’t you feel ashamed?”

The eldest daughter-in-law muttered under her breath, “It’s not like I told him to go work at the Dam Worksite.”

Madam Zhang’s temper flared like dry straw. One hand went to her hip. “What did you say?”

The daughter-in-law’s eyes flicked up, then away, and she changed the subject fast. “Mother, when I went to carry water just now, I passed Tang Da Fu’s house. It was… lively. Do you want to go take a look?”

“What excitement could there be this early?” Madam Zhang snapped. “Don’t try to fool me.”

“It’s true.” The daughter-in-law leaned closer, voice dropping with the kind of urgency that only gossip could produce. “I heard Tang Jiang’s sister-in-law and Ming Xiu talking. It felt strange, so I stopped and listened. Guess what?”

Madam Zhang’s stomach tightened. The moment she heard Madam Wang’s name, she could already smell trouble. “What happened?”

“That mother and daughter sneaked into Tang Da Fu’s house last night,” the daughter-in-law whispered, eyes shining. “They got caught red-handed. Today they have to apologize in front of the whole village!”

Madam Zhang clicked her tongue. “She really dared…” She straightened, suddenly wide awake. “No. I’m going to watch. Finish breakfast—and don’t think about being lazy.”

She hustled out, half jogging toward the Tang house. Along the way she ran into other women, and like iron drawn to a magnet, they fell into step with her, gathering as they went.

By the time they reached the fence, a small crowd was already there, pressing close and craning to hear. People whispered, swapping guesses like seeds.

The gate swung open.

Li Tao Hua stood there, blocking the entrance with her body, eyes sharp as knives.

Madam Zhang’s mouth moved fast. “We were just passing by—”

“Aunties, sisters-in-law,” Li Tao Hua said, ignoring the excuse, “you came at the perfect time. We need witnesses. Please call a few more people over.”

Madam Zhang’s heart jumped. If Madam Wang started talking, she might drag Madam Zhang into it. Panic made her sound strangely helpful. “What happened? Is there some misunderstanding?”

“There’s no misunderstanding.” Li Tao Hua’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “If you won’t call people, Auntie, I’ll ask someone else.”

“I’ll call. I’ll call right away,” Madam Zhang blurted.

Li Tao Hua turned and went back inside without another word.

Madam Zhang exchanged a look with the women beside her. Everyone understood the same thing without saying it aloud.

Madam Wang had hit a wall again.

And when there was a show to watch, farm work could always wait. The show would end; the fun would be gone; the missed laughter couldn’t be dug up later like potatoes.

More villagers filtered in, curious and eager. It had been a long time since anyone stepped through Tang Da Fu’s gate without being chased off. When they did, they found the courtyard changed—cleaner, tidier, and full of new things.

A woman jumped when a black blur darted past. She clutched her chest. “Oh my, you scared me to death. Since when does their family keep a dog?”

Li Tao Hua called, loud and clear, “Big Black.”

The black dog trotted over at once, tail wagging, circling her legs like a soldier reporting in.

Li Tao Hua’s voice carried. “Since everyone’s here, I’ll say this too. Our family keeps a dog. He doesn’t bite people for no reason. If you get bitten, ask yourself what you did first.”

One of the women sniffed. “Hui Yin’s mother, I don’t like hearing that. What if we just pass by your house and he bites us?”

“He doesn’t leave the yard,” Li Tao Hua shot back. “If you get bitten while passing by, wouldn’t that be strange? If he ever runs out and bites you when you haven’t provoked him, that’s on me.”

The Village Head stepped forward, face tired but stern. He’d been fed breakfast, handed sweets, and had his peace disturbed before dawn; his patience was thin, and his sympathy lay firmly on the side of the household that hadn’t been climbing walls.

“All right,” he said. “I’ve been here for hours, and this dog hasn’t barked at me once. As long as you don’t provoke him, he won’t bite.”

He cleared his throat, letting the weight of his position settle over the crowd.

“Now—about Madam Wang and Tang Ming Xiu climbing the wall in the middle of the night.” His gaze pinned the mother and daughter where they stood by the brazier. “You will apologize in front of everyone and promise there won’t be a next time. And you will compensate the Tang family with 20 eggs.”

Madam Wang’s lips tightened until they almost disappeared, but she seemed to understand that refusing now would only drag the argument out longer. And she still had another plan she wanted to carry out.

She bowed her head, just enough to perform humility, not enough to lose pride. “It was our fault, mother and daughter. We shouldn’t have climbed over in the middle of the night. From now on, we definitely won’t step into their home again. This time we’ll compensate with 20 eggs.”

The Village Head nodded once. “Fine. Who will go with her to fetch the eggs?”

“I will,” Madam Zhang said quickly, volunteering before anyone else could—and before anyone could stop her.

She grabbed Madam Wang’s sleeve and hustled her toward the gate and next door. As soon as they were out of the yard, Madam Zhang pulled Madam Wang aside and whispered fast, eyes flicking around as if the walls might listen.

“So what really happened last night? Did you see anything? Did you find out what they’re selling?”

Madam Wang yanked her arm free, irritated. “The moment my daughter landed, that wild dog rushed her. They heard the noise and came out. What could we have seen?”

Madam Zhang’s eyes widened. “They caught you even though you didn’t see anything?”

“If you don’t believe me, go try it yourself.” Madam Wang shivered despite herself. “You saw that dog. He didn’t bark just now, but last night he snapped at Ming Xiu. She screamed so loud the whole world could hear.”

Madam Zhang’s back went cold. Thank heavens she hadn’t been the one to climb the wall. Losing face was one thing. Getting bitten was another.

She forced a smile. “But you were smart today—you didn’t argue much. You apologized and ended it.”

Madam Wang’s mouth twisted. “Who said I’m not going to argue? I’ll apologize first, then I’ll argue about my daughter getting bitten. Just wait. If their family doesn’t pay a few taels of silver this time, I won’t let it go.”

Madam Zhang’s smile turned stiff. She edged back, putting distance between herself and that kind of reckless greed. “None of this has anything to do with me. I didn’t get involved.”

Madam Wang snorted. “Coward.”

They returned carrying a basket of eggs.

Madam Wang shoved it at Li Tao Hua as if the weight offended her.

Li Tao Hua didn’t even pretend to be polite. Right there in front of everyone, she counted each egg, fingers quick and sure. She lifted a few, sniffed, and clicked her tongue. “These won’t do. They’re rotten. Swap them out.”

Madam Wang’s hands curled into fists. For a moment it looked like she might explode—but the watching crowd was too thick, and the Village Head stood too close.

She swallowed it. Wordlessly, she replaced the bad eggs.

Li Tao Hua handed the basket to Tang Da Fu. He carried it into the kitchen, put it away, and brought the empty basket back out.

“And your daughter still hasn’t apologized to us,” Li Tao Hua said, voice sharp again.

Tang Ming Xiu stood rigid, face burning. At her age, face was everything. Saying the words in front of so many people felt like being stripped naked.

Her eyes shone with humiliation and anger as she forced her mouth open.

“S-sorry,” she said, each syllable dragged out like it tasted bitter. She lifted her chin in defiance, even as her cheeks went hot. “Is that enough?”