HCB Chapter 249 Calm Her
Chapter 249 Calm Her
Tian Guilan was sitting in a dim corner of her home, concentrating on mending clothes with the faint light coming in through the window, completely unaware of the earth-shaking events happening outside.
At this moment, Zhao Cunliang hurried back, sweat beads on his forehead, his expression a little unnatural, and his eyes dodging.
After entering the house, Zhao Cunliang hesitated for a moment, but finally told Tian Guilan everything that had happened at Zhou Dazhu's house. As he spoke, he secretly observed Tian Guilan's expression, and his voice became lower and lower.
Tian Guilan didn't react at first, but when she understood that Zhao Cunliang wanted to take in another Zhou Xiaoxiong, she was furious.
She threw the clothes in her hands to the ground, jumped up, and shouted loudly: "What? There's one more person to feed in our family? How can we survive? We are already living a tight life, how can we have extra food to feed others!"
Tian Guilan's face flushed crimson, and she placed her hands on her hips as she kept scolding Zhao Cunliang: "You brainless idiot! No one else cares, but you take this trouble home! Are you crazy?"
Zhao Cunliang tried to explain: "They are relatives after all. The child is so pitiful..."
Tian Guilan didn't listen at all. She interrupted him and continued to shout, "Pathetic? There are so many pitiful people in this world. Can you take care of them all? I have the final say in this family. I don't agree!"
Zhao Cunliang sighed helplessly. Facing Tian Guilan's anger, he knew that he had to come up with something that could calm her down.
So, he reluctantly took out the one or two taels of silver from his pocket. Zhao Cunliang's movements were very slow, and there was a hint of reluctance and hesitation in his eyes.
Tian Guilan was still shouting at the top of her lungs, but when her eyes inadvertently caught sight of the silver in Zhao Cunliang's hand, she suddenly became quiet.
Her eyes lit up instantly, and the light seemed to illuminate the dim room. Her eyeballs almost popped out, and her originally angry and distorted face instantly became full of surprise.
She couldn't wait to grab the silver, put it in front of her eyes and looked at it carefully, muttering to herself: "Oh my, this is one tael of silver!"
Her voice became sharp due to excitement, and the smile on her face was extremely bright, without any trace of the anger she had just shown.
Zhao Cunliang told Tian Guilan in a serious tone: "If you want this tael of silver, you have to keep Zhou Xiaoxiong. Besides, I have already promised Zhou Dazhui, and I have no choice in this matter." Zhao Cunliang's tone was firm, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes were fixed on Tian Guilan.
Tian Guilan listened and carefully put the silver away. Her movements were gentle, and her eyes would occasionally glance towards the place where the silver was placed, as if she was afraid that the silver would fly away. Then, she sat on the stool, lowered her head, and began to think.
She tapped her fingers lightly on the table and muttered to herself, "Zhou Xiaoxiong is thirteen this year. If I keep him for another year, he'll be fourteen, and at fourteen he'll be considered an adult. Then I'll kick him out and say it's for his independence, so he can go out and make his own way. Humph, that way I can have a good reputation without having to keep him as a burden."
A sly smile appeared on Tian Guilan's face, and she felt that this plan was perfect.
It wouldn't cost much food to feed him some wild vegetable porridge this year. Xiuying's seven daughters could handle it on their own, let alone a boy without parents.
Tian Guilan frowned and asked reluctantly, "What about Zhou Xiaoxiong? Where is he? Is he just eating and not working?"
She glanced at Zhao Cunliang with her eyes sideways, her hands folded across her chest, looking aggressive.
Zhao Cunliang looked helpless, sighed heavily, and told Tian Guilan: "Now we still have to take care of Hongmei's funeral. After all, the dead are the most important, and we can't let her go in such a shameful way."
Hongmei's body was still lying there, and Zhou Xiaoxiong refused to leave no matter what.
When Tian Guilan heard they still had to hold a funeral, she was furious. Her face flushed crimson, her eyes widened, and she jumped up and down, yelling, "The person is dead, why bother with all that? Just wrap him in a straw mat and bury him! We don't have the money for all this!"
Her voice was sharp and shrill, her saliva was flying everywhere, and she looked like an enraged hen.
"What are you talking about!" Zhao Cunliang couldn't help but raise his voice, "Our neighbors are watching us, we can't be so heartless!"
Tian Guilan showed no sign of weakness and continued to throw a tantrum: "I don't care. If you want to hold a funeral, you have to find a way to pay for it yourself. Don't expect me to pay a penny!"
After saying that, she sat down on the ground and started crying loudly. The crying echoed in the room, making people feel upset.
Finally, despite their reluctance, the couple still arrived at Zhou Dazhu's house, carrying a roll of straw mats. Zhao Cunliang lowered his head, his brows furrowed, while Tian Guilan looked impatient and kept mumbling.
When they entered Zhou Dazhu's courtyard, they found quite a few people already there. They were gathered in small groups, whispering quietly, their faces filled with solemn expressions. The old village chief had also arrived, standing in the middle of the courtyard, giving everyone a serious look.
Hongmei's body lay quietly on a door panel, supported by two benches. The panel looked worn, and her body seemed frail and fragile. A white cloth covered her face, and several incense sticks lit around her, the smoke rising from them adding to the desolate scene.
When the village chief saw Zhao Cunliang and his wife come in, he told Zhao Cunliang with a serious face, "Since Zhou Dazhu entrusted the child to you, and you also accepted the money, it is natural for you to take care of Hongmei's funeral. This funeral cannot be too shabby. The coffin, mourning clothes, incense, candles, and paper money are the basics. At least five hundred coins will be needed."
"Five hundred Wen?" Zhao Cunliang couldn't help but gasp when he heard the number. His face turned pale in an instant, his eyes widened, and he showed an expression of disbelief.
"Village Chief, this...this is too much."
The village chief frowned and said sternly, "Zhao Cunliang, this is a funeral, not something that can be bargained for! Hongmei was a good wife when she was alive. She and your wife had a good relationship, and your two families are related, so she must die with honor."
The village chief raised his voice a few notches, and the people around him nodded in agreement.
Zhao Cunliang opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but Tian Guilan pinched him hard from behind. Tian Guilan glared at him, as if warning him not to say anything more.
The village chief continued, "You have to pay for it, whether you want to or not. You have to have a conscience and not let others criticize you."