Raising Kids C27

Chapter 27: The Heartless Scholar Who Abandoned His Wife and Child (5)

For a long while, Xie Hui heard no response from him before realizing that Xie Fu still couldn’t speak.

The stench of the pigsty was unpleasant, and Xie Hui, feeling a bit disgusted, said,

“Crawl over here yourself, or… do you want to fight the pigs for food today?”

Xie Fu glared at Xie Hui with hatred. Just as Xie Hui was beginning to suspect that he still hadn’t learned his lesson and was about to turn and leave, he saw Xie Fu crawl toward him.

Standing beside the pigsty, Xie Hui looked down at the man who couldn’t even stand properly and said in a low voice,

“Behave yourself, marry her, and take good care of Mother. Then I’ll let you out. Otherwise, you can stay in here for the rest of your life.”

At this moment, Xie Hui sincerely wanted to turn around, shake hands with the old lady lying inside the house, and thank her.

If it weren’t for her suggesting that he marry a slave—a decision that could ruin his entire life—he wouldn’t have had such a perfect excuse to deal with Xie Fu.

He had realized this on the way back to the village when he ran into the clan leader at the entrance. The clan leader had praised him at length for locking Xie Fu in the pigsty.

Although their village hadn’t experienced the horrifying scene where bodies floated all across the river, they had suffered under a greedy county magistrate who raised taxes so high that families were forced to sell their children.

No one hated the true culprits more than those who had suffered firsthand.

Xie Hui had been worrying about how to shift the blame onto Xie Fu, and just as luck would have it, someone handed him the perfect excuse.

His son was aiming to become the top scholar, so his reputation had to be spotless.

And conveniently, in the eyes of the current emperor, the more ruthless and heartless one was toward slaves, the more they were favored.

At the beginning of his reign, the emperor hadn’t been particularly aware of these issues. That changed when, on a whim, he disguised himself and went on a secret tour of another city.

It was a relatively prosperous place, yet in the winter, the streets were lined with frozen corpses of the poor. Meanwhile, the governor’s household fed their dogs with discarded chicken parts after extracting the gizzards for their meals.

Children lay dead by the roadside, their arms mere bones wrapped in thin skin from starvation, while the governor’s dogs feasted on meat.

Since that day, the emperor had developed a deep hatred for corrupt officials and imposed severe punishments on them as a warning to others.

So now, with Xie Fu labeled as someone who wanted to marry a slave, the worse Xie Hui treated him, the better Xie Hui appeared in the eyes of others.

Having seen their children sold away and corpses floating on the river, how many could remain indifferent?

“If you agree, nod your head, and I’ll let you out. If not… then you’ll stay in this pigsty until you change your mind.”

Xie Hui knew that someone as selfish as Xie Fu couldn’t be swayed by threats against others—not even the old lady who had spoiled him rotten.

He never cared when the knife was at someone else’s throat. Only when it cut into his own flesh did he feel pain.

After undoing the methods he had used to restrain Xie Fu earlier, Xie Hui continued,

“The emperor has issued a decree: if a family disapproves of a man marrying a slave… they may kill him without consequence.”

In the original storyline, after Xie Hui married Qi Niang, Xie Fu only occasionally hit and scolded her yet was still praised for his “kindness.”

Every single evil deed Xie Fu had once attempted, Xie Hui was now repaying in full.

Seeing Xie Hui turn around to look for the hatchet in the courtyard, Xie Fu, who had been too scared to even make a sound, hurriedly stammered,

“I—I agree!”

At this moment, his mind had only one thought—he didn’t want to die.

“Good. Get ready to marry Qi Niang.”

To ensure that Xie Fu wouldn’t escape before the wedding, Xie Hui brought over a bowl of water, added something to it, and made sure Xie Fu couldn’t leave until the marriage was sealed.

After setting this matter aside, Xie Hui started thinking about Xie Mo’s marriage.

Other Juren scholars didn’t lack money, but Xie Hui’s family was different.

Previously, the old lady had acted as if she was being so righteous, saying that even if Xie Mo became a Juren, the family couldn’t be a burden on him. She strictly forbade Xie Hui from accepting any gifts from others.

Yet, the moment his back was turned, she had her youngest son intercept the gift-givers and secretly exchange everything for silver.

The money Xie Fu had given the clan elders had been obtained in this very way.

Since he was now playing the role of a father, Xie Hui intended to do it properly. Remembering this issue, he didn’t hesitate to seek out the clan leader.

A Juren’s status could be leveraged for mutual benefit. For example, a Juren was exempt from taxes. By discussing with the clan, they could take advantage of this exemption to gain some silver.

Xie Hui didn’t actually care about the money—he just wanted those who had given gifts to understand that it had nothing to do with Xie Mo’s household. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had to resort to such methods just to arrange a marriage.

When Xie Hui explained his reasoning to the clan leader, the man’s hatred for Xie Fu deepened even further.

He immediately promised to settle the matter that very day, ensuring that Xie Fu’s disgraceful behavior wouldn’t tarnish Xie Mo’s reputation in the slightest.

Once all outstanding issues were dealt with, Xie Hui informed his son and told him to prepare for marriage.

After the wedding was arranged, when the wife of Li Fuzi’s cousin came to visit, she mentioned to Li Mo’s mother that it was rather disgraceful to use a Juren’s status to collect money from the village for a wedding.

In the end, that cousin was personally chased out of the house by Li Mo’s mother, broom in hand. She was so angry that she nearly cut ties with the woman then and there.

Neither Li Mo’s mother nor her husband saw anything shameful about Xie Mo’s father’s actions.

He was simply using the rights he had been given—he wasn’t stealing, robbing, or breaking the law.

It was a legitimate method, so why not?

To marry their daughter, the Xie family was willing to go to such great lengths, showing how much they valued her.

With her husband’s family treating her with such importance and Xie Mo now holding the title of Juren, their daughter’s future was bound to be comfortable.

Xie Fu was truly terrified of this unfamiliar elder brother. Even when he bullied his nephew before, his brother had never been this angry. Who would have thought that this time, he had stepped on his brother’s reverse scale?

Not only was his brother nothing like before, but he also constantly brought up that chopping axe, making Xie Fu so restless at night that he could hardly sleep.

Terrified for his life, Xie Fu had no choice but to follow his brother’s orders and start taking care of their mother.

He never thought he was at fault—he only blamed their mother for driving their brother into madness, which led to his own downfall.

Though he did as he was told, he did it unwillingly and carelessly. Within a few days, the house already reeked, and he became even more reluctant to step inside.

As for the food, Xie Fu always picked out the best for himself first, leaving only leftovers for their mother.

When his brother wasn’t home, he vented all his resentment on the slave.

Xie Mo sometimes heard the slave’s cries for mercy, but remembering his father’s words, he quietly stuffed some cloth into his ears.

His father once said: “Busybodies don’t live long.”

Over the past few days, Xie Hui had used the silver he obtained from selling luminous pearls to purchase a blue-brick tile house that a wealthy merchant had previously built in the village.

There was no reason why Miss Li should live in an elegant boudoir at her own home but be forced into a cramped, drafty shack after marrying his son.

On the wedding day, a banquet was held, but the old lady did not attend. Xie Hui explained to outsiders that she had fallen ill from anger over her youngest son’s reckless actions.

Since the original host had left such a strong impression on the villagers, they believed whatever Xie Hui said.

As for Xie Fu, Xie Hui simply dismissed him as bad luck, and rather than thinking him heartless, the villagers felt he was completely justified.

That night, Xie Hui returned to the old house, leaving the new one for the newlyweds.

As soon as he pushed open the courtyard gate, Xie Fu, who was eating in the main hall, trembled violently at the sound.

The slave, Qi Niang, was kneeling before Xie Fu, serving his meal.

Xie Fu initially thought his brother had come to scold him again, but to his surprise, Xie Hui only glanced at him before heading straight into their mother’s room.

“An evil person will always meet their match.”

Seeing those two together, Xie Hui had no intention of interfering—perhaps a second Qi Niang would appear in the future.

Although the sky had darkened, the old lady had not yet gone to bed. The room was unlit, and as soon as Xie Hui opened the door, he was met with a foul stench, prompting him to cover his nose and mouth.

Under the moonlight streaming through the window, he saw the old lady lying in bed, eyes wide open. Standing at the door, he said:

“Mother, I have a small matter to tell you.”

“Mo’er got married today.”

The old lady’s eyes immediately brightened, and noticing this, Xie Hui’s gaze turned cold.

“He married his teacher’s daughter—Miss Li Shu. You must have heard of her. She’s a fine young lady.”

The old lady had been lying motionless, but upon hearing this, she struggled to sit up, making hoarse, unintelligible sounds.

When Xie Hui had been caring for her, she had still been in decent health—he could even take her outside for some sun. But after just a few days in the hands of her beloved youngest son, she was already too weak to speak.

“Mother, don’t worry. You always said you wanted to see Mo’er settle down, and since I am such a filial son, I naturally couldn’t bear to refuse your wish.”

“And of course, there’s also our younger brother. He’s not young anymore either. Since he takes after you, marrying a slave seems quite fitting.”

“Qi Niang was your choice. You said you watched her grow up, that she had both good looks and a good temperament. How could I bear to let you down?”

After finishing his words, Xie Hui noticed the old lady struggling to breathe, so he fed her a pill, ensuring she could hold on a little longer.

Her body had long been at its limit, hanging on by a mere thread of life.

Xie Hui’s goal was to prolong that thread—so she could personally witness the fate of the son she had spoiled at the cost of her other children.

He would never allow this old woman to die on his son’s wedding night, ruining such a joyful occasion with bad omens.

“Mother, in a few days, our younger brother will be getting married too. You must sit proudly on the high seat. If you pass away now, then he’ll have to bow to your memorial tablet during the wedding ceremony—what a terrible omen that would be.”

To avoid overstimulating her, Xie Hui left the room after finishing his words. But just before closing the door, he added one last remark:

“Mother, I’ll come back tomorrow to chat about some more small matters.”