Chapter 49: Making a Scene
Chapter 49: Making a Scene
After using the outhouse, Pan Daidi’s heart ached at the thought of missing out on the pearl. She clutched her chest as she walked back to her courtyard.
The village had electricity for the past couple of years, but for the rural folks, nine o'clock was already considered nighttime.
Especially for those who had to wake up early to go out to sea the next day.
The Pan family didn’t have a boat, so they didn’t need to go out to sea. But they had no television or radio, and to save on electricity, they went to bed early.
Pan Daidi returned to her room and lay in bed, feeling heartbroken and resentful all night. It felt like she had missed out on a fortune.
She barely slept all night and only drifted off just before dawn. She woke up when the sun was high in the sky, and upon getting up, she found that she was the only one awake in the house. She started making breakfast with a lot of noise, waking up the entire family.
Zhou Junjie, yawning, came out of his room and asked, "Mom, what’s there to eat? I’m hungry."
Pan Daidi’s temper flared, and she couldn’t resist lashing out at him. "Eat, eat, eat! All you do is eat! You good-for-nothing!"
Zhou Junjie dodged her blows and hid behind his burly wife. "Mom, what’s wrong with you?"
Pan Daidi’s second daughter-in-law quickly used her large frame to block her. "Mom, what’s going on?"
Her husband had been sleeping since he came back from the beach and hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary last night!
Pan Daidi’s eldest daughter-in-law and son also came out of their rooms, drawn by the commotion.
What did the second son do this time? Did he lose money again?
Pan Daidi, fuming, said, "The sea snail that this good-for-nothing kicked away yesterday turned out to have a pearl inside! Do you think he deserves a beating? I’m so angry!"
To find a sea snail with a pearl and not pick it up was bad enough, but to kick it away was even worse.
Pan Daidi’s second daughter-in-law’s eyes widened. "Mom, what did you say? The spiky sea snail had a pearl inside?"
Pan Daidi’s eldest daughter-in-law also perked up. "Really? How did you find out, Mom?"
Pan Daidi, still angry, said, "Tian Caihua told me. How could it be a lie? If you hadn’t kicked the sea snail away, we would have had the pearl!"
Pan Daidi’s second daughter-in-law hurriedly said, "Mom! That sea snail was first found by Ah Jie. It should belong to us! We need to go to the Zhou family and demand the pearl back."
Pan Daidi paused, then slapped her thigh. "You’re right! How could I not think of that? The sea snail was first found by Ah Jie, so it should be ours!"
Pan Daidi’s eldest son, Zhou Junwen, thought they were being unreasonable. "Mom, once someone picks up a sea snail, it belongs to them. Don’t go and make a fool of yourselves."
Pan Daidi retorted, "How can it belong to someone else if Ah Jie found it first?"
Second daughter-in-law added, "That’s right, whoever finds it first, it belongs to them."
"Let’s go and get our pearl back!"
The mother and daughter-in-law marched out of the house, full of determination.
Zhou Junjie followed them, mainly because he wanted to see Jiang Xia.
Her arms and legs were so fine and white, just looking at them made his blood boil.
Zhou Junwen wanted to follow but was held back by his wife. "Don’t go, it’ll just make a fool of you!"
She pursed her lips, a look of disdain flashing in her eyes.
Pan Daidi and her second daughter-in-law turned a corner and arrived at Jiang Xia’s house.
The sun was out, but the sea was still choppy, so Zhou Chenglei and Zhou’s father didn’t go out to sea.
After breakfast, Zhou’s mother went out to water the vegetables, and Zhou’s father and Zhou Chenglei went to cut bamboo, as they needed more mats for drying shrimp. Jiang Xia was the only one at home.
The courtyard gate was open, as was common in rural areas during the day when someone was at home, making it easier for neighbors to drop by.
Pan Daidei stormed into the yard, looking around and seeing no one inside. Only Jiang Xia was outside, watering the grape seedlings. She immediately planted her hands on her hips and demanded, "Jiang Xia, hand over the seashell and pearl my son kicked to you yesterday! Give them back!"
Her daughter-in-law chimed in, "That’s right! My husband found them first! Why did you take them?"
Jiang Xia finished pouring the water at the base of the grapevine, then straightened up and gave the three of them a cool look. "Where’s your imperial edict?"
Pan Daidei was confused. "What imperial edict?"
"Without an imperial edict, what gives you the right to come here and demand the seashell and pearl like you’re interrogating me? Who do you think you are? I thought you were eunuchs delivering an imperial decree! The Qing Dynasty is long gone, so you can go back to wherever you came from!" Jiang Xia’s eyes gleamed with sarcasm as she looked at Pan Daidei, flanked by her two sidekicks.
With that, she picked up her bucket and continued watering the strawberries and the flowers by the wall.
Pan Daidei was fuming. This woman, with her bit of education, could insult without using foul language. Seeing no one else from the Zhou family around and noticing Jiang Xia’s delicate appearance, she felt emboldened. With three of them against one, she boldly stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Xia’s hair. "Will you give them back or not? Hand over that pearl right now!"
Jiang Xia was caught off guard and felt a sharp pain as her hair was yanked. Tears almost welled up in her eyes. She quickly swung the bucket and hit Pan Daidei’s foot with it, then grabbed her hair and yanked hard. Pan Daidei, in pain from the bucket, let go and stumbled, falling to the ground.
Seeing this, Pan Daidei’s daughter-in-law rushed to help, seizing Jiang Xia’s hair.
Jiang Xia’s other braid was also grabbed. She turned and grabbed the daughter-in-law’s hair, yanking hard. The two women’s heads collided, and stars danced in their eyes from the pain.
But the daughter-in-law was quick to react, maintaining her grip on Jiang Xia’s hair and using her large frame to push her.
Pan Daidei, equally large, joined in, and the two of them used their combined strength to pin Jiang Xia down.
Jiang Xia, with both hands, yanked their hair ferociously and swept her leg, tripping the daughter-in-law.
Her scalp was already sore from the hair being pulled, which only made her more determined. She yanked hard, and a large clump of hair came loose in her hand.
Pan Daidei, pulled by Jiang Xia, fell onto her daughter-in-law.
Jiang Xia kicked them with all her might.
The ferocity of her actions frightened the two women. With three against one, she had no choice but to be fierce; she knew she had to be.
The daughter-in-law, pinned under Pan Daidei, yelled at the man standing dumbfounded nearby, "Are you dead? Why are you just standing there? Can’t you help? Do you want to clean up the mess?"
Pan Daidei, kicked by Jiang Xia, was in excruciating pain and couldn’t get up. "Help! Help!"
Zhou Junjie, also shocked, snapped out of it and pretended to mediate. "Stop fighting! Stop fighting! Let’s talk this out, stop fighting..."
He reached out to grab Jiang Xia’s slender, fair wrist, but she quickly let go. The baser instincts in him took over, and he tried to reach for her waist...
(End of Chapter)
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