Fan Tong, who had nowhere to turn, saw the wide open doors of the weaving workshop and dashed inside.
"Sister-in-law, save me." Fan Tong shouted to Tong Huaqiong.
Tong Huaqiong’s mouth twitched.
Who had forced this wretch into such a state?
"Sister-in-law, please get out of the way."
Looking back, Gu Honglian was chasing with a knife.
Fan Tong’s face was filled with terror.
The weaving workshop was full of female workers. Suddenly, a man with a face swollen like a pig’s head ran in, and everyone curiously watched.
Seeing Gu Honglian behind him, they realized the pig-headed man was Fan Tong.
News of Gu Honglian beating Fan Tong had already spread all over Qinghe Bay. At this moment, no one stepped in to stop them; the women in the weaving workshop all had a gossiping mindset, enjoying the spectacle.
Fan Tong was running around the yard chaotically, with Gu Honglian relentlessly pursuing him with a knife.
Fan Tong saw the pile of cotton seeds in the northwest corner of the yard and dove into it.
Gu Honglian caught up and, with a quick and precise strike, slashed Fan Tong’s buttocks with her knife.
Not even blinking an eye.
"Ow."
Fan Tong howled in pain, nearly fainting.
The weaving workshop fell silent immediately.
Even Tong Huaqiong was too shocked to speak. It must be said that Gu Honglian was quite bold, slashing down like that.
It shows that once a woman makes up her mind, she fears no one, even gods or saints.
"Quickly, pull him out. Don’t let the blood soak the cotton seeds; we still need them to make oil." Gu Baishuang shouted in alarm.
Of all places to run, he chose to run into the weaving workshop.
Unlucky!
Li Mingxiu, with her great strength, stepped forward to pull Fan Tong out of the cotton seeds and dragged him outside the workshop.
The villagers were so scared that they all backed off.
The blood was gushing out; it was terrifying.
Fan Tong had already fainted from the pain.
Fortunately, it was his buttocks that were cut; otherwise, that slash could have been fatal.
Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu rushed over and, seeing Gu Honglian holding the blood-stained knife, were so frightened they nearly ascended on the spot.
If Fan Tong were killed, Gu Honglian would end up in jail.
Mrs. Wei said, "Don’t worry, Grandpa and Grandma, it was the buttocks that got slashed; he won’t die."
Mr. Gu and Mrs. Gu felt slightly relieved.
Gu Honglian stood there blankly, holding the knife, with blood dripping onto her feet.
At this moment, Gu Honglian was utterly furious. She had made it very clear to Fan Tong yesterday, asking his mother and sister-in-law to come to the Gu family to apologize, but he had not taken it seriously at all.
He even tried to morally coerce her.
In Fan Tong’s mind, was her opinion so unimportant?
"Da Han, go fetch the doctor." Mr. Gu saw Gu Dahuan nearby and instructed him to go get the doctor. While it’s not life-threatening, if he bled to death at the Gu family, they’d be in big trouble.
He and the owner only wanted Gu Honglian to have control over Fan Tong, not to make her a widow.
Gu Dahuan also knew they couldn’t let someone die in Qinghe Bay, so he quickly went to fetch the doctor.
The doctor came, cut open Fan Tong’s pants, cleaned and bandaged the wound, and Fan Tong woke up from the pain.
"The son-in-law’s buttocks are so white."
A bunch of children curiously watched.
Yaozu commented.
Fan Tong felt ashamed and angry at Yaozu’s words.
He looked up and saw Gu Honglian standing before him, holding the bloody knife. Terrified, he rolled his eyes and fainted again.
Before passing out, Fan Tong thought it’d be better to die than face such humiliation.
"Wake him up." Gu Honglian said.
The doctor jabbed a needle, and Fan Tong slowly came to.
"The wound is quite deep. In this hot weather, you’re in for some suffering. I prescribed some medicine that needs to be applied and rubbed daily, and it mustn’t get wet. No bathing for ten days to half a month."
The doctor finished bandaging and, after giving some instructions, shook his head and left.
In this heat, not bathing for ten days to half a month, he’d be fermenting; how could Fan Xiucai stand it?
"Auntie, you’re so bold." Wu Na, with her belly sticking out, walked over, gesturing exaggeratedly, "I must say, your knife skills were quite accurate."
At Wu Na’s remark, Gu Ruinian suddenly felt a vague ache in his buttocks.
He feared Wu Na might learn from Gu Honglian and give him a slash on the buttocks.
Wu Na indeed thought so too.
If Gu Ruinian disobeyed next time, she’d slash his buttocks as well.
"Aunt Honglian, you’re so bold," said a young wife from the Gu family at the weaving workshop, sincerely admiring her.
She’d heard about Aunt Tong Dajiao beating men in her youth, but it was her first time witnessing a woman slashing someone.
"This Fan Xiucai brought it upon himself. He hit Honglian first,"
"Fan Tong, I told you yesterday, if you want me to go back to the Fan family, your mother and sister-in-law need to come to my house to apologize. You also need to write me a guarantee." Gu Honglian bared her teeth, shaking the knife in her hand, "If not, every time you come, I’ll slash you. Let’s see how many buttocks you have."
Fan Tong nodded like a pecking hen.
He no longer cared about face.
His pale buttocks had been bared for everyone to see, and his scholar image was completely ruined.
He cursed Gu Honglian for being ruthless while blaming Mrs. Fan and the Fan family’s sister-in-law for not understanding him. Had they come quickly to the Gu family, he wouldn’t have suffered like this.
"Get lost." Gu Honglian said.
Fan Tong couldn’t even stand, let alone roll.
Eventually, Gu Dahuan and Gu Fengnian hired Mr. Xu along with his ox cart and sent Fan Tong back to the Fan family in Wild Bull Valley.
Mrs. Fan and the Fan family’s sister-in-law cried when they saw the blood on Fan Tong’s pants, demanding justice from Mr. Xu.
The frightened Mr. Xu dumped Fan Tong on the ground and hurriedly drove away.
When Mr. Xu tossed him, Fan Tong hurt even more.
"I misjudged Gu Honglian. She’s a black-hearted, rotten seed, slashing my son with a knife. Wuwuwu..." Mrs. Fan cried out, heartbroken for her son while cursing Gu Honglian.
The Fan family’s sister-in-law was too shocked to respond.
She didn’t expect Gu Honglian to be so ruthless, slashing just like that.
At this moment, she felt a little relieved that Gu Honglian had returned to her maiden home; otherwise, she’d be the one being slashed at the Fan’s.
"Should we just divorce her?" suggested the Fan family’s sister-in-law.
She was genuinely terrified.
She had initially opposed her mother-in-law divorcing Gu Honglian, thinking that upon her return, there’d be one more laborer in the family. After working hard all these years, she intended to pass the burden of farming and housework to Gu Honglian so she could enjoy early retirement.
That single slash from Gu Honglian woke her up completely.
Initially, she coveted the sister-in-law and nephew relationship with Gu Honglian and the Gu family’s dowry, but now there was not only no dowry, but a risk of being slashed. It’d be better to find another village girl for Fan Tong who could work, and she’d be relieved.
Fan Tong grimaced in pain and lifted his neck to oppose, saying to the Fan family’s sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, don’t talk about divorcing my wife. I can’t possibly divorce Honglian; her nephew is a scholar, her sister-in-law is a village lady, and her sister-in-law’s brother is the champion scholar, now a favorite of the emperor. In our Pingchuan County, even County Magistrate Liu wants to get closer to the Gu family. If I divorce Honglian less than two months after marriage, I fear I won’t have a way to live in Pingchuan County."
Mrs. Fan choked on her words. Were they so controlled by Gu Honglian?
"I don’t believe that Gu Honglian can really control your future." The Fan family’s sister-in-law said unhappily.
Fan Tong said, "Until I become a scholar, I indeed need the Gu family’s connections."
The faces of the Fan mother-in-law and sister-in-law darkened.
They had married in a heavy-hitting deity.
"I wouldn’t have had to endure a knife injury. Sister-in-law, if you hadn’t held a grudge, today you and Mom might’ve brought her back to the Fan family. Honglian would be home by now." Fan Tong passed all the blame onto the Fan family’s sister-in-law.
The Fan family’s sister-in-law was so angry she burst into tears on the spot.
Her youngest brother-in-law had changed, becoming estranged and disloyal to her.