Chapter 18
If anyone in the Ma family hated Zhao Ger the most, aside from Madam Ma, it was Ma Dazhuang.
He had worked hard all his life and only had two sons. Though the younger one was simple-minded (a fool), he still loved him to the bone. Afraid the boy would have no one to care for him in old age, he had even gone to town to buy him a child bride.
But Zhao Ger was nothing but a curse. Not only did he bring about his younger son’s death, but he also bewitched his eldest son, leaving him so infatuated he refused to marry anyone else.
If that were all, it might have been bearable. But that wretched Zhao Ger had the audacity to cuckold his son, trampling his son’s dignity and the Ma family’s reputation into the dirt!
How could he not hate him?
Among the three brothers, the third was the cleverest, and Ma Dazhuang tended to listen to him.
Ma Laosan didn’t beat around the bush: "Eldest Brother, I think Zhao Ger is worth more than three taels of silver. Selling him would be a loss."
Hearing this, Madam Ma was displeased: "Pah! That wretch worth more than three taels? I already thought the price was too high when we set it!"
"Sister-in-law, that’s not how you should look at it," Ma Laosan said. "Three taels may sound like a lot, but it’s really not much. Once it’s spent, it’s gone. But Zhao Ger is different. Look how efficiently he worked when he was at home. He’s only nineteen, and that little bastard of his is already three—barely half a laborer. If we keep them at home, they can work for us for fifty or sixty more years! Isn’t that more cost-effective than three taels?"
Madam Ma’s lips twitched, but Ma Laosan pressed on: "Sure, three taels could buy us another person, but who’s to say they’d be as capable as Zhao Ger?"
The room fell silent.
Thinking about it carefully, ever since Zhao Ger left, things at home hadn’t been going well.
The fields were untended—last time they checked, the weeds had grown knee-high.
No one chopped firewood, swept the yard, fed the pigs, fetched water, or washed clothes. Worst of all, no one cooked. Everything was in disarray.
With Zhao Ger gone, life had become unbearable for them.
Ma Erzhu’s wife, Madam Li, thought for a moment and spoke up: "I think Third Brother makes a good point."
Truthfully, Madam Li had never agreed to selling Zhao Ger in the first place. When Zhao Ger was around, she never had to lift a finger—someone else did all the work. Zhao Ger never fought back or talked back, no matter how much he was scolded. It had been perfect.
Besides, with the family still living together, the old lady controlled the money. Even if they sold Zhao Ger, not a single copper coin would make its way into her hands.
So what if Zhao Ger had an affair with another man? It wasn’t her son he’d cuckolded, and that little bastard didn’t call her Grandma. It had nothing to do with her family.
They'd sold Zhao Ger under the pretense of saving food, but in truth, Zhao Ger hardly ate anything—mostly just wild greens he foraged himself. He barely ever touched the family’s food.
Seeing Ma Dazhuang wavering, Ma Laosan added fuel to the fire.
"Eldest Brother, Xiaowen will be back soon. You know how much he likes Zhao Ger. If he finds out we sold Zhao Ger behind his back, he’ll throw a fit—might even turn against us!"
The words successfully pierced his heart. Ma Dazhuang's hesitation vanished instantly.
He only had one son left, and he knew exactly how devoted Ma Wen was to Zhao Ger.
Last time his son came home, he’d even seen him teaching that little bastard to call him "Father"!
"But what do we do now?" Ma Dazhuang asked. "We’ve already sold him! How do we fix this?"
"Eldest Brother, Fang Zichen hasn’t paid the silver yet. There’s still room to maneuver," Ma Laosan said. "When we made a scene at his place, Fang Zichen probably still holds a grudge."
Ma Dazhuang was impatient. Since Ma Laosan had brought it up, he must have a plan. "Third Brother, stop holding back. Just tell us what to do, we’ll follow your lead."
"Village Chief acted as the middleman last time. Let’s go to him now and ask him to talk to Fang Zichen for us."
When the three Ma brothers arrived, the village chief was in his father’s room.
A broken bone takes a hundred days to heal, and the old man was no spring chicken. With his leg broken, he was bedridden, unable to move.
"What’s that Fang boy been up to lately?" the old man asked.
"I heard he’s been carrying sacks at the docks," the village chief replied. He’d only heard about it secondhand.
"Is that so?" The old man chuckled, as if remembering something. "That boy’s got monstrous strength. When he pulled me out of that ditch, he did it with one hand, like plucking a radish." He sighed. "If not for him, I probably wouldn’t be here."
The village chief didn’t like hearing him talk like that. "Dad, don’t say such things."
"I know," the old man said, patting his leg. "I can’t move around, so when you have time, go check on him. See if he needs anything, bring him some supplies. Help him however you can, he’s done our family a great kindness."
The village chief grunted in acknowledgment. Just as he was about to change the subject, Wang Damei walked in, her expression grim.
"What’s wrong?"
"The Ma brothers are here."
The village chief’s face darkened.
In the village, anyone with a shred of decency avoided dealing with the Ma family. As the saying goes, "No one visits the temple without a reason." They must be here for something.
[无事不登三宝殿 (wú shì bù dēng sān bǎo diàn): lit. No one visits the Hall of the Three Treasures (Buddhist temple) without a reason; fig. People only seek someone out when they have a specific request or hidden motive]
Sure enough, as soon as the village chief stepped out, Ma Dazhuang stated their business.
The village chief sipped from a bowl of water, his brow furrowed, his tone unimpressed: "You were the ones who wanted to sell Zhao Ger. When Fang Zichen refused, you made a scene. Now you want him back, but you’re too scared to go yourselves, so you come to me?"
"You were the middleman back then. Who else should we turn to now?" Ma Dazhuang said imperiously. "You’re the village chief of Xiaohe Village! Don’t let just because that boy saved Old Man He’s life make you take his side. So, are you going to help us or not?"
Ma Erzhu cut in: "Exactly. You have to go. Otherwise, we’re not leaving today."
It was a blatant threat.
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