Chapter 20: The Crime of Gender 20

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: The Crime of Gender 20This matter with Old Chen is already suspected of murder, and by law, it can be directly reported to the authorities! However, people generally fear the government, so disputes in the village are usually resolved privately for minor issues and involve the Clan Leader and elders for major issues. They only go to the authorities if it results in a fatality that demands official intervention. The village chief is the Qin Clan Leader, so naturally, he is in charge of this matter. The village chief is also concerned about Qin Shuangshuang and has resolved to teach Old Chen a good lesson this time, frightening her enough so that she dares not torment Mrs. Bai and Qin Shuangshuang again. The village chief directly announced to summon the elders and open the ancestral hall to decide this case where a grandmother torments her granddaughter to the point of intending to kill her, right in front of the ancestors of the Qin Clan! Upon hearing the decision, Mr. Qin felt the world spinning, with only one thought in his mind: this matter is going to escalate drastically! Mr. Qin couldn’t handle the blow for a moment, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted backward. Fortunately, Mr. Qin was standing nearby and quickly supported Mr. Qin! Meanwhile, Qin Laoer was no longer a bystander, rushing forward with filial piety to support the other side of Mr. Qin and hurriedly pressing the pressure point under Mr. Qin’s nose. Mr. Qin had fainted and no longer needed to worry about the scene, but holding on to Mr. Qin, originally Mr. Qin with no change in facial expression, now particularly wished to faint and be done with it! The ancestral hall is the most important place for a family, and any matter requiring its opening is extremely serious, especially when it’s not during the time of ancestral homage. Opening the ancestral hall is no small matter! If the village chief truly opens the ancestral hall, it’s not just about whether Old Chen can get away with it; it’s about whether the entire Old Qin Family can still hold their head high in the village! With a woman in the family called to the ancestral hall for judgment, especially Old Chen being the most senior female, the Qin Family wouldn’t only be shamed, but future marriages for their children would be significantly affected! Particularly with the reason for opening the ancestral hall, whenever there’s a discussion of marriage, men wouldn’t want to marry their daughters. What if their daughters turn out like Old Chen, who favors sons over daughters to the point of trying to kill her granddaughter? Likewise, women wouldn’t want to marry into this family; which woman can guarantee she’ll only have sons and not daughters? What if she has a daughter with such a mother-in-law and ends up being killed for displeasing her? Not everyone favors sons over daughters, and even those who do aren’t all willing to marry off their daughters to be tormented. Thinking of the severe consequences after opening the ancestral hall, it’s no wonder Mr. Qin fainted! Mr. Qin fainted and couldn’t manage things, so as the eldest son, Mr. Qin had to step up, trying to placate the village chief with a smile: "Village chief, you see, it’s true my mother was at fault, but the second lady isn’t harmed, is she? There’s no need for such a big fuss as opening the ancestral hall! Rest assured, we will make sure to take good care of the second lady from now on, and she will never be harmed again!" "You guarantee! The second lady has been in your home for so long, and if you had cared, you would have looked after her already. You are the eldest son, and if you had spoken kindly of her before your mother, would the second lady have been bullied to this extent? It’s obvious you haven’t taken the second lady seriously, so your guarantee now, why should anyone believe it?" The speaker was a well-known gossip in the village, famous for loving to talk about household matters, knowing everything about everyone’s business. She seemed to be speaking up for Qin Shuangshuang but was more interested in stirring trouble for the spectacle! Mr. Qin was quite disapproving of her in his heart, but at this time, he had to grin and bear it and continue to placate her with nice words. No matter what, he couldn’t really let his mother Old Chen be taken to the ancestral hall! Unfortunately, before Mr. Qin could speak, Qin the Third also fond of stirring trouble like him, couldn’t hold back! Qin the Third, a person who never accomplishes anything but spoils things, was always good at causing issues at home, but the only one stirred by him was the even more foolish Qin Laoer. Before Mr. Qin could speak, he couldn’t hold back and directly said, "This is our family matter, it doesn’t concern the village nor involve other families, our family wouldn’t pursue it themselves. My second brother is also very filial and wouldn’t press the issue of my mother almost killing his daughter. Even if you are the village chief and our clan leader, you’re not the government official who can arbitrarily decide life or death, surely you can’t extend your hand so far as to manage other people’s family affairs?" After speaking, Qin the Third even sought agreement by nodding at Qin Shuangshuang’s father, Qin Laoer, "Second brother, do you think you’d blame our mother for disciplining the second lady?" Qin Laoer, even more foolish than Qin the Third, merely looked at Qin the Third and nodded, "I don’t blame our mother!" Mr. Qin was so angered by these two backward-acting brothers that he almost fainted to keep Mr. Qin company! Although Mr. Qin hadn’t read books, whenever it wasn’t busy farming, he did odd jobs in the town or county, having interacted with all kinds of people, he had gained some insight and knew this wasn’t something simple! Originally, Mr. Qin planned to obscurely muddle through this event, but with Qin the Third’s one sentence, the situation exploded! It wasn’t just one person rebutting now, but an overwhelming uproar, with many people rolling up their sleeves, shouting so much that it was impossible to understand who was saying what, all accusing them! Searᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Mr. Qin’s head was buzzing! In his mind, there was anger, annoyance, worry, and a bit of fear, his urgent explanations being completely drowned in the loud, chaotic accusations from the opposite side, making it impossible for anyone to hear him, nor could he hear what they were accusing! It was only when the village chief raised his hand that the agitated villagers calmed down. The village chief, looking in disdain at Qin the Third, intimidated and unsure, without listening to Mr. Qin’s explanations, let out a cold snort. "No need to explain more, since your third brother thinks this is a family matter, and your mother nearly chopping the second lady is just a lesson, while I, as both village chief and clan leader, have no right to handle this matter, then we shall report it to the authorities to see whether the officials agree this is merely a family affair and whether these consequences can be summarized as a minor reprimand!" Mr. Qin was embarrassed red by the village chief’s sarcasm, angrily kicking the stunned Qin the Third, then soothingly pleaded with a smile: "Village chief, don’t be angry, my brother is just a fool with a muddled mind! Just think of what he said as nonsense, and don’t take it to heart. You see, as the village chief, you naturally have the right to handle whatever happens in each household in the village, and you are also the clan leader, it’s your responsibility to oversee all clan members. My third brother is an ignorant fool and doesn’t know how to speak; please don’t take offense. This affair is within our village; can we not report it to the authorities?"