Wen Wan couldn't explain to Yuanbao why she couldn't go.
The little guy sat for quite a while, finally putting a handful of edamame in his pocket, not forgetting to grab a pancake, and then pulled Wen Wan out.
Wen Wan thought that at this hour, even if Limp Wang passed under the big pagoda tree, he should have gone far by now.
Feeling relieved, Wen Wan followed Yuanbao, heading toward the village entrance.
As soon as they reached the corner, they saw a man not far ahead, wearing coarse cloth cotton clothes, walking in a wobbly manner.
Even though the man was facing away from them, Wen Wan could guess who it was from the walking posture.
"Isn't that Limp Wang from Zhou Village?" Yuanbao's eyes darted around on Limp Wang's back.
Wen Wan, afraid the man would hear, quickly covered Yuanbao's mouth and dragged him behind a stack of hay.
Yuanbao removed Wen Wan's hand, peered out his little head, and then told Wen Wan, "Limp Wang was dragged inside by Widow Liu."
Wen Wan didn't believe it, carefully stretched her neck to peek outside, and sure enough, saw Limp Wang being half-dragged, losing a shoe outside the door. Not long after, a hand reached out to take the shoe away—clearly a woman's hand, and the owner was obvious.
Wen Wan: "..." No wonder she had a bad feeling marrying him would lead to suffering; Limp Wang indeed wasn't a good thing.
She shifted her thoughts, grabbed Yuanbao's hand, and ran toward the courtyard wall of Widow Liu's house.
This kind of mischief of watching drama was Yuanbao's expertise, as he took long strides forward.
In the end, it turned into Yuanbao dragging Wen Wan to watch the show.
——
Limp Wang had drunk a bit today, initially unable to resist wanting to visit his beautiful fiancée, Wen Wan, sooner. But unexpectedly, just as he reached Widow Liu's house, he was forcefully dragged inside by Widow Liu.
Seeing clearly that it was Widow Liu dragging him, Limp Wang sobered up halfway in fright, and shook off Widow Liu, "What are you doing? It's broad daylight, dragging me into the house, what if someone sees?"
Widow Liu pointed at him and started to scold mercilessly, "You heartless scoundrel, that night in bed you said you'd marry me after the new year, but then turned around and went to the matchmaker to propose to the Wen Family for a mute. Did you say all those sweet words just to climb onto my bed?"
Limp Wang was afraid her loud voice would soon attract the villagers, hurriedly hugged Widow Liu's waist and squeezed it slightly, soothingly and deceitfully, "Darling, what are you saying? I'm buying her to be your maid!"
Widow Liu gave him a sideways glance, "I've heard people say, you're prepared to give two mu of paddy fields with five taels of silver as a bride price. Whose maid is worth that much?"
Limp Wang hugged Widow Liu and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Widow Liu, riled up by the man in just a few moves, coquettishly said, "Why rush, I won't deny you, let's go inside, or someone might see."
After Limp Wang and Widow Liu went inside, Wen Wan and Yuanbao dared to raise their heads from outside the courtyard wall after using a rock as a footstool.
The words just now, heard every word.
"Limp Wang really isn't a good thing." Yuanbao lay on the wall and concluded, "You shouldn't marry such a person, or you'll suffer in silence all your life."
Wen Wan didn't listen to his rambling, she felt around her body and found she forgot to bring the flint.
"What are you looking for?" Yuanbao noticed something wrong with her.
Wen Wan made a gesture.
Yuanbao quickly fished out a flint from his pocket and handed it to her.
Wen Wan took it, continued to make gestures, meaning she would set fire to the pile of dry straw at the wall corner, and he would run around shouting fire.
Yuanbao understood, smiled sneakily, obviously raising both hands to agree with Wen Wan's prank.
After preparing, Wen Wan opened the flint and gently blew, immediately igniting a flame, she threw it down, right onto the straw pile.
The dry straw caught fire and started smoking thickly.
The two jumped off the rock footstool.
Yuanbao shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fire, come put the fire out!"
Most villagers had already returned from the fields preparing for lunch, hearing the sound, rushed out.
Wen Wan and Yuanbao had already hidden away.
The villagers only saw thick smoke rising from Widow Liu's courtyard and hurriedly grabbed buckets to rush in.
Limp Wang and Widow Liu, who were in the middle of things, smelled the smoke and jumped in fright. Limp Wang dropped Widow Liu, hurriedly pulled up his pants and ran out, just as the door to Liu's courtyard was knocked open by villagers coming to put out the fire.
Limp Wang still fastening his belt: "..."
Widow Liu coming out with untidy clothes: "..."
The villagers holding water buckets: "…!"
——
The rural area was very small, any bit of commotion could quickly spread to everyone.
By dinner time, Mrs. Zhou had already returned from her maternal home with Wen Shun.
At the dinner table, everyone had different thoughts.
Father Wen was pondering how to tell his daughter about Limp Wang's bad character, since associating with widowed women wasn't respectable, and he couldn't let his daughter know such filthy things before marrying.
Mrs. Zhou kept silent, thinking to keep it secret as long as possible, she didn't want the meat already in her mouth to fly away just like that.
Wen Shun slurped a mouthful of rice soup, looked at Wen Wan with disdain and arrogance, "Little mute, do you still not know your crippled fiancé climbed onto Widow Liu's bed?"
Father Wen's face darkened, scolded, "Who taught you to say that?"
Wen Shun, momentarily stunned, then retorted defiantly, "It's true, I didn't say anything wrong, everyone in the village is talking about it, even said that Limp Wang's second leg was crippled by our villagers and he limped away."
"If you're full, get out!" Father Wen was so angry his chest heaved.
Mrs. Zhou afraid the father would get angrier, quickly pulled Wen Shun out, but not forgetting to glance back at Wen Wan when reaching the door.
Wen Wan looked back at Mrs. Zhou calmly, her tranquility instead exposed some of Mrs. Zhou's thoughts.
Mrs. Zhou felt extremely uncomfortable, pondering how to quickly make up for this loss.
After the mother and son went back to the room, Father Wen put down the tableware, sighed at his daughter, "The matter about the matchmaker coming over a few days ago, don't take it to heart, Limp Wang isn't good, dad won't really marry you off to suffer."
Wen Wan nodded, feeling a bit gleeful inside.
——
Widow Liu's affair was exposed, she felt ashamed, stayed at home for a few days.
This day, taking advantage of the absence of people by the river, she brought clothes to wash.
Not long after, Wen Wan also arrived, carrying a basin of clothes, with a little tail, Yuanbao, who had nothing to do after school, came to find Wen Wan, Wen Wan wanted to wash clothes, he said he wanted to play with water by the river.
Seeing Wen Wan squatting upstream, rolling up her sleeves preparing to wash, Widow Liu carried her basin up, moved upstream to Wen Wan's side, while pounding and scolding the chicken nearby that couldn't be chased away, "Indeed a dumb chicken, can't get a good sound out of her, deserves not to be wanted!"
Yuanbao squatted next to Wen Wan eating melon seeds, "Wen Wan, Widow Liu is indirectly scolding you."
Wen Wan gestured, Yuanbao helped translate, "Aunt Liu's chickens in the courtyard are wanted, they crow loudly, everyone in the village hears them."
Widow Liu's face turned dark, "Where's this little bastard from, dare to spout nonsense, I'll tear up your mouth!"
Wen Wan put the clothes back in the basin and stood up.
Widow Liu thought she was intimidated and was leaving, feeling smug.
Yuanbao put his hands on his hips, contemptuously spat, conveyed Wen Wan's meaning, "Let's go upstream, to avoid washing something dirty and stinky spreading to others."
Widow Liu was so angry she staggered.