Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 49 - 40: Breaking Off the Engagement (Part 4)
Mr. Zhao was a figure of great authority in the Zhao Village.
For one, this was due to his age and seniority.
For another, Mr. Zhao had fought rebels as a young man and was quite a capable fighter.
Furthermore, Mr. Zhao was fair in his dealings and never showed favoritism. Even if his own sons or grandsons made a mistake, he would beat or punish them as they deserved, earning him great respect.
It was this very old man—one who was wholeheartedly dedicated to the village, handled matters with great integrity, and hadn’t been seen angry in years—who was now so furious his face was red and the veins on his neck were bulging. A grim, murderous light glinted in his sharp eyes.
It was beneath him to argue with a woman, so he just stared fiercely at Chen Dachang. "Is this true? Dachang, I want a straight answer. Did you really promise one girl to two families, scheming behind our backs to fool the Zhao Family?"
Chen Dachang hastily put away his pipe, his expression fraught with anxiety. "Mr. Zhao, about this matter..."
"Who are you calling ’Mr. Zhao’? Don’t try to get familiar with me. Just answer my question. Did your Chen family promise the girl betrothed to our Jing to another family?"
Seeing Mr. Zhao’s menacing aura, his sharp brows angled in fury, looking as imposing as the rebels who had once chased them like chickens and ducks, Chen Dachang was so frightened his lips trembled and his legs could barely hold him up.
"Mr. Zhao, this was all that foolish woman’s decision. I’m busy with the griddle-cake stall and can’t manage household affairs, as you know. This whole thing..."
"So you’re saying it’s true. Your Chen family really did promise Jing’s betrothed to someone else? Good. Good. You people are really something! Your branch of the family is really something else!"
Mr. Zhao was so angry the rims of his eyes turned red, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
He thought back to when his ninth brother was still alive, to the lively and joyous scene of Jing’s betrothal. Then he thought about how, after his ninth brother had passed, he and his other brothers couldn’t even safeguard Jing’s engagement. Mr. Zhao felt a deep sense of shame before his deceased brother, and in his fury, his eyes grew moist.
"This is going too far! Simply too far!"
"Is your Chen family bullying us, thinking the Zhao Family has no one to stand up for itself? Fine! Just fine! We treated you with courtesy, never once bullying you for being outsiders. But in return, you act without a shred of humanity or integrity. Big Brother, throw their whole family out of the village!"
The other two Zhao elders also stood up, staring at the Chen family with righteous indignation.
They had always thought the Chen family was treacherous and slippery, and that marrying their daughter to Jing was an insult to him.
But look what happened. They were given such a good match, and instead of cherishing it, they secretly promised the girl to someone else!
There was no one more black-hearted and shameless than them! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
’If the heavens have eyes, why don’t they strike them down with lightning!’
Mr. Chen looked as if he were about to collapse. When he realized his brother and sister-in-law had truly done something so faithless, his face twitched with anger, and he was too ashamed to remain in the room.
’But the Zhao Village is in a good location, it’s safe, and the villagers live in harmony. If we’re truly driven out, it’ll be no different from being uprooted from our home all over again. Where would we find a place to settle down?’
As the younger brother, Mr. Chen couldn’t lay a hand on his older brother or sister-in-law. But seeing Chen Lin, who showed no remorse and instead pouted with defiance, he rolled up his sleeves, lunged forward, and started hitting him.
"I’ll beat you to death, you unfilial son! Tell me the truth, was it you who arranged to marry Wanyue off to someone else? I knew you were up to no good! Tell me, did you lose money gambling and use your own niece to pay off the debt? You bastard, you’d even sell your own niece! How could the Chen family have produced such a disgraceful descendant!"
The only way Mr. Chen could think of to resolve the current crisis was to make Chen Lin the scapegoat.
It didn’t matter if Chen Lin had actually done it or not; it simply couldn’t be his parents who took the blame.
His parents had high seniority in the Chen family. If they were seen as having wicked hearts, no one in their branch of the Chen family would be able to escape the consequences.
Chen Lin, on the other hand, had always been a good-for-nothing. He had not only gambled away the family’s ox but had also nearly lost the griddle-cake shop that was their livelihood.
He was so worthless, there was nothing he wasn’t capable of doing.
Rather than let people think his parents were disrespectful in their old age, it was better for him to take the blame. After all, the kid had never been any good.
Mr. Chen had planned it all out, but unfortunately, Chen Lin couldn’t see the long-term picture.
He was about to retort reflexively, but just at that moment, his mother coughed. Chen Lin’s mind jolted. He instantly recalled his mother’s identity as a "God’s Chosen One," and his mouth fell open, unable to utter a single word.
