The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

At this moment, in the Xie family's kitchen, Chen Xi was washing the dishes with his head down and concentrating on it.

Suddenly, she sneezed twice loudly. She stopped what she was doing and wiped her wet hands with her apron, muttering, "It must be those people from the Chen family who are gossiping about me behind my back again."

However, she didn't know that at this moment when she was busy with housework, a group of ruffians were approaching the gate of Xie's house step by step along the narrow alley.

At the door of Xie's house, Zhou Xuemei was furious. She swung the wooden stick in her hand vigorously and smashed it hard at the mottled wooden door of Xie's house.

After several consecutive kicks, there was still silence inside the door.

She couldn't help but get furious, and she opened her mouth in a voice as sharp as a knife: "Chen Xi, you damn bitch, get out of here right now!"

It was afternoon now and the children at home had already taken a nap.

Chen Xi had just washed the last bowl and put it neatly into the cupboard. Before he could even sit on the bench, he heard a commotion outside the door.

Xie Tianyi was sitting at the desk in the room. He was startled by the sudden knock on the door. He raised his head, his eyes fell on Chen Xi, and said softly, "It seems like someone is knocking on the door outside."

Chen Xi also keenly noticed the strange noise. She put down the rag in her hand and responded, "I heard it too. I'll go take a look."

After that, she walked quickly towards the door.

Before she opened the door, she could clearly hear Zhou Xuemei's scolding outside. She took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

At this moment, Zhou Xuemei was raising one foot, preparing to kick the door again, but unexpectedly the door suddenly opened, her attack missed, and she lost her balance and fell straight towards Chen Xi.

Chen Xi's eyes were sharp and his reaction was extremely fast. He dodged backwards slightly, and Zhou Xuemei immediately fell flat on her face, looking extremely embarrassed.

"Oh, what a rare guest. The Spring Festival isn't even here yet, and you've come to wish us a happy new year in advance?" Chen Xi's lips curled up into a faint smile, and he looked calmly at Zhou Xuemei who was sitting on the ground.

“You little bastard, I’m going to teach you a lesson!” Old Lady Chen, who was standing behind Zhou Xuemei, was so angry when she saw this that her face turned ashen. She gritted her teeth and took a step forward, intending to teach Chen Xi a lesson herself.

Chen Xi was not the kind of person who could be bullied. In her early years, she had experienced the power of Old Lady Chen's "Iron Sand Palm". Seeing that she was about to attack again, she subconsciously stepped back a few steps, her eyes alert and calm.

Zhou Xuemei struggled on the ground for a while before slowly getting up. It was obvious that she had fallen quite hard.

She supported her waist with one hand and pointed at Chen Xi with the other hand tremblingly. Perhaps because of the pain, her voice was obviously much weaker.

"Oh, my waist! Hand your brother over quickly, or else you'll have to pay for his redemption. They've already come to our door!"

Chen Xi's eyes were cold as he glanced at the three men outside the door. He spoke in a steady and powerful voice, "Who am I going to befriend? How can I get any money? I don't have a penny. Besides, we broke off our relationship a long time ago. How can you have the nerve to ask me for a debt?"

Seeing Chen Xi's firm attitude and her refusal to give in, Old Lady Chen acted as if it was a matter of course, trying to impress her with family affection: "Before the breakup, our family was too poor to support you two siblings, so we gave your brother to Old Master Li to raise. Now that you have taken Chen Rong away without permission, of course they want an explanation."

Chen Xi sneered when he heard this, with a trace of pain and anger flashing in his eyes: "It sounds nice to say, 'give' him to Master Li? It's obvious that you sold him and took his money, right?"

“You, you…” Old Mrs. Chen was frightened when Chen Xi exposed the truth, and she was speechless.

That mean face was twisted with shame and anger, and could no longer maintain its previous arrogance.

Chen Xi's eyes were cold. He turned around and faced Old Man Li. His words were as cold as ice. "Back then, she 'sold' my brother to you like a commodity. She put the money into her pocket. What does it have to do with me? Now my brother and I have already severed our relationship with the Chen family. Isn't it only natural for me to take my brother back? When we severed our relationship, the county magistrate was there to witness it. If you don't believe me, you can ask him to come and confront us. Let the fair judgment clear our doubts."

Hearing this, Old Man Li knew that he was in the wrong, but he still tried to remain calm and stiffened his neck to respond: "No matter who paid the money, you must give me an explanation today! Even if the county magistrate comes in person, I am not afraid!"

Chen Xi raised a mocking arc at the corner of his mouth, and his tone was calm but stern: "Are you sure you are not afraid? Privately buying and selling people is a serious crime. By then, the two of you will not be able to escape the law, and you can only spend the rest of your lives behind bars."

She was not bluffing, but was fully aware that the crime of human trafficking would be severely punished.

When Old Mrs. Chen heard this, her heart was suddenly shocked and she was secretly horrified.

How did this girl suddenly know so many laws?

She used to be silent and let me control her, but could it be that the fall made her wise up?

Inside the house, Chen Rong heard the quarrel outside, walked out tremblingly and stood at the door.

As soon as he saw the figure of Old Man Li, he subconsciously hid behind Chen Xi, knowing full well that the purpose of their visit was nothing more than to take him away.

Having been bullied for many years, and being beaten up whenever he wasn't careful, his frail body was now covered with a mixture of old and new wounds, and the bruises were shocking to the eye.

"Sister, I don't want to go back with them. They will... beat me." Chen Rong's voice trembled, fear flashed in his eyes, and he grabbed Chen Xi's arm tightly and begged.

Chen Xi patted the back of his hand gently, her tone firm and comforting: "Don't be afraid, I will never let them take you away. I am already able to protect you, and I will never let them bully us as I did before."

Her firm words were like a shot of adrenaline, which gradually calmed Chen Rong's anxious heart.

When everyone heard Chen Xi's resoluteness, they were all furious.

"You little bastard, have you grown wings? You've been away from home for only a few hours, and you're already ungrateful to your ancestors? The Chen family has raised you for more than ten years, and this is what you get in return?" Old Mrs. Chen still tried to occupy the moral high ground with a hypocritical attitude.

Chen Xi's face suddenly changed when he heard this, and he was filled with indignation. "You said you raised us for more than ten years? Our mother and father paid the household expenses on time every month, but what kind of life do my sister and I live? We don't have enough food to eat, and we don't have enough clothes to wear. We have to do all the dirty and heavy work at home. If we are not careful, we will be beaten. Even having a full meal is a luxury!"

Chen Xi recalled the hardships of the past, his eyes turned red and tears welled up in his eyes.

Now that my parents have passed away, my younger brother is the only blood relative left in the world.

She silently made a vow in her heart that she would do her best to protect her brother and never let any evil forces bully them again.

Old Lady Chen was so angry that her face turned red when she saw Chen Xi's rebuttal became more and more intense. "You keep saying that I abused you, but aren't you tall and strong? What is there to complain about? We are discussing Chen Rong's affairs now, not asking you to point fingers at me here!"