Unlimited estates for rural beauty-Chapter 17 Nemesis

"Hey, Sister Liu, look, isn’t that the jinx of Dahong’s family? It’s drizzling, and the siblings are wearing straw coats. Where are they off to?" When Sister Liu heard her neighbor Feng Zheng mention the jinx, she looked up to see Feng Xi and Xuxu passing by her yard and craned her neck through the fence to see they were heading toward the home of the third Feng, "They must be going to the third Feng’s place," Sister Feng Liu said to Feng Zheng, who had come over for a visit.

"Ah! Sister Liu, now even our village is spreading the rumor that Feng Xuxu is a jinx. Just yesterday, my relatives came over for a visit and they were talking about it too," Feng Zheng said, standing by the door, hands in her pockets, and chatting with Sister Liu.

"Exactly, good news stays inside the house, bad news travels a thousand miles. I need to tell the children, they can’t be too close to them. If they really get hexed, it will be too late for regrets," Sister Liu remarked.

"That’s right, having a jinx in the village is embarrassing to mention. Our kids are reaching the age to talk about marriage, so they really shouldn’t get too close to them," Feng Zheng agreed.

"Is what you say true? Do you have any evidence? Which family has ever experienced such a thing?" Grandpa asked Feng Xi sternly.

"Well... There’s no evidence for the moment. As for whether it’s true, we’ll only know after the rice is harvested," Feng Xi replied honestly.

"Who gave you this idea? Although you’re usually quiet, you work hard. I don’t believe you would come up with these wild tales for no reason. A yield of a thousand kilos per mu, in all my years of farming, hmph, I’ve never heard such nonsense," Grandpa said sharply to Feng Xi, glancing at Feng Xuxu when mentioning whose idea it was.

"Grandpa, it was me who told big brother that if we change the way we plant rice, it’s possible to yield a thousand kilos per mu," Feng Xuxu took up from where Grandpa left off.

"Oh you, Feng Xuxu, what exactly do you want, huh? Not only did you jinx your mother to death, but your father too, and now you want to jinx me and your Grandma? How can you have such a vicious mind at such a young age?" Grandma, upon hearing it was Feng Xuxu’s idea, looked at Xuxu as if she wanted to flay her alive, her chest heaving with anger as she spoke.

"Yeah, Feng Xuxu, even if you dislike seeing your dad and mom, you can’t be giving such a bad idea. Do you want to starve our entire family to death?" Third Aunt added fuel to the fire with her insinuations.

"Third Aunt, what do you mean by saying I dislike Grandpa and Grandma? And how have I starved your family? And how exactly did I jinx my dad and mom to death? You tell me," Feng Xuxu fired back.

"What’s there to say, jinx? The whole village has spread it around, even the neighboring villages know you are a jinx. There’s no need for me to say it; you should go out and hear it yourself. Whenever we go out, people point at our backs," Third Aunt retorted with sharp words.

"Third Aunt, my mom and dad died of illness. How can you call my sister a jinx? And how have we shown any disrespect toward Grandpa and Grandma?" Feng Xi balled his fists, so furiously that his veins throbbed, questioning Third Aunt.

"What’s there to say? Keeping a jinx at home, just waiting to hex the entire family. Is this how you honor your grandparents?" Third Aunt, hands on her hips, yelled at Feng Xi inside the cottage. Both Grandpa and Grandma looked at Feng Xuxu with unkind eyes, influenced by Third Aunt’s words.

"Whether she’s a jinx or not isn’t for us to say. A few years ago, a monk did come to your house, and the villagers saw. Your mother was in good health at the time, but not long after, she passed away. How do you explain that?" Third Uncle joined the fray, his voice quivering.

"Mom, keeping such a jinx at home puts us on edge; if she were to hex someone else, what would we do, Mom..." Aunt Feng Dongzhi, clutching her handkerchief, nervously chimed in.

"Yes, it’s better to be safe than sorry. We should quickly arrange a marriage for Feng Xuxu. In a few days, send her off to be a child bride," Grandpa said solemnly, without a trace of compassion.

"Dad, Feng Xuxu is now considered a jinx, who would take her?" Third Aunt said with pursed lips, arms crossed.

"I disagree. I won’t let my sister become a child bride no matter what," Feng Xi declared, his face flushed with anger. On the side, Feng Xuxu observed the family scene with a detached gaze. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Hmph, what right do you have to disagree? I’m still the head of this household, my word is law. Old Third’s wife, go and check with your older sister for an auspicious day, and let’s get this settled," Grandpa commanded.

"Grandpa, although you are the head of the household, our family has already split up. Our household is under my charge. My sister’s marriage doesn’t need Grandpa’s concern," Feng Xi said, frustrated.