Zhou Dajun’s actions were such that not a single one like it had emerged from the Old Zhou family, nor from Wozi Village in a hundred years. How could people not lose face, how could they not feel hatred?
Just as Lady Liang had thought, Old Lady Zhou had been strong her whole life, and now, with one foot in the coffin, her eldest grandson had to go and make such a mess. She wouldn’t find peace in her final years; how could she not feel hatred? Even if she died right now, she wouldn’t have the face to meet the ancestors of the Zhou family.
So, Old Lady Zhou hated too, wishing she could bite his flesh, eat his meat — but did she have the ability to do so?
One incident after another, Wufu took action, each time more ruthless than the last. Now it had disgraced the Old Zhou family, reducing Zhou Dajun to a beast. So what if they provoked her again? The next time, might she actually do as Dajun had said and silence them forever?
Old Lady Zhou was scared, truly scared. She feared her entire family wouldn’t end well, dying unforeseen deaths. That girl Wufu, she was a demon, a lunatic!
Pressing down on her wildly thumping chest, Old Lady Zhou, exhausted, turned to her eldest son: "We need an explanation for the outside world."
They couldn’t just sit idly by after such an incident; something had to be done, or how would this family survive?
"Mother’s meaning is?" Zhou Xuennian’s mind was a complete mess. One moment, he was picturing Zhou Dajun, the next he was thinking about the noble patron behind Wufu. He couldn’t wrap his head around any sort of outside explanation.
Seeing him , Old Lady Zhou was disappointed. As the eldest son, he should be thinking about how to solve this problem, yet he was all at sea. How could he support this family?
With this thought, she felt a surge of qi and blood in her chest, which she forcibly suppressed, and said, "I think we should just say that Dajun encountered evil and a vile beast possessed him."
"He was perfectly fine staying at his uncle’s home, then he came back in the middle of the night. It’s hard to explain, better to just say that a vile beast possessed him, and that’s why he did what he did." Old Lady Zhou continued, "Tomorrow, we must invite a Daoist priest to come to the house and perform a ritual."
This was the most comprehensive solution she could think of, and since the ancient people were superstitious, such an explanation would also be the easiest for people to believe. Otherwise, how could it suddenly just come to this?
Only by claiming possession by a vile spirit could they satisfactorily clear this matter, and then the Zhou family wouldn’t be too afraid even to step out the door.
Zhou Xuennian thought it over, then said, "Let’s do as mother suggests." He then looked to Zhou Xueli and said, "Second brother, this is up to you. I’m a scholar, and it wouldn’t be right for me to deal with such superstitious matters. I’ll trouble you to handle the invitation of the Daoist priest."
Zhou Xueli moved his lips, hesitantly nodding.
Zhou Xuennian breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Lu said, "Mother, what about Wufu? That hoof, just let her off like that?"
Was her son’s crime to go unpunished?
Old Lady Zhou pounded the bed forcefully, "Would you dare announce that it was Wufu who led Dajun astray? Everyone would think so. Why did she do that? Don’t forget, both mother and daughter have moved away. The world is not lacking in clever people. If they think about it carefully, they’ll realize the connection. Do you want people to know that Dajun committed incest with his own aunt? That would be sending him to his death!"
What a foolish and bothersome daughter-in-law, with stupidity that annoys people.
Old Lady Zhou said, "It was Dajun who was in the wrong to begin with. Let’s settle it and never speak of it again. Even if it’s unfair, what can we do? They’ve left, but we still have to live in Wozi Village! It’s our own fault for not being more capable. Even with all the hatred, we can only swallow our teeth and blood."
Madam Lu was not yet ready to give up.
"Unless you have no shame," Old Lady Zhou said fiercely, "go ahead and blurt it out, shout it from the rooftops. Then I’ll just strangle myself. It would be better than losing face in front of everyone."
"Enough, let’s follow mother’s plan; there’s no more comprehensive idea than this!" Zhou Xuennian intervened to stop his wife.
With this strategy, the matter would slowly settle down, and people would just think the son was possessed by something filthy.