She was right to think so – those who understood them knew they were different, but those who didn’t would only think this family was a mess. If that happened, not only would the two little girls be affected, but the boys’ marriages would also be influenced.
This was the bad part about ancient times.
In the past, when their family was poor, she could hit, she could scold, and she could ignore matters like reputation. But as her family improved, she could no longer be so careless. She had to maintain a good face in public. Even if people formed a bad impression of her family, she couldn’t let them gossip about such disgusting matters.
Moreover, she couldn’t just think about herself – she had younger siblings too. They might have been too young to care about in the past, but now that Qingrui was eleven, she had to be more considerate.
Nobody would kick this family out, as her grandfather would never permit it. Since they couldn’t sever their connection, they had to discipline them when needed, even if it meant bending a broken arm back into place.
"What do you want?" Yang Dongzhi retreated as Yang Chuxia advanced towards her.
"I don’t want much, just to teach you young ladies about morals, principles, and shame. Don’t covet what’s not yours, and let go of what is."
As she finished talking, Yang Chuxia grabbed Yang Dongzhi’s hair and dragged her towards a water vat nearby.
Yang Dongzhi kept crying out in her grasp.
But soon enough, she couldn’t make a sound.
Yang Chuxia held her head and slowly dunked it into the water.
Meanwhile, she asked, "How does it feel? Refreshing, isn’t it?" She then pulled Yang Dongzhi out of the vat before dunking her in again.
Dunk after dunk, she said, "Do you know, even if I drowned you here today, nobody would find out."
Yang Dongzhi shook her head frantically.
"Don’t want to die, huh?" Yang Chuxia snorted coldly. "If you don’t want to die, then don’t do disgusting things. I warned you before, but you didn’t listen and insisted on making people sick. You know, if you hadn’t been kidnapped while trying to find a doctor for my grandfather, I might have seriously killed you without a trace. I’m sparing your life now, but only if you behave."
At this moment, Yang Dongzhi was genuinely scared. She didn’t want to die, so she nodded vigorously.
"Good. After you return, if your aunt finds you a match, stop making a fuss and agree to it. And if instead she sends you back to your grandma’s house, don’t come back to the village on your own. Got it?"
Yang Dongzhi didn’t dare to shake her head.
So Yang Chuxia released her, snorting coldly, "Go on, head back to the old house."
Yang Dongzhi didn’t dare to say no and left with her head down.
When they arrived at the old house, no one asked too many questions, though Yang Dongzhi’s face was quite pale.
It wasn’t until that evening, when everyone had left, that Yang Chuxia told her husband, Yang Da’an, and the others about the matter.
Ms. Liu was furious and wanted to strangle her daughter, while Yang Ruoqiu naturally treated her with cold disdain. As for Old Yang and the others, there was no need to mention their reactions.
Yang Chuxia bluntly said, "Aunt, find her a family to marry into as soon as possible, preferably within two months. Don’t keep her here before she’s married – send her to your mother’s place. Know that if she causes trouble again, our several branches of the family will lose all face. I don’t want others pointing at me and saying, ’Look what that so-and-so’s cousin did!’ And Qingbao is growing up, too. Don’t let her be influenced by this."
"Fine, I understand," Ms. Liu said through gritted teeth.