After the frail beauty went to the countryside, she went crazy with scientific research.

Chapter 422, Episode 458: Eating melons while beachcombing (Part 2)
To outsiders, the clothing of Xinghua Village is not only beautiful but also gorgeous and rare, a work of art. But for the almost isolated Xinghua Village, it is just an embellishment in their lives.

However, they know in their hearts whether the old craftsmanship passed down from their ancestors is exquisite or not, so the reward for the moonfish is silver ornaments. Silver is worthless on the island, but their craftsmanship is valuable.

So when the Xinghua Village Sea God Festival was approaching, not only would the people of Xinghua Village organize to go to Moon Bay to catch moonfish, but several villages near Xinghua Village would also organize to go, all in order to exchange some exquisite silver ornaments from Xinghua Village.

It can please a beautiful woman and is also a respectable dowry when marrying a wife.

After Wang Qiaohua's mother-in-law found out about this, she had a plan. "Her daughter isn't very good-looking, and she was divorced once before. Moreover, the reason for the divorce wasn't very respectable."

Wang Qiaohua's husband's family surname is Feng. Coincidentally, Li Sanniang and the Feng family are from the same village. It was because of this relationship that she rushed in so quickly when the Feng family made a fuss when she first arrived. Later, she did not insist on compensation because she knew better than anyone that she would not get it.

"Old Lady Feng's husband married into the family. He was a carpenter and had two apprentices. I won't go into the details of the elder apprentice, but the younger apprentice was a very handsome orphan named Gou Dan (Dog Egg), who didn't have a formal name."

“That poor Gou Dan was born before his father was born, and his mother left after he was born. The rest of the family thought he was unlucky and said he would bring bad luck to his relatives. The baby, who was less than three days old, was left naked in the snow.”

"Our village chief is kind-hearted. He couldn't bear to see a child freeze to death like that, so he took the child home."

“But the old village chief’s family is not doing well either. They have many children, and their son and daughter-in-law are not happy to have more mouths to feed and share their food rations. Besides, this child is said to bring bad luck to his relatives.”

“My home is far from the old village chief’s house, so I don’t know what happened back then. I only heard from the villagers that the old village chief even mentioned dividing the family property, which is why Gou Dan was left behind.”

But sometimes, some things really are a bit strange.

"The old village chief had only been taking in Gou Dan for less than a month when he passed away. Now, even if people wanted to, no one dared to take him in anymore."

The old village chief's death almost confirmed the 'fact' that Gou Dan was cursed by his relatives.

Fortunately, the villagers weren't so indifferent as to leave a child to fend for himself. So they cleaned up a house that had been uninhabited for a long time, and the newly appointed village chief arranged for everyone to take care of Gou Dan until he was six years old.

Li San Niang sat there gazing at the sea, her expression dazed, clearly lost in memories.

"Gou Dan is a very sensible child. As soon as he could walk, he knew how to take care of himself. He was only three years old when he started working in the fields to earn work points. Other children would cry if they were exposed to the sun, but he didn't utter a sound even when his little hands were chafed and bleeding."

When Gou Dan was six years old, the Feng family suddenly said they wanted to take him as an apprentice. At the time, the villagers didn't think much of it and even thought it was a good thing. Gou Dan could learn a skill and at least support himself in the future.

To express their gratitude to the Feng family, the villagers even chipped in to help Gou Dan raise money for his apprenticeship ceremony.

"When Gou Dan turned sixteen, one day the Feng family suddenly announced that Gou Dan was going to marry into the Feng family. The Feng family only had one daughter, Feng Jiao, whose name sounded quite fitting. However, Feng Jiao was not only ugly but also six years older than Gou Dan, and she had a bad temper, just like Old Mrs. Feng."

“狗蛋长得可俊了，手艺活儿比他师傅还好，而且在冯家放出他要入赘的风声前，他和村里一个叫秀儿的丫头已经谈了一段时间的对象，秀儿家里也同意他们俩一块，只等着挣到彩礼去上门提亲。” “所以我们都觉得这里头有事儿，可狗蛋情愿挨秀儿家里人的揍，也不愿意解释一句半句，我们外人就更不好说什么了。”

"Gou Dan and Feng Jiao have only been married for a little over seven months, and Feng Jiao has already given birth to a daughter. Now we don't understand anything. Gou Dan was forced by the Feng family to become a sucker who takes over their burden."

Li San Niang's hometown was a remote village where many old ideas still existed. Once someone became her apprentice, the master was like a father to them, and could truly decide the apprentice's life at will.

Upon hearing this story, both the old man and Lin Yuexi looked displeased.

This kind of thing is not surprising, because education in many slightly remote areas has not kept up, and the old ways are still followed. For example, if a father wants his son to die, the son must die. Another example is the so-called requirement for women to remain chaste. Even worse, girls are not allowed to live.

One incident made the grandfather and grandson think about many things. While feeling heartbroken, they also felt a sense of powerlessness.

This is not something they can change in a short time.

Technology can be strengthened through intellect and collective effort; but ideas cannot be changed solely through intellect and effort.

"Dog Egg only lived to be twenty-one years old."

Li Sanniang wiped away her tears, her voice trembling: "He was beaten to death in the county. Although Feng Jiao wasn't very good-looking, she was really capable. She had two lovers in the county, one a pig butcher and the other a miner. Both of them were tall and strong."

"Feng Jiao told them that Gou Dan had bullied her and her daughter. The two of them thought that Feng Jiao's daughter was their own. I don't know what was wrong with them, but they actually joined forces to take revenge on Gou Dan."

Gou Dan took a job in the county. That day, he delivered the finished furniture to the county. Feng Jiao told Gou Dan's two lovers the route in advance. The two ambushed him on the road. When Gou Dan returned after delivering the goods, the two not only beat him to death, but also stole his money.

Both of them thought they had chosen a great location and that their actions were flawless. After committing the crime, they didn't hide or flee, and even took the stolen money and tickets to go out for a big feast.

It's hard to say whether Heaven had eyes or not, but two female educated youths happened to be passing by and witnessed the two men beating each other. The two women were so scared that they hid behind a mound of earth and only dared to come out after the two men left.

After confirming that Gou Dan had stopped breathing, the two were still terrified, but they mustered their courage and ran to call the police.

A life was lost, this is a big deal. The police immediately dispatched officers and arrested the two men who were still waiting for the braised pig's head to be served in the state-run restaurant in less than half an hour.

This incident caused a sensation throughout the county due to its extremely serious nature and the record-breaking speed at which the case was solved.

The only pity is that the two men were professional wild vegetable diggers. Even though they knew that the other had an improper relationship with Feng Jiao, even though they were not sure if the two daughters Feng Jiao gave birth to were their own, and even though they each had other families, neither of them confessed that Feng Jiao had anything to do with Gou Dan's death.

The villagers had many guesses, but Feng Jiao was released after being questioned. Some even said that Feng Jiao had a relationship with a certain team leader of the committee at the time, especially since Feng Jiao's youngest daughter looked remarkably like that team leader, almost like they were cut from the same mold. At that time, everyone was terrified of the committee, so naturally no one dared to say anything.