Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

The commotion was so loud that it attracted Shen Dehou's attention.

He walked over, looked at Yang Cuihua and Granny Li, then at Jiang Xing, and his face darkened.

"What is it?"

Yang Cuihua spoke first: "Village chief, you be the judge! I'm her biological mother, and now she doesn't acknowledge me and wants to drive me away!"

Shen Dehou glanced at Yang Cuihua: "Yang Cuihua?"

"yes!"

"She doesn't acknowledge you? Then why didn't you take her with you when you remarried?"

Yang Cuihua opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Shen Dehou then looked at Granny Li: "Which village are you from?"

When Granny Li told Shen Dehou the name of her husband's village, he immediately thought, "Isn't that the poorest place, Muzhugou? That village is even poorer than our Jiangjia Village."

"You're not from Jiangjia Village," Shen Dehou said in a tone that was neither too soft nor too hard. "You're from another team. What are you doing here?"

Granny Li was stunned for a moment, then hardened her expression: "We're here to find someone! Jiang Daya is one of our family members!"

"Her mother remarried," Shen Dehou said. "Jiang Daya's surname is Jiang, and she's listed in my Jiang family genealogy. What kind of family member is she to you?"

"So what if she remarries? A mother is a mother!" Granny Li persisted.

Shen Dehou sneered, his words dripping with venom: "Your own mother? You still know what a mother is? I've lived most of my life, and this is the first time I've ever seen a mother abandon her own children and remarry without permission. The laws of the Great Liang Dynasty clearly state that a woman obeys her husband after marriage, and obeys her son after her husband's death. Her husband died, and she disobeyed her son and remarried without permission; this is a violation of the law."

Yang Cuihua's face turned pale.

"And you," Shen Dehou said, looking at Granny Li. "Your son married a woman who broke the law. Aren't you, as her mother-in-law, afraid of being implicated?"

Yang Cuihua's face turned pale: "You, you're talking nonsense! I'm just remarrying, what law have I broken? Does anyone say I have to keep a chastity arch for that dead man for the rest of my life?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang wanted nothing more than to rush up and tear this harlot to pieces, and Jiang Xing also frowned.

"Nonsense?" Shen Dehou said unhurriedly, "According to the laws of the Great Liang Dynasty, if a woman remarries after her husband's death, she must obtain the consent of her husband's family, be witnessed by the clan head, and have a written agreement. Do you have any of those?"

Yang Cuihua and Granny Li exchanged a glance, speechless.

"No, right?" Shen Dehou continued, "If you didn't, then you remarried without permission, which is a violation of the law. If this goes to the county government and they find out, you, Yang Cuihua, will be imprisoned. If your husband's family pursues the matter, you could even be drowned in a pig cage."

Yang Cuihua's legs went weak, and her face turned as white as paper.

Granny Li panicked too, but she still wouldn't admit defeat: "Who are you trying to scare?"

Shen Dehou looked at her: "Trying to scare you? If you don't believe me, let's go find Captain Ma right now. He works in the yamen and knows the law better than anyone. Let him judge and see if what I said is true."

Granny Li dared not speak.

Yang Cuihua tugged at Granny Li's sleeve, her voice trembling, "Mother, let's go..."

Granny Li gritted her teeth, wanting to say something more, but when she saw Shen Dehou's dark face and looked at the onlookers around her, she realized that the people of Jiangjia Village were all watching the spectacle with mocking eyes.

She snorted and turned to leave.

Yang Cuihua followed behind, head down, walking quickly as if fleeing.

Jiang Xing watched their retreating figures without saying a word.

Shen Dehou turned around and glanced at Jiang Xing: "If they come again, come find me."

Jiang Xing nodded.

Shen Dehou is gone.

The camp returned to calm, but several houses nearby were secretly glancing in their direction.

Zhang stood at the entrance of the shed, looking in the direction Yang Cuihua had left, the coldness on her face still lingering.

She turned and went into the shed, sat down, and didn't say a word.

Xiao Niu squatted down next to Jiang Xing and whispered, "Sister, will they come back?"

Jiang Xing said, "I don't know, but I'm not afraid even if I come."

The calf nodded, crawled into the shed, and nestled against Zhang's side.

Jiang Xing laid out the remaining straw, stood up, and patted the dirt off his body.

Snow is coming.