"You lazy, slacking woman! Not only do you not work, but you also steal chickens and dogs, stealing the family's food to feed this good-for-nothing! Our Song family can't keep you here anymore! Pack your things and get out!" The old woman's voice was aggressive, full of disgust and contempt.

"Yes, third sister-in-law, how could you steal? You always seem so honest and upright, yet you did something so despicable, bringing shame to the whole family." The voice feigned disappointment but also gloated.

“Mother, sister-in-law, Lian’er has not eaten enough for several days while she is sick and is starving to death. I had no choice but to take a little food from the kitchen. It’s just a little bit, enough to keep her breathing. I will work hard to make up for it. Please don’t send me away.”

A woman is pleading, filled with fear and sorrow.

"Ha, how ridiculous! The children and wives of the Song family have always been honest and upright. How could we have produced such a scoundrel as you? You have ruined the reputation of the Song family. I have lost all face and am ashamed before our ancestors. Get out of here! Go back to where you came from!" The old woman spat on the ground as she spoke.

Outside, in the courtyard, there was noise, crying, and commotion. In a small, empty house, on a bed with a tattered straw mat and a leaky wooden plank, a little girl slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze fell on the kneeling woman.

The woman was dressed in coarse linen clothes, tattered in several places, almost to the point of being naked. She covered herself with rags, and her face was thin and sallow, but you could still see that her features were regular. A cane was lying beside her. Her face was covered with tears, and she pleaded pitifully.

"Mother, Lian'er is dying, Lian'er is really about to pass away. What mother would watch her children die? I'll only do this once, and only this once. I will work as much as I can, and once my legs are healed, I will do as much work as I want."

The old woman from the Song family, with her two daughters-in-law surrounding her, looked furious and spat as they spoke.

The second daughter-in-law sneered: "The doctor said that your leg is ruined and will never heal. It will be of no use to you in the future. We thought that since you are a wife who married into the Song family and the third brother's wife, we could squeeze out a bit of food to support you. Who would have thought that you would steal food? Farmers have to share every bite of food. Stealing is wrong. You don't care about our lives. Have you no conscience?"

“Oh dear, the third son’s wife has gone mad! She says she only stole this once, but who knows how many times she’s stolen before? Folks, come and judge for yourselves, can such a person still stay in the Song family? Can we keep her around as a thief? Our Song family can’t afford that, we have so many mouths to feed.”

A large group of villagers had gathered at the entrance of the Song family compound, all discussing the matter.

“It is pitiful, but stealing is wrong. If Song Lian’er is sick and needs food, he should just ask Old Lady Song. Taking it secretly is not the moral behavior of a daughter-in-law.”

"Yes, Old Mrs. Song couldn't possibly ignore her granddaughter's life or death. If that's the case, why would she steal it? Perhaps she's just greedy."

"That makes sense. I never imagined that the Qiao family, who usually seemed so honest and law-abiding, was actually so dishonest. Alas, you can know a person's face but not their heart."

These judgments felt like needles, pricking Qiao Yunni's body and making her tremble.

She glanced at Old Mrs. Song, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.

"Mother, please give me a chance. I am a daughter-in-law who married into the family. How can you just drive me away like this? I have given birth to two children for the Song family. They have lost their father since they were young, and they cannot be without their mother." Qiao Shi hugged Old Lady Song's legs and shook her head.

Old Mrs. Song impatiently pulled her foot away: "Don't worry, once you're gone, Song Lian'er will be raised by your eldest sister-in-law's family, and Song Rui'er will be raised by your second sister-in-law's family. You, a petty thief, are not fit to be their mother, lest you corrupt them."