Chapter 165 Caught Unprepared

The next morning, there were noises in every room.

But only Liu's room was quiet, without a single sound.

At first, everyone thought that Liu was planning to sleep a little longer, but she didn't show up until breakfast time, which was a little unusual.

After everyone finished breakfast, the men carried their hoes and went to the fields. The women and children had to clean up the kitchen, feed the pigs and chickens, do laundry and cooking, and only go to the fields when they had time.

Seeing that Liu had not come out to eat at this time, Zhou couldn't help but frown. She sent Sun away with a sarcastic look on her face and went to check inside Liu's room.

Sun readily agreed - how could Sun miss the opportunity to mock Liu face to face?

Even if Zhou didn't call her, she would have rushed forward on her own initiative.

But when she arrived at Liu's room, Sun found something wrong.

Why is this door half open?

When Sun entered the house, she saw a long bloodstain on the ground, which stretched all the way to the head of the kang.

Liu, who was lying on the kang, had a pale face and closed eyes. She was not even covered with a quilt. The thick mattress beneath her was soaked with blood, red with purple and black.

Sun screamed in fright, shocking everyone in the Xia family.

When the others heard this, they dropped what they were doing and rushed over. Before they even got to Liu's room, they saw Sun running out, tumbling and crawling: "Oh, sister-in-law, sister-in-law, something happened to her! Sister-in-law seems to be dead!"

Zhou couldn't help but scold Sun: "What are you talking about? It's so early in the morning, and you don't think it's unlucky! Do you say such things casually?"

When Sun saw Zhou, she immediately felt closer to her than when she saw Xia Yougui. She rushed over crying and howling, hugging Zhou's legs tightly: "Oh, mother, mother, I was scared to death! I was so scared that I almost couldn't breathe! I'm afraid that my sister-in-law is dead! Not only has she died, but her body is also cold!"

Sun's words shocked Zhou, and everyone else was also frightened. For a moment, they didn't care to think, and all they said was what they said:

"Are you serious?" "Get up quickly! The ground is cold!" "Is sister-in-law suffering from an emergency?" "Don't block the road, let's go and take a look. If she still has a pulse, maybe she can be saved!"

Just as the situation was in chaos, Sun suddenly caught a glimpse of the blood on the ground and jumped up with a cry of "Ah!" "Mom, mom, look, look quickly!"

Zhou and everyone else looked towards the place where Sun was pointing, and saw a pool of blood that had changed color.

Looking around, I saw that the bloodstains came from the toilet and formed an intermittent line. The closer to the door, the more bloodstains there were.

What's going on?

Everyone couldn't help but start to have doubts in their hearts.

After looking at each other for a while, Zhou asked the children to stay, straightened her back, and took the lead to take the wives to see the situation in Liu's room.

The more people there are, the more courageous they are. Moreover, Zhou is at the head of the group.

Everyone encouraged each other, pushing each other, pulling each other, and rushing into Liu's door together.

But Sun refused to go in again.

She had even tried to feel Liu's pulse, including her neck and wrist, but her hand felt cold, which scared her to death.

Seeing that everyone was about to go in, Sun even let go of Zhou's thighs and hid behind everyone. She didn't dare to enter Liu's room, nor did she dare to go far away.

It looks a bit pitiful.

Zhou didn't have time to care about Sun. She looked at the bloodstains on the ground and Liu on the kang, and couldn't help feeling a headache.

Although my eldest daughter-in-law always likes to complain about pain here and there, she is actually quite strong. I have observed her secretly and she doesn't seem to be such a fragile person!

After thinking about it, Zhou decided to ask Wu, who was still relatively calm, to invite a doctor, and asked Cheng to go to the fields to call back Old Man Xia and his children and grandchildren.

Such a big thing must not be kept secret from my family.

When Mrs. Wu came back with the doctor, Mr. Xia and his family had already arrived home, and they all looked worried.

Liu's death was sudden and somewhat strange, and everyone couldn't help feeling depressed.

Although it is not a festival now, it is still a normal day. But Liu is not that old!

Everyone couldn't help but have a vague ominous premonition. They always felt that these things at home kept happening one after another, almost without interruption. Could it be that this was a bad year?

How many things have happened since the Chinese New Year?

Zhou had already sent the second son Xia Yougui out to Xia Youcai's house in town to give him a message. When Xia Yougui was leaving, he happened to meet Wu bringing the doctor in.

After a brief greeting, Xia Yougui left in a hurry.

This time the matter is a bit serious. Sun was the first one to discover Liu's condition... Xia Yougui was very worried along the way. How should he tell his eldest brother so that he would not hold a grudge against him?

When the doctor arrived and saw Liu's condition, he took one look and shook his head:

"My condolences! Judging from the situation, he must have passed away last night."

The doctor was also a quick-witted person. When he turned around to leave, he couldn't help but complain to Mrs. Wu who had invited him:

"My two tricks are not that great to begin with. I'm grateful that you guys don't mind. I can only deal with them. I can just make do with them and treat headaches and fevers. This guy is already sick, but he still comes to me. You think too highly of me!"

Mrs. Wu sent the doctor out with a wry smile.

Next, we have to wait for news from the first wife.

After all, Liu's accident happened in the old house. No matter whether she encountered an accident or had a sudden illness, the eldest wife had reason to blame the old house.

But there are no parents who are not right. The old couple did not do anything to Liu.

No matter how much Xia Youcai blames others, he can't blame the old couple.

Then, aren't they the only ones who will have to bear the resentment and anger of the eldest wife?

Apart from anything else, Liu's departure would delay Xia Dalang's imperial examination.

And the matter of Jinhua's remarriage has to be put aside for the time being.

According to the rules of the Chu Dynasty, when parents died, children had to observe mourning for three years. During this three-year period, they could not marry, take the imperial examinations, attend banquets, or drink alcohol or eat meat.

Of course, this kind of rule is mainly aimed at princes, nobles, officials, and scholars who aspire to take the imperial examinations and become officials.

For farmers, the rules of mourning are actually not as strict as this.

But who made Xia Dalang a scholar?

Liu's sudden departure really caught the eldest wife off guard.

(End of this chapter)