Chapter 4

Tao Zhi's heart was beating so fast now that she even began to wonder if she had actually died at this time in her previous life. Otherwise, how could she explain all these things she had never experienced, all happening at once?

Cheng Jun followed his mother's gaze and saw several women gathered at the door of Room 603, with one woman knocking repeatedly. His first thought was that something had happened to Cheng Xing, and he immediately rushed over to see what was going on.

Tao Zhi grabbed him and forced herself to calm down. She said, "Hurry to the police station and bring the police officers here. The sooner the better."

Cheng Jun nodded. He knew where the police station was. He turned around and ran down the stairs.

Tao Zhi rushed over and could hear not only the dull sobbing of a woman, but also the wailing of a child, so heartbreaking that it almost broke one's heart.

Tao Zhi pushed through the crowd and squeezed to the door of Room 603. She wanted to confirm: "What happened?"

A woman with curly hair said with a mixture of disgust and worry, "This man is beating his wife again."

When Tao Zhi heard this, his premonition was confirmed and he became furious.

She banged on the door, "Zhao Jun, I'm your mother."

After a while, a heavy gasp came from inside: "Who are you trying to fool? My mother went to the park."

Tao Zhi asked coldly, "Is mother-in-law a mother?"

"Ha, my mother-in-law only stays in the country. She never comes to the city."

After hearing this, Tao Zhi wanted to reflect deeply on himself, but now was obviously not a good time.

She took two steps back, then kicked out with force, revealing a hole in the middle of the thin wooden door.

It was as if the surroundings were muted. Except for the children's crying, all other sounds disappeared for a moment.

Tao Zhi said, "Zhao Jun, I hope you can open the door."

With a "click", the door opened.

Tao Zhi looked at Cheng Xing the first time. She was sitting on the ground with disheveled hair and disheveled clothes. When she heard the sound, she raised her head and the Five Finger Mountain on her face was clearly visible.

Tao Zhi entered the room and slapped Zhao Jun twice. She stared at him and said, "I'll settle the score with you later."

Zhao Jun subconsciously wanted to fight back, but when he saw it was his mother-in-law, his rationality forced him to put his hand down. Only then did his nose bleed slowly.

The 1.7-meter-tall man instantly became as obedient as a grandson in front of Tao Zhi, who was only 1.5 meters tall.

Do you think this is suppression by force? No, it is the powerful and evil power of money.

Tao Zhi went over and helped Cheng Xing up, put a towel under her, and let her sit on the sofa.

Tao Zhi felt Cheng Xing trembling, so she gently pulled her daughter's hair back, revealing her red and swollen cheeks and bloodshot eyes from the beating. Her eyes were red with heartache, and she blew on Cheng Xing, soothing her, saying, "Xingxing, don't be afraid, Mommy is here."

The baby lay alone on the cold ground, unattended and uncomforted, crying breathlessly. Tao Zhi comforted her daughter and immediately went over to pick her up. Tao Zhi's first impression was how light the baby was. The baby was as light as a feather, and it felt like it could fly away at any moment. Tao Zhi weighed the one-year-old baby, and it weighed the same as a six-month-old. The baby's face was tiny, with only the eyes visible, which were particularly large and dark, staring at her. Tao Zhi burst into tears.

This is her once beautiful granddaughter.

While people inside the house were in dire straits, people outside were chatting animatedly.

Thanks to Tao Zhi's kick just now, everyone was shocked, and no one said anything bad about Cheng Xing in front of her.

If you listen carefully, the public opinion is completely one-sided.

"They say you shouldn't hit someone in the face, but Xiao Zhao was really ruthless this time."

"It's obvious he's addicted to beating people. He used to only hit them on the body, but now he's getting more and more aggressive."

"We tried to persuade them and tried to persuade them, but they still attacked us. There was nothing we could do."

"In the end, Xiao Cheng has to stand up."

"It's difficult. No one from my parents' home is coming. I'll get scared if I get beaten too much."

"You haven't done your job well enough."

"You can't say that. What else can we do besides a verbal warning? Xiao Zhao isn't in our factory, so we can't even fine or demote him."

"That won't work, I'm telling you. If a man hits someone without paying the price, he'll keep hitting them once he gets used to it."

"A dog will always eat shit."

"But it's hard for an honest judge to judge family affairs."

"I'm so scared that I don't even dare to let my daughter marry far away."

"Of course I'll stay by your side if I can."

"My daughter said she doesn't want to get married. I didn't understand before, but now I plan to let her go."

Tao Zhi felt like she was being publicly judged, each word a question. Her heart bled. It was her parents' fault for keeping this secret from her until now, for allowing her to endure all this suffering without even a word. In the words of later generations, "It was because her family didn't give her enough sense of security."

The granddaughter's little hands were patting her. Tao Zhi came back to her senses and the little girl gave her a smile.

Tao Zhi's heart was about to melt. She pinched her voice and said, "Good baby, good baby, grandma's darling little baby."

Cheng Jun arrived with the police, causing an uproar outside the door. Calling the police for something like this was truly rare these days. The women, seemingly on steroids, didn't leave; instead, they gathered in ever-increasing numbers, all actively participating in the melon-eating frenzy.

The police officers, knowing full well the fighting power of the aunties, suddenly felt overwhelmed.

Tao Zhi was more than happy to do so. The more people who witnessed it, the better.

The door was wide open, letting in plenty of light, and neighbors came in to take advantage of the situation.

The older sisters rushed to speak, "Comrade police, you don't know, this Xiao Zhao beats people every few days. We have tried to persuade him, but it's no use." This was from the factory union.

"At first, the couple was fine. But after Xiao Zhao's mother came, they had a small quarrel every two days and a big quarrel every three days. As the quarrels went on, Xiao Zhao started to get violent." This is the person who lives next door.

"It's all my fault that I told Xiao Cheng to be patient. As a result, my daughter was beaten like this today." This elder sister was quite dramatic. She took Cheng Xing's hand and silently wiped the corners of her eyes.

Tao Zhi looked at him with twitching lips. If he really wanted to help, he wouldn't be unable to even knock on the door today.

"Speaking of the old lady from the Zhao family, she said she was here to take care of her granddaughter, but every time I saw her finish her meal, she would just wipe her mouth and go out. Xiao Zhao doesn't care about anything, and Xiao Cheng has to go to work. It's all because we neighbors feel sorry for the little baby and can't bear to help take care of her." This person is seeking credit.

"Yes, Xiao Cheng has to work, do housework, and take care of the children. No one helps her, but Xiao Cheng never complains. You said such a good girl, yet they beat and scolded her. The Zhao family is really conscienceless."

Everyone spoke up and pulled Zhao Jun's fig leaf apart, but no one told the police what happened today.

The police had no choice but to ask Cheng Xing: "Tell me what happened today?"

For a moment, everyone's eyes turned to Cheng Xing.

Cheng Xing shrank back. Tao Zhi held the baby in one hand and stroked her back with the other, silently giving her strength.

Cheng Jun handed over a cup of warm water at the right time.

Cheng Xing took two small sips, which touched the painful spot on his face, and he couldn't help but let out a hiss.

Tao Zhi's gaze immediately turned to Zhao Jun, who felt uneasy for a rare moment.

Cheng Xing's voice was hoarse, and she spoke slowly: "I worked the night shift yesterday and didn't get back until eight o'clock this morning. After I got home, I washed up and prepared to hold the baby to sleep."

"Not long after I got into bed, my mother-in-law got up and started throwing things around. I gently asked her to be quiet, but she started scolding me: 'You don't cook, wash the dishes, or mop the floor when you get home, and you just keep talking.' I was so angry that I said to her, 'Why don't you go out to work and I stay home to take care of the kids and do the housework?' Zhao Jun came out and heard it, and without saying a word, he just raised his hand and came over."

"Zhao Jun slapped me across the face as if to warn me, then he calmed down. My mother-in-law added, 'Serves you right.' Then she went out, which actually scared the baby. The baby kept crying, and I was tired and sleepy, so I couldn't hold her all the time, so the baby didn't get any soothing. Zhao Jun was annoyed by the noise, so he yelled at the baby, and when I talked back, he started hitting me."

Cheng Xing added: "He kicked me and I couldn't stand, so I put the baby on the ground."

After hearing this, the onlookers looked at Zhao Jun with eyes full of contempt and disdain.

Someone said, "Pah!" and said, "Only the most useless men would take it out on women."

Someone else shouted. "Catch him."

Zhao Jun's face turned pale as paper in an instant.

Tao Zhi knew this was impossible because legal regulations against domestic violence would not be introduced for many years.

There was no legal basis to follow, and the police were helpless. He asked, "Can we ask him to apologize and write a letter of guarantee?"

"If an apology is effective, why do we need the police?" This is a stubborn person. If it weren't for the wrong occasion, Tao Zhi would definitely laugh.

She spoke at the right moment: "Thank you, neighbors, and thank you, police officer. We definitely want the letter of guarantee, but I also want to take my daughter to the forensic office for a checkup."

The policeman was stunned: "You want to get a medical examination?"

Tao Zhi nodded: "Yes, we will pay for it ourselves and not cause trouble to the country. Please give us some convenience."

The policeman shook his head: "There is no such precedent."

Tao Zhi didn't give in: "What if we go to the hospital ourselves?"

The older sisters outside the door were watching closely, and the police comrades had to consider public opinion.

"As long as the doctor is willing, it's none of our business."

Tao Zhi was satisfied, this was exactly what she wanted.

"Let's write a letter of guarantee first."

When Zhao Jun heard about the injury examination, he immediately felt that something was wrong. He yelled at Cheng Xing, "If you dare to go to the hospital, I won't sign the guarantee letter."

When he said this, he was putting the police officer in a difficult position. Now, he had to write it even if he didn't want to.

Zhao Jun was forced to write a letter of guarantee, and Cheng Jun pulled someone in from outside the door.

A young man with a camera slung over his shoulder, wearing a white shirt and black pants, looks very energetic.

Cheng Jun showed his two rows of white teeth and said to Tao Zhi happily, "Mom, my friend is Yu Sifei."

Tao Zhi was also very happy. God really helped me. The brat would be rewarded for his great achievement today.

She smiled and said to Sifei, "Xiao Yu, I'm going to trouble you to take a few photos for Sister Cheng Jun."

The police officer saw that they were well prepared. They had already lost the initiative, and now, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they couldn't say anything out of line. He glanced at Zhao Jun and mentally lit a candle for him.

Cheng Jun raised his voice and asked the aunt, "Which sister can borrow today's newspaper?"

"I have it. I'll get it."

"Thank you, sister. You are really kind and nice." Cheng Jun was delighted to praise her.

Cheng Xing held the newspaper, and Yu Sifei aimed at her wound and kept pressing the shutter.