Chapter 762 You've Got the guts!

"In no mood."

Lian Qiao turned her head and showed Lin Yuesha her tattooed face, saying, "Look here, can you see it clearly?"

The most serious criminals of the Great Qi Dynasty were exiled to the Northwest, their faces tattooed. Even if they were lucky enough to survive by the skin of their teeth, they would be neither human nor ghost, and would never have the chance to see the light of day again.

Outside of the Qin City Forty-Eight Villages, the sisters go out in secret, not because they can't face their past, but because it would cause fear among the people.

"Do you think that as long as we live an honest life, we will be accepted by others?"

Lian Qiao once thought so too. She was at a market in the city when she met a woman who was bleeding profusely and was about to miscarry. She wanted to help her, but when the woman saw the tattoo on her face, she cried and begged her to spare her child.

This isn't the first time my good intentions have been misunderstood; over time, this warm heart has grown completely cold.

So when Lin Yuesha asked her if she wanted to save more people, she said no.

Being born as a human being is already difficult enough; why make it harder on yourself?

Lianqiao was unwilling; she simply did what she could to help people in the surrounding villages, and that was enough.

"No, you want to save people. Even though you killed your husband and mother-in-law, it doesn't mean you're a bad person. It's because they deserved to die."

Lin Yuesha saw through Lian Qiao's heart at a glance. No matter how strong a woman is, she also has sensitive and vulnerable parts and needs to be recognized.

"Do you really think so? Aren't I being too cruel?"

Lian Qiao still hasn't figured out this problem. If she doesn't kill those two, are there any other ways to resolve it? Is there anyone who will speak up for her?

"Just because there's no way to solve it now doesn't mean there won't be in the future."

Lin Yuesha secretly decided that once the pockmarked man successfully rebelled and took power, she would sincerely advise him to amend the laws of the Great Qi.

The legal loopholes are the root cause, and the preference for sons over daughters is the underlying issue. Perhaps the people's mindset in the Great Qi cannot be changed overnight, but if we do not reform and struggle, there will still be no major changes in a few hundred years.

"But I still don't want to save them and then let them continue to be abused by men, suffer endless humiliation, and live as slaves to their husbands' families?"

After Lian Qiao finished speaking, she gave a bitter smile. It's not that women are unaware of their potential, but unfortunately, it's too late. Like the sisters in this village, they can only resort to extreme measures in the end.

Women who can rely on their maternal family are always fortunate, but they had no one to rely on.

After escaping death, they arrived at the mountain village and became the closest of friends to each other.

"Now you should understand why we still went against the grain to punish the villains, even though we knew we couldn't defeat the Eighteen Strongholds, right?"

All the sisters in the first village would rather die than suffer any more humiliation; they were all people who had endured hardship.

"If, and I mean if, one day in the future there is a general amnesty, and you no longer have to hide in the Forty-Eight Villages every day and can go out freely, would you be willing to treat the sick and save people then?"

Doctors earn respect by healing and saving lives. Some people may be afraid, but not all of them are.

Seeing that Lian Qiao seemed slightly moved, Lin Yuesha continued, "What's past is past. Even if you can't get over it, it won't change anything. I have a sister who is the daughter of an official..."

When Lin Yuesha spoke of Yan Yan, she said that compared to Lian Qiao, Yan Yan's actions were even more shocking and caused quite a bit of trouble in the capital.

“When a pregnant woman was disemboweled, her first reaction was not to report it to the authorities, but to try to stitch up the deceased. As a result, she was wrongly identified as the murderer and imprisoned in the Wucheng Military Command.”

Yan Yan suffered a lot because of this, but she did not give up and persisted.

"You mean sutures and cesarean section to remove the baby?"

As a young woman, Lian Qiao was very interested in this and was eager to meet Doctor Yan. However, she was a convict and it was difficult for her to meet the daughter of an official.

She had considered suturing for a long time, but she couldn't find suitable sutures that could easily cause rejection and inflammation of the wound.

As for cesarean section, it is not uncommon in the Northwest. Women in difficult labor are always saved by taking the baby out of the mother. Starting from the woman's third rib, the abdomen is cut open to remove the fetus, which is more brutal than imagined.

While the child is important, the safety of the mother should be ensured even more.

"Sister Yan teaches suturing techniques in the Northwest. I'll introduce her to you when I have some free time."

In the end, it is women who are willing to treat women and care about them. Therefore, Lin Yuesha hopes that Lian Qiao will join in, communicate more with each other, and not stick to the old ways. Many hands make light work, and perhaps this will work.

"Sister Yan also said that she is willing to take on female disciples and carry forward her medical skills."

The more Lin Yuesha spoke, the more excited Lian Qiao became. Yan Yan's thoughts coincided with hers; it was her long-held wish, but her own fate had been too unfortunate to fulfill it.

"you can."

After rambling on for a while, Lin Yuesha's mouth was dry. Lian Qiao returned the favor and talked about the rules of the Forty-Eight Villages. The First Village could only do military supply business if it broke away from the Forty-Eight Villages.

“The forty-eight villages each govern themselves. Besides our village chief, there are forty-seven other village chiefs. If we break away, we will likely become the target of everyone’s criticism.”

Moreover, having left the Forty-Eight Villages, the position of the First Village naturally had to be relinquished, leaving the sisters without a place to stay and homeless.

Without a place to stay, they couldn't raise pigs, cattle, or sheep, and therefore couldn't supply the military with supplies.

The people in the city couldn't accept them; wherever they went, they were treated like rats crossing the street, and everyone shouted to kill them.

When Lin Yuesha first heard people mention the Forty-Eight Villages, she thought it was a place name. However, when she arrived at Mojia Village, she learned that the area around Qincheng was vast and there were indeed forty-eight villages.

"What is the relationship between your chieftain and the other female chieftains?"

Since they are all women, they should stick together. If Lin Yuesha persuades the First Village to make large-scale purchases, and the First Village cannot supply the goods, they can purchase from other villages.

"You're not up to something, are you?"

Lian Qiao said with a laugh, "You know that the people living in the Forty-Eight Villages are all outlaws, they're not easy to deal with."

Yu Qiuniang only had good relationships with three female chieftains, and always insisted on not doing evil and having a clear conscience. As for the other female chieftains, she could only say that they had different views and could not work together.

Once a conflict arises between the First Village and the Eighteenth Village, some of the female village leaders will join the Eighteenth Village in condemning the First Village.

"Can't we just stay neutral? Why do we have to take sides?"

Lin Yuesha was completely confused. The relationships between the forty-eight villages were intricate and complicated, and it seemed that acquiring military supplies was more difficult than she had imagined.

There's a hurdle in front of us that we can't overcome no matter what we do; it seems to be a real problem.

"No, those female village chiefs remarried. Some married male village chiefs, and some took in sons-in-law. They all have some connection with the eighteen villages."

After Lian Qiao finished speaking, Lin Yuesha couldn't help but stand up and said excitedly, "So by capturing Big Beard and his men, you've offended the entire Forty-Four Villages?"

One against forty-four, that's some guts!