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Wang Hongxi lowered her head, her face pale and her eyes red. "Second wife, I do envy having such a son-in-law, but I don't have such despicable thoughts. Even if I did, I know my own limitations. What does my daughter have to compare with Hongmei?"

However, I admit that I've become too greedy. I was taking advantage of others, enjoying their company and comforts, which led me to have inappropriate thoughts.

"Stop talking, I don't want to hear it. Go back."

Wang Hongxi knew that anything she said now would be in vain, so she stood up and went home dejectedly.

Wang Hongxi's wife waited anxiously at home for him. When she saw him finally return, she immediately locked the door and whispered, "How did it go? Did you get justice for our daughter?"

Wang Hongxi sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), head down and silent.

"Say something! This is such a disgrace to our daughter. What will we do in the future? Even if she doesn't marry us, we have to find her a good job. We can't let her stay in the village anymore. How will she survive?"

Wang Hongxi suddenly sprang to his feet and slapped his wife hard across the face, his voice low as he said, "It's all your fault, you shameless woman! You've raised such a fine daughter to be like this. How could you be so despicable? I envy Zhang Hongmei for marrying into a wealthy and powerful family, but I didn't expect you to do something so shameless. Now look what's happened, by dinnertime the whole village knows."

"How can you blame us? If they hadn't made such a big fuss, how would the whole village have known?"

"Heh, they're making a big fuss about it? You're the stupid ones. You don't even know how to hide it from people in broad daylight. After what those women and girls said at the mistress's house, I'm too ashamed to live anymore."

Wang Hongxi's wife fell silent. She had encouraged her daughter to go, but she hadn't expected her daughter to be so stupid. Now, she knew everything without anyone even having to say anything. It was all over.

She had been subtly criticizing Li Cuihua, and now look what's happened—Liu Daya isn't in the village, but where can Xiao Rui go?

Wang Hongxi rushed out of the house, grabbed a stick from the woodpile in the yard, rushed into her daughter's room, and started beating her.

Ever since her father became the village chief, Wang Xiaorui has felt superior. Her friends usually fawn over her. But this incident has frightened her.

Her family doted on her. She'd never been beaten before. Besides, Wang Hongxi was really going all out. Wang Xiaorui screamed and howled; the louder she screamed, the harder Wang Hongxi hit her.

Wang Hongxi's wife rushed in and hugged him tightly, saying, "Husband, stop hitting her! She's such a big girl now."

To be honest, Wang Xiaorui is really brainless. Since someone was holding her back, she should have just stayed put. But instead of being smart, she yelled, "Go ahead and kill me! I've been wronged and no one's standing up for me, but instead they're hitting me?"

Wang Hongxi's anger had almost subsided, but upon hearing his daughter's words, he picked up the stick and began to beat her mercilessly again. This truly terrified Wang Hongxi's wife.

Seeing the man's bloodshot eyes, she really didn't dare to move and just cried out, "Stop hitting him, stop hitting him!"

Wang Xiaorui was also scared and dared not cry out loud anymore. But the sticks that fell on her body were real.

Wang Hongxi's anger had subsided, and she threw down the stick. "Pack your things right now and take this shameless thing back to your mother's house. That way you'll have a chance to survive. Otherwise, you'll be stuck with this for the rest of your life, being ridiculed by others."

“Hongxi, you know I can’t go back to my mother’s house. Two years ago, when we were starving, they came to borrow grain, but I didn’t give them any. At that time, my mother told me that I had no family home anymore.”

"Hehe, that's your mother. I said I'd give her the dried pumpkin from home, but you wouldn't let me. Serves you right."

"My time as village chief is up. Now, I have nothing left."

"And then there's my son, he has a good job."

"How did your son get this job? Don't you know your own son? If no one is protecting him, with his quiet personality, he'll just be a temporary worker on two fronts. If someone can help you find a job, then they can let you come back."

Wang Hongxi's wife was stunned. Yes, she had been blinded by greed. If it weren't for Hongmei, Jianshe would still be farming at home. What had she done to herself? Although she was stingy and miserly, she still had a heart. Now everything was truly ruined. What would happen if her son came back?

And what did Hongxi just say? That the village chief's term is over? That won't do! Although he hasn't gained any benefits, the women in the village have always treated him with respect. If he loses his position as village chief, how will he go out in the future?

Thinking of this, he stood up and rushed out, ignoring his daughter lying on the ground.

"You're back? Isn't that embarrassing enough? Go do what you're supposed to do. If I find out you're being clever again, don't blame me for kicking you out."

Hearing her husband's heartless words, she wiped away her tears and said, "I understand. I'll go wash my face and then go to the cafeteria to make dumplings."

The couple went out, and Wang Xiaorui, who was lying on the ground trembling, slowly got up. Now she realized the seriousness of the situation. She was already so old, what would she do in the future?

This movement made my whole body ache. But it was nothing compared to the panic in my heart.

What should I do? I know I was wrong, but I've always been spoiled, and when I saw other people's good fortune, I got tempted. Now I've really gotten myself into big trouble.

I slowly moved to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and every part of my body ached. I lay down on the kang and drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, Wang Hongxi's family washed their faces with well water before going to the canteen. They had set aside a large piece of lean meat that morning to make dumplings for Hongmei.

The custom here is to serve dumplings when boarding the train and noodles when disembarking, so Zhang Hongmei is definitely going to have dumplings tonight.

The photographer was sitting on a bench in the canteen with his camera. He had about ten negatives left and wanted to take pictures at night, but there were no lights here, so it probably wouldn't work. He sat on the bench in a daze, then suddenly jumped up, grabbed his camera, and went to the brigade headquarters. He hung the camera around his neck and climbed up the ladder to the roof.

The children looked at the craftsman with confusion, wondering how he could just go up to the roof like that.

Standing on high ground, looking at the lush green mountains behind the village, I chose an angle and took two pictures. On the left was a cornfield with corn already bearing fruit, and on the other side were sorghum fields and sweet potato fields.

Finally, I took two more photos of the mud houses in the village. All the film was used up, and not a single one was wasted.

He slowly came down and saw a little boy beside him. "Little friend, go find the guy who took the picture yesterday and tell him to come and get the camera." He was looking for Xiao Li.