"Ah, a ghost..." Song Yinhua cried out in alarm.
“Wife, I’m not a ghost!” Huo Jianguo said.
Song Yinhua looked at the cold-faced, rough man again, and subconsciously raised her hand to touch his face; it felt very real.
"You're not dead?"
"I'm not dead, I'm still alive."
Song Yinhua's eyes gradually welled up with tears, and the two embraced tightly.
Several black wolfhounds circled around them.
"Wife, I've come to pick you and Mom up so we can go with you to the military base." Huo Jianguo looked up at the room and saw that it was filled with paintings.
“These were all drawn by Mom.” Song Yinhua led Huo Jianguo to the madwoman’s room.
The madwoman was fast asleep.
Aside from eating and sleeping, she does nothing but draw.
They don't talk much on ordinary days, and they certainly don't wander around outside.
Seeing that his mother was well-fed and plump thanks to Song Yinhua, Huo Jianguo took Song Yinhua's hand and said with emotion, "Thank you."
"We're husband and wife, why are you thanking me!"
Moved, Huo Jianguo hugged Song Yinhua tightly.
In the middle of the night, Song Yinhua packed her luggage, got into the jeep with several black wolfhounds, and Huo Jianguo followed her in, carrying his sleeping mother.
Two accompanying personnel carefully packed the paintings in the room one by one and put them into the car behind.
The cars started, and the two jeeps drove out of the village one after the other in the quiet night.
As soon as it was light, news spread through the village that Huo Jianguo was not dead and had even been promoted to officer after receiving a first-class merit.
Upon hearing this, the villagers rushed to find Song Yinhua, eager to tell her the good news and congratulate her.
Relatives and neighbors who used to avoid Song Yinhua like the plague, as well as villagers who gossiped behind her back, all came.
The third aunt, who lived in the same village, called Songzhuang Village to inform her second brother, and also called her eldest brother's home in the county town.
Relatives who hadn't been in touch for ages, and distant relatives who were only connected by a dozen or so twists of fate, all came to congratulate him with red envelopes and gifts upon hearing the news.
When they rushed to the gate of Song Yinhua's house and pushed it open, they found that no one was inside.
Relatives and neighbors came one after another, but all came up empty-handed, not knowing where Song Yinhua had gone.
Her several large dogs have also disappeared.
The village chief received news that Huo Jianguo personally drove back last night to pick up his wife and mother to join him in the army.
Then a neighbor who lived in the village remembered that he had heard the sound of cars driving last night. He peeked out from behind the curtain and saw two jeeps heading in this direction, and then they drove out of the village shortly afterward.
After Song Yinhua joined the army, the house became empty.
When Song Caixing returned with her daughter Xiaoxiaohua, she found the house covered in dust. She asked the neighbors and learned that her brother-in-law Huo Jianguo was not dead and had even been promoted to officer in the army. He took Song Yinhua and her mentally ill mother away with him that very night.
Song Caixing felt a little conflicted. She was worried that her eldest sister would become a burden on her daughter as she got older, and she also wanted the thousand yuan her second sister-in-law gave her every year. However, keeping Xiaohua by her side would affect her family.
She received a call from her biological mother a while ago, who complained that her eldest sister was too tight-fisted with money, refusing to rent the land at the foot of the mountain or partner with her second sister-in-law to open a wonton shop. Thinking that she wouldn't get a thousand yuan in the future, she sent her daughter back to her mother's house.
This daughter wasn't raised by her mother when she was little, so they don't have much of a bond and aren't close.
Over time, he grew to dislike his daughter more and more.
When I tried to discipline my daughter, she talked back.
Rather than keeping this daughter around and affecting her family, it would be better to send her back to her older sister.
Little Flower burst into tears when she heard from her neighbor that her mother and grandmother had passed away a few days ago and no one knew where they had gone.
Song Caixing sent Xiaoxiaohua to her parents' home, intending to leave her daughter there to be raised, which displeased Li Wenxiu.
The elderly couple are too old and don't have the energy or money to raise another child.
Song Caixing begged her second brother, Song Baogen, to help her take care of Xiaoxiaohua.
"Since you can't control her yourself, why did you forcibly take her away from your eldest sister in the first place?" Song Baogen scolded Song Caixing.
"It's Second Sister-in-law!" Song Caixing told her about how Li Wenxiu had instigated her to take back her child.
Only then did Song Baogen realize what his wife had been doing behind his back.
The young couple argued a few more times.
In the end, Song Baogen did not accept Xiao Xiaohua.
He didn't want to go through the hardship of raising his child only to have his younger sister take him away.
Everyone advised Song Caixing to take her daughter back and raise her, to cultivate a relationship with her, and that they would eventually become close.
Song Caixing called Qiao Guilan aside and said, "Mom, let me tell you the truth. Xiaoxiaohua seduced my husband. She can't stay with me anymore."
"Nonsense! Little Flower is such a young child, what does she know! Don't slander your daughter." Qiao Guilan scolded Song Caixing, then suddenly realized something and asked in a low voice, "Is your man making advances towards Little Flower?"
Song Caixing's expression was somewhat unnatural, and she kept denying it while speaking well of her man.
"Caixing, tell Mom the truth!"
"Really, no. My husband said he was drunk and mistook Xiaoxiaohua for me."
Qiao Guilan was so angry that she hit Song Caixing a few times. "Xiao Xiaohua is only a few years old. He's not blind. No matter how much horse urine he drinks, he won't be unable to distinguish between an adult and a child of a few years old."
Song Caixing burst into tears, "Then what do you want me to do? My son is still so young, do you want me to get a divorce?"
When the others saw Qiao Guilan hitting Song Caixing, they quickly came over to ask why.
After understanding the situation, Song Baogen softened and wanted to keep Xiao Xiaohua, but Li Wenxiu firmly disagreed.
"Then let's send Xiao Xiaohua to her biological father!" Li Wenxiu suggested. "I heard that Xie Daguang has problems in that area. He has married several wives but has not had any children. Xiao Xiaohua is his only biological daughter, so he should treat her well."
Song Caixing then sent the small flower to Xie Daguang.
Xie Daguang had been secretly going to the hospital for many years but couldn't get his several wives pregnant. He couldn't hold his head up in the village anymore, and he felt that everyone was gossiping about him behind his back. He was almost driven mad. Suddenly, he learned that he had a biological daughter and was overjoyed.
Song Caixing didn't show up, so Qiao Guilan sent the child over.
Little Flower was moved from one unfamiliar environment to another. She held Qiao Guilan's hand and begged Qiao Guilan to take her to find Song Yinhua.
Qiao Guilan didn't know where Song Yinhua was, so she casually comforted Xiao Xiaohua with a few words and then handed her over to her biological father.
Little Flower runs back to her old home every day, hoping to see her mother, Song Yinhua, at home when she arrives.
The villagers were used to it and all envied Song Yinhua's good fortune.
When Old Tang learned that Huo Jianguo was not dead and had even been promoted for meritorious service, allowing him to take Song Yinhua away to join the army, he was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood.
They cursed Song Yinhua every day, saying she was a jinx who brought misfortune upon his family.
Zhou Qiaoyun scolded Old Man Tang for being so troublesome even when he was sick. She deliberately mentioned Song Yinhua's good fortune in front of him every day, saying that she had married a military officer and had finally made it. This infuriated Old Man Tang.
"What grudge did Song Yinhua hold against you that you hate her so much?" Zhou Qiaoyun felt remorseful. If she hadn't made an enemy of Song Yinhua, her family would still be able to benefit from her family's good fortune, and they wouldn't have ended up with her son dying a violent death and her daughter and son-in-law being arrested.
This family used to dislike her as their daughter-in-law and often made things difficult for her. Now that her father-in-law is sick, it's her turn to take charge. Let's see how she deals with him!
After Old Man Tang fell ill, Tang Su'e and her husband moved out to avoid taking care of him.
Tang Youliang asked Zhou Qiaoyun to take care of the elderly, but Zhou Qiaoyun refused. The two argued every day, and Tang Youliang even threatened to divorce her. In the end, Zhou Qiaoyun had no choice but to agree to take care of her father-in-law.
She fed Old Man Tang spoiled food every day and often left him alone in the house, not caring whether he lived or died.
Old Tang's condition worsened day by day, and he lived in resentment every day.
He hated Song Yinhua for bringing misfortune to his family, hated his daughter-in-law for abusing him, hated that his daughters never came to see him, and hated that his son didn't care about him.
After venting his anger, he kept muttering to himself, "Why? She's dead, why choose her? Why?"
When Zhou Qiaoyun is in a bad mood, she will lash out at Old Tang.
Old Tang refused to eat the spoiled food, so Zhou Qiaoyun let him go hungry.
Wang Xiaowei's youngest son is a big fan of Zhou Qiaoyun. He often goes to play with her and gets to eat snacks from her.
He saw Zhou Qiaoyun forcefully stuffing the stale food into Old Man Tang's mouth. Old Man Tang angrily smashed the food, and Zhou Qiaoyun grabbed the dirty, spoiled food from the ground and shoved it into Old Man Tang's face, forcing it into his mouth.
Old Tang wouldn't listen, so she raised her hand and slapped him, then continued to stuff the filthy, spoiled food into his mouth.
Wang Xiaowei's youngest son looked a little scared. Zhou Qiaoyun accidentally saw him standing at the door, so she let go of Old Man Tang and turned around to coax Wang Xiaowei's youngest son.
“Xiao San, when you grow up, you must be a kind and good person. Don’t be like your great-grandfather and have a heart that harms others.” Zhou Qiaoyun pointed to the old man on the bed. “You will be punished for it and your children and grandchildren will suffer the consequences. That’s how your father died.”
"My dad is not dead."
"Grandma will give you some candy." Zhou Qiaoyun washed her hands and led the child into the house to get some snacks.
After taking the snacks, Wang Xiaosan said, "Grandma, you've said the wrong thing again. I have my own grandma."
Zhou Qiaoyun patted her grandson's head; her kindness towards the child frightened Wang Xiaowei's wife.
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