Gan Tao Niang had long hated Gan Li, and now, provoked like this, she couldn't tolerate it at all. Her blood boiled, and she jumped up, pointing at Gan Li's nose and cursing:
"You shameless little whore! I can't control how arrogant you are elsewhere, but you dare to come to my house and spout nonsense? You think you're so great just because you have a few stinking coins?"
Ganli quietly chimed in, "Of course it's amazing. You want this stinking money? You don't even have it."
Gan Tao Niang: "..."
Gan Li's words made her face turn purple with anger, but she couldn't refute them. Just when she was so angry that she wanted to die, she turned her head and saw her son, Xiao Si, and a plan immediately came to her mind.
This little harlot wants to take Xiao Si away with her, doesn't she? She'll just not let her have her way!
She pulled Xiao Si behind her, holding him tightly with both hands, and said triumphantly to Gan Li, "Xiao Si is me."
Xiao Si is my own flesh and blood, what right do you have to take my son away? What are you up to! Let me tell you, no way! No one is taking him away today! Money won't do!"
As she spoke, she pulled Xiao Si behind her and glared at Gan Li triumphantly, like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
Gan Li sneered, didn't argue with her, and turned to walk towards the courtyard gate.
Gan Tao Niang thought she was scared, and became even more smug. She poured out all sorts of filthy words like water from a burst dam, each one different and extremely offensive.
Gan Tao ignored him and flung open the gate to her courtyard. There stood a large group of people standing outside.
Gan Taoniang was cursing when she suddenly saw the village chief appear at the door with a stern face. Several respected elders stood beside him, and many villagers were behind him.
She was instantly terrified, her confidence plummeted, and she began to stammer, "Village, village chief...you, why are you here..."
It turned out that Gan Li had already guessed that Gan Tao's mother would not release the person easily, so as soon as she entered the village, she split into two groups. She went to Gan Tao's house, while Gan Quan was sent by her to invite the village chief and others to come and uphold justice for Xiao Si.
Gan Li first greeted the village chief and several clan elders before getting down to business.
"I have invited the village chief, elders, and fellow villagers here today because I would like to ask you all to take charge and save this poor child, Xiao Si!"
"Pear Girl, what exactly happened?" the village chief asked sternly.
"I'm sure you've all heard about the case of the matchmaker Li's abduction a few days ago? This story goes back to that time..." Gan Li hurriedly revealed the shameful affair of Gan Tao Niang colluding with the matchmaker Li to abduct Xiao Si.
"The story of the wealthy merchant wanting to adopt a child caused quite a stir in the town. After making a few inquiries, it became clear that the adoption was a pretense, and his true intentions were ill-intentioned."
But she didn't care about anything else. For money, she conspired with the matchmaker, Li, to sell Xiao Si to that rich merchant. If I hadn't discovered it in time, this child's life would have been ruined!
Gan Li spoke calmly, but every word was piercing: "Because Xiao Si still has a conscience and was willing to testify for his sister, ruining her plans, she held a grudge. Not only did she allow her eldest sons to bully Xiao Si, but she also frequently beat and scolded him. Look at him, he's so small, does he have any good flesh on his body?"
As she spoke, she walked to Xiao Si's side, shoved aside Gan Tao Niang who was trying to stop her, and suddenly grabbed Xiao Si's sleeve.
Xiao Si's thin arms were covered in bruises, a shocking sight. The crowd gasped, their angry gazes piercing Gan Tao Niang like swords.
Gan Tao Niang's face was deathly pale, and she trembled all over. She dared not face the anger of the crowd and could only stare at Gan Li with a venomous look in her eyes, wishing she could turn into a knife and stab Gan Li.
Unfortunately, Gan Li seemed oblivious. She sensed Gan Tao Niang's hatred, but she couldn't be bothered to pay attention. After explaining the situation, she asked the village chief and the elders to intervene and help Xiao Si.
After hearing this, the village chief's face turned ashen. He turned to Xiao Si and asked seriously, "Xiao Si, don't be afraid. Tell Grandpa Village Chief if your mother really colluded with Matchmaker Li to sell you to some rich merchant."
It wasn't that he didn't trust Gan Li, but this matter was on Xiao Si's behalf, and ultimately it would only count if Xiao Si admitted it. Otherwise, all their efforts as outsiders would be in vain, and the child wouldn't want to leave his mother.
Gan Tao Niang was naturally aware of this as well, and seeing this, she desperately tried to wink at Xiao Si, signaling him not to tell the truth.
But when Xiao Si recalled how her mother had threatened Gan Li to give her a thousand taels of silver, she felt a chill in her heart and was completely disappointed in this so-called 'mother'.
"Grandpa Village Chief, it's all true!"
He nodded, his eyes red, and added:
"Initially, they wanted to sell me to the Nanfeng Pavilion, but then Matchmaker Li said that the wealthy merchant offered more money, so they changed their minds and decided to sell me to that merchant instead."
"Grandpa Village Chief, I don't want to be a rich businessman's son, and I don't want to go to the brothel. I just want to stay with Aunt Ganli and wash her dishes and wipe her tables every day. I can do any kind of chores! Please, please help me!"
Xiao Si is still just a child, and the fear he's been carrying these past few days has been almost unbearable. Now that he knows everyone is here to support him, he can no longer hold back his grievances and cries, begging everyone to save him.
Gan Li nodded inwardly when she heard Xiao Si's words—she had deliberately not mentioned this earlier, wanting Xiao Si to say it herself, which would be more impactful.
Her simple-minded nephew didn't know what Nanfeng Pavilion was, but the village chief was knowledgeable and must have heard of it.
Sure enough, upon hearing the words "Nanfeng Pavilion," the village chief's beard trembled with rage, and his gaze towards Gan Tao Niang was filled with sternness:
"You're utterly heartless! How could you bear to sell your own son to a place like that? Do you have any humanity left?!"
Although the others didn't know what Nanfeng Pavilion was, seeing the village chief's strong reaction and hearing him say "that kind of place," they understood after a moment's thought. Shocked, they felt even more disgusted with Gan Tao Niang.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
