Chapter 24 The Taste of Mom
You'd develop a bond with a dog after raising it for a few years, right? You wouldn't be willing to kill it and eat it, would you?
But Liu Qing, for that little bit of money and to marry a good man, could so cruelly send the child she had cared for for several years to his death.
These words caused an uproar in the audience.
"Tsk, she's like a toad trying to eat swan meat, she's gone mad! Targeting such a young child, she's the most vicious one of all!"
"Liu Qing, you have children of your own. How could you do something so heartless? Get out of the family compound right now!"
"The Liu siblings are no good; officer, you must punish them severely!"
The neighbors immediately understood what had happened.
Liu Qing was widowed. As a rural resident with two children, she couldn't afford to eat government-subsidized grain. That's why she's been clinging to Commander Jiang for years, sucking his blood.
Not content with just getting a little extra money, she's also insatiably greedy and wants to marry Commander Jiang?
A kind heart is appreciated, but a greedy heart is resented. If someone pities you, it's because they are kind-hearted. But if you take advantage of that kindness and do something like murder for money, you're not even fit to be a human being.
Li Zhengyang crossed his arms, his face still bearing his usual smile, but his words were sharp and to the point.
"The older sister harmed someone else's child and sowed discord in someone else's family. The younger brother drugged someone else's wife. What were you thinking? Unable to persuade the children to drive away their stepmother, you wanted to ruin Comrade Deng's reputation? Completely break off Anchao's marriage so you siblings could continue to shamelessly come begging for food? All these things combined... it would be a waste of bullets to shoot you two."
The shouts of condemnation and curses grew louder and louder.
Liu Qing's face drained of all color in an instant.
How could this be...?
She was being very careful, how could she have been discovered?
Liu Qing was detained by the police. She struggled desperately, shouting, "No! It wasn't me! I'm innocent!"
The cries of injustice emanating from her hoarse throat sounded particularly ironic.
"Are you innocent?"
Sang Zhizhi's round little face was full of coldness. She got up from the ground and stared straight at Liu Qing, "Guess where you found that half needle?"
Liu Qing's pupils dilated sharply. She looked at the evidence bag in the policeman's hand; inside was half a broken needle, still stained with her blood...
Xiao Zhizhi's voice was soft and gentle, and she wore an innocent smile, but every word she spoke was like a knife piercing Liu Qing's heart.
"It's the infirmary..."
Those few words, spoken lightly, seemed to have sealed Liu Qing's fate.
Now the evidence is truly conclusive...
She's finished.
Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Liu Qing broke out in a cold sweat. She felt as if all her strength had been drained, and she was so weak that she could barely stand.
The policeman waved his hand dismissively. "Take her away!"
When Liu Qing was arrested, she was ashen-faced. Her son, Liu Gou Dan'er, didn't care at all what had happened to his mother. He was only concerned with sneaking around in the chaos to grab some melon seeds and wedding candy.
The child doesn't care at all about his parents' accident.
The neighbors who came out of the Jiang family home one after another saw this scene and sighed and shook their heads.
It's true that the kind of parents you have will determine the kind of children you raise.
Inside the room, Jiang Anchao drank a large bowl of warm water, but his face was still as red as if it were about to bleed. He felt weak all over, but after holding Deng Qiu's hand, he refused to let go.
Seeing this, Grandma Li quickly called to her son, "Xiao Deng can't hold on by himself. Zheng Yang, you help support An Chao to go to the police station for a blood test. The children can stay at home; I'll watch over them."
Don't worry, Mom!
Li Zhengyang nodded and stepped forward to set up the riverbank.
Deng Qiu had never experienced such a harmonious and warm neighborhood atmosphere before, and was so moved that she couldn't speak for a moment.
Sang Zhizhi patted her chest and assured her, "Mom, don't worry, we'll watch TV obediently."
They're too young; going to the police station with them would only cause trouble.
Anyway, the wicked aunt can't escape legal punishment, she just needs to wait quietly for news.
Deng Qiu asked worriedly, "Zhizhi, are you really okay? Didn't you just complain about a headache?"
Zhenwei wiped his nose and stood up, bouncing around energetically. "She was faking it, and so was I. We were afraid Aunt Liu would try to extort money from us. Don't worry, little stepmother, we're pretty tough!"
As soon as he said that, Zhizhi's smile froze on her face.
She gritted her teeth and muttered under her breath, "Dude... you talk too much."
He exposed them in public, so didn't the uncles and aunts all know they were faking it?
After giving her brother a reproachful glare, Zhizhi turned to her stepmother and put on a coquettish smile, "Anyway, big brother has already produced the account book, so they can't extort money from our family anymore. Then Zhizhi and her brother will naturally be fine."
As she spoke, she winked knowingly at her stepmother.
That little expression seemed to say, 'See how smart I am?'
Deng Qiu suddenly realized that the little girl had complained of a headache because she was afraid Liu Qing would extort money from them and beat her up, so she was imitating them and pretending to be injured.
She took out a handkerchief and wiped her face, then said, "Then Mom will go first. You must listen to Grandma Li. Oh right, Zhenwei, Auntie washed your clothes and put them in the closet. Just take them off and put them in the basin. I'll wash them when I get back."
After giving her long-winded instructions, Deng Qiu grabbed her bag and hurriedly walked out of the yard.
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly saw Gansu standing alone in the courtyard.
Deng Qiu stopped in her tracks. "Catch Su? It's getting late, aren't you going back inside?"
Jiang Gansu stiffly raised his head, his hands hanging at his sides clenched into fists, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time.
Deng Qiu seemed to understand something in an instant. She sighed and gently placed her warm hand on his head.
"Some things don't have to be forced out of your mouth. Auntie understands. Auntie has never blamed you, so please don't blame yourself, okay?"
A gentle voice slowly rose, as if carrying a mother's inherent tolerance and kindness.
Jiang Gansu could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down his face. The apology he couldn't utter was stuck in his throat. At this moment, he was completely like a child.
"Sister-in-law, we should go now."
Li Zhengyang's voice could be heard from afar at the alley entrance.
Deng Qiu responded loudly, "Coming!"
She hurriedly wiped away his tears, held his little hand, and comforted him, "Go back inside. Your younger siblings are waiting for you. Your aunt and dad will be back tonight. Be good, don't cry."
Gan Su felt a little embarrassed and didn't dare to look at Deng Qiu's departing figure.
He clutched the handkerchief Aunt Deng had given him; the faint scent of osmanthus brought him a strange sense of comfort.
Instead of wiping his tears with a handkerchief, he secretly hid them in his pocket.
He thought, if his mother hadn't died alongside his father...
Perhaps this is what mom's cooking tastes like?
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