The brigade leader and his family were leisurely sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) drinking tea and chatting when they saw Sister Qiao and Xie Yuyao and others arrive, which surprised them.
Xiao Hu rushed out first, greeted everyone, and then grabbed Xiao Qi's hand, saying, "Xiao Qi, what brings you here? Come inside with me, I have something good to show you."
Xiao Qi looked at Sister Qiao, and seeing her nod, he followed Xiao Hu away.
Xiao Hu's mother recalled hearing stories about Xiao Qi being mistreated by his stepmother during recent visits, and she roughly knew why they had come.
Aunt Tian had also heard similar rumors. She glanced at Xiao Qi, who was with Xiao Hu, and the contrast between the two, one fat and the other thin, was striking. "How did Xiao Qi get so thin?" she thought.
Zhao Hongqin, who was very familiar with Aunt Tian, immediately said, "Aunt, that's not all. Yesterday I found that Xiao Qi's trouser legs had been frozen for so long, and no one had helped him take them off. His ankles and feet were covered in frostbite."
Sister Qiao said, "I just saw it all. The chilblains on his feet are shocking. What's worse, yesterday they took Ayou shopping, leaving Xiao Qi, who had a fever, alone at home without even having any fever reducers or anything..."
Sister Qiao told the brigade leader and Aunt Tian what she had learned from Xie Yuyao, and the old couple were very worried.
Zhao Daliang said, "Yesterday was really too dangerous. If Xiao Qi had fainted in the snow on the way, I don't even want to think about what the consequences would have been in this freezing weather."
"Why didn't you tell me yesterday!" the captain was furious. "Wife, go and fetch that couple right now!"
"Oh." Aunt Tian put on a hat and tied a scarf, fully armed.
"Mom, I'll go with you." Xiao Hu's mother was worried about her mother-in-law facing that heartless couple, so the two of them went out together.
Xie Yuyao said, "I specifically instructed her yesterday that it was a loan for Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi has already said that, but his stepmother still wants to snatch it back for her own son, saying that she will return it to me in the spring. Captain, look at this, is this something a human being would do? If other stepmothers follow suit, how pitiful will the children of our Qingshan Village be? This kind of trend must be nipped in the bud."
The captain nodded. He didn't expect the stepmothers to treat the children like their own, but they should at least raise them as individuals. And that Xiao Qi's father, he's not even old yet and he's already senile; he needs to be given a good talking-to.
Meanwhile, Aunt Tian and her son were walking down the road when they ran into Liu Dazui, who was strolling around.
Liu Dazui curiously grabbed Aunt Tian and asked where they were going, his eyes sparkling with gossip.
Aunt Tian thought about it and decided that it would be best if everyone knew about this, so that they would have something to worry about in the future.
So she told Liu Dazui about Xiao Qi.
After hearing this, Liu Dazui slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "What kind of people are these? Everyone come out and take a look! Xiao Qi's mother is driving people to their deaths!"
Liu Dazui walked and shouted as he went, attracting many people, and the group grew bigger and bigger.
Because Xiaoqi's mother was well-liked, everyone was indignant after hearing this:
"Deng Zhaodi is really too wicked. She controls other people's property, but she treats their sons to death."
"They even snatched the socks that Xiao Qi borrowed. I really don't know what kind of life Xiao Qi leads."
"If you ask me, it's that Xiao Qi's father who's muddle-headed and incompetent. He raises other people's children to be healthy and chubby, but he doesn't care about his own son at all."
"If something really had happened yesterday, I'd love to see how much his father regrets it!"
......
*
At that moment, Deng Zhaodi was playing with her son when she saw such a large group of women filing in. She felt a little nervous and asked, "What brings you all here? Why are so many of you here at once?"
Before Aunt Tian could speak, Liu Dazui interrupted, "What is it? We're here to stand up for Xiao Qi and ask you if you have any conscience! What was Xiao Qi like before, and what has he become now? Aren't you afraid that Xiao Qi's mother will come looking for you tonight?"
“Now that the country is eradicating feudal superstitions, where are those things anymore!” Deng Zhaodi was no pushover either, and she said earnestly, “Everyone says it’s hard to be a stepmother. I haven’t starved him, nor have I beaten him. How can you say I have no conscience?”
Xiao Qi's father, meanwhile, shrank back and watched from the sidelines, acting as if it were none of his business.
"Come on, Xiao Qi is sick and you won't give him any medicine, leaving him alone at home. He almost died in the snow yesterday!"
"He even stole the socks that Xie Zhiqing lent him, and he still has the nerve to talk about conscience? I bet they've been eaten by dogs long ago!"
"You don't even let the child roll up their pants legs? Is this how you act as a mother?"
Deng Zhaodi's face flushed red and then turned pale. Hearing this, her eyes darted around: "You're wronging me. I wanted to take apart her trouser legs, but she wouldn't allow it. She said it was clothes made by her mother and she couldn't bear to ruin them. What could I do?"
Liu Dazui pointed at her and cursed, "You heartless woman, just wait and see what happens!"
Deng Zhaodi couldn't take it anymore and yelled at the man behind her, "Zhao Tieshuan, are you dead? Are you just going to watch me get insulted like this? Point to your heart and ask yourself, haven't I been good enough to your son? Do you even want to live like this anymore?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Tieshuan immediately stepped forward, glaring at the newcomers. "What nonsense are you women spouting? My son is none of your business. Get out! Where's Xiao Qi? Where did that little brat hide? Come out right now!"
Aunt Tian wasn't afraid of him. "Xiao Qi is at my house. My husband wants you two to come over. As for what she said about Xiao Qi not letting her trouser legs be taken apart, if Deng Zhaodi cared even a little, wouldn't she have taken them apart after the child fell asleep? If she really cared, would she let the child wear socks with big holes?"
Zhang Dazui sneered, "She's busy rolling around on the kang (heated brick bed), how could she care about taking care of someone else's child? Anyway, even her own father doesn't care, why should she bother?"
The others looked at him with disdain. Deng Zhaodi and Zhao Tieshuan's faces turned bright red instantly. Deng Zhaodi pointed at Zhang Dakou, too angry to speak.
Zhao Tieshuan wanted to bury his head and hide, so ashamed he wished he could disappear into the ground.
Seeing that the battle had ended, Aunt Tian urged, "Hurry up, take your socks and come to my house."
Deng Zhaodi's eyes darted away, "What socks? I have no idea!"
Ayu, who had already put the clothes on his legs, shrank back and hid behind his mother.
“Those socks were bought in Beijing, not around here. If they’re found out, see if you feel the sting of being slapped in the face!” Xie Yuyao stood at the back of the crowd, her face icy cold.
The team leader and Sister Qiao waited at home for a while, but when they didn't return, they simply came over. They stood at the back of the crowd and had been listening for quite some time.
Everyone made way for them.
Sister Qiao led Xiao Qi into the house. "Xiao Qi, take off your shoes and socks, let your dad take a good look. Zhao Tieshuan, open your eyes and see clearly, do you still recognize this son in your heart?"
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