"Mother, where's Bufan?" Zhang Laoda reminded her, and Zhang Laotai suddenly realized what was happening. She opened the door with a trembling voice, and what she saw was Zhang Bufan, who died with his eyes wide open.
Old Zhang was in unbearable pain and started punching and kicking Old Zhang. Old Zhang was powerless to fight back. She picked up Zhang Bufan and ran around the Zhang family home. After everyone left, Old Zhang got up to pay the doctor, only to find that all the money in the house had been taken.
The doctor, feeling it was bad luck, hurriedly left with the prescription. Seeing this, Old Lady Zhang stayed in Bengbu.
But things were far worse than they had imagined. After Zhang Bufan's accident, her other grandsons also died one after another. Zhang Lao Er was devastated and drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day. When he was drunk, he would beat Zhang Lao Tai, saying that it was all retribution.
When they fled famine, they survived by buying and selling wives and even eating their daughters. Now, all that they are suffering is their just deserts.
The house was in complete disarray, and the rice jar was almost empty. When Grandma Zhang went out to buy grain, she discovered that everything had changed. The price of rice had risen, and it cost several ounces to buy a pound. She finally mustered the courage to buy some, but as soon as she left the rice shop, someone robbed her of it.
With no rice or silver, and family members to take care of, Old Lady Zhang was heartbroken and desperate. She thought of Zhang Dandan and followed her memory to the Li family, only to find that the Li family had already moved away.
By a twist of fate, they encountered the Li family again and followed them to the Song family's ceramics shop. The moment they saw Zhang Dandan, Old Lady Zhang rushed over to her, crying and begging, "Dan Dan, I'm really at my wit's end this time."
“Your father had a stroke, your nephews all died from some strange disease, your elder brother ran off with all the money in the house, and the rice jar is empty. If you abandon us now, I really will die here.” Old Mrs. Zhang spoke with genuine emotion, but in Zhang Dandan’s eyes, it was all an act. To gain favor, she was even cursing the younger generation to death. Already heartbroken, Zhang Dandan had no intention of helping her anymore.
"Death will end it all, saving me from all this toil." Zhang Dandan left heartlessly, locking Old Lady Zhang out of the room.
Looking at the tightly closed door, Old Mrs. Zhang was shocked. She couldn't believe that her daughter, who always obeyed her, would one day turn a blind eye to her. She cried and screamed, her heart filled with turmoil.
Just when she was in despair, Li Minghuang threw out a bag of rice.
Grandma Zhang was overjoyed and hid the rice carefully before running away as fast as she could.
There was no more noise outside. Zhang Dandan, who had been expressionless, trembled with tears falling without warning.
She has done everything she could to reach this point.
Even if what Grandma Zhang said is true, it has nothing to do with her this time.
Upon hearing the news about the Zhang family, Lin Zhaozhao happened to run into Boss Zhang, who had been thrown out of the casino and beaten. He lay on the ground like a dead fish, staggered to his feet, and wandered around, muttering incoherently.
"Hehehe, karma, it's all karma."
"Wife, daughter, I'm so sorry."
"Don't eat me, don't eat me!" Boss Zhang frantically gnawed at his own hand as if he had a nightmare. In a short while, his hand was bitten until it was a bloody mess. After regaining his senses, he gagged and retched, crying and begging for mercy on his knees, uttering incomprehensible ravings.
Lin Zhaozhao understood that Zhang Laoda had trapped himself in the sins he committed during his escape from famine. He sacrificed his wife and daughter to survive, living a life of debauchery with the money he obtained. But when his only son died in unbearable pain, the fears buried deep in his heart would torment him like maggots clinging to his bones.
Cause and effect are cyclical, and retribution is inevitable.
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