Seeing her grandmother about to hit her mother, Li Erya stepped forward, grabbed the broom and wouldn't let go, shouting loudly, "If you hit us again, I'll report you to the authorities, I'll go find the county magistrate."
Seeing Li Erya use this trick again, Granny Fang almost couldn't breathe. Just then, she saw her eldest son return and quickly grabbed Li Dayong, saying, "Son, you need to control your wife and children. They're threatening to sue me. They're driving me crazy."
Li Dayong didn't care about that. He just said to Granny Fang, "They did something wrong, Mother, you can discipline them yourself. My brother is waiting for me to go to the county for drinks, Mother, hurry up and give me some money."
Seeing that her son didn't even care about her, Granny Fang was furious. "I have no money. Your wife is a traitor and has stolen all the money. Where would I get any money?"
Without saying much, Li Dayong turned around and went to Granny Fang's room to search. His mother was very good at hiding money, and it usually took a while to find it. But today, there was a string of coins lying on the table. He just put it in his pocket and took it, ignoring the mess of the lawsuit at home.
Seeing Li Dayong take the money away, Granny Fang was powerless to do anything about it and could only vent her anger on Li Yunxiang and Li Erya.
Li Yunxiang protected Li Erya and helped her run away, which was what she always did. Once Li Erya had run away, Granny Fang's anger subsided, and she let it go.
But today, Granny Fang wasn't angry at Li Erya, but at Li Yunxiang. She kept chasing and hitting her. Normally, she wouldn't dare to run away, but today, for some reason, she was unwilling to endure it any longer and ran out after her.
After running out of the house, she endured the pain and searched for Li Erya in the village, but she couldn't find her anywhere. In the distance, she saw a piece of cloth in the river, which seemed to be the clothes Li Erya was wearing today. She was startled and hurriedly ran over. When she got closer, she realized it wasn't Li Erya. But her body, which had just been beaten, suddenly went limp and she fell directly into the river. That's how Shen Yun saw what happened.
After hearing her explanation, Meng Zhao was not relieved and continued to ask, "Then why didn't you grab Shen Yun when she tried to catch you with a stick?"
Shen Yun nodded beside her. She had just noticed Li Yunxiang jump in, so she picked up a stick from the side and stretched it out. The river wasn't wide, so if Li Yunxiang wanted to grab it, she wouldn't have trouble reaching it.
No matter how much she shouted, Li Yunxiang wouldn't grab it. It wasn't until she shouted that Li Erya was still waiting for her that she finally grabbed the stick.
Li Yunxiang's eyes were lifeless and she said weakly, "I was thinking, if I just died like this, would they regret it?"
Meng Zhao was so angry he laughed. "Ha, you don't think they'll miss you or regret treating you like this after you die, do you? Don't dream. When you're dead, they'll only think of you when the water tank isn't full, when there's work to be done in the fields, and when there's no one to cook. If they're even slightly better off, when it comes time to divide the inheritance, they'll only think it's a good thing you died young."
At this point, Li Yunxiang collapsed to the ground and began to sob.
Shen Yun, who was standing nearby, was furious when she heard about Li Yunxiang's miserable state. Seeing Li Yunxiang crying pitifully, she said, "If you really can't go on like this, then run away. My mother ran away when I was little."
Even Meng Zhao was shocked by these words. She had always thought that Shen Yun's parents were dead, but she didn't expect that her mother was still alive and had just run away.
Shen Yun never understood why her mother ran away, and her grandmother refused to tell her either, so she had genuinely hated her mother before.
But now, seeing Li Yunxiang's miserable state, she thought that if she were Li Erya, she would want her mother to run away too, to run far away, and never come back.
Seeing that Li Yunxiang remained silent, Shen Yun was about to speak again, but Meng Zhao shook her head, telling her not to say anything more. Of course, they could give Li Yunxiang their suggestions, but Li Yunxiang would have to bear all the consequences herself. If she regretted it in the future, she would inevitably resent them.
If they see Li Yunxiang fall into the water, they should try to save her, but once she is rescued, Li Yunxiang's decision is hers alone, and others should not interfere.
The autumn weather was already chilly, and Li Yunxiang, still wearing wet clothes, was shivering slightly from the cold. Meng Zhao took off his own blouse and gently draped it over her shoulders. "It's cold outside, let's go home. Er Ya is a clever child, she should be going back soon."
Upon hearing this, Li Yunxiang trembled even more violently. She could roughly guess what kind of situation she would face when she got home—endless harassment and beatings.
So when Meng Zhao finished draping the clothes over her and stood up, she mustered her courage, reached out and grabbed the hem of her clothes, turned around and knelt down in front of Meng Zhao.
Meng Zhao was speechless. Here they go again. As a modern person, she couldn't stand these feudal customs. Why couldn't they just say what they wanted to say? So she simply turned around and sat down on the ground.
Li Yunxiang's face was covered in tears, but her voice was unusually firm, "I want a divorce, I don't want to go on like this anymore, but I can't leave Er Ya there. Xiao Yun's grandmother is good to her, but Er Ya is alone in that house, I'm afraid she won't be able to survive."
After hearing this, Shen Yun lowered her head. She hadn't thought it through. Although her family was poor, her grandmother was willing to leave her the last bite of food. But Li Erya was not like that. If she persuaded Li Yunxiang to run away, she would be asking her to give up her daughter's life.
Meng Zhao looked at Li Yunxiang with a solemn expression. She saw that Li Yunxiang had her lips tightly pursed and her face was full of determination. She had clearly made up her mind.
Meng Zhao then slowly said, "I can find a way to help you, but it will require your cooperation with Er Ya. Also, if you change your mind in the future, don't blame me and Shen Yun for this."
Li Yunxiang nodded emphatically and said firmly, "I will bear all the consequences myself, and I will never regret it."
"Okay, then I'll help you think of a solution." Meng Zhao nodded slightly, agreeing to help.
He then asked Shen Yun if she would be willing to help Li Yunxiang, and Shen Yun nodded in agreement.
Meng Zhao got up and took off the blouse covering Li Yunxiang, saying, "Go to the river and stay there for a while, pretending to be drowning. After you are rescued, don't wake up no matter who calls you. Wake up after an hour."
Then he said to Shen Yun, "Xiao Yun, please go find the village head and tell him in the most crowded place that Sister-in-law Li jumped into the river. When others are rescuing her, tell them that you are going to the county to find a doctor, and then wait for me at the city gate. Run fast, don't let your sister-in-law soak in the water for too long."
The two followed the instructions. Meng Zhao put on his clothes and hurried home. When he got home, Gu Shi and the others had almost finished packing and were loading things onto the donkey cart. Meng Zhao hurriedly unloaded the things.
Seeing that Meng Zhao's clothes were wet, Madam Gu hurriedly said, "Zhao Zhao, what happened? Why are your clothes wet? Quickly change your clothes, or you'll get sick."
"I have to go to the county for something. Could you help me unload these things first? I'll explain when I get back."
Seeing Meng Zhao's anxious expression, Gu knew that she had something important to do, so she stopped trying to persuade her and helped her unload the things.
Meng Zhao sat on the donkey cart and whipped it twice. The donkey, in pain, hurriedly ran forward. Meng Zhao felt sorry for it, as she had raised this donkey for so long but hadn't really used it much.
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