When the topic of the stillborn Da Rui came up, Xu Yuxian didn't react much. However, when Liu asked about the baby who was only a month old, she visibly flinched.
However, she was already trembling all over, so no one noticed.
"Sister-in-law Liu, where are my parents and my brother?" Seeing only her sister-in-law, but not her mother and brother, Xu Yuxian finally realized that something was wrong.
Liu said with a bitter face, "You still have the nerve to ask? Your brother was beaten up while looking for you and became ill. He was sick for more than ten years and died two years before the war."
Your parents died even earlier. They were already old, and they had to stay up all night taking care of the children. They passed away two years before your brother.
Xu Yuxian was stunned, unable to even cry. She grabbed Liu's hand and glared angrily at Jiang Zhi: "How heartless you are! You make your parents stay up all night taking care of the child, and you don't even lend a hand!"
Jiang Zhi wasn't going to put up with her. She kicked him and said, "Bullshit! You think you can have your fun and then expect someone else to raise your child? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"
Even disregarding the fact that the male lead's background is unclear, there's no reason why the sister-in-law should be responsible if her sister-in-law abandons her child.
Xu Yuxian was kicked and rolled on the ground. Afraid of being beaten again, she quickly grabbed Liu Shi and cried, "Sister-in-law, elder sister-in-law, I really don't know anything about my family!"
Liu also grew impatient: "Tell me, what's the deal with that child? And what have you been doing all these years?"
Xu Yuxian stammered, "I had no choice! I'm having a hard time too! Sister-in-law, I never thought I would bring harm to my family. If I had known that child was a menace, he deserved to die!"
Hearing her say such irresponsible things, Liu pulled her hand back, frowned and scolded: "You're so old, how can you still be so utterly disgraceful?"
"That's a human being, not a pet cat or dog. No matter how hard your sister-in-law's life was, she raised your child for you, and instead of being grateful, you say such heartless things."
Xu Yuxian continued to cry and say she didn't know.
If she had known that her family was being dragged down, she definitely wouldn't have let her parents take care of the child.
Seeing her crying so sadly, Liu's heart softened and she wiped away her own tears: "Your parents were most worried about you when they were dying. They said that they had no news of you all these years and didn't know if you were doing well. If you leave your husband's family, go back to Xujia Village. As long as there is food in the house, you will not go hungry!"
"And your brother, before he died he said he couldn't find you and had no face to meet our parents in the afterlife!"
Hearing that her loved ones had left one by one because of her willfulness, Xu Yuxian's sobs grew low and gradually became sorrowful, until she collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed with grief.
Jiang Zhi just watched coldly: Serves you right, the days of crying are yet to come!
Just then, a commotion broke out outside the courtyard, and a voice shouted, "Open the gate! The officials are here!"
Nearby, Ma Gan Niang, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead, immediately jumped up when she heard the officials arrive. She rushed to the door like a madwoman, shoved Wang Xiaoju aside, and shouted, "Sir, save me!"
People from the county government came. Although it wasn't Xiang Dejin and Wu Hongmao, they were acquaintances of Jiang Zhi and had chatted with her at the county government a few days ago.
However, in this situation, one should naturally pretend not to know them.
Ma's mother said that thugs had broken into her house and were vandalizing it, intending to send Jiang Zhi and the others to jail.
Contrary to her usual behavior, Xu Yuxian did not complain. Instead, she kept saying it was just a family matter, a misunderstanding with her sister-in-law, and that the argument would be resolved by talking it out.
At this moment, her face was swollen like a pig's head, and the scabs from her nosebleed were still there, but she said it was nothing, just a minor injury.
Jiang Zhi raised an eyebrow at her: "Xu Xiaolan, this is your chance to voice your grievances and seek justice."
Since I've already hit and scolded them, it's others who should put up with it.
Xu Yuxian forced a bitter smile: "Sister-in-law, this is a family matter, we can't take it to court!"
Liu also said not to make a big fuss and to resolve this family matter behind closed doors.
Xu Yuxian really didn't dare to make a scene at the county government office; there were many things she wanted to hide.
With Xu Yuxian, the aggrieved party, saying it was a minor matter, and with Liu Shi trying to smooth things over, Jiang Zhi didn't even consider reporting it to the authorities.
Without concrete evidence, even if you go to the county government, it will only be seen as the sister-in-law assaulting her sister-in-law...
So, one played the good cop and the other the bad cop, and Xu Yuxian gathered a string of coins and stuffed them into the hands of the yamen runner.
The Du family was wrecked, and the fact that the lady had a bruised and swollen face became a domestic matter.
After receiving the money, the constables said a few more words: "No fighting or making any noise, or you'll be arrested."
Xu Yuxian endured the pain and promised not to cause any more trouble, only then did the officials leave.
Once the courtyard gate was closed, Xu Yuxian didn't have time to say anything more to Jiang Zhi. Now that things had escalated to this point, there was no point in talking.
She went back to her room to change her clothes, then instructed the servants to tidy up the courtyard. She also needed to comfort Miss Du, who was so frightened that she had hidden away, so that all her previous efforts wouldn't be in vain.
Inside the main hall of the Du family, the women of Xujia Village gathered together.
Qin, tugging at her tattered clothes, said smugly to Pi and Wang Xiaoju, "When it comes to fighting, I've never lost to anyone!"
Pi had a bruise on her forehead from when she tripped and fell while chasing people away. Hearing Qin boast, she laughed and said, "Then how come you let Aunt Jiang hit you!"
She used to dislike Qin Shi intensely, and had even made Qin Shi cry because of the incident where she stole the lotus money.
But when it came to actually getting things done today, Qin was fearless and didn't back down at all, which immediately stirred up a sense of fighting spirit in her.
Qin raised her chin: "Only Sister Jiang has ever used a few bamboo strips, and she recovered in two days!"
She didn't mention a word about being beaten by Jiang Zhi at the foot of the bed when she returned.
Wang Xiaoju was pressing her sleeve against the corner of her mouth, hissing and sucking in cool air. She had been so excited that she had cut her lip, and now she didn't dare to speak or move, only able to listen to Qin Shi's boasting.
Beside them, Liu and Jiang Zhi were also talking.
Liu said, "I'm afraid Xiaolan really doesn't know anything about what's going on at home!"
After a playful fight, Jiang Zhi's pent-up anger finally dissipated.
We need to think calmly now; emotions alone cannot solve the problem.
Hearing that Liu was trying to mediate between the two sides, Jiang Zhi said, "I don't care whether she knows or not, anyway, my parents won't blame me."
Even if it takes me all the way to the King of Hell, I'll still give her a good beating to clear my conscience!
She was glad she made the wise decision to deal with such household chores beforehand.
If those around you want to smooth things over, that's fine too; at least you've already taken action.
Liu nodded, offering no objection to Jiang Zhi's actions.
The beating has already happened, and there's no point in objecting. Blaming others would only offend people: "It's definitely not your fault. Xiaolan dragged her family down with her own actions, so she can't blame anyone else for being beaten."
It's a blessing accumulated over many lifetimes that we could be siblings in this life. Since she's dead, let's still show her some respect.
Although everyone says that the dead should be respected, the living should be considered in the end.
When conflicts arise, say things like "even broken bones are still connected by tendons" and "harmony brings wealth," just to save face for the future.
Jiang Zhicai doesn't want this kind of sibling relationship; even if it's fate, it's a karmic entanglement spanning several lifetimes.
Thinking about the male lead's revenge in the future, the more hatred there is now, the better, and he will inevitably become irreconcilable enemies with Xu Yuxian.
The original owner's "abuse" had its reasons, and even if we go into details, it is still worthy of sympathy.
This sister-in-law abducted someone else's child, and there's no way to clear her name.
Doing immoral things will be struck by lightning; you should stay away from such people even when walking.
When the male protagonist gets angry, corpses lie for miles and blood splatters every five steps; I can't afford to suffer the same fate.
As the two were talking, Xu Yuxian didn't change her clothes. She simply tied her hair up and applied a cold compress to her face before coming over.
Beside her was Ma Gan Niang, who also had a bruised and swollen face.
The panic from before was gone from their faces; it seemed they were now exchanging words and ready to confront each other!
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