"Just because you apologize, does that mean I have to forgive you?"
Lili looked directly at her calmly, her eyes undisturbed: "Why should Lili forgive those who hurt her? If Lili had been unlucky, she might have died somewhere a few months ago, or even today, you also wanted to kill Lili, didn't you? You just didn't succeed."
Aunt Li's lips trembled, but she couldn't speak.
It wasn't that Lili was heartless; it was just that she simply couldn't bring herself to keep someone who wanted to hurt her by her side.
If Aunt Li were a kind person, she naturally wouldn't have done that.
Aunt Li wasn't just sharp-tongued and shrewish; she simply couldn't stand seeing others do well, so she constantly tried to take advantage of them with her words.
She's going to get herself killed. Lili isn't an innocent little flower, nor is she the Virgin Mary; she's black-hearted.
She would retaliate in kind to whatever Aunt Li did to her.
If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for doing something you shouldn't have done.
The villagers returned from their fields in twos and threes. Fortunately, their rice had not been stolen. Aunt Li had really scared everyone half to death.
"It's terrifying! We've never seen anything like this involving rice theft in all these years."
"Yeah, it scared my husband so much that he ran out right away."
"I'm not trying to be mean, Aunt Li, but what were you doing so late at night? You scared everyone half to death! Oh dear, is Lili alright? Look how pale her little face is!"
Aunt Li's face turned pale. Being stared at by so many people, she felt ashamed for the first time in her life.
Aunt Li's husband was usually a coward, let alone in a situation like this where everyone was pointing fingers.
Li Dacheng had no choice but to bow and apologize to everyone one by one. He knew that his mother had really gone too far this time. Even he himself felt that Li Dacheng's mother's behavior was really annoying.
But what could he do?
This is my own mother.
Li Dacheng knelt down with a thud and kowtowed to Granny Shen: "Auntie, my mother knows she was wrong. It was all her fault. Our Li family has let down our fellow villagers!"
Old Mrs. Shen, holding her breath, said, "What's the use of saying all this now that things have come to this?"
Li Dacheng shed a tear, glanced back at the stunned Aunt Li, as if he had made up his mind, then changed direction and spoke to Village Chief Ma.
"Village Chief, our Li family has no face to stay in Xinghua Village. We request to leave Xinghua Village!"
Aunt Li wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
Lili remained silent, waiting quietly for Village Chief Ma to speak.
Yang and Shen Laosan were clearly dissatisfied with the answer, their brows furrowed.
Village Chief Ma's attitude was firm: "Dacheng, I don't care what happens to your Li family, but your mother wants to kill someone!"
The villagers nearby chimed in, "That's right, Dacheng. Your wife is in such a state, and your mother is even worse off. I think she should go to jail too."
"Exactly, if those two kids hadn't been lucky, who knows...!"
Li Dacheng's face was ashen. He was afraid that Village Chief Ma would send his mother to the county government office to be judged by the magistrate.
If that's the case, his mother will have no choice but to be exiled to the north!
The northern region and the southern region are located in opposite directions; traveling between them would be extremely dangerous, if not fatal.
Aunt Li suddenly burst into laughter: "It's not my fault! It's not my fault!"
Shen Jialuo, who was standing next to her, was startled and quietly moved a little closer to Lili.
"It's all her fault! Everyone in the village had a good harvest, but our Li family is still in the same dire state." Aunt Li's eyes widened with anger, her lips trembling slightly. "I only took a little bit of rice, so what? If you don't let me take some, how are we supposed to live! If those two brats hadn't been so blind and insisted on stopping me, would I have hurt him!"
Li Dacheng was shocked: "Mother, what are you saying! If the harvest is bad, we can work harder in the future and grow more vegetables. There's nothing we can't survive as a family!"
"My son! You're so naive. The Shen family didn't do anything, yet they gained the favor of so many noble people. It's all just good luck." Aunt Li laughed, her voice trembling with madness. "If it weren't for this little money-loser's good fortune, I would have really drowned her. Ah, what a pity."
“Aunt Li, I won’t make things difficult for you. Let’s leave this matter to the magistrate to decide. Magistrate Qin is fair and impartial, which everyone has witnessed. Whatever decision Magistrate Qin makes, you should follow it.” Village Chief Ma said in a deep voice. “Aunt Chen, what do you think of this?”
Old Mrs. Shen didn't answer immediately, but asked Mrs. Yang and Shen Laosan, "Sanlang, what do you think?"
Yang and Shen Laosan naturally had no objections and handed the case over to Magistrate Qin for judgment. Naturally, it would be handled according to the laws of the Southern Jin Dynasty, and Li Da Niang would most likely be exiled.
It was pitiful that Granny Li, old and frail, had to endure such torment, but no one in the Shen family sympathized with her.
If we sympathize with her, then who will sympathize with their poor children?
Lili buried her head in Shen Jiahao's arms and stopped looking at Aunt Li.
Lili lowered her eyes, her mood inexplicably low.
That's settled then.
Aunt Li will accept whatever fate awaits her.
Even if she hadn't added fuel to the fire, Aunt Li's actions would have deserved this fate.
Village Chief Ma made the final decision, giving Granny Li one night to have a good talk with her son. The next morning, he would personally drive the oxcart to take Granny Li to Liucheng to see the county magistrate.
Li Dacheng collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
………
The Shen family had planned to finish harvesting the rice tonight, but now that this has happened, no one cares about the rice anymore.
Even when they learned that Aunt Li had stolen rice, they didn't care much, their only concern was for the two injured children.
Fortunately, Shen Jialuo's injury will heal with rest, and Lili is also fine.
Since Village Chief Ma said he would take Aunt Li to the county government, the Shen family decided not to interfere any further. If Village Chief Ma softened his heart again tomorrow, Shen Lao Er and Shen Lao San would personally take Aunt Li to the county government.
Although Yang knew that Lili hadn't actually fallen into the water, her clothes were indeed wet. Fearing that Lili would catch a cold, she boiled a large bowl of ginger soup and even put an egg in it.
Lili sipped the ginger soup slowly, seeing off one visitor after another, before saying to Madam Yang, "Mother, Lili can't drink anymore."
Yang took the bowl, hesitated for a long time, and decided to pretend that she knew nothing.
Madam Yang handed the remaining half bowl of ginger soup to Shen Jialuo beside her and said, "You two, you should ask an adult to go with you when you do this, you know? Don't do this again next time, it really worries your mother."
Lili and Shen Jialuo exchanged a smile: "We know, Mom."
"It's unbelievable. Aunt Li has been our neighbor for decades, how could she..."
Shen Laosan frowned: "Maybe she really just had a momentary lapse of judgment, but even if she only had this thought, it is still a threat to the children."
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