Qingqing didn't dare to go and cry to her parents about all the suffering she had endured. It is said that a daughter who is married off is like spilled water. If she told her parents, her mother-in-law would definitely hold on to the matter.
After Zhao knew about this, she helped Qingqing and her daughter privately. Weiwei's father also knew about this and even supported her in helping Qingqing and her daughter.
Zhao thought that this might be how her life would be in the future, but she didn't expect that Qingqing's family would move away and disappear soon after.
She asked around but still had no idea where they had moved to. Qingqing left in a hurry and didn't even leave her a word.
To date, Zhao and Qingqing have lost contact for five years. During these years, she has asked Weiwei's father to ask people around to find out.
But Xicheng is so big that it is extremely difficult for her to find someone. Every time she looks for Qingqing, her message falls on deaf ears and she never receives any response.
It was not until last month, when she went to deliver food to a father and daughter who were practicing medicine at Huichuntang, that she came across Qingqing lying there at the entrance of the alley, covered in wounds.
Zhao couldn't believe her eyes at that time. After only a few years of not seeing Yan Qingyun, who was as elegant as orchid in the past, she had been tortured like this. Her whole body was covered with wounds, and there was not a single intact place.
Zhao burst into tears at that moment. If she hadn't considered that they were still outside, she would have wanted to see the scars on Qingqing's body right then and there.
Later, Qingqing briefly recounted what had happened in the past few years. The more Zhao listened, the angrier she became. If Qingqing hadn't held her tightly and stopped her from causing trouble for her mother-in-law, she would have taken people to report to the police long ago.
What kind of mother-in-law can be so cruel? After all, she has served her daughter-in-law for many years, but she can torture her like this.
Qingqing said that the reason she moved was because her mother-in-law didn't want to stay here and be reminded of her uncle, so she took her and her daughter to move to her uncle's house.
Apart from the injuries, she was doing pretty well.
Zhao could tell at a glance that Qingqing was not telling the truth, and then she burst into tears in front of her.
What do you mean by living a good life? It would be strange for a widow living under someone else's roof with her daughter to have a good life.
When Qingqing saw her crying, she came to comfort her. She told her not to worry about her, that she would live well and would live well for Yaoyao.
Yaoyao is her daughter, and she is almost sixteen this year. The reason why she has persisted for so long is to be able to see Yaoyao get married one day.
Now the time is almost up, and her mother-in-law has just agreed to find a marriage for Yaoyao. As long as she can hold on until that day, Yaoyao will no longer have to suffer this hardship.
Then, she can leave with peace of mind.
Qingqing thought she had hidden these things very well, but how could Zhao not know what she was thinking? However, she had no way to deal with Qingqing's predicament and could only shed tears all day long.
Now, she accidentally heard that a woman had established a female household in the previous dynasty, which made Zhao's heart suddenly lively again.
If Qingqing could establish a daughter household, she could take Yaoyao out of that cage. If she could escape, she wouldn't have to commit suicide. If she didn't commit suicide, Yaoyao wouldn't have to remain alone in the world.
But.........
After Zhao's excitement, she seemed to have thought of something, and her face, which had been full of hope, was filled with bitterness in the blink of an eye.
There is no law in Yu Dynasty for women to establish a female household, and Qingqing is ultimately unable to escape from that place.
After hearing what Zhao said, Yuan Tianwei suddenly stood up from the stool. She walked to the window angrily and cursed at the yard not far outside her house.
"Why would this old fellow take his anger out on my aunt? Mother, let's report this to the authorities. I don't believe the prefect would tolerate such a thing."
Zhao roared, "Weiwei."
Yuan Tianwei was stunned by the shouting and turned back to look at Zhao in disbelief, "Mom, you are so mean to me."
Zhao realized her own misstep and walked over to Yuan Tianwei, hugging her tightly. "Child, I know you're worried about your Aunt Qingqing, but her mother-in-law is old after all. You can't say that to her."
"But mother, why does Aunt Qingqing have to suffer all this? She is such a gentle woman, why, why!"
Yuan Tianwei's voice was choked, and she buried her head tightly in Zhao's neck, crying desperately.
Zhao didn't say anything, but just began to cry silently.
Perhaps this is the fate of these women!
"Well, it's not impossible to establish a female household."
Ye Xin, who had been in the background for a long time, finally spoke. She glanced at the gradually clearing sky outside and touched the soft sword at her waist without leaving any trace. "As long as the prefect agrees."
...............
"You little slut, what have you been doing? You've been dawdling all day. Can't you see it's going to rain?"
As I entered the yard somewhere in Xicheng, I saw a sarcastic old woman standing under the eaves and cursing at a woman with a cloth wrapped on her head.
The woman wrapped in cloth had a pretty face and a slim figure. Even as she listened to the old woman say these unbearable words, she lowered her head and looked at the worn cloth shoes on her feet without saying a word.
The old woman was holding a willow branch in her hand. Seeing the woman's cowardly look, she became furious and started hitting the woman with the branch.
"Pah~Pah~Pah~"
"I'll beat you to death, you bastard, you jinx!"
The willow branches hit the woman's body again and again, and her tattered coat was instantly stained red.
The woman seemed to feel no pain and continued to passively accept the beating, standing there neither resisting nor begging for mercy.
At this time, a plump woman walked out of the room. She passed by the two of them with a pile of dirty clothes and turned a deaf ear to their movements.
It was not until the woman threw the clothes into the wooden basin beside the well that she finally called out to the old woman holding the willow branch, "Mom, the rain is about to stop, and your husband should be back soon."
Hearing the woman's words, the old woman finally stopped what she was doing. She looked at the woman who had been silent with disgust, threw down the willow branch, and walked into the kitchen.
"What are you standing there for? Come and cook."
The old woman's dissatisfied voice came from the kitchen, and the beaten woman then walked towards the kitchen.
The rain slowly stopped and the gloomy sky gradually cleared up. Everything that had just happened here was seen by a thin girl.
She hid by the window of a room full of dry firewood, covering her mouth tightly with her scarred hands.
She looked at the woman busy in the kitchen and couldn't help but shed tears.
In the kitchen, the woman seemed to sense something and turned back to look at her. When she saw the girl's eyes by the window were extremely red, she made a gesture to wipe away her tears.
Don’t be afraid, Yaoyao, mother is fine.
Seeing this, the girl by the window suddenly turned around and squatted under the window, hugging her body and crying silently towards a shabby little bed.
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