"Village chief, what do you think? Is Bai Dalin an elder or a father to me?" As the villager spoke, Bai Nuo turned her gaze to the village chief. "They say it's the father's fault if he doesn't raise and teach his children, but I think not raising or teaching them is also a fault! What has he ever done for me? My mother gave birth to me, and my grandmother raised me. Is that all he did for the little bit of flesh and blood he gave me? He should have killed me back then, rather than leaving me to suffer in this world. My mother, why didn't she take my brother and me with her when she passed away, so we wouldn't have to suffer in this world and be bullied by our stepmother!" Her words were heartbreaking, and some soft-hearted women were already secretly wiping away tears, vowing to take good care of themselves and their health. Otherwise, if they died and the man married someone else, their children might end up like Bai Nuo and Bai Yu.
Their lives were far too miserable.
"He was wrong!" The village chief hesitated for a moment before speaking heavily. He had made a mistake. He shouldn't have listened to Bai Dalin's one-sided story and caused trouble for Bai Nuo. Everyone in the village knew how outrageous Bai Dalin was and how pitiful Bai Nuo and her brother were. What could Bai Nuo and Bai Yu, those two little kids, do? If they hadn't been pushed to the limit, would they have done something like this?
Bai Nuo slightly tugged at the corners of his mouth and smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. This sentence was not his responsibility; it should have been said by Bai Dalin, because Bai Dalin owed them!
"It's good that the village chief understands!" Bai Nuo said calmly, then looked at the old woman being held in Long San's arms, "Grandma, what do you think? Do you think I did the right thing?"
Bai Dalin is her son, and the old lady's attitude is also very important.
"Village Chief, you shouldn't have come!" When the old woman saw that Bai Nuo had called her name, she raised her head. Her face was pale and aged, and her eyes were filled with helplessness and vicissitudes. Nothing could tell that the old woman was not doing well. People say that raising children is for old age security, but the old woman's life was even more miserable because of Bai Dalin.
"My daughter-in-law was wonderful!" the old woman said gently, lost in her memories. "When she first married into the family, she was an exceptionally beautiful and gentle woman. She was also strong-willed and capable, handling everything inside and outside the home with ease. She was very filial to me, warming my blankets in winter to keep me warm and fanning me in summer to keep me cool. It's a pity, though. My daughter-in-law had a tragic fate; she died young in childbirth. But my son, before her body was even cold, married a young widow. Why did he have to marry a widow? Yes, look at her, she's just like that, weak and needing to be loved..." The old woman pointed at Chen Qiuling, and everyone looked at her. Chen Qiuling was being held in Bai Dalin's arms, her eyes red, tears welling up, and her gaze timid. Usually, they found Chen Qiuling's expression particularly amusing, like a young girl, but today, it just looked disgusting.
She's almost forty years old, yet she still acts like a young girl. She's almost a mother of two, and her eldest son is old enough to find a wife. She acts like this all the time. Isn't she afraid that her son might have some inappropriate thoughts?
No, no, we absolutely cannot let our daughter marry into such a family. If she marries into the family and sees her mother-in-law looking like a young girl, wouldn't she be heartbroken every day?
"From then on, my son became estranged from me. When Bai Nuo's mother was still alive, she could suppress my son's shortcomings, but after marrying this woman, they completely exploded. This woman is no good either. Seeing that my son treats the children and me badly, she doesn't try to persuade him. Instead, she sows discord and drives me out. She's been married into the family for so many years, and she hasn't produced any offspring for our Bai family. She hasn't even washed a single piece of clothing. Our Bai family is truly unfortunate to have such a woman as our daughter-in-law!" The old woman broke down in tears, burying her head in her chest and wailing, "Husband, I haven't taken good care of this family and have brought shame to our ancestors. I don't even dare to go to the afterlife to see you!"
The old woman cried uncontrollably, and Bai Nuo said calmly, "Although my stepmother looks gentle and weak, she is very good at stirring up trouble. When I wanted to ask Bai Dalin to take back my mother's dowry, she stopped me several times. Chen Qiuling, I just want to ask you, why can't I take back the things my mother left me? My mother's things are with you, how did they become yours?"
Stimulated by Bai Nuo's stern words and expression, Chen Qiuling became incoherent, not daring to lift her head, and only stammered, "I...I didn't want to take yours, I just thought you were too young to manage money properly."
"So you're letting Jiang Wanyin's child live in this dilapidated house? You're living in someone else's big house? Poor child, this old house is over thirty years old, I don't know how many years it's been. It's windy in winter and leaks in summer. How can anyone live here?"
"Isn't that right? I saw them repairing their house the other day. Look at this kitchen, that's what they did back then. Those two kids are so pitiful, one is only thirteen and the other is only nine. What do they know? My two kids are the same age as them and don't know anything, but these two kids have to do so much."
"So, once a woman gets married, she has to treat herself well and not ruin herself, otherwise other women will come and sleep with her husband, spend her money, and even beat her children."
"Chen Qiuling, things have come to this point, why are you still pretending to be innocent and weak? Just say you want Bai Nuoniang's money, why make up so many excuses, like 'keeping it for someone else'? The person you're keeping it for is about to die."
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