People around her whispered among themselves. Xie Wanying had already lowered herself to the dust. Even if she had committed a great crime, it was not a crime deserving of death.
Whether they were there to watch the spectacle or to laugh at her, they couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
"If that's the case, then this matter can't be entirely blamed on Xie Wanying. What can a newborn child decide? Let alone the fact that she was completely ignorant at that time, even if she had memories, she couldn't interfere with what her parents wanted to do."
When Xie Mingzhu saw Xie Wanying kneeling on the ground, she remembered the woman who had been beaten to the ground and kowtowed when she was in the mountains. People there had no control over their own lives, and women's lives were especially worthless, never even as valuable as the livestock in the family.
Oxen are for plowing the fields, lambs are for giving birth, and even the hens in the house are for laying eggs. Only women can be beaten, verbally abused, insulted, and ordered around at will.
The sudden hallucination filled her heart with a bittersweet feeling; no matter what, she couldn't bring herself to be completely ruthless towards women.
Just as she was about to say something, Shu Ying grasped her wrist and gently shook her head.
Some people lift a stone only to drop it on their own foot, and in the end, they only suffer the consequences of their own actions. Xie Wanying may seem pitiful, but there is always a reason why someone is pitiful.
Just when the two sides were deadlocked, Fang Deshan and Wang Yayun arrived late.
The two of them didn't know the specifics of the situation, but they had heard that Xie Wanying had encountered some trouble here. Considering that she was pregnant, the two of them rushed over.
This child is so precious; if anything were to happen to him, it would be like tearing a piece of flesh from their hearts.
Even from a distance, before we even arrived, we could already sense that the residential compound was bustling with activity today.
Along the way, everyone chattered away, talking about nothing but the Xie family's affairs that day.
For example, some people said that Shu Ying was too much of a bully, while others said that the child who was switched was too pitiful, and still others felt that neither side was wrong. Opinions were divided for a time.
Wang Yayun glanced at Fang Deshan beside her, and couldn't help but wonder, "What are they talking about? It sounds like they're also talking about Wanying?"
In their haste on the way here, neither of them managed to extract any crucial information. Fang Deshan, fearing something might happen to Xie Wanying's unborn child, rushed over like the wind, naturally unaware of the rumors and gossip.
"What time is it? Who cares what those people are saying? The most important thing is to get Wanying back first. I heard she had a conflict with Shuying. I knew her sister-in-law was no pushover. We shouldn't have let her out today."
Fang Deshan unconsciously quickened his pace, and Wang Yayun struggled to keep up.
But when they reached the door, Fang Deshan became puzzled.
Normally, it takes a long time to check people before they come in, but today was strange. They were only asked about their identity and purpose, and after the guards registered them on a form, they were let in.
The guard glanced at Xiao Wang, who had come on official business, and whispered, "Is this the one? He's been here a few times before. I have a vague impression of him. He looks very familiar. I saw on his registration form that he was going to the Xie family. It's probably him."
As Xiao Wang watched the two figures disappear, he immediately made a shushing gesture and nodded firmly.
Fang Deshan looked himself up and down, then looked at Wang Yayun beside him with some uncertainty. "Mom, is there something on my face? The way those two guards looked at me just now didn't seem right."
His eyelids twitched; he had a feeling that something was about to happen today.
As his unease grew stronger, Fang Deshan inexplicably became somewhat agitated.
"And normally we have a very strict procedure when we come in, so why were they only asked a couple of questions today? Something's not right."
But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
This is a military family compound, and the security here is absolutely top-notch. There's no danger here, but his heart was pounding like a drum. This feeling of being out of control was really not pleasant.
Wang Yayun didn't take it to heart. "We've been here so many times already. Maybe they're already familiar with this face. What we did before was just for show. We've been cooperating with them all this time. When we come back next time, we'll be familiar with each other, and maybe we won't even need to register anymore. I think you're too preoccupied. This is an important time for your promotion. Don't waste your energy on these useless things."
Fang Deshan didn't speak. As the two of them got closer, they heard Xie Wanying crying.
"Mom and Dad, if you're not willing to give me this chance, I'll just have to die here today. I know you've put a lot of effort into raising me, but there are so many misunderstandings between us. You're unwilling to believe my explanations and make me live in this pain. You might as well just give me a quick death. If my death can resolve all these disputes, then at least my life will have some value."
Although she didn't know what had happened, Wang Yayun rushed out immediately upon hearing Xie Wanying's hysterical pleas.
She was carrying the Fang family's eldest grandson, and Xie Wanying couldn't afford any accidents to happen at this time.
Pulling herself out of the crowd, she saw Xie Wanying kneeling on the ground, trembling all over, her face pale and streaked with tears, looking like she might faint at any moment.
Wang Yayun's anger immediately flared up.
"What are you doing? Wanying is pregnant, and a bunch of you are bullying her like this. What did she do wrong that you made her kneel here!"
As she spoke, she quickly went forward to help her up.
“Mother-in-law, you rarely come home. Now that she’s married into our family, there’s no reason for us to ignore her. Whatever mistakes she made today, I, as her mother-in-law, will take responsibility. If you’re really not satisfied, you can hit or scold me, but you shouldn’t bully a pregnant woman like this!”
She had heard from Xie Wanying some time ago that the couple favored Shu Ying, but at the time she didn't think it was a big deal.
After all, Shu Ying is the daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law represents a son. It's not hard for anyone to choose between a daughter and a son.
But I never expected them to be so biased, completely disregarding Xie Wanying, who was pregnant. The sun was so bright outside, and she didn't even know how long she had been kneeling there.
Wang Yayun grew angrier the more she thought about it, unable to swallow the nameless fire in her heart for a long time.
For the first time, Xie Wanying felt a sense of closeness to Fang Yayun, and she hugged her tightly and burst into tears, as if she wanted to vent all the grievances in her heart.
"Mom, you're all I have left now."
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