The pig slaughtering place was on the threshing ground next to the brigade. In the past, when Shen Heng was willing to help, he would lend a hand. This year, when Li Shiqing came to him, he said he was afraid of scaring his wife and refused to do it no matter what. No one in their Shili Village could do this kind of work, so they had to go to another village to hire a butcher.
Almost all the villagers who had received their grain were gathered here. The village had been struggling for the past two years and hadn't even slaughtered a pig for the New Year. This year, they slaughtered three pigs at once, and everyone rushed over to see what was happening.
Amidst the sea of people, Shen Hui, a skinny little boy, went unnoticed.
Bai Jiaojiao and Shen Heng were in front, waiting for the pig to be slaughtered so they could be the first to choose the best cuts of meat. Li's mother and Bai Shiqing were in the back, arm in arm, supporting each other.
"ah--"
Bai Jiaojiao was listening to Shen Heng talk about which piece of meat was the best when she heard Bai Shiqing's extremely sharp scream, which terrified her.
As she turned her head, her heart skipped a beat.
Bai Shiqing and Li's mother both sat down on the ground with a thud. Bai Shiqing looked terrible and clutched her stomach.
Ignoring her sore bottom, Li's mother rushed over to ask, "Are you alright, Shiqing? Are you okay?"
The first three months are the most unstable. If this fall causes serious injury, how will she explain it to Li Shuxian and his son?
"It's alright, it's alright..."
Bai Shiqing frowned as Li's mother helped her up: "It was just a sudden jolt."
"Quickly, take your wife to the health center for a checkup."
"Whose son was so careless just now? Didn't he know you were pregnant? Didn't his family even say a word to him!"
Shili Village isn't very big, especially when everyone is idle and not working, big news like someone getting pregnant is definitely common knowledge.
Everyone knew that Bai Shiqing was pregnant, so even in a crowded place, no one would crowd towards her.
Bai Jiaojiao didn't even bother to distinguish the pork; she quickly followed Li's mother to take Bai Shiqing to the health station.
Seeing Shen Hui's smug grin on the side, Shen Heng felt disgusted by his smugness and grabbed Shen Hui by the back of his collar: "What are you laughing at?"
"Who the hell is it..." Shen Hui was smug seeing Bai Shiqing and Bai Jiaojiao's expressions of utter despair when someone grabbed him by the collar. He turned around and saw it was Shen Heng, but began to tremble. "Brother... Brother, it's you..."
“Who the hell is your brother? You’ve got some nerve. If anything happens to this kid, just you wait. He has four brothers; let’s see if they’ll let you off the hook.”
"I...I didn't mean to!"
Shen Hui panicked. He wasn't afraid of the four brothers from the Li family; he was afraid of Shen Heng, who was grabbing him by the collar.
"It was him. I saw him deliberately walk past Bai Shiqing."
"It wasn't intentional. How much force would it take to knock two people down if it wasn't intentional?"
There are definitely more people in the village who side with Li Shiqing's family. Upon seeing this, anyone who caught a glimpse of Shen Hui began to condemn him.
Li Shiqing was originally over there watching the distribution of grain when he heard that Bai Shiqing had an accident. As a father-in-law, he couldn't go to the health station to see his wife for a check-up, so he came over here in a huff.
Shen Heng tossed Shen Hui to Li Shiqing's feet. He had only bothered with Shen Hui's affairs out of respect for Bai Jiaojiao, but now that Li Shiqing was here, he couldn't be bothered with him anymore.
The villagers recounted the whole story to Li Shiqing, who was so angry that he gasped for breath, which completely surrounded his head.
"Hui Zi, didn't your mother tell you to watch the grain? What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?!"
Widow Zhou rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and the first thing she did upon arrival was to scold Shen Hui.
Widow Zhou was the second wife of Shen Heng's father. She was in her early forties this year, and no one knew how she maintained her appearance; she was more beautiful than other wives of the same age who had husbands.
The villagers all said that not having to serve a man meant aging slowly. She was also naturally white-haired, with her hair tied back loosely but not too tightly, and two wisps of hair around her face, making her look truly pitiful.
She had a bad life; her husband died shortly after she married into the Shen family. She hasn't remarried all these years and has been raising her son alone. Everyone should give her a chastity memorial arch.
Widow Zhou hugged Shen Hui, tears streaming down her face. She apologized to Li Shiqing, "Brother Qing, Hui is still young, he's at that mischievous age. I heard he knocked your daughter-in-law down. If anything happens to her, take it out on me. It's all my fault for not keeping a close eye on him. Please don't be angry, I'll kneel down for you..."
Widow Zhou knelt down in front of Li Shiqing, who quickly stepped back half a step: "What are you doing?"
Widow Zhou covered her face and cried, "It's my fault for not educating the child properly. He's so ignorant. It's all the adults' fault. Brother Qing, please don't be angry with the child. I apologize to you. Anything is fine."
Seeing Widow Zhou like this, everyone felt a little sorry for her.
It's not easy for her as a woman; it's already a feat that she managed to raise the child. It's normal that she can't take care of him for a while.
You can't blame Widow Zhou for Shen Hui's personality. There's something wrong with this branch of the Shen family. Just look at Shen Hui's brother; he's a clear example. He's just like that by nature, and you can't control him.
Li Shiqing was put in an awkward position by Widow Zhou. Her crying made him suppress his resentment.
What else could he do? The villagers would complain that he was arguing with a widow.
Shen Heng wanted to laugh when he saw the expressions on these people's faces. He wasn't helping Li Shiqing; he just didn't want Shen Hui's matter to be let off so easily.
He kicked Shen Hui, who was standing straight to the side, in the back of the knee. Shen Hui let out a "whoop" and turned around to see that it was Shen Heng who kicked him. He didn't dare to fart.
"You have the nerve to make your mother clean up your mess after you get into trouble? If anyone's going to kneel, it's you. I'm telling you, you just stay here and wait obediently. It'd be best if nothing happens to them. If something does happen, I'll beat you to death today, you son of a bitch, on behalf of your father."
Shen Heng kicked Shen Hui to his knees, and Li Shiqing felt much better.
Shen Hui is a junior; he can accept being forced to kneel down and apologize.
As soon as Shen Heng spoke, the onlookers abandoned their pity for Widow Zhou and became interested in watching the spectacle.
Regardless of the circumstances, Shen Heng and Shen Hui are related by blood. As the eldest brother, he is like a father to Shen Hui, so it makes sense that he would act as his father in carrying out family discipline.
The sentence that called Shen Hui a son of a bitch is quite thought-provoking.
Widow Zhou's face immediately darkened. She took a deep sniff and said, "Xiao Heng, why are you saying such things? You haven't cared about your brother all these years. Are you just jumping out to vent your anger now?"
Shen Heng hadn't spoken to Widow Zhou in a long time, and he hadn't heard her address him so disgustingly in a long time either.
Who do you think you are?
Widow Zhou sobbed, "Xiao Heng, how can you talk to me like that? I'm the one your father married through proper channels..."
"What's the use of telling me this? You should think about your own funeral arrangements instead. Two years ago, I already dug up my father's grave and buried him with my mother. When you die, I'll find your son to find you a good place. Once you're in the afterlife, find him first, and then we'll talk about your status."
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