"Then let's ask the village chief and your dad to go in and take a look! If you feel it's inconvenient, I'll go with you!"
"Women's Director Zhou Hongxia shouted."
She was surnamed Zhou, was also a daughter-in-law of the Li family, and was the women's director; there was simply no one more suitable to be her witness.
As soon as she spoke, Li Xiulian's face turned pale.
Knowing she couldn't protect her, Zhou's mother quickly flung Li Xiulian away, saying, "I'm out of options. I've done everything I could for you. You'd better clean this up yourself!"
As Zhou's mother spoke, she actually closed the door, shutting Li Xiulian out as well.
Their family already had a bad reputation in the village, and with Li Xiulian causing this trouble, Zhou's mother wanted to live a peaceful life in the village, so she had no choice but to sever ties with Li Xiulian.
Although her family lost two hundred yuan to Shen Heng, they still had savings, enough for her to live comfortably for the next few years.
Zhou's mother acted decisively, and before Li Xiulian could react, she found that Zhou's mother had kicked her out of the house.
Zhou's mother's actions undoubtedly confirmed that what the child had said earlier was true; there were indeed mothballs in the cupboard where they kept peach shortbread.
The smell lingered for a long time, and it was no use trying to throw it away quickly.
Li Xiulian stood there stunned for a moment, then quickly moved closer to Li Lide: "Father, Father, you can't abandon me! Father, please say something for me!"
Li Xiulian has admitted it, and Li Lide never expected that Li Xiulian would do such a thing.
Bai Jiaojiao found it amusing to see Li Lide's shocked and disappointed expression.
Don't you even know what kind of person you are? What kind of good daughter could you possibly give birth to?
Li Lide is still in a mess himself, so he'll definitely speak up for Li Xiulian. But it's a done deal that Li Xiulian has done something wrong, and her in-laws don't care. So, the Li family won't get involved in this mess.
"You've done such a heinous thing, what do you expect me to say for you?" Li Lide's words plunged Li Xiulian into an icy abyss. "A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. If your in-laws don't care about you, there's nothing we can do. Everyone has their own fate. You might as well go and beg your Uncle Qing."
Li Xiulian knew she couldn't count on anyone now. She looked at Li Shiqing, about to speak, when Li Shiqing said, "Save your breath. We're not family. My daughter-in-law is our family. You're causing death here, and you expect me to forgive you? You've been someone's wife for so many years and you're over twenty. Can't you tell right from wrong?"
Li Shuxian said, "That's right! As long as our child is still in the womb, the impact of this fall is unpredictable. And you still want to plead with us? You're dreaming!"
Everyone felt that Li Xiulian could not be forgiven. This person was too good at lying. Just now, she could still righteously mock others for making a big fuss and coming to find her without distinguishing right from wrong.
If it were anyone else, they would be panicking.
Li Xiulian is a wolf in sheep's clothing; who would dare to associate with her?
Bai Jiaojiao asked, "There are quite a few people in our village who try to kill others. Who was the last one?"
She was implying something.
The last one was Li Xiulian, her husband, and her father-in-law, wasn't it?
"Li Xiulian, I'm going to the police station to report this and make sure you go to jail too! If you don't go to jail, my wife won't be able to have a peaceful pregnancy!"
Everyone agreed with Li Shuxian's words, but who knew how ruthless Li Xiulian was?
"Yes, arrest her quickly. If we accidentally offend her, who knows how she might retaliate next time?"
The villagers were all in a state of fear, and they all felt that Li Xiulian was a scourge.
Li Lide frowned as he looked at the helpless Li Xiulian. After all, she was the daughter he had raised for twenty years. He looked at Li Shiqing and said, "Your daughter-in-law's baby is fine anyway. Besides, even without Xiulian, she might not have been able to give birth smoothly. How many miscarriages are there? Were they all caused by Xiulian hiring someone to push them out?"
"Li Lide, how dare you speak like that!"
Li Shuxian was so angry that his eyes turned red, and he stopped calling him "uncle" and started calling Li Lide by his full name.
What he said was truly inhuman; he even cursed a pregnant woman to miscarry.
But since Bai Shiqing's child hasn't been born yet, it doesn't really count as a person. If you appeal, it might just be a reprimand, or at most, she'll be arrested and detained for a few days. What can happen then?
Li Shiqing pulled at the furious Li Shuxian: "Everyone in the village agrees to arrest her, but she is a woman after all, and we are all elders. How about this, before Shiqing's child is born, Li Xiulian, you will move into the pigsty and not be allowed to come out. You will work there from now on. There are quite a few more piglets in our village's pigsty this year, so we are short-handed."
"I don't live in a pigsty!"
When all the villagers thought Li Shiqing was too soft-hearted and that the punishment was lenient, Li Xiulian cried out dramatically, "I'm not going to live in the pigsty! It's smelly and dirty. Whoever wants to live there can live there!"
"Aren't you satisfied? If you ask me, the village chief should put her in jail like her husband for a while. When she comes out, she'll be a convict. How glorious would that be!"
For those convicted of labor reform, labor camp inmates were essentially facing a form of social death penalty in those days.
Li Xiulian was terrified. She looked around frantically, but found no one she could ask for help from.
Li Shiqing had his own considerations, and Bai Jiaojiao didn't say much about the result.
Other villagers also felt it was reasonable. After all, in the past few years, those who had been sent down to the countryside lived in pigsties and cowsheds. This kind of place was the best place for them to repent and start anew.
"Sister-in-law, the women's affairs are now in your hands."
Li Shiqing looked at Zhou Hongxia. He was a generation older than Li Xiulian, but they were not close. He didn't want to argue with Li Xiulian too much.
"Don't worry, village chief, I will definitely handle this impartially!" Zhou Hongxia was quite fair. It would be hard to say if it were her own daughter or daughter-in-law, but she really had no intention of bending the law for personal gain when it came to Li Xiulian.
"Hurry up and tell your wife to come out and open the door, and get a mattress ready. I'll take you to the pigsty!"
The purpose of the trip was to take Li Xiulian there, but in reality it was to supervise her, since how could someone from the same village not know where the pigsty was?
This was a worry. Zhou's mother kept the door tightly shut, refusing to let Li Xiulian in, let alone throw out a set of mattresses.
In the end, Li Xiulian's mother couldn't bear it any longer and brought a quilt to the pigsty; they couldn't afford any more.
Bai Jiaojiao went back and told Bai Shiqing about it: "Brother-in-law was really powerful today, pointing his finger at Li Lide and scolding him."
Li Shuxian touched his nose, feeling embarrassed by what she said.
Li Shiqing still said, "You can't call him that next time. He is an elder after all."
"Why."
Li Shuxian agreed.
Li Shiqing explained to Bai Shihai that he made Li Xiulian live in the pigsty not because he was soft-hearted, but because he was afraid that Bai Shiqing's family would object and think that they, the Li family, were bullying her.
Bai Shihai nodded, feeling much more satisfied and relieved with Bai Shiqing's in-laws.
Both of my younger sisters married well, so there's only one left in the family to worry about.
Bai Shihai looked at Bai Shibao, who was making snowballs, and asked, "How old are you?"
"Make one and take it back for Manlin to play with."
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