The old woman panicked when she saw everyone's eyes were on her.
She originally thought that after being disciplined, the child wouldn't dare to tell anyone about it.
"You, you're talking nonsense!"
“How am I talking nonsense? What, are you afraid to admit it? I heard you talking to those two slave traders with my own ears. The older man with the long beard even gave you ten coins as a deposit.”
The courtyard erupted in chaos once again.
“This… Da Niu’s mother, this is wrong of you. Da Niu’s wife is so filial, and you still want to sell her off.”
"Exactly, how big are the bean sprouts? Oh my, how could you be so heartless?"
The crowd began to criticize the old woman in a few words.
The old woman's face grew increasingly pale.
“You little bastard, you’re talking nonsense! I never did that.”
Naturally, he felt guilty.
“I saw it with my own eyes. Didn’t you see me too, Grandma? So when we got home, you beat me to death. I was bedridden for two days before I could get out of bed. You even threatened to beat me to death if I told anyone.”
The way the people in the courtyard looked at the old woman became even more strange, and even the old women who had been standing next to her earlier moved a few steps away from her.
"I, I didn't! You little bastard, how dare you slander me like that! I'll beat you to death!"
As she spoke, she lunged at Fang Qing, who swung the stick in her hand and started hitting her.
Bang bang bang! Several blows landed on the old woman's head.
The old woman was so dizzy from the beating that she turned her head and sat down on the ground.
"Oh dear, why is my life so miserable? I'm so old and I have to bear such a stigma."
“You’re watching from heaven, my lord. This is how they treated me. I’d rather be dead.”
"We've been neighbors for so many years, don't you all know my character? When have I ever done such a thing!"
She was crying and wailing, and her pitiful appearance was truly touching.
Looking at Douya again, she's at the age where she loves to make up lies.
"Bean Sprout, you can't falsely accuse your grandma."
"You can't just say things like that..."
“I’m not making this up. I heard very clearly what Grandma said to those people that day. Those two slave traders lived in a wooden house at the foot of the mountain, just waiting for Grandma to kick us out and then kidnap me and Mom.”
Many people present knew that two people did live in the small wooden cabin at the foot of the mountain, and the two claimed to be cotton collectors who went from street to street.
But then I thought, what cotton could possibly be harvested at this time?
The old woman was so flustered that cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
"Don't listen to her nonsense. She's just slandering me. How can you believe what a child says?"
Just then, the village chief arrived. The old woman saw him as a savior and rushed over to accuse him of being the villain.
"Village chief, you must stand up for me, otherwise this little girl will wrong me to death."
She wiped away her tears and squeezed her way toward the village chief.
The village chief didn't want to get involved in this family matter, but seeing the old woman crying and looking so wronged, he thought of Grandpa Bean Sprout, who was his best friend.
“This is supposed to be your family matter, but Da Niu’s father was my good brother when he was alive, so I can’t just ignore it.”
“Zhao, you have been married into our Fangjia Village for seven years and only gave birth to this one daughter, which is already a disgrace to the Fang family. Now you are instigating your child to slander your mother-in-law. Our Fangjia Village cannot tolerate you.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao's face drained of color instantly.
"No, village chief, it's not like that..."
"Hey, Zhao, you should pack your things now. I'll explain the situation to Da Niu when he gets back."
Upon hearing this, the old woman knew she had the upper hand and began fabricating tales of the Zhao mother and daughter's "evil deeds."
They even fabricated stories about Zhao being unfilial to her mother-in-law, disrespectful to her ancestors, and that she was lazy and gluttonous.
Fang Qing glared angrily at the old woman.
Whenever there was a way out, Fang Qing would lead Zhao Shi away from this cannibalistic place.
But they didn't.
Zhao had no family to rely on, and under the old woman's constant oppression, they were penniless. Leaving this home would only mean facing wolves and tigers.
Fang Qing stood up and blocked Zhao's way.
“Village chief, you’ve just arrived. You can’t just believe my grandmother’s side of the story. Things aren’t as she says. I didn’t wrong her at all…”
Before she could finish speaking, the old woman rushed over and pushed her away.
"You're just stirring up trouble. Do you want to make our village miserable?"
One sentence had a profound impact on the entire village, and the village chief couldn't have agreed more.
"Exactly! How could you do something like this at such a young age? This is your grandma. Does she think she'd sell you out?"
"Why isn't that possible? Everyone knows how much my grandmother wants a grandson and how much she dislikes my mother, doesn't she?"
The old woman quickly covered her mouth, holding her firmly in place. Surprisingly, not a single person among the many people around stepped forward to help the mother and daughter.
"Alright, you've really been corrupted by your mother. You even dare to frame your own grandmother!"
The village chief was clearly impatient. He waved his hand and said, "I'm already meddling in your trivial matters first thing in the morning. You can figure out the rest yourselves."
As he spoke, he walked out. Fang Qing, not caring about anything else, bit the old woman's hand hard.
The old woman, in pain, quickly released her restraints.
"You little slut..."
Fang Qing knelt down in front of the village chief with a thud.
“Village chief, I saw my grandmother meeting with those two slave traders that day, and I heard everything they were discussing.”
"Moreover, afterwards, my grandmother went into the woods with that human trafficker and didn't come out for a long time. Now the village chief is protecting my grandmother without distinguishing right from wrong. Is it because of his brotherhood with my grandfather, or is it because of something else?"
She didn't want to offend the village chief, but the current situation was forcing her to do so.
Her words instantly caused an uproar among the people in the courtyard, and for a moment, all eyes turned to the village chief with a particularly mocking gaze.
The village chief's wife was stunned for a moment before landing a punch on his shoulder.
"What's your relationship? Explain yourself!"
"It's okay, don't listen to her nonsense!"
The village chief glared angrily at Fang Qing.
"What's wrong with you, child? Not content with falsely accusing your grandmother, you even dare to slander me, Zhao Shi? Is this how you raise your child?"
“That’s right, I’ve lived an honest life, how could I be impure with other men? You little slut, how can you slander me like this? How can you face your deceased grandfather?” the old woman hurriedly chimed in.
Fang Qing's eyes were cold and indifferent.
"Isn't that what I should be asking you? How have you treated my grandfather?"
Fang Qing gritted her teeth and said, "I didn't lie at all just now, but do you dare to swear that you didn't collude with the slave traders to sell me and my mother, and that you didn't go into the woods with the slave traders, or that you'll never have a grandson in your life? Do you dare to say that?"
Fang Qing knew that the old woman's grandson was the most important person, and the villagers were very superstitious. The old woman was already feeling guilty, so how could she possibly make such a vow?
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