Chapter 184 The People from Li Family Village Have Arrived
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Baozhu, despite the lingering dark circles under her eyes, was unusually energetic. She carefully examined the more than thirty hair ornament samples that her mother and Li Dani had worked on all night to make—
The designs are novel and unique! The colors are bright and bold! The stitching is so fine and solid that there's not a single flaw! Especially the flower and butterfly patterns cleverly pieced together from scraps of fabric—they're lifelike and full of spirit! Compared to the drab, outdated styles in the supply and marketing cooperatives, they're worlds apart!
A satisfied smile played on her lips as she carefully placed the sample into a clean cloth bag…
After a quick breakfast, Lin Baozhu pedaled her old bicycle, carrying the anxious Li Dani on the back. A bulging net bag hung from the handlebars, and a basket was strapped to the back seat. They sped off towards the county town...
Li Dani gripped Lin Baozhu's clothes tightly, watching the rapidly receding fields, her voice filled with barely concealed fear:
"Sister Baozhu... these hair accessories... will they really sell?"
If they can't sell them... will her parents have to go back to Lijiazhuang again? Her uncle and aunt have both gone to the farm, and Li Zhaodi's husband's family has also turned away Li Yaozu... Once they go back, the burden of raising that little devil will definitely fall on her parents' shoulders! She felt a chill when she thought of the days when Li Yaozu, taking advantage of being a boy, would beat and scold her and her sister.
Sensing her unease, Lin Baozhu slowed her pedaling pace, her tone resolute: "Don't worry! It'll definitely sell! You don't trust your parents' skills, but you don't trust my judgment?"
Li Dani was silent for a moment, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Sister Baozhu...you think...my uncle and aunt have both been sentenced to labor camps, will Li Yaozu...really be left to be raised by my parents?"
"impossible!"
Lin Baozhu said decisively, "First, your parents are not pushovers! Second, Li Yaozu has an older sister, maternal grandparents, and uncles and aunts! Your mother was almost killed by them. Do you think the people in your village have any shame? How dare you force such a hot potato onto the victim? Young girl, stop thinking about these unfounded things. Worrying too much will stunt your growth!"
Hearing her speak with such certainty, Li Dani breathed a long sigh of relief. In her heart, Sister Baozhu was the most capable person, and what she said must be true! It was as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart, and a relaxed smile finally appeared on her face.
As soon as the two arrived at the inpatient department, they heard an angry reprimand coming from not far away!
“Li Xiaoxian! Li Yaozu is your own nephew! Now your mother, your elder brother and sister-in-law have all been arrested! If you two abandon your child, are you just going to watch him starve to death?!”
"Sister Baozhu! It's people from Li Family Village!" Li Dani's face turned deathly pale instantly, and her voice changed drastically. "They...they brought Li Yaozu here!"
Lin Baozhu's face darkened instantly, her eyes turning icy cold!
The slap in the face came unexpectedly! She had barely finished saying it was impossible when these people immediately offered their faces to her?
Fine! Very well! Since you have no shame, then don't blame me for tearing your faces off in public and stomping them into the mud!
A crowd had already gathered outside the ward, craning their necks to peer inside and whispering amongst themselves…
At this moment, Li Xiaoxian's voice rang out: "Captain! My wife is still lying in the hospital bed waiting for surgery! Who caused her to be like this? It was Li Yaozu's parents! They almost took my wife and daughter's lives! Now, how dare you ask me to raise the son of this enemy?!"
"you……!"
The village head of Lijiazhuang was visibly speechless for a moment, then raised his voice in a fit of rage: "Li Xiaoxian! Are you going to be an unfilial descendant of the Li family?! How can you face your deceased father?! You and your older brother only have Yaozu as your sole heir! If you don't support him, who will? Besides, you don't have a son..."
He was clearly in a hurry; his words were laced with threats and inducements.
Yesterday, when they took Li Yaozu to Li Zhaodi's mother-in-law's house, he was almost beaten out with a broom; when they took him to his maternal grandmother's house, they wouldn't even let him in the door! If Li Xiaoxian doesn't take over soon, this "burden" will fall into the hands of the Li family village collective!
Who in the village would be willing to do that?
Li Dani was so angry that she was trembling and was about to rush inside when Lin Baozhu grabbed her arm.
"Don't rush..."
Lin Baozhu's eyes were frighteningly calm.
"First, see what your parents' attitude is."
The two were hidden in the crowd. A woman nearby, seemingly aware of the situation, lowered her voice, a hint of schadenfreude in her tone:
"The boy's parents are all in jail, so he's clinging to his uncle! His uncle only has two daughters, and raising a son would be a good thing, since he'd be good at breaking pottery in the future. But his uncle is so stubborn!"
Lin Baozhu glanced coldly at the woman, a mocking smile playing on her lips. Playing the media game? Ha… I'll make sure your faces are swollen like pig heads in a minute!
Without further hesitation, she took Li Dani's hand, parted the crowd, and strode into the ward!
The ward was packed with people from Lijiazhuang, wearing old cotton-padded coats covered in patches and yellowed headscarves, a heavy stench of sweat mixed with cheap cigarette smoke. The head of the brigade sat in a chair with his back to the door, his tense back radiating intense displeasure.
Li Xiaoxian stood stiffly in front of the hospital bed, like a wooden stake driven into the ground, her eyes filled with a resolute determination to go all out.
"Li Yaozu, let whoever wants to raise them can raise them! I, Li Xiaoxian, will dedicate my life to raising and protecting my two daughters! Captain, my wife is having surgery tomorrow and needs to rest! Please leave!!"
"You've gone too far!"
The captain jumped up, his face red with anger, and pointed at Li Xiaoxian's nose: "Li Xiaoxian! Don't you have any respect for your elders?! If your father knew you didn't even want the Li family's roots anymore, he'd be turning in his grave! You have no son..."
Have you said enough?
A clear and cold shout instantly drowned out all the noise!
Lin Baozhu pulled Li Dani along and walked straight to the bedside. Her gaze swept over Guo Rongrong, who was pale and trembling, unable to speak. With a "bang," she slammed the heavy net bag she was carrying onto the bedside table!
Her icy gaze swept over everyone in the ward: "'No son'! 'No son'! So what if you don't have a son?! What's it to any of you old men in Lijiazhuang?! This is a new society now, even the top leaders advocate gender equality! How come in your mouth you still spout that feudal landlord's 'carrying on the family line' nonsense?!"
Are you trying to go against the big boss?! Always talking about your 'son,' what? Do you have a throne to inherit?!
Her voice suddenly rose: "Open your dog eyes and look! The person lying on the bed was killed by Li Yaozu's own mother and grandmother! If we hadn't spent money to send her to the hospital, would she still be breathing?! And Da Ni! She's only thirteen years old! She was sold by Li Yaozu's mother to an old widower's son for a ghost marriage! Matching a living person with a dead person! Utterly heartless!"
Her gaze was piercing, fixed on the captain whose expression had suddenly changed:
"You lot are something else! With just a few words and a smile, you want to force the enemy's son onto the victim to be raised?! His parents are in a labor camp, not dead! What? Haven't you had enough of bullying honest people?!"
"Fine! I'm going to the commune right now! I want to know, under this bright sun, is there no law left?! Is there anywhere we ordinary people can get justice?!"
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