Being sent to the countryside as an educated youth meant poor food and endless work; life was already hard enough. Unmarried women also had to worry about being targeted by shady characters, ultimately marrying the wrong person and ruining their lives.
She thought that marriage would protect her, but unfortunately her husband had an accident, and she had only just become a widow when rumors started spreading, all because of her money and the house.
What's frightening is that many people don't see this as bullying.
Because the people who bullied the widow were none other than her husband's relatives.
Furthermore, in the eyes of the groom's relatives, the wife he marries is an outsider.
We shouldn't let the good stuff go to outsiders. If we don't take all the valuable stuff, wouldn't it just benefit this outsider?
Chen Qiuyu had only been in the countryside for a few years, yet he had already witnessed several instances of people bullying widows and exploiting the children of the deceased.
She sighed and comforted him, "Fang Qiao is at least a martyr's family member, the Cheng family won't go too far."
Even after saying this, Chen Qiuyu himself wasn't sure.
After all, the rumors were so nasty, the Cheng family was clearly not a kind and generous one.
Wang Yun knew that Chen Qiuyu was trying to comfort her, but her words couldn't convince even herself, let alone others.
The more they talked, the worse it got. Wang Yun lost the will to continue the conversation, waved his hand and said, "Forget it, I'm leaving now. It's getting dark, you should all go back too."
"Okay, you can go now, we're leaving too."
The three parted ways at the intersection in front of the educated youth settlement. Wang Yun then quickened his pace and jogged home.
When Wang Yun returned, Fang Qiao had just chased the chickens into the coop and blocked it up. Tian Tian was standing next to her, holding two eggs that she had just picked out of the coop.
Seeing that Wang Yun's expression was not good, Fang Qiao thought that what she was about to say was not suitable for a child to hear, so she patted the back of Tian Tian's head and gently sent her away: "Tian Tian, can you help your aunt put the eggs into the basket in the kitchen?"
"Okay." Sweetie nodded obediently.
As soon as Tian Tian left, Wang Yun told Fang Qiao everything he had heard from Chen Qiuyu and Zhang Fang.
Upon hearing this, Fang Qiao immediately realized the seriousness of the problem. She became serious and said solemnly, "The rumors are spreading so fast that someone is probably stirring things up behind the scenes. I'm afraid the Cheng family can't wait to cause me trouble."
"Then, what should we do?" Wang Yun's voice trembled slightly.
Fang Qiao bit her lower lip and decisively said, "Let's go to town now! Let's find the leaders of the People's Armed Forces Department to make a decision."
“But our village is seven or eight miles from the town, and the road is full of potholes. The back seat of a bicycle is too bumpy for you to ride, and walking is too far. With your big belly, can you manage?” Wang Yun looked at Fang Qiao’s high-protruding belly with worry in her eyes.
"I guess...it won't work."
Appropriate exercise in late pregnancy can help with childbirth, but excessive exercise can cause uterine displacement and even increase the risk of premature rupture of membranes and miscarriage.
Seven or eight miles was indeed too far, and Fang Qiao understood that her current body couldn't handle walking such a long distance.
Moreover, the child in her womb was her precious baby whom she had lost and found again, and she didn't want to take any risks unless absolutely necessary.
Fang Qiao hesitated for a moment and said, "Then I won't go. I'll stay home and wait for your news."
"Xiaoyun, wait for me a moment." With that, Fang Qiao went back into the house first, took out the flashlight that she rarely used from the drawer, and handed it to Wang Yun, saying to her, "It's dark at night, so be careful on your bicycle. When you get to town, go to the Women's Federation to find Director Li, then go to the People's Armed Forces Department. The rest will be done as we discussed before!"
Wang Yun nodded.
Fang Qiao opened the outer door of her house and said, "Be careful on the road, and pay attention to safety."
"I know." Wang Yun waved his hand. "I'm leaving. You and Tian Tian, be careful. If anything happens, hide. No matter what, wait for me to come back!"
"Don't worry, I'll take Tiantian to my third aunt's house to avoid this after you leave."
At worst, she could leave Tian Tian in the care of her third aunt and find a secluded place to hide in her spatial dimension. Even if the Cheng family couldn't find her, they wouldn't make things difficult for a three-year-old child.
"Okay, I'm off then." With that, Wang Yun pedaled his bicycle, turned a corner ahead, left the village, and headed straight for the town commune!
After Wang Yun left, Fang Qiao didn't stay at home for long. Instead, she took Tian Tian's hand and walked out of the house.
She locked the outer door and walked towards her third aunt's house, pondering what to do next.
We cannot place all our hopes on Director Li and the town leaders.
Taking advantage of widows and exploiting those who have no descendants is a deeply ingrained habit in rural people. This has been the way of life for hundreds and thousands of years. No one in the countryside thinks there's anything wrong with it. Just look at Aunt San. The job that could have been left for her children in town was taken away. In the years she returned to her hometown to live as a widow, she has been bullied a lot by her sister-in-law, Huang Yan.
Who knows what the town leaders think about this? What if they don't do anything about it?
Wasn't there no one to care about her in her past life? Director Li tried his best to help her, but in the end, there was nothing he could do.
Fang Qiao thought that she and Wang Yun had reacted quickly enough, but she didn't expect that as soon as she turned into the back alley, she saw a group of people gathered in front of the Cheng family's door. She immediately had a bad feeling.
My third aunt's house is right next to Cheng Guihe's house, so I can't go to my third aunt's house. If I go any further, Cheng's group will definitely see me.
Fang Qiao, holding Tian Tian's hand, decisively turned around and walked back, but it was too late.
Cheng Hongmei spotted her back and immediately shouted a reminder: "Mom, brother, Fang Qiao, Fang Qiao is over there."
Fang Qiao was startled and quickened her pace. Tian Tian was small and had short legs, so she was practically running the whole way while being led by the hand. But the child was sensible and didn't utter a sound.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Fang Qiao's mind.
She couldn't go back to the other world, and she was still holding Tian Tian's hand. She couldn't just leave such a young child like Tian Tian outside to face the wolves and tigers of the Cheng family.
Soon, Fang Qiao thought of someone.
Aunt Cheng, who lives diagonally across from her house!
Although Cheng Da Niang's husband and Cheng Gui and his grandfather were not beyond the fifth degree of kinship, they were no longer close and usually treated as neighbors.
Aunt Cheng's family home is in Qiaozhuang, which is next door. Cheng Baidong's aunt married into Qiaozhuang, and Cheng Baidong's grandmother is currently staying at his aunt's house in Qiaozhuang.
Fang Qiao immediately decided to ask Aunt Cheng to make a trip to Qiao Village and ask Cheng Baidong's grandmother to come and help in the emergency!
The old lady was not happy when she learned that Cheng Baidong wanted to marry her, because she was a sent-down youth and she always felt that outsiders were not settled and were not the kind of people who could live a good life with their grandson.
However, he was a good person. Even though he was not satisfied with his grandson's marriage, he never made things difficult for her. At most, he just didn't want to see it and get upset.
Fang Qiao thought to herself: Grandma is the person in the entire Cheng family who loves Bai Dong the most. She must care about the child in her belly, since it is Bai Dong's only bloodline left in the world.
I'm taking the gamble!
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